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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Information by Region-Arizona
GCMRC Online Maps
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center maintains an enterprise GIS platform built upon ESRI ArcGIS Server and Portal applications. This enterprise system allows for spatial data, maps and analytical tools to be served through online applications. The Geospatial Science and Technology project provides access to this content through different avenues. Online maps can be accessed...
GCMRC Data Releases
Data releases made available by GCMRC can be found here as they are published via the USGS Fundamental Science Practices (FSPs). Individual science product links will take users to the USGS ScienceBase website for each entry.
Click on Data and Tools Tab to see list of Data Releases.
Baerbel Lucchitta
Dr. Baerbel Lucchitta was one of the first women in the field of Astrogeology. She started her career by mapping the Moon and instructing the Apollo Astronauts. She worked extensively on the Valles Marineris canyons on Mars, is a vigorous protagonist of glacial flow and other ice-related features on Mars, and was awarded the Geological Society of America, Planetary Geology Division, G.K....
GCMRC Scientist & Staff Directory
Below is a list of GCMRC scientists and key project support staff with their contact information provided. Names and positions are linked to each individual's USGS staff profile page (where applicable), so click there to find out more about each person's background, research interests and science products. Clicking on email addresses will generate a new email message to that individual....
GCMRC Data and Tools
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center offers a collection of data resources and online tools -- including web maps, applications, and other content -- that convey scientific information related to on-going monitoring of the Colorado River. Some applications are a culmination of long-term monitoring work, while others are developed around more a specific set of information usually...
Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Projects
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center currently functions under a Triennial Work Plan (TWP) which is thoroughly reviewed and vetted both internally within the Center and through the GCDAMP Technical Work Group (TWG) and the Adaptive Management Work Group (AMWG). These advisory panels have been a part of the Glen Canyon Dam...
United States Assessments of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources
USGS Energy Resources Program provides periodic assessments of the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States and the World. This website provides access to new, prioritized, assessment results and supporting data for the United States, as part of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA).
Grover Photo Collection
The Apollo Lunar Roving Vehicle was an engineering marvel, but It would have collapsed on Earth under the weight of a suited astronaut. That's because it was designed to operate in lunar gravity, which pulls with about 15% as much force as Earth gravity. In the 1960s, engineers at the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Branch built a near-copy of the Apollo rover that could...
August-September 2014 Southwest Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the August-September 2014 Floods, caused by heavy rains followed by remnants of Hurricane Odile which brought major flooding to parts of Arizona.
September 2013 Southwest Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the September 2013 Southwest Floods that occurred when rains brought major flooding to parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
Tribal Land Vegetation and Watershed Modeling
San Carlos Apache Reservation covers 1.8 million acres in east-central Arizona, and has diverse ecosystems and vegetation types that support a natural resource-based economy.
Data for assessing the susceptibility of groundwater used for drinking water supply from selected principal aquifers of the Western United States, 2004-2018
Groundwater age distribution and susceptibility to natural and anthropogenic contaminants were assessed for selected principal aquifers of the Western United States: the Central Valley aquifer system (CVAL), the Basin and Range basin-fill aquifers (BNRF), the Rio Grande aquifer system (RIOG), the High Plains aquifer (HPAQ), the Columbia Plateau basaltic-rock aquifers (
Drainage basins and characteristics for selected streamgages within the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative domain
Streamflow and basin-characteristic data are needed for a variety of scientific applications including estimation of flow in ungaged basins and hydro-ecological classification of rivers. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation and the Southern Rockies Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SRLCC), selected a subset of streamgages across the SRLC
GCMRC GIS Base Map Viewer 2.0
The Geospatial team of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center maintains an enterprise GIS system built upon ESRI ArcGIS Server and Portal applications. This web application provides access to many of the most commonly used GIS layers and base data information used by GCMRC in support of on-going science projects.
Click here to launch the Base Map Viewer (2.0) in a separate...
GCMRC REST Services Page
The Geospatial team of Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center maintains an enterprise GIS system built upon ESRI ArcGIS Server and Portal applications. From this platform, geospatial content can be consumed in a variety of forms, from custom-built web applications to content hosted on ESRI's ArcGIS Online to direct access of web map services provided here on our REST services page.
Predicted Shorelines for High Flows on the Colorado River Application
This application highlights modeled flows of the Colorado River for a discharge of 41,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) that is approximate to recent (2012 - 2018) and future anticipated water releases associated with a High Flow Experiments conducted from Glen Canyon Dam near Page, Arizona. These data are to help visualize the water levels during High Flow Events in relation to other map...
