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California
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Determination of Mercury Loads for Cache Creek Settling Basin Inflow and Outflows and Related Investigations
Mercury (Hg), a legacy pollutant from mining of mercury deposits in the Coast Ranges as well as gold deposits in the Sierra Nevada, has contaminated surface waters throughout northern . Methylmercury (MeHg) is an organic form of Hg that bioaccumulates in food webs to elevated concentrations that threaten ecological health and human health through consumption of sport fish.
Statistical Evaluation of Factors Affecting Occurrence of Organic Constituents from Fuels in Public-Supply Wells in Southern California
Biofuels, including ethanol, are expected to provide a greater contribution to the fuel supply in the United States. Research in the past decade has shown that ethanol in gasoline can cause plumes of benzene in groundwater to be larger than they would otherwise be.
Water-resources study of Fort Irwin National Training Center
The U.S. Army at Fort Irwin National Training Center (NTC) obtains all of its potable water supply from Irwin, Langford, and Bicycle Basins within the base boundaries. Groundwater pumping, since as early as 1941, has resulted in water-level declines in all of these basins and the disposal of treated wastewater in the Irwin Basin has resulted in elevated nitrate concentrations in some wells in...
San Joaquin-Sacramento Basin Rain Flood Duration Skew Study
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is conducting a hydrologic analysis of floodplain areas protected by the federal-state levee system within the San Joaquin-Sacramento drainage basins.
Modeling in support of development of biocriteria for wadeable California streams and rivers
The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) of California has initiated a process to develop biological objectives for wadeable freshwater streams and rivers for the entire state.
Ecology of selected tidal wetlands of the San Francisco Estuary, California
The CALFED Science Program funded a multi-party effort that worked from 2003-2005 to collect field data at six wetland sites spanning the estuarine salinity gradient from the western Delta to the North Bay. The project sought to address the question of how tidal marsh restoration efforts through the bay and delta affect ecosystem processes at different scales.
San Antonio Creek Water Availability
Located in Santa Barbara County, California, the San Antonio Creek Groundwater Basin is a rural agricultural area that is reliant on local water supplies, predominantly groundwater. Because of the growth of irrigated agriculture in the area, water demands have increased significantly, taxing local groundwater supplies. Groundwater resources are also used to supply local inhabitants, as well as...
Continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) Stations
Measurements of elevations, aquifer-system compaction, and water levels are used to improve our understanding of the processes responsible for land-surface elevation changes. Elevation or elevation-change measurements are fundamental to monitoring land subsidence, and have been measured by using continuous GPS (CGPS) measurements and campaign global positioning system (GPS) surveying. ...
Suspended-Solids Concentrations in San Francisco Bay, California
Suspended solids are an important component of San Francisco Bay, California (USA) because they transport adsorbed toxic substances, provide habitat for benthic organisms, limit light availability and photosynthesis, and deposit in ports and waterways which require dredging. The U.S. Geological Survey has established a network of eight sites in San Francisco Bay at which suspended-solids...
San Francisco Bay Wetlands Priority Ecosystem Studies
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's (USFWS) San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge manages wildlife at a number of salt ponds that the Cargill Corporation currently operates for salt production. A number of these ponds probably will be purchased by the USFWS. With acquisition, the USFWS will be responsible for maintenance or restoration of thousands of hectares of wetlands, an extremely...
Impact of Climate Change on Future Suitability of the Sierra Nevada for Wolverines
The endeavor to ensure a viable population of the threatened wolverine to the mountains of the requires the characterization of suitable habitat.
Sources of Fecal Indicator Bacteria and Nutrients to Malibu Lagoon and Near-Shore Ocean Water, Malibu, California
Malibu Lagoon and near-shore ocean water in Malibu, Calif. have concentrations of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) that occasionally exceed public health standards for recreational water.
