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USGS2015

Profiles of reservoir properties of oil-bearing plays for selected petroleum provinces in the United States

Profiles of reservoir properties of oil-bearing plays for selected petroleum provinces in the United States were developed to characterize the database to be used for a potential assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) of oil that would be technically recoverable by the application of enhanced oil recovery methods using injection of carbon dioxide (CO 2 -EOR). The USGS assessment methodology may require reservoir-level data for the purposes of screening conventional oil reservoirs and projecting CO 2 -EOR performance in terms of the incremental recoverable oil. The information used in this report is based on reservoir properties from the “Significant Oil and Gas Fields of the United States Database” prepared by Nehring Associates, Inc. (2012). As described by Nehring Associates, Inc., the database “covers all producing provinces (basins) in the United States except the Appalachian Basin and the Cincinnati Arch.” Under contract to the USGS, INTEK, Inc., developed and applied algorithms to estimate variables useful in projecting EOR performance at the reservoir level and to complete some partial reservoir records of the “Significant Oil and Gas Fields of the United States Database” (Nehring Associates, Inc., 2012). The augmented database is referred to here as the “Comprehensive Resource Database” (CRD). The CRD play and province classification scheme corresponds to the definitions used in the 1995 USGS National Oil and Gas Assessment (NOGA). The profiles in this report consist of a resource table and a six-part figure showing the variation of reservoir parameters selected because of their importance in the choice of a miscible or immiscible method for CO 2 -EOR and in the assessment of potential oil recovery using the EOR processes. A subset of these reservoirs may be available for either miscible- or immiscible-type flooding for CO 2 -EOR. Plays with fewer than 10 oil reservoirs were not graphed and were omitted from the province profiles. For this report and for the purposes of screening reservoirs as candidates for the application of CO 2 -EOR methods, oil reservoirs must have no more than 10,000 standard cubic feet of natural gas per barrel of oil at surface conditions. Oil-bearing plays presented in this report must contain at least one oil reservoir so defined. The profile plots allow geologists to evaluate the range of empirical and default values of the oil reservoir characteristics within a play and across plays that belong to the same province in the CRD. For most plays, the default estimates can be identified by the stacking of points at a single value on strip charts in the profiles. Reasonable default values should be within the range of the reservoir parameter values assigned by Nehring Associates, Inc. (2012), to reservoirs of that particular play. Each province profile figure consists of five strip charts and a boxplot. The five strip charts display for individual plays the following reservoir-fluid and reservoir properties: A , oil density (American Petroleum Institute [API] gravity in degrees); B , computed pseudo-Dykstra-Parsons coefficient; C , reservoir porosity (in percent); D , reservoir permeability (in millidarcies); and E , estimates of the original oil in place (OOIP) per unit volume of reservoir rock (in barrels per acre-foot). The OOIP per unit volume of reservoir rock is an indicator of the relative richness of the oil reservoir and is derived from estimates in the CRD of OOIP, reservoir acreage, and net pay. The net pay is the interval of productive reservoir rock. The same data for OOIP per unit volume are graphed as a strip chart ( E ) and a boxplot ( F ).

Open-File Report↗

USGS2011

Oil shale resources of the Eocene Green River Formation, Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed a comprehensive assessment of in-place oil in oil shales in the Eocene Green River in the Greater Green River Basin, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. This CD-ROM includes reports, data, and an ArcGIS project describing the assessment. A database was compiled that includes about 47,000 Fischer assays from 186 core holes and 240 rotary drill holes. Most of the oil yield data were analyzed by the former U.S. Bureau of Mines oil shale laboratory in Laramie, Wyoming, and some analyses were made by private laboratories. Location data for 971 Wyoming oil-shale drill holes are listed in a spreadsheet and included in the CD-ROM. Total in-place resources for the three assessed units in the Green River Formation are: (1) Tipton Shale Member, 362,816 million barrels of oil (MMBO), (2) Wilkins Peak Member, 704,991 MMBO, and (3) LaClede Bed of the Laney Member, 377,184 MMBO, for a total of 1.44 trillion barrels of oil in place. This compares with estimated in-place resources for the Piceance Basin of Colorado of 1.53 trillion barrels and estimated in-place resources for the Uinta Basin of Utah and Colorado of 1.32 trillion barrels.

