Publications
Publications from the staff of the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Filter Total Items: 2494
Flushing of the deep Pacific Ocean and the deglacial rise of atmospheric CO2 concentrations Flushing of the deep Pacific Ocean and the deglacial rise of atmospheric CO2 concentrations
During the last deglaciation (19,000–9,000 years ago), atmospheric CO2increased by about 80 ppm. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for this change is a central theme of palaeoclimatology, relevant for predicting future CO2 transfers in a warming world. Deglacial CO2 rise hypothetically tapped an accumulated deep Pacific carbon reservoir, but the processes remain elusive as they...
Authors
Jianghui Du, Brian Haley, Alan Mix, Maureen Walczak, Summer K. Praetorius
Global and Arctic climate sensitivity enhanced by changes in North Pacific heat flux Global and Arctic climate sensitivity enhanced by changes in North Pacific heat flux
Arctic amplification is a consequence of surface albedo, cloud, and temperature feedbacks, as well as poleward oceanic and atmospheric heat transport. However, the relative impact of changes in sea surface temperature (SST) patterns and ocean heat flux sourced from different regions on Arctic temperatures are not well constrained. We modify ocean-to-atmosphere heat fluxes in the North...
Authors
Summer K. Praetorius, Maria A. Rugenstein, Geeta Persad, Ken Caldeira
Hunting for landslides from Cascadia's great earthquakes Hunting for landslides from Cascadia's great earthquakes
No abstract available.
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Joshua J. Roering, William J. Burns, William Strubel, Bryan A. Black, Kevin Schmidt, Alison Duvall, Nancy C. Calhoun
Carving Grand Canyon’s inner gorge: A test of steady incision versus rapid knickzone migration Carving Grand Canyon’s inner gorge: A test of steady incision versus rapid knickzone migration
A recent study posits that much of the 240-m-deep inner gorge of Grand Canyon was carved between 500 and 400 ka via passage of a migrating knickzone with incision rates of ~1600 m/Ma during that time period; this was based on dating of a ca. 500 ka travertine deposit perched on the rim of the inner gorge, near Hermit Rapid, and a ca. 400 ka travertine drape that extends to within 60 m of...
Authors
Ryan S. Crow, Karl E. Karlstrom, Laura J. Crossey, Victor Polyak, Yemane Asmerom, William C. McIntosh
The Holbrook Lineaments: The geophysical boundary zone between the Proterozoic Mazatzal and Yavapai Provinces, southwest USA The Holbrook Lineaments: The geophysical boundary zone between the Proterozoic Mazatzal and Yavapai Provinces, southwest USA
A horizontal gradient analysis of the isostatic gravity and aeromagnetic anomaly grids of the NewMexico-Arizona-southernCalifornia area was carried out, focused on eastern Arizona and western New Mexico, to define the transitional boundary between the Proterozoic Yavapai province to the west and the Mazatzal province to the east. The two provinces differ substantially in their...
Authors
Mark E. Gettings
Geoelectric hazard maps for the Pacific Northwest Geoelectric hazard maps for the Pacific Northwest
Maps of extreme value, horizontal component geoelectric field amplitude are constructed for the Pacific Northwest United States (and parts of neighboring Canada). Multidecade long geoelectric field time series are calculated by convolving Earth surface impedance tensors from 71 discrete magnetotelluric survey sites across the region with historical 1‐min (2‐min Nyquist) geomagnetic...
Authors
Jeffrey J. Love, Greg M. Lucas, Anna Kelbert, Paul A. Bedrosian
Exploring viable geologic interpretations of gravity models using distance-based global sensitivity analysis and kernel methods Exploring viable geologic interpretations of gravity models using distance-based global sensitivity analysis and kernel methods
We have explored ways to integrate alternative geologic interpretations into the modeling of gravity data. These methods are applied to the Vaca Fault east of Fairfield, California, USA, where the structure across the fault is in question, and the Vaca Fault is used as a case study to demonstrate the method. The Vaca Fault is modeled using gravity data collected along a 10 km line...
Authors
Geoffrey Phelps, Celine Scheidt, Jef Caers
Outburst floods provide erodability estimates consistent with long-term landscape evolution Outburst floods provide erodability estimates consistent with long-term landscape evolution
Most current models for the landscape evolution over geological timescales are based on semi-empirical laws that consider riverbed incision proportional to rock erodability (dependent on lithology) and to the work performed by water flow (stream power). However, the erodability values obtained from these models are entangled with poorly known conditions of past climate and streamflow...
Authors
Daniel Garcia-Castellanos, Jim E. O'Connor
Breaching of strike-slip faults and successive flooding of pull-apart basins to form the Gulf of California seaway from ca. 8–6 Ma Breaching of strike-slip faults and successive flooding of pull-apart basins to form the Gulf of California seaway from ca. 8–6 Ma
The geologic record of the formation of marine basins during continental rifting is uncommonly preserved. Using GIS-based paleotectonic maps, we show that marine basin formation in the Gulf of California–Salton trough oblique rift (Mexico and the United States) occurred in a stepwise manner as crustal thinning lowered elevations within the Gulf of California Shear Zone, and subsidence...
Authors
Paul J. Umhoefer, Michael H. Darin, Scott E.K. Bennett, Lisa A. Skinner, Rebecca J. Dorsey, Michael E. Oskin
Geochemical characterization and modeling of regional groundwater contributing to the Verde River, Arizona between Mormon Pocket and the USGS Clarkdale gage Geochemical characterization and modeling of regional groundwater contributing to the Verde River, Arizona between Mormon Pocket and the USGS Clarkdale gage
We use synoptic surveys of stream discharge, stable isotopes, and dissolved noble gases to identify the source of groundwater discharge to the Verde River in central Arizona. The Verde River more than doubles in discharge in Mormon Pocket over a 1.4 km distance that includes three discrete locations of visible spring input to the river and other diffuse groundwater inputs. A detailed...
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, W. Payton Gardner, Andrew G. Hunt
Sulfur isotopes of host strata for Howards Pass (Yukon–Northwest Territories) Zn-Pb deposits implicate anaerobic oxidation of methane, not basin stagnation Sulfur isotopes of host strata for Howards Pass (Yukon–Northwest Territories) Zn-Pb deposits implicate anaerobic oxidation of methane, not basin stagnation
A new sulfur isotope stratigraphic profile has been developed for Ordovician-Silurian mudstones that host the Howards Pass Zn-Pb deposits (Canada) in an attempt to reconcile the traditional model of a stagnant euxinic basin setting with new contradictory findings. Our analyses of pyrite confirm the up-section 34S enrichment reported previously, but additional observations show parallel...
Authors
Craig A. Johnson, John F. Slack, Julie A. Dumoulin, Karen Duttweiler Kelley, Hendrik Falck
Geologic and hydrologic concerns about pupfish divergence during the last glacial maximum Geologic and hydrologic concerns about pupfish divergence during the last glacial maximum
Martin et al.'s [1] double-digest, restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing of Death Valley pupfish species (Cyprinodon) and new time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis provide estimated divergence ages for North American pupfish at two scales. On the larger temporal and spatial scale, Martin et al. conclude that the Death Valley pupfish shared common ancestry with: Cyprinodon albivelis...
Authors
Jeffrey R. Knott, Fred Phillips, Marith C. Reheis, Donald Sada, Angela S. Jayko, Gary Axen