Unified Interior Regions
Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
Map of Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
Map Showing USGS/DOI Unified Region 7 and parts of adjoining Regions
Key USGS Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin Contacts
Regional Director (Acting)-Peter Griffiths
Associate Regional Director, Operations-Peter Griffiths
USGS Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin Offices and Science Centers
Regions L2 Landing Page Tabs
The DOI Unified Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin includes Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. The data, information, analyses, and tools developed by the USGS support land managers in making decisions on the landscape. USGS Science Centers in the Region conduct multi- and interdisciplinary research and monitoring related to natural resources, ecology, and natural hazards.
News
Media Alert: Flights Above Northern Maine to Map Geology
USGS Low-level Airplane Surveys Beginning Soon
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.
New Mexico Landscapes Field Station Research informs Fire Management
Researchers at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, part of the Fort Collins Science Center, use tree-ring fire scars to establish a historical record of fire that informs present-day fire management practices.
Landsat User Case Studies – Dive into Details
USGS social scientists use qualitative research methods to better understand Landsat imagery use and the benefits and challenges perceived by Landsat users. These Landsat user case studies provide in-depth information about users, uses, user value, and societal benefits.
Publications
Postwildfire soil‐hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards
Deadly and destructive debris flows often follow wildfire, but understanding of changes in the hazard potential with time since fire is poor. We develop a simulation‐based framework to quantify changes in the hydrologic triggering conditions for debris flows as postwildfire infiltration properties evolve through time. Our approach produces time‐...
Thomas, Matthew A.; Rengers, Francis K.; Kean, Jason W.; McGuire, Luke A.; Staley, Dennis M.; Barnhart, Katherine (Katy) Ruth; Ebel, Brian A.
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the lower Paleozoic of the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 83 million barrels of oil and 351 billion cubic feet of gas in lower Paleozoic strata of the Williston Basin Province, North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of upper Paleozoic strata in the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean oil and gas resources of 134 million barrels of oil and 81 billion cubic feet of gas in upper Paleozoic strata of the Williston Basin Province in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.USGS Science Centers in Region 7-Upper Colorado Basin conduct a large number of cooperative and collaborative projects with other agencies and partners. A sampling of those projects are shown below on this web page.
Colorado River Basin: Building Advanced, Strategic, Innovative, Integrated System Science
The Colorado River Basin is currently experiencing its worst drought in recorded history. The period from 2000 through 2020 is the driest 21-year period in over 100 years and one of the driest periods in the 1,200-year paleo-record. Drought impacts include worsening conditions in the 9 ecoregions, including habitat for several threatened and endangered species, wildland fire risks, reduced...
Biology, Impacts and Control of Invasive Reptiles in the Pacific
Research on Guam has led to development and validation of numerous effective control tools, including the advancement of reptile control to support native species recovery.
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Our objective is to develop a national-scale, geospatial database that is the authoritative source of the most important mines, mineral deposits, and mineral districts of the United States.
Isotope and Chemical Methods for Mineral and Geoenvironmental Assessments and Support of USGS Science Strategy
This Project integrates several geochemical tools—stable isotope geochemistry, noble gas geochemistry, active gas geochemistry, single fluid inclusion chemistry, and fluid inclusion solute chemistry—in studies of the processes that form mineral deposits and the processes that disrupt them during mining or natural weathering. Research is directed toward fundamental scientific questions or, in...
National Geochemical Database
The National Geochemical Database project assembles, reformats, corrects, and archives historical data obtained from the geochemical analysis of millions of geologic samples collected for USGS studies. These data, representing hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of USGS research, are provided to USGS researchers; other Federal agencies; State Geological Surveys and Environmental Protection...
Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Imaging of Critical Mineral Resources
Our project will characterize the primary critical minerals (minerals that contain critical elements in their base structure) that are not yet in the USGS Spectral Library. We propose to increase understanding of the spectral indicators of critical minerals using lab-based studies of hand specimens and drill core, hyperspectral field scanning, and hyperspectral images collected from aircraft...
