Donald Sweetkind
I am a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, stationed in Lakewood, CO. I received my Ph.D. in geology from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO in 1994 and have worked full-time as a geologist for the USGS in Denver since then.
My work involves creation of geologic maps and digital three-dimensional geologic models for framework geologic and hydrogeologic studies. I work in the western US, primarily in CA, NV, UT, and NM. In the past decade, I have been the lead within USGS Geologic Discipline with work on several major water resource-related projects in Nevada, Utah, and California, in collaboration with colleagues in the USGS Water Mission Area. I also conduct geologic mapping studies in California with USGS staff in Menlo Park; I have worked on the evolution of volcanic fields and sedimentary basins in response to the development through time of the San Andreas and related faults. I have also used subsurface geologic mapping to address groundwater-based issues in northern and central California.
Current research projects
Geologic maps and 3D geologic framework models of the western US I am involved in multiple projects that are creating geologic maps and 3D geologic framework models in the western US, funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
Groundwater availability studies in California groundwater basins. I am creating digital 3D hydrogeologic framework models that portray the geometry and lithologic variability (a proxy for inferring hydraulic properties) of hydrostratigraphic units for input into numerical ground-water flow models. (work conducted with USGS CA WSC).
National Geologic Synthesis. I am compiling data and developing methods for mapping subsurface geology at regional and National scales funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
Professional Experience
October 2013 – present Research Geologist, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, USGS, Denver
October, 1999—October, 2013 Research Geologist, Central Mineral Resources, USGS, Denver
October, 1994—September, 1999 Geologist, Yucca Mountain Project Branch, USGS, Denver
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., 1994, in Geology with minor in geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO
M.S., 1986, in Geology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
B.A., 1981, in Geology with minors in chemistry and physics, Western State College, Gunnison, CO
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 30
Digital subsurface data of Paleozoic rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico from USGS Regional Aquifer System Analysis
The Upper Colorado River Basin has a drainage area of about 113,500 square miles in western Colorado, eastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Upper Colorado River Basin was a study area under of the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program (Sun and Johnston, 1994; Sun and Weeks, 1991). The
Digital subsurface data of Mesozoic rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico from USGS Regional Aquifer System Analysis
The Upper Colorado River Basin has a drainage area of about 113,500 square miles in western Colorado, eastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. In the 1980's and 1990's, the Upper Colorado River Basin was a study area under of the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program (Sun and Johnston, 1994; Sun and Weeks, 1991). The
Digital data for three-dimensional geologic framework model of the Rio San Jose groundwater basin, New Mexico
This data release contains a geospatial database related to a digital 3D geologic framework of the Rio San Jose watershed, New Mexico. The geospatial database contains two main data elements: (1) input data to the 3D framework model; (2) interpolated elevations and thicknesses of stratigraphic units as a cellular array. Input surface and subsurface data for 18 stratigraphic units have been condens
Gravity and physical property data in the Chico and Willows 1:100,000-scale quadrangles, California
The datasets consist of principal fact information of gravity data and density and magnetic properties of hand samples in the Chico and Willows 1:100,000-scale quadrangles, California.
Data release of Three-Dimensional Hydrogeologic Framework Model of the Petaluma Valley Watershed, Sonoma County, California
This digital dataset was created as part of a U.S. Geological Survey study, done in cooperation with the Sonoma County Water Agency and the City of Petaluma, to be used as the digital hydrogeologic input data for numerical simulation of the groundwater system of the Petaluma Valley Watershed, Sonoma County, California. Elevation, thickness, and extent of the hydrostratigraphic units define the geo
Digital 3-D Geologic Framework data for the Rio Grande Transboundary region of New Mexico, Texas, USA and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico
This digital dataset of a three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework for the Rio Grande Transboundary region of New Mexico, Texas, USA and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico defines the geometry, extent, and character of aquifers of the region and is intended as the digital hydrogeologic input data for numerical simulation of the groundwater system.