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 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 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
Presented here is a point cloud collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) using a UAS-mounted camera system, covering the area of the Mud Creek landslide on California State Route 1 (SR1), Mud Creek, Big Sur, California. The point cloud is referenced to previously published lidar data and contains RGB information as well as XYZ. Point cloud coordinates are in NAD83 UTM Zone 1
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
Whole-rock and calcite geochemical data are reported for twelve carbonatite samples collected from the Bear Lodge alkaline complex, Wyoming and from the Mountain Pass mine, California. Calcite geochemical data was collected using electron microprobe and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses. Reported whole-rock data was measured by inductively co
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 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
Presented here is a point cloud collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) using a UAS-mounted camera system, covering the area of the Mud Creek landslide on California State Route 1 (SR1), Mud Creek, Big Sur, California. Point cloud is referenced to previously published lidar data and contains RGB information as well as XYZ. Point cloud coordinates are in NAD83 UTM Zone 10 me
Presented here is a point cloud collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) using an oblique plane-mounted camera system, covering the area of the Mud Creek landslide on California State Route 1 (SR1), Mud Creek, Big Sur, California. The point cloud is referenced to previously published lidar data and contains RGB information as well as XYZ. Point cloud coordinates are in NAD83
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
High concentrations of uranium were detected in samples from wells used for domestic drinking water supplies in the San Joaquin Valley. Of 163 domestic wells sampled by the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program Priority Basin Project (GAMA-PBP) and the National Water Quality Program (NWQP) in 2008-2015, 26 percent had uranium concentrations greater than the U.S. Environ
Quantitative rock-fall hazard and risk assessment for Yosemite Valley, Yosemite National Park, California
Rock falls are common in Yosemite Valley, California, posing substantial hazard and risk to the approximately four million annual visitors to Yosemite National Park. Rock falls in Yosemite Valley over the past few decades have damaged structures and caused injuries within developed regions located on or adjacent to talus slopes highlighting the...
Stock, Greg M.; Luco, Nicolas; Collins, Brian D.; Harp, Edwin L.; Reichenbach, Paola; Frankel, Kurt L.
Sediment concentrations, flow conditions, and downstream evolution of two turbidity currents, Monterey Canyon, USA
The capacity of turbidity currents to carry sand and coarser sediment from shallow to deep regions in the submarine environment has attracted the attention of researchers from different disciplines. Yet not only are field measurements of oceanic turbidity currents a rare achievement, but also the data that have been collected consist mostly of...
Xu, Jingping; Octavio E. Sequeiros; Noble, Marlene A. Characterizing the primary material sources and dominant erosional processes for post-fire debris-flow initiation in a headwater basin using multi-temporal terrestrial laser scanning data
Wildfire dramatically alters the hydrologic response of a watershed such that even modest rainstorms can produce hazardous debris flows. Relative to shallow landslides, the primary sources of material and dominant erosional processes that contribute to post-fire debris-flow initiation are poorly constrained. Improving our understanding of how and...
Staley, Dennis M.; Waslewicz, Thad A.; Kean, Jason W.
Logs and data from trenches across the Berryessa Fault at the Jerd Creek site, northeastern Napa County, California, 2011-2012
The primary purpose of this report is to provide drafted field logs of exploratory trenches excavated across the Berryessa Fault section of the northern Green Valley Fault (Lienkaemper, 2012; Lienkaemper and others, 2013) in 2011 and 2012 that show evidence for at least one surface-rupturing earthquake in the past few centuries. The site location...
Lienkaemper, James J.; Rosa, Carla M.; Cappelle, Ian J.; Wolf, Evan M.; Knepprath, Nichole E.; Piety, Lucille A.; Derouin, Sarah A.; Reidy, Liam M.; Redwine, Joanna L.; Sickler, Robert R.
Emergency assessment of post-fire debris-flow hazards for the 2013 Springs Fire, Ventura County, California
Wildfire can significantly alter the hydrologic response of a watershed to the extent that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. In this report, empirical models are used to predict the probability and magnitude of debris-flow occurrence in response to a 10-year rainstorm for the 2013 Springs fire in Ventura...
Staley, Dennis M. Latest Quaternary paleoseismology and evidence of distributed dextral shear along the Mohawk Valley fault zone, northern Walker Lane, California
The dextral-slip Mohawk Valley fault zone (MVFZ) strikes northwestward along the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada in the northern Walker Lane. Geodetic block modeling indicates that the MVFZ may accommodate ~3 mm/yr of regional dextral strain, implying that it is the highest slip-rate strike-slip fault in the region; however, only limited...
