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.
Mission Area Publications
Mission Area Publications
We are focused on some of the most significant issues society faces, and our science is making a substantial contribution to the well-being of the Nation and the world. Learn more about the major topics our research covers and the programs focused on those topics.
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Tectonically driven integration of the 4.8 Ma Colorado River USA tracked with detrital sanidine and fish genetics Tectonically driven integration of the 4.8 Ma Colorado River USA tracked with detrital sanidine and fish genetics
The development of the continental-scale Colorado River system, western USA, from 8 to 4.8 Ma, is revealed using 60-40 Ma detrital sanidine tracer grains and fish phylogeny. Here we show that precursor paleoriver segments became integrated north to south as traced by 60-40 Ma sand grains that were derived from the north and sequentially appeared in the 25-8 Ma Browns Park Formation of...
Authors
K. E. Karlstrom, M. Heizler, A. Aslan, Ian W. Hillenbrand, S. Cather, T. F. Turner, M. Osborne, C. D. Henry, L. J. Crossey
Determination of baseline water-quality conditions using continuous specific conductance and discrete measurements of total dissolved solids and selected major ions, Arkansas River Basin, Colorado Determination of baseline water-quality conditions using continuous specific conductance and discrete measurements of total dissolved solids and selected major ions, Arkansas River Basin, Colorado
From 2022 through 2024, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the Regional Resources Planning Group (Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Colorado Springs Utilities, Pueblo Water, Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, Aurora Water, and Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District) established a basinwide water-quality monitoring network in the...
Authors
Lisa D. Miller, Lauren E. Eng, Jackson B. Sharp
The digital archivist: Automating legacy macroseismic data processing using large language models The digital archivist: Automating legacy macroseismic data processing using large language models
Macroseismic data are a key resource to investigate shaking and damage from preinstrumental and early instrumental eras. However, data are often stored as inconsistently formatted reports describing observed shaking and damage, making manually parsing and interpreting accounts labor‐intensive. We introduce a novel workflow using Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro large language model (LLM) to...
Authors
Aarnav Agrawal, Susan E. Hough, Mostafa Mousavi, Margaret Hellweg, William Ellsworth, Clara Yoon, Salvador Blanco
Small creatures, big challenge: A review of current knowledge and assessment of research needs to inform water withdrawal management for the Duck River's freshwater mussel fauna Small creatures, big challenge: A review of current knowledge and assessment of research needs to inform water withdrawal management for the Duck River's freshwater mussel fauna
The Duck River is a remarkable national resource, boasting outstanding biodiversity (Ahlstedt et al. 2017). It contains 151 fish species, over 60 mussel species, and 22 snail species, many of which are federally listed (Etnier and Starnes 1993; Johnson et al. 2013; Ahlstedt et al. 2017; Womble and Rosenberger 2025a). The Duck River watershed is at a pivotal time in its management and...
Authors
Kristin Irwin Womble, Amanda E. Rosenberger
High‐resolution surface deformation and slip distribution observations for the 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, earthquake sequence help constrain the rupture process High‐resolution surface deformation and slip distribution observations for the 2023 Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, earthquake sequence help constrain the rupture process
Splay, or branch, faults are a common geometric feature of earthquake surface ruptures and may provide constraints on the rupture behavior of an earthquake. The 2023 Mw 7.8 Pazarcık and Mw 7.5 Elbistan, Türkiye, earthquakes are examples of ruptures with multiple small splays, and the Pazarcık earthquake nucleated on a splay fault, the Narlı fault, before rupturing bilaterally on the East...
Authors
Nadine G. Reitman, M. Morow Tan, Paula Madeline Burgi, Alexandra Elise Hatem, Christopher B. DuRoss, Richard W. Briggs
Avoiding common pitfalls in the implementation of adaptive forest wildlife management Avoiding common pitfalls in the implementation of adaptive forest wildlife management
Forest management planning requires the evaluation of tradeoffs in proposed management actions to meet multiple objectives, including providing the habitat required to sustain wildlife populations. However, various species-specific life history strategies and ecological uncertainties complicate our understanding of the responses of wildlife to disturbances, such as wildfires and forest...
Authors
Adam Duarte, James T. Peterson
Three new calcium formate reference materials for δ13C measurements and a redetermination of the R(13C/12C) ratio for VPDB based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance measurements Three new calcium formate reference materials for δ13C measurements and a redetermination of the R(13C/12C) ratio for VPDB based on proton nuclear magnetic resonance measurements
Rationale
Authors
David W. Hoffman, Cornelia Rasmussen, Arndt Schimmelmann, Lauren T Reid, Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen
Lithium brine potential of North Dakota: Results from the 2025 sampling program Lithium brine potential of North Dakota: Results from the 2025 sampling program
Lithium (Li), classified as a critical mineral and key in energy storage applications because of its high energy density, faces unprecedented demand. This has driven interest in unconventional sources of Li, especially brines from sedimentary basins. Accordingly, the spatial distribution of basinal brinehosted Li resources across North America is becoming better defined, including the...
Authors
Brendan A. Bishop, Timothy O. Nesheim, Ismail H. Faruqi, Andrew L. Masterson, Aaron M. Jubb, Bonnie McDevitt, Amanda Sha Herzberg, Colin A. Doolan, Jessica Chenault, Daniel S. Alessi
Reaffirming the consistency of the original stock of NBS 19 limestone and its byproduct with finer grain size for δ13C and δ18O calibrations—Both distributed internationally Reaffirming the consistency of the original stock of NBS 19 limestone and its byproduct with finer grain size for δ13C and δ18O calibrations—Both distributed internationally
Rationale
Authors
Haiping Qi, Tyler B. Coplen, Lauren T Reid, Stanley J. Mroczkowski
Culturing emerging, imperiled, and poorly understood fishes Culturing emerging, imperiled, and poorly understood fishes
Most fish hatcheries and farms raise fish for food, to supply the bait and ornamental fish trades, or to create or enhance recreational and commercial fishing opportunities. Culture methods for these species are well established and are described in various chapters of this book. However, a growing number of facilities are responsible for cultivation of emerging, imperiled, or lesser...
Authors
James Candrl, Theo Smith
Mississippi’s resiliency and changing environmental conditions Mississippi’s resiliency and changing environmental conditions
Mississippi is experiencing shifts in environmental conditions, many of which are expected to intensify in the coming decades, and will have important implications for ecosystems, species, and natural resource management across the state. Historical climate analyses and downscaled projections summarized for the state’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) level III Ecoregions show that
Authors
Hailey Nicole Shanovich, Alex Lamle, Louise Vaughn
Wind River subbasin restoration: Annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities January 2024 through December 2024 Wind River subbasin restoration: Annual report of U.S. Geological Survey activities January 2024 through December 2024
We sampled juvenile wild Oncorhynchus mykiss (Steelhead Trout) in headwater streams of the Wind River, Washington, to characterize population attributes and investigate life-history metrics, particularly migratory patterns, and early life-stage survival. Additionally, this sampling provides an index of abundance of non-native Brook Trout Salvelinus confluentus. We used passive integrated...
Authors
Ian Jezorek