The data consist of a single GeoDatabase (RGTIHM_3DHFM
Filter Total Items: 49
Reducing Uncertainty in the Distribution of Hydrogeologic Units within Volcanic Composite Units of Pahute Mesa Using High-Resolution 3-D Resistivity Methods, Nevada Test Site, Nevada
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at their Nevada Site Office (NSO) are addressing groundwater contamination resulting from historical underground nuclear testing through the Environmental Management program and, in particular, the Underground Test Area (UGTA) project. From 1951 to 1992, 828 underground nuclear tests were conducted at the N
Authors
Brian D. Rodriguez, Don Sweetkind, Bethany L. Burton
Death Valley regional groundwater flow system, Nevada and California: Hydrogeologic framework and transient groundwater flow model
A numerical three-dimensional (3D) transient groundwater flow model of the Death Valley region was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the U.S. Department of Energy programs at the Nevada Test Site and at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Decades of study of aspects of the groundwater flow system and previous less extensive groundwater flow models were incorporated and reevaluated together with new
Authors
Wayne Belcher, Frank A. D'Agnese, Grady M. O'Brien, Donald S. Sweetkind, Carma A. San Juan, Randell J. Laczniak, Christopher J. Potter, Heather Putnam, Claudia C. Faunt, Joan B. Blainey, Mary C. Hill, M. S. Bedinger, J. R. Harrill
Digital tabulation of stratigraphic data from oil and gas wells in the Santa Maria Basin and surrounding areas, central California coast
Stratigraphic information from 694 oil and gas exploration wells from the onshore Santa Maria basin and surrounding areas are herein compiled in digital form from reports that were released originally in paper form. The Santa Maria basin is located within the southwesternmost part of the Coast Ranges and north of the western Transverse Ranges on the central California coast. Knowledge of the locat
Authors
Donald S. Sweetkind, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Victoria E. Langenheim, Lauren E. Shumaker
Three-dimensional geologic modeling of the Santa Rosa Plain, California
New three-dimensional (3D) lithologic and stratigraphic models of the Santa Rosa Plain (California, USA) delineate the thickness, extent, and distribution of subsurface geologic units and allow integration of diverse data sets to produce a lithologic, stratigraphic, and structural architecture for the region. This framework can be used to predict pathways of groundwater flow beneath the Santa Rosa
Authors
Donald S. Sweetkind, Emily M. Taylor, Craig A. McCabe, Victoria E. Langenheim, Robert J. McLaughlin
Digital tabulation of geologic and hydrologic data from wells in the northern San Francisco Bay region, northern California
Downhole lithologic information and aquifer pumping test data are reported from 464 wells from a broad area of the northern part of the Coast Ranges in California. These data were originally published in paper form as numerous tables within three USGS Water-Supply Papers describing geology and groundwater conditions in Napa and Sonoma Valleys, the Santa Rosa and Petaluma Valley areas, and in the R
Authors
D. S. Sweetkind, E. M. Taylor
Multiple phases of basin formation along the Stateline fault system in the Pahrump and Mesquite Valleys, Nevada and California
Two phases of deformation are needed to describe the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Pahrump and Mesquite basins in the southern Great Basin and eastern Mojave Desert, United States. By interpreting seismic reflection and gravity observations along with bedrock and surficial mapping, we infer an extensional phase of basin formation followed by a transtensional phase, in this area straddling the
Authors
Daniel S. Scheirer, Donald S. Sweetkind, John J. Miller
Geophysical characterization of Range-Front Faults, Snake Valley, Nevada
In September 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, collected audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) data along two profiles on the eastern flank of the Snake Range near Great Basin National Park to refine understanding of the subsurface geology. Line 1 was collected along Baker Creek, was approximately 6.7-km long, and recorded subsurface geologic conditions to appro
Authors
Theodore H. Asch, Donald S. Sweetkind
Groundwater flow systems at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada: A synthesis of potentiometric contours, hydrostratigraphy, and geologic structures
Contaminants introduced into the subsurface of the Nevada Test Site by underground nuclear testing are of concern to the U.S. Department of Energy and regulators responsible for protecting human health and safety. The potential for contaminant movement away from the underground test areas and into the accessible environment is greatest by groundwater transport. The primary hydrologic control on th
Authors
Joseph M. Fenelon, Donald S. Sweetkind, Randell J. Laczniak
Geophysical framework of the northern San Francisco Bay region, California
We use geophysical data to examine the structural framework of the northern San Francisco Bay region, an area that hosts the northward continuation of the East Bay fault system. Although this fault system has accommodated ∼175 km of right-lateral offset since 12 Ma, how this offset is partitioned north of the bay is controversial and important for understanding where and how strain is accommodated
Authors
Victoria E. Langenheim, Russell W. Graymer, Robert C. Jachens, Robert J. McLaughlin, D.L. Wagner, Donald S. Sweetkind
Detailed Geophysical Fault Characterization in Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nevada
Yucca Flat is a topographic and structural basin in the northeastern part of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in Nye County, Nevada. Between the years 1951 and 1992, 659 underground nuclear tests took place in Yucca Flat; most were conducted in large, vertical excavations that penetrated alluvium and the underlying Cenozoic volcanic rocks.
