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
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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
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
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
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
The surface elevation table and marker horizon technique: A protocol for measuring wetland elevation dynamics, narrative (Version 2.0) The surface elevation table and marker horizon technique: A protocol for measuring wetland elevation dynamics, narrative (Version 2.0)
The National Park Service (NPS), in response to the growing evidence and awareness of the effects of climate change on federal lands, determined that monitoring wetland elevation change is a top priority in North Atlantic Coastal parks (Stevens et al. 2010). As a result, the NPS Northeast Coastal and Barrier Network (NCBN) in collaboration with colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
James C. Lynch, Philippe Hensel, Donald R. Cahoon
Mars as one system: Insights from the 8th international conference on Mars polar science and exploration Mars as one system: Insights from the 8th international conference on Mars polar science and exploration
The 8th International Conference on Mars Polar Science and Exploration (ICMPSE) provided new insights into the complex interplay between Martian ice, climate, and atmospheric dynamics. The conference emphasized a holistic view of Mars as a system, where surface processes, subsurface ice, atmospheric dynamics, and historical climate shifts are interconnected. Research updates spanned...
Authors
Isaac B. Smith, Chimira Andres, Shannon Hibbard, Stefano Nerozzi, Roberto Aguilar, Peter Buhler, Ben Cornford, Leslie Tamppari, Timothy N. Titus
High and dry: The persistence of diverse coastal marsh communities depends on available upland area and connection to surrounding waters High and dry: The persistence of diverse coastal marsh communities depends on available upland area and connection to surrounding waters
Sea-level-rise and alterations to natural hydrology have contributed to coastal land loss. To combat coastal land loss and maintain the ecosystem services provided by marshes, marsh creation has been broadly implemented. Marsh creation projects can be performed in conjunction with the construction of elevated terrestrial ridges that seek to mimic historic delta-formed distributary ridges...
Authors
Erik Naiti-Johnson, Jonathan M. Willis, Gregg A. Snedden, Giovanna McClenachan
A simplified two-station approach for modeling metabolism in dam tailwaters subject to diel flow variation A simplified two-station approach for modeling metabolism in dam tailwaters subject to diel flow variation
Tailwaters are ubiquitous and highly managed ecosystems whose food webs often rely disproportionately on autochthonous energy. In situ continuous dissolved oxygen data are increasingly being used to estimate gross primary productivity and ecosystem respiration in rivers, but this approach is complicated in tailwaters, where upriver discontinuities (i.e., dams) violate commonly employed...
Authors
Ian Wesley Bishop, Bridget Deemer, Theodore Kennedy, Robert A. Payn, Robert O. Hall, Charles B. Yackulic