Bethany Burton is a Supervisory Geophysicist with the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center.
Beth has extensive experience applying ground-based and airborne geophysical methods (electrical, electromagnetic, seismic, magnetics, and gravity) to water and mineral resources, infrastructure, and cryosphere studies for multiple USGS Programs, other federal and state agencies, and universities with expertise in leading field campaigns in a wide variety of geologic and field conditions including extreme/remote locations.
Research Interests
- Infrastructure studies of federally managed earthen dams and levees
- Groundwater management/water resources
- Water availability study of the lower Mississippi River valley
- International and interagency geophysical capacity building
- Mineral resource assessment training in Uzbekistan and Algeria
- Cryosphere and climate change research
- ROSETTA-Ice airborne campaign of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
- NASA Operation IceBridge airborne magnetics in Greenland and Antarctica
Professional Experience
2020-present, Supervisory Geophysicist, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
2002-2020, Geophysicist, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
2000-2002, Teaching Assistant, Geophysics Department, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado
1999-2000, Seismic Data Processor, Phillips Petroleum Company, Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Education and Certifications
M.S. Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 2004
B.S. Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1999
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union
Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society: SAGEEP Technical Chair 2021, President (elected 2015-2018), Vice President-Committees (elected 2013-2015), At-Large Board Member (elected 2012-2013)
Society of Exploration Geophysics
Geoscientists without Borders: Committee Member (2019 - present)
Society of Women in Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines: Mentor, Colorado School of Mines (2014-2018)
Science and Products
Metal Transport in Mineralized Mountain Watersheds
Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Brooklyn Mine Superfund Site
Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands
ROSETTA-Ice — Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Success Dam
Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam
Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP): Water Availability Study
Surface electrical resistivity tomography, magnetic, and gravity surveys in Redwell Basin and the greater East River watershed near Crested Butte, Colorado, 2017
Electrical and electromagnetic geophysical surveys at Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, Chattahoochee, Florida, March 2018
Hydrologic and geophysical data from high-elevation boreholes in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2019 - March 2020
Success Dam Spillway seismic refraction survey, Porterville, California, December 2018 and July 2019
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2018 - February 2019
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey, Shellmound, Mississippi, March 2018
High-resolution airborne geophysical survey of the Shellmound, Mississippi area
Airborne geophysical surveys of the lower Mississippi Valley demonstrate system-scale mapping of subsurface architecture
Ross Ice Shelf response to climate driven by the tectonic imprint on seafloor bathymetry
Suitability of river delta sediment as proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015
Hydrogeophysical investigations of earthen dams – Two California case studies
Resolving bathymetry from airborne gravity along Greenland fjords
Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues
Digital geospatial presentation of geoelectrical and geotechnical data for the lower American River and flood plain, east Sacramento, California
Characterization of subsurface stratigraphy along the lower American River floodplain using electrical resistivity, Sacramento, California, 2011
A ground-based magnetic survey of Frenchman Flat, Nevada National Security Site and Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada: data release and preliminary interpretation
Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin
Capacitively coupled and direct-current resistivity surveys of selected reaches of Cozad, Thirty-Mile, Orchard-Alfalfa, Kearney, and Outlet Canals in Nebraska, 2012-13
Blind test of methods for obtaining 2-D near-surface seismic velocity models from first-arrival traveltimes
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
- Science
Metal Transport in Mineralized Mountain Watersheds
The central objective of this project is to develop a greater understanding of deep bedrock groundwater circulation and its contribution to surface water metal loads in mineralized mountain blocks composed of sedimentary rocks. This work is being performed in cooperation with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as part of a broader research program aimed at understanding processes controlling...Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Brooklyn Mine Superfund Site
A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands
Geophysical Infrastructure Studies is comprised of a series of applied research projects focused on studying site-specific problems at earthen dams and abandoned mine lands. An appropriate suite of geophysical methods are chosen for each project and its particular goals and geologic environment. These projects are funded by the federal agencies in charge of the risk mitigation, assessment, or...ROSETTA-Ice — Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
