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James F Howle

James F Howle - California Water Science Center

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San Antonio Reservoir - Aerial View of Study Area

San Antonio Reservoir Bathymetric Survey and Sedimentation Study

Over time, the flow of water into the San Antonio Reservoir has caused the build-up of sediment, decreasing storage capacity. Since water storage is a crucial issue in California, up-to-date information on the reservoir is needed. To accomplish this, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission approached the USGS California Water Science Center to conduct a bathymetric (depth) survey and other...
By
California Water Science Center
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San Antonio Reservoir Bathymetric Survey and Sedimentation Study

Over time, the flow of water into the San Antonio Reservoir has caused the build-up of sediment, decreasing storage capacity. Since water storage is a crucial issue in California, up-to-date information on the reservoir is needed. To accomplish this, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission approached the USGS California Water Science Center to conduct a bathymetric (depth) survey and other...
Learn More

Geochemical, mineralogical, and grain-size data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediment at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California

This dataset includes data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediments from surface-water samples, as well as surface-water chemistry from samples collected during storm events at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California. In-situ solid samples were collected during 2015 along six vertical transects along the cliff walls of the mine pit. Surface-water...
By
California Water Science Center

Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data from Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California, 2014-17.

High-resolution, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), was used to quantify the volume of sediment eroded from outcrops at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, located about 17 kilometers (km) northeast of Grass Valley, California. TLS was used to create centimeter-scale, three-dimensional (3-D) maps of the complex outcrop surfaces, which could not be mapped non-destructively or in...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Groundwater levels and temperatures in well CH-10b near Hot Creek, Long Valley Caldera, eastern California (ver. 3.0, March 2025)

Hot Creek Gorge contains the most obvious surface expression of the hydrothermal system in Long Valley Caldera, California, discharging 200-300 L/s of thermal water according to USGS measurements made since 1988. Formerly, Hot Creek was a popular public swimming area, but it was closed in 2006 due to unpredictable temperature fluctuations and sporadic geysering of thermal water within...
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center
Image: Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image
Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image
Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image
Image: Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of color aerial photography with airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery in an area west of Lake Tahoe, California. (A) Color aerial orthophoto for part of range front along eastern base of Mt. Tallac with geomorphic features obscured by dense forest cover. (B) Same scene, first-return LiDAR imagery.

By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Communications and Publishing
Image: Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of color aerial photography with airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery in an area west of Lake Tahoe, California. (A) Color aerial orthophoto for part of range front along eastern base of Mt. Tallac with geomorphic features obscured by dense forest cover. (B) Same scene, first-return LiDAR imagery.

By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Communications and Publishing
Filter Total Items: 29

Quantifying erosion rates by using terrestrial laser scanning at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California, 2014–17

The abandoned hydraulic mine pit at Malakoff Diggins near Grass Valley, California, can produce large volumes of eroded sediment transportable by storm runoff. Sediment-laden water discharged from the pit is a major source of heavy metals to Humbug Creek and the South Yuba River. To develop a comprehensive sediment budget for the Malakoff Diggins mine pit and identify sources of sediment...
Authors
James F. Howle, Charles N. Alpers, Alfred J. Ward, Sandra Bond, Jennifer A. Curtis
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Quantifying the eroded and deposited mass of mercury-contaminated sediment by using terrestrial laser scanning at the confluence of Humbug Creek and the South Yuba River, Nevada County, California, 2011–13

High-resolution, terrestrial laser scanning, also known as ground-based lidar (light detection and ranging), was used to quantify the volume of mercury-contaminated sediment eroded from an outcrop of historical placer-mining debris at the confluence of Humbug Creek and the South Yuba River in the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 17 kilometers northeast of Grass Valley, California, and...
Authors
James F. Howle, Charles N. Alpers, Jeffrey Kitchen, Gerald W. Bawden, Sandra Bond
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Hydraulic, geochemical, and thermal monitoring of an aquifer system in the vicinity of Mammoth Lakes, Mono County, California, 2015–17