Colorado, Utah, Wyoming↗

USGS2019

Stratigraphic cross sections of the Niobrara Interval of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana

The Bighorn Basin is one of many structural and sedimentary basins that formed in the Rocky Mountain foreland during the Laramide orogeny. The basin is nearly 180 miles long, 100 miles wide, and encompasses about 10,400 square miles in northern Wyoming and southern Montana. The basin is bounded by major basement uplifts that include the Pryor uplift on the northeast, the Beartooth uplift on the northwest, the Bighorn uplift on the east, and the Owl Creek uplift on the south. The northern margin includes a zone of faulting and folding referred to as the Nye-Bowler lineament. The western margin is formed by volcanic rocks of the Absaroka Range. Many important conventional oil and gas fields producing from reservoirs ranging in age from Cambrian through Tertiary have been discovered in this basin. In addition, an extensive unconventional overpressured basin-centered gas accumulation may be present in Cretaceous strata in the deeper parts of the basin. It has long been suggested that various Upper Cretaceous marine shales, including the Cody Shale, are the principal hydrocarbon source rocks for many of these accumulations. With recent advances and success in horizontal drilling and multistage fracture stimulation, there has been an increase in exploration and completion of wells in these marine shales in other Rocky Mountain Laramide basins that were traditionally thought of only as hydrocarbon source rocks. The stratigraphic cross sections presented in this report were constructed as part of a project carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey to characterize and evaluate the undiscovered continuous (unconventional) oil and gas resources of the Niobrara interval in the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale in the Bighorn Basin. These cross sections were constructed using borehole geophysical logs from wells drilled for oil and gas exploration and production. The stratigraphic interval extends from the upper part of the Frontier Formation to the middle part of the Cody Shale. The datum is the base of the “chalk kick” marker bed, a distinctive resistivity peak or zone in the lower part of the Cody Shale. A gamma ray and (or) spontaneous potential log was used in combination with a resistivity log to identify and correlate units. Marine molluscan index fossils collected from nearby outcrop sections were projected into the subsurface to help determine the relative ages of the strata and aid in correlation.

Montana, Wyoming↗

USGS2021

Least Bell's Vireos and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers at the San Luis Rey flood risk management project area in San Diego County, California—Breeding activities and habitat use—2020 annual report

