Publications
These publications showcase the significant science conducted in our Science Centers.
Filter Total Items: 16733
Emplacement of the Kodiak batholith and slab-window migration Emplacement of the Kodiak batholith and slab-window migration
The Kodiak batholith is one of the largest, most elongate intrusive bodies in the forearc Sanak-Baranof plutonic belt located in southern Alaska. This belt is interpreted to have formed during the subduction of an oceanic spreading center and the associated migration of a slab window. Individual plutons of the Kodiak batholith track the location and evolution of the underlying slab...
Authors
David W. Farris, Peter J. Haeussler, Richard Friedman, Scott R. Paterson, R. W. Saltus, Robert A. Ayuso
Satellite-derived, melt-season surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet (2000-2005) and its relationship to mass balance Satellite-derived, melt-season surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet (2000-2005) and its relationship to mass balance
Mean, clear-sky surface temperature of the Greenland Ice Sheet was measured for each melt season from 2000 to 2005 using Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)–derived land-surface temperature (LST) data-product maps. During the period of most-active melt, the mean, clear-sky surface temperature of the ice sheet was highest in 2002 (−8.29 ± 5.29°C) and 2005 (−8.29 ± 5.43°C...
Authors
D.K. Hall, R.S. Williams, K.A. Casey, N.E. DiGirolamo, Z. Wan
Overview of investigations into mercury in ground water, soils, and septage, New Jersey coastal plain Overview of investigations into mercury in ground water, soils, and septage, New Jersey coastal plain
Since the early 1980s, investigations by health departments of eight counties in southern New Jersey, by the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), and subsequently by the US Geological Survey (USGS), have shown that Hg concentrations in water tapped by about 600 domestic wells exceed the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 2 μg/L. The wells are finished in the areally...
Authors
J. L. Barringer, Zoltan Szabo
Distribution, 14C chronology, and paleomagnetism of latest Pleistocene and Holocene lava flows at Haleakala volcano, Island of Maui, Hawai'i: A revision of lava flow hazard zones Distribution, 14C chronology, and paleomagnetism of latest Pleistocene and Holocene lava flows at Haleakala volcano, Island of Maui, Hawai'i: A revision of lava flow hazard zones
New mapping and 60 new radiocarbon ages define the age and distribution of latest Pleistocene and Holocene (past 13,000 years) lava flows at Haleakalā volcano, Island of Maui. Paleomagnetic directions were determined for 118 sites, of which 89 are in lava flows younger than 13,000 years. The paleomagnetic data, in conjunction with a reference paleosecular variation (PSV) curve for the...
Authors
David R. Sherrod, Jonathan T. Hagstrum, John P. McGeehin, Duane E. Champion, Frank A. Trusdell
Time series and recurrence interval models to predict the vulnerability of streams to episodic acidification in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Time series and recurrence interval models to predict the vulnerability of streams to episodic acidification in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
Acid rain affects headwater streams by temporarily reducing the acid‐neutralizing capacity (ANC) of the water, a process termed episodic acidification. The increase in acidic components in stream water can have deleterious effects on the aquatic biota. Although acidic deposition is uniform across Shenandoah National Park (SNP) in north central Virginia, the stream water quality response...
Authors
Frank A. Deviney, Karen C. Rice, George M. Hornberger
Migration of the Pee Dee River system inferred from ancestral paleochannels underlying the South Carolina Grand Strand and Long Bay inner shelf Migration of the Pee Dee River system inferred from ancestral paleochannels underlying the South Carolina Grand Strand and Long Bay inner shelf
Several generations of the ancestral Pee Dee River system have been mapped beneath the South Carolina Grand Strand coastline and adjacent Long Bay inner shelf. Deep boreholes onshore and high-resolution seismic-reflection data offshore allow for reconstruction of these paleochannels, which formed during glacial lowstands, when the Pee Dee River system incised subaerially exposed coastal...
Authors
W. E. Baldwin, R.A. Morton, T.R. Putney, M.P. Katuna, M.S. Harris, P. T. Gayes, N. W. Driscoll, J. F. Denny, W. C. Schwab
Implications of mitochondrial DNA polyphyly in two ecologically undifferentiated but morphologically distinct migratory birds, the masked and white-browed woodswallows Artamus spp. of inland Australia Implications of mitochondrial DNA polyphyly in two ecologically undifferentiated but morphologically distinct migratory birds, the masked and white-browed woodswallows Artamus spp. of inland Australia
The white-browed woodswallow Artamus superciliosus and masked woodswallow A. personatus(Passeriformes: Artamidae) are members of Australia's diverse arid- and semi-arid zone avifauna. Widely sympatric and among Australia's relatively few obligate long-distance temperate-tropical migrants, the two are well differentiated morphologically but not ecologically and vocally. They are pair...
Authors
Leo Joseph, Thomas Wilke, Jose Ten Have, R. Terry Chesser
Estimating thermal diffusivity and specific heat from needle probe thermal conductivity data Estimating thermal diffusivity and specific heat from needle probe thermal conductivity data
Thermal diffusivity and specific heat can be estimated from thermal conductivity measurements made using a standard needle probe and a suitably high data acquisition rate. Thermal properties are calculated from the measured temperature change in a sample subjected to heating by a needle probe. Accurate thermal conductivity measurements are obtained from a linear fit to many tens or...
Authors
W.F. Waite, L.Y. Gilbert, W.J. Winters, D.H. Mason
Size distribution of submarine landslides and its implication to tsunami hazard in Puerto Rico Size distribution of submarine landslides and its implication to tsunami hazard in Puerto Rico
We have established for the first time a size frequency distribution for carbonate submarine slope failures. Using detailed bathymetry along the northern edge of the carbonate platform north of Puerto Rico, we show that the cumulative distribution of slope failure volumes follows a power-law distribution. The power-law exponent of this distribution is similar to those for rock falls on...
Authors
Uri S. ten Brink, E.L. Geist, B.D. Andrews
Mercury in ground water, septage, leach-field effluent, and soils in residential areas, New Jersey coastal plain Mercury in ground water, septage, leach-field effluent, and soils in residential areas, New Jersey coastal plain
Water samples were collected from domestic wells at an unsewered residential area in Gloucester County, New Jersey where mercury (Hg) concentrations in well water were known to exceed the USEPA maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 2000 ng/L. This residential area (the CSL site) is representative of more than 70 such areas in southern New Jersey where about 600 domestic wells, sampled...
Authors
J. L. Barringer, Zoltan Szabo, D. Schneider, W.D. Atkinson, R.A. Gallagher
The use of synthetic jarosite as an analog for natural jarosite The use of synthetic jarosite as an analog for natural jarosite
The presence of jarosite in soil or mining waste is an indicator of acidic sulfate-rich conditions. Physical and chemical properties of synthetic jarosites are commonly used as analogs in laboratory studies to determine solubility and acid-generation of naturally occurring jarosites. In our work we have mineralogically and chemically characterized both natural and synthetic jarosites...
Authors
George A. Desborough, Kathleen S. Smith, Heather A. Lowers, Gregg A. Swayze, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Sharon F. Diehl, Rhonda L. Driscoll, Reinhard W. Leinz
Mineral resource of the month: bismuth Mineral resource of the month: bismuth
Bismuth compounds are most known for their soothing effects on the stomach, wounds and sores. These properties make the compounds an essential part of many medicinal and cosmetic preparations, which until 1930 accounted for about 90 percent of the bismuth used. The subsequent development of low-melting alloys and chemical catalysts containing bismuth, as well as its use as an additive to...
Authors
James F. Carlin