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Results for “EOS Transactions”

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

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2014

Glacier‐measurements in the United States

It is doubtless known to many members of the Section of Hydrology that prior to the World War there existed an International Glacier Commission (la Commission Internationale des Glaciers) whose self‐appointed task it was to gather and publish the results of all available measurements showing the annual variations in length—advance or recession—of glaciers in different parts of the world. On this Commission the United States was represented by two men who made frequent contributions to the International record.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Nonsteady flow to a well of constant drawdown in an extensive aquifer

A mathematical theory is given for the discharge of a well of constant drawdown, discharging as by natural flow from an effectively infinite aquifer of uniform transmissibility and uniform compressibility. This theory is based on the solution by L. P. Smith of the analogous problem in heat conduction. The mathematical function involved in the solution, which cannot be integrated directly, is evaluated by numerical integration. A table of its values is given for a wide range of its argument. This function is compared with other,asymptotic solutions, and simple, useful approximations are given. Two graphical methods are outlined for determining the coefficients of storage and transmissibility from variations in the rate of discharge of wells flowing at constant drawdown. Data from the Grand Junction, Colo., artesian basin are treated by these methods. In the Grand Junction artesian basin there are about 25 flowing wells ranging in depth from 600 to 1600 ft, most of which obtain water from the Entrada sandstone. A few of the wells obtain water from a sandstone in the overlying Morrison formation and a few tap the underlying Wingate sandstone. The procedure of the tests is outlined, and the “ink-well” mercury gage used to measure the artesian pressures is described. Recovery tests were run on the same wells after the discharge tests. Values of transmissibility obtained from the recovery tests check those obtained by means of the discharge tests.

Colorado↗
USGS2011

Magmatic heat and the El Niño cycle

Large submarine lava flows with apparent volumes exceeding 10 km 3 have recently been imaged on the deep ocean floor in various parts of the Pacific by means of GLORIA and SeaMarc side‐looking sonar surveys. Such flows may produce thermal anomalies large enough to perturb the cyclic processes of the ocean and could be a factor in the genesis of El Niño phenomena. We find that known volume rates of mid‐ocean magma production could generate repetitive thermal anomalies as large as 10% of the average El Niño sea surface anomaly at intervals of about 5 years (the mean interval of El Niño events between 1935 and 1984). Likewise, estimated rates of eruption, cooling of lava on the seafloor, and transfer of heat to the near‐surface environment could reasonably produce a thermal anomaly comparable to that associated with El Niño. Larger magmatic events, associated with fluctuations in the total magmatic power and seismicity along the East Pacific Rise, are possible at longer intervals and may explain the extreme size of some El Niño events, such as that of 1982–1983. ©1988. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2012

One hundred years of volcano monitoring in Hawaii

In 2012 the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), the oldest of five volcano observatories in the United States, is commemorating the 100th anniversary of its founding. HVO's location, on the rim of Kilauea volcano (Figure 1)—one of the most active volcanoes on Earth—has provided an unprecedented opportunity over the past century to study processes associated with active volcanism and develop methods for hazards assessment and mitigation. The scientifically and societally important results that have come from 100 years of HVO's existence are the realization of one man's vision of the best way to protect humanity from natural disasters. That vision was a response to an unusually destructive decade that began the twentieth century, a decade that saw almost 200,000 people killed by the effects of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2011

Aeromagnetic survey over U.S. to advance geomagnetic research

A proposed high‐altitude survey of the United States offers an exciting and cost effective opportunity to collect magnetic‐anomaly data. Lockheed Martin Missile and Space Company is considering funding a reimbursable ER‐2 aircraft (Figure 1) mission to collect synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery at an altitude of about 21 km over the conterminous United States and Alaska. The collection of total and vector magnetic field data would be a secondary objective of the flight. Through this “piggyback approach,” the geomagnetic community would inherit invaluable magnetic data at a nominal cost. These data would provide insight on fundamental tectonic and thermal processes and give a new view of the structural and lithologic framework of the crust and upper mantle.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2012

