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.
Filter Total Items: 177638
Evaluating the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake shaking hazard forecasts and their implications on seismic risk Evaluating the U.S. Geological Survey’s earthquake shaking hazard forecasts and their implications on seismic risk
We analyze the last six update cycles of the long-term probabilistic earthquake shaking hazard forecast from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and discuss the changes in hazard estimates from the 1996 to the latest 2023 update of the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM) for the conterminous U.S. We summarize how our understanding of earthquake hazards has evolved over the last two...
Authors
Kishor S. Jaiswal, Mark D. Petersen, N. Simon Kwong, Arthur D. Frankel, Kenneth S. Rukstales, Allison M. Shumway, Robert E. Chase, Peter M. Powers
Range-wide relative abundance of the Appalachian grizzled skipper (Pyrgus centaureae wyandot) in the Eastern United States Range-wide relative abundance of the Appalachian grizzled skipper (Pyrgus centaureae wyandot) in the Eastern United States
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated the Pyrgus centaureae wyandot (Appalachian Grizzled Skipper [AGS]) to be at-risk, based on its declining populations and the lack of information on its status. The objective of this study was to complete range-wide surveys to locate extant AGS colonies and to quantify the number of AGS observed at each location. From 2021–24, 284 surveys...
Authors
Nimish B. Vyas, Jennifer Selfridge, David Cuthrell, Robert Somes, Erin White, Judith Ratcliffe, J. Merrill Lynch, Laurie Hamon, Eileen Wyza, Betsy Leppo, Pete Woods, Anthony Tur, Donovan Drummey, Kathryn Nolan, Ellison Orcutt, Andrew Rapp, Leah Card, Jakob Goldner, Susan Olcott
Effects of repeat prescribed burning in dry coniferous forests in national parks of California Effects of repeat prescribed burning in dry coniferous forests in national parks of California
Background Prescribed fire is a common approach to reduce fuels and mitigate fire hazards. The accumulation of live and dead fuels following initial treatment means that repeated application of prescribed fire could be used to maintain this benefit. However, the effect of repeated prescribed fires is not well documented in many dry coniferous forests in the western United States. Here...
Authors
Phillip J. van Mantgem, Micah C. Wright, Calvin A. Farris, Eamon Engber, Emma J. McClure, Anthony C. Caprio, MaryBeth Keifer
Future water constraints on United States lithium mining under climate change Future water constraints on United States lithium mining under climate change
Lithium is necessary for low-carbon technologies that combat climate change, but lithium extraction is water-intensive. Changes in temperature and precipitation arising from climate change are altering water distribution, which could further strain supplies for new mines and industry, farms, and households. Here we explored how climate change, water use, and mining siting could impact...
Authors
Jenna Nicole Trost, Nedal T. Nassar, Jennifer B. Dunn
Growth patterns, sexual dimorphism, and seasonal body mass variation in Plains Zebra of the Serengeti region, Tanzania Growth patterns, sexual dimorphism, and seasonal body mass variation in Plains Zebra of the Serengeti region, Tanzania
Knowledge of growth patterns and physical properties of animals helps researchers assess population characteristics and health in the field. Information on age-specific body measurements and growth patterns is rare in ungulates because examining a large portion of a population is time-, budget-, and personnel-intensive in the wild. We collected age- and sex-specific body measurements...
Authors
Saeideh Esmaeili, Peter J. Gogan, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, Ronald O. Skoog
Assessing environmental influences on gene flow for a migratory ungulate in a fire-prone landscape Assessing environmental influences on gene flow for a migratory ungulate in a fire-prone landscape
Context Migratory species traverse long distances across complex landscape mosaics. Shifts in environmental attributes across space and time could affect movement paths and genetic connectivity of migratory species.Objectives We identified boundaries to genetic connectivity based on population structure and evaluated environmental influences on gene flow in a migratory ungulate. We...
