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.
States L2 Landing Page Tabs
Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Basin 5025:
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
Northern Arizona Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Northern Arizona Province 5024:
- 1995 Assessment (DDS 30)
Lunar Consortium
Presented here are variety of data selected from a collection of data commonly referred to as the Lunar Consortium Data. This pre-Clementine data set consists of products derived from Apollo, Lunar Orbiter, Galileo, and Zond 8 missions. Select data collected from Earth-based observations are also included as part of this collection.
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SP Recession
TES Observations of the South Pole
T.N. Titus (Oak Ridge Associated Universities), H.H. Kieffer, K.F. Mullins (U.S. Geological Survey)
he recession of the south polar cap has been observed telescopically and from spacecraft in both the visible and thermal regions. Although a simple cap-edge versus time plot has commonly been used, without regard as to...
Paradox Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Paradox Basin Province of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona 5021:
- 2011 Conventional and Continuous Assessment (Fact Sheet 2012-3031)
- 1995 Assessment ( ...
SP Cryptic Region
Kieffer, H.H., Titus, T.N., Mullins, K.F., Becker, K., Johnson, J., Christensen, P.
The early part of the Mars Global Surveyor mission provided good TES coverage of the Mars south polar region.
Eastern Great Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
The U.S. Geological Survey completed the following assessments of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Eastern Great Basin Province of eastern Nevada, western Utah, southeastern Idaho, and northwestern Arizona 5019:
- 2019 Continuous Assessment of Oil and Gas in Mississippian Delle Phosphatic Member (FS 2019-3062 ...
South Pole
Jets on Mars
Nature, August 2006. CO2 Jets on Mars: Scientists have now found a better explanation for the dark spots and fans found on the south polar region of Mars. These spots, which can cover tens of square kilometers, are visible in the cryptic region. Originally, it was suggested that the spots were soil, exposed after early defrosting...
All About Ice
Why Study Ice on Mars?
On Earth, there’s a plethora of variables driving environmental change, from natural processes to the activities of humans. While Mars is most similar to Earth of all the known extraterrestrial worlds, its climate is still extremely different from our watery abode. The recent discovery of ice on the red planet’s surface has given us a new climate driver to study....
Instruments, Data, and Software
Instruments, Data, and Software
Consortium Meetings
Consortium Meetings
Consortium hosted meetings will be listed below. If you would like to attend any of these meetings, please be sure to register. Should your plans change after you register, you may simply reregister with your changes detailed appropriately.
Please follow these links to view summaries of past consortium hosted workshops.
North Pole
North Pole News
Downloadable Data for Paradox Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Paradox Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers
This is the home page for ISIS, a digital image processing software package. The focus of the software is to manipulate imagery collected by current and past NASA and International planetary missions sent throughout our Solar System.
Astropedia Product Search
Search Astropedia for Products.
Map Projection On the Web
While some instrument teams provide science-ready versions of their data, many other archives must first be processed by the individual researcher. POW provides users with calibrated cartographic images that can be used for geologic mapping, analysis in a Geographic Image System (GIS), change detection, merging of dissimilar instrument images, and use in a host of other scientific applications...
Map a Planet
Welcome to the new Map-A-Planet
MAP (v2) allows users to select global image mosaics for download, or with an account, one can also request the mosaic be map projected, clipped to extents, run pre-defined algebra functions against multi-band mosaics, and/or then convert it to the user’s desired file format. Quickly browse ...
2015: The Year of the Dwarf Planets
Interactive web app that takes you through the history of Dwarf Planets in our Solar System from the 1700's to 2015.
Lung Bioassay of Ground Dwelling Mammals from the Grand Canyon Uranium Breccia Pipe Region Using Scanning Electron Microscopy
Small mammal lung tissue sections were examined to help assess the effects of weathering on bioavailability and toxicity from sites in different phases of the mine cycle within the Grand Canyon area. Hematoxylin and eosin slides of lung tissue from brush mouse, deer mice, and pocket gophers were examined by a veterinary pathologist who marked areas of the tissue that showed normal, inflamm...
Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature
Planetary nomenclature, like terrestrial nomenclature, is used to uniquely identify a feature on the surface of a planet or satellite so that the feature can be easily located, described, and discussed. This gazetteer contains detailed information about all names of topographic and albedo features on planets and satellites (and some planetary ring and ring-gap systems) that the ...
Planetary Image Locator Tool (PILOT)
PILOT (Planetary Image Locator Tool) is an online data portal used by planetary scientists and cartographers to search through the raw archives of the PDS Cartography and Imaging Science Node. It searches through a large catalog of visual, infrared and...
USGS Domestic Continuous (Unconventional) Oil & Gas Assessments, 2000-Present
Interactively explore assessment summary information for continuous (unconventional) assessments conducted at the USGS from 2000-2018. The assessment results data used to generate this visualization can be downloaded here in Excel Format. These data represent all assessment results...