Non-Traditional Stable Isotopes
Understanding the genesis of ore deposits and their behavior in the environment is a subject of great importance to the Nation. A relatively new tool to aid in these efforts to investigate the origin and environmental effects of ore deposits is the use of "heavy" metal stable isotopes. Our research objectives are to utilize various isotopic systems to advance our understanding of ore genesis...
Metal Transport in Mineralized Mountain Watersheds
The central objective of this project is to develop a greater understanding of deep bedrock groundwater circulation and its contribution to surface water metal loads in mineralized mountain blocks composed of sedimentary rocks. This work is being performed in cooperation with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as part of a broader research program aimed at understanding processes...
Integrated Hyperspectral, Geophysical and Geochemical Studies of Yellowstone National Park Hydrothermal Systems
We are researching the subsurface groundwater flow systems in Yellowstone and the relation of these systems to understanding the regional movement of water in a volcanic center. New geophysical data will be integrated with existing data sets from hyperspectral data from Yellowstone's thermal areas and thermal water geochemistry to help define regionally extensive mineral assemblages, the...
Quantitative Disease Ecology
Researchers at the USGS are working on developing new quantitative methods to study disease dynamics in wildlife systems as well as systems at the wildlife-domestic-human interface. Much of our work focuses on how host population structure affects disease invasion, persistence and control in wildlife disease systems. We tackle these issues with a combination of simulation and statistical...
Critical Elements in Carbonatites: From Exploration Targets to Element Distribution
Critical elements are essential to the modern economy and have potential supply chain disruptions, but compared to most base and precious metals, little work has been done in understanding ore-grade enrichments. Carbonatites are the primary source of the worlds light rare earth elements and niobium, and a potential source for heavy rare earths, scandium, tantalum, and thorium. Project...
Microbial Source Tracking and Escherichia coli Monitoring in the Rio Grande in the South Valley, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Rio Grande, in southern Albuquerque, is an impaired reach for bacteria. Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria are elevated in this reach of the Rio Grande even without stormwater present, during what is referred to as “dry season”. Samples will be collected over a range of flows including during the dry season (November 1st-June30th). Water samples will be analyzed for E. coli and microbial...
USGS Science Centers in Region 7-Upper Colorado Basin collect a wide variety of natural resource data types including spatial, geologic, hydrologic, and biologic data. Data included in USGS-series publications that are not publically available in USGS databases are published in Data Releases. Tools are USGS products that can be used to analyze those types of data.
Digital Data from Mineral Investigation of Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Study Area, Alamosa, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, and Saguache Counties, Colorado, USA
This Data Release provides tabular and geospatial data digitized by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from a U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBoM) report titled Mineral Investigation of Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Study Area, Alamosa, Custer, Fremont, Huerfano, and Saguache Counties, Colorado.
Bayesian modeling of NURE airborne radiometric data for the conterminous United States: predictions and grids
This data release includes estimates of potassium (K), equivalent uranium (eU), and equivalent thorium (eTh) for the conterminous United States derived from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) national airborne radiometric data compilation (Duval and others, 2005). Airborne gamma ray spectrometry (AGRS) measures the gamma-rays that are emitted from naturally occurr
Biomes simulated by BIOME4 using CESM2 lig127k, midHolocene, and piControl climate data on a global 0.5-degree grid
This data set consists of simulated biomes for the last interglacial (127 ka), middle Holocene (6 ka), and preindustrial (1850 CE) time periods displayed in Figure 14 of Otto-Bliesner et al. (2020). Biomes were simulated with BIOME4 (ver. 4.2, https://pmip2.lsce.ipsl.fr/synth/biome4.shtml; Kaplan et al., 2003,...
Influence of wildfire and beetle-caused canopy mortality on water temperature regimes in cutthroat trout streams, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.
