Publications
Browse more than 160,000 publications authored by our scientists over the past 100+ year history of the USGS. Publications available are: USGS-authored journal articles, series reports, book chapters, other government publications, and more.
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Time for an updated macroseismic scale Time for an updated macroseismic scale
Macroseismology plays a crucial role in earthquake hazard and risk analyses, linking past earthquake occurrences and impacts with those of the present and future. The popularity of internet-based community contributions and the usefulness of intensities for communicating seismic hazards, early warning, and impacts to the public have all bolstered the use of macroseismology beyond its...
Authors
David J. Wald, Ayse Hortacsu, Tiegan E. Hobbs, Keith Porter, Vitor Silva, Lindsay A. Davis
The National Wildlife Disease Database The National Wildlife Disease Database
The National Wildlife Disease Database (NWDD) is a national information hub that integrates wildlife disease data across jurisdictions to guide natural resource management and deliver early warnings of unusual events and emerging threats, strengthening public health preparedness and protecting the agricultural economy.
Authors
Kimberli Miller
Distribution, abundance, and habitat characteristics of Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in San Diego County, California—2025 data summary Distribution, abundance, and habitat characteristics of Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in San Diego County, California—2025 data summary
Authors
Alexandra Houston, Suellen Lynn, Barbara E. Kus
Slip tendency and dilation tendency of Quaternary faults in the Great Basin region, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming Slip tendency and dilation tendency of Quaternary faults in the Great Basin region, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
This report presents the results of slip tendency and dilation tendency analysis of Quaternary faults in the Great Basin region, in the states of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming. This effort was undertaken as part of two studies: the U.S. Department of Energy Geothermal Technologies Office-funded Innovative Geothermal Exploration through Novel Investigations...
Authors
Drew L. Siler
Precipitation probability distribution, percent runoff, and trend analysis for 25 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir basins in Texas from 1980–2019 Precipitation probability distribution, percent runoff, and trend analysis for 25 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir basins in Texas from 1980–2019
This study analyzed precipitation probability distributions, percent runoff, and trends in precipitation from 1980 to 2019 in the Brazos, Colorado, Guadalupe, Neches, Red, and Trinity river basins in Texas for 25 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoirs and 15 other reservoirs for the purpose of flood risk and water-resource management. Probability distribution analyses include annual and...
Authors
Glenn R. Harwell, Monica Veale Yesildirek, Diana L. Hanbali, Eric Van Vleet, Micheal H. Grentzer, Jonathan V. Thomas
Association of runoff risk with private well contamination in a fractured dolostone aquifer Association of runoff risk with private well contamination in a fractured dolostone aquifer
In the United States, private well owners are responsible for monitoring and maintaining their drinking water but have little control over neighboring contamination sources and limited information about daily water quality. Potential for rapid contamination in karst settings exacerbates the challenge. The Runoff Risk Advisory Forecast (RRAF) is a real-time online tool available in five...
Authors
Joe Heffron, Joel P. Stokdyk, Tucker R. Burch, Rachel M. Cook, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Eric O. Young, Jessica F. Sherman, Dustin Goering, Burney A. Kieke, Mark A. Borchardt
Evolution of summit magma pressure during the 2018 caldera collapse at Kılauea volcano Evolution of summit magma pressure during the 2018 caldera collapse at Kılauea volcano
We utilized geodetic data from the 16 May to 4 August 2018 caldera collapse sequence to refine the geometries and pressure evolution of two summit reservoirs at Kīlauea volcano: the shallower Halema‘uma‘u (HMM) and deeper South Caldera (SC) reservoirs. We modeled magma reservoirs as pressurized spheroidal cavities and constrained reservoir geometries with Global Positioning System (GPS)...
Authors
Eric Berg, Taiyi A. Wang, Elizabeth Wig, Paul Segall, Kyle Anderson
Integration of multiple methodologies as an indicator of cyanotoxin occurrence in Owasco Lake, New York Integration of multiple methodologies as an indicator of cyanotoxin occurrence in Owasco Lake, New York
Cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) pose environmental and public health risks in lakes with highly variable cyanobacteria and cyanotoxin distributions. We compared results from 3 independent monitoring programs to characterize spatiotemporal patterns in the stratified, mesotrophic Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in New York. Biweekly open-water samples collected at...
Authors
Rebecca M. Gorney, Anthony R. Prestigiacomo, Erin A. Stelzer, Sabina R. Gifford, Jennifer L. Graham
A new amphibious earthquake catalog for the Alaska Peninsula: Training, testing, and applying machine learning earthquake picking in offshore and amphibious environments A new amphibious earthquake catalog for the Alaska Peninsula: Training, testing, and applying machine learning earthquake picking in offshore and amphibious environments
The dual seismological developments of large-scale offshore observational networks and high-quality machine-learning earthquake detection and picking allow unprecedented seismicity detection in high hazard subduction zones. We develop a high resolution machine learning enhanced seismicity catalog for the Alaska Peninsula stretch of the Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone, which was...
Authors
Grace Barcheck, Natalia A. Ruppert
Water and endangered fish in the Klamath River basin revisited: Does old age or Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation and water quality affect adult Lost River Sucker and Shortnose Sucker survival? A response to Kann and Walker Water and endangered fish in the Klamath River basin revisited: Does old age or Upper Klamath Lake surface elevation and water quality affect adult Lost River Sucker and Shortnose Sucker survival? A response to Kann and Walker
Our update responds to recent scientific critiques and again finds no evidence that lake levels or water conditions influence adult sucker survival. This reaffirms our prior work (Krause et al., 2022) and suggests that recent declines in adult survival may reflect an aging population.
Authors
Jacob Richard Krause, Eric C. Janney, Summer M. Burdick, John Michael Caldwell, Brian S. Hayes
Characterization of subsurface groundwater pathways from treated wastewater effluent infiltration along the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA Characterization of subsurface groundwater pathways from treated wastewater effluent infiltration along the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, USA
Recharge of treated wastewater to the environment is increasingly becoming a component of water resources management, especially in water-limited areas such as the Grand Canyon. Treated wastewater from the Grand Canyon South Rim Wastewater Treatment Plant has been discharged to a dry wash located along the surface expression of a fault for decades, but the fate of the wastewater is...
Authors
Kimberly R. Beisner, Nicholas V. Paretti, Jay Cederberg, Skyler Pendleton Mavor, Ryan S. Crow, Michaelah C. Wilson
Blind spots in our understanding of the tropical nitrogen cycle Blind spots in our understanding of the tropical nitrogen cycle
Understanding environmental controls on tropical nitrogen (N) cycling is critical for projecting flux rates and modeling ecosystem responses to rising CO2. Here, we ask whether geographic bias in field sampling may shape our understanding of N cycling by failing to capture the breadth of environmental heterogeneity within the tropics. We mapped empirical sampling locations of two major...
Authors
Kate Nelson, Samti Luk, Sian Kou-Giesbrecht, Michelle Y. Wong, Cara Flynn, J van Oorschot, Carla R. Reis Ely, Steven S. Perakis, Sarah A. Batterman, Cory C. Cleveland, Timothy E. Crews, Katherine A. Dynarski, Maria G. Gei, Michael J. Gundale, Duncan N.L. Menge, Mark B. Peoples, Sasha C. Reed, Emilio Rodriguez-Caballero, Anika P. Staccone, Benton N. Taylor, Bettina Weber, Nina Wurzburger, Fiona M. Soper