Unified Interior Regions
Arizona
The Southwest Region includes California, Nevada, and Arizona. The Regional Office, headquartered in Sacramento, provides Center oversight and support, facilitates internal and external collaborations, and works to further USGS strategic science directions.
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Harrison H. Schmitt
Jack Schmitt joined the Astrogeology team as a geologist at the Flagstaff Science Center in 1964, having recently earned a doctorate degree from Harvard University. In addition to assisting in the geologic mapping of the Moon, he led the Lunar Field Geological Methods project. When NASA announced a special recruitment for scientist-astronauts in late 1964, Schmitt...
Gene Shoemaker - Founder of Astrogeology
He once said he considered himself a scientific historian, one whose mission in life is to relate geologic and planetary events in a perspective manner. A modest statement coming from a legend of a man who almost single-handedly created planetary science as a discipline distinct from astronomy. He brought together geologic principles to the mapping of planets, resulting in...
1961: USGS Astrogeology's First Published Map
The race to the moon began on August 17, 1958, and the Soviet Union won. This isn't the opening line of an alternate history story; rather, it is an acknowledgment that more than one moon race took place. The first, with the goal of launching a small automated spacecraft to the moon, began with the liftoff of the Able 1 lunar orbiter, a 38-kilogram U.S. Air Force (USAF) probe...
Regional Planetary Image Facility (RPIF)
The NASA/USGS Astrogeology Regional Planetary Information Facility (RPIF), located in the Shoemaker Building (Building 6) on the USGS Campus in Flagstaff, Arizona, is a facility of the USGS Astrogeology Science Center. The Astro RPIF houses in 3000 square feet of climate-controlled space more than 100,000 lunar and planetary maps, a reference library, an ever-growing photo and...
USGS Response to Possible Metals Contamination from Legacy Mines in the Patagonia Mountains Region and Adjacent Areas, Southeast Arizona and a Template for Future Mineral Environmental Emergency Response
USGS is conducting sampling, monitoring, and modeling in the Patagonia Mountains and nearby regions in Arizona to identify contaminant risk potential of legacy and proposed mine sites and to develop classification criteria for predicting vulnerabilities and targeted sources and sinks of metal contaminants.
Global Hyperspectral Imaging Spectral-library of Agricultural-Crops (GHISA)
This webpage showcases the key research advances made in hyperspectral remote sensing of agricultural crops and vegetation over the last 50 years. There are three focus areas:
BOR environmental DNA sampling for invasive mussels at USGS gages
As part of an ongoing project funded by the Bureau of Reclamation and lead by the Idaho Water Sciences Center (IDWSC) and Northern Rocky Mountain Research Center (NOROCK), the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) will analyze environmental DNA samples collected at gage stations directly downstream of multiple reservoirs throughout the Columbia River Basin. The goal of this...
AzWSC Capabilities: Arizona Water Use
Since 1950, the AzWSC has estimated water use by county at 5-year intervals, publishing the results in a series of reports since 1981. Water demand is met by pumping groundwater from aquifers or by conveying surface water to users through a system of reservoirs and canals. Because of the importance of water to Arizona’s communities and future economic development, the AzWSC works cooperatively...
Assessment of Infiltration and Recharge due to Wetland Restoration in a Semiarid Ecosystem- Laura M. Norman
This intern will work with an exciting team of scientists to develop novel approaches to assess wetland restoration. Methods include documenting baseline conditions and monitoring site evolution, hydrologic modeling, using shallow piezometers to estimate recharge and storage change, tracking streambed water exchanges using heat as a tracer, and estimating percolation using electrical...
Land Treatment Exploration Tool
The Land Treatment Exploration Tool provides a practical resource for managers who are planning restoration and rehabilitation actions on public lands. The tool generates a variety of spatial products while being user friendly for all levels of GIS expertise, even to those with little or no experience.
AzWSC Capabilities: Reservoir and Lake Monitoring and Assessment
The Arizona Water Science Center (AzWSC) has specialized expertise in monitoring, measuring, and collecting reservoir and lake water and sediment for a variety of phycial and chemical properties.
Ciénega San Bernardino - Wetland Restoration
Desert marshes, or ciénega, are extremely biodiverse habitats imperiled by anthropogenic demands for water and changing climates. Given their widespread loss and increased recognition as important wildlife habitat, remarkably little is known about restoration techniques.
Streamflow and sediment-transport data, Colorado River and three tributaries in Grand Canyon, Arizona, 1983 and 1985-86
The U.S. Geological Survey collected streamflow and sediment-transport data at 5 streamflow-gaging stations on the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead as a part of an interagency environmental study. The data were collected for about 6 mo in 1983 and about 4 mo in 1985-86; data also were collected at 3 sites on tributary streams...