Sandbar Monitoring Sites - Remote Camera Photographs Application
GCMRC and Northern Arizona University have engaged in long-term monitoring of 45 sandbar sites along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon for close to three decades. Remote cameras have been established to monitor sandbar changes in between site surveys that occur every Fall. This application provides access to thousands of photos, with an option to view photos around specific high flow...
Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL)
The Geospatial Data Abstraction Library is a translator library for raster geospatial data formats that is released under an X/MIT style Open Source license by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. As a library, it presents a single abstract data model for all supported formats. It also comes with a variety of useful...
Astro Web Maps
Our Web Mapping Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS) are based on Open Geospatial Consortium standards and allow capable mapping clients to view full-resolution planetary mosaicked Basemaps. Besides being available for community use, these services are critical for many of our others...
National Water Information System (NWIS) Mapper
The NWIS mapper provides access to over 1.5 million sites contained in the USGS National Water Information System (NWIS), including sites where current and historical surface-water, groundwater, springs, and atmospheric data has been collected. Users can search by site type, data type, site number, or place.
Surface Materials Data from Breccia-Pipe Uranium Mine and Reference Sites, Arizona, USA
This data release includes elemental analysis of soil samples collected at breccia-pipe uranium mines, at one undeveloped breccia-pipe uranium deposit, and at a reference site in northern Arizona. Samples were collected near the Arizona 1, Canyon, Kanab North, and Pinenut uranium mines, over the EZ2 breccia-pipe uranium deposit, and at the Little Robinson Tank reference site. Sampl
Downloadable Data for Northern Arizona Oil and Gas Assessments
GIS Data for Northern Arizona Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Oil and Gas Assessments
GIS Data for Southern Arizona-Southwestern New Mexico Oil and Gas Assessments
This product is a global thermal inertia mosaic of Mars generated from high-resolution Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) nighttime infrared images (Christensen et al., 2004; Fergason et al., 2006a) that allows the identification, assessment, and global correlation of martian surface materials. The higher spatial resolution of THEMIS data (100 m per pixel), relative to Thermal Emission...
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched "KAGUYA (SELENE)" to obtain scientific data of the lunar origin and evolution and to develop the technology for the future lunar exploration. With permission from JAXA, researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Astrogeology Science Center have compiled and are releasing multiple near-global mosaics derived from data acquired by the...
In 2003-2005, the USGS worked under the guidance of NASA's Mars Critical Data Products Initiative to conduct research on how controlled large area or global 2001 Mars Odyssey THEMIS IR image mosaics could be generated. The products listed here represent a sampling of the significant data files generated during that research.
The objective of this work is to assemble and cartographically control Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS; Christensen et al. 2004) daytime infrared (IR) and nighttime IR images. In a cartographically controlled mosaic, individual images are registered to one another so that all feature boundaries align. This intermediate mosaic (a “semi-controlled” mosaic) is then registered to a known...
The objective of this work is to assemble and cartographically control Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS; Christensen et al. 2004) daytime infrared (IR) and nighttime IR images. In a cartographically controlled mosaic, individual images are registered to one another so that all feature boundaries align. This intermediate mosaic (a “semi-controlled” mosaic) is then registered to a known...
The objective of this work is to assemble and cartographically control Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS; Christensen et al. 2004) daytime infrared (IR) and nighttime IR images. In a cartographically controlled mosaic, individual images are registered to one another so that all feature boundaries align. This intermediate mosaic (a “semi-controlled” mosaic) is then registered to a known...
USGS LMMP products will soon be available at the LMMP Portal. These include very large high resolution DTMs and orthomosaics of close to 50 key sites on the lunar surface, and high resolution controlled polar mosaics. These products constitute an important initial step in processing LRO datasets and should greatly facilitate the exploration and study of these significant lunar sites.
This global image map of Mars has a resolution of 256 pixels/degree (scale approximately 231 m/pixel at the equator). The black-and-white mosaic is processed to emphasize local topographic features. This mosaic, known as Mars Digital Image Model (MDIM) 2.1, replaces two earlier mosaics produced by the USGS from the same set of approximately 4600 Viking Orbiter images...
Distributed here are control network data for solar system bodies (planets, moons, and asteroids) other than the Earth. Each control network is essentially a set of photogrammetric or radargrammetric solution (input and output) files. The input files consist of, aside from a priori information, measurements of common points (control points, or sometimes tie points) on images of...
