Unified Interior Regions
Texas
The Southwest Region ranges from the Colorado Rockies to the Gulf Coast and the Western Deserts to the Great Plains. The Southwest Region conducts multi- and interdisciplinary research and monitoring in locations across the Region, the United States, around the world, and across our solar system.
States L2 Landing Page Tabs
The Southwest Region ranges from the Colorado Rockies to the Gulf Coast and the Western Deserts to the Great Plains. The Southwest Region conducts multi- and interdisciplinary research and monitoring in locations across the Region, the United States, around the world, and across our solar system.
Check out Science CenterNews
Mapping Challenge Update (10/19/21): City / Town Halls in Texas
This challenge is coming along nicely with 30 new points added since last week! See our spatial analysis for tips on remaining communities.
Mapping Challenge Update (10/14/21): City / Town Halls in Texas
Volunteers continue to make progress on this challenge with almost 100 edits since last week! Don't forget to check for missing citiy/town halls, too. See our spatial analysis for tips on remaining communities.
Mapping Challenge Update (10/07/21): City / Town Halls in Texas
This challenge is coming along nicely with almost 100 edits since last week! Don't forget to check for missing city/town halls, too!
Publications
Extreme precipitation and flooding contribute to sudden vegetation dieback in a coastal salt marsh
Climate extremes are becoming more frequent with global climate change and have the potential to cause major ecological regime shifts. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, a coastal wetland in Texas suffered sudden vegetation dieback following an extreme precipitation and flooding event associated with Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Historical salt marsh...
Stagg, Camille; Osland, Michael; Moon, Jena A.; Feher, Laura; Laurenzano, Claudia; Lane, Tiffany C.; Jones, William; Hartley, Stephen
Groundwater quality in the Edwards-Trinity aquifer system
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water. The Edwards-Trinity aquifer system constitutes one of the important...
Musgrove, MaryLynn
Oyster model inventory: Identifying critical data and modeling approaches to support restoration of oyster reefs in coastal U.S. Gulf of Mexico waters
Executive SummaryAlong the coast of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) plays important ecological and economic roles. Commercial landings from this region account for more than 50 percent of all U.S. landings; these oyster reefs also provide varied ecosystem services, including nursery habitat for many fish and...
La Peyre, Megan K.; Marshall, Danielle A.; Sable, Shaye E.
Biological Objectives for the Gulf Coast: Biological Planning Units & Target Species Population Objectives
The USGS partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its conservation partners to develop 16 Biological Planning Units (BPU) and six Aquatic Extensions and compile population objectives for 166 species that are representative...
Strategic Habitat Conservation for Brown Pelican
WARC researchers partnered with managers and species experts to develop a Bayesian network model and a geospatial habitat characteristics dataset to predict the number of Brown Pelican breeding pairs on islands in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Strategic Habitat Conservation for Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern
WARC researchers partnered with managers and species experts to develop a Bayesian network model and a geospatial habitat characteristics dataset to predict the number of breeding pairs of Black Skimmer and Gull-billed Tern along the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Landsat Benefits, State By State
From mapping wildfires and permafrost thaw in Alaska to tracking algal blooms and Gypsy moth invasions in Ohio, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Program offers an expansive list of benefits across all 50 States. Click the publications tab above to download each fact sheet!
Enhancing Cross-Jurisdictional Adaptive Management in the Gulf of Mexico
Using an iterative qualitative coding process, WARC researchers are identifying objectives, stressors, and management priorities to support the implementation of adaptive management in restoration programs across the Gulf of Mexico.
Adapting to Climate Change: Trends and Severe Storm Responses by Migratory Landbirds and Their Habitats
USGS scientists will be analyzing weather surveillance radar observations of birds departing stopover habitats to measure responses to climate change.
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer
For planning and management purposes, agencies require a web application that can locate, map, and monitor Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (flycatcher) breeding habitat across its range. The Habitat Viewer can identify potential flycatcher habitat and monitor changes caused by stressors, such as beetles, fire or drought.
Using Occupancy Analysis to Understand Ecological and Environmental Stressors that Affect the Range and Abundance of Gulf Coast Waterdogs (Necturus beyeri) in Louisiana Bayous
Sampling for Gulf Coast waterdogs is providing essential information to better understand the factors that impact the species' occupancy across Louisiana.