Executive Summary Surveys and monitoring for the endangered Least Bell’s Vireo ( Vireo bellii pusillus ; vireo) were done at the San Luis Rey Flood Risk Management Project Area (Project Area) in the city of Oceanside, San Diego County, California, between March 31 and July 20, 2020. We completed four protocol surveys during the breeding season, supplemented by weekly territory monitoring visits. We identified a total of 161 territorial male vireos; 145 were confirmed as paired and 4 were confirmed as single males. For the remaining 12 territories, we were unable to confirm pair status. Three transient vireos were detected in 2020. The vireo population in the Project Area increased by 26 percent from 2019 to 2020. Vireo populations increased across San Diego County, with a 39-percent increase documented at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton (MCBCP); a 58-percent increase at Marine Corps Air Station; a 78-percent increase on the Otay River; and a 7-percent increase in the population on the middle San Luis Rey River. We used an index of treatment (Treatment Index) to evaluate the impact of on-going vegetation clearing on the Project Area vireo population. The Treatment Index measures the cumulative effect of vegetation treatment within a territory (since 2005) by using the percent area treated weighted by the number of years since treatment. We found that the Treatment Index for unoccupied habitat was more than five times that of occupied habitat, indicating that vireos selected less disturbed habitat in which to settle. We monitored vireo nests at three general site types: (1) within the flood channel where exotic and native vegetation removal has occurred regularly (Channel), (2) three sites next to the flood channel where limited exotic and native vegetation removal has occurred (Off-channel), and (3) three sites that have been actively restored by planting native vegetation (Restoration). Nesting activity was monitored in 100 territories, 4 of which were occupied by single males. Hatching success was higher in the Channel relative to the Off-channel. We found no other differences between Channel, Off-channel, and Restoration nests in terms of clutch size or fledging success. There also was no difference in measures of productivity per pair between Channel, Off-channel, Restoration, and Mixed territories (territories that were classified as one site type but nesting occurred in another site type, or where multiple site types were used for nesting). Overall, breeding success and productivity were lower in 2020 than in 2019, with 69 percent of pairs fledgling at least one young and pairs fledging an average of 2.1±1.7 young. To investigate whether the cumulative years of treatment had an impact on vireo reproductive effort, we looked at the effects of the Treatment Index on reproductive parameters. Results from generalized linear models indicated that treatment did not have an effect on vireo nesting effort or the number of vireo fledglings per pair produced in 2020. Similarly, our analysis of nest survival for 2020 revealed no effect of Treatment Index on daily survival rate. Analysis of vegetation data collected at vireo nests from 2006 to 2020 revealed that vegetation at 1–2 meters (m) from the ground was the most important predictor of daily survival rate. There were differences in nest-placement characteristics among site types and successful/unsuccessful nests. Channel nests were placed higher in the vegetation than Off-channel or Restoration nests. Host plant height, distance to edge of host plant, and distance to edge of vegetation clump were greater at Channel sites compared with Off-channel sites, but were not different from Restoration sites. Within sites, we found only one difference between successful and unsuccessful nests. At Off-channel sites, successful nests were placed higher in the vegetation than unsuccessful nests. Red/arroyo willow ( Salix laevigata or Salix lasiolepis ) and mule fat ( Baccharis salicifolia ) were the species most commonly selected for nesting by vireos in all 3 site types. Vireos used a wider variety of species for nesting in Channel and Off-channel sites (7 and 10 species, respectively) compared to Restoration sites (3 species). Ninety-three vireos banded before the 2020 breeding season were resighted and identified at the Project Area in 2020, all of which were originally banded at the Project Area. Adult birds of known age ranged from 1 to 9 years old. A total of 171 vireos were newly banded in 2020. Twenty-eight adult vireos were banded with a unique color combination, and 143 nestlings were banded with a single dark blue numbered federal band on the left leg. Between 2006 and 2020, survivorship of males (67±10 percent) was consistently higher than females (59±11 percent). First-year birds from 2006 to 2020 had an average over-winter survivorship of 17±5 percent. First-year dispersal in 2020 averaged 2.9±2.9 kilometers (km), with the longest dispersal (13.5 km) by a female that was recaptured at Las Flores Creek, MCBCP. From 2007 to 2012, most returning first-year vireos returned to the Project Area, whereas from 2013 to 2017, the majority of returning birds dispersed to areas outside of the Project Area. In 2018, the trend shifted, and most first-year vireos returned to the Project area. This trend continued in 2020 with most first-year vireos returning to the Project Area; 77 percent of all re-encountered first-year birds returned to the Project Area and 23 percent dispersed to areas outside of the Project Area (upstream to the middle San Luis Rey River and to drainages on MCBCP). Most of the returning adult male vireos showed strong between-year site fidelity to their previous territories. Eighty percent of males (45/56) occupied a territory in 2020 that they had defended in 2019 (within 100 m). Thirty-three percent of females (2/6) detected in 2020 returned to a territory that they occupied in 2019. The average between-year movement for returning adult vireos was 0.1±0.5 km. We completed four protocol surveys for the endangered Southwestern Willow Fycatcher ( Empidonax traillii extimus ; flycatcher) at the Project Area between May 20 and July 20, 2020. No Willow Flycatchers were detected in the Project Area in 2020. A total of 46 vegetation transects (526 points) were sampled at the San Luis Rey Flood Risk Management Project Area in 2020. Seventy-one percent (376/526) of points were in the Channel and 22 percent (115/526) were at Upper Pond. The remaining 7 percent (35/526) were at the Whelan Restoration site. Foliage cover below 1 m was higher at the Channel points compared to Upper Pond and Whelan Restoration. Higher foliage cover in the Channel was attributed to the higher herbaceous component. However, foliage cover from 1 to 3 m was higher at the Whelan Restoration site compared to both Upper Pond and the Channel. Average canopy height was similar at all three site types and was 4.4 m or less. From 2006 to 2020, total foliage cover declined above 1 m in the Channel, from 4 to 5 m at Upper Pond, and above 8 m at Whelan Restoration. Within the Channel, the steepest declines occurred between 2009 and 2013 and between 2014 and 2016. Since 2016, we observed an increase in percent foliage between 0 and 2 m within the Channel, but for other height classes, percent cover remained below levels detected before 2009. Changes in cover at Upper Pond and Whelan Restoration appeared to be driven by the loss of tall tree cover. The vegetation mowing and treatment activities, in combination with lack of precipitation (especially between 2012 and 2016), may have contributed to the decline in foliage cover observed from 2006 to 2020. We sampled vegetation at 49 vireo nests and 49 random plots (“territory” plots) within territories in the Channel and Upper Pond following the 2020 breeding season. Vireos in the Channel selected territories with significantly more foliage cover above 2 m but less cover below 1 m relative to the available habitat. In contrast, Channel vireos selected nest sites within their territories with lower foliage cover above 3 m and were non-selective with regard to cover below 2 m. Vireos at Upper Pond generally were less selective with regard to territory and nest sites but tended to select territories with more foliage cover from 1 to 2 m and above 8 m, and they selected nest sites within their territories with greater foliage cover from 0 to 1 m.