Gold, Ryan D.; Briggs, Richard W.; Personius, Stephen; Crone, Anthony J.; Mahan, Shannon A.; Angster, Stephen Triggered aseismic slip adjacent to the 6 February 2013 Mw 8.0 Santa Cruz Islands megathrust earthquake
Aseismic or slow slip events have been observed in many subduction zones, but whether they affect the occurrence of earthquakes or result from stress changes caused by nearby events is unclear. In an area lacking direct geodetic observations, inferences can be made from seismological studies of co-seismic slip, associated stress changes and the...
Hayes, Gavin P.; Furlong, Kevin P.; Benz, Harley M.; Herman, Matthew W.
Monitoring of adult Lost River and shortnose suckers in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, 2008–2010
Executive Summary In collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey began a consistent monitoring program for endangered Lost River suckers (Deltistes luxatus) and shortnose suckers (Chasmistes brevirostris) in Clear Lake Reservoir, California, in the fall of 2004. The program was intended to develop a more complete...
Hewitt, David A.; Hayes, Brian S.
Borehole-explosion and air-gun data acquired in the 2011 Salton Seismic Imaging Project (SSIP), southern California: description of the survey
The Imperial and Coachella Valleys are being formed by active plate-tectonic processes. From the Imperial Valley southward into the Gulf of California, plate motions are rifting the continent apart. In the Coachella Valley, the plates are sliding past one another along the San Andreas and related faults (fig. 1). These processes build the stunning...
Rose, Elizabeth J.; Fuis, Gary S.; Stock, Joann M.; Hole, John A.; Kell, Annie M.; Kent, Graham; Driscoll, Neal W.; Goldman, Mark; Reusch, Angela M.; Han, Liang; Sickler, Robert R.; Catchings, Rufus D.; Rymer, Michael J.; Criley, Coyn J.; Scheirer, Daniel S.; Skinner, Steven M.; Slayday-Criley, Coye J.; Murphy, Janice M.; Jensen, Edward G.; McClearn, Robert; Ferguson, Alex J.; Butcher, Lesley A.; Gardner, Max A.; Emmons, Iain D.; Loughran, Caleb L.; Svitek, Joseph R.; Bastien, Patrick C.; Cotton, Joseph A.; Croker, David S.; Harding, Alistair J.; Babcock, Jeffrey M.; Harder, Steven H.; Rosa, Carla M.
Emergency assessment of post-fire debris-flow hazards for the 2013 Rim Fire, Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park, California
Wildfire can significantly alter the hydrologic response of a watershed to the extent that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. In this report, empirical models are used to predict the probability and magnitude of debris-flow occurrence in response to a 10-year rainstorm for the 2013 Rim fire in Yosemite...
Staley, Dennis M.
Emergency assessment of post-fire debris-flow hazards for the 2013 Powerhouse fire, southern California
Wildfire dramatically alters the hydrologic response of a watershed such that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. Existing empirical models were used to predict the probability and magnitude of debris-flow occurrence in response to a 10-year recurrence interval rainstorm for the 2013 Powerhouse fire near...
Staley, Dennis M.; Smoczyk, Gregory M.; Reeves, Ryan R.
Emergency assessment of post-fire debris-flow hazards for the 2013 Mountain fire, southern California
Wildfire dramatically alters the hydrologic response of a watershed such that even modest rainstorms can produce dangerous flash floods and debris flows. We use empirical models to predict the probability and magnitude of debris flow occurrence in response to a 10-year rainstorm for the 2013 Mountain fire near Palm Springs, California. Overall,...
Staley, Dennis M.; Gartner, Joseph E.; Smoczyk, Greg M.; Reeves, Ryan R.
Surface Rupture from Fault
On July 4, 2019, a Magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Searles Valley, CA. This photo provides likely evidence that the fault that hosted the earthquake ruptured to the ground surface.
