Search USGS⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “Geologic Investigation”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,765 records · Page 98Linked to original sources
USGS1991

Geologic map of science study area 1B, west Mangala Valles region of Mars

This map is one in a series of 1:500,000-scale geologic maps initiated by the National Aeronautic and Space Administration to investigate areas of particular scientific interest on Mars. The west Mangala Valles area merits detailed geologic study because it contains several small channels whose ages can be determined relative to geologic units that range in age from early (Noachian) to late (Amazonian) periods of Martian history. Because the small channels are of three ages and channels of each age are of a geomorphic type unique to that age, their study increases our understanding of the continuity of fluvial process on the evolutionary history of Mars. For these reasons, part of the area is a proposed-site for a sample-return mission to Mars.

IMAP↗
USGS1964

Developing a State Water Plan: A basic water resource data program for Utah

Reliable data on Utah's water resources are essential to development of a State Water plan. While the need for such data was outlined in the report entitles "Developing a State Water Plan - Utah's water resources, problems, and needs - A challenge" published by the Utah Water and Power Board and Utah State University in 1963, the discussion was, of necessity, brief. Further definition and scheduling of data collection and related investigations were known to be needed. The report which follows was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of that agency's cooperative program with the State of Utah. It outlines, in greater detail, what the Geological Survey feels is an appropriate long-range program of investigations to provide part of the basic data which will be needed during the course of the State's water planning program. Some of these investigations already are underway, and others will be undertaken in the immediate future.

Utah↗
USGS2011

Geologic map of the Metis Mons quadrangle (V–6), Venus

The Metis Mons quadrangle (V–6) in the northern hemisphere of Venus (lat 50° to 75° N., long 240° to 300° E.) includes a variety of coronae, large volcanoes, ridge and fracture (structure) belts, tesserae, impact craters, and other volcanic and structural features distributed within a plains setting, affording study of their detailed age relations and evolutionary development. Coronae in particular have magmatic, tectonic, and topographic signatures that indicate complex evolutionary histories. Previously, the geology of the map region has been described either in general or narrowly focused investigations. Based on Venera radar mapping, a 1:15,000,000-scale geologic map of part of the northern hemisphere of Venus included the V–6 map region and identified larger features such as tesserae, smooth and hummocky plains materials, ridge belts, coronae, volcanoes, and impact craters but proposed little relative-age information. Global-scale mapping from Magellan data identified similar features and also determined their mean global ages with crater counts. However, the density of craters on Venus is too low for meaningful relative-age determinations at local to regional scales. Several of the coronae in the map area have been described using Venera data (Stofan and Head, 1990), while Crumpler and others (1992) compiled detailed identification and description of volcanic and tectonic features from Magellan data. The main purpose of this map is to reconstruct the geologic history of the Metis Mons quadrangle at a level of detail commensurate with a scale of 1:5,000,000 using Magellan data. We interpret four partly overlapping stages of geologic activity, which collectively resulted in the formation of tesserae, coronae (oriented along structure belts), plains materials of varying ages, and four large volcanic constructs. Scattered impact craters, small shields and pancake-shaped domes, and isolated flows superpose the tectonically deformed materials and appear to be the most youthful materials in the map region.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS1979

The Alaskan Mineral Resource Assessment Program: Background information to accompany folio of geologic and mineral resource maps of the Talkeetna quadrangle, Alaska

The Talkeetna 1° by 3° quadrangle, which consists of about 17,155 km 2 in south-central Alaska, was investigated by integrated field and laboratory studies in the disciplines of geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and Landsat data interpretation for the purpose of assessing its mineral resource potential. Past mineral production has been limited to gold from the Yentna district, but the quadrangle contains potentially significant resources of tin and silver and possibly a few other commodities including chromite and copper. The results of the mineral resource assessment are given in a folio of maps which are accompanied by descriptive texts, diagrams, tables, and pertinent references. This Circular provides background information on these investigations and integrates the component maps. A bibliography cites both specific and general references to the geology and mineral deposits of the quadrangle.