California↗

USGS2007

U.S. Geological Survey scientific activities in the exploration of Antarctica: 1946-2006 record of personnel in Antarctica and their postal cachets: U.S. Navy (1946-48, 1954-60), International Geophysical Year (1957-58), and USGS (1960-2006)

Antarctica, a vast region encompassing 13.2 million km2 (5.1 million mi2), is considered to be one of the most important scientific laboratories on Earth. During the past 60 years, the USGS, in collaboration and with logistical support from the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, has sent 325 USGS scientists to Antarctica to work on a wide range of projects: 169 personnel from the NMD (mostly aerial photography, surveying, and geodesy, primarily used for the modern mapping of Antarctica), 138 personnel from the GD (mostly geophysical and geological studies onshore and offshore), 15 personnel from the WRD (mostly hydrological/glaciological studies in the McMurdo Dry Valleys), 2 personnel from the BRD (microbiological studies in the McMurdo Dry Valleys), and 1 person from the Director's Office (P. Patrick Leahy, Acting Director, 2005–06 austral field season). Three GD scientists and three NMD scientists have carried out field work in Antarctica 9 or more times: John C. Behrendt (15), who started in 1956–57 and published two memoirs (Behrendt, 1998, 2005), Arthur B. Ford (10), who started in 1960–61, and Gary D. Clow (9), who started in 1985–86; Larry D. Hothem (12), who began as a winter-over geodesist at Mawson Station in 1968–69, and Jerry L. Mullins (12), who started in 1982–83 and followed in the legendary footsteps of his NMD predecessor, William R. MacDonald (9), who started in 1960–61 and supervised the acquisition of more than 1,000,000 square miles of aerial photography of Antarctica. This report provides a record as complete as possible, of USGS and non-USGS collaborating personnel in Antarctica from 1946–2006, the geographic locations of their work, and their scientific/engineering disciplines represented. Postal cachets for each year follow the table of personnel and scientific activities in the exploration of Antarctica during those 60 years. To commemorate special events and projects in Antarctica, it became an international practice to create postal cachets. A cachet is defined as a seal, emblem, or commemorative design printed or stamped on an envelope to mark a philatelic or special event. All stamp collectors are familiar with engraved cachets on envelopes of "First-Day-of-Issue" stamps. For Antarctica, a stamped (inked) impression informs the scientist, historian, stamp collector, and general public about the multidisciplinary science projects staffed by USGS scientists and other specialists during a specific austral summer field season. Because philatelic cachets were created by team members for each USGS field season, in most cases depicting the specific areas and scientific objectives, the cachets have become a convenient documentation of the people, projects, and geographic places for that year. Because the cachets are representative of USGS activities, each year's cachet is included in that year's Open-File Report (1960–61 to 2005–06). Starting with the 1983–84 season, however, two USGS cachets were prepared for the next seven years, one for the winter team at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, until 1992–93, and the other for all other field sites. Multiple cachets were created by USGS divisional programs during the 1962–63, 1963–64, 1970–71, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1995–96, 2003–04, and the 2005–06 years. This report includes facsimiles of each annual postal cachet (or postal cachets) designed by USGS graphic specialists and provides a record of USGS personnel (and non-USGS collaborating scientists) and their science division affiliation for each austral field season. In addition, cachets used by USGS personnel for U.S. Navy Operation Highjump (1946–47), U.S. Navy Operation Windmill (1947–48), U.S. Navy U.S.S. Atka reconnaissance cruise (1954–55), U.S. Navy Operation Deep Freeze (DF) (I, 1955–56; II, 1956–57; III, 1957–58; IV, 1958–59; and DF 60, 1959–60), and the International Geophysical Year (1957–58) are included, because USGS scientists made use of these cachets when involved in each of the field activities during these austral field seasons.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2004

Edwards plateau: Analysis of land cover trends

The Land Cover Trends project studies the rates, causes, and consequences of contemporary (1973-2000) change in land use and land cover in the United States on an ecoregional basis. The Edwards Plateau ecoregion is the focus of this report. Landsat imagery from five dates during a nearly 30-year period are interpreted for randomly selected sample blocks. The resulting data provide the foundation for estimating change. Along with the image analysis, site visits to 90% of the sampled areas, geographical profiles, and socioeconomic data for the ecoregion are synthesized to assess regional driving forces and consequences of change. Complete project methodology can be found in Loveland et al [1].