The U.S. Geological Survey has recently completed a final revised version of its 231 m/pixel global Viking image mosaic of Mars that has substantially improved geodetic accuracy compared to versions released in 1991 and 2001. This mosaic, known as MDIM 2.1, is currently available in the USGS ISIS file format and will be formatted and submitted to the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) in...
The main science objective of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is to explore and quantitatively assess the habitability and environmental history of a local region on the martian surface. This mission will use a variety of instruments carried on a rover platform that are designed to assess the biological potential, characterize the geology, investigate planetary processes that influence...
Photographic hardcopy scans of 1970 photographs captured by a Soyuz 7K-L1 unmanned spacecraft on the soviet Zond8 mission. This data along with data from Apollo, Lunar Orbiter and Galileo missions is part of a collection commonly referred to as the Lunar Consortium Data.
Hydrological, geological, and biological site characterization of breccia pipe uranium deposits in Northern Arizona
On July 21, 2009, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar proposed a two-year withdrawal of about 1 million acres of Federal land near the Grand Canyon from future mineral entry. These lands are contained in three parcels: two parcels on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land to the north of the Grand Canyon (North and East Segregation Areas) and...
Alpine, Andrea E.
Ground-Water, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona - 2006-07
The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400 square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use and the needs of a growing population. Precipitation in the Black Mesa area is typically about 6 to...
Truini, Margot; Macy, J.P. Use of Superposition Models to Simulate Possible Depletion of Colorado River Water by Ground-Water Withdrawal
According to the 'Law of the River', wells that draw water from the Colorado River by underground pumping need an entitlement for the diversion of water from the Colorado River. Consumptive use can occur through direct diversions of surface water, as well as through withdrawal of water from the river by underground pumping. To develop methods for...
Leake, Stanley A.; Greer, William; Watt, Dennis; Weghorst, Paul Dissolved solids in basin-fill aquifers and streams in the southwestern United States
The U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program performed a regional study in the Southwestern United States (Southwest) to describe the status and trends of dissolved solids in basin-fill aquifers and streams and to determine the natural and human factors that affect dissolved solids. Basin-fill aquifers, which include the...
Anning, David W.; Bauch, Nancy J.; Gerner, Steven J.; Flynn, Marilyn E.; Hamlin, Scott N.; Moore, Stephanie J.; Schaefer, Donald H.; Anderholm, Scott K.; Spangler, Lawrence E. Ground-Water, Surface-Water, and Water-Chemistry Data, Black Mesa Area, Northeastern Arizona-2005-06
The N aquifer is the major source of water in the 5,400 square-mile Black Mesa area in northeastern Arizona. Availability of water is an important issue in northeastern Arizona because of continued water requirements for industrial and municipal use and the needs of a growing population. Precipitation in the Black Mesa area averages about 6 to 14...
Truini, Margot; Macy, J.P.
Rapid estimation of recharge potential in ephemeral-stream channels using electromagnetic methods, and measurements of channel and vegetation characteristics
To classify recharge potential (RCP) in ephemeral-stream channels, a method was developed that incorporates information about channel geometry, vegetation characteristics, and bed-sediment apparent electrical conductivity (??a). Recharge potential is not independently measurable, but is instead formulated as a site-specific, qualitative parameter...
Callegary, J.B.; Leenhouts, J.M.; Paretti, N.V.; Jones, Christopher A. Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona--2004-05
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; Macy, J.P. Electrical resistance sensors record spring flow timing, Grand Canyon, Arizona
Springs along the south rim of the Grand Canyon, Arizona, are important ecological and cultural resources in Grand Canyon National Park and are discharge points for regional and local aquifers of the Coconino Plateau. This study evaluated the applicability of electrical resistance (ER) sensors for measuring diffuse, low-stage (<1.0 cm)...
