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.
Bethany Burton
Biography
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.
Education
M.S. Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 2004
B.S. Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1999
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
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 Societies
- American Geophysical Union
- Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society
- Society of Exploration Geophysics
Academic and Professional Service
- Technical Chair, 2021 Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems (SAGEEP)
- Committee Member, Geoscientists without Borders (2019 - present)
- President, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (EEGS), elected (2015-2018)
- Vice President-Committees, EEGS, elected (2013-2015)
- At-Large Board Member, EEGS, elected, (2012-2013)
- Mentor, Society of Women in Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines (2014-2018)
Science and Products
Date published: July 31, 2020
Status: Active 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...
Contacts: Andrew H Manning, Lyndsay B Ball
Date published: November 6, 2019
Status: Active Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Brooklyn Mine Superfund Site
A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
Contacts: Bethany Burton
Date published: June 20, 2019
Status: Active 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...
Contacts: Bethany Burton
Attribution: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Date published: June 20, 2019
Status: Active 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 (...
Contacts: Bethany Burton
Attribution: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Date published: December 21, 2018
Status: Completed Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Success Dam
A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
Contacts: Bethany Burton
Attribution: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Date published: March 30, 2018
Status: Completed Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam
A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
Contacts: Bethany Burton
Date published: December 13, 2016
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...
Contacts: Wade Kress
Date published: February 19, 2021
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2018 - February 2019
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data were collected during February 2016 along 300 line kilometers in the western Yukon Flats near Stevens Village, Alaska. Data were acquired with the CGG RESOLVE frequency-domain helicopter-borne electromagnetic systems together with a Scintrex Cesium Vapour CS-3 magnetometer. The AEM average depth of investigation is about 100 m. The survey...
Attribution: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Date published: February 10, 2021
Airborne 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.
Attribution: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Date published: November 17, 2020
Hydrologic 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
Date published: March 5, 2020
Success 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 geolo
Attribution: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Date published: August 27, 2019
Airborne 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
Year Published: 2021
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...
Minsley, Burke J; Rigby, James Robert; James, Stephanie R.; Burton, Bethany L.; Knierim, Katherine J.; Pace, Michael; Bedrosian, Paul A.; Kress, Wade
Year Published: 2020
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...
Burton, Bethany L.; Minsley, Burke J.; Bloss, Benjamin R.; Kress, Wade H.; Rigby, James R.; Smith, Bruce D.View Citation
Burton, B.L., Minsley, B.J., Bloss, B.R., Kress, W.H., Rigby, J.R., and Smith, B.D., 2020, High-resolution airborne geophysical survey of the Shellmound, Mississippi area: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3449, 2 sheets, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3449.
Year Published: 2019
Ross 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...
Tinto, K J; Padman, L; Siddoway, C S; Springer, M.R.; Fricker, H.A.; Das, I.; Caratori Tontini, F.; Porter, D.F.; Frearson, N.P.; Howard, S. J.; Siegfried, M.R.; Mosbeux, C.; Becker, M.K.; Bertinato, C.; Boghosian, A.; Brady, N.; Burton, Bethany L.; Chu, W.; Cordero, S.I.; Dhakal, T.; Dong, L.; Gustafson, C.D.; Keeshin, S.; Locke, C.; Lockett, A.; O'Brien, G.; Spergel, J.J.; Starke, S.E.; Tankersley, M.; Wearing, M.; Bell, R. E.
Year Published: 2017
Suitability 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....
Zelt, Ronald B.; Hobza, Christopher M.; Burton, Bethany L.; Schaepe, Nathaniel J.; Piatak, Nadine M.Attribution: Nebraska Water Science Center, Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Water Resources, Region 1: North Atlantic-Appalachian
View Citation
Zelt, R.B., Hobza, C.M., Burton, B.L., Schaepe, N.J., and Piatak, Nadine, 2017, Suitability of river delta sediment as proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5105, 51 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175105.
Year Published: 2017
Hydrogeophysical 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...
Burton, Bethany L.; Bedrosian, Paul A.; Minsley, Burke J.; Ikard, Scott; Powers, Michael H.
Year Published: 2017
Identification of the Polaris Fault using lidar and shallow geophysical methods
As part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) Dam Safety Assurance Program, Martis Creek Dam near Truckee, CA, is under evaluation for earthquake and seepage hazards. The investigations to date have included LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and a wide range of geophysical surveys. The LiDAR data led to the discovery of an important and...
Hunter, Lewis E.; Powers, Michael H.; Burton, Bethany L.Attribution: Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
View Citation
Lewis E. Hunter, Michael H. Powers, and Bethany L. Burton (2010) Identification of the Polaris Fault Using Lidar and Shallow Geophysical Methods. Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2010: pp. 391-399.
Year Published: 2016
Developing 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...
Smith, Kathleen S.; Phillips, Jeffrey D.; McCafferty, Anne E.; Clark, Roger N.Attribution: Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Mineral Resources Program, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin, Spectroscopy Lab
View Citation
Smith, K.S., Phillips, J.D., McCafferty, A.E., and Clark, R.N., eds., 2016, Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1413, 160 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/cir1413.
Year Published: 2015
Resolving 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...
Boghosian, Alexandra; Tinto, Kirsty; Cochran, James R.; Porter, David; Elieff, Stefan; Burton, Bethany L.; Bell, Robin E.Attribution: Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
View Citation
Boghosian, A., K. Tinto, J. R. Cochran, D. Porter, S. Elieff, B. L. Burton, and R. E. Bell (2015), Resolving bathymetry from airborne gravity along Greenland fjords, J. Geophys. Res. Solid Earth, 120, 8516–8533, doi:10.1
Year Published: 2015
Digital 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...
Ball, Lyndsay B.; Burton, Bethany L.; Powers, Michael H.; Asch, Theodore H.Attribution: Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
View Citation
Ball, L.B., Burton, B.L., Powers, M.H., and Asch, T.H., 2014, Digital geospatial presentation of geoelectrical and geotechnical data for the lower American River and flood plain, east Sacramento, California: U.S. Geological Survey Data Series 902, 12 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds902.
Year Published: 2014
Characterization 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...
Burton, Bethany L.; Powers, Michael H.; Ball, Lyndsay B.Attribution: Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
View Citation
Burton, B.L., Powers, M.H., and Ball, L.B., 2014, Characterization of subsurface stratigraphy along the lower American River floodplain using electrical resistivity, Sacramento, California, 2011: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1242, 62 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141242.
Year Published: 2014
A 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...
Phillips, Jeffrey D.; Burton, Bethany L.; Curry-Elrod, Erika; Drellack, SigmundAttribution: Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
View Citation
Phillips, J.D., Burton, B.L., Curry-Elrod, Erika, and Drellack, Sigmund, 2014, A ground-based magnetic survey of Frenchman Flat, Nevada National Security Site and Nevada Test and Training Range, Nevada—Data release and preliminary interpretation: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1187, 144 p., 1 pl., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141187.
Year Published: 2014
Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin: Chapter J in 2011 floods of the central United States
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...
Densmore, Brenda K.; Burton, Bethany L.; Dietsch, Benjamin J.; Cannia, James C.; Huizinga, Richard J.Attribution: Water Resources
View Citation
Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin: Chapter J in 2011 floods of the central United States; 2014; PP; 1798-J; 2011 floods of the central United States (Professional Paper 1798); Densmore, Brenda K; Burton, Bethany L.; Dietsch, Benjamin J.; Cannia, James C.; Huizinga, Richard J.