Conference Paper↗

USGS2022

Least Bell's Vireos and Southwestern Willow Flycatchers at the San Luis Rey flood risk management project area in San Diego County, California: Breeding activities and habitat use—2021 Annual report

California↗

USGS2017

Stratigraphic cross sections of the Niobrara interval of the Cody Shale and associated rocks in the Wind River Basin, central Wyoming

The Wind River Basin in Wyoming is one of many structural and sedimentary basins that formed in the Rocky Mountain foreland during the Laramide orogeny. The basin is nearly 200 miles long, 70 miles wide, and encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming. The basin is bounded by the Washakie Range, Owl Creek uplift, and southern Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east, the Granite Mountains on the south, and Wind River Range on the west. Many important conventional oil and gas fields producing from reservoirs ranging in age from Mississippian through Tertiary have been discovered in this basin. In addition, an extensive unconventional overpressured basin-centered gas accumulation has been identified in Cretaceous and Tertiary strata in the deeper parts of the basin. It has long been suggested that various Upper Cretaceous marine shales, including the Cody Shale, are the principal hydrocarbon source rocks for many of these accumulations. With recent advances and success in horizontal drilling and multistage fracture stimulation, there has been an increase in exploration and completion of wells in these marine shales in other Rocky Mountain Laramide basins that were traditionally thought of only as hydrocarbon source rocks. The two stratigraphic cross sections presented in this report were constructed as part of a project carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey to characterize and evaluate the undiscovered continuous (unconventional) oil and gas resources of the Niobrara interval of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming. The primary purpose of the cross sections is to show the stratigraphic relationship of the Niobrara equivalent strata and associated rocks in the lower part of the Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin. These two cross sections were constructed using borehole geophysical logs from 37 wells drilled for oil and gas exploration and production, and one surface section along East Sheep Creek near Shotgun Butte in the northwestern part of the basin. Both lines originate at the East Sheep Creek surface section and end near Clarkson Hill in the extreme southeastern part of the basin. The stratigraphic interval extends from the upper part of the Frontier Formation to the middle part of the Cody Shale. The datum is the base of the “chalk kick” marker bed, a distinctive resistivity peak or zone in the lower part of the Cody Shale. A gamma ray and (or) spontaneous potential (SP) log was used in combination with a resistivity log to identify and correlate units. Marine molluscan index fossils collected from nearby outcrop sections were projected into the subsurface to help determine the relative ages of the strata and aid in correlation.

Wyoming↗

USGS2022

Action plan for restoration of coral reef coastal protection services: Case study example and workbook

This report was prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Office of Research and Development, as part of the Air, Climate and Energy (ACE) research program, with support from Tetra Tech, Inc., and in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and The Nature Conservancy. The ACE research program provides scientific information and tools to support USEPA’s commitment to clean air, clean water and sustainable natural resources, even as environmental conditions change. A key component of this is the development of sound science to support adaptation. Adaptation involves preparing for and adjusting to the effects of climate change and its interactions with other global and local stressors. Because these effects are diverse, interactive, and difficult to predict, adapting management of natural resources in this context can be very challenging. Coral reefs—which provide valued ecosystem services such as fisheries, coastal protection, and tourism—are threatened by the effects of increased sea surface temperatures, sea level rise, and intensifying storms. These large-scale stressors are interacting with local stressors such as pollution, overfishing, and recreational misuse to drive ongoing and accelerating declines in coral reef ecosystems. Thus, there is a rising urgency to design and implement climate change adaptation measures that will enable reef resilience in the face of these changes. This includes accounting for, and adjusting to, the combined effects of climate change and local stressors in coral reef protection and restoration efforts. The action plan, example case study, and workbook found in this report demonstrate a structured process for integrating climate-smart design considerations into restoration planning using A Manager’s Guide to Coral Reef Restoration Planning and Design. The focus is a hypothetical coral reef restoration project that has a goal of recovering nature-based coastal protection services using restoration interventions. The intent is to provide readers with a completed example of how to use the Guide workbook to inform a draft action plan, centering on the topic of coastal protection as a burgeoning area of interest in coral reef science and management communities. The information in this hypothetical case study is not intended for direct use; rather, it provides a starting point for more detailed planning that would occur in specific places. And while a full review of the current literature on reef restoration methods is outside the scope of this report, readers are encouraged to use the examples herein as well as in the Guide as a jumping-off point for exploring the rapidly growing body of information on methods, techniques, successes, failures, monitoring challenges and future directions of coral reef restoration in a changing world. The workbook, together with the action plan, can serve as a valuable record of the planning thought process as well as a living document for adaptive management, to be updated through time as improved information becomes available.

