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Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

The Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center (GECSC) delivers critical science to support economic growth, energy security, and infrastructure resilience. Through geologic mapping and Earth system research, GECSC provides essential data on the nation’s geologic resources, landscape dynamics, and surface processes—informing resource development, hazard mitigation, and land-use planning.

News

The Next Fueling Discovery Webinar Takes Place May 29

The Next Fueling Discovery Webinar Takes Place May 29

The Powerhouse of USGS Paleo-research

The Powerhouse of USGS Paleo-research

Trees in cities are beyond shady

Trees in cities are beyond shady

Publications

Monitoring visitor activity and informal trail disturbance in Yosemite Valley meadows to assess temporal changes in use and impacts Monitoring visitor activity and informal trail disturbance in Yosemite Valley meadows to assess temporal changes in use and impacts

Montane meadows provide vital habitat that supports ecosystems, regulate hydrological processes, and offer valuable recreational opportunities. Meadows account for 3 % of Yosemite National Park's area, including Yosemite Valley, and are particularly susceptible to human impacts such as formation of informal trails. We collected observational data on visitor activity and quantified social...
Authors
Sheri A. Shiflett, Jeffery S. Jenkins, Rachel F. Mattos, Kai Thiry, Peter Christian Ibsen, Melissa Booher, Angela Tricomi, Nicole D. Athearn

Organic matter composition versus microbial source: Controls on carbon loss from fen wetland and permafrost soils Organic matter composition versus microbial source: Controls on carbon loss from fen wetland and permafrost soils

Wetland and permafrost soils contain some of Earth's largest reservoirs of organic carbon, and these stores are threatened by rapid warming across the Arctic. Nearly half of northern wetlands are affected by permafrost. As these ecosystems warm, the cycling of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and the opportunities for microbial degradation are changing. This is particularly evident as the...
Authors
Sommer F. Starr, Kimberly Wickland, Anne M. Kellerman, Amy M. McKenna, Martin M. Kurek, Aubrey Miller, Ariana Karsaras, Thomas A. Douglas, Rachel Mackelprang, Ashley L. Shade, Robert G.M. Spencer

Finding the hidden orogeny – The Proterozoic polymetamorphic history of northern New Mexico Finding the hidden orogeny – The Proterozoic polymetamorphic history of northern New Mexico

Pressure–temperature–time-deformation histories provide key constraints on orogenic processes but can be affected by later overprinting. This is exemplified in the Proterozoic orogenic belts of southwestern Laurentia where competing tectonic models involve either a single progressive Mesoproterozoic event, the Picuris orogeny, or a polyorogenic history that also includes the ~1.65 Ga...
Authors
Ian William Hillenbrand, Michael L Williams, Amy K. Gilmer, Karl E. Karlstrom, Michael J. Jercinovic, Daniel J Young
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