ROSETTA-Ice is a large, NSF-funded, multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional project with several major goals focused on the full ice shelf system of the Ross Ice Shelf that include the ice, underlying seafloor bathymetry, and ocean interaction. Methods include the first comprehensive LC-130-based airborne geophysical survey of the Ross Ice Shelf to measure ice thickness and accumulation (ice...Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Success Dam
A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam
A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP): Water Availability Study
The Mississippi Alluvial Plain is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the Nation and depends on groundwater for irrigation. The MAP area constitutes the third largest area of irrigated cropland in the United States. The area is approximately 29,000 square miles (19 million acres) and includes parts of the States of Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.The U.S... - Data
Surface electrical resistivity tomography, magnetic, and gravity surveys in Redwell Basin and the greater East River watershed near Crested Butte, Colorado, 2017
Surface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), time-domain electromagnetics (TEM), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), magnetics, and gravity data were acquired in 2016, 2017 and 2018 in the greater East River Watershed near Crested Butte Colorado with a focused effort in Redwell Basin. Five ERT profiles were acquired within Redwell Basin and Brush Creek to map geologic structure at depths up to 4Electrical and electromagnetic geophysical surveys at Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam, Chattahoochee, Florida, March 2018
Surface electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), electromagnetic induction (EMI), and self-potential (SP) data were acquired March 9 - 20, 2018 by the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, at the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam near Chattahoochee, Florida. Eleven ERT profiles were acquired along the right (west) abutment, and immediately downstream, of the concHydrologic and geophysical data from high-elevation boreholes in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado
Four boreholes (MW1, MW1UZ, MW2, MW2.1) were drilled in the fall of 2017 and summer of 2018 in upper Redwell Basin, a headwater catchment underlain by hydrothermally altered sedimentary rock in the Elk Mountains near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The boreholes were continuously cored using a wireline HQ-sized coring system and sample a combination of Quaternary-aged surficial colluvium andAirborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2019 - March 2020
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired November 2019 to March 2020 along 24,030 line-kilometers (line-km) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different airborne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. TEMPEST time-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic structure at depths uSuccess Dam Spillway seismic refraction survey, Porterville, California, December 2018 and July 2019
Compressional- (P-) wave seismic refraction data were acquired in December 2018 and July 2019 along fourteen profiles within the spillway of Success Dam in Porterville, California. A new concrete ogee weir is planned for construction within the existing spillway, and the P-wave seismic velocity models will be used to inform further geotechnical investigations, including siting new geologic boringsAirborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2018 - February 2019
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired November 2018 to February 2019 along 16,816 line-kilometers (line-km) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different helicopter-borne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. Resolve frequency-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic strucAirborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey, Shellmound, Mississippi, March 2018
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired in late February to early March 2018 along 2,364 line-kilometers in the Shellmound, Mississippi study area. Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different helicopter-borne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. RESOLVE frequency-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic structure - Maps
High-resolution airborne geophysical survey of the Shellmound, Mississippi area
In late February to early March 2018, the U.S. Geological Survey acquired 2,364 line-kilometers (km) of airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric data in the Shellmound, Mississippi study area. The purpose of this survey is to contribute high-resolution information about subsurface geologic structure to inform groundwater models, water resource infrastructure studies, and local decision - Publications
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Airborne geophysical surveys of the lower Mississippi Valley demonstrate system-scale mapping of subsurface architecture
The Mississippi Alluvial Plain hosts one of the most prolific shallow aquifer systems in the United States but is experiencing chronic groundwater decline. The Reelfoot rift and New Madrid seismic zone underlie the region and represent an important and poorly understood seismic hazard. Despite its societal and economic importance, the shallow subsurface architecture has not been mapped with the spRoss Ice Shelf response to climate driven by the tectonic imprint on seafloor bathymetry