Radioactive and other potential chemical contaminants at the
Authors
Theodore H. Asch, Donald S. Sweetkind, Bethany L. Burton, Erin L. Wallin
Electrical Resistivity and Seismic Surveys at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada, April 2007
In April 2007, the USGS collected direct-current (DC) electrical resistivity data and shear- (S) and compressional- (P) wave seismic data to provide new detail of previously mapped, overlapping fault splays at two administrative areas in the Nevada Test Site (NTS). In NTS Area 7, we collected two-dimensional DC resistivity data along a transect crossing the Yucca Fault parallel to, and between, tw
Authors
Seth S. Haines, Bethany L. Burton, Donald S. Sweetkind, Theodore H. Asch
Compilation of Stratigraphic Thicknesses for Caldera-Related Tertiary Volcanic Rocks, East-Central Nevada and West-Central Utah
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and a designee from the State of Utah are currently conducting a water-resources study of aquifers in White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah, in response to concerns about water availability and limited geohydrologic information relevant to ground-water flow in the region. Production of ground water i
Authors
D. S. Sweetkind, E. A. Du Bray
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 30
Digital subsurface data of Paleozoic rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico from USGS Regional Aquifer System Analysis
The Upper Colorado River Basin has a drainage area of about 113,500 square miles in western Colorado, eastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Upper Colorado River Basin was a study area under of the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program (Sun and Johnston, 1994; Sun and Weeks, 1991). TheDigital subsurface data of Mesozoic rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico from USGS Regional Aquifer System Analysis
The Upper Colorado River Basin has a drainage area of about 113,500 square miles in western Colorado, eastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. In the 1980's and 1990's, the Upper Colorado River Basin was a study area under of the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program (Sun and Johnston, 1994; Sun and Weeks, 1991). TheDigital data for three-dimensional geologic framework model of the Rio San Jose groundwater basin, New Mexico
This data release contains a geospatial database related to a digital 3D geologic framework of the Rio San Jose watershed, New Mexico. The geospatial database contains two main data elements: (1) input data to the 3D framework model; (2) interpolated elevations and thicknesses of stratigraphic units as a cellular array. Input surface and subsurface data for 18 stratigraphic units have been condensGravity and physical property data in the Chico and Willows 1:100,000-scale quadrangles, California
The datasets consist of principal fact information of gravity data and density and magnetic properties of hand samples in the Chico and Willows 1:100,000-scale quadrangles, California.Data release of Three-Dimensional Hydrogeologic Framework Model of the Petaluma Valley Watershed, Sonoma County, California
This digital dataset was created as part of a U.S. Geological Survey study, done in cooperation with the Sonoma County Water Agency and the City of Petaluma, to be used as the digital hydrogeologic input data for numerical simulation of the groundwater system of the Petaluma Valley Watershed, Sonoma County, California. Elevation, thickness, and extent of the hydrostratigraphic units define the geoDigital 3-D Geologic Framework data for the Rio Grande Transboundary region of New Mexico, Texas, USA and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico
This digital dataset of a three-dimensional hydrogeologic framework for the Rio Grande Transboundary region of New Mexico, Texas, USA and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico defines the geometry, extent, and character of aquifers of the region and is intended as the digital hydrogeologic input data for numerical simulation of the groundwater system. The data consist of a single GeoDatabase (RGTIHM_3DHFM - Maps
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 49
Reducing Uncertainty in the Distribution of Hydrogeologic Units within Volcanic Composite Units of Pahute Mesa Using High-Resolution 3-D Resistivity Methods, Nevada Test Site, Nevada
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) at their Nevada Site Office (NSO) are addressing groundwater contamination resulting from historical underground nuclear testing through the Environmental Management program and, in particular, the Underground Test Area (UGTA) project. From 1951 to 1992, 828 underground nuclear tests were conducted at the NAuthorsBrian D. Rodriguez, Don Sweetkind, Bethany L. BurtonDeath Valley regional groundwater flow system, Nevada and California: Hydrogeologic framework and transient groundwater flow model
A numerical three-dimensional (3D) transient groundwater flow model of the Death Valley region was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for the U.S. Department of Energy programs at the Nevada Test Site and at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Decades of study of aspects of the groundwater flow system and previous less extensive groundwater flow models were incorporated and reevaluated together with newAuthorsWayne Belcher, Frank A. D'Agnese, Grady M. O'Brien, Donald S. Sweetkind, Carma A. San Juan, Randell J. Laczniak, Christopher J. Potter, Heather Putnam, Claudia C. Faunt, Joan B. Blainey, Mary C. Hill, M. S. Bedinger, J. R. HarrillDigital tabulation of stratigraphic data from oil and gas wells in the Santa Maria Basin and surrounding areas, central California coast
