Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16731
Bottom stress measurements on the inner shelf Bottom stress measurements on the inner shelf
Bottom stress shapes the mean circulation patterns, controls sediment transport, and influences benthic habitat in the coastal ocean. Accurate and precise measurements of bottom stress have proved elusive, in part because of the difficulty in separating the turbulent eddies that transport momentum from inviscid wave-induced motions. Direct covariance measurements from a pair of acoustic...
Authors
Christopher R. Sherwood, Malcolm Scully, John Trowbridge
Cambrian–Ordovician of the central Appalachians:Correlations and event stratigraphy of carbonate platform andadjacent deep-water deposits Cambrian–Ordovician of the central Appalachians:Correlations and event stratigraphy of carbonate platform andadjacent deep-water deposits
This trip seeks to illustrate the succession of Cambrian and Ordovician facies deposited within the Pennsylvania and Maryland portion of the Great American Carbonate Bank. From the Early Cambrian (Dyeran) through Late Ordovician (Turinan), the Laurentian paleocontinent was rimmed by an extensive carbonate platform. During this protracted period of time, a succession of carbonate rock...
Authors
David K. Brezinski, John F. Taylor, John E. Repetski, James D. Loch
Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus shale gas development, Tioga County, Pennsylvania Geohydrologic and water-quality characterization of a fractured-bedrock test hole in an area of Marcellus shale gas development, Tioga County, Pennsylvania
An integrated analysis of core, geophysical logs, gas isotopes, and specific-depth water-quality samples from the Cherry Flats test hole was used to characterize the stratigraphy, water-bearing zones, and groundwater quality at a site in southern Tioga County, Pennsylvania. The study was completed as a cooperative effort between the Pennsylvania Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of
Authors
John Williams, Dennis W. Risser, Clifford H. Dodge
Decision analysis to support development of the Glen Canyon Dam long-term experimental and management plan Decision analysis to support development of the Glen Canyon Dam long-term experimental and management plan
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, and Argonne National Laboratory, completed a decision analysis to use in the evaluation of alternatives in the Environmental Impact Statement concerning the long-term management of water releases from Glen Canyon Dam and associated management activities. Two primary decision analysis methods
Authors
Michael C. Runge, Kirk E. LaGory, Kendra Russell, Janet R. Balsom, R. Alan Butler, Coggins, Katrina A. Grantz, John Hayse, Ihor Hlohowskyj, Josh Korman, James E. May, Daniel J. O’Rourke, Leslie A. Poch, James R. Prairie, Jack C. VanKuiken, Robert A. Van Lonkhuyzen, David R. Varyu, Bruce T. Verhaaren, Thomas D. Veselka, Nicholas T. Williams, Kelsey K. Wuthrich, Charles B. Yackulic, Robert P. Billerbeck, Glen W. Knowles
Geomorphology, active tectonics, and landscape evolution in the Mid-Atlantic region Geomorphology, active tectonics, and landscape evolution in the Mid-Atlantic region
In 2014, the geomorphology community marked the 125th birthday of one of its most influential papers, “The Rivers and Valleys of Pennsylvania” by William Morris Davis. Inspired by Davis’s work, the Appalachian landscape rapidly became fertile ground for the development and testing of several grand landscape evolution paradigms, culminating with John Hack’s dynamic equilibrium in 1960. As...
Authors
Frank J. Pazzaglia, Mark W. Carter, Claudio Berti, Ronald C. Counts, Gregory S. Hancock, David Harbor, Richard W. Harrison, Matthew J. Heller, Shannon A. Mahan, Helen Malenda, Ryan McKeon, Michelle S. Nelson, Phillip Prince, Tammy M. Rittenour, James Spotilla, G. Richard Whittecar
Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills Distributional patterns of arsenic concentrations in contaminant plumes offer clues to the source of arsenic in groundwater at landfills
The distributional pattern of dissolved arsenic concentrations from landfill plumes can provide clues to the source of arsenic contamination. Under simple idealized conditions, arsenic concentrations along flow paths in aquifers proximal to a landfill will decrease under anthropogenic sources but potentially increase under in situ sources. This paper presents several conceptual...
Authors
Philip T. Harte
Pollen and spores of terrestrial plants Pollen and spores of terrestrial plants
Pollen and spores are valuable tools in reconstructing past sea level and climate because of their ubiquity, abundance, and durability as well as their reciprocity with source vegetation to environmental change (Cronin, 1999; Traverse, 2007; Willard and Bernhardt, 2011). Pollan is found in many sedimentary environments, from freshwater to saltwater, terrestrial to marine. It can be...
Authors
Christopher E. Bernhardt, Debra A. Willard
Geologic framework and evidence for neotectonism in the epicentral area of the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake Geologic framework and evidence for neotectonism in the epicentral area of the 2011 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake
The epicenters of the main shock and associated aftershocks of the 2011 moment magnitude, Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia (USA), earthquake, and the updip projection of the possible fault plane that triggered the quakes, are contained in the areas of 2 adjoining 7.5′ quadrangles in the central Virginia Piedmont. These quadrangles have therefore been the focus of concentrated geologic study in...
Authors
William C. Burton, Richard W. Harrison, David B. Spears, Nicholas H. Evans, Shannon A. Mahan
REE enrichment in granite-derived regolith deposits of the southeast United States: Prospective source rocks and accumulation processes REE enrichment in granite-derived regolith deposits of the southeast United States: Prospective source rocks and accumulation processes
The Southeastern United States contains numerous anorogenic, or A-type, granites, which constitute promising source rocks for REE-enriched ion adsorption clay deposits due to their inherently high concentrations of REE. These granites have undergone a long history of chemical weathering, resulting in thick granite-derived regoliths, akin to those of South China, which supply virtually...
Authors
Nora K. Foley, Robert A. Ayuso
The effects of harvest on waterfowl populations The effects of harvest on waterfowl populations
Change in the size of populations over space and time is, arguably, the motivation for much of pure and applied ecological research. The fundamental model for the dynamics of any population is straightforward: the net change in the abundance is the simple difference between the number of individuals entering the population and the number leaving the population, either or both of which...
Authors
Evan G. Cooch, Matthieu Guillemain, G Scott Boomer, Jean-Dominique Lebreton, James D. Nichols
Quaternary geology of the Boston area: Glacial events from Lake Charles to Lake Aberjona Quaternary geology of the Boston area: Glacial events from Lake Charles to Lake Aberjona
The multiple-glacial and glaciomarine Quaternary history of the Boston, Massachusetts area has been known generally since the earliest studies of the then newly recognized glacial deposits described by Prof. Louis Agassiz in the late1840’s and fossil marine shells in the drift in the 1850’s. Attention then turned to possible glacial erosional effects on the preglacial bedrock...
Authors
Byron D. Stone, John W. Lane
Volcanoes of the passive margin: The youngest magmatic event in eastern North America Volcanoes of the passive margin: The youngest magmatic event in eastern North America
The rifted eastern North American margin (ENAM) provides important clues to the long-term evolution of continental margins. An Eocene volcanic swarm exposed in the Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province of Virginia and West Virginia (USA) contains the youngest known igneous rocks in the ENAM. These magmas provide the only window into the most recent deep processes contributing to the...
Authors
Sarah E Mazza, Esteban Gazel, Elizabeth A Johnson, Michael J. Kunk, Ryan J. McAleer, James A Spotila, Michael Bizimis, Drew S Coleman