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.
Science Quality and Integrity
Science Quality and Integrity
The USGS provides unbiased, objective, and impartial scientific information upon which our audiences, including resource managers, planners, and other entities, rely.
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.
Filter Total Items: 176943
Mid-Cretaceous porphyritic magmatism in the Beartooth Mountains of the northern Laramide foreland and its connection to Frontier Formation sediment dispersal in Bighorn basin, Montana-Wyoming (USA), and Cordilleran tectonism Mid-Cretaceous porphyritic magmatism in the Beartooth Mountains of the northern Laramide foreland and its connection to Frontier Formation sediment dispersal in Bighorn basin, Montana-Wyoming (USA), and Cordilleran tectonism
Porphyritic intrusions in the southeast Beartooth Mountains and porphyritic cobbles from the Torchlight conglomerate of the Cenomanian Frontier Formation in Bighorn basin (Montana-Wyoming, USA) bear striking resemblance. We utilize geologic mapping, petrography, geochemistry, and geochronology to characterize rocks from both locations and test whether the Beartooth Mountains area was the
Authors
Jacob O. Thacker, Nicholas A. Brailer, Gary S. Michelfelder, Barry Shaulis, Rebecca A. VanderLeest, Snir Attia, Eddy Cunningham
Thermal infrared and ultraviolet remote sensing of sulfur dioxide gas emitted during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea, Hawaiʻi Thermal infrared and ultraviolet remote sensing of sulfur dioxide gas emitted during the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kilauea, Hawaiʻi
Ultraviolet (UV) remote sensing is widely used to detect volcanic sulfur dioxide (SO₂) due to its high sensitivity and favorable spatial and temporal resolution. However, significant discrepancies have been reported between ground-based and satellite-based UV observations of dense volcanic plumes. A notable example is the 2018 lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea, where SO₂ emission...
Authors
Andrea Gabrieli, Christoph Kern, Allan Lerner, Vincent J. Realmuto, Simon Carn, Patricia A. Nadeau, Robert Wright, John N. Porter
Flood-inundation maps of the Blue River and major tributaries in and near Kansas City, Missouri, 2023–25 Flood-inundation maps of the Blue River and major tributaries in and near Kansas City, Missouri, 2023–25
Digital flood-inundation maps for 35.5 miles of the Blue River, in and near Kansas City, Missouri, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Kansas City. Maps were also developed for a combined 7.3 miles of Brush Creek (4.4 miles) and Indian Creek (2.9 miles), two primary tributaries to the Blue River in the study reach. The flood-inundation maps...
Authors
David C. Heimann, Charles V. Cigrand, Jason L. High, Robert P. Kostynick, Allison A. Atkinson, Paul H. Rydlund
Perceptions of parcel-level wildfire risk differ between homeowners and trained assessors in wildland-urban interface communities across the western United States Perceptions of parcel-level wildfire risk differ between homeowners and trained assessors in wildland-urban interface communities across the western United States
Wildfire risk mitigation on private property is central to reducing community wildfire vulnerability. Homeowners have control over many of the key factors that contribute to wildfire risk on their parcels, yet vulnerable conditions persist. One potential explanation is a misalignment between homeowners' and trained assessors' perceptions of parcel-level wildfire risk. Prior research has...
Authors
Kelly Wallace, Grant Webster, Hannah Brenkert-Smith, Patricia A. Champ, Colleen Donovan, Carolyn Wagner, Christopher M. Barth, Josh Kuehn, Suzanne Wittenbrink, James R. Meldrum
What a difference a day makes: When and where are daily satellite observations of morphology and deformation needed during volcanic eruptions and unrest? What a difference a day makes: When and where are daily satellite observations of morphology and deformation needed during volcanic eruptions and unrest?
Daily high-spatial-resolution satellite imagery at active volcanoes could be used to anticipate eruptions and save lives, but is only rarely available or used in real time. Specifically, daily repeat coverage of ground deformation, topography, and surface morphology at volcanoes is now possible using high-spatial resolution optical and radar imagery (
Authors
Matthew E. Pritchard, Michael Poland, Marco Bagnardi, Susanna K. Ebmeier, Juliet Biggs, Edna W. Dualeh, Federico Galetto, Raphael Grandin, Arthur Hauck, Christelle Wauthier
The path to FAIR research models: Lessons learned The path to FAIR research models: Lessons learned
Numerical modeling of Earth surface processes emerged as an important scientific tool in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, driven by the development of finite element methods in computer science. These advancements, initially applied in civil engineering, enabled scientists to simulate complex geological phenomena. At that time, models were often only described in publications, access was...
