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Rodney A Sheets, Jr. (Former Employee)

Science and Products

Two Wells showing depth change

Groundwater-Level Response to Earthquakes

Did you know that earthquakes can cause changes in groundwater levels? Very large earthquakes can even cause water-level fluctuations in some wells thousands of miles away, depending on the local geological conditions around the well.
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Jersey Water Science Center
Groundwater-Level Response to Earthquakes

Groundwater-Level Response to Earthquakes

Did you know that earthquakes can cause changes in groundwater levels? Very large earthquakes can even cause water-level fluctuations in some wells thousands of miles away, depending on the local geological conditions around the well.
Learn More
Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

A magnitude 5.8 (Mw) earthquake occurred at 1:51 pm EDT (17:51 UTC) on August 23, 2011, at a depth of about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) beneath the town of Mineral, Virginia, located approximately 27 miles (45 kilometers) east of Charlottesville. The event is among the largest earthquakes recorded in the eastern United States.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

A magnitude 5.8 (Mw) earthquake occurred at 1:51 pm EDT (17:51 UTC) on August 23, 2011, at a depth of about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) beneath the town of Mineral, Virginia, located approximately 27 miles (45 kilometers) east of Charlottesville. The event is among the largest earthquakes recorded in the eastern United States.
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 24

NGWA Groundwater Modeling Advisory Panel Survey on the Use of Uncertainty Analysis in Groundwater Modeling NGWA Groundwater Modeling Advisory Panel Survey on the Use of Uncertainty Analysis in Groundwater Modeling

This white paper provides the results of a survey by members of the NGWA Groundwater Modeling Advisory Panel to assess the use of uncertainty analysis in groundwater modeling. The objective of the survey was to improve understanding of the use of uncertainty analysis in practical groundwater modeling projects subject to real-world constraints, such as limited budgets and tight deadlines.
Authors
Steve Luis, Pete Schulmeyer, David Bean, Connor P. Newman, Dan Puddephatt, Rodney A. Sheets, Randall J. Hunt
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Colorado Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey continuous monitoring workshop—Workshop summary report U.S. Geological Survey continuous monitoring workshop—Workshop summary report

Executive Summary The collection of high-frequency (in other words, “continuous”) water data has been made easier over the years because of advances in technologies to measure, transmit, store, and query large, temporally dense datasets. Commercially available, in-situ sensors and data-collection platforms—together with new techniques for data analysis—provide an opportunity to monitor...
Authors
Daniel J. Sullivan, John K. Joiner, Kerry A. Caslow, Mark N. Landers, Brian A. Pellerin, Patrick P. Rasmussen, Rodney A. Sheets
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Widespread groundwater-level offsets caused by the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of 23 August 2011 Widespread groundwater-level offsets caused by the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of 23 August 2011

Groundwater levels were offset in bedrock observation wells, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey or others, as far as 553 km from the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia (USA), earthquake on 23 August 2011. Water levels dropped as much as 0.47 m in 34 wells and rose as much as 0.15 m in 12 others. In some wells, which are as much as 213 m deep, the water levels recovered from these deviations in...
Authors
Evelyn A. Roeloffs, David L. Nelms, Rodney A. Sheets
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Simulation of water-table aquifers using specified saturated thickness Simulation of water-table aquifers using specified saturated thickness

Simulating groundwater flow in a water-table (unconfined) aquifer can be difficult because the saturated thickness available for flow depends on model-calculated hydraulic heads. It is often possible to realize substantial time savings and still obtain accurate head and flow solutions by specifying an approximate saturated thickness a priori, thus linearizing this aspect of the model...
Authors
Rodney A. Sheets, Mary C. Hill, Henk M. Haitjema, Alden M. Provost, John P. Masterson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Using existing data to estimate aquifer properties, Great Lakes Region, USA Using existing data to estimate aquifer properties, Great Lakes Region, USA

