Unified Interior Regions
Montana
Welcome to the Midwest Region! Our region includes 18 Science Centers in 11 States from the Great Lakes to the Dakotas, south to Missouri and Kentucky. Our streamgage network is used to monitor and assess water resources across the region. Other research focuses on fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, midcontinental plant/animal species, invasive species, wildlife disease, and energy and mining.
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Scientists from the Center work in the northern Rocky Mountains and across the U.S. Many work throughout the world on issues as diverse as global climate change, aquatic ecology, wildlife diseases, bison ecology, and large carnivores.
Go to NOROCKWyoming-Montana Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's hydrologists, engineers, geospatial analysts, hydrologic technicians, geologists, and support staff work to provide hydrologic data and interpretive studies.
Go to CenterStates L2 Landing Page Tabs
Establishment of a baseline groundwater monitoring program in an area identified for energy development on the Blackfeet Reservation, Montana
As a result of energy development, the Blackfeet Environmental Office has developed a groundwater monitoring program specifically focused on the Cut Bank Creek watershed of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. The addition of groundwater data to an existing surface-water monitoring program will help the Blackfeet Tribe develop a more complete understanding of the current conditions of their water...
Bird Banding Laboratory
The Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) is an integrated scientific program established in 1920 supporting the collection, archiving, management and dissemination of information from banded and marked birds in North America. This information is used to monitor the status and trends of resident and migratory bird populations. Because birds are good indicators of the health of the environment, the...
Delineation of Brine Contamination in and near the East Poplar Oil Field, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Northeastern Montana
Brine is a byproduct of crude oil production. Handling and disposal of brine during the last 50 years in the East Poplar oil field has resulted in contamination of not only the shallow Quaternary aquifers, but also the Poplar River. Previous investigations have documented and partially delineated the extent of brine contamination in the East Poplar oil field during the early 1990s...
Williston and Powder River Basins Groundwater Availability Study
The development of two nationally important energy-producing areas, the Williston structural basin (containing the Bakken Formation) and Powder River structural basin, provide a critical opportunity to study the water-energy nexus within a groundwater context. Large volumes of water are needed for energy development in these basins. The hydraulically connected aquifers in the...
Hydrologic Assessment with an Emphasis on Water Quality within the Lame Deer Creek Watershed, Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Montana
The Lame Deer Creek watershed of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana encompasses about 82 square miles and is home to the community of Lame Deer. Local water resources within the Lame Deer Creek watershed include Lame Deer Creek and groundwater within unconsolidated sediments and bedrock aquifers. In 2017 the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Northern...
Smith River Watershed Investigations
The Smith River watershed is an important recreational and agricultural area in Meagher and Cascade counties in west-central Montana. Thousands of visitors travel to the area annually to float and fish the Smith River. Additionally, most of the water used to irrigate 36,000 acres of the upper Smith River watershed is withdrawn from the Smith River or its tributaries. During a...
Living on the Edge: Predicting Effects of Climate Change on Native Fishes in Northern Great Plains Streams
Organisms that live in the semi-arid prairies in the Northern Great Plains are able to live through conditions of extreme heat, cold, floods, and drought. The fish that inhabit the warm, turbid waters of northern Great Plains streams are indicators of change in these delicate ecosystems, where water quantity and water quality are often precariously close to ecological tolerance limits. In fact...
Yellowstone River Basin Water-Quality Assessment
The Yellowstone River Basin (YELL) study-unit in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, is part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. The long-term goals of this program are to describe the status and trends in the quality of a large, representative part of the Nation's surface- and ground-water resources, and to provide a sound, scientific...
Tongue River Surface-Water-Quality Monitoring Network
Coal-bed methane development is in the initial stages of exploration and production in the Tongue River watershed. Long-term monitoring is needed to provide information to evaluate any changes or trends in surface-water quality and support informed decisions about resource use and management. The goals of this monitoring program are to collect water-quality data and disseminate...
Assessment of Aquatic Communities in Northeastern Wyoming and Southeastern Montana
The Powder River Structural Basin (PRB) in northeastern Wyoming and southeastern Montana is an important source of energy resources for the United States. Resources developed from the basin include coal, oil, uranium, conventional natural gas, and within the last decade coal-bed natural gas (CBNG) which often is referred to as coal-bed methane. As of 2008, about 20,000 CBNG wells had been...
Diel cycling of trace metals in streams
Historically, scientists have assumed that a properly collected water sample will provide an accurate assessment of constituent concentrations in a water body on a given day assuming constant hydrologic conditions. However, an increasing body of evidence indicates that the concentration of many potentially toxic trace elements (such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, manganese, zinc) in streams can...
