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Bethany Burton

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

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Map of Crested Butte Low-Level Flight Study Area

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...
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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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...
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mine site

Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Brooklyn Mine Superfund Site

A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Brooklyn Mine Superfund Site

A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
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geophysical equipment near dam spillway

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...
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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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...
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Ice Shelf Calving Front

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...
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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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...
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dam, spillway, and lake in background

Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Success Dam

A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Success Dam

A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
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geophysical equipment near dam spillway

Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam

A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam

A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
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MAP study area

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...
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Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center
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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...
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Electrical 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 conc

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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

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 colluvium and
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

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. TEMPEST time-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic structure at depths u
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

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
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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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 sp
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center

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 level rise. Here, we use data from the ROSETTA-Ice air
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

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. Rivers that transport a sandy sediment load will depos
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Water Resources, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Nebraska Water Science Center

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 investigations at several earthen dams in cooperation with t
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

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 set of airborne gravity, magnetic, radar, and lida
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

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 expertise. The project was supported by the USGS Mineral R
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Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Spectroscopy Lab

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, California. Additional geotechnical data have bee
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

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, California. Additional geotechnical data have bee
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Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

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 study of river-flow dynamics and geologic boundary-pro
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

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 2010, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a gro
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Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Monitoring of levees, bridges, pipelines, and other critical infrastructure during the 2011 flooding in the Mississippi River Basin: Chapter J in <i>2011 floods of the central United States</i>

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 infrastruc
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Water Resources

Capacitively 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 a
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Water Resources, Nebraska Water Science Center

Pre-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.

Science and Products