Alaska↗
USGS1972

Annual compilation and analysis of hydrologic data for urban studies in the Bryan, Texas, metropolitan area, 1969

Hydrologic investigations of urban areas in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. These studies are now in progress in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Dallas County, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Bryan. Hydrologic investigations of urban areas in Texas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1954. These studies are now in progress in Austin, Houston, Dallas, Dallas County, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Bryan. 1. To determine, on the basis of historical data and hydrologic analyses, the magnitude and frequency of floods. 2. To document and define the areal extent of floods of greater than ordinary magnitude. 3. To determine the effect of urban development on flood peaks and volume. 4. To provide applied research facilities for studies at Texas A & M University at College Stations. This report, the first in a series of reports to be published annually, is primarily applicable to objectives 2, 3, and 4. The report presents the basic hydrologic data collected in two study areas during the 1969 water year (October 1, 1968, to September 30, 1969) and basic hydrologic data collected during part of the 1968 water year (April 5, 1968, to September 30, 1968). The locations of the two basins within the study area, Burton Creek and Hudson Creek, are shown on figure 1.

Texas↗
USGS2008

Geologic controls on the growth of petroleum reserves

The geologic characteristics of selected siliciclastic (largely sandstone) and carbonate (limestone and dolomite) reservoirs in North America (largely the continental United States) were investigated to improve our understanding of the role of geology in the growth of petroleum reserves. Reservoirs studied were deposited in (1) eolian environments (Jurassic Norphlet Formation of the Gulf Coast and Pennsylvanian-Permian Minnelusa Formation of the Powder River Basin), (2) interconnected fluvial, deltaic, and shallow marine environments (Oligocene Frio Formation of the Gulf Coast and the Pennsylvanian Morrow Formation of the Anadarko and Denver Basins), (3) deeper marine environments (Mississippian Barnett Shale of the Fort Worth Basin and Devonian-Mississippian Bakken Formation of the Williston Basin), (4) marine carbonate environments (Ordovician Ellenburger Group of the Permian Basin and Jurassic Smackover Formation of the Gulf of Mexico Basin), (5) a submarine fan environment (Permian Spraberry Formation of the Midland Basin), and (6) a fluvial environment (Paleocene-Eocene Wasatch Formation of the Uinta-Piceance Basin). The connection between an oil reservoir's production history and geology was also evaluated by studying production histories of wells in disparate reservoir categories and wells in a single formation containing two reservoir categories. This effort was undertaken to determine, in general, if different reservoir production heterogeneities could be quantified on the basis of gross geologic differences. It appears that reserve growth in existing fields is most predictable for those in which reservoir heterogeneity is low and thus production differs little between wells, probably owing to relatively homogeneous fluid flow. In fields in which reservoirs are highly heterogeneous, prediction of future growth from infill drilling is notably more difficult. In any case, success at linking heterogeneity to reserve growth depends on factors in addition to geology, such as engineering and technological advances and political or cultural or economic influences.

Bulletin↗
USGS1950

Progress report on the geology and ground-water hydrology of part of the Oahe Unit, James River Division, South Dakota

The Oahe Unit, in the James River basin in eastern South Dakota, extends for about 100 miles north and south and is 20 to 80 miles wide, having the river as its east border. The Oahe irrigation project is planned to supply water to 750,000 to 1,500,000 acres of the most suitable land within the area. The studies that have been undertaken in the Oahe area by the Ground Water Division of the U. S. Geological Survey form a part of the investigations which are being carried on by several bureaus of the Department of the Interior and other government agencies for the conservation, control and utilization of the water resources of the Missouri River Basin. The field studies on which the present report is based were made during May 1947 through November 1948 and cover about 1,890 square miles in the southern part of the Oahe area. Data were collected on the character of the surficial geological deposits, and on the occurrence, movement, quantity, and quality of the groundwater supplies. The report describes the several water-bearing formations and presents nine typical logs of deep artesian wells. The records of fluctuation of the water table in 168 wells in or near the Oahe area are listed. Tabulated inventory of 3,257 wells and springs includes information on the observation wells and on all other wells that were noted within the area examined.

South Dakota↗
USGS1949

Investigation of coal deposits in the Fairview and Coal City basins, Coosa Field, St. Clair County, Ala.: reserves, petrography, and chemical properties of coals: washability characteristics of coal from Fairview bed: geology of area

Report issued by the Bureau of Mines discussing the coal deposits in Saint Clair County, Alabama. Investigations of the estimated reserves and analyses of the coal fields in this area are presented. This report includes tables, maps, illustrations, and photographs.

