Rich Madole is a Scientist Emeritus with the Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Research focus chiefly on documenting the history of water-table fluctuations in and near the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, San Luis Valley, Colorado, during late Pleistocene and Holocene time. Ground-water withdrawals and climate change are the primary threats to water resources in this area (Mast, 2007, U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5147). Thus, knowing the frequency and magnitude of past, present, and potential future water-table fluctuations is important to agriculture (the principal economy), municipalities, and several government agencies. In addition, ground-water withdrawal here is of strategic importance to administration of the Rio Grande Compact, which assures availability of Rio Grande water to users farther downstream.
Professional Experience
1997-present: Scientist Emeritus, U.S. Geological Survey
1974-1997: Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey
1972-1974: Research Geologist & Visiting Professor Geologic Sciences, University of Colorado
1971-1972: NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Colorado
1967-1971: Chairman, Department of Earth Science, Adrian College
1965-1967: Senior Geologist, Photogeomorphology Group, Texas Instruments
1963-1965: Exploration Geologist, Chevron, Standard of Texas Division
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 28
Constraints on the age of the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, from subsurface stratigraphy and OSL dates
The age of the Great Sand Dunes has been debated for nearly 150 yr. Seven ages ranging from Miocene to late Holocene have been proposed for them. This paper presents new information—chiefly subsurface stratigraphic data, OSL dates, and geomorphic evidence—that indicates that the Great Sand Dunes began to form in the latter part of the middle Pleistocene. The dunes overlie a thick wedge of piedmont
Authors
Richard F. Madole, Shannon Mahan, Joseph H. Romig, Jeremy C. Havens
Holocene alluvial stratigraphy and response to climate change in the Roaring River valley, Front Range, Colorado, USA
Stratigraphic analyses and radiocarbon geochronology of alluvial deposits exposed along the Roaring River, Colorado, lead to three principal conclusions: (1) the opinion that stream channels in the higher parts of the Front Range are relics of the Pleistocene and nonalluvial under the present climate, as argued in a water-rights trial USA v. Colorado, is untenable, (2) beds of clast-supported grav
Authors
Richard F. Madole
On the origin and age of the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
Over the past 100??yr, several hypotheses have been proposed for the origin and age of the Great Sand Dunes. These hypotheses differ widely in the descriptions of dune morphometry, the immediate source of eolian sand, and when sand transport occurred. The primary purpose of this paper is to evaluate these hypotheses and, where warranted, to present new ideas about the origin and age of the Great S
Authors
R.F. Madole, J.H. Romig, J. N. Aleinikoff, D.P. VanSistine, E.Y. Yacob
From buttes to bowls: Repeated relief inversion in the landscape of the Colorado Piedmont
Mesas and buttes of the central Colorado Piedmont are composed of at least two distinct rock types, which differ in their cohesiveness and resistance to erosion. The lower parts of the exposed stratigraphic section are poorly cemented, Upper Cretaceous to Middle Eocene sandstones of the Dawson Formation. The caprocks are composed of one or more resistant formations of Late Eocene age: the Castle R
Authors
M.L. Morgan, Vincent Matthews, F. Gutierrez, J.P. Thorson, Richard F. Madole, P.R. Hanson
Surface-exposure ages of Front Range moraines that may have formed during the Younger Dryas, 8.2 cal ka, and Little Ice Age events
Surface-exposure (10Be) ages have been obtained on boulders from three post-Pinedale end-moraine complexes in the Front Range, Colorado. Boulder rounding appears related to the cirque-to-moraine transport distance at each site with subrounded boulders being typical of the 2-km-long Chicago Lakes Glacier, subangular boulders being typical of the 1-km-long Butler Gulch Glacier, and angular boulders