Effects of Saltwater Intrusion on Anuran Occupancy in Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas
WARC researchers sampled anuran populations at sites within Big Thicket National Preserve to explore saltwater intrusion on these populations.
The Response of Coastal Wetlands to Sea-level Rise: Understanding how Macroscale Drivers Influence Local Processes and Feedbacks
The purpose of this work is to advance our understanding of how coastal wetland responses to sea-level rise (SLR) within the conterminous United States are likely to vary as a function of local, regional, and macroscale drivers, including climate. Based on our interactions with managers and decision makers, as well as our knowledge of the current state of the science, we propose to: (a)...
Using Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Capabilities to Help Identify Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta) and the effects of Salvinia weevil (Cyrtogagous salviniae)
USGS is collecting remotely sensed data to classify Salvinia molesta, a non-native aquatic species that reduces light and oxygen levels in water, making it unsuitable for fish and other aquatic plant life.
Real-Time Storm Response
Coastal change forecasts and pre- and post-storm photos documenting coastal change for landfalling storms. Currently responding to Hurricane Dorian.
Verified Irrigated Agricultural Lands for the United States, 2002-17
The spatial extents of verified irrigated lands were compiled from various federal and state sources across the nation and combined into a single Geographic Information System (GIS) geodatabase for the purpose of model training and validation.
An Unvegetated to Vegetated Ratio (UVVR) for coastal wetlands of the Conterminous United States (2014-2018)
This USGS Data Release represents geospatial data sets which were created to produce an Unvegetated to Vegetated Ratio (UVVR) for coastal wetlands of the conterminous United States (2014-2018).
Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Habitat Viewer
The Flycatcher Habitat Viewer was developed to meet the needs of organizations by providing maps of predicted flycatcher breeding habitat throughout its range. Maps are provided from 2013 to present and cover 57 satellite scenes. Maps identify predicted flycatcher habitat based upon the amount of green vegetation within a 120-m radius of each cell, and the size of floodplain within a 360-m...
Global Geochemical Database for Critical Minerals in Archived Mine Samples
The Critical Minerals in Archived Mine Samples Database (CMDB) contains chemistry and geologic information for historic ore and ore-related rock samples from mineral deposits in the United States. In addition, the database contains samples from archetypal deposits from 27 other countries in North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Samples were obtained from archived ore
Input and Output Data for the Application of the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS) to Simulate Near-Native Streamflow in the Upper Rio Grande Basin
This data release contains input and output data from hydrologic simulations of naturalized or near-native streamflow conditions in the Upper Rio Grande Basin (URGB) in Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico by using the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). The Upper Rio Grande Basin PRMS model was calibrated in a three step process by (1) calibrating solar rad
Domestic Wells in the United States
Domestic wells provide drinking water supply for approximately 40 million people in the United States. Knowing the location of these wells, and the populations they serve, is important for identifying heavily used aquifers, locations susceptible to contamination, and populations potentially impacted by poor-quality groundwater.
Texas Water Dashboard
The Texas Water Dashboard presents USGS real-time stream, lake and reservoir, precipitation and groundwater data for more than 850 USGS real-time observation stations in Texas.
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 (
USGS National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment Project - Permian Basin Province, Midland Basin, Wolfcamp Shale Assessment Unit Boundaries and Assessment Input Data Forms, Version 2.0
The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total Petroleum System. The Assessment Unit is shown herein as a geographic boundary interpreted, defined, and mapped by the geologist responsible for the province and incorporates...
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.
Downloadable Data for Palo Duro Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
GIS Data for Palo Duro Basin Oil and Gas Assessments
Downloadable Data for Marathon Thrust Belt Oil and Gas Assessments
GIS Data for Marathon Thrust Belt Oil and Gas Assessments
Domestic wells provide drinking water supply for approximately 40 million people in the United States. Knowing the location of these wells, and the populations they serve, is important for identifying heavily used aquifers, locations susceptible to contamination, and populations potentially impacted by poor-quality groundwater.
Figure 4. Yearly Distribution (2007-2019) of Tamarisk Beetle (Diorhabda spp.). Annual tamarisk beetle distribution map. Provided by RiversEdge West. 2020. Used with permission from Ben Bloodgood, Program Coordinator.