Land Treatment Exploration Tool
The Land Treatment Exploration Tool is designed for resource managers to use when planning land treatments. The tool provides useful summaries of environmental characteristics of planned treatment areas and facilitates adaptive management practices by comparing those characteristics to other similar treatments within a specified distance or area of interest. ...
USGS Surface-water data for Arizona (NWIS-Web)
Access to current conditions, historical observations, daily data, statistics, peak-flow data, and field measurements for streamflow gaging stations in Arizona.
Lunar Orbiter Lunar Control Network 2004
The USGS worked to digitize and restore a global set of Lunar Orbiter images and to assemble this into a global digital Lunar Orbiter mosaic of the Moon. A separate Lunar Orbiter Control network is being created as part of this work. For additional information, see the Lunar Orbiter Digitization Project [Gaddis et al., 2001a, 2001b, 2003; Becker...
This gallery features several digitized photographs from Apollo Mission explorations of the lunar surface. Anaglyph or 3D images require red-blue or red-green 3D glasses. The imagery and maps were prepared as part of a project by a USGS team under funding from the USGS Technology Transfer Program and NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. Dr. Christopher D. Condit...
The following products were the first step of cartography planning in support of the Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturian System. Five of Saturans moons are linked below in a standard cartographic format. This includes mapping information such as latitude and longitude ranges, image resolutions and projection information. The data included in these maps was collected by both...
The following 360° panoramas were created using digitized photographs collected by the astronauts during the Apollo 11 - 17 lunar exploration missions. The imagery and maps were prepared as part of a project by a USGS team under funding from the USGS Technology Transfer Program and NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. Dr. Christopher D. Condit (U. Massachusetts) and Mr. Richard...
This global map of Callisto utilizes the best image quality and moderate resolution coverage supplied by Galileo SSI (Solid State Imaging instrument) and Voyager 1 and 2. The image processing was performed at USGS using the Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS) system. The image data was selected on the basis of overall image quality, reasonable input resolution, and ...
This global map base of Ganymede utilizes the best image quality and moderate resolution coverage supplied by Galileo SSI (Solid State Imaging instrument) and Voyager 1 and 2. The image processing was performed at USGS using the Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS) system. The image data was selected on the basis of overall image quality, reasonable input resolution...
This basemap of Jupiter’s moon Io was produced by combining the best images from both the Voyager 1 and Galileo Missions. Although the subjovian hemisphere of Io was poorly seen by Galileo, superbly detailed Voyager 1 images cover longitudes from 240?W to 40?W and the nearby southern latitudes. A monochrome mosaic of the highest resolution images from both Galileo and Voyager 1 was assembled...
This global map base of Europa utilizes the best image quality and moderate resolution coverage supplied by Galileo SSI (Solid State Imaging instrument) and Voyager 1 and 2. The image processing was performed here at USGS using the Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS) system. The image data was selected on the basis of overall image quality, reasonable input resolution...
This page features several maps showing routes the astronauts took during extravehicular activities (EVAs). The imagery and maps were prepared as part of a project by a USGS team under funding from the USGS Technology Transfer Program and NASA's Planetary Geology and Geophysics Program. Dr. Christopher D. Condit (U. Massachusetts) and Mr. Richard Kozak provided scientific and technical...
Download, print, and make your own planetary globes! The number, size, and placement of text annotations were chosen to provide a general orientation of prominent features on a 12-inch globe. Features are labeled with names approved by the International Astronomical Union. A specialized program was used to create the "flower petal" appearance of the photomosaic; the areas of each petal from 0 ...
Meteor Crater is a 180 m deep, 1.2 km diameter bowl-shaped impact crater in Northern Arizona, and has long been a terrestrial analog site for planetary exploration. During the 1960’s, Eugene Shoemaker trained NASA astronauts at the crater to prepare for the Apollo missions to the Moon. The Meteor Crater Sample Collection consists of geologic samples from the Meteor Crater ejecta blanket.
The goals for this website are to catalog completed geologic maps and to help track the progress of currently funded maps. If you would like to propose for a mapping investigation, check the appropriate planetary body in the map index or refer to the various mapping pages (linked under Maps above) to see which geologic maps may have already been published or are currently in progress.
A spatial model of potential jaguar habitat in Arizona
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is an endangered species that occasionally visits the southwestern United States from Mexico. The number of jaguar sightings per decade has declined over the last 100 years in Arizona, USA, raising conservation concerns for the species at a local and national level. In 1997, state, federal, and local governments with...
Hatten, J.R.; Averill-Murray, A.; van Pelt, W.E.
Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona, 2002-03
The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400-square-mile area of Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in this area because of continued industrial and municipal use, a growing population, and precipitation of about 6 to 14 inches per year. The monitoring program in the Black Mesa area has...