Since 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey has been working in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, Mono County, Ormat Technologies, Inc., and the Mammoth Community Water District to design and implement a groundwater-monitoring program for the proposed Casa Diablo IV Geothermal Power Project in Long Valley Caldera, California, to characterize baseline groundwater-level, water...
Authors
James F. Howle, William C. Evans, Devin L. Galloway, Paul A. Hsieh, Shaul Hurwitz, Gregory A. Smith, Joseph Nawikas
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Evaluation of land subsidence and ground failures at Bicycle Basin, Fort Irwin National Training Center, California, 1992–2017

Groundwater has been pumped in the Bicycle Basin at Fort Irwin National Training Center since the 1960s, and the amount pumped has generally increased since the 1990s. After a large crack (approximately 0.5-kilometer long) formed at the surface of Bicycle Lake playa during 2005–06 in the area used as an aircraft runway, a monitoring study was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in...
Authors
Jill N. Densmore, Kevin M. Ellett, Michelle Sneed, Justin T. Brandt, James F. Howle, Andrew Y. Morita, Rodrigo Borela, Antonio Bobet, Drew C. Thayer
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Land Subsidence in California

Hot water in the Long Valley Caldera—The benefits and hazards of this large natural resource

The volcanic processes that have shaped the Long Valley Caldera in eastern California have also created an abundant supply of natural hot water. This natural resource provides benefits to many users, including power generation at the Casa Diablo Geothermal Plant, warm water for a state fish hatchery, and beautiful scenic areas such as Hot Creek gorge for visitors. However, some features...
Authors
William C. Evans, Shaul Hurwitz, Deborah Bergfeld, James F. Howle
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Electrical resistivity investigation of fluvial geomorphology to evaluate potential seepage conduits to agricultural lands along the San Joaquin River, Merced County, California, 2012–13

Increased flows in the San Joaquin River, part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, are designed to help restore fish populations. However, increased seepage losses could result from these higher restoration flows, which could exacerbate existing drainage problems in neighboring agricultural lands and potentially damage crops. Channel deposits of abandoned river meanders that...
Authors
Krishangi D. Groover, Matthew Alexander Burgess, James F. Howle, Steven P. Phillips
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, California Water Science Center

Quantifying the eroded volume of mercury-contaminated sediment using terrestrial laser scanning at Stocking Flat, Deer Creek, Nevada County, California, 2010–13

High-resolution ground-based light detection and ranging (lidar), also known as terrestrial laser scanning, was used to quantify the volume of mercury-contaminated sediment eroded from a stream cutbank at Stocking Flat along Deer Creek in the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 3 kilometers west of Nevada City, California. Terrestrial laser scanning was used to collect sub-centimeter, three...
Authors
James F. Howle, Charles N. Alpers, Gerald W. Bawden, Sandra Bond
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Magmatic gas emissions at Holocene volcanic features near Mono Lake, California, and their relation to regional magmatism

Silicic lavas have erupted repeatedly in the Mono Basin over the past few thousand years, forming the massive domes and coulees of the Mono Craters chain and the smaller island vents in Mono Lake. We report here on the first systematic study of magmatic CO2 emissions from these features, conducted during 2007–2010. Most notably, a known locus of weak steam venting on the summit of North...
Authors
Deborah Bergfeld, William C. Evans, James F. Howle, Andrew G. Hunt
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, California Water Science Center

Three-dimensional imaging, change detection, and stability assessment during the centerline trench levee seepage experiment using terrestrial light detection and ranging technology, Twitchell Island, California, 2012

A full scale field seepage test was conducted on a north-south trending levee segment of a now bypassed old meander belt on Twitchell Island, California, to understand the effects of live and decaying root systems on levee seepage and slope stability. The field test in May 2012 was centered on a north-south trench with two segments: a shorter control segment and a longer seepage test...
Authors
Gerald W. Bawden, James F. Howle, Sandra Bond, Michelle Shriro, Peter Buck
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Airborne LiDAR analysis and geochronology of faulted glacial moraines in the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone reveal substantial seismic hazards in the Lake Tahoe region, California-Nevada USA