Garrett, W.B.; van de Vanter, E.K.; Graf, J.B.
Accounting System for Water Use by Vegetation in the Lower Colorado River Valley
The Colorado River is the principal source of water in the valley of the Colorado River between Hoover Dam and the international boundary with Mexico (fig. 1). Agricultural, domestic, municipal, industrial, hydroelectric-power genera-tion, and recreation are the primary uses of river water in the valley. Most of the consumptive use of water from...
Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.
Results of ground-water, surface-water, and water-quality monitoring, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona; 1989-90
Sottilare, J.P.; Bills, D.J.; Brown, J. G.
Results of ground-water, surface-water, and water-quality monitoring, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona; 1990-91
Littin, G. R.
Summary of ground-water conditions in Arizona 1985-86
No abstract available.
Wilson, Richard P.
Low-flow sediment transport in the Colorado River
In support of beach-stability research, bedload and suspended sediment were measured during a steady flow of 5,880 ft3/s and receding flows from 12,100 to 5,660 ft3/s in the Colorado River above National Canyon, near Supai, Arizona, October 7-12, 1989. During steady flows, 75 percent of the mean total-sediment discharge of 128 t/d was in...
Gray, John R.; Webb, Robert H.; Hyndman, David W.
Lower Colorado River Accounting System (LCRAS) computer program and documentation
von Allworden, B. K.; Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.; Sandoval, John D.; Raymond, Lee H. Relation of sediment load and flood-plain formation to climatic variability, Paria River drainage basin, Utah and Arizona
Flood-plain alluviation began about 1940 at a time of decreasing magnitude and frequency of floods in winter, summer, and fall. No floods with stages high enough to inundate the flood plain have occurred since 1980, and thus no flood-plain alluviation has occurred since then. The decrease in magnitude and frequency of floods appears to have...
Graf, J.B.; Webb, R. H.; Hereford, R.
National water summary 1987: Hydrologic events and water supply and use
Water use in the United States, as measured by freshwater withdrawals in 1985, averaged 338,000 Mgal/d (million gallons per day), which is enough water to cover the 48 conterminous States to a depth of about 2.4 inches. Only 92,300 Mgal/d, or 27.3 percent of the water withdrawn, was consumptive use and thus lost to immediate further use; the...
Carr, Jerry E.; Chase, Edith B.; Paulson, Richard W.; Moody, David W.
Aggradation and degradation of alluvial sand deposits, 1965 to 1986, Colorado River, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
Alluvial sand deposits along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park are used as campsites and are substrate for vegetation. The largest and most numerous of these deposits are formed in zones of recirculating current that are created downstream from where the channel is constricted by debris fans at tributary mouths. Alluvial sand...
Schmidt, John C.; Graf, Julia B.
Estimates of consumptive use and ground-water return flow and the effect of rising and sustained high river stage on the method of estimation in Cibola Valley, Arizona and California, 1983 and 1984
In Cibola Valley, Arizona, water is pumped from the Colorado River to irrigate crops and to maintain wildlife habitat. Unused water percolates to the water table and, as groundwater, moves downgradient into areas of phreatophytes, into a drainage ditch, out of the flood plain, and back to the river. In 1983 and 1984, groundwater return flow was...
Owen-Joyce, Sandra J.
Estimates of ground-water flow components for Lyman Lake, Apache County, Arizona
Bills, D.J.; Hjalmarson, H.W.; Robertson, F.N.
Setting up experimental restoration plots.
Field crew install a Restoration Field Trial Network garden in the rangelands of Northern Arizona. Each garden in the network is examining seedlings and seeds in conjunction with restoration treatments to better
...
A Record of Change: Science and Elder Observations on the Navajo N.
A Record of Change—Science and Elder Observations on the Navajo Nation is a 25-minute documentary about collaborative studies using conventional physical sciences, combined with tribal elder observations to show that local knowledge and conventional science partnerships can effectively document ecosystem change and determine the resulting challenges to livelihoods.
Seeding experiment to improve restoration outcomes in the Southwest.
USGS ecologists Molly McCormick (left) and Katie Laushman (right) conducting a seeding experiment that is a part of RAMPS, a new USGS-led initiative to improve restoration outcomes in the Southwest.
...
Bare Ground = Blowing Dust
Across the desert Southwest, ground void of plant material is prone to soil erosoin and dust storms. In this fallowed agricultural field, we see that a spring breeze can carry away fertile top soil and create air quality concerns. USGS RAMPS defines causes of environmental hazards created by degraded land, and creates collaborative solutions to reduce these types of risks
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Fires in the Western United States
On an average day during the fire season, multiple wildfires burn in the western United States. For example, 216 fires were active on July 7, 2017. Firefighters were battling 27 of these fires through ground and air support.
