Unified Interior Regions
California
States L2 Landing Page Tabs
Pajaro Valley Hydrologic Model Update, Data Collection, and Analysis for Sustainability
The Pajaro Valley is home to a billion-dollar agricultural industry, providing food and food processing services for the nation. The water for these enterprises is supplied, in large part, by the groundwater resources (aquifers) in the area. The Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PV Water) and the USGS have partnered to improve aquifer monitoring software, allowing better quantification...
2017 Pacific Winter Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the 2017 Pacific Winter Floods caused by widespread rains across California and western Nevada.
December 2014 Pacific Coast Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the December 2014 Pacific Coast floods, which included flash floods, heavy snows, high winds, and mudslides throughout Oregon, Washington, and California.
Using the Basin Characterization Model (BCM) to Estimate Natural Recharge in Indian Wells Valley, California
Located in the northern Mojave Desert, the Indian Wells Valley has an arid environment, receiving only 4-6 inches of precipitation annually. Like most desert areas, Indian Wells Valley communities rely mostly on groundwater for their available groundwater supply. Increases in urban and agricultural development have resulted in increased groundwater pumpage for public and agricultural use,...
Climate and Natural Resources Analysis and Planning for California's Northern Coast
The North Coast Resource Partnership (NCRP) is an innovative, stakeholder-driven collaboration among local government, Tribes, watershed groups, and interested partners in the North Coast region of California. The North Coast comprises seven counties, Tribal lands, major watersheds, and a planning area of 19,390 square miles representing 12% of California's landscape. The NCRP integrates long-...
Climate Ready Vulnerability Assessment
To create a framework for adapting to climate change, decision makers need to understand specific threats to our water supply, land use suitability, hazard risks, ecosystems and quality of life. A vulnerability assessment that defines the projected degree to which an ecosystem, landscape, or watershed is vulnerable to change will help to create this framework. Presently those who are open to...
Cuyama Valley Water Availability Study
Currently, groundwater is the only source for domestic, agricultural and municipal water use in the Cuyama Valley groundwater basin in Santa Barbara County, California. Groundwater withdrawals, mainly to irrigate agricultural crops, have resulted in water-level declines of as much as 300 feet in the area since the 1940s. To plan for sustainable future use of the groundwater, the U.S....
Coping with Drought in the Russian River Watershed
Drought in the Russian River region is keyed to the absence of large winter storms-the RR is winter rain-driven, with a few atmospheric river (AR) storms each year bringing 40-50% of the annual rainfall. Two multi-purpose reservoirs provide storage for warm-season uses, and there is little to no snow pack to extend the runoff season. The same ARs that provide beneficial water supply can also...
Borrego Valley Groundwater Conditions
Groundwater is effectively the sole source of water supply for Borrego Valley, California. By the mid-2000s, agriculture, recreation (predominantly golf courses), municipal uses, and the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park required about four times more water than is available through natural recharge. As a result, the U.S. Geological Survey began a cooperative study of the Borrego Valley with the...
Geophysical Infrastructure Study: Success Dam
A study site of the Geophysical Infrastructure Studies: Earthen Dams and Abandoned Mine Lands project.
California Streamgage Information
To help emergency managers and others protect life and property due to floods and other water-related hazards, the USGS delivers a continuous source of streamflow information. The U.S. Geological Survey has been measuring streamflow in the U.S. for over 120 years. We operate more...
California Flood Science
To help emergency managers and others protect life and property due to floods and other water-related hazards, the USGS delivers a continuous source of streamflow information. The USGS California Water Science Center maintains nearly 500 streamgages that collect...