We integrated high-resolution bare-earth airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery with field observations and modern geochronology to characterize the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone, which forms the neotectonic boundary between the Sierra Nevada and the Basin and Range Province west of Lake Tahoe. The LiDAR imagery clearly delineates active normal faults that have displaced...
Authors
James F. Howle, Gerald W. Bawden, Richard A. Schweickert, Robert C. Finkel, Lewis E. Hunter, Ronn S. Rose, Brent von Twistern
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Hydrologic conditions and terrestrial laser scanning of post-firedebris flows in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA, U.S.A

To investigate rainfall-runoff conditions that generate post-wildfire debris flows, we instrumented and surveyed steep, small watersheds along the tectonically active front of the San Gabriel Mountains, California. Fortuitously, we recorded runoff-generated debris-flows triggered by one spatially restricted convective event with 28 mm of rainfall falling over 62 minutes. Our rain gages...
Authors
Kevin Schmidt, M. N. Hanshaw, James F. Howle, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Jonathan D. Stock, W. Bawdeng
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Hydrologic conditions and terrestrial laser scanning of post-fire debris flows in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA, U.S.A.

To investigate rainfall-runoff conditions that generate post-wildfire debris flows, we instrumented and surveyed steep, small watersheds along the tectonically active front of the San Gabriel Mountains, California. Fortuitously, we recorded runoff-generated debris-flows triggered by one spatially restricted convective event with 28 mm of rainfall falling over 62 minutes. Our rain gages...
Authors
Kevin Schmidt, M. N. Hanshaw, James F. Howle, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Jonathan D. Stock, Gerald W. Bawden
By
Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Using Mixed Telemetry Methods to Measure Soil Moisture for Improving Runoff Forecasting in the Sierra Nevada

Using Mixed Telemetry Methods to Measure Soil Moisture for Improving Runoff Forecasting in the Sierra Nevada

Wildfire, drought, and temperature are affecting soil moisture in California’s Sierra Nevada. To better understand this, USGS scientists recently...

Read Article

Science and Products

link
San Antonio Reservoir - Aerial View of Study Area

San Antonio Reservoir Bathymetric Survey and Sedimentation Study

Over time, the flow of water into the San Antonio Reservoir has caused the build-up of sediment, decreasing storage capacity. Since water storage is a crucial issue in California, up-to-date information on the reservoir is needed. To accomplish this, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission approached the USGS California Water Science Center to conduct a bathymetric (depth) survey and other...
By
California Water Science Center
link

San Antonio Reservoir Bathymetric Survey and Sedimentation Study

Over time, the flow of water into the San Antonio Reservoir has caused the build-up of sediment, decreasing storage capacity. Since water storage is a crucial issue in California, up-to-date information on the reservoir is needed. To accomplish this, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission approached the USGS California Water Science Center to conduct a bathymetric (depth) survey and other...
Learn More

Geochemical, mineralogical, and grain-size data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediment at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California

This dataset includes data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediments from surface-water samples, as well as surface-water chemistry from samples collected during storm events at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California. In-situ solid samples were collected during 2015 along six vertical transects along the cliff walls of the mine pit. Surface-water...
By
California Water Science Center

Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data from Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California, 2014-17.

High-resolution, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), was used to quantify the volume of sediment eroded from outcrops at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, located about 17 kilometers (km) northeast of Grass Valley, California. TLS was used to create centimeter-scale, three-dimensional (3-D) maps of the complex outcrop surfaces, which could not be mapped non-destructively or in...
By
Central Midwest Water Science Center

Groundwater levels and temperatures in well CH-10b near Hot Creek, Long Valley Caldera, eastern California (ver. 3.0, March 2025)

Hot Creek Gorge contains the most obvious surface expression of the hydrothermal system in Long Valley Caldera, California, discharging 200-300 L/s of thermal water according to USGS measurements made since 1988. Formerly, Hot Creek was a popular public swimming area, but it was closed in 2006 due to unpredictable temperature fluctuations and sporadic geysering of thermal water within...
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center
Image: Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image
Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image
Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image
Image: Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of color aerial photography with airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery in an area west of Lake Tahoe, California. (A) Color aerial orthophoto for part of range front along eastern base of Mt. Tallac with geomorphic features obscured by dense forest cover. (B) Same scene, first-return LiDAR imagery.

