Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 7577

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals in ambient sediment at mussel biomonitoring sites, Puget Sound, Washington Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, polychlorinated biphenyls, and metals in ambient sediment at mussel biomonitoring sites, Puget Sound, Washington

Caged mussels used as biomonitors can provide insights about ambient contaminant assemblages and spatial patterns, sources of contaminants, and contaminant exposure risks for consumers of wild and farmed mussels. This study explored the potential role of ambient sediment in the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and potentially toxic...
Authors
Renee K. Takesue, Pamela L. Campbell‐Swarzenski, Kathleen E. Conn

Spatial distribution of water level impact to back-barrier bays Spatial distribution of water level impact to back-barrier bays

Water level in semi-enclosed bays, landward of barrier islands, is mainly driven by offshore sea level fluctuations that are modulated by bay geometry and bathymetry, causing spatial variability in the ensuing response (transfer). Local wind setup can have a secondary role that depends on wind speed, fetch, and relative orientation of the wind direction and the bay. Inlet geometry and...
Authors
Alfredo Aretxabaleta, Neil K. Ganju, Zafer Defne, Richard P. Signell

Paleoliquefaction field reconnaissance in eastern North Carolina—Is there evidence for large magnitude earthquakes between the central Virginia seismic zone and Charleston seismic zone? Paleoliquefaction field reconnaissance in eastern North Carolina—Is there evidence for large magnitude earthquakes between the central Virginia seismic zone and Charleston seismic zone?

In June 2016, approximately 64 kilometers (km) of riverbank were examined along the Tar and Neuse Rivers near Tarboro and Kinston, North Carolina, for evidence of liquefaction-forming earthquakes. The study area is in the vicinity of the Grainger’s fault zone in eastern North Carolina. The Grainger’s fault zone is a fault zone in the inner Coastal Plain Province that has well-documented...
Authors
Mark W. Carter, Brett T. McLaurin

High-frequency ground motion and source characteristics of the 2008 Wenchuan and 2013 Lushan, China, earthquakes High-frequency ground motion and source characteristics of the 2008 Wenchuan and 2013 Lushan, China, earthquakes

The 2008 MW7.9 Wenchuan and the 2013 MW6.6 Lushan earthquakes, which both occurred on the Longmen Shan thrust belt, show some interesting similarities and differences. Whereas the Wenchuan earthquake entailed a rupture zone that extended about 300 km northeastward, with fault slip extending to the surface, the Lushan earthquake was the result of a buried and much more compact zone of...
Authors
Lingyuan Meng, Yang Zang, Longquan Zhou

An initial assessment of areas where landslides could enter the West Arm of Glacier Bay, Alaska and implications for tsunami hazards An initial assessment of areas where landslides could enter the West Arm of Glacier Bay, Alaska and implications for tsunami hazards

Tsunamis generated by landslides in Glacier Bay are uncommon, but have potential to be extraordinarily destructive when they occur. This article identifies areas that are susceptible to landslides that could generate tsunamis and discusses approaches to characterize hazard and risk from these events.
Authors
Jeffrey A. Coe, Robert G. Schmitt, Erin Bessette-Kirton

SKS splitting beneath Mount St. Helens: Constraints on subslab mantle entrainment SKS splitting beneath Mount St. Helens: Constraints on subslab mantle entrainment

Observations of seismic anisotropy can provide direct constraints on the character of mantle flow in subduction zones, critical for our broader understanding of subduction dynamics. Here we present over 750 new SKS splitting measurements in the vicinity of Mount St. Helens in the Cascadia subduction zone using a combination of stations from the iMUSH broadband array and Cascades Volcano
Authors
Caroline M Eakin, Erin A. Wirth, Abraham Wallace, Carl W Ulberg, Kenneth C Creager, Geoffrey A Abers

Right-lateral fault motion along the slope-basin transition, Gulf of Santa Catalina, southern California Right-lateral fault motion along the slope-basin transition, Gulf of Santa Catalina, southern California

An active fault system carrying a significant component of right-lateral strike-slip motion extends for ~60 km along the slope–basin transition, ~10 to 20 km offshore of the southern California coast from La Jolla to Dana Point. From south to north, this fault system includes the Carlsbad, San Onofre, and San Mateo fault zones. High-resolution single channel minisparker and chirp seismic
Authors
James Conrad, Daniel Brothers, Katherine Coble, Holly F. Ryan, Peter Dartnell, Ray Sliter

Rupture branching structure of the 2014 Mw 6.0 South Napa, California earthquake inferred from explosion-generated fault-zone trapped waves Rupture branching structure of the 2014 Mw 6.0 South Napa, California earthquake inferred from explosion-generated fault-zone trapped waves

We present evidence for multiple fault branches of the West Napa fault zone (WNFZ) based on fault‐zone trapped waves (FZTWs) generated by two explosions that were detonated within the main surface rupture zone produced by the 24 August 2014 Mw 6.0 South Napa earthquake. The FZTWs were recorded by a 15‐kilometer‐long dense (100 m spacing) linear seismic array consisting of 155 4.5‐hertz...
Authors
Yong-Gang Li, Rufus D. Catchings, Mark Goldman

Introduction to special issue on gas hydrate in porous media: Linking laboratory and field‐scale phenomena Introduction to special issue on gas hydrate in porous media: Linking laboratory and field‐scale phenomena

The proliferation of drilling expeditions focused on characterizing natural gas hydrate as a potential energy resource has spawned widespread interest in gas hydrate reservoir properties and associated porous media phenomena. Between 2017 and 2019, a Special Section of this journal compiled contributed papers elucidating interactions between gas hydrate and sediment based on laboratory...
Authors
Carolyn D. Ruppel, Joo Yong Lee, Ingo Pecher

The 2016 Lamplugh rock avalanche, Alaska: Deposit structures and emplacement dynamics The 2016 Lamplugh rock avalanche, Alaska: Deposit structures and emplacement dynamics

Supraglacial landslides result from the catastrophic failure of periglacial rock slopes and deposit large volumes of rock and ice onto the glacier surface. The most remarkable features of these landslides are their prominent long flowbands and a high mobility that exceeds that of their counterparts in other environments. Based on field surveys, high-resolution digital elevation models...
Authors
A. Dufresne, G. Wolken, C Hibert, Erin Bessette-Kirton, Jeffrey A. Coe, M. Geertsema, G Ekström

The effect of stress changes on time-dependent earthquake probabilities for the central Wasatch Fault Zone, Utah, USA The effect of stress changes on time-dependent earthquake probabilities for the central Wasatch Fault Zone, Utah, USA

Static and quasi-static Coulomb stress changes produced by large earthquakes can modify the probability of occurrence of subsequent events on neighboring faults. This approach is based on physical (Coulomb stress changes) and statistical (probability calculations) models, which are influenced by the quality and quantity of data available in the study region. Here, we focus on the Wasatch...
Authors
A. Verdecchia, S. Carena, B. Pace, Christopher B. DuRoss

Alongshore momentum balance over shoreface-connected ridges, Fire Island, NY Alongshore momentum balance over shoreface-connected ridges, Fire Island, NY

Hydrodynamic and hydrographic data collected on the inner shelf of Fire Island, NY, over a region of shoreface-connected ridges (SFCRs) are used to describe wind-driven circulation over uneven topographies along relatively straight coastlines. The data revealed a predominantly alongshore flow, under westward wind forcing, with localized offshore current veering over the SFCR crests...
Authors
Conor Ofsthun, Xiaodong Wu, George Voulgaris, John C. Warner
Was this page helpful?