EPA Report↗

USGS1981

Records of water levels in unconsolidated deposits in eastern South Dakota

This report, prepared in cooperation with the South Dakota Department of Water and Natural Resources and the South Dakota Geological Survey, contains a tabulation of water levels measured by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and State agencies. Wells owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) were measured as part of the Oahe Irrigation Project. Wells owned by the South Dakota Department of Water and Natural Resources, Water Rights Division (SDWR) were measured as part of a special program to monitor water levels in aquifers after a county study was completed, and contains measurements made by both USGS and by the SDWR. Water-level measurements that were made by the USGS were made with a weighted steel tape and are reported to the nearest .01 foot. Measurements made by SDWR were made with a cloth tape and popper and are reported to the nearest 0.1 foot. Measurements that are reported each fifth day were taken from a recorder chart and are the water levels at noon on that day. Data from digital recorders are reported daily and are the water levels at noon. All water-level data are given in feet below land surface datum. For readers who may prefer to use metric units rather than inch-pound units, the term feet may be converted to meters by multiplying by 0.3048. The data in this report are presented alphabetically by county and within counties by ascending local well number. Information about each well is contained in table 1 preceeding the water-level measurements (table 2). The short name or number above the altitude in table 2 is used as an easy office reference or in the case of wells owned by SDWR, it is their well identification number.

South Dakota↗

USGS2001

The Putumayo-Oriente-Maranon Province of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; Mesozoic-Cenozoic and Paleozoic petroleum systems

This report is an evaluation of oil and gas resources for petroleum systems of the Putumayo-Oriente-Maranon province of Columbia, Ecuador, and Peru. This assessment is a product of the World Energy Project of the U.S. Geological Survey, under the direction of Thomas Ahlbrandt. Described in this explanation of the petroleum geology of the Putumayo-Oriente-Maranon province are thermal maturation of hydrocarbon source rocks, primary reservoir formations, areas and volumes of oil and (or) gas production, and the history of exploration. Complete oil and gas resource assessment results are planned for a later publication, although some data and results are contained in this report.

Data Series↗

USGS1999

Spatial geologic data model for the Gunnison, Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre National Forests mineral resource assessment area, southwestern Colorado and digital data for the Leadville, Montrose, Durango, and Colorado parts of the Grand Junction, Moab, and Cortez 1° x 2° geologic maps

The digital geologic and geographic information system (GIS) data presented here were prepared to aid in Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, Gunnison National Forest (GMUG) mineral resource assessment Project studies by the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resource Program. The goals of the GMUG Project is to provide mineral resource data and an assessment for undiscovered mineral resources in U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in southwestern Colorado. The Project area covers a large region in southwestern Colorado that is bounded by latitudes 37o 45’ to 39o 30’ north and longitudes 106o to 109o west. The study area is covered by all or parts of six 1o x2o topographic and quadrangle geologic maps, which include geologic maps for the Leadville (Tweto and others, 1978), Montrose (Tweto and others, 1976), Durango (Steven and others, 1974), Grand Junction (Cashion, 1973), Moab (Williams, 1976), and Cortez (Haynes and others, 1972) quadrangles. These geologic maps were used inasmuch as a complete remapping and compilation effort for this study area was beyond the scope of the Project.

Colorado↗

USGS2003

Interim Progress Report on the Application of an Independent Components Analysis-based Spectral Unmixing Algorithm to Beowulf Computers

This report describes work done to implement an independent-components-analysis (ICA) -based blind unmixing algorithm on the Eastern Region Geography (ERG) Beowulf computer cluster. It gives a brief description of blind spectral unmixing using ICA-based techniques and a preliminary example of unmixing results for Landsat-7 Thematic Mapper multispectral imagery using a recently reported1,2,3 unmixing algorithm. Also included are computer performance data. The final phase of this work, the actual implementation of the unmixing algorithm on the Beowulf cluster, was not completed this fiscal year and is addressed elsewhere. It is noted that study of this algorithm and its application to land-cover mapping will continue under another research project in the Land Remote Sensing theme into fiscal year 2004.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2013