Truini, Margot; Thomas, Blakemore E. Hydrogeology of the D aquifer and movement and ages of ground water determined from geochemical and isotopic analyses, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona
The Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe in the Black Mesa area depend on ground water from sandstones of the N aquifer for domestic, agricultural, municipal, and industrial needs. They are concerned that pumping of water from the N aquifer will induce leakage from the overlying D aquifer, resulting in the degradation of water quality in the N aquifer...
Truini, Margot; Longsworth, Steve A. Variations in sand storage measured at monumented cross sections in the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lava Falls Rapid, northern Arizona, 1992-99
Bed elevations were measured at 131 monumented cross sections in the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lava Falls Rapid from June 1992 to September 1999 to provide data on channel sand storage. This report documents the location of the 131 monumented cross sections, dates of measurements for all cross sections, methods of data collection...
Flynn, Marilyn E.; Hornewer, Nancy J. A multiscaled model of southwestern willow flycatcher breeding habitat
The southwestern willow flycatcher (SWFL; Empidonax traillii extimus) is an endangered songbird whose habitat has declined dramatically over the last century. Understanding habitat selection patterns and the ability to identify potential breeding areas for the SWFL is crucial to the management and conservation of this species. We developed a...
Hatten, J.R.; Paradzick, C.E. Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa Area, northeastern Arizona: 2000-2001, and performance and sensitivity of the 1988 USGS numerical model of the N aquifer
The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400-square-mile area of Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in this area because of continued industrial and municipal use, a growing population, and precipitation of about 6 to 14 inches per year. The monitoring program in Black Mesa has been...
Thomas, Blakemore E. Ground-water, surface-water and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona: 2001-02
The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400-square-mile area of Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in this area because of continued industrial and municipal use, a growing population, and precipitation of about 6 to 14 inches per year. The monitoring program in the Black Mesa area has...
Thomas, Blakemore E. Generalized hydrogeology and ground-water budget for the C Aquifer, Little Colorado River Basin and parts of the Verde and Salt River Basins, Arizona and New Mexico
The C aquifer underlies the Little Colorado River Basin and parts of the Verde and Salt River Basins and is named for the primary water-bearing rock unit of the aquifer, the Coconino Sandstone. The areal extent of this aquifer is more than 27,000 square miles. More than 1,000 well and spring sites were identified in the U.S. Geological Survey...
Hart, Robert J.; Ward, John J.; Bills, Donald J.; Flynn, Marilyn E. Hydrologic conditions in the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge and Planet Valley, Arizona, 2000
During a period of sustained base-flow conditions in the Bill Williams River below Alamo Dam in west central Arizona from March to July 2000, the channel of the river through Planet Valley was dry, and the water table sloped almost due west parallel to the main slope of the flood plain. Water from the river infiltrated into the channel bottom at...
Wilson, Richard P.; Owen-Joyce, Sandra J. Statistical summary of selected physical, chemical, and toxicity characteristics and estimates of annual constituent loads in urban stormwater, Maricopa County, Arizona
Stormwater and streamflow in Maricopa County were monitored to (1) describe the physical, chemical, and toxicity characteristics of stormwater from areas having different land uses, (2) describe the physical, chemical, and toxicity characteristics of streamflow from areas that receive urban stormwater, and (3) estimate constituent loads in...
Fossum, Kenneth D.; O'Day, Christie M.; Wilson, Barbara J.; Monical, Jim E. Ground-water quality in the upper Santa Cruz Basin, Arizona, 1998
Fifty-eight ground-water samples were collected and analyzed in 1998 by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality to assess ground-water quality and to identify factors affecting ground-water quality in the Upper Santa Cruz Basin. In addition, pre-existing groundwater quality data for six wells were analyzed to...
Coes, Alissa; Gellenbeck, Dorinda J.; Towne, Douglas C.; Freark, Maureen C. Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, Northeastern Arizona: 1999
The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400-square-mile area of Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in this area because of continued industrial and municipal use, a growing population, and a precipitation of only about 6 to 12 inches per year. The monitoring program in Black Mesa has been...
Thomas, Blakemore E.; Truini, Margot
USA National Phenology Network — Partner to Advance Science Decisions
Phenology – the timing of life cycle events in plants and animals and their relationship to climate - is a key component of life on earth. This video introduces the USA National Phenology Network (www.usanpn.org) - a USGS funded, national network that exists to collect, store, and share information about phenology. Scientists, managers,
Powell150 1869-2019: John Wesley Powell's Legacy of USGS Exploration
In 2019, the USGS Youth & Education in Science (YES) team marked the 150th anniversary of the first John Wesley Powell expedition down ~1000 miles of the Green & Colorado rivers with a national-scale educational project known as "Powell150." Educational resources about the science along the rivers and a social media campaign around the theme of exploration were
Image of the Week - Moon Craters in Arizona
Before landing on the surface of the moon in 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin needed a training ground that matched their destination's cratered surface.