Drought Conditions in Wyoming and Montana
The USGS monitors drought conditions at more than 300 streamgages across Wyoming and Montana. Low-flow conditions are expressed as percentiles comparing current (within the past few hours) instantaneous flow to historical daily mean flow for all days of the year.
National Water Information System web interface (NWISweb)
The National Water Information System (NWIS) web application provides access to real-time and historical surface-water, groundwater, water-quality, and water-use data collected at approximately 1.5 million sites across all 50 states.
Geochemical Data Release for Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area, Magruder Corridor and Special Mining Management Zone Additions to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and adjacent areas Idaho and Montana
The data release for Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area and the Magruder Corridor and Special Mining Management Zone Additions to the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and adjacent areas Idaho and Montana, contains a subset of previously unpublished geochemical data from the 1979-1984 projects. In the case of Gospel-Hump Wilderness Area study (Lund and Esparza, 1990), the purp
Fluid Inclusion Noble Gas Data from Goldfield and Tonopah Epithermal Au-Ag Deposits
Twenty-five ore and gangue mineral separates from the Miocene-age Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits in southwestern Nevada were analyzed to determine the helium, neon, and argon (He, Ne, and Ar) isotopic compositions contained in fluid inclusions. Four mineral separates from the Butte Main Stage vein deposit and two from the Bingham pyrite-enargite vein deposits were als
Area of the Named Glaciers of Glacier National Park (GNP) and Flathead National Forest (FNF) including Little Ice Age extent, and years 1966, 1998, 2005 and 2015
These data represent a time series of the 37 named glaciers of Glacier National Park, MT, USA and two named glaciers in the Flathead National Forest.
Digital map of hydrothermal alteration type, key mineral groups, and green vegetation of the northwestern United States derived from automated analysis of ASTER satellite data
Mineral groups identified through automated analysis of remote sensing data acquired by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were used to generate a map showing the type and spatial distribution of hydrothermal alteration, other exposed mineral groups, and green vegetation across the northwestern conterminous United States. Boolean algebra was used to
Airborne electromagnetic and magnetic survey data, East Poplar Oil Field and surrounding area, October 2014, Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Montana
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data were collected during October 2014 in a 553-square-kilometer area that includes the East Poplar oil field on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana, USA. Data surround the city of Poplar and extend south into the Missouri River floodplain. Data were acquired with the SkyTEM301 transient electromagnetic helicopter-born...
Sagebrush Mineral Resource Assessment Data Sources
List of USGS information resources used in carrying out the Sagebrush Mineral Resource Assessment in 2016. Portal to an interactive map and OGC WMS service.
Locatable Mineral Assessment Tracts for the U.S. Geological Survey Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment Project
The polygon (vector) feature class represents locatable mineral resource assessment tracts (tracts of land) associated with the Department of the Interior (DOI) Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Montana, Wyoming and Utah, central Idaho, and the Oregon-Nevada-Idaho border area. The mineral-resources tracts are geographic areas that were assessed by the USGS and were determined
USMIN Mineral-Resource Data for the U.S. Geological Survey Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment Project
The point and polygon layers within this geodatabase represent locations of mineral occurrences, mines, mining and mineral districts and sites of active mineral exploration within or near the Department of the Interior (DOI) Sagebrush Focal Areas in Montana, Wyoming and Utah, central Idaho, and the Oregon-Nevada-Idaho border area. The data were compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey
Potential Effects of Climate Change on Streamflow in Eastern and Central Montana - PRMS Model Input and Output (2013–2014 Analyses)
These model output data are provided to accompany the forthcoming journal article Potential Effects of Climate Change on Streamflow for Seven Watersheds in Eastern and Central Montana.