Authors
Larry Benson, Richard F. Madole, P. Kubik, Richard R. McDonald
Surface-exposure ages of Front Range moraines that may have formed during the Younger Dryas, 8.2 cal ka, and Little Ice Age events
Surface-exposure (10Be) ages have been obtained on boulders from three post-Pinedale end-moraine complexes in the Front Range, Colorado. Boulder rounding appears related to the cirque-to-moraine transport distance at each site with subrounded boulders being typical of the 2-km-long Chicago Lakes Glacier, subangular boulders being typical of the 1-km-long Butler Gulch Glacier, and angular boulders
Transverse and longitudinal variation in woody riparian vegetation along a montane river
This study explores how the relationship between flow and riparian vegetation varies along a montane river. We mapped occurrence of woody riparian plant communities along 58 km of the San Miguel River in southwestern Colorado. We determined the recurrence interval of inundation for each plant community by combining step-backwater hydraulic modeling at 4 representative reaches with Log-Pearson anal
Authors
J. M. Friedman, G.T. Auble, E.D. Andrews, G. Kittel, R.F. Madole, E.R. Griffin, Tyler M. Allred
New data for Late Pleistocene Pinedale alpine glaciation from southwestern Colorado
New cosmogenic surface-exposure ages of moraine-crest boulders from southwestern Colorado are compared with published surface-exposure ages of boulders from moraine complexes in north-central Colorado and in west-central (Fremont Lake basin) Wyoming. 10Be data sets from the three areas were scaled to a single 10Be production rate of 5.4 at/g/yr at sea level and high latitude (SLHL), which represen
Authors
L. Benson, R. Madole, G. Landis, J. Gosse
The probable importance of snow and sediment shielding on cosmogenic ages of north-central Colorado Pinedale and pre-Pinedale moraines
Eight uncorrected 36Cl ages for Pinedale boulders in north-central Colorado fall in the range 16.5 to 20.9 kyr. 10Be age determinations on four of five boulders are in close agreement (???6% difference) with 36Cl determinations. Hypothetical corrections for snow shielding increased the 36Cl ages of Pinedale boulder surfaces by an average of ???12%. Most ages for pre-Pinedale (Bull Lake) boulders f
Authors
L. Benson, R. Madole, W. Phillips, G. Landis, T. Thomas, P. Kubik
Quaternary stratigraphy, geomorphology, soils, and alpine archaeology in an alpine-to-plains transect, Colorado Front Range
No abstract available.
Authors
David P. Dethier, James B. Benedict, Peter W. Birkeland, Nel Caine, P. Thompson Davis, Richard F. Madole, Penny E. Patterson, Alan B. Price, Taylor F. Schildgen, Ralph R. Shroba
Geologic map of the Hygiene quadrangle, Boulder County, Colorado
No abstract available.
Authors
Richard F. Madole, William A. Braddock, Roger B. Colton
Late Holocene eolian activity in the mineralogically mature Nebraska Sand Hills
The age of sand dunes in the Nebraska Sand Hills has been controversial, with some investigators suggesting a full-glacial age and others suggesting that they were last active in the late Holocene. New accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon ages of unaltered bison bones and organic-rich sediments suggest that eolian sand deposition occurred at least twice in the past 3000 14C yr B.P. in three w
Authors
D.R. Muhs, Thomas W. Stafford, J. B. Swinehart, S.D. Cowherd, S. A. Mahan, C. A. Bush, R.F. Madole, P.B. Maat
Geologic map of Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Geologic mapping was begun after a range fire swept the area of what is now the Great Sand Dunes National Park in April 2000. The park spans an area of 437 square kilometers (or about 169 square miles), of which 98 percent is blanketed by sediment of Quaternary age, the Holocene and Pleistocene Epochs; hence, this geologic map of the Great Sand Dunes National Park is essentially a surficial geolog
Distribution of Late Quaternary wind-deposited sand in eastern Colorado
No abstract available.
Pleistocene glaciation in the upper Platte River drainage basin, Colorado
No abstract available.