This map shows the provinces assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources.
Digital map of aquifer boundary for the High Plains aquifer in parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming - This digital data set represents the extent of the High Plains aquifer in the central United States
June 1 marks the beginning of hurricane season. Should storms arrive on the Louisiana coast, the people in coastal communities across the State, along with many Federal, State, and local agencies will need to know how the storms are affecting the coastal and low-lying areas.The USGS maintains an extensive network of coastal gages that provides critical time-sensitive water level.
Map showing relative changes in predicted flycatcher habitat, as determined from a satellite model at a 40-percent probability threshold, Southwestern United States, 2013–15.
Map showing area of predicted flycatcher breeding habitat (averaged across 2013–15) at all elevations in 6,521 U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangles, Southwestern United States. Only areas within a prescribed distance of streams and greater than stream-order 3, or within 1 kilometer of a lake or reservoir, were included in this analysis.
Figure 1. Maps showing location of the project area and the 35 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwestern Willow Flycatcher management unit boundaries, designated critical-habitat reaches, and waterbodies considered by the satellite model for regionwide modeling, Southwestern United States.
The 3DEP products and services available through The National Map consist of standard digital elevation models (DEMs) at various horizontal resolutions, elevation source and associated datasets, an elevation point query service and bulk point query service. All 3DEP products are available, free of charge and without use restrictions.
Extreme precipitation and flooding contribute to sudden vegetation dieback in a coastal salt marsh
Climate extremes are becoming more frequent with global climate change and have the potential to cause major ecological regime shifts. Along the northern Gulf of Mexico, a coastal wetland in Texas suffered sudden vegetation dieback following an extreme precipitation and flooding event associated with Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Historical salt marsh...
Stagg, Camille; Osland, Michael; Moon, Jena A.; Feher, Laura; Laurenzano, Claudia; Lane, Tiffany C.; Jones, William; Hartley, Stephen Oyster model inventory: Identifying critical data and modeling approaches to support restoration of oyster reefs in coastal U.S. Gulf of Mexico waters
Executive SummaryAlong the coast of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) plays important ecological and economic roles. Commercial landings from this region account for more than 50 percent of all U.S. landings; these oyster reefs also provide varied ecosystem services, including nursery habitat for many fish and...
La Peyre, Megan K.; Marshall, Danielle A.; Sable, Shaye E. The proliferation of induced seismicity in the Permian Basin, Texas
The Permian Basin has a long history of induced earthquakes, but the seismicity rates have increased dramatically over the past two decades and included a MW 5.0 likely induced by wastewater disposal (WD) in March 2020. A detailed characterization of the proliferation of seismicity in the Permian Basin throughout this time period is...
Skoumal, Robert; Trugman, Daniel T. Groundwater quality in the Edwards-Trinity aquifer system
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water. The Edwards-Trinity aquifer system constitutes one of the important...
Musgrove, MaryLynn
Texas and Landsat
The State of Texas has the largest land area of any in the contiguous United States, and its sprawling landscapes show rich geographic diversity. The Lone Star State has cactus flats in the high plains of its far western panhandle, rolling hills in its western Trans-Pecos region, farms and ranchlands stretching across central Texas, thick forests...
The induced Mw 5.0 March 2020 west Texas seismic sequence
On March 26, 2020, a M 5.0 earthquake occurred in the Delaware Basin, Texas, near the border between Reeves and Culberson Counties. This was the third largest earthquake recorded in Texas and the largest earthquake in the Central and Eastern United States since the three M 5.0–5.8 induced events in Oklahoma during 2016. Using...
Skoumal, Robert; Kaven, Joern; Barbour, Andrew; Wicks, Charles; Brudzinski, Michael R.; Cochran, Elizabeth S.; Rubinstein, Justin The relation of geogenic contaminants to groundwater age, aquifer hydrologic position, water type, and redox conditions in Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain aquifers, eastern and south-central USA
Groundwater age distributions developed from carbon-14 (14C), tritium (3H), and helium-4 (4He) concentrations, along with aquifer hydrologic position, water type, and redox conditions, were compared to geogenic contaminants of concern (GCOC) from 252 public-supply wells in six Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain unconsolidated-sediment aquifers....