This dataset was collected to build on past and ongoing monitoring and research efforts within Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP). Specifically, the data were collected to test the hypothesis that reductions in canopy cover due to natural disturbances (i.e. wildfire and beetle kill) result in increases in water temperature, or the longitudinal thermal gradient of a
Landscape inputs and simulation output for the LANDIS-II model in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
This data release provides inputs needed to run the LANDIS-II landscape change model, NECN and Base Fire extensions for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), USA, and simulation results that underlie figures and analysis in the accompanying publication. We ran LANDIS-II simulations for 112 years, from 1988-2100, using interpolated weather station data for 1988-2015 and downscale
Hydrologic and geophysical data from high-elevation boreholes in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado: Hydraulic test data
Boreholes were drilled in 2017 and 2018 in Redwell Basin, a headwater catchment underlain by mineralized and hydrothermally altered sedimentary rock in the Elk Mountains near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. Site locations and well construction are documented under the main page of this data release. Hydraulic data were acquired during drilling and on core samples to estimate the hydrauli...
Data release for: Spatially explicit reconstruction of post-megafire forest recovery through landscape modeling
This data release provides inputs needed to run the LANDIS PRO forest landscape model and the LINKAGES 3.0 ecosystem process model for the area burned by the Black Dragon Fire in northeast China in 1987, and simulation results that underlie figures and analysis in the accompanying publication. The data release includes the fire perimeter of Great Dragon Fire; input data for LINKAGES including...
Data release for Accounting for Land in the United States: Integrating Physical Land Cover, Land Use, and Monetary Valuation
Land plays a critical role in both economic and environmental accounting. As an asset, it occupies a unique position at the intersection of the System of National Accounts (SNA), the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Central Framework (SEEA-CF), and (as a spatial unit) SEEA Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EEA), making land a natural starting point for dev
Data release for tracking rates of post-fire conifer regeneration distinct from deciduous vegetation recovery across the western U.S.
Post-fire shifts in vegetation composition will have broad ecological impacts. However, information characterizing post-fire recovery patterns and their drivers are lacking over large spatial extents. In this analysis we used Landsat imagery collected when snow cover (SCS) was present, in combination with growing season (GS) imagery, to distinguish evergreen vegetation from deciduou
Elevation of top of Precambrian rocks from previous USGS studies of the Colorado Plateau
For use as part of a regional petroleum assessment, the USGS in the early 1990’s developed a dataset reporting elevation on the surface of the Precambrian basement of the central and southern Colorado Plateau and vicinity (Butler, 1991). This dataset was released as paper report that included a table of basement elevations at more than 3,700 control points, including outcrop d
Data release for Integrating physical and economic data into experimental water accounts for the United States: lessons and opportunities
Water provides society with economic benefits that increasingly involve tradeoffs, making accounting for water quality, quantity, and their corresponding economic productivity more relevant in our interconnected world. In the past, physical and economic data about water have been fragmented, but integration is becoming more widely adopted internationally through application of the Syste
Environmental tracer data from surface water and groundwater samples collected in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado, 2017-2019
This dataset contains environmental tracer data from surface water and groundwater samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in Redwell Basin, an alpine watershed in the Elk Mountains near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The basin is underlain by interbedded shale and sandstone that have been variably hydrothermally altered and silicified by local magmatic intrusions. Samples were...
This Maps web page contains descriptions of and links to USGS topographic maps, the National Map, and other types of maps that are not official USGS publication series, including online interactive maps related to Region 7-Upper Colorado Basin. To access USGS publications series maps related to Region 7, please visit the Publications page of this web site.
TopoView shows the many and varied topographic maps of each of these areas through history. This can be particularly useful for historical purposes, such as finding the names of natural and cultural features that have changed over time.
This map shows the provinces assessed by the USGS for undiscovered oil and gas resources.
The USGS monitors current streamflow and water-quality conditions at various sites in the Animas and San Juan River Basins in Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, including areas below the Gold King Mine release area. These streamgages provide continuous data on streamflow and select water-quality constituents including specific conductance, water temperature, pH, and turbidity.
The areal and vertical location of the major aquifers is fundamental to the determination of groundwater availability for the Nation. The map, which is derived from the Ground Water Atlas of the United States, indicates the areal extent of the uppermost principal aquifers on a national scale.