Alabama↗
USGS1993

Simulation of the effects of hypothetical residential development on water levels in Graber Pond, Middleton, Wisconsin

An investigation of the effects of hypothetical residential development in the Graber Pond watershed was done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the city of Middleton. The investigation entailed evaluation of the existing (1989) water budget and water-level conditions for the pond and the water-level conditions expected to result from the hypothetical development that may occur by the year 2000. A water-budget model was calibrated to closely match water levels observed from July 18-August 31, 1989. Water input to the pond during this period was computed to be about 2.58 feet. Of this, about 25 percent (0.65 foot) was from direct rainfall on the pond surface, about 19 percent (0.50 foot) was from storm runoff, and about 55 percent (1.43 feet) was discharge from a nearby manufacturing plant. Simulation of the hypothetical development conditions in the watershed predicts that the average late-summer pond level may rise about 0.7 foot.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1911

Ground water in Juab, Millard, and Iron Counties, Utah

Location and extent of area - Juab, Millard, and Iron counties lie in western Utah, and, with the exception of a small part of Iron County, are entirely within the Great Basin. (See fig. 1.) They comprise about 13,650 square miles, of which approximately 3,500 belong to Juab, 6,775 to Millard, and 3,375 to Iron County. Beaver County, which lies between Millard and Iron counties, is not discussed in this paper because its water resources have been described by W. T. Lee, of the United States Geological Survey, in Water-Supply Paper 217. Purpose of investigation - The investigation was begun in the summer of 1908, under cooperative agreement between the Director of the United States Geological Survey and Caleb Tanner, State engineer of Utah, the object of the work being to obtain and disseminate information which should lead to a greater utilization of the ground-water supplies. The agricultural development of an arid section, such as this, is primarily dependent on the amount of water available. Large tracts of fertile soil remain idle year after year for lack of water for irrigation, while much water that falls as rain and snow sinks into the ground, saturates the porous materials underlying the valleys and deserts, and eventually reappears at the surface in low alkali flats, where it is dissipated by evaporation without producing useful vegetation. If the water thus lost can be applied to fertile soil it will substantially increase the agricultural yield of the region. An urgent demand for information in regard to ground-water prospects has been created in recent years by the adoption of dry farming methods in localities where water is not readily obtained. The water required for culinary purposes and for supplying the horses and traction engines used in tilling the soil on some of the dry farms is at present hauled long distances. In most of the arid parts of this region watering places of any sort are so scarce that certain sections are accessible for grazing only in the winter when sheep will depend on snow for their water supply. In some of these sections an intelligent search would probably discover ground-water supplies which would increase greatly the value of the range.

Utah↗
USGS1947

Preliminary report on stratigraphy and structure of the area of the Colville River between Ninuluk and Prince Creeks, Alaska

Geological Survey Party 4 began studies at a point on the Colville River 18 miles downstream from the mouth of the Killik River on July 19. From this point the studies were continued along the Colville River to near the mouth of Prince Creek. The investigation was completed on September 1 and the party returned to Umiat. A traverse was made along the lower half of Prince Creek and along one of its northern tributaries between September 8 and September 15. Canvas boats were used for transportation along the Colville River and a weasel was used to traverse Prince Creek. The party was composed of four members: R. L. Detterman and D. E. Mathewson, geologists; J. L. Townley, surveyor; and Charles Segal, cook.

Alaska↗
USGS1953

Stratigraphic relations of the Shakopee dolomite and the St. Peter sandstone in southwestern Wisconsin

This paper is concerned with the origin and geologic history of the boundary that separates the widespread St. Peter sandstone from the underlying Shakopee dolomite. That international surface is highly undulatory, and most contemporary geologists who have examined it believe that the contact irregularities result from pre-St. Peter subaerial erosion of the upper Shakopee surface. Some earlier investigators do not entirely concur. This report is a by-product of work done for the U. S. Geological Survey during an investigation of the lead-zinc resources of Wisconsin by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey. Attention was focused on the problem by stratigraphic studies of the Prairie du Chien formations, particularly of the Shakopee dolomite, in which structural and lithologic characters observed in the carbonate sediments seemed to be incompatible with the widely accepted erosional origin of the upper Shakopee surface. It was decided, in 1950, to explore the whole problem of the Shakopee-St. Peter relations by detailed outcrop examinations, supplemented by subsurface and other studies that might contribute to a better understanding of the genetic relationships involved. The area of the investigation was restricted to three counties in southwestern Wisconsin and closely adjacent areas in Iowa(fig. 1), differing in this respect from the broader and more general studies that previously have tended to be the rule.