Degnan, James R.; Lindsey, Bruce D.; Levitt, Joseph Patrick; Szabo, Zoltan Calcrete uranium deposits in the Southern High Plains, USA
The Southern High Plains (SHP) is a new and emerging U.S. uranium province. Here, uranyl vanadates form deposits in Pliocene to Pleistocene sandstone, dolomite, and limestone. Fifteen calcrete uranium occurrences are identified; two of these, the Buzzard Draw and Sulfur Springs Draw deposits, have combined in-place resources estimated at about 4...
Hall, Susan; Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Paces, James B.; Zielinski, Robert A.
2018 hurricane and wildfire supplemental funding: USGS recovery activities
The Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2018 (P.L. 115-123), was signed by the President on February 9, 2018. This funding provided $42.2 million to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for equipment repair and replacement, high-resolution elevation data collection in both hurricane- and wildfire-impacted...
Hinck, Jo Ellen; Stachyra, Joseph State transportation agencies partner to deploy and enhance ShakeCast
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is organizing and leading a three-year Transportation Pooled Fund (TPF) project, Connecting the Dots: Implementing ShakeCast Across Multiple State Departments of Transportation for Rapid Post-Earthquake Response. Ten state Departments of Transportation (DOT)—CA, ID, MO, MS, OK, OR, SC, TX, UT...
Turner, L.; Wald, David J.; Lin, Kuo-wan; Chiou, Brian; Slosky, Daniel Green tree frog (Hyla cinerea) and ground squirrel (Xerospermophilus spilosoma) mortality attributed to inland brevetoxin transportation at Padre Island National Seashore, Texas, 2015
On 16 September 2015, a red tide (Karenia brevis) bloom impacted coastal areas of Padre Island National Seashore Park. Two days later and about 0.9 km inland, 30–40 adult green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea) were found dead after displaying tremors, weakness, labored breathing, and other signs of neurologic impairment. A rainstorm, accompanied by high...
Buttke, Danielle E.; Walker, Alicia; Huang, I-Shuo; Flewelling, Leanne; Lankton, Julia S.; Ballmann, Anne E.; Clapp, Travis; Lindsay, James; Zimba, Paul V.
Assessment of undiscovered resources in calcrete uranium deposits, Southern High Plains region of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates a mean of 40 million pounds of in-place uranium oxide (U3O8) remaining as potential undiscovered resources in the Southern High Plains region of Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. This estimate used a geology-based assessment method specific to calcrete uranium deposits.
Hall, Susan M.; Mihalasky, Mark J.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.
EarthShots — Satellite Images of Environmental Change
The US Geological Survey's Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, or "EROS" archive’s data from the LandSat satellites which have been in operation from 1972 to the present day. EarthShots presents environmental changes using Landsat images.
Flight area for Trans-Pecos aeromagnetic and radiometric survey
Map indicating flight area for Trans-Pecos aeromagnetic and radiometric survey. The survey area includes parts of El Paso and Hudspeth counties, Texas, and Otero County, New Mexico. Flights will begin in November 2020 and are expected to conclude in mid-January 2021.
Austin Chalk Core
Bedding features in the core from the USGS Gulf Coast #4 Bonham borehole, in the Eagle Ford Group mudstones from a depth of about 401 feet, Fannin County, Texas. The Eagle Ford Group lies underneath the Austin Chalk and serves as the source rock for much of the Austin Chalk's petroleum.
USGS Technicians Prepare to Take a Core of the Austin Chalk in Texas
USGS technicians at the USGS Gulf Coast #4 Bonham borehole in preparation for geophysical logging of the Austin Chalk Group and the Eagle Ford Group mudstones, Fannin County, Texas.
Earth MRI Funds Critical Minerals Projects in Texas
USGS map of Earth MRI projects in Texas' Trans-Pecos region announced in September 2020.
Coastal Change Hazards Portal for Hurricane Laura
This Coastal Change Storm Hazard Team forecast was made at 4 AM CDT August 26, 2020 and shows forecast beach erosion at the base of the dunes (the strip of colored bars closest to the coast), overwash (middle strip) and inundation (outer strip) from Hurricane Laura. The model accounts for sandy beaches and barrier islands and does not include marshes, forested or sea
...
