Unified Interior Regions
Region 5: Missouri Basin

USGS Science Centers in the Missouri Basin Region
For more information on what each center is doing in the Missouri Basin, please follow the links below!
Wyoming - Montana Water Science Center
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
Swiftcurrent Glacier 1910 - 2016
In 1910, the year Glacier National Park was established, Swiftcurrent Glacier filled this hanging valley just below the Continental Divide. In 2016, it is obvious where the glacier has receded from the cliff edge and lateral moraine that once defined its extent. Swiftcurrent fire lookout can be seen on top of the pyramid-shaped mountain in the 2016 photo.
Please respect the...
Grinnell Glacier 1938 - 2016
Notice the man standing on the glacier in the center of the historic photograph. The figure lends a frame of reference to the photo pair, allowing the viewer to more easily interpret the depth of ice and the loss of volume when compared to the 2016 image.
Grinnell Glacier 1911 - 2016
The historic image shows how the upper bench of ice flowed into the main body of Grinnell Glacier. By the early 1920s, the glacier’s volume had been reduced to the point that the two pieces became disconnected. The upper bench, considered a separate glacier, was later renamed The Salamander Glacier for its salamander-like profile against the headwall. The Continental Divide runs along the...
Grinnell Glacier, circa 1888-2016
This historic image is one of the oldest images re-photographed among the collection. The massive wall of ice that constituted the terminus of Grinnell Glacier has receded beyond view from this point. Each summer thousands of hikers take the well-worn trail to be rewarded with the sight of the remnant Grinnell Glacier and Upper Grinnell Lake.
Image Use...
Black Hills Area Floods Since 1877
Summary of Floods in the Black Hills Area Since 1877.
Black Hills Area Floods - 1921 to 1930
Black Hills Area Floods - 1921 to 1930
Black Hills Area Floods - 2000 to 2009
Black Hills Area Floods - 2000 to 2009
Black Hills Hydrology Study
Black Hills Hydrology Study
The 1972 Black Hills-Rapid City Flood
The 1972 Black Hills-Rapid City Flood Revisited
RRAWFLOW: Rainfall-Response Aquifer and Watershed Flow Model
RRAWFLOW: Rainfall-Response Aquifer and Watershed Flow Model
Concepts for Study of the Contamination Potential of Bedrock Aquifers in the Black Hills Area, Western South Dakota
Concepts for Study of the Contamination Potential of Bedrock Aquifers in the Black Hills Area, Western South Dakota
Hydrologic Units for South Dakota in Google Earth
Project Period: 2009
Cooperator: Hyde County Conservation District, South Dakota Association of Conservation Districts
Project Chief: Ryan Thompson
Discharge Measurement on Moreau River near Faith (06359500)
Hydrologic technicians Sarah Davis and Jackie Eldredge preparing for a discharge measurement of the Moreau River near Faith, SD (streamgage 06359500). During high flows, the USGS uses a tractor to assist in the discharge measurement where other technology like acoustics will not work due to the high sediment within the stream and where a heavy weight is needed to keep the
...June 2018 Flow on Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (06425100)
USGS Hydrologic Technician Kammy Durham measuring discharge of Elk Creek near Rapid City, SD (streamgage 06407500), to capture peak flow after heavy rains during the week of June 18, 2018. The flow at this streamgage was 81 cubic feet per second on June 21, 2018. USGS staff collect streamflow information (discharge, river stage, and high water marks) on a regular basis and
...June 2018 Flow on Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (06407500)
USGS Hydrologic Technician Kammy Durham measuring discharge of Spring Creek near Keystone, SD (streamgage 06407500), to capture peak flow after heavy rains during the week of June 18, 2018. The flow at this streamgage was 69 cubic feet per second on June 21, 2018. USGS staff collect streamflow information (discharge, river stage, and high water marks) on a regular basis
...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
Verification of High Water Mark on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD
On June 20, 2018, hydrologic technician Kammy Durham verified the high water mark on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD (streamgage 06436180) after the watershed received about 2 inches of rain the previous evening. Streams in the Black Hills of western South Dakota can rise and fall quickly in response to rain.
Discharge Measurement on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD
On June 20, 2018, hydrologic technician Kammy Durham measured a discharge of 209 cubic feet per second on Whitewood Creek above Whitewood, SD (streamgage 06436180) after the watershed received about 2 inches of rain the previous evening. Streams in the Black Hills of western South Dakota can rise and fall quickly in response to rain.
Water Sampling Locations Rapid Creek and Canyon Lake
Water-quality sampling locations on Rapid Creek and Canyon Lake in Rapid City, SD.
An Overview of EROS
The EROS mission is to document and study changes to earth. With a vast archive of imagery from multiple sources, the EROS archive is the longest continuous record or earth's changing landscapes.
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.
Alkalinity Sample Analysis to Ensure Accuracy of Field Results
USGS Field Technician, Kammy Durham, analyzing an alkalinity sample for the National Field Quality Assurance (NFQA) project. Nationwide, hundreds of field measurements are made daily by USGS field analysts. The data reported by the NFQA project provides a confidence level to these field measurements by testing the proficiency of the instruments and the field
...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 U.S. Geological Survey has released a new report detailing changes of groundwater levels in the High Plains Aquifer. The report presents water-level change data in the aquifer for two separate periods: from 1950 – the time prior to significant groundwater irrigation development – to 2013, and 2011 to 2013.
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.
As part of the continued US Topo maps revision and improvement cycle, the USGS will be including mountain bike trails to upcoming quadrangles on a state-aligned basis.
Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality have published one of the first comprehensive assessments of selenium in eastern Idaho’s upper Blackfoot River.
Water use in Kansas is increasing, mostly due to dry periods and climate variability, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey fact sheet on public-supply water use from 1990 - 2012 in Kansas.
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.
Wichita’s water-use strategy has helped preserve the Equus Beds aquifer during the recent drought of 2011-12, according to a new report released by the U.S. Geological Survey and prepared in cooperation with the city of Wichita.
Citizens should not be alarmed if they see a low-flying helicopter towing a large wire-loop contraption hanging from a cable in the Poplar, Montana area during the next couple of weeks.
The American bullfrog has expanded its invasion of the Yellowstone River floodplain in Montana, according to a new study released in “Aquatic Invasions.”
Scientists and technicians from the U.S. Geological Survey are conducting flood measurements in four different locations in the Lincoln and Omaha metropolitan areas in response to the high flows produced by the heavy rains over the last 24 hours.
Nutrient levels decreased 40 to 55 percent in Indian Creek following upgrades and changes to treatment processes at the Douglas L. Smith Middle Basin and Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facilities (WWTFs) in Johnson County, Kansas, according to a new U.S. Geological Survey study.