Publications
Publications from the staff of the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Filter Total Items: 2532
A geophysical characterization of structure and geology of the Northern Granite Springs Valley Geothermal System, Northwestern Nevada A geophysical characterization of structure and geology of the Northern Granite Springs Valley Geothermal System, Northwestern Nevada
The northern Granite Springs Valley in northwestern Nevada is the focus of recent studies for its potential for hosting undiscovered geothermal resources. Although the area lacks definitive surface manifestations of an active hydrothermal system, previous studies identify this region as having potential for hosting a blind geothermal resource, based on elevated subsurface temperatures...
Authors
Jonathan M.G. Glen, Jared R. Peacock, Tait E. Earney, William Schermerhorn, Drew L. Siler, James Faulds, Jacob DeAngelo
Inversions of landslide strength as a proxy for subsurface weathering Inversions of landslide strength as a proxy for subsurface weathering
Distributions of landslide size are hypothesized to reflect hillslope strength, and consequently weathering patterns. However, the association of weathering and critical zone architecture with mechanical strength properties of parent rock and soil are poorly-constrained. Here we use three-dimensional stability to analyze 7330 landslides in western Oregon to infer combinations of strength...
Authors
Stefano Alberti, Ben Leshchinksy, Joshua J. Roering, Jonathan P. Perkins, Michael Olsen
Last Glacial Maximum and early deglaciation in the Stura Valley, southwestern European Alps Last Glacial Maximum and early deglaciation in the Stura Valley, southwestern European Alps
We combined data from geomorphologic surveys, glacial modelling, and 10Be exposure ages of boulders on moraines, to investigate the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the early retreat glacial phases in the Stura Valley of the Maritime Alps. We used the exposure ages to reconstruct the timing of standstills or readvances which interrupted the post-LGM withdrawal, initiated ∼24 ka. We mapped...
Authors
Adriano Ribolini, Matteo Spagnolo, Andrew J. Cyr, Paolo Roberto Federici
Limits to coseismic landslides triggered by Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquakes Limits to coseismic landslides triggered by Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquakes
Landslides are a significant hazard and dominant feature throughout the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. However, the hazard and risk posed by coseismic landslides triggered by great Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquakes is highly uncertain due to a lack of local and global data. Despite a wealth of other geologic evidence for past earthquakes on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, no...
Authors
Alex R. Grant, William Struble, Sean Richard LaHusen
Measuring and attributing sedimentary and geomorphic responses to modern climate change: Challenges and opportunities Measuring and attributing sedimentary and geomorphic responses to modern climate change: Challenges and opportunities
Today, climate change is affecting virtually all terrestrial and nearshore settings. This commentary discusses the challenges of measuring climate-driven physical landscape responses to modern global warming: short and incomplete data records, land use and seismicity masking climatic effects, biases in data availability and resolution, and signal attenuation in sedimentary systems. We...
Authors
Amy E. East, Jonathan A. Warrick, Dongfeng Li, Joel B. Sankey, Margaret H. Redsteer, Ann E. Gibbs, Jeffrey A. Coe, Patrick L. Barnard
Drought and water management in ancient Maya society Drought and water management in ancient Maya society
Paleoclimate research in the Maya region of Mesoamerica provides compelling evidence of drought during key periods of cultural transition in Maya society. These include the transition from the Preclassic to the Classic, and from Classic to the Postclassic. Previous research emphasized a causal relationship between drought and cultural change, or so-called “collapse” in the Maya region...
Authors
Tripti Bhattacharya, Samantha Krause, Dan Penny, David Wahl
Assessing reproducibility in sedimentary macroscopic charcoal count data Assessing reproducibility in sedimentary macroscopic charcoal count data
Current understanding of global late Quaternary fire history is largely drawn from sedimentary charcoal data. Since publication, CharAnalysis increasingly has been relied upon as a robust method for analyzing these data. However, several underlying assumptions of the algorithm have not been tested. This study uses replicated charcoal count data to examine the assumption of Poisson...