Stratigraphic information from 694 oil and gas exploration wells from the onshore Santa Maria basin and surrounding areas are herein compiled in digital form from reports that were released originally in paper form. The Santa Maria basin is located within the southwesternmost part of the Coast Ranges and north of the western Transverse Ranges on the central California coast. Knowledge of the locatAuthorsDonald S. Sweetkind, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Victoria E. Langenheim, Lauren E. ShumakerThree-dimensional geologic modeling of the Santa Rosa Plain, California
New three-dimensional (3D) lithologic and stratigraphic models of the Santa Rosa Plain (California, USA) delineate the thickness, extent, and distribution of subsurface geologic units and allow integration of diverse data sets to produce a lithologic, stratigraphic, and structural architecture for the region. This framework can be used to predict pathways of groundwater flow beneath the Santa RosaAuthorsDonald S. Sweetkind, Emily M. Taylor, Craig A. McCabe, Victoria E. Langenheim, Robert J. McLaughlinDigital tabulation of geologic and hydrologic data from wells in the northern San Francisco Bay region, northern California
Downhole lithologic information and aquifer pumping test data are reported from 464 wells from a broad area of the northern part of the Coast Ranges in California. These data were originally published in paper form as numerous tables within three USGS Water-Supply Papers describing geology and groundwater conditions in Napa and Sonoma Valleys, the Santa Rosa and Petaluma Valley areas, and in the RAuthorsD. S. Sweetkind, E. M. TaylorMultiple phases of basin formation along the Stateline fault system in the Pahrump and Mesquite Valleys, Nevada and California
Two phases of deformation are needed to describe the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the Pahrump and Mesquite basins in the southern Great Basin and eastern Mojave Desert, United States. By interpreting seismic reflection and gravity observations along with bedrock and surficial mapping, we infer an extensional phase of basin formation followed by a transtensional phase, in this area straddling theAuthorsDaniel S. Scheirer, Donald S. Sweetkind, John J. MillerGeophysical characterization of Range-Front Faults, Snake Valley, Nevada
In September 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the National Park Service, collected audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) data along two profiles on the eastern flank of the Snake Range near Great Basin National Park to refine understanding of the subsurface geology. Line 1 was collected along Baker Creek, was approximately 6.7-km long, and recorded subsurface geologic conditions to approAuthorsTheodore H. Asch, Donald S. SweetkindGroundwater flow systems at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada: A synthesis of potentiometric contours, hydrostratigraphy, and geologic structures
Contaminants introduced into the subsurface of the Nevada Test Site by underground nuclear testing are of concern to the U.S. Department of Energy and regulators responsible for protecting human health and safety. The potential for contaminant movement away from the underground test areas and into the accessible environment is greatest by groundwater transport. The primary hydrologic control on thAuthorsJoseph M. Fenelon, Donald S. Sweetkind, Randell J. LaczniakGeophysical framework of the northern San Francisco Bay region, California
We use geophysical data to examine the structural framework of the northern San Francisco Bay region, an area that hosts the northward continuation of the East Bay fault system. Although this fault system has accommodated ∼175 km of right-lateral offset since 12 Ma, how this offset is partitioned north of the bay is controversial and important for understanding where and how strain is accommodatedAuthorsVictoria E. Langenheim, Russell W. Graymer, Robert C. Jachens, Robert J. McLaughlin, D.L. Wagner, Donald S. SweetkindDetailed Geophysical Fault Characterization in Yucca Flat, Nevada Test Site, Nevada
Yucca Flat is a topographic and structural basin in the northeastern part of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in Nye County, Nevada. Between the years 1951 and 1992, 659 underground nuclear tests took place in Yucca Flat; most were conducted in large, vertical excavations that penetrated alluvium and the underlying Cenozoic volcanic rocks. Radioactive and other potential chemical contaminants at theAuthorsTheodore H. Asch, Donald S. Sweetkind, Bethany L. Burton, Erin L. WallinElectrical Resistivity and Seismic Surveys at the Nevada Test Site, Nevada, April 2007
In April 2007, the USGS collected direct-current (DC) electrical resistivity data and shear- (S) and compressional- (P) wave seismic data to provide new detail of previously mapped, overlapping fault splays at two administrative areas in the Nevada Test Site (NTS). In NTS Area 7, we collected two-dimensional DC resistivity data along a transect crossing the Yucca Fault parallel to, and between, twAuthorsSeth S. Haines, Bethany L. Burton, Donald S. Sweetkind, Theodore H. AschCompilation of Stratigraphic Thicknesses for Caldera-Related Tertiary Volcanic Rocks, East-Central Nevada and West-Central Utah
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Desert Research Institute (DRI), and a designee from the State of Utah are currently conducting a water-resources study of aquifers in White Pine County, Nevada, and adjacent areas in Nevada and Utah, in response to concerns about water availability and limited geohydrologic information relevant to ground-water flow in the region. Production of ground water iAuthorsD. S. Sweetkind, E. A. Du Bray - Web Tools