Bethany Burton
Biography
Beth received a B.S. in Geophysical Engineering and M.Sc. in Geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines. She worked for Phillips Petroleum Co. between degrees and began her career with the USGS in 2002. She has focused on the application of resistivity, seismic refraction and reflection, electromagnetics, magnetics, and GPR in solving problems at various scales. Most recently, she has been involved in many infrastructure projects involving characterization of earthen dams, levees, and canals in the west and midwest United States in cooperation with federal and state agencies and several groundwater-related projects both domestically and internationally. She has also been involved in several polar airborne projects in Greenland and Antarctica. She is a member of AGU, EEGS, and SEG.
Education
2004 M.Sc. Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines
1999 B.S. Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines
Employment
2002 - present: Geophysicist, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
2000 - 2002: Teaching Assistant, Geophysics Department, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
1999 - 2000: Seismic Data Processor, Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville, OK
Professional Activities
President, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (elected) (3/15-17)
Vice President – Committees, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (elected) (3/13-15)
At-Large Board Member, Environmental and Engineering Geophysical Society (elected) (3/12-13)
Co-Organizer and Instructor, Processing of Seismic Refraction Tomography Data Short Course, 2010 Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Environmental and Engineering Problems
Mentor, Society of Women in Geophysics, Colorado School of Mines (2014-present)
Publications
Burton, B.L. and Ball, L.B., 2014, Electrical Resistivity Survey at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, June 2014: U.S. Geological Survey Administrative Report, 27 p.
Abraham, J.D., Anderson, E.D., Burton, B.L., Lucius, J.E., 2006, Geophysical investigations of selected infrastructure sites within the National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Administrative Report 2006 LAI-05-0015, 278 p.
Horton, R. and Burton, B.L., 2006, Resistivity surveys at the Tuba City Landfill, Tuba City, Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Administrative Report AGH00050015, 83 p.
Burton, B.L. and Abraham, J.D., 2005, Exell Helium Plant geophysical study Masterson, TX: U.S. Geological Survey Administrative Report NAI040007-0001, 194 p.
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.
Data
Cochran, J. R., B. Burton, N. Frearson, and K. Tinto. 2014. IceBridge Scintrex CS-3 Cesium Magnetometer L1B Geolocated Magnetic Anomalies, Version 2. Antarctica 2013. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/OY7C2Y61YSYW
Cochran, J. R., B. Burton, N. Frearson, and K. Tinto. 2014. IceBridge Scintrex CS-3 Cesium Magnetometer L1B Geolocated Magnetic Anomalies, Version 2. Greenland 2012. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/OY7C2Y61YSYW
Cochran, J. R., B. Burton, N. Frearson, and K. Tinto. 2014. IceBridge Scintrex CS-3 Cesium Magnetometer L1B Geolocated Magnetic Anomalies, Version 2. Greenland 2011. Boulder, Colorado USA. NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center. http://dx.doi.org/10.5067/OY7C2Y61YSYW
Science and Products
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
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. 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.
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. 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.
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.
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, Sigmund
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.
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...
Hobza, Christopher M.; Burton, Bethany L.; Lucius, Jeffrey E.; Tompkins, Ryan E. Blind 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...
Zelt, Colin A.; Haines, Seth; Powers, Michael H.; Sheehan, Jacob; Rohdewald, Siegfried; Link, Curtis; Hayashi, Koichi; Zhao, Don; Zhou, Hua-wei; Burton, Bethany L.; Petersen, Uni K.; Bonal, Nedra D.; Doll, William E.
Measurement of near-surface seismic compressional wave velocities using refraction tomography at a proposed construction site on the Presidio of Monterey, California
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is determining the feasibility of constructing a new barracks building on the U.S. Army Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, California. Due to the presence of an endangered orchid in the proposed area, invasive techniques such as exploratory drill holes are prohibited. To aid in determining the feasibility, budget,...
Powers, Michael H.; Burton, Bethany L. Geophysical investigations of geology and structure at the Martis Creek Dam, Truckee, California
A recent evaluation of Martis Creek Dam highlighted the potential for dam failure due to either seepage or an earthquake on nearby faults. In 1972, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed this earthen dam, located within the Truckee Basin to the north of Lake Tahoe, CA for water storage and flood control. Past attempts to raise the level of...
Bedrosian, P.A.; Burton, B.L.; Powers, M.H.; Minsley, B.J.; Phillips, J.D.; Hunter, L.E.