Study confirms fossil footprints at White Sands National Park date to the Last Glacial Maximum
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC) researchers conduct multi-purpose geologic mapping and topical scientific studies to address issues concerning geologic, climatic, ecosystem, and land surface changes; human interactions with the environment; and physical, chemical, and biological characterization of the Earth's surface and upper crust.
News
New study of bat habitats and wind energy can help energy providers minimize collisions
New study of bat habitats and wind energy can help energy providers minimize collisions
USGS Friday's Findings - July 26, 2024
USGS Friday's Findings - July 26, 2024
Friday's Findings - April 26, 2024
Friday's Findings - April 26, 2024
Publications
Lead isotopes constrain Precambrian crustal architecture, thermal history, and lithospheric foundering in Laurentia
Laurentia (ancestral North America) records nearly 4 billion years of crustal evolution. Here, a newly compiled continental-scale Pb isotopic database is used to evaluate the Precambrian crustal evolution of Laurentia. Pb model ages yield a 2.7 Ga peak, a 2.5–1.8 Ga minimum and 1.8–0.9 Ga continuum. Pb model ages yield thermochronometric data and track crustal growth via arc-related magmatism and
Mantle melting in regions of thick continental lithosphere: Examples from Late Cretaceous and younger volcanic rocks, Southern Rocky Mountains, Colorado (USA)
Major- and trace-element data together with Nd and Sr isotopic compositions and 40Ar/39Ar age determinations were obtained for Late Cretaceous and younger volcanic rocks from north-central Colorado, USA, in the Southern Rocky Mountains to assess the sources of mantle-derived melts in a region underlain by thick (≥150 km) continental lithosphere. Trachybasalt to trachyandesite lava flows and volcan
Three-dimensional geologic framework model of the Rio San Jose groundwater basin and adjacent areas, New Mexico
As part of a U.S. Geological Survey study in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico, and the Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico, a digital three-dimensional geologic framework model was constructed for the Rio San Jose and its surface-water drainage basin in west-central New Mexico. This three-dimensional model defines the altitude, thickness, and extent of 18 geo