This data contains geographic extents of projected coastal flooding, low-lying vulnerable areas, and maximum/minimum flood potential (flood uncertainty) associated with the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-ind
The U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Availability and Use Study Program (WAUSP) (https://water.usgs.gov/ogw/gwrp/activities/regional.html) supports quantitative assessments of groundwater availability in areas of critical importance. As part of a WAUSP study in the arid to semi-arid Northwest Volcanic Aquifer Study Area (NVASA), estimates of runoff and baseflow w
This data contains geographic extents of projected coastal flooding, low-lying vulnerable areas, and maximum/minimum flood potential (flood uncertainty) associated with the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-ind
The data include atmospheric-loading frequency response functions (table 1) and filtered detrended and reconstructed (trends restored) groundwater-levels (tables 2 to 4) computed for selected, parsed time series for three USGS monitoring wells [28A-25-1 (373904118570701); 28A-25-2 (373904118570702); and 14A-25-1 (373927118571701)], and the associated hourly res
This part of DS 781 presents data for the depth-to-transition map of the Point Sur to Point Arguello, California, region. The raster data file is included in the “DepthToTransition_PointSurToPointArguello.zip,” which is accessible from https://doi.org/10.5066/P97CZ0T7.
As part of the USGS's California State Waters Mapping Project, a 50-m grid of sediment thic
This data contains maximum model-derived significant wave height (in meters) for the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-induced coastal flooding and erosion for both current and future sea-level rise (SLR) scenar
This data contains model-derived total water levels (in meters) for the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-induced coastal flooding and erosion for both current and future sea-level rise (SLR) scenarios. Projecti
This data contains maximum depth of flooding (cm) in the region landward of the present-day shoreline for the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-induced coastal flooding and erosion for both current and future sea-le
This data set includes field data for fishes sampled using gill nets and otter trawls during daylight hours in and around Ryer Island, Suisun Bay, California. This data release includes all measured environmental parameters and fish taxa included in the analysis. For prior versions of the data contact Dennis Steinke at dsteinke@usgs.gov. First released 17 April 2019 Revised 12 June 2019,
This data contains geographic extents of projected coastal flooding, low-lying vulnerable areas, and maximum/minimum flood potential (flood uncertainty) associated with the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-ind
This data contains maximum model-derived ocean currents (in meters per second) for the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-induced coastal flooding and erosion for both current and future sea-level rise (SLR) scen
This data contains maximum model-derived ocean currents (in meters per second) for the sea-level rise (SLR) and storm condition indicated.
The Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) makes detailed predictions (meter-scale) over large geographic scales (100s of kilometers) of storm-induced coastal flooding and erosion for both current and future sea-level rise (SLR) scen
Annualized earthquake loss estimates for California and their sensitivity to site amplification
Input datasets for annualized earthquake loss (AEL) estimation for California were updated recently by the scientific community, and include the National Seismic Hazard Model (NSHM), site‐response model, and estimates of shear‐wave velocity. Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s loss estimation tool, Hazus, was updated to include...
Chen, Rui; Jaiswal, Kishor; Bausch, D; Seligson, H; Wills, C.J. Constraining the relative importance of raindrop- and flow-driven sediment transport mechanisms in postwildfire environments and implications for recovery time scales
Mountain watersheds recently burned by wildfire often experience greater amounts of runoff and increased rates of sediment transport relative to similar unburned areas. Given the sedimentation and debris flow threats caused by increases in erosion, more work is needed to better understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the observed...
McGuire, Luke; Kean, Jason W.; Staley, Dennis M.; Rengers, Francis K.; Wasklewicz, Thad A. Model simulations of flood and debris flow timing in steep catchments after wildfire
Debris flows are a typical hazard on steep slopes after wildfire, but unlike debris flows that mobilize from landslides, most post-wildfire debris flows are generated from water runoff. The majority of existing debris-flow modeling has focused on landslide-triggered debris flows. In this study we explore the potential for using process-based...
Rengers, Francis K.; McGuire, Luke; Kean, Jason W.; Staley, Dennis M.; Hobley, D.E.J
Preliminary results from exploratory sampling of wells for the California oil, gas, and groundwater program, 2014–15
Introduction In 2014 and 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) sampled water wells in the Los Angeles Basin and southern San Joaquin Valley, California, and oil wells in the San Joaquin Valley for analysis of multiple chemical, isotopic, and groundwater-age tracers. The purpose of this reconnaissance sampling...
McMahon, Peter B.; Kulongoski, Justin T.; Wright, Michael T.; Land, Michael T.; Landon, Matthew K.; Cozzarelli, Isabelle M.; Vengosh, Avner; Aiken, George R.