To determine specific storage and porosity, areally limited and time-consuming aquifer tests are frequently done. Hydrogeologic studies often do not have the resources to collect such data and rely on existing data sources for aquifer properties. An alternative tool for determining these aquifer properties is the analysis of earth tides. The objective of this study was to determine...
Authors
Robert A. Darner, Rodney A. Sheets
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center

Fluorescent microspheres as surrogates in evaluating the efficacy of riverbank filtration for removing Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and other pathogens Fluorescent microspheres as surrogates in evaluating the efficacy of riverbank filtration for removing Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and other pathogens

A major benefit of riverbank filtration (RBF) is that it provides a relatively effective means for pathogen removal. There is a need to conduct more injection-and-recovery transport studies at operating RBF sites in order to properly assess the combined effects of the site heterogeneities and ambient physicochemical conditions, which are difficult to replicate in the lab. For field...
Authors
Ronald W. Harvey, David W. Metge, Rodney A. Sheets, Jay Jasperse
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program

Non-USGS Publications**

Sheets, R. A., Hill, M. C., Haitjema, H. M., Provost, A. M. and Masterson, J. P. (2015), Simulation of Water-Table Aquifers Using Specified Saturated Thickness. Groundwater, 53: 151–157. doi:10.1111/gwat.12164
Roeloffs, E.A., Nelms, D.L., and Sheets, R.A., 2015, Widespread groundwater-level offsets caused by the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of 23 August 2011, in Horton, J.W., Jr., Chapman, M.C., and Green, R.A., eds., The 2011 Mineral, Virginia, Earthquake, and Its Signifi cance for Seismic Hazards in Eastern North America: Geological Society of America Special Paper 509, p. 117–136, doi:10.1130/2014.2509(07).
Sheets, R.A., and Burns, E.R., 2014, Geothermal Heating and Cooling -- The Role of Groundwater: The Ohio Water Table, No. 129 (Spring), Water Management Association of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio.
Darner, R. A. and Sheets, R. A., 2012, Using Existing Data to Estimate Aquifer Properties, Great Lakes Region, USA. Ground Water. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2011.00848.x
Harvey, R., Metge, D., Sheets, R.A., and Jasperse, J., 2011, Chapter 6--Fluorescent microspheres as surrogates in evaluating the efficacy of riverbank filtration for removing Cyptosporidium parvum oocysts and other pathogens. In Ray, C. and Shamruck, M., eds. Riverbank Filtration for Water Security in Desert Countries: Amsterdam, Springer Science, pp. 81-93.
Haefner, R.J., Sheets, R.A., and Andrews, R.E. [2011], 2010, Evaluation of the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) Seismic Method to Determine Sediment Thickness in the Vicinity of the South Well Field, Franklin County, OH, Ohio J Sci 110(4), pp. 77-85.
Sheets, R.A., 2005, Induced infiltration—an unauthorized biography and the continuing story: The Ohio Water Table, no. 96, pp. 4-5.
Sheets, R. A., Darner, R. A. and Whitteberry. B. L. 2002, Lag times of bank filtration at a well field, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA: J. Hydrol. Vol. 266, pp. 162–174.
Sheets, R. A., Bair, E. S., and Rowe, G. L., 1998, Use of 3H/3He ages to evaluate and improve groundwater flow models in a complex buried valley aquifer, Water Resour. Res., 34, 1077– 1089.
Sheets, R.A., Yost, W.P. 1994, Ground-Water Contribution from the Silurian/Devonian Carbonate Aquifer to the Mad River Valley, Southwestern Ohio: Ohio Journal of Science, v. 94, n. 5, pp. 138-146.
Bair, E.S., Sheets, R.A., and Eberts, S.M., 1990, Particle-tracking analysis of flow paths and traveltimes from hypothetical spill sites within the capture area of a wellfield: Ground Water, v. 28, no. 6, pp. 884-892.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Science and Products

Two Wells showing depth change

Groundwater-Level Response to Earthquakes

Did you know that earthquakes can cause changes in groundwater levels? Very large earthquakes can even cause water-level fluctuations in some wells thousands of miles away, depending on the local geological conditions around the well.
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New Jersey Water Science Center
Groundwater-Level Response to Earthquakes