By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Communications and Publishing
Image: Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of Aerial Photo and LiDAR Image

Comparison of color aerial photography with airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery in an area west of Lake Tahoe, California. (A) Color aerial orthophoto for part of range front along eastern base of Mt. Tallac with geomorphic features obscured by dense forest cover. (B) Same scene, first-return LiDAR imagery.

By
Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Communications and Publishing
Filter Total Items: 29

Quantifying erosion rates by using terrestrial laser scanning at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California, 2014–17

The abandoned hydraulic mine pit at Malakoff Diggins near Grass Valley, California, can produce large volumes of eroded sediment transportable by storm runoff. Sediment-laden water discharged from the pit is a major source of heavy metals to Humbug Creek and the South Yuba River. To develop a comprehensive sediment budget for the Malakoff Diggins mine pit and identify sources of sediment...
Authors
James F. Howle, Charles N. Alpers, Alfred J. Ward, Sandra Bond, Jennifer A. Curtis
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Quantifying the eroded and deposited mass of mercury-contaminated sediment by using terrestrial laser scanning at the confluence of Humbug Creek and the South Yuba River, Nevada County, California, 2011–13

High-resolution, terrestrial laser scanning, also known as ground-based lidar (light detection and ranging), was used to quantify the volume of mercury-contaminated sediment eroded from an outcrop of historical placer-mining debris at the confluence of Humbug Creek and the South Yuba River in the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 17 kilometers northeast of Grass Valley, California, and...
Authors
James F. Howle, Charles N. Alpers, Jeffrey Kitchen, Gerald W. Bawden, Sandra Bond
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Hydraulic, geochemical, and thermal monitoring of an aquifer system in the vicinity of Mammoth Lakes, Mono County, California, 2015–17

Since 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey has been working in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, Mono County, Ormat Technologies, Inc., and the Mammoth Community Water District to design and implement a groundwater-monitoring program for the proposed Casa Diablo IV Geothermal Power Project in Long Valley Caldera, California, to characterize baseline groundwater-level, water...
Authors
James F. Howle, William C. Evans, Devin L. Galloway, Paul A. Hsieh, Shaul Hurwitz, Gregory A. Smith, Joseph Nawikas
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Evaluation of land subsidence and ground failures at Bicycle Basin, Fort Irwin National Training Center, California, 1992–2017

Groundwater has been pumped in the Bicycle Basin at Fort Irwin National Training Center since the 1960s, and the amount pumped has generally increased since the 1990s. After a large crack (approximately 0.5-kilometer long) formed at the surface of Bicycle Lake playa during 2005–06 in the area used as an aircraft runway, a monitoring study was initiated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in...
Authors
Jill N. Densmore, Kevin M. Ellett, Michelle Sneed, Justin T. Brandt, James F. Howle, Andrew Y. Morita, Rodrigo Borela, Antonio Bobet, Drew C. Thayer
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center, Land Subsidence in California

Hot water in the Long Valley Caldera—The benefits and hazards of this large natural resource

The volcanic processes that have shaped the Long Valley Caldera in eastern California have also created an abundant supply of natural hot water. This natural resource provides benefits to many users, including power generation at the Casa Diablo Geothermal Plant, warm water for a state fish hatchery, and beautiful scenic areas such as Hot Creek gorge for visitors. However, some features...
Authors
William C. Evans, Shaul Hurwitz, Deborah Bergfeld, James F. Howle
By
Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center

Electrical resistivity investigation of fluvial geomorphology to evaluate potential seepage conduits to agricultural lands along the San Joaquin River, Merced County, California, 2012–13

Increased flows in the San Joaquin River, part of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program, are designed to help restore fish populations. However, increased seepage losses could result from these higher restoration flows, which could exacerbate existing drainage problems in neighboring agricultural lands and potentially damage crops. Channel deposits of abandoned river meanders that...
Authors
Krishangi D. Groover, Matthew Alexander Burgess, James F. Howle, Steven P. Phillips
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, California Water Science Center