StreamStats version 4 is a Web application that provides access to an assortment of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analytical tools that are useful for water-resources planning and management, and for engineering and design purposes.
These geospatial data are provided to the public to aid in the understanding of the geologic resources of New Mexico.
The National Map is a collaborative effort among the USGS and other Federal, State, and local partners to improve and deliver topographic information for the Nation. It has many uses ranging from recreation to scientific analysis to emergency response. The National Map is easily accessible for display on the Web, as products and services, and as downloadable data.
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
The map-based user interface can be used to delineate drainage areas, get basin characteristics and estimates of flow statistics, and more.
Funding partners: Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Water Conservation Board
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.
The location of the 188 streamgages used to develop the peak-streamflow equations, of which 44 streamgages have paleoflood or non-exceedance bound data.
An easy-to-use, Web-based geodatabase of historical flood and paleoflood information which includes links to sources of flood data. The interface makes this collection of information useful to water-resource managers to better understand the historic events for improved flood-frequency estimates of the largest floods in Colorado.
USGS Science Centers in Region 7-Upper Colorado Basin produce hundreds of USGS-series publications, journal papers, and books each year that are subject to rigorous review by USGS specialists. The publications shown below on this page are related to study areas and staff members of USGS Science Centers in Region 7 compiled from the USGS Publications Warehouse.
Postwildfire soil‐hydraulic recovery and the persistence of debris flow hazards
Deadly and destructive debris flows often follow wildfire, but understanding of changes in the hazard potential with time since fire is poor. We develop a simulation‐based framework to quantify changes in the hydrologic triggering conditions for debris flows as postwildfire infiltration properties evolve through time. Our approach produces time‐...
Thomas, Matthew A.; Rengers, Francis K.; Kean, Jason W.; McGuire, Luke A.; Staley, Dennis M.; Barnhart, Katherine (Katy) Ruth; Ebel, Brian A. Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the lower Paleozoic of the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 83 million barrels of oil and 351 billion cubic feet of gas in lower Paleozoic strata of the Williston Basin Province, North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M. Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of upper Paleozoic strata in the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean oil and gas resources of 134 million barrels of oil and 81 billion cubic feet of gas in upper Paleozoic strata of the Williston Basin Province in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 2,438 billion (2.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas resources in the Williston Basin Province, in North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Drake, Ronald M.
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Pennsylvanian Tyler Formation of the Williston Basin Province, 2020
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 161 million barrels of oil and 93 billion cubic feet of gas in the Tyler Formation of the Williston Basin Province, North Dakota.
Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Ellis, Geoffrey S.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi; Drake, Ronald M.
U.S. Geological Survey wildland fire science strategic plan, 2021–26
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Wildland Fire Science Strategic Plan defines critical, core fire science capabilities for understanding fire-related and fire-responsive earth system processes and patterns, and informing management decision making. Developed by USGS fire scientists and executive leadership, and informed by conversations with...
Steblein, Paul F.; Loehman, Rachel A.; Miller, Mark P.; Holomuzki, Joseph R.; Soileau, Suzanna C.; Brooks, Matthew L.; Drane-Maury, Mia; Hamilton, Hannah M.; Kean, Jason W.; Keeley, Jon E.; Mason, Robert R.; McKerrow, Alexa J.; Meldrum, James R.; Molder, Edmund B.; Murphy, Sheila F.; Peterson, Birgit; Plumlee, Geoffrey S.; Shinneman, Douglas J.; van Mantgem, Phillip J.; York, Alison A maximum rupture model for the central and southern Cascadia subduction zone—reassessing ages for coastal evidence of megathrust earthquakes and tsunamis
A new history of great earthquakes (and their tsunamis) for the central and southern Cascadia subduction zone shows more frequent (17 in the past 6700 yr) megathrust ruptures than previous coastal chronologies. The history is based on along-strike correlations of Bayesian age models derived from evaluation of 554 radiocarbon ages that date...
