Publications
USGS has a long history of interdisciplinary research in the Salton Sea basin. Browse the publications below for more information about our research.
State of the Salton Sea Report 2017
State of the Salton Sea Report 2017
Summary from a 2014 workshop on the state of the Salton Sea.
Salton Sea Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Plan
Salton Sea Ecosystem Monitoring and Assessment Plan
A monitoring and assessment plan developed by a interagency team to help identify an ecosystem restoration program for the Salton Sea.
Filter Total Items: 130
Relationships among seismic velocity, metamorphism, and seismic and aseismic fault slip in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field region Relationships among seismic velocity, metamorphism, and seismic and aseismic fault slip in the Salton Sea Geothermal Field region
The Salton Sea Geothermal Field is one of the most geothermally and seismically active areas in California and presents an opportunity to study the effect of high-temperature metamorphism on the properties of seismogenic faults. The area includes numerous active tectonic faults that have recently been imaged with active source seismic reflection and refraction. We utilize the active...
Authors
Jeffrey McGuire, Rowena Lohman, Rufus Catchings, Michael Rymer, Mark Goldman
Evidence for a marine incursion along the lower Colorado River corridor Evidence for a marine incursion along the lower Colorado River corridor
Foraminiferal assemblages in the stratigraphically lower part of the Bouse Formation in the Blythe Basin indicate marine conditions whereas assemblages in the upper part of the Bouse Formation indicate lacustrine conditions and suggest the presence of a saline lake. Benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the lower part of the Bouse Formation are similar to lagoonal and inner neritic...
Authors
Kristin McDougall, Adriana Martinez
Borehole-explosion and air-gun data acquired in the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP), southern California: description of the survey Borehole-explosion and air-gun data acquired in the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP), southern California: description of the survey
The Imperial and Coachella Valleys are being formed by active plate-tectonic processes. From the Imperial Valley southward into the Gulf of California, plate motions are rifting the continent apart. In the Coachella Valley, the plates are sliding past one another along the San Andreas and related faults (fig. 1). These processes build the stunning landscapes of the region, but also...
Authors
Elizabeth Rose, Gary Fuis, Joann Stock, John Hole, Annie Kell, Graham Kent, Neal Driscoll, Mark Goldman, Angela Reusch, Liang Han, Robert Sickler, Rufus Catchings, Michael Rymer, Coyn Criley, Daniel S. Scheirer, Steven Skinner, Coye Slayday-Criley, Janice Murphy, Edward Jensen, Robert McClearn, Alex Ferguson, Lesley Butcher, Max Gardner, Iain D. Emmons, Caleb Loughran, Joseph Svitek, Patrick C. Bastien, Joseph Cotton, David Croker, Alistair Harding, Jeffrey Babcock, Steven Harder, Carla Rosa
Genetic structure, diversity and subspecies status of Gull-billed Terns (Gelochelidon nilotica) from the United States Genetic structure, diversity and subspecies status of Gull-billed Terns (Gelochelidon nilotica) from the United States
Gull-billed Terns (Gelochelidon nilotica) are among the most widespread, yet scarce, Charadriiformes in the world. Two subspecies are recognized in the United States: G. n. aranea breeds along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts and G. n. vanrossemi breeds in the Salton Sea and San Diego Bay of California. Conservation concerns exist for the species due to its low abundance in the United...
Authors
Mark Miller, Thomas D. Mullins, Susan Haig
Salton Sea ecosystem monitoring and assessment plan Salton Sea ecosystem monitoring and assessment plan
The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, provides essential habitat for several fish and wildlife species and is an important cultural and recreational resource. It has no outlet, and dissolved salts contained in the inflows concentrate in the Salton Sea through evaporation. The salinity of the Salton Sea, which is currently nearly one and a half times the salinity of ocean water, has...
Authors
H. L. Case(compiler), Jerry Boles, Arturo Delgado, Thang Nguyen, Doug Osugi, Douglas Barnum, Drew Decker, Steven Steinberg, Sheila Steinberg, Charles Keene, Kristina White, Tom Lupo, Sheldon Gen, Ken Baerenklau
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A preliminary deposit model for lithium brines A preliminary deposit model for lithium brines
This report is part of an effort by the U.S. Geological Survey to update existing mineral deposit models and to develop new ones. The global transition away from hydrocarbons toward energy alternatives increases demand for many scarce metals. Among these is lithium, a key component of lithium-ion batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles. Lithium brine deposits account for about three...
Authors
Dwight Bradley, LeeAnn Munk, Hillary Jochens, Scott Hynek, Keith A. Labay
Selenium in aquatic biota inhabiting agricultural drains in the Salton Sea Basin, California Selenium in aquatic biota inhabiting agricultural drains in the Salton Sea Basin, California
Resource managers are concerned that water conservation practices in irrigated farmlands along the southern border of the Salton Sea, Imperial County, California, could increase selenium concentrations in agricultural drainwater and harm the desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius), a federally protected endangered species. As part of a broader attempt to address this concern, we conducted...
Authors
Michael Saiki, Barbara Martin, Thomas May
Groundwater quality in Coachella Valley, California Groundwater quality in Coachella Valley, California
Groundwater provides more than 40 percent of California’s drinking water. To protect this vital resource, the State of California created the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The Priority Basin Project of the GAMA Program provides a comprehensive assessment of the State’s groundwater quality and increases public access to groundwater-quality information...
Authors
Barbara Dawson, Kenneth Belitz
A new perspective on the geometry of the San Andreas Fault in southern California and its relationship to lithospheric structure A new perspective on the geometry of the San Andreas Fault in southern California and its relationship to lithospheric structure
The widely held perception that the San Andreas fault (SAF) is vertical or steeply dipping in most places in southern California may not be correct. From studies of potential‐field data, active‐source imaging, and seismicity, the dip of the SAF is significantly nonvertical in many locations. The direction of dip appears to change in a systematic way through the Transverse Ranges...
Authors
Gary Fuis, Daniel S. Scheirer, Victoria E. Langenheim, Monica Kohler
Loading of the San Andreas fault by flood-induced rupture of faults beneath the Salton Sea Loading of the San Andreas fault by flood-induced rupture of faults beneath the Salton Sea
The southern San Andreas fault has not experienced a large earthquake for approximately 300 years, yet the previous five earthquakes occurred at ~180-year intervals. Large strike-slip faults are often segmented by lateral stepover zones. Movement on smaller faults within a stepover zone could perturb the main fault segments and potentially trigger a large earthquake. The southern San...
Authors
Daniel Brothers, Debi Kilb, Karen Luttrell, Neal Driscoll, Graham Kent
Unusual dominance by desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) in experimental ponds within the Salton Sea Basin Unusual dominance by desert pupfish (Cyprinodon macularius) in experimental ponds within the Salton Sea Basin
In October 2006, months after shallow experimental ponds in the Salton Sea Basin were filled with water from the Alamo River and Salton Sea, fish were observed in several ponds, although inlets had been screened to exclude fish. During October 2007–November 2009, nine surveys were conducted using baited minnow traps to document species and relative abundance of fish. Surveys yielded 3...
Authors
Michael Saiki, Barbara Martin, Thomas Anderson
Modeled sources, transport, and accumulation of dissolved solids in water resources of the southwestern United States Modeled sources, transport, and accumulation of dissolved solids in water resources of the southwestern United States
Information on important source areas for dissolved solids in streams of the southwestern United States, the relative share of deliveries of dissolved solids to streams from natural and human sources, and the potential for salt accumulation in soil or groundwater was developed using a SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes model. Predicted area‐normalized reach...
Authors
D.W. Anning
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