National assessment of geologic carbon dioxide storage resources: Summary

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an evaluation of the technically accessible storage resource ( TA SR ) for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) for 36 sedimentary basins in the onshore areas and State waters of the United States. The TA SR is an estimate of the geologic storage resource that may be available for CO 2 injection and storage and is based on current geologic and hydrologic knowledge of the subsurface and current engineering practices. By using a geology-based probabilistic assessment methodology, the USGS assessment team members obtained a mean estimate of approximately 3,000 metric gigatons (Gt) of subsurface CO 2 storage capacity that is technically accessible below onshore areas and State waters; this amount is more than 500 times the 2011 annual U.S. energy-related CO 2 emissions of 5.5 Gt (U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2012, http://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/carbon/). In 2007, the Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110–140) directed the U.S. Geological Survey to conduct a national assessment of geologic storage resources for CO 2 in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and State geological surveys. The USGS developed a methodology to estimate storage resource potential in geologic formations in the United States (Burruss and others, 2009, USGS Open-File Report (OFR) 2009–1035; Brennan and others, 2010, USGS OFR 2010–1127; Blondes, Brennan, and others, 2013, USGS OFR 2013–1055). In 2012, the USGS completed the assessment, and the results are summarized in this Fact Sheet and are provided in more detail in companion reports (U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources Assessment Team, 2013a,b; see related reports at right). The goal of this project was to conduct an initial assessment of storage capacity on a regional basis, and results are not intended for use in the evaluation of specific sites for potential CO 2 storage. The national assessment was a geology-based examination of all sedimentary basins in the onshore and State waters area of the United States that contain storage assessment units (SAUs) that could be defined according to geologic and hydrologic characteristics. Although geologic storage of CO 2 may be possible in some areas not assessed by the USGS, the SAUs identified in this assessment represent those areas within sedimentary basins that met the assessment criteria. A geologic description of each SAU was prepared; descriptions for SAUs in several basins are in Warwick and Corum (2012, USGS OFR 2012–1024).

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2017

Baseline and projected future carbon storage and carbon fluxes in ecosystems of Hawai‘i

This assessment was conducted to fulfill the requirements of section 712 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 and to improve understanding of factors influencing carbon balance in ecosystems of Hawai‘i. Ecosystem carbon storage, carbon fluxes, and carbon balance were examined for major terrestrial ecosystems on the seven main Hawaiian islands in two time periods: baseline (from 2007 through 2012) and future (projections from 2012 through 2061). The assessment incorporated observed data, remote sensing, statistical methods, and simulation models. The national assessment has been completed for the conterminous United States, using methodology described in SIR 2010-5233, with results provided in three regional reports (PP 1804, PP 1797, and PP 1897), and for Alaska, with results provided in PP 1826.

Hawai'i↗

USGS2003

Water quality and trend analysis of Colorado-Big Thompson system reservoirs and related conveyances, 1969 through 2000

The U.S. Geological Survey, in an ongoing cooperative monitoring program with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Bureau of Reclamation, and City of Fort Collins, has collected water-quality data in north-central Colorado since 1969 in reservoirs and conveyances, such as canals and tunnels, related to the Colorado–Big Thompson Project, a water-storage, collection, and distribution system. Ongoing changes in water use among agricultural and municipal users on the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, changing land use in reservoir watersheds, and other water-quality issues among Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District customers necessitated a reexamination of water-quality trends in the Colorado–Big Thompson system reservoirs and related conveyances. The sampling sites are on reservoirs, canals, and tunnels in the headwaters of the Colorado River (on the western side of the transcontinental diversion operations) and the headwaters of the Big Thompson River (on the eastern side of the transcontinental diversion operations). Carter Lake Reservoir and Horsetooth Reservoir are off-channel water-storage facilities, located in the foothills of the northern Colorado Front Range, for water supplied from the Colorado–Big Thompson Project. The length of water-quality record ranges from approximately 3 to 30 years depending on the site and the type of measurement or constituent. Changes in sampling frequency, analytical methods, and minimum reporting limits have occurred repeatedly over the period of record. The objective of this report was to complete a retrospective water-quality and trend analysis of reservoir profiles, nutrients, major ions, selected trace elements, chlorophyll- a , and hypolimnetic oxygen data from 1969 through 2000 in Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Lake, and the Granby Pump Canal in Grand County, Colorado, and Horsetooth Reservoir, Carter Lake, Lake Estes, Alva B. Adams Tunnel, and Olympus Tunnel in Larimer County, Colorado. This report summarizes and assesses: Water-quality and field-measurement profile data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey and stored in the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System, Time-series trends of chemical constituents and physical properties, Trends in oxygen deficits in the hypolimnion of the reservoirs in the late summer season by the seasonal Kendall trend test method, Nutrient limitation and trophic status indicators, and Water-quality data in terms of Colorado water-quality standards. Water quality was generally acceptable for primary uses throughout the Colorado–Big Thompson system over the site periods of record, which are all within the span of 1969 to 2000. Dissolved solids and nutrient concentrations were low and typical of a forested/mountainous/crystalline bedrock hydrologic setting. Most of the more toxic trace elements were rarely detected or were found in low concentrations, due at least in part to a relative lack of ore-mineral deposits within the drainage areas of the Colorado–Big Thompson Project. Constituent concentrations consistently met water-quality standard thresholds set by the State of Colorado. Trophic-State Index Values indicated mesotrophic conditions generally prevailed at reservoirs, based on available Secchi depth, total phosphorus concentrations, and chlorophyll- a concentrations. Based on plots of time-series values and concentrations and seasonal Kendall nonparametric trends testing, dissolved solids and most major ions are decreasing at most sites. Many of the nutrient data did not meet the minimum criteria for time-series testing; but for those that did, nutrient concentrations were generally stable (no statistical trend) or decreasing (ammonia plus organic nitrogen and total phosphorus). Iron and manganese concentrations were stable or decreasing at most sites that met testing criteria. Chlorophyll- a data were only collected for 11 years but generally indicated quasi-stable or downward temporal trends.

