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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.
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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Annual review 2023: Critical minerals Annual review 2023: Critical minerals
No abstract available.
Authors
Graham W. Lederer, James V. Jones, Darcy McPhee, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Robert R. Seal,, Kate M. Campbell, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Paul A. Bedrosian, Patricia Grace Macqueen, Garth E. Graham, Federico Solano, George N.D. Case, David George Pineault
Abundance of Long-billed Curlews on military lands in the Columbia Basin Abundance of Long-billed Curlews on military lands in the Columbia Basin
Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) are declining throughout North America, and the loss of grassland breeding habitat is one of the primary threats to the species. Intermountain West, in particular, has been identified as the most important region in North America for breeding curlews. Nevertheless, the density and abundance of Long-billed Curlews in this region is not well...
Authors
Sharon A. Poessel, Elise Elliott-Smith, Sean M. Murphy, Susan M Haig, Adam E. Duerr, Todd E. Katzner
Why do seismic hazard models worldwide appear to overpredict historical intensity observations? Why do seismic hazard models worldwide appear to overpredict historical intensity observations?
Probabilistic seismic hazard assessments (PSHAs) provide the scientific basis for building codes to reduce damage from earthquakes. Despite their substantial impact, little is known about how well PSHA predicts actual shaking. Recent PSHA for California, Japan, Italy, Nepal, and France appear to consistently overpredict historically observed earthquake shaking intensities. Numerical...
Authors
Leah Marschall Salditch, Molly M. Gallahue, Seth Stein, James S. Neely, Norman A. Abrahamson, Susan E. Hough
Evaluation of chronic effects of potassium chloride and nickel on survival, growth, and reproduction of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) Evaluation of chronic effects of potassium chloride and nickel on survival, growth, and reproduction of a unionid mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea)
The ASTM International standard test method for freshwater mussels (E2455‐13) recommends 4‐week toxicity testing with juveniles to evaluate chronic effects on survival and growth. However, concerns remain that the method may not adequately address the sensitivity of mussels to longer term exposures (>4 weeks), particularly in relation to potential reproductive impairments. No standard...
Authors
Ning Wang, James L. Kunz, Danielle M. Cleveland, Rebecca A. Dorman, Jeffery A. Steevens, Sandy Raimondo, Tom Augspurger, M. Christopher Barnhart
Regional seismic velocity model for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains based on measured shear wave velocity, sediment thickness, and surface geology Regional seismic velocity model for the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains based on measured shear wave velocity, sediment thickness, and surface geology
The Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains (CPs) are characterized by widespread accumulations of low-velocity sediments and sedimentary rock that overlay high-velocity bedrock. Geology and sediment thickness greatly influence seismic wave propagation, but current regional ground motion amplification and seismic hazard models include limited characterization of these site conditions. In this...
Authors
Cassie Gann-Phillips, Ashly Cabas, Chunyang Ji, Chris H. Cramer, James Kaklamanos, Oliver S. Boyd
Drought, fire, and archeology in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico Drought, fire, and archeology in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico
In the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, cultural resources and traditional cultural landscapes are vulnerable to compounded impacts of changing climate and wildfires. Here, we discuss impacts to archeological resources observed in recent, high-severity fires, including at Bandelier National Monument and Valles Caldera National Preserve, and describe an interdisciplinary effort to quantity
Authors
Anastasia Steffen, Jamie Civitello, Rachel A. Loehman, Robert Parmenter
Using open-science workflow tools to produce SCEC CyberShake physics-based probabilistic seismic hazard models Using open-science workflow tools to produce SCEC CyberShake physics-based probabilistic seismic hazard models
The Statewide (formerly Southern) California Earthquake Center (SCEC) conducts multidisciplinary earthquake system science research that aims to develop predictive models of earthquake processes, and to produce accurate seismic hazard information that can improve societal preparedness and resiliency to earthquake hazards. As part of this program, SCEC has developed the CyberShake...
Authors
Scott Callaghan, Phillip J. Maechling, Fabio Silva, Mei-Hui Su, Kevin R. Milner, Robert Graves, Kim Olsen, Yifeng Cui, Karan Vahi, Albert Kottke, Christine A Goulet, Ewa Deelman, Tom Jordan, Yehuda Ben-Zion
Investigating past earthquakes with coral microatolls Investigating past earthquakes with coral microatolls
Intertidal corals (microatolls) preserve evidence of past uplift or subsidence with annual precision. Microatoll records are particularly useful along subduction zones, and can reveal past earthquake ruptures at a level of detail that is ordinarily limited to the instrumental era.
Authors
Belle E. Philibosian
Evaluating effectiveness of restoration to address current stressors to riverine fish Evaluating effectiveness of restoration to address current stressors to riverine fish
River restoration programmes with the goal of conserving and rehabilitating inland fishes have a multi-decadal history, but evaluation and synthesis of past restoration actions have been limited by a lack of monitoring and reporting. Given that calls for both monitoring and systematic reviews of restoration have increased, we were interested in the influence that restoration has had on...
Authors
Jane S. Rogosch, Hadley I. A. Boehm, Ralph W. Tingley, Kiah D. Wright, Elisabeth B. Webb, Craig P. Paukert
Integration of rupture directivity models for the US National Seismic Hazard Model Integration of rupture directivity models for the US National Seismic Hazard Model
Several rupture directivity models (DMs) have been developed in recent years to describe the near-source spatial variations in ground motion amplitudes related to propagation of rupture along the fault. We recently organized an effort towards incorporating these directivity effects into the USGS National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), by first evaluating the community's work and potential...
Authors
Kyle Withers, Morgan P. Moschetti, Peter M. Powers, Mark D. Petersen, Robert Graves, Brad T. Aagaard, Annemarie S. Baltay Sundstrom, Nico Luco, Erin A. Wirth, Sanaz Rezaeian, Eric M. Thompson
Quantifying the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors in landscape-based models of stream fish distributions Quantifying the relative importance of biotic and abiotic factors in landscape-based models of stream fish distributions
Lotic fish species distributions are frequently predicted using remotely sensed habitat variables that characterize the adjacent landscape and serve as proxies for instream habitat. Recent advancements in statistical methodology, however, allow for leveraging fish assemblage data when predicting distributions. This is important because assemblage composition likely provides better...
Authors
Christopher A. Custer, Douglas P. Fischer, Geoffrey Smith, Aaron Henning, Megan Kepler Schall, Matthew K. Shank, Timothy A. Wertz, Daniel A. Isermann
Late-Quaternary surface displacements on accretionary wedge splay faults in the Cascadia Subduction Zone: Implications for megathrust rupture Late-Quaternary surface displacements on accretionary wedge splay faults in the Cascadia Subduction Zone: Implications for megathrust rupture
Because splay faults branch at a steep dip angle from the plate-boundary décollement in an accretionary wedge, their coseismic displacement can potentially result in larger tsunamis with distinct characteristics compared to megathrust-only fault ruptures, posing an enhanced hazard to coastal communities. Elsewhere, there is evidence of coseismic slip on splay faults during many of the...
Authors
Anna Ledeczi, Madeleine C. Lucas, Harold Tobin, Janet Watt, Nathaniel C. Miller