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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Physical properties of the crust influence aftershock locations Physical properties of the crust influence aftershock locations
Aftershocks do not uniformly surround a mainshock, and instead occur in spatial clusters. Spatially variable physical properties of the crust may influence the spatial distribution of aftershocks. I study four aftershock sequences in Southern California (1992 Landers, 1999 Hector Mine, 2010 El Mayor—Cucapah, and 2019 Ridgecrest) to investigate which physical properties are spatially...
Authors
Jeanne L. Hardebeck
Negligible atmospheric release of methane from decomposing hydrates in mid-latitude oceans Negligible atmospheric release of methane from decomposing hydrates in mid-latitude oceans
Naturally occurring gas hydrates may contribute to a positive feedback for global warming because they sequester large amounts of the potent greenhouse gas methane in ice-like deposits that could be destabilized by increasing ocean/atmospheric temperatures. Most hydrates occur within marine sediments; gas liberated during the decomposition of seafloor hydrates or originating with other...
Authors
DongJoo Joung, Carolyn D. Ruppel, John R. Southon, Thomas S. Weber, John D. Kessler
Tectonic subsidence modeling of diachronous transition from backarc to retroarc basin development and uplift during Cordilleran orogenesis, Patagonian-Fuegian Andes Tectonic subsidence modeling of diachronous transition from backarc to retroarc basin development and uplift during Cordilleran orogenesis, Patagonian-Fuegian Andes
Backstripped tectonic basin subsidence histories are critical for interpreting phases of lithospheric deformation and paleoenvironmental change from the stratigraphic record. This study presents new subsidence modeling of the Rocas Verdes Backarc Basin (RVB) and Magallanes-Austral retroarc foreland basin (MAB) of southernmost South America to evaluate along-strike changes in tectonic...
Authors
Rebecca A. VanderLeest, Julie C. Fosdick, Matthew A. Malkowski, Brian W. Romans, Matias C. Ghiglione, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Zachary T. Sickmann
A geophysical characterization of structure and geology of the Northern Granite Springs Valley Geothermal System, Northwestern Nevada A geophysical characterization of structure and geology of the Northern Granite Springs Valley Geothermal System, Northwestern Nevada
The northern Granite Springs Valley in northwestern Nevada is the focus of recent studies for its potential for hosting undiscovered geothermal resources. Although the area lacks definitive surface manifestations of an active hydrothermal system, previous studies identify this region as having potential for hosting a blind geothermal resource, based on elevated subsurface temperatures...
Authors
Jonathan M.G. Glen, Jared R. Peacock, Tait E. Earney, William Schermerhorn, Drew L. Siler, James Faulds, Jacob DeAngelo
Simulation experiments comparing nonstationary design-flood adjustments based on observed annual peak flows in the conterminous United States Simulation experiments comparing nonstationary design-flood adjustments based on observed annual peak flows in the conterminous United States
While nonstationary flood frequency analysis (NSFFA) methods have proliferated, few studies have rigorously compared them for modeling changes in both the central tendency and variability of annual peak-flow series, also known as the annual maximum series (AMS), in hydrologically diverse areas. Through Monte Carlo experiments, we appraise five methods for updating estimates of 10- and...
Authors
Jory Seth Hecht, Nancy A. Barth, Karen R. Ryberg, Angela Gregory
Holocene paleohydrology from alpine lake sediment, Emerald Lake, Wasatch Plateau of central Utah, USA Holocene paleohydrology from alpine lake sediment, Emerald Lake, Wasatch Plateau of central Utah, USA
Holocene sediments at Emerald Lake in central Utah (3090 m asl) document the paleohydroclimatic history of the western Upper Colorado River headwater region. Multi-proxy analyses of sediment composition, mineralogy, and stable isotopes of carbonate (δ18O and δ13C) show changes in effective moisture for the past ca. 10,000 years at millennial to decadal timescales. Emerald Lake originated...
