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Browse more than 65,000 articles 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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Introduction to the special section on improving measurements of earthquake source parameters Introduction to the special section on improving measurements of earthquake source parameters

Earthquake source parameters such as magnitude, seismic moment, source dimension, stress drop, and radiated energy are fundamental to understanding earthquake physics, and are also key ingredients in earthquake ground‐motion modeling, rupture simulation, and statistical seismology. However, the uncertainties in these parameters estimated from the radiated seismic wavefield are large due...
Authors
Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Rachel E. Abercrombie, Adrien Oth, Takahiko Uchide

Utility of a swath laser rangefinder for characterizing mass movement flow depth and landslide initiation Utility of a swath laser rangefinder for characterizing mass movement flow depth and landslide initiation

Mass movements such as debris flows and landslides are some of the deadliest and most destructive natural hazards occurring mostly in alpine and volcanic settings. With ever-growing populations located downslope from known debris flow channels, early warning systems can help prevent loss of life. Geophysical and technological advances have improved monitoring and detection capabilities...
Authors
Maciej K. Obryk, Emily Christina Bedinger, Alexandra M. Iezzi, Emily H Bryant, Kate E. Allstadt, David L. George, Benjamin B. Mirus

An early Holocene wet period in the southwestern United States An early Holocene wet period in the southwestern United States

Multiple generations of spring-fed streams traversed ∼800 km2 of the Las Vegas Valley in southern Nevada between ca. 10.9 ka and 8.5 ka, depositing an extensive tufa network. The scale of this network and diversity of tufa morphologies is novel in North America and offers an opportunity to obtain quantitative paleoclimate data for the region during the early Holocene. We determined...
Authors
Kathleen B. Springer, Adam M. Hudson, Jeffrey S. Pigati, Katharine W. Huntington, Andrew J. Schauer

Spatially explicit capture-mark-recapture to evaluate demographic status of the Louisiana black bear Spatially explicit capture-mark-recapture to evaluate demographic status of the Louisiana black bear

Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus luteolus) occur in semi-isolated fragments of bottomland hardwood forest in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley and were listed as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act in 1992. A population viability analysis based on radio-telemetry and capture-mark-recapture (CMR) data collected from 2002 to 2012 revealed that the...
Authors
Joseph D. Clark, Heidi L. Adams, Ben Augustine, John R. Berry, Dustin Champagne, Maria Davidson, John Hanks, Jared S. Laufenberg, Sean M. Murphy

Sources and risk factors for nitrate, pathogens, and fecal contamination of private wells in rural southwestern Wisconsin, USA Sources and risk factors for nitrate, pathogens, and fecal contamination of private wells in rural southwestern Wisconsin, USA

Household well water can be degraded by contaminants from the land's surface, but private well owners lack means to protect the source water from neighboring disturbances. Rural residents of southwestern Wisconsin, USA, rely on private well water, and the combination of land use and fractured carbonate bedrock makes groundwater vulnerable to contamination. To identify the extent, sources...
Authors
Joel P. Stokdyk, Aaron D. Firnstahl, Kenneth Bradbury, Maureen A. Muldoon, Burney Kieke Jr., Mark A. Borchardt

The crystalline silica respiratory hazard from rhyolitic lava dome eruptions in New Zealand's Taupo Volcanic Zone: A case study from the 1315 CE Kaharoa eruption The crystalline silica respiratory hazard from rhyolitic lava dome eruptions in New Zealand's Taupo Volcanic Zone: A case study from the 1315 CE Kaharoa eruption

The rhyolitic Kaharoa 1315 CE eruption was a complex, long-lived event from Tarawera volcano, New Zealand. Explosive phases were followed by around 5 years of lava dome extrusion and collapse which produced block-and-ash flows (BAF). Lava domes generate crystalline silica in the form of cristobalite, and rhyolitic magmas often contain quartz phenocrysts. Fine-grained ash containing...
Authors
Claire J. Horwell, Helen M. Emerson, Paul Ashwell, David Damby, Steve Self, Claire Nattrass, Rebecca J. Carey, Bruce F. Houghton

Airborne geophysical analysis to decipher salinization for coastal Louisiana Airborne geophysical analysis to decipher salinization for coastal Louisiana

Coastal Louisiana is known for saltwater intrusion that threatens wetlands, aquifers, and rivers. However, the extent of saltwater intrusion is not well understood. This study develops an innovative framework with airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data to map chloride concentration distributions for wetlands in the Mississippi River deltaic plain and Chenier plain as well as for the...
Authors
Michael Attia, Frank T.-C. Tsai, Shuo Yang, Burke J. Minsley, Wade Kress

Integrated stratigraphic and geochemical analysis of organic-rich intervals of the Lewis Shale in the eastern Washakie Basin, Wyoming Integrated stratigraphic and geochemical analysis of organic-rich intervals of the Lewis Shale in the eastern Washakie Basin, Wyoming

Geological studies in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (KWIS) in North America reveal highly variable sedimentological conditions on its western shore caused by rapidly changing sea level and detrital input during the seaway’s closure. Here we examine a 601-foot (183 meters) continuous core through the lower part of the Maastrichtian Lewis Shale in the eastern Washakie Basin...
Authors
Jane S. Hearon, Paul C. Hackley, Justin E. Birdwell

USGS critical minerals review USGS critical minerals review

No abstract available.
Authors
Graham W. Lederer, James V. Jones, Darcy McPhee, Patricia J Loferski, Robert R. Seal, Paul A. Bedrosian, Patricia Grace Macqueen, V. J. S. Grauch, Federico Solano, Joshua Mark Rosera, David George Pineault

Alaskan hydrology in transition: Changing precipitation and evapotranspiration patterns are projected to reshape seasonal streamflow and water temperature by midcentury (2035-2064) Alaskan hydrology in transition: Changing precipitation and evapotranspiration patterns are projected to reshape seasonal streamflow and water temperature by midcentury (2035-2064)

High spatial and temporal resolution models are essential for understanding future climate impacts and developing effective climate resilience plans. However, existing regional and global river models often lack the resolution needed to accurately capture local conditions. This study uses a series of high-resolution models, including the Regional Arctic System Model, mizuRoute, and the...
Authors
D Blaskey, Yifan Cheng, A. C. Newman, Joshua C. Koch, M Goseff, K Musselman

Anatectic origin of Mississippian spodumene-bearing pegmatites in western Maine during orogenic plateau collapse Anatectic origin of Mississippian spodumene-bearing pegmatites in western Maine during orogenic plateau collapse

Spodumene pegmatites are an important lithium source, but the processes and tectonic settings in which they form are poorly understood. The Rumford pegmatite district surrounding Plumbago Mountain, western Maine, is host to numerous spodumene pegmatites, including the Plumbago North pegmatite (a world-class spodumene resource). Competing petrogenetic models for these spodumene pegmatites...
Authors
Myles M Felch, Ian William Hillenbrand, J. Dykstra Eusden, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Dwight C. Bradley, Amber T.H. Whittaker, Michael J. Jercinovic, Michael L. Williams, Laura Pianowski

The socio-ecological niche The socio-ecological niche

1. Ecologists recognise that we live on an increasingly human-dominated planet, yet most of the field's foundational concepts remain essentially biophysical, with little reference to human society. 2. There are few better examples of this divide between ecological and social theory than the niche concept. During its century-long history, the niche concept has been defined in many ways...
Authors
Michael C Mcinturff, Peter S. Alagona, Clare E.B. Cannon, David N. Pellow
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