Ocean melting has thinned Antarctica's ice shelves at an increasing rate over the past two decades, leading to loss of grounded ice. The Ross Ice Shelf is currently close to steady state but geological records indicate that it can disintegrate rapidly, which would accelerate grounded ice loss from catchments equivalent to 11.6 m of global sea level rise. Here, we use data from the ROSETTA-Ice airSuitability of river delta sediment as proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015
Sediment management is a challenge faced by reservoir managers who have several potential options, including dredging, for mitigation of storage capacity lost to sedimentation. As sediment is removed from reservoir storage, potential use of the sediment for socioeconomic or ecological benefit could potentially defray some costs of its removal. Rivers that transport a sandy sediment load will deposHydrogeophysical investigations of earthen dams – Two California case studies
Excessive groundwater seepage can be a common engineering concern with earthen dams. The application of geophysical methods, whether for characterization or for long-term monitoring, to help inform mitigation strategies is becoming a more common addition to these investigations. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has completed geophysical investigations at several earthen dams in cooperation with tResolving bathymetry from airborne gravity along Greenland fjords
Recent glacier mass loss in Greenland has been attributed to encroaching warming waters, but knowledge of fjord bathymetry is required to investigate this mechanism. The bathymetry in many Greenland fjords is unmapped and difficult to measure. From 2010 to 2012, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Operation IceBridge collected a unique set of airborne gravity, magnetic, radar, and lidaDeveloping integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues
IntroductionThis circular provides an overview of selected activities that were conducted within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Integrated Methods Development Project, an interdisciplinary project designed to develop new tools and conduct innovative research requiring integration of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing expertise. The project was supported by the USGS Mineral RDigital geospatial presentation of geoelectrical and geotechnical data for the lower American River and flood plain, east Sacramento, California
To characterize the extent and thickness of lithologic units that may have differing scour potential, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has performed several geoelectrical surveys of the lower American River channel and flood plain between Cal Expo and the Rio Americano High School in east Sacramento, California. Additional geotechnical data have beeCharacterization of subsurface stratigraphy along the lower American River floodplain using electrical resistivity, Sacramento, California, 2011
In July 2011, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, completed a geophysical survey using electrical resistivity along an approximately 6-mile reach of the lower American River in Sacramento, California, to map near-surface lithological variations. This survey is a part of a manifold and comprehensive study of river-flow dynamics and geologic boundary-proA ground-based magnetic survey of Frenchman Flat, Nevada National Security Site and Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada: data release and preliminary interpretation
The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS, formerly the Nevada Test Site) is located in southern Nevada approximately 105 kilometers (km) (65 miles) northwest of Las Vegas. Frenchman Flat is a sedimentary basin located on the eastern edge of NNSS and extending eastward into the adjacent Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). In late September 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a groMonitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin
During the 2011 Mississippi River Basin flood, the U.S. Geological Survey evaluated aspects of critical river infrastructure at the request of and in support of local, State, and Federal Agencies. Geotechnical and hydrographic data collected by the U.S. Geological Survey at numerous locations were able to provide needed information about 2011 flood effects to those managing the critical infrastrucCapacitively coupled and direct-current resistivity surveys of selected reaches of Cozad, Thirty-Mile, Orchard-Alfalfa, Kearney, and Outlet Canals in Nebraska, 2012-13
Understanding the spatial characteristics of leakage from canals is critical to effectively managing and utilizing water resources for irrigation and hydroelectric purposes. Canal leakage in some parts of Nebraska is the primary source of water for groundwater recharge and helps maintain the base flow of streams. Because surface-water supplies depend on the streamflow of the Platte River and the aBlind test of methods for obtaining 2-D near-surface seismic velocity models from first-arrival traveltimes
Seismic refraction methods are used in environmental and engineering studies to image the shallow subsurface. We present a blind test of inversion and tomographic refraction analysis methods using a synthetic first-arrival-time dataset that was made available to the community in 2010. The data are realistic in terms of the near-surface velocity model, shot-receiver geometry and the data's frequencNon-USGS Publications**
Burton, B.L., 2004, Attenuation analysis of ground penetrating radar data acquired over a crude oil spill, MS Thesis T-5952, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, 188 p.**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government