Adams, E.A.; Monroe, S.A.; Springer, Abraham E.; Blasch, K.W.; Bills, D.J. Lithology and thickness of the Carmel Formation as related to leakage between the D and N aquifers, Black Mesa, Arizona
Truini, Margot; Macy, J.P. Geologic, hydrologic, and chemical data from the C aquifer near Leupp, Arizona
Hoffmann, J.P.; Bills, D.J.; Phillips, J.V.; Halford, K.J. Ground-water, surface-water, and water-chemistry data, Black Mesa area, northeastern Arizona--2003-04
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; Macy, Jamie P.; Porter, Thomas J. Water withdrawals for irrigation, municipal, mining, thermoelectric-power, and drainage uses in Arizona outside of active management areas, 1991-2000
Economic development in Arizona is largely influenced by access to adequate water supplies owing to the State's predominantly semiarid to arid climate. Water demand is met by pumping ground water from aquifers or by con-veying surface water through a system of reservoirs and canals. Water-withdrawal data provide important information on how water...
Tadayon, Saeid
Disturbed desert landscape with erosion
Disturbed desert landscape with erosion
distressed desert of the Sonoran Desert - carousal
distressed desert of the Sonoran Desert, carousal image
Field Crew Measuring Density of Grasses
Field crew measuring cover of Lehmann Lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana) and Boer Lovegrass (E. curvula var. conferta = E. chloromelas) in a desert grassland of southern Arizona.
Sonoran Desert of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
The Sonoran Desert of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge in Arizona.
Disturbed desert landscape
Disturbed desert landscape
Image of the Week - London Bridge in Arizona
London Bridge was indeed falling down. Set to be torn apart and replaced in the 1960s, this bridge across the River Thames was purchased by businessman Robert McCulloch in April 1968 and shipped across the Atlantic, to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, billed as the world's largest antique. USGS aerial photos show the location in 1969, and in 1972, before and after the bridge's
PubTalk 1/2020 — The Rise of the USGS in Space Exploration
The Rise of the USGS in Space Exploration: How the Astrogeology Science Center is integral to the past, present, and future investigation of the Solar System.
By Justin J. Hagerty, Director of the Astrogeology Science Center
- Every astronaut to set foot on the Moon trained with the USGS in
Collaborating on Climate Adaptation
RAMPS expands drought adaptation project with national parks in the 4-Corners area. National parks across the desert Southwest are experiencing ecological impacts due to climate change. Since late 2018, USGS RAMPS scientists have been working with Southeast Utah Group of national parks to better understand climate change impacts and build a suite of science-driven
...
Outstanding in the Field (Ep 5): Fish in the Grand Canyon
The USGS Ecosystems Mission Area brings you Outstanding in the Field, a series of stories about our science, our adventures, and our efforts to better understand our fish and wildlife and the ecosystems that support them. In this episode we describe some of the one-of-a-kind native fish species that call the Grand Canyon segment of the Colorado River home.
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,
Effects from the two July 2019 Ridgecrest, CA earthquakes were observed in several USGS continuous groundwater-level monitoring sites in California, Nevada, and Arizona.
The Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center currently has 11 active science projects as a part of its Triennial Work Plan (FY2018-2020) for work conducted as the science provider to the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program. New developments, recent publications and other current activities will be listed here. Check here to find out the latest information from the Center.
A new study shows that mysterious cycles in salinity in the lower Colorado River are a result of precipitation patterns in the headwaters of the upper basin more than a thousand river miles away. The salinity levels generally repeat about every 10 years.
Mercury concentrations within Lake Powell are highest in side canyons within the lower portion of the reservoir, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report. This finding is part of a study to better understand why mercury concentrations in striped bass are higher in the lower part of the reservoir.
Laura Norman's Aridland Water Harvesting Study helps lead a tour of a restoration and monitoring project at the Boy Scouts of America, Heard Scout Pueblo (HSP) in Phoenix, Arizona.
Adaptation and assessment practitioners gathered at the inaugural Southwest Adaptation Forum (SWAF) in October 2018, to identify shared challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities for future collaboration.
Reporters: RSVP to Visit Coring Site on Lake Powell
Reporters: Do you want to accompany a USGS field crew as they measure flooding? Please contact Jennifer LaVista or Jim Leenhouts
Clarifying Latitude and Longitude for Planets besides Earth
Note to Editors: In the public interest, and in accordance with FAA regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.
Salinity loads that originate from groundwater within the Upper Colorado River Basin have decreased from 1986-2011, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study done in cooperation with the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program.
About 70 percent of wild prairie dogs successfully ingested baits containing an oral sylvatic plague vaccine, or SPV, that were distributed throughout their habitats, according to a new 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, Tempe Office
Phone: (480) 736-1093
Fax: (480) 736-1356
Arizona Water Science Center, Yuma Office
Phone: (928) 782-6024
Fax: (928) 782-0268