Nelson, Alan; Duross, Christopher; Witter, Robert C.; Kelsey, Harvey M.; Engelhart, Simon E.; Mahan, Shannon A.; Gray, Harrison J.; Hawkes, Andrea D.; Horton, Benjamin P.; Padgett, Jason S. Geometry of the Bushveld Complex from 3D potential field modelling
A full three-dimensional (3D) potential field model of the central and southern Bushveld Complex reveals information about the Complex in areas obscured by younger geological cover. Previously, two-dimensional gravity models and a few magnetic models limited to certain sections of the Bushveld Complex have been used to propose geometries for the...
Cole, Janine; Finn, Carol A.; Webb, Susan J. 8,000 years of climate, vegetation, fire and land-use dynamics in the thermo-mediterranean vegetation belt of northern Sardinia (Italy)
Knowledge about the vegetation history of Sardinia, the second largest island of the Mediterranean, is scanty. Here, we present a new sedimentary record covering the past ~ 8,000 years from Lago di Baratz, north-west Sardinia. Vegetation and fire history are reconstructed by pollen, spores, macrofossils and charcoal analyses and environmental...
Pedrotta, Tiziana; Gobet, Erika; Schwörer, Christoph; Beffa, Giorgia; Butz, Christoph; Henne, Paul D.; Morales-Molino, César; Pasta, Salvatore; Van Leeuwen, Jacqueline; Vogel, Hendrik; Zwimpfer, Elias; Anselmetti, Flavio; Grosjean, Martin; Tinner, Willy Shear-wave velocity site characterization in Oklahoma from joint inversion of multi-method surface seismic measurements: Implications for central U.S. Ground Motion Prediction
We analyze multi-method shear-wave velocity (Vs) site characterization data acquired at three permanent and 25 temporary seismograph stations in Oklahoma that recorded M4+ earthquakes within 50 km hypocentral distance of at least one of the 2016 M5.1 Fairview, M5.8 Pawnee or M5.0 Cushing earthquakes, to better constrain earthquake ground motion...
Stephenson, William J.; Odum, Jackson K.; Hartzell, Stephen H.; Leeds, Alena L.; Williams, Robert
Assessment of undiscovered gas resources in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska, 2021
Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean of 1,407 billion (1.4 trillion) cubic feet of gas in conventional accumulations in Upper Devonian to Lower Cretaceous strata of the western North Slope, Alaska.
Houseknecht, David W.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Moore, Thomas E.; Rouse, William A.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Craddock, William H.; Lease, Richard O.; Botterell, Palma J.; Sanders, Margaret M.; Smith, Rebecca A.; Connors, Christopher D.; Garrity, Christopher P.; Whidden, Katherine J.; Gooley, Jared T.; Counts, John W.; Long, Joshua H.; DeVera, Christina A. Substantial declines in salinity observed across the Upper Colorado River Basin during the 20th century, 1929 to 2019
Salinity in the Colorado River Basin causes an estimated $300 to $400 million per year in economic damages in the U.S. To inform and improve salinity‐control efforts, this study quantifies long‐term trends in salinity (dissolved solids) across the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB), including time periods prior to the construction of large dams and...
Rumsey, Christine; Miller, Olivia L.; Hirsch, Robert; Marston, Thomas M.; Susong, DavidThis web page has descriptions of and links to computer programs that may be downloaded online. To view USGS-series publications related to software, please visit the publications page of this website.
Various projects on the USGS's public GitHub.
The software and related documentation on these Web pages were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for use by the USGS in fulfilling its mission. The software can be used, copied, modified, and distributed without any fee or cost.
The is a useful tool designed to facilitate FGDC metadata creation for spatial and non-spatial data sets. It is a cross-platform desktop application built using an open-source Python architecture.
The transit-loss accounting program, which has been in continuous daily use in some form since April 1989, has provided water-rights administrators with a tool to effectively manage RRFs and administer water diversion priorities along Fountain Creek on a daily basis.
Smart River GIS allows simultaneous views of river hydraulics, species-specific habitat, and fish population simulations, for a better understanding of complex ecological interactions. We used existing data sets from the South Platte River in Colorado to develop a multi-layered geographic information system (GIS) that resource managers can use to improve their understanding of river ecosystems.
