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The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
Browse more than 82,000 reports authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS and refine search by topic, location, year, and advanced search.
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Geologic map of the Timberville quadrangle, Virginia Geologic map of the Timberville quadrangle, Virginia
This map of the Timberville 7.5-minute quadrangle in Rockingham and Shenandoah counties, Virginia shows the distribution of Paleozoic-age sedimentary rocks in map and cross-section. Surficial deposits including alluvium and colluvium are also shown. The characteristics of each map unit are described and a brief report discusses the stratigraphy, structure and mineral resources of the...
Authors
Matthew J. Heller, Randall C. Orndorff, David A. Hubbard, Eugene K. Rader
Standard operating procedure 1.2.16 wadeable stream reach-scale field data collection—version 1.0 Standard operating procedure 1.2.16 wadeable stream reach-scale field data collection—version 1.0
The following standard operation procedure (SOP) outlines the procedure for collecting physical habitat data from previously selected and benchmarked wadeable streams. The purpose of this SOP is to ensure that data are collected using methods that are consistent between reaches and years. Using the methods described in this SOP will also ensure that the data will be comparable to data...
Authors
J. M McDonald, E. N. Starkey, Mark B. Gregory, Jeffrey W. Riley
Standard Operating Procedure 1.2.14 Wadeable Stream Reach Selection and Location of Sampling Points—Version 1.0 Standard Operating Procedure 1.2.14 Wadeable Stream Reach Selection and Location of Sampling Points—Version 1.0
The following standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the procedure for selecting stream reaches to be used in Monitoring Wadeable Stream Habitat Conditions in Southeast Coast Network Parks: Protocol Narrative (McDonald et al. 2018a). The techniques and procedures outlined in this SOP are based on methods used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA 2013), the U.S...
Authors
Jacob M. McDonald, E. N. Starkey, Jeffrey W. Riley, Mark B. Gregory
Setting up and configuring a total station: Version 1.0: Southeast coast network standard operating procedure 1.2.17 Setting up and configuring a total station: Version 1.0: Southeast coast network standard operating procedure 1.2.17
The following standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the process for setting up and configuring a total station to collect accurate x, y, and z coordinate data. Total stations allow accurate spatial data to be collected and tied to a permanent benchmark. These data can be used to detect small geomorphic changes between site surveys. Many different types of total stations and...
Authors
Jacob M. McDonald, Mark B. Gregory, Jeffrey W. Riley, E. N. Starkey
Brook Floater rapid assessment monitoring protocol Brook Floater rapid assessment monitoring protocol
The Brook Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a small (
Authors
Sean Sterrett, Allison H. Roy, Peter Hazelton, Brian Watson, Beth Swartz, T. R. Russ, Lisa Holst, Mike Marchand, Jason Wisniewski, Matt Ashton, Barry Wicklow
Conservation genomics of the Mogollon Narrow-headed gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) and Northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops) Conservation genomics of the Mogollon Narrow-headed gartersnake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus) and Northern Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques megalops)
The ability of populations to persist and adapt to abiotic and biotic changes is reliant on genetic diversity. When connectivity across a species landscape is disrupted, the levels and distribution of genetic diversity can rapidly deteriorate as a result of genetic drift, leading to increased inbreeding and reduced adaptive potential. Therefore, understanding the distribution and degree...
Authors
Dustin A. Wood, Iain D. Emmons, Erika M. Nowak, Bruce L. Christman, Andrew T. Holycross, Amy G. Vandergast
Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative unit watershed erosion potential prioritization for check-dam installation
Changes in land-use practices and the extirpation (local extinction) of beaver populations in the early 20th century during European settlement are believed to have resulted in many changes in how streams in the Western United States function. Some of the negative changes that have resulted include stream channelization, soil erosion, changing vegetation, water turbidity, and a loss of...
Authors
Kirsten E. Ironside
Research to improve ShakeAlert earthquake early warning products and their utility Research to improve ShakeAlert earthquake early warning products and their utility
Earthquake early warning (EEW) is the rapid detection of an earthquake and issuance of an alert or notification to people and vulnerable systems likely to experience potentially damaging ground shaking. The level of ground shaking that is considered damaging is defined by the specific application; for example, manufacturing equipment may experience damage at a lower intensity ground...
Authors
Elizabeth S. Cochran, Brad T. Aagaard, Richard M. Allen, Jennifer Andrews, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Andrew J. Barbour, Paul Bodin, Benjamin A. Brooks, Angela Chung, Brendan W. Crowell, Douglas D. Given, Thomas C. Hanks, J. Renate Hartog, Egill Hauksson, Thomas H. Heaton, Sara K. McBride, Men-Andrin Meier, Diego Melgar, Sarah E. Minson, Jessica R. Murray, Jennifer A. Strauss, Douglas Toomey
Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources—Atlantic Coastal Plain and Eastern Mesozoic Rift Basins Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources—Atlantic Coastal Plain and Eastern Mesozoic Rift Basins
This chapter presents information pertinent to the geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration potential within saline aquifers located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Eastern Mesozoic Rift Basins of the Eastern United States. The Atlantic Coastal Plain is underlain by a Jurassic to Quaternary succession of sedimentary strata that onlap westward onto strata of the Appalachian Piedmont
Authors
William H. Craddock, Matthew D. Merrill, Tina L. Roberts-Ashby, Sean T. Brennan, Marc L. Buursink, Ronald M. Drake, Peter D. Warwick, Steven M. Cahan, Christina A. DeVera, Philip A. Freeman, Mayur A. Gosai, Celeste D. Lohr
Geologic field-trip guide of volcaniclastic sediments from snow- and ice-capped volcanoes—Mount St. Helens, Washington, and Mount Hood, Oregon Geologic field-trip guide of volcaniclastic sediments from snow- and ice-capped volcanoes—Mount St. Helens, Washington, and Mount Hood, Oregon
This field guide for the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth’s Interior (IAVCEI) Scientific Assembly 2017 focuses on volcaniclastic sediments from Mount St. Helens in Washington and Mount Hood in Oregon. The trip spends four days in the field and includes nine stops at each volcano. For completeness, this guidebook also includes sixteen optional stops in...
Authors
Thomas C. Pierson, Lee Siebert, Christopher J. Harpel, Kevin M. Scott
A bioassay assessment of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) eradication treatment A bioassay assessment of a zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) eradication treatment
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha, Pallas, 1771) are an aquatic invasive species in the United States, and new infestations of zebra mussels can rapidly expand into dense colonies. Zebra mussels were first reported in Marion Lake, Dakota County, Minnesota, in September 2017, and surveys indicated the infestation was likely isolated near a public boat access. A 2.4-hectare area...
Authors
Matthew T. Barbour, Jeremy K. Wise, James A. Luoma
Mercury concentrations in water and mercury and selenium concentrations in fish from Brownlee Reservoir and selected sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers, Idaho and Oregon, 2013-17 Mercury concentrations in water and mercury and selenium concentrations in fish from Brownlee Reservoir and selected sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers, Idaho and Oregon, 2013-17
Mercury (Hg) analyses were conducted on samples of water and sport fish collected from selected sampling sites in the Boise and Snake Rivers and Brownlee Reservoir, in Idaho and Oregon, to meet National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System permit requirements for the City of Boise, Idaho, from 2013 to 2017. City of Boise personnel collected water samples from six sites in October...
Authors
Dorene E. MacCoy, Christopher A. Mebane