Authors
Albert Kettner, Leslie Hsu, Brandon Serna
Steps toward a satellite-based global volcano monitoring and early warning system: From pilot to demonstrator to GVEWERS Steps toward a satellite-based global volcano monitoring and early warning system: From pilot to demonstrator to GVEWERS
The consequences of volcanic eruptions span a broad range. Large explosive eruptions that recur every several hundred to thousands of years can impact global climate, but even small eruptions of a magnitude that takes place multiple times each year someplace on Earth can have devastating effects given the large number of people who live near volcanoes. Ground-based monitoring is...
Authors
Michael Poland, Juliet Biggs, M. E. Pritchard, Marco Bagnardi, Susanna K. Ebmeier, Christelle Wauthier, Andrew Eddy, Antonio Montuori, Simona Zoffoli
A ground-motion model derived using a generalized mean rupture distance for large slab interface earthquakes A ground-motion model derived using a generalized mean rupture distance for large slab interface earthquakes
Source–station distance is a central input to ground‐motion models (GMMs) for predicting seismic shaking. GMM development uses distance metrics including the Joyner–Boore distance, which is the shortest distance from an observation point to the surface projection of the earthquake rupture, and Rrup the shortest distance to the rupture in three dimensions. Thompson and Baltay (2018)...
Authors
Jessica R. Murray, Grace Alexandra Parker
Can a physics-based fire behavior model predict burn severity and post-fire debris flow hazard? Can a physics-based fire behavior model predict burn severity and post-fire debris flow hazard?
Post-wildfire flooding and debris flows pose a threat to ecosystems and infrastructure. As the frequency and size of severe wildfires increase, there is a growing need for predictive debris flow hazard modeling in unburned but fire-prone landscapes. However, no crosswalks have been established between physics-based models of fire behavior and the remotely sensed burn severity inputs...
Authors
Niko J. Tutland, Rachel A. Loehman, Jason W. Kean
The US XPD-24–200—An isokinetic suspended-sediment and water-quality collapsible-bag sampler with point- or depth-integrating sampling capabilities The US XPD-24–200—An isokinetic suspended-sediment and water-quality collapsible-bag sampler with point- or depth-integrating sampling capabilities
Accurate collection of fluvial suspended‑sediment and water‑quality samples is essential for understanding transport processes, evaluating river health, quantifying loads, and supporting regulatory and management decisions. Since 1939, the Federal Interagency Sedimentation Project (FISP) has led the development and standardization of sediment‑sampling equipment and methods across Federal...
Authors
Joel T. Groten, Claire E. Rose, Wayne O'Neal, Lane B. Simmons, Timothy D. Straub, Paul Diaz,
Bridging remote sensing advances and management needs for small Prairie Pothole waterbodies using a multiscale accuracy assessment Bridging remote sensing advances and management needs for small Prairie Pothole waterbodies using a multiscale accuracy assessment
Remote sensing of surface water provides a powerful tool to inform the management of waterfowl habitat, but there is little information available to directly assess the relative accuracy of different remote sensing datasets. Our objective was to understand how the characteristics of remotely sensed inundation datasets inform dataset accuracy, the reliable detection of small waterbodies...
Authors
Audrey Claire Lothspeich, Owen P. McKenna, Melanie K. Vanderhoof
A practical framework for identifying genetic subpopulations and ESUs: Insights for IUCN assessments and broader management A practical framework for identifying genetic subpopulations and ESUs: Insights for IUCN assessments and broader management
Species conservation assessments evaluate extinction risk, and recovery potential, advancing species persistence through guiding resource prioritization and planning. Assessment frameworks, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List and Green Status of Species, typically focus on species as a whole. Importantly, they do not routinely account for genetically...
Authors
Julia C. Geue, Laura D. Bertola, Paulette Bloomer, Anna Bruniche-Olsen, Jessica M. da Silva, J. Andrew DeWoody, Ancuta Fedorca, José A. Godoy, Catherine E. Grueber, Margaret Hunter, Christina Hvilsom, Evelyn L. Jensen, Alexander Kopatz, Anna J. MacDonald, Silvia Pérez-Espona, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Jennifer Pierson, Isa-Rita M. Russo, Helen Senn, Gernot Segelbacher, Paul Sunnucks, Cock van Oosterhout, Deborah M. Leigh