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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.

Filter Total Items: 176955

Geochemical disequilibrium at the brittle-ductile transition Geochemical disequilibrium at the brittle-ductile transition

We investigate the microtextural, microchemical, and isotopic effects of late-stage ductile deformation in quartzite mylonites and kyanite–muscovite–quartz veins from the Raft River shear zone (Utah). Quartz microstructures record pervasive disequilibrium, expressed by unannealed features including undulatory extinction, deformation lamellae, and poorly defined fabrics, typical of waning
Authors
Raphael Gottardi, Ryan J. McAleer, Gabriele Casale, Martin Wong

Earthquake ground-motion model adjustments for the San Francisco Bay area Earthquake ground-motion model adjustments for the San Francisco Bay area

We develop adjustments to ergodic ground‐motion models (GMMs) to improve their performance in the San Francisco Bay Area (SFBA). GMMs are widely used in hazard assessments to estimate characteristics of ground shaking based on known properties of the source, path, and site. Such models are often developed using datasets containing records from various regions, resulting in models that...
Authors
Tara Ashley Nye, Grace Alexandra Parker, Annemarie S. Baltay

Only very strong shaking can break a tree Only very strong shaking can break a tree

A handful of credible accounts, both recent and historical, describe trees being broken during earthquakes. Apart from landslides and tsunamis, such accounts are uncommon, suggesting that trees break only when ground acceleration is extreme or when trees are especially vulnerable to breakage. Here, I consider the question: what ground acceleration is required to break a living tree? I...
Authors
Susan E. Hough

Making many out of one: Synthetic geologic deformation model distributions for use in USGS NSHM25‐PRVI Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Island update Making many out of one: Synthetic geologic deformation model distributions for use in USGS NSHM25‐PRVI Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Island update

A key use‐case of geologic slip rates is within deformation models used in probabilistic seismic hazard analyses. Field‐derived geologic slip rates have formed the cornerstone of deformation models in such applications for decades. Recent advancements in seismic hazard analyses have expanded the use of faults for which geologic slip rates are not well constrained using categorical slip...
Authors
Alexandra Elise Hatem, Kevin Ross Milner, Richard W. Briggs, Jessica A. Thompson Jobe

Post-hatch ecology, diet, and first migration of juvenile Alaskan Bar-tailed Godwits Post-hatch ecology, diet, and first migration of juvenile Alaskan Bar-tailed Godwits

Life stages between hatching and adult recruitment are poorly described for most migratory shorebird species and represent a critical knowledge gap in understanding long-term population dynamics. We conducted a pilot study on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, to assess the feasibility of following juvenile Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica baueri from their breeding grounds to their non...
Authors
Jesse R. Conklin, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, Mihai Valcu, Yvonne I. Verkuil, James A. Johnson, Bart Kempenaers

Low streamflows in Massachusetts: Variability over space and time and relations with climatic and basin variables Low streamflows in Massachusetts: Variability over space and time and relations with climatic and basin variables

Streamflows in Massachusetts have set record lows in recent years despite generally wetter conditions than during the drought of the 1960s, and the reasons for this are not known. To analyse potential drivers of low streamflows in Massachusetts, six low-flow metrics were computed at 107 streamgages. These metrics represent low-flow magnitude, magnitude normalized to median flows, and...
Authors
Catherine A. Chamberlin, Glenn Hodgkins

Early Miocene volcanic rocks and associated tectonics, Lava Hills and southern Bristol Mountains, California Early Miocene volcanic rocks and associated tectonics, Lava Hills and southern Bristol Mountains, California

Volcanic rocks of latest Oligocene to early Miocene age form an east-west belt across part of the central eastern Mojave Desert from the Whipple Mountains on the east to the Rosamond Hills on the west. We term this the central belt because it is separated from northern and southern belts by swaths with no volcanic rocks. Limited geochronologic data indicate that much of the belt is...
Authors
David M. Miller, Janet Harvey, David C. Buesch, Phillip B. Gans

Small cumulative survival costs of enzootic disease could suppress long-term population size Small cumulative survival costs of enzootic disease could suppress long-term population size

Fungal pathogens can cause epizootics that result in widespread mortality and rapid population declines in some species. However, even in the absence of high disease-induced mortality, enzootic mycoses could have large-scale impacts on host population dynamics. Here, we examined the effects of ophidiomycosis, an enzootic fungal disease, on a Louisiana snake community over a 3-year period...
Authors
Brad M. Glorioso, Graziella V. DiRenzo, Jeffrey M. Lorch, Brittany A. Mosher, David A.W. Miller, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Hardin Waddle

Identifying overwintering habitat of silver and bighead carp in the lower Mississippi River: Implications for harvesting and population reduction Identifying overwintering habitat of silver and bighead carp in the lower Mississippi River: Implications for harvesting and population reduction

A total of 41 sites along a 58 mi reach of the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) were surveyed during winter 2022 for invasive carp aggregation.* Sites consisting of scallops closest to the dike-vegetated bank interface with deeper, slow-moving water and consistent access back to the main channel were preferred. Carp avoided strong currents, and there was no trend in depth selection other...
Authors
K. Jack Killgore, David Ruppel, Faucheux. Nick, W. Todd Slack, Amanda J.M. Oliver, Josey Lee Ridgway, Jesse Robert Fischer, Robin D. Calfee

Lake Ontario August gillnet survey and lake trout assessment, 2025 Lake Ontario August gillnet survey and lake trout assessment, 2025

Lake Ontario Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) rehabilitation has been assessed with fishery dependent and independent surveys to evaluate program benchmarks and compare observations with management objectives since 1983. These surveys provide information on the abundance, strain composition, and performance of stocked Lake Trout, as well as information on levels of natural recruitment...
Authors
Brian O’Malley, Krystal Dixon, Olivia Margaret Mitchinson, Scott David Stahl, Brian Weidel, Michael J Connerton, Jessica A Goretzke

Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2025 Fisheries research and monitoring activities of the Lake Erie Biological Station, 2025

Lake Erie has the most populated watershed of all the Great Lakes and has undergone dramatic anthropogenic changes. Since the 1800s, overexploitation of fish populations, habitat destruction, non-native species proliferation, industrial contamination, and changes in nutrient loading have impacted the fish community including declines in or extirpation of many native species (Regier et al...
Authors
Mark Richard Dufour, Francesco Guzzo, Corbin David Hilling, Branden Eric Kohler, Richard Kraus, Richard Cole Oldham, James J. Roberts, Joseph Schmitt
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