Mt. Diablo as seen from Twitchell Island
Mt. Diablo as seen from Twitchell Island
Close-up of a wetland, showing multiple sources of DOM
Close-up of a wetland, showing multiple sources of DOM
Vegetation Growth at a Once-Flooded Santa Ynez River
Vegetation grows abundantly on a once-flooded region of the Santa Ynez River. Located 5 ft adjacent from this picture is the actual flowing region of the stream. It is impressive to see the abrupt change in vegetation near stream environments. Golden grasses, brick red brush, blue sky, and rocks coated white from sun-dried/sun-bleached algae where water used to sustain
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PubTalk 06/2019 — USGS Fire Science
Title: USGS Fire Science: Understanding why wildlands burn and what can be done about it
- Wildfires are expensive, dangerous, and have massive impacts on people and ecosystems, yet ecosystems evolved with wildland fire.
- USGS fire scientists help understand what factors affect wildland fire occurrence, intensity, spread, and effects.
- What can
California Aqueduct, San Joaquin Valley
The California Aqueduct flowing near Huron, CA in the San Joaquin Valley. This spot is near one of several USGS land subsidence monitoring stations in the San Joaquin Valley. Land subsidence has reduced the conveyance capacity of the Aqueduct and other water
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Measuring Stream Discharge with Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler
The USGS maintains and monitors hundreds of streamgages across California, as well as across the Nation. Nearly all data collected by the USGS is made public and most in near real-time. Cities can use the data for flood mitigation and water supply. Understanding the amount of water flowing in the watersheds all across America is essential to everything we do, as water is
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Wildfire history in the mud
Marine geochemist Renee Takesue collects a sample of exposed mud in a marsh near Sonoma Creek, California. She will look here and in nearby San Pablo Bay for chemicals from the 2017 Nuns Wildfire that can harm wildlife. The stormy winter of 2018 may have transported these contaminants from the Sonoma Creek watershed into San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This
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Samples being analyzed on the Aqualog spectrometer
Samples being analyzed in a sealed quartz cuvette on the Aqualog spectrophotometer
Sediment Cores Reveal the History of the Pacific Ocean
USGS scientist Summer Praetorius collects samples from an ocean sediment core in the Pacific Ocean Paleoclimatology Lab at Menlo Park, CA. The sediment core is from Tanner Basin, located about 200 miles due west of San Diego in the eastern Pacific Ocean. This area is the southern-most extension of the California Current upwelling system, which brings cold nutrient-rich
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Barnstead e-pure organic free water filtration system in Trace Metals
Barnstead e-pure organic free water filtration system in Trace Metals Lab
USGS scientists analyzing before-and-after air photos have calculated the size of the May 20 landslide on California’s Big Sur coast, about 140 miles south of San Francisco.
USGS is collecting and analyzing air photos to help monitor a huge landslide that occurred May 20 on California’s Big Sur coast.
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.
Members of the news media are invited to attend the next Earthquake Country Alliance - Bay Area Regional Workshop to be held at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park on May 23. ECA workshops are educational and informational opportunities to learn more about the latest in earthquake science, preparedness, and mitigation, as well as to arrange interviews with subject matter experts.
Early on the morning of August 24, 2014, Loren Turner was awoken by clattering window blinds, a moving bed, and the sound of water splashing out of his backyard pool. He experienced what is now named the “South Napa Earthquake.”
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.
Almost all of the turtles living in a southern California lake died following a large fire and years of drought, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey report published in the journal Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems.
Although no one can reliably predict earthquakes, today’s technology is advanced enough to rapidly detect seismic waves as an earthquake begins, calculate the maximum expected shaking, and send alerts to surrounding areas before damage can occur. This technology is known as “earthquake early warning” (EEW).
The U.S. Geological Survey along with university, state and private-sector partners will highlight the rollout of Version 1.2 of the USGS ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system on April 10, 2017.
California is well-known for its frequent earthquakes, but less so for its volcanic history – despite the fact that the most recent eruption in the state occurred just 100 years ago.
New research on the ages of the most recent lava flows at Eagle Lake Volcanic Field, California suggest they are much older than once thought, minimizing the possibility of future eruption.
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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