Relative distribution and abundance of fishes and crayfish in 2010 and 2014 prior to saltcedar (Tamarix ssp.) removal in the Amargosa River Canyon, southeastern California
The Amargosa River Canyon, located in the Mojave Desert of southeastern California, contains the longest perennial reach of the Amargosa River. Because of its diverse flora and fauna, it has been designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and a Wild and Scenic River by the Bureau of Land Management. A survey of fishes conducted in...
Hereford, Mark E. Evaluation of a floating fish guidance structure at a hydrodynamically complex river junction in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, California, USA
Survival of out-migrating juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River delta, California, USA, varies by migration route. Survival of salmonids that enter the interior and southern Delta can be as low as half that of salmonids that remain in the main-stem Sacramento River. Reducing entrainment into...
Romine, Jason G.; Perry, Russell W.; Pope, Adam C.; Stumpner, Paul; Liedtke, Theresa L.; Kumagai, Kevin K.; Reeves, Ryan L. Anadromous salmonids in the Delta: New science 2006–2016
As juvenile salmon enter the Sacramento–SanJoaquin River Delta (“the Delta”) they disperse among its complex channel network where they are subject to channel-specific processes that affect their rate of migration, vulnerability to predation, feeding success, growth rates, and ultimately, survival. In the decades before 2006...
Perry, Russell W.; Buchanan, Rebecca A.; Brandes, Patricia L.; Burau, Jon R.; Israel, Joshua A
Estimating juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) abundance from beach seine data collected in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and San Francisco Bay, California
Resource managers rely on abundance or density metrics derived from beach seine surveys to make vital decisions that affect fish population dynamics and assemblage structure. However, abundance and density metrics may be biased by imperfect capture and lack of geographic closure during sampling. Currently, there is considerable uncertainty about...
Perry, Russell W.; Kirsch, Joseph E.; Hendrix, A. Noble
Gravity and magnetic studies of the eastern Mojave Desert, California and Nevada
IntroductionFrom May 2011 to August 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected gravity data at more than 2,300 stations and physical property measurements on more than 640 rock samples from outcrops in the eastern Mojave Desert, California and Nevada. Gravity, magnetic, and physical-property data are used to study and locate regional...
Denton, Kevin M.; Ponce, David A.
Historical files from Federal Government mineral exploration-assistance programs, 1950 to 1974
The Defense Minerals Administration (DMA), Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA), and Office of Minerals Exploration (OME) mineral exploration programs were active over the period 1950–1974. Under these programs, the Federal Government contributed financial assistance in the exploration for certain strategic and critical minerals. The...
Frank, David G.
California State Waters Map Series—Monterey Canyon and vicinity, California
IntroductionIn 2007, the California Ocean Protection Council initiated the California Seafloor Mapping Program (CSMP), designed to create a comprehensive seafloor map of high-resolution bathymetry, marine benthic habitats, and geology within the 3-nautical-mile limit of California’s State Waters. The CSMP approach is to create highly detailed...
Dartnell, Peter; Cochran, Susan A.; Dartnell, Peter; Maier, Katherine L.; Erdey, Mercedes D.; Dieter, Bryan E.; Golden, Nadine E.; Johnson, Samuel Y.; Hartwell, Stephen R.; Cochrane, Guy R.; Ritchie, Andrew C.; Finlayson, David P.; Kvitek, Rikk G.; Sliter, Ray W.; Greene, H. Gary; Davenport, Clifton W.; Endris, Charles A.; Krigsman, Lisa M. A fault-based model for crustal deformation, fault slip-rates and off-fault strain rate in California
We invert Global Positioning System (GPS) velocity data to estimate fault slip rates in California using a fault‐based crustal deformation model with geologic constraints. The model assumes buried elastic dislocations across the region using Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast Version 3 (UCERF3) fault geometries. New GPS velocity and...