CloseTest is a Windows program for testing capture-recapture data
Photos and videos described and linked on this webpage come from a wide variety of USGS science activities and presentations performed by USGS Science Center staff members in the Region 7-Upper Colorado Basin.
Scientist holding brown treesnake
A USGS scientist holds an invasive brown treesnake.
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.
Dragonfly Mercury Project specimen collection in Glacier NP
Researchers instruct volunteers on how to collect dragonfly larvae in Glacier NP as a part of the Dragonfly Mercury Project.
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: January 2, 2020
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, gives an overview of activity at Yellowstone during 2019, with an emphasis on the month of December.
Sampling Suspended-sediment Concentration
Tyson Hatch and Fletcher Brinkerhoff sampling suspended-sediment concentration upstream of the Buckman Diversion for the city of Santa Fe on the Rio Grande (08313150 Rio Grande above Buckman Diversion, near White Rock, NM)
Map showing ice cover in the Yellowstone region
Map showing ice cover in the Yellowstone region. Light shaded areas bounded by black and red lines indicate areas covered during the Pinedale (about 20,000-15,000 years ago) and Bull Lake (about 150,000 years ago) glaciations, respectively. Blue lines are contours in thousands of feet on the maximum reconstructed Pinedale glacier surface. The circled numbers schematically
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Collaborating on Climate Adaptation
RAMPS expands drought adaptation project with national parks in the 4-Corners area. National parks across the desert Southwest are experiencing ecological impacts due to climate change. Since late 2018, USGS RAMPS scientists have been working with Southeast Utah Group of national parks to better understand climate change impacts and build a suite of science-driven
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Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: December 2, 2019
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of November 2019.
Photomicrographs from a Great-Horned Owl
Photomicrographs from a Great-Horned Owl showing (A) moderate acute hemorrhage in the right atrial epicardium extending into the myocardium and (B) a focally extensive area of coagulative necrosis of the epidermis and dermis (arrow) consistent with an electrical burn.
Managing Fire on the US Mexico Borderlands
RAMPS met with DOI Office of Wildland Fire, US Customs and Border Patrol, and US Fish & Wildlife Service staff at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern AZ last November. The group is developing tools to reduce wildfire risk, conserve wildlife habitat and natural resources, and increase safety and security of border operations.
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Yellowstone Volcano Observatory Monthly Update: November 1, 2019
Mike Poland, Scientist-in-Charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, describes activity at Yellowstone during the month of October 2019
News items shown on this page are highlights of selected studies conducted and publications produced by USGS Science Center staff members in Region 7-Upper Colorado Basin.
USGS Low-level Airplane Surveys Beginning Soon
Editor: In the public interest and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the USGS is announcing this low-level airborne project. Your assistance in informing the local communities is appreciated.
Researchers at the New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, part of the Fort Collins Science Center, use tree-ring fire scars to establish a historical record of fire that informs present-day fire management practices.
USGS social scientists use qualitative research methods to better understand Landsat imagery use and the benefits and challenges perceived by Landsat users. These Landsat user case studies provide in-depth information about users, uses, user value, and societal benefits.
Fort Collins, CO – Considered one of the most imperiled ecosystems in the world and home to mule deer, pronghorn, sage-grouse, pygmy rabbits and more than 350 other species of conservation concern, the sagebrush ecosystem continues to shrink rapidly due to a host of growing threats, according to a new scientific report.
In the latest database update based on the Critical Minerals List, the USGS has added Gallium to USMIN.
The USGS has added the critical mineral commodity tantalum to USMIN.
The value of Landsat satellite imagery to the U.S. and global economies has increased notably in recent years. Landsat imagery provided an estimated $3.45 billion in economic benefits to users worldwide in 2017, compared to worldwide benefits of $2.19 billion in 2011.
As part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Fort Collins Science Center scientists volunteered to pass along personal and professional advice to the next generation of women and girls in science.