Authors
Lysanna Anderson, Liubov S. Presnetsova, David Wahl, Geoffrey Phelps, Alan Gous
The biogeography of relative abundance of soil fungi versus bacteria in surface topsoil The biogeography of relative abundance of soil fungi versus bacteria in surface topsoil
Fungi and bacteria are the two dominant groups of soil microbial communities worldwide. By controlling the turnover of soil organic matter, these organisms directly regulate the exchange of carbon between the soil and the atmosphere. Fundamental differences in the physiology and life history of bacteria and fungi suggest that variation in the biogeography of soil fungal and bacterial...
Authors
Kailiang Yu, Johan van den Hoogen, Zhiqiang Wang, Colin Averill, Devin Routh, Gabriel Reuben Smith, Rebecca E. Drenovsky, Kate M. Scow, Fei Mo, Mark Waldrop, Yuanhe Yang, Weize Tang, Franciska De Vries, Richard D. Bardgett, Peter Manning, Felipe Bastida, Sara G. Baer, Elizabeth Bach, Carlos J. Garcia, Qingkui Wang, Linna Ma, Baodong Chen, Xianjing He, Sven Teurlinex, Amber Heijboer, James A. Bradley, Thomas W. Crowther
A novel origin for PGE reefs: A case study of the J-M Reef A novel origin for PGE reefs: A case study of the J-M Reef
The origin of meter scale stratiform layers of disseminated sulfides in enriched platinum group element (PGE) tenors and grades, called reef-type deposits, are the world’s most significant source of PGEs. Their origin in layered mafic intrusions remains debated, but in general, most researchers favor an orthomagmatic origin for reef-type deposits and agree that their formation requires...
Authors
Michael Jenkins, James E. Mungall, Michael L. Zientek, Gelu Costin, Zhuo-sen Yao
Structural properties of the Southern San Andreas fault zone in northern Coachella Valley from magnetotelluric imaging Structural properties of the Southern San Andreas fault zone in northern Coachella Valley from magnetotelluric imaging
The Southern San Andreas fault (SSAF) poses one of the largest seismic risks in California. Yet, there is much ambiguity regarding its deeper structural properties around Coachella Valley, in large part due to the relative paucity of everyday seismicity. Here, we image a multistranded section of the SSAF using a non-seismic method, namely magnetotelluric (MT) soundings, to help inform...
Authors
Pieter-Ewald Share-MacParland, Jared R. Peacock, Steve C. Constable, Frank L. Vernon, Shunguo Wang
From data to interpretable models: Machine learning for soil moisture forecasting From data to interpretable models: Machine learning for soil moisture forecasting
Soil moisture is critical to agricultural business, ecosystem health, and certain hydrologically driven natural disasters. Monitoring data, though, is prone to instrumental noise, wide ranging extrema, and nonstationary response to rainfall where ground conditions change. Furthermore, existing soil moisture models generally forecast poorly for time periods greater than a few hours. To...
Authors
Aniruddha Basak, Kevin M. Schmidt, Ole Mengshoel
Advancing geophysical techniques to image a stratigraphic hydrothermal resource Advancing geophysical techniques to image a stratigraphic hydrothermal resource
Sedimentary-hosted geothermal energy systems are permeable structural, structural-stratigraphic, and/or stratigraphic horizons with sufficient temperature for direct use and/or electricity generation. Sedimentary-hosted (i.e., stratigraphic) geothermal reservoirs may be present in multiple locations across the central and eastern Great Basin of the USA, thereby constituting a potentially...
Authors
Paul Schwering, Carmen Winn, Piyoosh Jaysaval, Hunter Knox, Drew L. Siler, Christian Hardwick, Bridget Ayling, James Faulds, Elijah Mlawsky, Emma McConville, Jack Norbeck, Nicholas Hinz, Gabe Matson, John Queen