Authors
Lesleigh Anderson, Gary L. Skipp, Laura E. Strickland, Jeffrey S. Honke, Jeremy C. Havens, D. Paco Van Sistine
Formation of orogenic gold deposits by progressive movement of a fault-fracture mesh through the upper crustal brittle-ductile transition zone Formation of orogenic gold deposits by progressive movement of a fault-fracture mesh through the upper crustal brittle-ductile transition zone
Orogenic gold deposits are comprised of complex quartz vein arrays that form as a result of fluid flow along transcrustal fault zones in active orogenic belts. Mineral precipitation in these deposits occurs under variable pressure conditions, but a mechanism explaining how the pressure regimes evolve through time has not previously been proposed. Here we show that extensional quartz...
Authors
Miguel Tavares Nassif, Thomas Monecke, T. James Reynolds, Yvette D. Kuiper, Richard J. Goldfarb, Sandra Piazolo, Heather A. Lowers
Hydrologic recovery after wildfire: A framework of approaches, metrics, criteria, trajectories, and timescales Hydrologic recovery after wildfire: A framework of approaches, metrics, criteria, trajectories, and timescales
Deviations in hydrologic processes due to wildfire can alter streamflows across the hydrograph, spanning peak flows to low flows. Fire-enhanced changes in hydrologic processes, including infiltration, interception, and evapotranspiration, and the resulting streamflow responses can affect water supplies, through effects on the quantity, quality, and timing of water availability. Post-fire...
Authors
Brian A. Ebel, Joseph W. Wagenbrenner, Alicia M. Kinoshita, Kevin D. Bladon
Mechanisms and magnitude of dissolved silica release from a New England salt marsh Mechanisms and magnitude of dissolved silica release from a New England salt marsh
Salt marshes are sites of silica (SiO2) cycling and export to adjacent coastal systems, where silica availability can exert an important control over coastal marine primary productivity. Mineral weathering and biologic fixation concentrate silica in these systems; however, the relative contributions of geologic versus biogenic silica dissolution to this export are not known. We collected...
Authors
Olivia Williams, Andrew C. Kurtz, Meagan J. Eagle, Kevin D. Kroeger, Joseph Tamborski, Joanna C. Carey
Melanism in a Common Murre Uria aalge in Kachemak Bay, Alaska Melanism in a Common Murre Uria aalge in Kachemak Bay, Alaska
In accord with melanism being uncommon in birds, we could find only six published records of completely melanistic Common Murres Uria aalge, one of the most widely and intensively studied of all seabirds. We added to the record by observing a Common Murre in completely dark, melanistic alternate plumage every summer from 2017 to 2021 at Gull Island in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, USA. In 2017...
Authors
Sarah K. Schoen, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Caitlin Elizabeth Marsteller, Brielle M. Heflin
Sources and characteristics of dissolved organic carbon in the McKenzie River, Oregon, related to the formation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water Sources and characteristics of dissolved organic carbon in the McKenzie River, Oregon, related to the formation of disinfection by-products in treated drinking water
Executive Summary This study characterized the concentration and quality of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the McKenzie River, a relatively undeveloped watershed in western Oregon, and its link to forming disinfection by-products (DBPs) in treated drinking water. The study aimed to identify the primary source(s) of DOC in source water for the Eugene Water & Electric Board’s (EWEB)...
Authors
Kurt D. Carpenter, Tamara E. C. Kraus, Angela M. Hansen, Bryan D. Downing, Jami H. Goldman, Jonathan Haynes, David Donahue, Karl Morgenstern
Taxonomic boundaries in Lesser Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia minor) Taxonomic boundaries in Lesser Treeshrews (Scandentia, Tupaiidae: Tupaia minor)
The Lesser Treeshrew, Tupaia minor Günther, 1876, is a small mammal from Southeast Asia with four currently recognized subspecies: T. m. minor from Borneo; T. m. malaccana from the Malay Peninsula; T. m. humeralis from Sumatra; and T. m. sincepis from Singkep Island and Lingga Island. A fifth subspecies, T. m. caedis, was previously synonymized with T. m. minor; it was thought to occur...
Authors
M. M. Juman, Neal Woodman, A. Miller-Murthy, Link E. Olson, E. J. Sargis