Surficial geologic map of the Walden 30' x 60' quadrangle, Jackson, Larimer, and Routt counties, Colorado
This map is one of a series of four 30' x 60' surficial geologic maps (1:100,000 scale) intended to provide basic geologic information for planning for energy resource development and growth in northwestern Colorado. An effort is made to characterize all surficial materials, regardless of origin. Hence, residuum is given much more emphasis than is customary, and this results in several departures
Surficial geologic map of the Steamboat Springs 30' x 60' quadrangle, Grand, Jackson, and Routt counties, Colorado
This map is one of a series of four 30' x 60' surficial geologic maps (1:100,000 scale) intended to provide basic geologic information for planning for energy resource development and growth in northwestern Colorado. An effort is made to characterize all surficial materials, regardless of origin. Hence, residuum is given much more emphasis than is customary, and this results in several departures
Surficial geologic map of the Meeker 30' x 60' quadrangle, Garfield, Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties, Colorado
This map is one of a series of four 30' x 60' surficial geologic maps (1:100,000 scale) intended to provide basic geologic information for planning for energy resource development and growth in northwestern Colorado. An effort is made to characterize all surficial materials, regardless of origin. Hence, residuum is given much more emphasis than is customary, and this results in several departures
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 28
Constraints on the age of the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, from subsurface stratigraphy and OSL dates
The age of the Great Sand Dunes has been debated for nearly 150 yr. Seven ages ranging from Miocene to late Holocene have been proposed for them. This paper presents new information—chiefly subsurface stratigraphic data, OSL dates, and geomorphic evidence—that indicates that the Great Sand Dunes began to form in the latter part of the middle Pleistocene. The dunes overlie a thick wedge of piedmontAuthorsRichard F. Madole, Shannon Mahan, Joseph H. Romig, Jeremy C. HavensHolocene alluvial stratigraphy and response to climate change in the Roaring River valley, Front Range, Colorado, USA
Stratigraphic analyses and radiocarbon geochronology of alluvial deposits exposed along the Roaring River, Colorado, lead to three principal conclusions: (1) the opinion that stream channels in the higher parts of the Front Range are relics of the Pleistocene and nonalluvial under the present climate, as argued in a water-rights trial USA v. Colorado, is untenable, (2) beds of clast-supported gravAuthorsRichard F. MadoleOn the origin and age of the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
Over the past 100??yr, several hypotheses have been proposed for the origin and age of the Great Sand Dunes. These hypotheses differ widely in the descriptions of dune morphometry, the immediate source of eolian sand, and when sand transport occurred. The primary purpose of this paper is to evaluate these hypotheses and, where warranted, to present new ideas about the origin and age of the Great SAuthorsR.F. Madole, J.H. Romig, J. N. Aleinikoff, D.P. VanSistine, E.Y. YacobFrom buttes to bowls: Repeated relief inversion in the landscape of the Colorado Piedmont
Mesas and buttes of the central Colorado Piedmont are composed of at least two distinct rock types, which differ in their cohesiveness and resistance to erosion. The lower parts of the exposed stratigraphic section are poorly cemented, Upper Cretaceous to Middle Eocene sandstones of the Dawson Formation. The caprocks are composed of one or more resistant formations of Late Eocene age: the Castle RAuthorsM.L. Morgan, Vincent Matthews, F. Gutierrez, J.P. Thorson, Richard F. Madole, P.R. HansonSurface-exposure ages of Front Range moraines that may have formed during the Younger Dryas, 8.2 cal ka, and Little Ice Age events
Surface-exposure (10Be) ages have been obtained on boulders from three post-Pinedale end-moraine complexes in the Front Range, Colorado. Boulder rounding appears related to the cirque-to-moraine transport distance at each site with subrounded boulders being typical of the 2-km-long Chicago Lakes Glacier, subangular boulders being typical of the 1-km-long Butler Gulch Glacier, and angular bouldersAuthorsLarry Benson, Richard F. Madole, P. Kubik, Richard R. McDonaldSurface-exposure ages of Front Range moraines that may have formed during the Younger Dryas, 8.2 cal ka, and Little Ice Age events
Surface-exposure (10Be) ages have been obtained on boulders from three post-Pinedale end-moraine complexes in the Front Range, Colorado. Boulder rounding appears related to the cirque-to-moraine transport distance at each site with subrounded boulders being typical of the 2-km-long Chicago Lakes Glacier, subangular boulders being typical of the 1-km-long Butler Gulch Glacier, and angular bouldersTransverse and longitudinal variation in woody riparian vegetation along a montane river