Investigations at active volcanoes

The field of volcanology has expanded greatly in the years 1967–1970, and work on active volcanoes has kept pace with this expansion. I have restricted this summary and the accompanying bibliography to studies by U.S.‐based investigators of active or potentially active volcanoes. I have been immeasurably aided in writing this summary by communications from R. Citron of the Smithsonian Institution Center for Short‐Lived Phenomena, W. Melson and T. Simkin of the Smithsonian Institution, A. McBirney of the Center for Volcanology, University of Oregon, R.B. Forbes of the University of Alaska, and R.W. Decker of Dartmouth College.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Earth‐tides shown by fluctuations of water‐levels in wells in New Mexico and Iowa

It is quite generally known that ocean‐tides produce fluctuations of the water‐level in wells of the artesian type located close to the seashore by periodically changing the external load on the aquifer [see 1 of “References” at end of paper]. Fluctuations of ground‐water as a result of earth‐tides, however, are not generally known although they were observed and studied in a flooded coal‐mine in Europe [2] as early as 1879, and later 1905 to 1912 in wells in South Africa [3]. The phenomena of earth‐tides first came to the attention of the writer in March, 1938, when studying fluctuations of the water‐level In an artesian well near Carlsbad, New Mexico, recorded on charts of a water‐stage recorder, which had an approximately semidiurnal period. Because of the distance from the ocean, about 500 miles, and the altitude of the water‐bearing formation, about 2700 feet, it appeared that the fluctuations could not be the result of ocean‐tides. Neither did it appear they could be the result of other natural phenomena such as changing air‐pressure or changes in water‐level of a nearby lake and river. There was no pumpage from the aquifer, so the fluctuations of the water could not be caused by pumping. T. M. Cramer, Resident Manager of the United States Potash Company at Carlsbad, New Mexico, suggested that the fluctuations must be the result of some lunar attraction. Further study of the fluctuation was made by Dr. C. V. Theis, of the United States Geological Survey, and the writer, whereby the effect of changing air‐pressure was eliminated by correcting the water‐levels to an assumed constant atmospheric pressure. In this study it was demonstrated after applying the barometric correction that the remaining fluctuations were fairly regular and progressed with the transit of the Moon. It was also demonstrated that the fluctuations were of the greatest amplitude during the period of new Moon. Further work by W. E. Hale, of the United States Geological Survey, and the writer, has shown that the fluctuations were much more regular and of greater amplitude during the periods of new and full Moon than during the first and third quarters. It was, therefore, concluded that they are related to true earth‐tides. A preliminary note was published in the Transactions of the American Geophysical Union for 1938 [4].

New Mexico↗
USGS2014

Magnetic studies by the Geophysical Section of the United States Geological Survey

Continued progress has been made in magnetic surveys over large sectional areas by G. R. MacCarthy. Beginning in Florida south of the Okeefenokee Swamp, magnetic traverses were measured and continued through the southern part of Georgia. The most northerly traverses crossed regions where they contacted the crystallines near the surface of the ground. All traverses were run in an east‐west direction. It is planned to continue the magnetic relief‐map described in the Transactions of 1939 of the American Geophysical Union by adding to it this portion of the State of Georgia.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Report of Committee on Glaciers, 1935–36

The membership of the Committee remains the same as stated in the Transactions of the 15th Annual Meeting, except that Kenneth N. Phillips has taken the place of Carl P. Richards, as representative of the Mazamas, of Portland, Oregon. The Committee submits the following report on the variations of glaciers in the continental United States and Alaska for 1935 or, more precisely, for the 12‐month period from the autumn of 1934 to the autumn of 1935.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Report of committee on relation of inch and meter

Those of you who attended the annual meeting of this Section on April 27, 1938, heard a paper entitled “A method for introducing a new standard of length” that was presented by Professor Philip Klssara, calling attention to the Bill then in Congress proposing to redefine the length of the inch. The paper has been published in the “Transactions of the American Geophysical Union“ [19th Annual Meeting, 1938, pp. 94–96]. Its closing paragraph is as follows: “As the American Geophysical Union has as one of its functions the duty of offering advice to the Congress on technical matters, I move, Mr. Chairman, that the Chairman be empowered to appoint a committee to study the matter and to report what recommendations should be made to Congress by the Union.”