Groundwater-Level Response to Earthquakes

Did you know that earthquakes can cause changes in groundwater levels? Very large earthquakes can even cause water-level fluctuations in some wells thousands of miles away, depending on the local geological conditions around the well.
Learn More
Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

A magnitude 5.8 (Mw) earthquake occurred at 1:51 pm EDT (17:51 UTC) on August 23, 2011, at a depth of about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) beneath the town of Mineral, Virginia, located approximately 27 miles (45 kilometers) east of Charlottesville. The event is among the largest earthquakes recorded in the eastern United States.
By
Water Resources Mission Area
Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

Groundwater-Level Response to Virginia Earthquake, August 23, 2011

A magnitude 5.8 (Mw) earthquake occurred at 1:51 pm EDT (17:51 UTC) on August 23, 2011, at a depth of about 3.7 miles (6 kilometers) beneath the town of Mineral, Virginia, located approximately 27 miles (45 kilometers) east of Charlottesville. The event is among the largest earthquakes recorded in the eastern United States.
Learn More
Filter Total Items: 24

NGWA Groundwater Modeling Advisory Panel Survey on the Use of Uncertainty Analysis in Groundwater Modeling NGWA Groundwater Modeling Advisory Panel Survey on the Use of Uncertainty Analysis in Groundwater Modeling

This white paper provides the results of a survey by members of the NGWA Groundwater Modeling Advisory Panel to assess the use of uncertainty analysis in groundwater modeling. The objective of the survey was to improve understanding of the use of uncertainty analysis in practical groundwater modeling projects subject to real-world constraints, such as limited budgets and tight deadlines.
Authors
Steve Luis, Pete Schulmeyer, David Bean, Connor P. Newman, Dan Puddephatt, Rodney A. Sheets, Randall J. Hunt
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Colorado Water Science Center

U.S. Geological Survey continuous monitoring workshop—Workshop summary report U.S. Geological Survey continuous monitoring workshop—Workshop summary report

Executive Summary The collection of high-frequency (in other words, “continuous”) water data has been made easier over the years because of advances in technologies to measure, transmit, store, and query large, temporally dense datasets. Commercially available, in-situ sensors and data-collection platforms—together with new techniques for data analysis—provide an opportunity to monitor...
Authors
Daniel J. Sullivan, John K. Joiner, Kerry A. Caslow, Mark N. Landers, Brian A. Pellerin, Patrick P. Rasmussen, Rodney A. Sheets
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center, Upper Midwest Water Science Center

Widespread groundwater-level offsets caused by the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of 23 August 2011 Widespread groundwater-level offsets caused by the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of 23 August 2011

Groundwater levels were offset in bedrock observation wells, measured by the U.S. Geological Survey or others, as far as 553 km from the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia (USA), earthquake on 23 August 2011. Water levels dropped as much as 0.47 m in 34 wells and rose as much as 0.15 m in 12 others. In some wells, which are as much as 213 m deep, the water levels recovered from these deviations in...
Authors
Evelyn A. Roeloffs, David L. Nelms, Rodney A. Sheets
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Earthquake Hazards Program, Earthquake Science Center

Simulation of water-table aquifers using specified saturated thickness Simulation of water-table aquifers using specified saturated thickness

Simulating groundwater flow in a water-table (unconfined) aquifer can be difficult because the saturated thickness available for flow depends on model-calculated hydraulic heads. It is often possible to realize substantial time savings and still obtain accurate head and flow solutions by specifying an approximate saturated thickness a priori, thus linearizing this aspect of the model...
Authors
Rodney A. Sheets, Mary C. Hill, Henk M. Haitjema, Alden M. Provost, John P. Masterson
By
Water Resources Mission Area, New England Water Science Center

Using existing data to estimate aquifer properties, Great Lakes Region, USA Using existing data to estimate aquifer properties, Great Lakes Region, USA