A few of the larger fires in early July were in Arizona, Washington, and Utah. As with many wildfires,
...
Satellite Image of the Las Vegas, Lake Mead, Grand Canyon Area
This image of the Las Vegas /Lake Mead / Grand Canyon area was acquired on June 16, 2017, with Indian Space Research Organization’s Resourcesat-2 AWiFS sensor. Images of this region can be useful to help detect changes in vegetation and water availability for growing desert communities.
New USGS Maps of Mars Reveal Ancient Oases
Flyover of the southeast Ceti Mensa map. Distinct groups of rock layers, called geologic units, are shaded in different colors, with dark browns representing the oldest rocks and green representing the youngest rocks. All of these rocks formed as wind-blown sand that became trapped in shallow, ephemeral lakes, similar to the wet playas of the desert southwest US. The
Reach-Scale Monitoring | Advances in Stream Gaging
The Arizona Water Science Center demonstrates new methods in Reach-Scale Monitoring to improve accuracy and measurability of high flow events. By installing pressure transducers and using LiDAR to measure topography data, hydrologists are able to simulate flows with two dimensional models which will help better calibrate stream gages. These advances have potential to aid
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle was recently observed by USGS scientists and staff from The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in the Mojave Desert. Turtles of this population have rarely been seen since the late 1990s.
Havasu Falls
Havasu Creek spilling over Havasu Falls, downstream from Supai Village on the Havasupai Nation.
New tamarisk leaves re-grow after tamarisk leaf beetle defoliation
Tamarisk leaves regrow following defoliation by the biological control agent, tamarisk leaf beetle (Diorhabda spp.).
Tamarisk re-grows new leaves after tamarisk leaf beetle defoliation
Tamarisk can re-grow new leaves after being defoliated by the biocontrol agent tamarisk leaf beetle (Diorhabda spp.).
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that Interior’s Southwest Climate Science Center is awarding nearly a million dollars to universities and other partners for research to guide managers of parks, refuges and other cultural and natural resources in planning how to help species and ecosystems adapt to climate change.
As part of the continued US Topo maps revision and improvement cycle, the USGS will be including mountain bike trails to upcoming quadrangles on a state-aligned basis.
Scientists and technicians from the U.S. Geological Survey will be conducting field studies of flood flows from the recent heavy rains resulting from Tropical Storm Odile today.
Scientists and technicians from the U.S. Geological Survey will be conducting field studies of high water flows from the recent heavy rains in Phoenix along the Salt River today.
U.S. Geological Survey field crews are measuring flooding after heavy rainfall occurred in northern portions of Maricopa County, Arizona.
Increasing the density -- the amount per square mile -- of natural gas drilling sites and associated ponds in the Cypress Creek basin is not expected to have a substantial impact on the amount of sediment or water entering Brewer Lake, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report.
Stronger storms, rising seas, and flooding are placing hundreds of millions people at risk around the world, and big part of the solution to decrease those risks is just off shore. A new study finds that coral reefs reduce the wave energy that would otherwise impact coastlines by 97 percent.
Newly published research is the first to characterize the distribution and interactions of natural perchlorate in a terrestrial ecosystem. The study results are important in assessing risks associated with ecological and human health and with potential movement of natural perchlorate contamination into groundwater.
As a large pulse of water is being released into the former delta of the Colorado River along the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Geological Survey scientists are studying the effects on the environment as part of a historic, bi-national collaborative effort.
More than 400 years after its discovery by Galileo, the largest moon in the Solar System – Ganymede – has finally claimed a spot on the map.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that Interior’s Southwest Climate Science Center is awarding nearly $1.2 million to universities and other partners for research to guide managers of parks, refuges and other cultural and natural resources in planning how to help species and ecosystems adapt to climate change.
Drought conditions are linked to declines in a protected desert tortoise population in part of the Sonoran Desert, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study.
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Locations
Astrogeology Science Center
Phone: 928-556-7000
Fax: 928-556-7014
Southwest Biological Science Center - Flagstaff, AZ, Headquarters
Phone: 928-556-7094
Fax: 928-556-7092
Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Western Geographic Science Center - Tucson Project Office
Western Geographic Science Center - Flagstaff Project Office
Arizona Water Science Center, Tucson Office
Phone: (520) 670-6671
Fax: (520) 670-5592
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
yvowebteam@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8906
Southwest Biological Science Center - Tucson, AZ, Research Station
Phone: (520) 670-6671
Fax: (520) 670-5592
Arizona Water Science Center, Flagstaff Office
Phone: (928) 556-7136
Fax: (928) 556-7112
Arizona Water Science Center, Yuma Office
Phone: (928) 343-8100
Arizona Water Science Center, Glendale Office
Phone: 623-773-6200
Fax: 623-773-6480