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Report of the Committee on Underground Waters, 1935–36

Interest in problems of ground‐water hydrology continues unabated. As proof of this statement it is only necessary to state that of 57 papers listed for presentation at the present annual meeting of the Section of Hydrology and of the Pacific Coast meeting of the Section on January 31 and February 1, 26 papers, or 45 per cent, related to some phase of ground‐water hydrology. In this connection, attention may be called especially to the papers on ground‐water presented at the Pacific Coast meeting and published in the present Transactions . At this early point in his report, the Chairman should state that at about the time he usually takes the preliminary steps in compiling data for his annual report, his official duties somewhat unexpectedly took him to field‐work in New Mexico and Colorado. Without the usual office facilities it has not been possible for him to make all desired contacts, and the present report of current ground‐water studies is necessarily somewhat incomplete.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Report of the Committee on Glaciers, 1934–35

The members of the Committee on Glaciers for 1935 are as given in the report of the Committee for 1933–34 in the Transactions of the Fifteenth Annual Meeting with the addition of Kenneth N. Phillips (The Mazamas, Pacific Building, Portland, Oregon). The year 1934 witnessed a further expansion of the program of systematic annual observations on the variations of American glaciers which was inaugurated by the Committee in 1931. Several of the collaborators in the field-work of their own initiative enlarged the scope of their activities, and a new group joined the movement in the Pacific Northwest, These are the Mountaineers, of Seattle, Washington, who began observations on the glaciers of Mount Baker, which are the largest in the continental United States next to those on Mount Rainier. Under the leadership of H. V. Strandberg a base-line was laid out by the Mountaineers for measurement of the recession of the Easton Glacier, on the south side of the peak.

Washington↗
USGS2014

Specific yield determined from a Thiem's Pumping‐Test

The specific yield of a water-bearing formation is defined as the ratio of (1) the volume of water, which after being saturated, it will yield by gravity to (2) its own volume (O. E. Meinzer, Outline of ground-water hydrology, U.S. Geol. Sur. Water-Supply Paper 494, p. 28, 1923). It is a measure of the quantity of water that a formation will yield when it is drained by lowering of the water-table. The determination of the specific yield is essential in many quantitative ground-water investigations. In 1931 a pumping-test was made in the Platte River Valley, in Nebraska, to determine by Thiem's method the permeability of the water-bearing sand and gravel that underlie the Valley. This test, which constitutes a part of a cooperative investigation by the Conservation and Survey Department of the University of Nebraska and the United States Geological Survey, was briefly described in the 1932 Transactions of the American Geophysical Union (p. 393). The well was pumped continuously for 48 hours, and measurements of the discharge were made every 30 minutes. During the period of pumping and after pumping stopped about 5,000 measurements were made of the depths to the water-surfaces in 80 observation-wells, which were located on lines radiating from the pumped well to distances up to 1,200 feet. Instrumental levels were run to the measuring points on each of the wells so that the altitudes of the water-surfaces could be determined for any time. From the data obtained in this test the average coefficient of permeability was computed to be about 700. In the present paper a method is presented for determining the specific yield of the water-bearing material from the data collected in this test, and the results of the computations are given. This method for determining specific yield was suggested by Meinzer (O. E. Meinzer, Outline of methods for estimating ground-water supplies, U.S. Geol. Sur. water-Supply Paper 638-c, p. 136, 1932).

