Randall C Orndorff
After being the recent Acting Director position for the Office of Science Quality and Integrity (OSQI), Randall C. Orndorff will be returning to his position as a research geologist for the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center.
Career History and Highlights
Randall is a geologic mapper and karst specialist for the Florence Bascom Geoscience Center in Reston, VA. His current projects include geologic mapping a karst research in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia, and the souther Lake Champlain region of New York and Vermont. As the Acting Director for the Office of Science Quality and Integrity from May 2016 to January 2017, Randall was tasked with monitoring and enhancing the integrity, quality, and health of United States Geological Survey science through executive oversight and development of strong practices, policy, and supporting programs listed below. Prior to Acting Director of OSQI, Randall was the Director of the Eastern Geology and Paleoclimate Science Center (2010-2016). In this role, he was responsible for overseeing geologic mapping and paleoclimate studies in the eastern United States as well as karst, landslide, and earthquake hazards. From 2002 to 2010, he was Associate Program Coordinator for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. With more than 30 years at the USGS as a scientist, program coordinator, and science center director, he has brought a wealth of knowledge to his leadership roles.
Education and Certifications
Randy earned both a bachelor’s degree (1983) and master’s degree (1985) in geology from Old Dominion University.
Science and Products
Karst of the Mid-Atlantic region in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia
Field trip guidebook for the post-meeting field trip: The Central Appalachians
Ordovician of Germany Valley, West Virginia
North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature Note 66: records of Stratigraphic Commission, 2003-2013
U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Strategy
U.S. Geological Survey water science strategy—Observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science to the Nation
Strategic directions for U.S. Geological Survey water science, 2012-2022 - Observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science to the Nation
Fold-to-fault progression of a major thrust zone revealed in horses of the North Mountain fault zone, Virginia and West Virginia, USA
U.S. Geological Survey: A synopsis of Three-dimensional Modeling
Geologic map of the White Hall quadrangle, Frederick County, Virginia, and Berkeley County, West Virginia
Rift-related volcanism and karst geohydrology of the southern Ozark Dome
Bedrock structural controls on the occurrence of sinkholes and springs in the Northern Great Valley Karst, Virginia and West Virginia
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 38
Karst of the Mid-Atlantic region in Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia
The Mid-Atlantic region hosts some of the most mature karst landscapes in North America, developed in highly deformed rocks within the Piedmont and Valley and Ridge physiographic provinces. This guide describes a three-day excursion to examine karst development in various carbonate rocks by following Interstate 70 west from Baltimore across the eastern Piedmont, across the Frederick Valley, and inAuthorsDaniel H. Doctor, David J. Weary, David K. Brezinski, Randall C. Orndorff, Lawrence E. SpanglerField trip guidebook for the post-meeting field trip: The Central Appalachians
The lower Paleozoic rocks to be examined on this trip through the central Appalachians represent an extreme range of depositional environments. The lithofacies we will examine range from pelagic radiolarian chert and interbedded mudstone that originated on the deep floor of the Iapetus Ocean, through mud cracked supratidal dolomitic laminites that formed during episodes of emergence of the long-liAuthorsJohn F. Taylor, James D. Loch, G. Robert Ganis, John E. Repetski, Charles E. Mitchell, Gale C. Blackmer, David K. Brezinski, Daniel Goldman, Randall C. Orndorff, Bryan K. SellOrdovician of Germany Valley, West Virginia
This trip will consist of stops at five locations (Fig. 1) that provide a detailed look at the strata in a major part of the Ordovician section in Germany Valley, Pendleton County, West Virginia. At these stops, we will highlight a varied sequence of carbonate and siliciclastic strata that accumulated during the Middle to Late Ordovician, and which record changes in depositional environments assocAuthorsJohn T. Haynes, Keith E. Goggin, Randall C. Orndorff, Lisa R. GogginNorth American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature Note 66: records of Stratigraphic Commission, 2003-2013
Note 66 summarizes activities of the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature (NACSN) from November 2003 to October 2013 and is condensed from the minutes of the NACSN’s 58th to 68th annual meetings1. The purposes of the Commission are to develop statements of stratigraphic principles,recommend procedures applicable to the classification and nomenclature of stratigraphic and relatedAuthorsRobert M. Easton, Octavian Catuneanu, Art D. Donovan, Richard H. Fluegeman, A.P. Hamblin, Howard Harper, Norman P. Lasca, Jared R. Morrow, Randall C. Orndorff, Peter Sadler, Robert W. Scott, Berry H. TewU.S. Geological Survey Water Science Strategy