Zeng, Yuehua; Shen, Zheng-Kang
Northern end of rupture resulting from the M7.1 Searles Valley quake
Fault rupture crosses dirt road, with California Geologial Survey vehicles for scale. Displacement at this location is primarily normal (vertical). Photograph taken near the northern end of the rupture resulting from the M7.1 Searles Valley earthquake.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #1
USGS Geologists Beth Haddon and Josie Nevitt measure fault displacement along the principal rupture.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #2
USGS geologists Josie Nevitt and Beth Haddon make measurements of fault rupture.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #3
USGS Geophysicists Elizabeth Cochran and Nick VanDerElst install a seismometer on the base.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #4
USGS geodesist Todd Ericksen sets up GPS surveying equipment on July 5th.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #5
USGS geophysicist Ken Hudnut demonstrating Drop Cover and Hold Technique during the foreshock sequence to the M7.1 Searles Valley earthquake.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #6
Aerial view shot from Blackhawk helicopter overflight on July 6 of the zone of high surface displacement.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #7
USGS geologist Josie Nevitt and geodesist Todd Ericksen collect a sample from the fault zone of the main rupture.
Searles Valley Earthquake field photo #8
Truck scanning road offset on the base with USGS geologist Josie Nevitt walking along side.
Inspecting the Fault Scarp
Scientists from USGS & CGS and Navy escort, and a UCLA engineer from the GEER team, inspect ~12 +/- 3 foot high fault scarp with from 3 to 5 feet of right-lateral motion near the expected maximum slip locality along the primary tectonic rupture associated with the M 7.1 event.
Damage to Access Road from Searles Valley Earthquake
Fault scarp at offset access road site. Center line has been offset up and to the right as one looks across the fault towards the east.
USGS scientists produced an animated GIF in coordination with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) re-opening of State Highway 1 through Big Sur on July 18, 2018.
The Cosumnes River watershed has seasonal, non-point source hotspots for total mercury and methylmercury production, which discharge to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in north-central California. To reduce mercury loads to the Delta, researchers created open-water deep cells at the downstream end of wetlands.
USGS scientists combined a series of computer models to forecast cliff erosion along the Southern California coast.
Coastal cliffs from Santa Barbara to San Diego might crumble at more than twice the historical rate by the year 2100 as sea levels rise.
In a study led by the USGS, researchers developed a framework to infer inbreeding rates of Northern Spotted Owls when incomplete parentage information exists.
Masayuki Banno is spending a year-long sabbatical with the USGS.
Remotely-sensed data key to response in tracking danger in areas like Montecito
A recently-published study co-authored by two CalVO scientists brings attention to the role that lava dams played in shaping Lake Tahoe.
In a newly published study, U.S. Geological Survey scientists and their partners calculate possible alert times that earthquake early warning systems can provide people at different levels of ground motion from light to very strong shaking.
MEDIA ADVISORY
During the week of March 26, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey will begin four days of mapping selected beaches and the adjacent seafloor in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Results will be compared to surveys from last fall to highlight changes due to winter waves, and to sediment inputs from area streams.
In the future of wildlife tracking, sea otters have their own social network.
Early in his college career, U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Rufus Catchings became drawn to the mysteries that lie beneath the earth’s surface — and was determined to understand them.
Social Media
Locations
Southwest Regional Director's Office
Phone: (916) 278-9551
Fax: (916) 278-9566
Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center
Phone: 831-460-7401
Fax: 831-427-4748
California Water Science Center - Sacramento Projects Office
Phone: (916) 278-3000
Fax: (916) 278-3070
Western Ecological Research Center - Headquarters
Phone: (916) 278-9485
Fax: (916) 278-9475
Geology, Minerals, Energy and Geophysics Science Center
Phone: (650) 329-4881
Earthquake Science Center
Western Geographic Science Center - Main Office
California Water Science Center - San Diego Projects Office
Phone: 619-225-6100
Fax: 619-225-6101
Fort Collins Science Center
Phone: 970-226-9100
Fax: 970-226-9230
USGS California Volcano Observatory (CalVO package delivery)
askcalvo@usgs.gov
Phone: 650-329-5083
USGS Menlo Park Library
men_lib@usgs.gov
Phone: 650-329-5027
Fax: 650-329-5132