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Greater Platte River Basins and Northern Plains Geologic Framework Studies Completed

By Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center July 14, 2017

Terraces

Niobrara River, northern Nebraska

Early Pleistocene river alluvium

South Platte River corridor

Verdos Alluvium in gravel pit exposure

South Platte River corridor

Niobrara River valley

Five months after wildfire in the area

Sand and gravel extraction pit

Wagner, South Dakota area

Primary objectives of the project are to conduct surficial geologic mapping studies in the central and northern Great Plains in support of ecosystem and climate change research. Major goals are to obtain a better understanding of (1) past climate information recorded in the geologic record, and (2) geomorphic or climatic thresholds that may have triggered major changes in the ecosystems in the past. This information will be vital to regional land-use decision makers and managers trying to anticipate effects of future climate change and make informed choices among competing land uses.

The project directly supports several themes of the USGS Science Strategy:

  • Climate and Land Use Change, Ecosystems, and Environmental Health: by studying past interactions between climate, earth surface processes, and ecosystems for evaluating:
    • Future interactions as climate changes
    • Ecosystem sustainability
    • Wildlife and human health
  • Water: by generating new information for managing water resources.
  • Natural Hazards: by identifying past flood and wildfire events recorded in the geologic record
  • Minerals: by assessing mineral and aggregate resources.

Project Study Areas

Project locations in relation to Missouri Watershed
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

Geologic map of the Fort Morgan 7.5' quadrangle, Morgan County, Colorado

The Fort Morgan 7.5′ quadrangle is located on the semiarid plains of northeastern Colorado, along the South Platte River corridor where the river has incised into Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale. The Pierre Shale is largely covered by surficial deposits that formed from alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes operating in concert with environmental changes from the late Pliocene to the present. Th
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Geologic map of the Weldona 7.5' quadrangle, Morgan County, Colorado

The Weldona 7.5′ quadrangle is located on the semiarid plains of northeastern Colorado, along the South Platte River corridor where the river has incised into Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale. The Pierre Shale is largely covered by surficial deposits that formed from alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes operating in concert with environmental changes from the Pleistocene to the present. The Sout
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Geologic map of the Masters 7.5' quadrangle, Weld and Morgan Counties, Colorado

The Masters 7.5' quadrangle is located along the South Platte River corridor on the semiarid plains of eastern Colorado and contains surficial deposits that record alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes that have operated in concert with environmental changes from Pleistocene to present time. The South Platte River, originating high in the Colorado Front Range, has played a major role in shapin
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Geologic map of the Orchard 7.5' quadrangle, Morgan County, Colorado

The Orchard 7.5' quadrangle is located along the South Platte River corridor on the semi-arid plains of eastern Colorado, and contains surficial deposits that record alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes that have operated through environmental changes from the Pleistocene to the present. The South Platte River, originating high in the Colorado Front Range, has played a major role in shaping t
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Below are publications associated with this project.

 

Pleistocene and Holocene landscape development of the South Platte River Corridor, Northeastern Colorado

This report provides a synthesis of geologic mapping and geochronologic research along the South Platte River between the town of Masters and the city of Fort Morgan, northeastern Colorado. This work was undertaken to better understand landscape development along this part of the river corridor. The focus is on times of rapid change within the fluvial system that had a marked effect on the landsca
By
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Quaternary geologic map of the Wolf Point 1° × 2° quadrangle, Montana and North Dakota

The Wolf Point quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km2 (6,210 mi2). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S.-Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes the Peerless Plateau and Flaxville Plain. The primary river is the Missouri River.The map units are surficial deposits and materials, not landforms. Deposits that compris
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Quaternary geologic map of the Shelby 1° x 2° quadrangle, Montana

The Shelby quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km2 (6,210 mi2). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S./Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes the Sweet Grass Hills. The primary river is the Marias River. The ancestral Missouri River was diverted south of the Bearpaw Mountains by a Laurentide ice sheet. The fill in
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Quaternary geologic map of the Glasgow 1° x 2° quadrangle, Montana

The Glasgow quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km2 (6,210 mi2). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S./Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes the Boundary Plateau, Peerless Plateau, and Larb Hills. The primary river is the Milk River. The map units are surficial deposits and materials, not landforms. Deposits tha
By
Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Quaternary geologic map of the Havre 1° x 2° quadrangle

The Havre quadrangle encompasses approximately 16,084 km2 (6,210 mi2). The northern boundary is the Montana/Saskatchewan (U.S./Canada) boundary. The quadrangle is in the Northern Plains physiographic province and it includes parts of the Bearpaw Mountains, the Little Rocky Mountains, and the Boundary Plateau. The primary river is the Milk River. The ancestral Missouri River was diverted south of t
By
Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center

Project plan-Surficial geologic mapping and hydrogeologic framework studies in the Greater Platte River Basins (Central Great Plains) in support of ecosystem and climate change research

The Greater Platte River Basin area spans a central part of the Midcontinent and Great Plains from the Rocky Mountains on the west to the Missouri River on the east, and is defined to include drainage areas of the Platte, Niobrara, and Republican Rivers, the Rainwater Basin, and other adjoining areas overlying the northern High Plains aquifer. The Greater Platte River Basin contains abundant surfi
By
Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center