This fact sheet describes the Water Science Strategy, presented in detail in Circular 1383-G, "U.S. Geological Survey Water Science Strategy--Observing, Understanding, Predicting, and Delivering Water Science to the Nation." This fact sheet looks at the relevant issues facing society and describes the strategy built around observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science for theAuthorsEric J. Evenson, Randall C. OrndorffU.S. Geological Survey water science strategy—Observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science to the Nation
Executive SummaryThis report expands the Water Science Strategy that began with the USGS Science Strategy, “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges—U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007–2017” (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). This report looks at the relevant issues facing society and develops a strategy built around observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science for the next 5AuthorsEric J. Evenson, Randall C. Orndorff, Charles D. Blome, John Karl Böhlke, Paul K. Hershberger, Victoria E. Langenheim, Gregory J. McCabe, Scott E. Morlock, Howard W. Reeves, James P. Verdin, Holly S. Weyers, Tamara M. WoodStrategic directions for U.S. Geological Survey water science, 2012-2022 - Observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science to the Nation
Executive Summary This report expands the Water Science Strategy that was begun in the USGS Science Strategy, “Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges—U.S. Geological Survey Science in the Decade 2007–2017” (U.S. Geological Survey, 2007). The report looks at the relevant issues facing society and develops a strategy built around observing, understanding, predicting, and delivering water science for the nextAuthorsEric J. Evenson, Randall C. Orndorff, Charles D. Blome, John Karl Böhlke, Paul K. Hershberger, Victoria E. Langenheim, Gregory J. McCabe, Scott E. Morlock, Howard W. Reeves, James P. Verdin, Holly S. Weyers, Tamara M. WoodFold-to-fault progression of a major thrust zone revealed in horses of the North Mountain fault zone, Virginia and West Virginia, USA
The method of emplacement and sequential deformation of major thrust zones may be deciphered by detailed geologic mapping of these important structures. Thrust fault zones may have added complexity when horse blocks are contained within them. However, these horses can be an important indicator of the fault development holding information on fault-propagation folding or fold-to-fault progression. TAuthorsRandall C. OrndorffU.S. Geological Survey: A synopsis of Three-dimensional Modeling
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a multidisciplinary agency that provides assessments of natural resources (geological, hydrological, biological), the disturbances that affect those resources, and the disturbances that affect the built environment, natural landscapes, and human society. Until now, USGS map products have been generated and distributed primarily as 2-D maps, occasionally providiAuthorsLinda J. Jacobsen, Pierre D. Glynn, Geoff A. Phelps, Randall C. Orndorff, Gerald W. Bawden, V. J. S. GrauchGeologic map of the White Hall quadrangle, Frederick County, Virginia, and Berkeley County, West Virginia
The White Hall 7.5-minute quadrangle is located within the Valley and Ridge province of northern Virginia and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. The quadrangle is one of several being mapped to investigate the geologic framework and groundwater resources of Frederick County, Va., as well as other areas in the northern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and West Virginia. All exposed bedrock outcroAuthorsDaniel H. Doctor, Randall C. Orndorff, Ronald A. Parker, David J. Weary, John E. RepetskiRift-related volcanism and karst geohydrology of the southern Ozark Dome
This field trip examines the geology and geohydrology of a dissected part of the Salem Plateau in the Ozark Plateaus province of south-central Missouri. Rocks exposed in this area include karstified, flat-lying, lower Paleozoic carbonate platform rocks deposited on Mesoproterozoic basement. The latter is exposed as an uplift located about 40 mi southwest of the St. Francois Mountains and form theAuthorsRichard W. Harrison, David J. Weary, Randall C. Orndorff, John E. Repetski, Herbert A. Pierce, Gary R. LowellBedrock structural controls on the occurrence of sinkholes and springs in the Northern Great Valley Karst, Virginia and West Virginia
Recent geologic mapping at a scale of 1:24,000 has enabled a qualitative correlation of the occurrence of springs and sinkholes with bedrock structures and ground-water conditions in the northern Great Valley of Virginia and West Virginia. Sinkholes tend to be concentrated in zones of faulting, local minor folding, and clustered within susceptible bedrock units at the noses and axes of large plungAuthorsDaniel H. Doctor, David J. Weary, Randall C. Orndorff, George E. Harlow, Mark D. Kozar, David L. Nelms - News