Wisconsin↗
USGS2008

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 25. Summary of results and baseline and pre-mining ground-water geochemistry, Red River Valley, Taos County, New Mexico, 2001-2005

Active and inactive mine sites are challenging to remediate because of their complexity and scale. Regulations meant to achieve environmental restoration at mine sites are equally challenging to apply for the same reasons. The goal of environmental restoration should be to restore contaminated mine sites, as closely as possible, to pre-mining conditions. Metalliferous mine sites in the Western United States are commonly located in hydrothermally altered and mineralized terrain in which pre-mining concentrations of metals were already anomalously high. Typically, those pre-mining concentrations were not measured, but sometimes they can be reconstructed using scientific inference. Molycorp?s Questa molybdenum mine in the Red River Valley, northern New Mexico, is located near the margin of the Questa caldera in a highly mineralized region. The State of New Mexico requires that ground-water quality standards be met on closure unless it can be shown that potential contaminant concentrations were higher than the standards before mining. No ground water at the mine site had been chemically analyzed before mining. The aim of this investigation, in cooperation with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED), is to infer the pre-mining ground-water quality by an examination of the geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical controls on ground-water quality in a nearby, or proximal, analog site in the Straight Creek drainage basin. Twenty-seven reports contain details of investigations on the geological, hydrological, and geochemical characteristics of the Red River Valley that are summarized in this report. These studies include mapping of surface mineralogy by Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometry (AVIRIS); compilations of historical surface- and ground- water quality data; synoptic/tracer studies with mass loading and temporal water-quality trends of the Red River; reaction-transport modeling of the Red River; environmental geology of the Red River Valley; lake-sediment chemistry; geomorphology and its effect on ground-water flow; geophysical studies on depth to ground-water table and depth to bedrock; bedrock fractures and their potential influence on ground-water flow; leaching studies of scars and waste-rock piles; mineralogy and mineral chemistry and their effect on ground-water quality; debris-flow hazards; hydrology and water balance for the Red River Valley; ground-water geochemistry of selected wells undisturbed by mining in the Red River Valley; and quality assurance and quality control of water analyses. Studies aimed specifically at the Straight Creek natural-analog site include electrical surveys; high-resolution seismic survey; age-dating with tritium/helium; water budget; ground-water hydrology and geochemistry; and comparison of mineralogy and lithology to that of the mine site. The highly mineralized and hydrothermally altered volcanic rocks of the Red River Valley contain several percent pyrite in the quartz-sericite-pyrite (QSP) alteration zone, which weather naturally to acid-sulfate surface and ground waters that discharge to the Red River. Weathering of waste-rock piles containing pyrite also contributes acid water that eventually discharges into the Red River. These acid discharges are neutralized by circumneutral-pH, carbonate-buffered surface and ground waters of the Red River. The buffering capacity of the Red River, however, decreases from the town of Red River to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gaging station near Questa. During short, but intense, storm events, the buffering capacity is exceeded and the river becomes acid from the rapid flushing of acidic materials from natural scar areas. The lithology, mineralogy, elevation, and hydrology of the Straight Creek proximal analog site were found to closely approximate those of the mine site with the exception of the mine site?s Sulphur Gulch catchment. Sulphur Gulch contains three subcatchments?upper Sulphur Gulch, Blind Gulch, and Spring Gulc

New Mexico↗
USGS1972

Annual compilation and analysis of hydrologic data for Honey Creek, Trinity River Basin, Texas, 1970

The U.S. Soil Conservation Service is actively engaged in the installation of flood- and soil-erosion reducing measures in Texas under the authority of "The Flood Control Act of 1936 and 1944" and "Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act" (Public Law 566), as amended. The Soil Conservation Service has found a total of approximately 3,500 floodwater-retarding structures to be physically and economically feasible in Texas. As of September 30, 1970, 1,439 of these structures had been built. This watershed-development program will have varying but important effects on the natural surface- and ground-water resources of river basins, especially where a large number of the floodwater-retarding structures are built. Basic hydrologic data under natural and developed conditions are needed to appraise the effects of the structures on the yield and mode of occurrence of runoff. Hydrologic investigations of these small watershed study areas were begun by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1951 and are now being made in 12 areas (fig. 1). These investigations are being made in cooperation with the Texas Water Development Board, the Soil Conservation Service, the San Antonio River Authority, the city of Dallas, and the Tarrant County Water Control and Improvement District No. 1. The 12 study areas were chosen to sample watersheds having different rainfall, topography, geology, and soils. In five of the study areas (North, Little Elm, Mukewater, Little Pond-North Elm, and Pin Oak Creeks), streamflow and rainfall records were collected prior to construction of the floodwater-retarding structures, thus affording the opportunity for analyses of the conditions 'before and after" development. Structures have now been built in four of these study areas. A summary of the development of the floodwater-retarding structures in each study area as of September 30, 1970, is shown in table 1.