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2014

Activity Of Paricutin Volcano From August 1, 1948 to June 30, 1949

The present brief summary of activity at Paricutin Volcano, State of Michoacán, Mexico, follows the pattern of the last report on this volcano published in these Transactions late in 1948 [Wilcox and Gutierrez, 1948]. Anticipating the end of his two‐year period of observation at Parícutin in December 1948, Wilcox instructed the junior author, a native Tarascan from the town of San Juan Parangaricutiro, now destroyed, in the processes of keeping detailed diagrammatic records of eruptive activity, of making weather observations, and of outlining the monthly advance of the new lava. On Wilcox's departure the senior author, who had closely followed the series of studies at Paricutin and had frequently visited the Volcano from June 1943 onward, took up the task‐of watching over Paricutin and preparing reports on its activity. During the first six months of 1949 he spent 11 days at the Volcano on the following dates: January 25–28, March 29–April 1, and May 18–20. On these visits he checked the elevations of the chief points on the rim of tie cone, using an alidade at known stations, and in addition followed the growth of the lava‐vent mound, variations in the form of the interior of the crater, and any other features that showed change. Further, he discussed with the junior author, the Volcano's activity during the periods between visits and assembled the observational data for formal presentation.

Michoacan↗
USGS2013

Avoiding The Inevitable? Capacity Loss From Reservoir Sedimentation

The inexorable loss of capacity of the nation's reservoirs—sooner or later threatening water supplies for municipal, agricultural, and industrial uses—is but one of a number of deleterious effects wrought by sediment deposition. Trapped sediments can also damage or bury dam outlets, water intakes, and related infrastructure. Downstream effects of sediment capture and retention by reservoirs can include channel and habitat degradation and biotic alterations.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2013

Exploring Hawaiian volcanism

In 1912 the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) was established by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Thomas A. Jaggar Jr. on the island of Hawaii. Driven by the devastation he observed while investigating the volcanic disasters of 1902 at Montagne Pelée in the Caribbean, Jaggar conducted a worldwide search and decided that Hawai‘i provided an excellent natural laboratory for systematic study of earthquake and volcano processes toward better understanding of seismic and volcanic hazards. In the 100 years since HVO’s founding, surveillance and investigation of Hawaiian volcanoes have spurred advances in volcano and seismic monitoring techniques, extended scientists’ understanding of eruptive activity and processes, and contributed to development of global theories about hot spots and mantle plumes.

Hawai'i↗
USGS2013

The false spring of 2012, earliest in North American record

Phenology - the study of recurring plant and animal life cycle stages, especially their timing and relationships with weather and climate - is becoming an essential tool for documenting, communicating, and anticipating the consequences of climate variability and change. For example, March 2012 broke numerous records for warm temperatures and early flowering in the United States [Karl et al., 2012; Elwood et al., 2013]. Many regions experienced a “false spring,” a period of weather in late winter or early spring sufficiently mild and long to bring vegetation out of dormancy prematurely, rendering it vulnerable to late frost and drought. As global climate warms, increasingly warmer springs may combine with the random climatological occurrence of advective freezes, which result from cold air moving from one region to another, to dramatically increase the future risk of false springs, with profound ecological and economic consequences [e.g., Gu et al., 2008; Marino et al., 2011; Augspurger, 2013]. For example, in the false spring of 2012, an event embedded in long-term trends toward earlier spring [e.g., Schwartz et al., 2006], the frost damage to fruit trees totaled half a billion dollars in Michigan alone, prompting the federal government to declare the state a disaster area [Knudson, 2012].

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗
USGS2013

An interactive web application for visualizing climate data

Massive volumes of data are being created as modeling centers from around the world finalize their submission of climate simulations for the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, phase 5 (CMIP5), in preparation for the forthcoming Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). Scientists, resource managers, and other potential users of climate data are faced with the daunting task of analyzing, distilling, and summarizing this unprecedented wealth of climate information.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union↗