To determine specific storage and porosity, areally limited and time-consuming aquifer tests are frequently done. Hydrogeologic studies often do not have the resources to collect such data and rely on existing data sources for aquifer properties. An alternative tool for determining these aquifer properties is the analysis of earth tides. The objective of this study was to determine...
Authors
Robert A. Darner, Rodney A. Sheets
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Water Science Center

Fluorescent microspheres as surrogates in evaluating the efficacy of riverbank filtration for removing Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and other pathogens Fluorescent microspheres as surrogates in evaluating the efficacy of riverbank filtration for removing Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and other pathogens

A major benefit of riverbank filtration (RBF) is that it provides a relatively effective means for pathogen removal. There is a need to conduct more injection-and-recovery transport studies at operating RBF sites in order to properly assess the combined effects of the site heterogeneities and ambient physicochemical conditions, which are difficult to replicate in the lab. For field...
Authors
Ronald W. Harvey, David W. Metge, Rodney A. Sheets, Jay Jasperse
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Toxic Substances Hydrology, Environmental Health Program

Non-USGS Publications**

Sheets, R. A., Hill, M. C., Haitjema, H. M., Provost, A. M. and Masterson, J. P. (2015), Simulation of Water-Table Aquifers Using Specified Saturated Thickness. Groundwater, 53: 151–157. doi:10.1111/gwat.12164
Roeloffs, E.A., Nelms, D.L., and Sheets, R.A., 2015, Widespread groundwater-level offsets caused by the Mw 5.8 Mineral, Virginia, earthquake of 23 August 2011, in Horton, J.W., Jr., Chapman, M.C., and Green, R.A., eds., The 2011 Mineral, Virginia, Earthquake, and Its Signifi cance for Seismic Hazards in Eastern North America: Geological Society of America Special Paper 509, p. 117–136, doi:10.1130/2014.2509(07).
Sheets, R.A., and Burns, E.R., 2014, Geothermal Heating and Cooling -- The Role of Groundwater: The Ohio Water Table, No. 129 (Spring), Water Management Association of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio.
Darner, R. A. and Sheets, R. A., 2012, Using Existing Data to Estimate Aquifer Properties, Great Lakes Region, USA. Ground Water. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-6584.2011.00848.x
Harvey, R., Metge, D., Sheets, R.A., and Jasperse, J., 2011, Chapter 6--Fluorescent microspheres as surrogates in evaluating the efficacy of riverbank filtration for removing Cyptosporidium parvum oocysts and other pathogens. In Ray, C. and Shamruck, M., eds. Riverbank Filtration for Water Security in Desert Countries: Amsterdam, Springer Science, pp. 81-93.
Haefner, R.J., Sheets, R.A., and Andrews, R.E. [2011], 2010, Evaluation of the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) Seismic Method to Determine Sediment Thickness in the Vicinity of the South Well Field, Franklin County, OH, Ohio J Sci 110(4), pp. 77-85.
Sheets, R.A., 2005, Induced infiltration—an unauthorized biography and the continuing story: The Ohio Water Table, no. 96, pp. 4-5.
Sheets, R. A., Darner, R. A. and Whitteberry. B. L. 2002, Lag times of bank filtration at a well field, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA: J. Hydrol. Vol. 266, pp. 162–174.
Sheets, R. A., Bair, E. S., and Rowe, G. L., 1998, Use of 3H/3He ages to evaluate and improve groundwater flow models in a complex buried valley aquifer, Water Resour. Res., 34, 1077– 1089.
Sheets, R.A., Yost, W.P. 1994, Ground-Water Contribution from the Silurian/Devonian Carbonate Aquifer to the Mad River Valley, Southwestern Ohio: Ohio Journal of Science, v. 94, n. 5, pp. 138-146.
Bair, E.S., Sheets, R.A., and Eberts, S.M., 1990, Particle-tracking analysis of flow paths and traveltimes from hypothetical spill sites within the capture area of a wellfield: Ground Water, v. 28, no. 6, pp. 884-892.

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

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