This study explores how the relationship between flow and riparian vegetation varies along a montane river. We mapped occurrence of woody riparian plant communities along 58 km of the San Miguel River in southwestern Colorado. We determined the recurrence interval of inundation for each plant community by combining step-backwater hydraulic modeling at 4 representative reaches with Log-Pearson analAuthorsJ. M. Friedman, G.T. Auble, E.D. Andrews, G. Kittel, R.F. Madole, E.R. Griffin, Tyler M. AllredNew data for Late Pleistocene Pinedale alpine glaciation from southwestern Colorado
New cosmogenic surface-exposure ages of moraine-crest boulders from southwestern Colorado are compared with published surface-exposure ages of boulders from moraine complexes in north-central Colorado and in west-central (Fremont Lake basin) Wyoming. 10Be data sets from the three areas were scaled to a single 10Be production rate of 5.4 at/g/yr at sea level and high latitude (SLHL), which represenAuthorsL. Benson, R. Madole, G. Landis, J. GosseThe probable importance of snow and sediment shielding on cosmogenic ages of north-central Colorado Pinedale and pre-Pinedale moraines
Eight uncorrected 36Cl ages for Pinedale boulders in north-central Colorado fall in the range 16.5 to 20.9 kyr. 10Be age determinations on four of five boulders are in close agreement (???6% difference) with 36Cl determinations. Hypothetical corrections for snow shielding increased the 36Cl ages of Pinedale boulder surfaces by an average of ???12%. Most ages for pre-Pinedale (Bull Lake) boulders fAuthorsL. Benson, R. Madole, W. Phillips, G. Landis, T. Thomas, P. KubikQuaternary stratigraphy, geomorphology, soils, and alpine archaeology in an alpine-to-plains transect, Colorado Front Range
No abstract available.AuthorsDavid P. Dethier, James B. Benedict, Peter W. Birkeland, Nel Caine, P. Thompson Davis, Richard F. Madole, Penny E. Patterson, Alan B. Price, Taylor F. Schildgen, Ralph R. ShrobaGeologic map of the Hygiene quadrangle, Boulder County, Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsRichard F. Madole, William A. Braddock, Roger B. ColtonLate Holocene eolian activity in the mineralogically mature Nebraska Sand Hills
The age of sand dunes in the Nebraska Sand Hills has been controversial, with some investigators suggesting a full-glacial age and others suggesting that they were last active in the late Holocene. New accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon ages of unaltered bison bones and organic-rich sediments suggest that eolian sand deposition occurred at least twice in the past 3000 14C yr B.P. in three wAuthorsD.R. Muhs, Thomas W. Stafford, J. B. Swinehart, S.D. Cowherd, S. A. Mahan, C. A. Bush, R.F. Madole, P.B. Maat - Maps
Geologic map of Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
Geologic mapping was begun after a range fire swept the area of what is now the Great Sand Dunes National Park in April 2000. The park spans an area of 437 square kilometers (or about 169 square miles), of which 98 percent is blanketed by sediment of Quaternary age, the Holocene and Pleistocene Epochs; hence, this geologic map of the Great Sand Dunes National Park is essentially a surficial geologDistribution of Late Quaternary wind-deposited sand in eastern Colorado
No abstract available.Pleistocene glaciation in the upper Platte River drainage basin, Colorado
No abstract available.Surficial geologic map of the Walden 30' x 60' quadrangle, Jackson, Larimer, and Routt counties, Colorado
This map is one of a series of four 30' x 60' surficial geologic maps (1:100,000 scale) intended to provide basic geologic information for planning for energy resource development and growth in northwestern Colorado. An effort is made to characterize all surficial materials, regardless of origin. Hence, residuum is given much more emphasis than is customary, and this results in several departuresSurficial geologic map of the Steamboat Springs 30' x 60' quadrangle, Grand, Jackson, and Routt counties, Colorado
This map is one of a series of four 30' x 60' surficial geologic maps (1:100,000 scale) intended to provide basic geologic information for planning for energy resource development and growth in northwestern Colorado. An effort is made to characterize all surficial materials, regardless of origin. Hence, residuum is given much more emphasis than is customary, and this results in several departuresSurficial geologic map of the Meeker 30' x 60' quadrangle, Garfield, Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt Counties, Colorado
This map is one of a series of four 30' x 60' surficial geologic maps (1:100,000 scale) intended to provide basic geologic information for planning for energy resource development and growth in northwestern Colorado. An effort is made to characterize all surficial materials, regardless of origin. Hence, residuum is given much more emphasis than is customary, and this results in several departures - Multimedia