Prospect- and Mine-Related Features from U.S. Geological Survey 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Maps of the Western United States
These data are part of a larger USGS project to develop an updated geospatial database of mines, mineral deposits and mineral regions in the United States. Mine and prospect-related symbols, such as those used to represent prospect pits, mines, adits, dumps, tailings, etc., hereafter referred to as “mine” symbols or features, are currently being digitized on a st
Bureau of Land Management's Land and Mineral Legacy Rehost System (LR2000) mineral use cases for the Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
In 2015, approximately 10 million acres of Federal lands across six western states were proposed for withdrawal from mineral entry by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in order to conserve habitat critical for the greater sage-grouse. As a result, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) launched the Sagebrush Mineral-Resource Assessment (SaMiRA) project in late-2015 to provide BLM wit
Hallowat Creek abv Kletomus Ck, nr Olney (12355342) streamgage
Hallowat Creek abv Kletomus Ck, nr Olney (12355342) streamgage
Hallowat Creek abv Kletomus Ck, nr Olney (12355342) streamgage
Hallowat Creek abv Kletomus Ck, nr Olney (12355342) streamgage
Big Creek below Lookout Creek, near Apgar (site 12355347)
Big Creek below Lookout Creek, near Apgar (site 12355347)
Drilling an Ice Core
Researchers start drilling an ice core in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Canada Lynx
– Scientists at the USGS Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and
Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, in
collaboration with The Rockefeller University’s Vertebrate Genome Laboratory,
New York, are releasing to a public repository at the vertebrate lab, for use by
geneticists, conservationists and other researchers around the
High water mark sign at Yellowstone River at Carters Bridge
High water mark sign at Yellowstone River at Carters Bridge
Measuring streamflow on St.Regis River at St Regis
Measuring streamflow on St.Regis River at St Regis
Streamflow measurement on Flathead River at Flathead, B.C.
Streamflow measurement on Flathead River at Flathead, B.C.
USGS hydrographer on cableway, USGS 12304500, Yaak River near Troy, MT
USGS hydrologic technician Kevin Kirlin on the cableway over the Yaak River near Troy, Montana
Measuring flood flow at Milk River near Harlem, MT
Measuring flood flow at Milk River near Harlem, MT
Flooding Milk River nr Harlem streamgage, 06154100
Flooding Milk River nr Harlem streamgage, 06154100
Streamflow measurement at Milk River near Harlem, Montana
Streamflow measurement at Milk River near Harlem, Montana
Dr. Kyle W. Blasch begins work today as the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Idaho Water Science Center, headquartered in Boise.
Scientists have discovered that the diversity of a threatened native trout species will likely decrease due to future climate change.
The latest coal resource assessment of the Powder River Basin showcases the newly revised USGS’ assessment methodology, which, for the first time, includes an estimate of the reserve base for the entire basin.
MENLO PARK, Calif.— Smartphones and other personal electronic devices could, in regions where they are in widespread use, function as early warning systems for large earthquakes according to newly reported research.
MENLO PARK, California — Los teléfonos móviles y otros dispositivos electrónicos personales podrían ayudar en las regiones donde se encuentran en uso generalizado, y pueden funcionar como sistemas de alerta para terremotos mayor según la nueva investigación científica recien publicada.
The presence of non-native plant species is significantly greater adjacent to oil well pads than in non-developed areas of the Williston Basin, according to a first-of-its-kind U.S. Geological Survey study for this area.
A new fact sheet published by the U.S. Geological Survey describes the cumulative hydrologic effects of water-resource development in the Yellowstone River.
BOZEMAN – Pallid sturgeon come from a genetic line that has lived on this planet for tens of millions of years; yet it has been decades since anyone has documented any of the enormous fish successfully producing young that survive to adulthood in the upper Missouri River basin.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that Interior’s Northwest Climate Science Center is awarding more than one million dollars to universities and other partners for research to guide managers of parks, refuges and other cultural and natural resources in planning how to help species and ecosystems adapt to climate change.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced today that Interior’s North Central Climate Science Center in Fort Collins, Colorado, is awarding nearly $400,000 to universities and other partners.
The persistence of an already rare aquatic insect, the western glacier stonefly, is being imperiled by the loss of glaciers and increased stream temperatures due to climate warming in mountain ecosystems, according to a new study released in Freshwater Science.
Energy development in the Williston Basin oil production area of Montana and North Dakota, which includes the Bakken and Three Forks Formations, has not affected shallow groundwater quality, according to a recently published study in the journalGroundwater.
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Locations
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) Headquarters
Phone: 406-994-7544
Fax: 406-994-6556
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Helena Office
Phone: (406) 457-5900
Fax: (406) 457-5990
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Billings Office
Phone: 406-656-1444
Contacts
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Scientists from the Center work in the northern Rocky Mountains and across the U.S. Many work throughout the world on issues as diverse as global climate change, aquatic ecology, wildlife diseases, bison ecology, and large carnivores.
Go to NOROCKWyoming-Montana Water Science Center
The Water Science Center's hydrologists, engineers, geospatial analysts, hydrologic technicians, geologists, and support staff work to provide hydrologic data and interpretive studies.
Go to Center