Quantifying the eroded volume of mercury-contaminated sediment using terrestrial laser scanning at Stocking Flat, Deer Creek, Nevada County, California, 2010–13

High-resolution ground-based light detection and ranging (lidar), also known as terrestrial laser scanning, was used to quantify the volume of mercury-contaminated sediment eroded from a stream cutbank at Stocking Flat along Deer Creek in the Sierra Nevada foothills, about 3 kilometers west of Nevada City, California. Terrestrial laser scanning was used to collect sub-centimeter, three...
Authors
James F. Howle, Charles N. Alpers, Gerald W. Bawden, Sandra Bond
By
Water Resources Mission Area, California Water Science Center

Magmatic gas emissions at Holocene volcanic features near Mono Lake, California, and their relation to regional magmatism

Silicic lavas have erupted repeatedly in the Mono Basin over the past few thousand years, forming the massive domes and coulees of the Mono Craters chain and the smaller island vents in Mono Lake. We report here on the first systematic study of magmatic CO2 emissions from these features, conducted during 2007–2010. Most notably, a known locus of weak steam venting on the summit of North...
Authors
Deborah Bergfeld, William C. Evans, James F. Howle, Andrew G. Hunt
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, California Water Science Center

Three-dimensional imaging, change detection, and stability assessment during the centerline trench levee seepage experiment using terrestrial light detection and ranging technology, Twitchell Island, California, 2012

A full scale field seepage test was conducted on a north-south trending levee segment of a now bypassed old meander belt on Twitchell Island, California, to understand the effects of live and decaying root systems on levee seepage and slope stability. The field test in May 2012 was centered on a north-south trench with two segments: a shorter control segment and a longer seepage test...
Authors
Gerald W. Bawden, James F. Howle, Sandra Bond, Michelle Shriro, Peter Buck
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Airborne LiDAR analysis and geochronology of faulted glacial moraines in the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone reveal substantial seismic hazards in the Lake Tahoe region, California-Nevada USA

We integrated high-resolution bare-earth airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imagery with field observations and modern geochronology to characterize the Tahoe-Sierra frontal fault zone, which forms the neotectonic boundary between the Sierra Nevada and the Basin and Range Province west of Lake Tahoe. The LiDAR imagery clearly delineates active normal faults that have displaced...
Authors
James F. Howle, Gerald W. Bawden, Richard A. Schweickert, Robert C. Finkel, Lewis E. Hunter, Ronn S. Rose, Brent von Twistern
By
Western Geographic Science Center

Hydrologic conditions and terrestrial laser scanning of post-firedebris flows in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA, U.S.A

To investigate rainfall-runoff conditions that generate post-wildfire debris flows, we instrumented and surveyed steep, small watersheds along the tectonically active front of the San Gabriel Mountains, California. Fortuitously, we recorded runoff-generated debris-flows triggered by one spatially restricted convective event with 28 mm of rainfall falling over 62 minutes. Our rain gages...
Authors
Kevin Schmidt, M. N. Hanshaw, James F. Howle, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Jonathan D. Stock, W. Bawdeng
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center

Hydrologic conditions and terrestrial laser scanning of post-fire debris flows in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA, U.S.A.

To investigate rainfall-runoff conditions that generate post-wildfire debris flows, we instrumented and surveyed steep, small watersheds along the tectonically active front of the San Gabriel Mountains, California. Fortuitously, we recorded runoff-generated debris-flows triggered by one spatially restricted convective event with 28 mm of rainfall falling over 62 minutes. Our rain gages...
Authors
Kevin Schmidt, M. N. Hanshaw, James F. Howle, Jason W. Kean, Dennis M. Staley, Jonathan D. Stock, Gerald W. Bawden
By
Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Using Mixed Telemetry Methods to Measure Soil Moisture for Improving Runoff Forecasting in the Sierra Nevada

Using Mixed Telemetry Methods to Measure Soil Moisture for Improving Runoff Forecasting in the Sierra Nevada

Wildfire, drought, and temperature are affecting soil moisture in California’s Sierra Nevada. To better understand this, USGS scientists recently...

Read Article
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