Colorado↗

USGS2013

Vegetation inventory, mapping, and classification report, Fort Bowie National Historic Site

A vegetation mapping and characterization effort was conducted at Fort Bowie National Historic Site in 2008-10 by the Sonoran Desert Network office in collaboration with researchers from the Office of Arid lands studies, Remote Sensing Center at the University of Arizona. This vegetation mapping effort was completed under the National Park Service Vegetation Inventory program which aims to complete baseline mapping inventories at over 270 national park units. The vegetation map data was collected to provide park managers with a digital map product that met national standards of spatial and thematic accuracy, while also placing the vegetation into a regional and even national context. Work comprised of three major field phases 1) concurrent field-based classification data collection and mapping (map unit delineation), 2) development of vegetation community types at the National Vegetation Classification alliance or association level and 3) map accuracy assessment. Phase 1 was completed in late 2008 and early 2009. Community type descriptions were drafted to meet the then-current hierarchy (version 1) of the National Vegetation Classification System (NVCS) and these were applied to each of the mapped areas. This classification was developed from both plot level data and censused polygon data (map units) as this project was conducted as a concurrent mapping and classification effort. The third stage of accuracy assessment completed in the fall of 2010 consisted of a complete census of each map unit and was conducted almost entirely by park staff. Following accuracy assessment the map was amended where needed and final products were developed including this report, a digital map and full vegetation descriptions. Fort Bowie National Historic Site covers only 1000 acres yet has a relatively complex landscape, topography and geology. A total of 16 distinct communities were described and mapped at Fort Bowie NHS. These ranged from lush riparian woodlands lining the ephemeral washes dominated by Ash (Fraxinus), Walnut (Juglans) and Hackberry (Celtis) to drier upland sites typical of desert scrub and semi-desert grassland communities. These shrublands boast a diverse mixture of shrubs, succulents and perennial grasses. In many places the vegetation could be seen to echo the history of the fort site, with management of shrub encroachment apparent in the grasslands and the paucity of trees evidence of historic cutting for timber and fire wood. Seven of the 16 vegetation types were ‘accepted’ types within the NVC while the others have been described here as specific to FOBO and have proposed status within the NVC. The map was designed to facilitate ecologically-based natural resources management and research. The map is in digital format within a geodatabase structure that allows for complex relationships to be established between spatial and tabular data, and makes accessing the product easy and seamless. The GIS format allows user flexibility and will also enable updates to be made as new information becomes available (such as revised NVC codes or vegetation type names) or in the event of major disturbance events that could impact the vegetation.

Arizona↗

USGS1959

Progress report on the investigations of bauxite deposits in the eastern part of Kauai, Hawaii

Investigations of bauxite deposits on Kauai by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the State of Hawaii were begun July 1, 1959. The investigations, as planned, are to consist of two phases, each of two years duration. The geological investigations of the bauxite and associated rocks in the field and a considerable amount of chemical and mineralogical work in the laboratory are planned for completion during the first two years of the project. During this phase, a geologist and an assistant will be working on Kauai and geologists, mineralogists, and chemists will be analyzing and studying samples of the bauxite in laboratories of the Geological Survey at Beltsville, Maryland, and Washington, D. C. The work during the second phase of the investigations will be carried on at Beltsville and Washington and will consist of completion of chemical and mineralogical investigations, compilation of maps, analysis of field and laboratory data including determination of the size and quality of the bauxite deposits in the eastern part of Kauai, mineralogical research on bauxite samples, and preparation of a final geological report.

Hawaii↗