Authors
Elizabeth P Flesch, Tabitha A. Graves, Mark Biel
Geochemical, mineralogical, and isotopic evidence for multi-stage genesis of the Hicks Dome REE + Y-HFSE-fluorite deposit, Illinois, USA Geochemical, mineralogical, and isotopic evidence for multi-stage genesis of the Hicks Dome REE + Y-HFSE-fluorite deposit, Illinois, USA
Hicks Dome hosts breccias enriched in rare earth elements (REE), Y, Th, F, Ba, Ti, Nb, and Be, alongside spatially associated lamprophyre dikes (ca. 271 Ma). Hicks Dome is located within the Illinois–Kentucky Fluorspar District, which hosts fluorite, Pb–Zn, and barite resources. This study investigates the genetic relationships between Hicks Dome mineralization in breccias, alkaline...
Authors
Julia A. McIntosh, Allen K. Andersen, Mitchell M. Bennett, Jay M. Thompson, Craig A. Johnson, Albert H. Hofstra, Laurence Nuelle
Status and trends of pelagic and benthic prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2025 Status and trends of pelagic and benthic prey fish populations in Lake Michigan, 2025
Fall bottom trawl (fall BT) and lakewide acoustic (AC) surveys are conducted annually to generate indices of pelagic and benthic prey fish densities in Lake Michigan. The fall BT survey has been conducted each fall since 1973 using 12-m trawls at depths ranging from 9 to 110 m at fixed locations distributed across seven transects; this survey estimates densities of seven prey fish...
Authors
Ralph W. Tingley, Timothy P. O’Brien, Charles P. Madenjian, Peter C. Esselman, Patricia M. Dieter, Kristy R. Phillips, Ben Turschak, Dale Hanson, Steven A. Farha
Mars sample return campaign: Biological risk and a proposed sample safety assessment protocol Mars sample return campaign: Biological risk and a proposed sample safety assessment protocol
Returning surface samples from Mars to Earth has been a major planetary science objective, with the potential for the detection of microbiological life and the possibility of improving our understanding of the origins of life. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the European Space Agency assembled a team to assess the level of risk that returned samples could contain...
Authors
G. McDonnell, L.E. Mayhew, A. Steele, S. Siljeström, B. M. Ahern, N. Baird, R.E. Davis, Katherine L. French, M. Glamoclija, H. Graham, K. B. Hummel, W. Page, N. Pearce, A. Regberg, D. Relman, M. A. Sephton, B. Sherwood Lollar, J. Vanhomwegen, M.B. Wilhelm, B. Shirey, D.W. Beaty
Moment magnitude for small earthquakes in the Delaware basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico, USA Moment magnitude for small earthquakes in the Delaware basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico, USA
The Delaware Basin region of west Texas and southeast New Mexico has become one of the most prolific regions of seismic activity in the continental United States due to widespread hydraulic fracturing and wastewater disposal injection. In response to the increased number of earthquakes in this region, rapid and accurate characterization of earthquake sources is necessary to understand...
Authors
Sydney Gable, Yihe Huang, David R. Shelly, Justin L. Rubinstein
Demographic responses to experimental manipulation of an enclosed population of invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) Demographic responses to experimental manipulation of an enclosed population of invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis)
Understanding how invasive species populations respond to perturbations can give insight into effective management. However, opportunities to test theoretical population responses are rare, as experimental perturbations often run counter to management goals (e.g., suppression). On the island of Guam, a 5-ha outdoor enclosure (with no immigration or emigration) constructed in 2003 serves...
Authors
Amanda Marie Kissel, Robert Reed, Björn Lardner, Gordon H. Rodda, Julie A. Savidge, Amy A. Yackel Adams
Resolving uncertainty in satellite-derived shorelines of a reef-lined beach using high spatiotemporal resolution topographic surveys Resolving uncertainty in satellite-derived shorelines of a reef-lined beach using high spatiotemporal resolution topographic surveys
Automated satellite-derived shoreline (SDS) detection is increasingly used for coastal monitoring, yet few high spatiotemporal resolution datasets exist for detailed error analysis. This study compares SDS from Landsat 7, Landsat 8, Sentinel-2, and PlanetScope against 3.5 years of weekly orthomosaic and digital elevation model surveys of a 500 m reef-lined beach in Waikīkī, Hawai‘i (n =...
Authors
Anna B. Mikkelsen, Joel C. Nicolow, Kyle D. Murray, Sean Vitousek, Richelle U. Moskvichev, Tiffany Anderson, Charles H. Fletcher