Texas↗
USGS2000

Hydrogeology and hydrogeologic terranes of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Physiographic Provinces in the eastern United States

Severe and prolonged droughts between 1961 and 1988, combined with increased demands for freshwater supplies in the United States, have resulted in a critical need to assess the potential for development of ground- and surface-water supplies. Rapid industrial growth and urban expansion have caused existing freshwater supplies to be used at or near maximum capacity. Begun in 1978, the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a systematic effort to study a number of the Nation's most important aquifer systems, which, in aggregate, underlie much of the country and represent an important component of the Nation's total water supply. The broad objective for each of the 28 studies in the program is to assemble geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical information, to analyze and develop an understanding of the system, and to develop predictive capabilities that will contribute to the effective management of the system. In 1988, as part of the RASA Program, the USGS began a 6-year study of the ground-water resources of parts of 11 States in the Eastern United States (Swain and others, 1991). The study was designated the Appalachian Valley and Piedmont Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (APRASA). The APRASA team investigated ground-water resources primarily in the unglaciated part of the Valley and Ridge, the Blue Ridge, the New England, and the Piedmont Physiographic Provinces (fig. 1). For the purposes of this report, the small area in the New England Physiographic Province that is within the study area in New Jersey and Pennsylvania was considered part of the Piedmont Physiographic Province. The results of the APRASA are contained in about 50 reports and abstracts, including reports on simulation of ground-water flow in three type areas, this atlas, and chapters in Professional Paper 1422. These chapters include the summary (Chapter A), descriptions of recharge rates and surface- and ground-water relations (Chapter B), hydrogeologic terranes in the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province (Chapter C), and ground-water geochemistry (Chapter D). The purposes of this atlas are to summarize the hydrogeology, to describe an analysis of maps and well records, and to present a classification and map of the hydrogeologic terranes of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont Physiographic Provinces within the APRASA study area. Hydrogeologic terranes are defined for this atlas as regionally mappable areas characterized by similar water-yielding properties of a grouping of selected rock types. The hydrogeologic terranes represent areas of distinct hydrologic character. The terranes are intended to help water users locate and develop adequate water supplies and to help hydrologists interpret the regional hydrogeology. Previous investigations provide maps and descriptions of the geologic units, describe the local quantity and quality of ground water within these units, and establish the statistical methods for comparing the water-yielding properties of these units. State geologic maps show the distribution of geologic units at a scale of 1:500,000 for Alabama (Osborne and others, 1989), Georgia (Lawton and others, 1976), North Carolina (Brown and Parker, 1985), and Virginia (Calver and Hobbs, 1963). State maps show geologic units at a scale of 1:250,000 for Maryland (Cleaves and others, 1968), New Jersey (Lewis and Kummel, 1912), Pennsylvania (Berg and others, 1980), South Carolina (Overstreet and Bell, 1965), Tennessee (Hardeman, 1966), and West Virginia (Cardwell and others, 1968). Quadrangle geologic maps show geologic units at a scale of 1:24,000 for parts of Delaware within the APRASA area (Woodruff and Thompson, 1972, 1975). Many reports have been published describing the groundwater resources of a county, parts of a county, multi-county areas, or river basins. The statistical methods used in this atlas are based largely on those used by Helsel and Hirsch (1992) and by Knopman (1990, p. 7-9). In her analysis of well records in the USGS Ground-Water Site Inventory (GWSI) data base, Knopman (1990) ranked factors that must be taken into account when assessing the water-yielding potential of the rocks in the Valley and Ridge, the Blue Ridge, and the Piedmont Physiographic Provinces in Pennsylvania. Readers are referred to Helsel and Hirsch (1992) and Knopman (1990) for details regarding statistical methods.

Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, ↗
USGS2006

Magnetotelluric data collected near geophysically logged boreholes in the Española and Middle Rio Grande Basins, New Mexico

The Santa Fe region is growing rapidly. The Santa Fe Group aquifer in the Española Basin is the main source of municipal water for the region, and water shortfalls could have serious consequences. Future growth and land management in the region depend on accurate assessment and protection of the region's ground-water resources. An important issue in managing the ground-water resources is a better understanding of the hydrogeology of the Tertiary Santa Fe Group. The Santa Fe Group includes the sedimentary deposits that fill the Rio Grande rift and contain the principal ground-water aquifers. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a series of multidisciplinary studies of the Española Basin in northern New Mexico. Detailed geologic mapping, high-resolution airborne magnetic surveys, electromagnetic surveys, and hydrologic, lithologic, and hydro-geochemical data are being used to better understand the aquifer systems. Magnetotelluric (MT) surveys were completed as part of these studies. The primary purpose of the MT surveys was to map changes in electrical resistivity with depth that are related to differences in various rock types that help control the properties of aquifers in the region. Resistivity modeling of the MT data can be used to investigate buried structures related to the basic geologic framework of the study area. The purpose of this report is to release MT sounding data collected near geophysically logged boreholes in the study area, including the nearby Middle Rio Grande Basin. This MT data can be used in subsequent resistivity modeling. No interpretation of the data is included in this report.

New Mexico↗
USGS1958

Suggestions to authors of the reports of the United States Geological Survey

Knowledge acquired by the Geological Survey through programs of research and investigations has no value to the public if it remains in office files or in the minds of the scientists and engineers who did the work. The full discharge of the Survey's responsibilities is attained only by making its acquired knowledge available promptly and effectively to all people who will find it of interest and use. And, to insure effectiveness, reports must be not only accurate but so clearly and simply written that they are easy to read and understand. Efforts by the Geological Survey to attain high quality in reports are necessarily group efforts. The largest contribution is made by the author, who has assembled facts, has worked out ideas to explain them, and has a direct personal interest in making the facts and ideas clearly and effectively known. The Geological Survey encourages that interest, recognizing that it is an essential ingredient of the high morale of the members of the Survey. Authors should keep in mind, however, that the Survey has a proprietary interest in all their manuscript reports and as proprietor may dispose of the reports, or require that they be changed before publication, as it sees fit. The Survey generally exercises its proprietary interest only to the extent of seeing that a report is scientifically and technically sound, will reach the proper audience, and will reflect credit on both the Survey and the author. To these ends, each report is reviewed by the author's fellow workers, supervisors, and staff officials, who bring to bear upon it their specialized knowledge, skill, judgement to assure a sound product. In its final form each Survey report is that product of team effort in which many persons do their share -- even though most of them remain anonymous. There is no easy way to prepare reports of high quality, any more than there is an easy means of carrying out research to sure and outstanding conclusions. Each task calls for intensive thinking and for preserving work. The author bears the primary responsibility and correspondingly faces the most difficult task. To aid him is the chief purpose of this volume. The subject matter of this volume is arranged under several principal headings. First, a summary is given of the Survey's publications: the historical basis for them, statistics as to what has been issued in the periods 1879-1957, and a list and description of the several series of reports and maps in which material is being published. Next are outlined successive steps that the author will normally take from the start of a project to his final proofreading of the text and illustrations. Under the third broad heading is brought together much detailed information about the form and content of reports. The fourth part of this volume is devoted to advice on expression -- what to seek and what to avoid. A fifth major part of this volume bears on the most common questions of typographic style that affect Survey publications. The final sections of the volume give instructions for typing manuscript copy and correcting the galley and page proofs; also they include a few useful tables and a discussion of the purpose and content of press releases.

Report↗
USGS1977

Trap-efficiency investigation, Bernalillo Floodwater Retarding Reservoir No. 1 (Piedra Lisa Arroyo) near Bernalillo, New Mexico, water years 1956-1974

The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service, began an investigation of sedimentation of Bernalillo Floodwater Retarding Reservoir No. 1 (Piedra Lisa Arroyo) near Bernalillo, New Mexico in 1956. This investigation was part of a nationwide investigation of the trap efficiency of detention reservoirs. Reservoirs No. 1 is normally a dry reservoir and runoff from the 10.6 sq km drainage area generally occurs from high-intensity summer thundershowers. The mesa area of the drainage basin was treated to prevent erosion and gullying and to retard rapid runoff of rainfall. The land treatment consisted of pits, terraces, seeding, and restricted grazing. The total outflow recorded for the period of record (July 19, 1956 to June 30, 1974) was 133 acre-feet, yielding 1 ,439 tons of sediment. Over 99 percent of the coarse sediments and a high percentage of the silts and clays were deposited in the reservoir before reaching the outflow pipe. The determined trap efficiency of Reservoir No. 1 was 96 percent for the period of record. (Woordard-USGS)

Open-File Report↗