Photomicrographs from a desert cottontail found dead in Texas
Photomicrographs from a desert cottontail found dead in Texas, U.S.A. showing (A) panlobular hepatocellular dissociation and necrosis and (B) intra-alveolar edema fluid (asterisk) and foamy pulmonary macrophages (arrows) in the lung.
Land Treatment Exploration Tool—Step 1: Describe Proposed Treatment
This video describes Step 1 of the Land Treatment Exploration Tool. In Step 1 the user defines a name, the planned treatment/s, and a file name for exported items.
These tutorial videos were created to aid in the use of the Land Treatment Exploration Tool (LTET). These videos guide a user through the main steps of the tool.
Land Treatment Exploration Tool — Step 2: Select Treatment Boundary
This video describes Step 2 of the Land Treatment Exploration Tool. In Step 2 the user defines their planned treatment boundary. The user can load a zipped shapefile or on-screen digitize their boundary.
These tutorial videos were created to aid in the use of the Land Treatment Exploration Tool (LTET). These videos guide a
Land Treatment Exploration Tool — Step 3: Explore Site Characteristics
This video describes Step 3 of the Land Treatment Exploration Tool. In Step 3 the user is guided to the Site History tab to explore land treatment and wildfire history of their planned treatment area. They are also directed to the Fish and Wildfire Information for Planning and Consultation tool to investigate areas of overlap with endangered species, migratory birds, and
Land Treatment Exploration Tool— Step 4: Prop. Treatment Area & Report
This video describes Step 4 and the developing report of the Land Treatment Exploration Tool. In Step 4 the used selects layers to generate spatial overlap statistics with their planned treatment boundary. Summary tables are generated and displayed in the Report tab, where a user can create a PDF Site Characterization Report for their planned treatment boundary. Optionally
Land Treatment Exploration Tool — Step 5: Select Search Parameters
This video describes Step 5 of the Land Treatment Exploration Tool. In Step 5 the user determines a distance or boundary to search for legacy Land Treatment Digital Library records. The user also indicates if the returned LTDL treatments are statistically evaluated against the planned treatment boundary using a Bray-Curtis Dissimilarity calculation.
These tutorial
This challenge is coming along nicely with 30 new points added since last week! See our spatial analysis for tips on remaining communities.
Volunteers continue to make progress on this challenge with almost 100 edits since last week! Don't forget to check for missing citiy/town halls, too. See our spatial analysis for tips on remaining communities.
This challenge is coming along nicely with almost 100 edits since last week! Don't forget to check for missing city/town halls, too!
Almost 50 edits came in for this challenge since last week - AWESOME!
Momentum is starting to build for this challenge as edits start to come in!
This is it! Texas is the final statewide City / Town Hall mapping challenge!
An interactive online tool that can help Texans prepare and respond to flooding events has newly added capabilities to help inform state and local flood management decisions that can help protect life and property.
Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program: Overview of the U.S. Geological Survey Assessments of the Mesilla Basin/Conejos-Médanos and Hueco Bolson Aquifer Systems
USGS Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center Webinar Series - Friday April 2, 11 am Central
The USGS has added the critical mineral commodity tantalum to USMIN.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has updated its USMIN Mineral Deposit Database (USMIN) for the mineral commodity niobium, one of 35 mineral commodities declared critical by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Sites in this dataset occur in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Nebraska and Texas.
Summary statistics are now available for this challenge. Thanks again to everyone who contributed!
This challenge is now complete! Thank you to everyone who contributed!
Social Media
Locations
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – Austin, TX Office
Phone: (512) 927-3500
Fax: (512) 927-3590
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – Lubbock, TX Office
Phone: (806) 993-0229
Fax: (806) 993-0235
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – Conroe, TX Office
Phone: (936) 271-5300
Fax: (936) 271-5399
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – Wichita Falls, TX Office
Phone: (940) 397-4453
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – Fort Worth, TX Office
Phone: (817) 263-9545
Fax: (682) 316-5022
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – El Paso, TX Office
Phone: (915) 534-6308
Fax: (915) 534-6299
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – San Angelo, TX Office
Phone: (325) 944-4600
Fax: (325) 942-0495
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – Corpus Christi, TX Office
Phone: (361) 825-2073
Fax: (361) 825-2025
Oklahoma-Texas Water Science Center – San Antonio, TX Office
Phone: (210) 691-9200
Fax: (210) 691-9270