Richard F Madole
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
Ribbon Cliff landslide Washington, and the earthquake of 14 December 1872
Spatial and temporal patterns of late quaternary eolian deposition, Eastern Colorado, U.S.A
Spatial and temporal patterns of late Quaternary eolian deposition, eastern Colorado, USA
Stratigraphic evidence of desertification in the west-central Great Plains within the past 1000 yr
Quaternary history of some southern and central Rocky Mountain basins
Holocene stratigraphy of Turkey Creek, a small drainage basin in the southern Colorado piedmont
Stratigraphic evidence of Holocene faulting in the mid-continent: The Meers fault, southwestern Oklahoma
Rocky Mountains
Geology of archeological sites in Middle Cottonwood Creek Valley and Taylor Park, Chaffee and Gunnison counties, Colorado
Lake Devlin and Pinedale glacial history, front range, Colorado
Geology of the Pontiac Pit archeological site, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Possible origins of till-like deposits near the summit of the Front Range in north-central Colorado
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 28
Ribbon Cliff landslide Washington, and the earthquake of 14 December 1872
Estimates of the epicentral location and maximum intensity of the earthquake of 14 December 1872, the largest and oldest historic earthquake documented in the Pacific Northwest, are controversial largely because the estimates are based on ground effects. The Ribbon Cliff landslide is one of the more critical ground effects used to argue that the epicenter was in the vicinity of Lake Chelan in centAuthorsRichard F. Madole, Robert L. Schuster, Andrei M. Sarna-WojcickiSpatial and temporal patterns of late quaternary eolian deposition, Eastern Colorado, U.S.A
Eolian sediment covers about 60% of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains; about 30% of the sediment is sand and 70% is loess. Initially, flood plains were the principal sources of eolian sediment, but during the Holocene, dunes formed from older eolian sand and alluvium on uplands. Since latest Pleistocene time, dominant dune-forming winds have been northwesterly in the northern part of the regionAuthorsRichard F. MadoleSpatial and temporal patterns of late Quaternary eolian deposition, eastern Colorado, USA
Three sand units are recognized on the basis of bedforms, topographic expression, and soil development. Preliminary age limits for the three units, based on 26 numerical ages, are 22.5-9 ka, 8-1 ka, and 1.0-0.15 ka. The middle unit is the product of multiple episodes of eolian activity that are not yet accurately dated. Loess is widespread but thin (generally < 2.4 m). Three units - middle PleistoAuthorsR.F. MadoleStratigraphic evidence of desertification in the west-central Great Plains within the past 1000 yr
Stratigraphic and geomorphic relations, archeological data, and eight radiocarbon ages at five widely scattered localities in northeastern Colorado indicate that eolian sand was mobilized over broad areas within the past 1000 yr. The mobilization began after 1 ka, was episodic, and ended at some as yet undetermined time prior to the latter part of the nineteenth century. Given that climate-model sAuthorsR.F. MadoleQuaternary history of some southern and central Rocky Mountain basins
This chapter summarizes the current state of late Cenozoic stratigraphic knowledge in some Rocky Mountain basins (here defined as the structurally low portions of major drainage basins) that have been studied in detail since Scott’s (1965) summary on the nonglacial history of the southern and middle Rocky Mountains. The Quaternary history of few of these basins has been studied as intensively as tAuthorsMarith C. Reheis, Robert C. Palmquist, S.S. Agard, Cheryl Jaworowski, Brainerd Mears, Richard F. Madole, Alan R. Nelson, Gerald OsbornHolocene stratigraphy of Turkey Creek, a small drainage basin in the southern Colorado piedmont
No abstract available.AuthorsR.F. MadoleStratigraphic evidence of Holocene faulting in the mid-continent: The Meers fault, southwestern Oklahoma
Stratigraphic relations and ten 14C ages show that movement occurred on the Meers fault in late Holocene time. Movement on the fault postdates the Browns Creek Alluvium, which began to be deposited between 14,000 and 13,000 yr B.P., and predates the East Cache Alluvium, which was deposited between 800 and 100 yr B.P. Surface warping along the fault led to local stream incision on the upthrown sideAuthorsRichard F. MadoleRocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountain region is one of the most topographically distinct and impressive parts of North America. The Rocky Mountains rise abruptly above the bordering regions, particularly on the east and northeast where they are flanked by plains, less so on the west and southwest where they are bounded by high plateaus. The Rocky Mountains comprise more than 100 individually named ranges that form aAuthorsRichard F. Madole, W.C. Bradley, D.S. Loewenherz, D.F. Ritter, N.W. Rutter, C.E. ThornGeology of archeological sites in Middle Cottonwood Creek Valley and Taylor Park, Chaffee and Gunnison counties, Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsR.F. MadoleLake Devlin and Pinedale glacial history, front range, Colorado
Glacial Lake Devlin was an ice-margin lake that formed during Pinedale time when the North Boulder Creek valley glacier blocked the mouth of a tributary near the downvalley limit of glaciation. The lake was about 2 km long and as much as 60 m deep, and was fed by meltwater from small valley glaciers. It accumulated sediment, apparently without interruption, for about 10,000 yr. The inception of LaAuthorsR.F. MadoleGeology of the Pontiac Pit archeological site, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsR.F. MadolePossible origins of till-like deposits near the summit of the Front Range in north-central Colorado
No abstract available.AuthorsR.F. Madole - Maps
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