In the U.S., that turned out to be northern Arizona. Starting in 1967, the U.S. Geological Survey used hundreds of pounds of dynamite to blast holes into the surface of ancient lava fields south of
GCMRC sediment monitoring application landing page
Image screen shot of GCMRC sediment monitoring application
A partnership to protect critical infrastructure
This video is an introduction to the partnership between the USGS Arizona Water Science Center and the Arizona Department of Transportation, or ADOT, as it is referred to throughout the video. These two agencies are working together, using cutting edge technology and methods, to understand how flood flows interact with and impact critical infrastructure. These data will
A partnership to protect critical infrastructure (Audio-Described)
This video is an introduction to the partnership between the USGS Arizona Water Science Center and the Arizona Department of Transportation, or ADOT, as it is referred to throughout the video. These two agencies are working together, using cutting edge technology and methods, to understand how flood flows interact with and impact critical infrastructure. These data will
National Oil and Gas Assessment Provinces
This is a graphic from the USGS National Oil and Gas Assessment Explorer application, which allows user to drill into 70 oil and gas assessment provinces throughout the United States.
Flooding at Vekol Wash, Arizona
Flooding at Vekol Wash today, south of Phoenix, following remnant rains from Hurricane Rosa.
Remote Camera, 30-mile Camp (River MIe 30.7)
Remote Camera, 30-mile Camp (River MIe 30.7)
A USGS guide for finding and interpreting high-water marks (AD)
High-water marks provide valuable data for understanding recent and historical flood events. The proper collection and recording of high-water mark data from perishable and preserved evidence informs flood assessments, research, and water resource management. This video provides guidance for skilled high-water mark identification, including marks left behind in natural and
David Scott and James Irwin in the Lunar Roving Vehicle "Grover"
In preperation for Apollo 15, David Scott and James Irwin trained with a training version of the Lunar Rover known as the "Grover". Apollo 15 was the first mission to bring a rover. This allowed the astronauts to cover a larger distance and explore a larger area.
RestoreNet garden testing seedling establishment.
The RestoreNet gardens test seedlings of priority restoration species across the Southwest. This is a recently installed garden located in the juniper woodlands of the Colorado Plateau. The experiemental network will support land managers by providing insight into various restoration techniques, including testing seedlings vs seeds.
Develop a new bathymetry map of Lake Powell, UT-AZ, and characterize shallow sediment deposition near the mouths of the San Juan and Colorado Rivers. Bathymetric data, acoustic backscatter imagery, and limited CHIRP sub-bottom data were collected by the USGS Utah Water Science Center (UTWSC) and Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (WHCMSC) within Lake Powell, October - November, 2017.
Dark features previously proposed as evidence for significant liquid water flowing on Mars have now been identified as granular flows, where sand and dust move rather than liquid water, according to a new article published in Nature Geoscience by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Future high temperature extremes and soil moisture conditions may cause some regions to become more suitable for rainfed, or non-irrigated, agriculture, while causing other areas to lose suitable farmland, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.
Levels of a potential human carcinogen, 1,4-dioxane, have mostly declined in wells in the commercial and residential areas of the Tucson International Airport Area Superfund Site during 2002-2017, according to a new map published by the U.S. Geological Survey.
A growing number of wildfire-burned areas throughout the western United States are expected to increase soil erosion rates within watersheds, causing more sediment to be present in downstream rivers and reservoirs, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.
An examination of long-term data for lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management finds that land treatments in the southwestern United States are increasingly large, expensive and related to fire and invasive species control.
A carbonatite here, a glacial moraine there, a zig-zagging fault or two, even a behemoth of a batholith. The geology of the 50 States is an enormous patchwork of varied forms, beautiful in their variance but challenging to present as a single map.
Billions of dollars and a decade worth of research are on the line in the instant that a spacecraft touches down on Mars. When deciding where to land on the planet’s rocky surface, it is essential to analyze potential landing sites and their surface characteristics.
An extremely rare Mojave River western pond turtle was recently observed by U.S. Geological Survey 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.
A new set of high-resolution geologic maps reveal complex geologic processes that suggest a dynamic, wet environment once existed on early Mars, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
How a wind energy facility is designed can influence the behavior of animal predators and their prey, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Wildlife Management by researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
In 2016, these five states led the pack in mineral production, accounting for about one third of the total mineral production value for the entire country.
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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, Tempe Office
Phone: (480) 736-1093
Fax: (480) 736-1356
Arizona Water Science Center, Yuma Office
Phone: (928) 782-6024
Fax: (928) 782-0268