Streamflow in the Southwestern U.S. is projected to decrease by as much as 36–80% by the end of this century, reports a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey. Decreases of this magnitude would challenge our ability to meet future water demand in this region and could jeopardize compliance with interstate and international water-sharing agreements.
Fort Collins social scientists collaborated with several federal land management agency partners to publish Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD)—A Decision Framework for the 21st-century Natural Resource Manager. The report presents the RAD decision framework, a tool for land managers.
Fort Collins Science Center scientists had multiple presentations and poster submissions, as well as one award, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting 2020. The Meeting was the largest worldwide virtual conference in the Earth and space sciences, with over 20,000 attendees.
This page includes links to Social Media accounts (top of page), Science Centers (middle of page), and Regional Office staff members (bottom of page) of the USGS Region 7--Upper Colorado Basin.
Contacts
Locations
Region 7 - Upper Colorado Basin
rgonzales-schreiner@usgs.gov
Phone: 703-648-7200
NSF Ice Core Facility
Phone: 303-202-4830
New Mexico Water Science Center
Phone: (505) 830-7900
Fax: (505) 830-7998
Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center
Phone: 303-236-5345
Utah Water Science Center
angeroth@usgs.gov
Phone: (801) 908-5000
Fax: (801) 908-5001
Colorado Water Science Center - Main Office
gs-w-codist_webmaster@usgs.gov
Phone: 303-236-6900
Fax: 303-236-4912
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Cheyenne Office
Phone: (307) 778-2931
Fax: (307) 778-2764
National Geospatial Technical Operations Center - Denver, CO
Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Phone: 303-236-1800
Fax: 303-236-3200
Geologic Hazards Science Center
Phone: 303-273-8500
North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center
Fort Collins Science Center
Phone: 970-226-9100
Fax: 970-226-9230
Colorado Water Science Center - Southeast Colorado Office: Pueblo, CO
gs-w-codist_webmaster@usgs.gov
Phone: 719-562-2840
Fax: 719-544-2463
Colorado Water Science Center - Western Colorado Office: Grand Junction
gs-w-codist_webmaster@usgs.gov
Phone: 970-628-7150
Fax: 970-245-1026
National Earthquake Information Center
Phone: 303-273-8500
Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO)
yvowebteam@usgs.gov
Phone: 360-993-8906
Spectroscopy Lab
Molecular Ecology Lab (MEL)
Phone: 970-226-9100
Fax: 970-226-9230
Denver Microbeam Laboratory
Albuquerque Seismological Laboratory
Moab Field Office
wilkowsk@usgs.gov
Phone: 435-259-4430
Fax: 435-259-5420
Salt Lake Field Office
sjgerner@usgs.gov
Phone: 801-908-5000
Fax: 801-908-5001
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Casper Office
Phone: 307-261-5485
Fax: 307-261-5487
Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center - Riverton Office
Phone: 307-856-3771
Fax: 307-857-3165
Roswell Field Office
Phone: 575-627-0324
Fax: 575-646-7949
Southwest Biological Science Center - Moab, UT, Research Station
Phone: 435-259-3121
USGS Everglades Research Offices
Phone: 305-242-7834
Colorado Water Science Center - Durango Field Office
gs-w-codist_webmaster@usgs.gov
Phone: 970-247-4222
Fax: 970-247-4296
Jackson, Wyoming Field Research Station
Phone: 307-733-2314
Las Cruces Field Office
Phone: (575) 646-8129
Fax: (575) 646-7949
Cedar City Field Office
baslaugh@usgs.gov
Phone: 435-586-4543
Fax: 435-586-4557
USGS Denver Library
den_lib@usgs.gov
Phone: 303-236-1000
Fax: 303-236-1013
The Core Research Center
CRC@USGS.GOV
Phone: 303-202-4851
Fax: 303-202-4856
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USGS Science Centers in Region 7-Upper Colorado Basin conduct a large number of cooperative, co-funded science and monitoring projects with many other Federal, Tribal, State, and local agencies. Please scroll below to see the agencies with which those Science Centers currently have cooperative agreements.