Unified Interior Regions
Region 7: Upper Colorado Basin
Map of Region 7 Upper Colorado River 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
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.
Developing a mechanistic understanding between recent climate patterns and Aquatic Vital Signs in the Greater Yellowstone Network
The National Park Service Inventory and Monitoring program was established to provide park managers with a broad understanding of the status of park resources using the best available science. This program acknowledges that NPS managers are confronted with complex challenges associated with the management of dynamic landscapes responding to multiple, interacting drivers of change. To provide...
An investigation of aquatic invasive species in pristine sites in the Greater Yellowstone Area
Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are aquatic organisms that move into ecosystems beyond their natural, historic range and cause severe and irreversible damage to the habitats they invade. Most AIS arrive as a direct result of human activity, such as boating and angling. The threat of AIS introduction is especially high in the Greater Yellowstone Area, as humans from all over the world come to...
RARMI: Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK) Apex Sites
In contrast to RARMI study areas in Colorado that have 10 or more years of records of continuous population monitoring, there are fewer long-term datasets for amphibian populations in the northern Rocky Mountains. The exception is an ongoing study of Columbia spotted frogs at Lodge Creek, Yellowstone National Park. Three other long-term research and monitoring areas have been established in...
RARMI: Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) Apex Sites
FORT is monitoring populations of amphibians at three apex sites using capture-recapture methods. Our goal in monitoring populations is to detect fluctuations in population size, sex ratio, survival, and recruitment. Through long-term monitoring, we can also address breeding phenology in relation to elevation, weather, and climate. Other specific questions can be asked about issues such as...
COMPLETED: Using thermal imagery to assess wolf hairloss from sarcoptic mange
Researchers at NOROCK and their partners used thermal cameras at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in Montana to assess the amount of heat lost under a range of environmental conditions with and without hair. These methods help scientists better understand how mange operates in wild wolves throughout the Greater...
Impacts of climate change on habitat quality: plant phenology interactions with animal use and fitness
Weather and climate impact terrestrial wildlife habitat through their influences on plant productivity. Plant phenology – the timing of life-history events such as green-up, flowering and senescence – provides one indicator of the timing and magnitude of productivity. Changes and variability in plant phenology in space and time are indicators of habitat quality, which is a driver of fitness...
Identification of Fire Refugia in Rocky Mountain Ecosystems of the U.S. and Canada: Development and Application of the Refugium Concept for Biodiversity Conservation over Large Spatial and Temporal Scales
We described the climate space of fire regimes in northwestern North America (Whitman and others 2015), and we are refining an approach to identify fire refugia – areas that do not burn or burn with lower severity through multiple fire events. We continue our collaboration to test the function of refugia for biodiversity conservation under current and future climate and fire scenarios. We...
Geneva Chong's Past Projects
These are Geneva Chong's past projects.
Monitoring for Potential Effects of the Gold King Mine Release on Water Quality in the Animas and San Juan Rivers in New Mexico using Continuous Monitors and Automatic Samplers
On August 5, 2015, about three million gallons of water and sediment were released from the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, into Cement Creek, a tributary of the Animas River. The New Mexico Environment Department, among other State, Tribal, and local entities in CO, NM, and UT, is concerned that metals associated with the water and sediment released from the Gold King Mine could have...
Characterization of Water Quality and Biology in the Fountain Creek Watershed
Monument and Fountain Creeks and their respective watersheds, located in the Front Range of Colorado, serve as important drainages for surface runoff, waste-water treatment operations, and as a water supply for downstream agricultural needs. As population growth continues in these watersheds, more and more pressures are being applied to the receiving streams, especially Fountain Creek. ...
Lower Gunnison River Basin Groundwater Selenium
The east side of the Uncompahgre River Basin has been a known contributor of dissolved selenium to recipient streams. Discharge of groundwater containing dissolved selenium contributes to surface-water selenium concentrations and loads; however, the groundwater system on the east side of the Uncompahgre River Basin is not well characterized. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the...
StreamStats for Colorado
StreamStats is a map based Web application that provides information that can be used by engineers, managers, and planners to make informed decisions on water-related activities. The map-based user interface can be used to delineate drainage areas, get basin characteristics and estimates of flow statistics. StreamStats allows for the analysis of upstream and downstream relations along...
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.
Flood Database for Colorado
The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Colorado Department of Transportation, created a Web-based geodatabase for information on floods from 1867 through water year 2015. The flood database also contains information on paleofloods occurring in the past 5,000 to 10,000 years.
Oil and Gas Well locations, Upper Colorado River Basin, 2007
This dataset was used as the basis for estimating land disturbance from oil and gas activity in the UCRB. The dataset is a compilation of five state oil and gas datasets from June of 2007. The intended uses of this data set include, but are not limited to, natural resource modeling, mapping, and visualization applications.
1:1,000,000-scale Hydrographic Areas of the Great Basin
This data set consists of hydrographic area and major flow system boundaries and polygons delineated at 1:1,000,000-scale for the Great Basin.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison Decision Support System (BCG_DSS)
This is a macro-embedded EXCEL program designed to easily accept input from downloaded stream gage records or output from the RIVERWARE reservoir operations model being used for the upstream Aspinall Unit.
Geospatial database of ground-water altitude and depth-to-ground-water data for Utah, 1971-2000
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality has developed a geographic database of selected ground-water-level altitude contours and surfaces for Utah. The contour data are derived from studies published by the USGS and the State of Utah.
Hydrographic Areas Within the Basin and Range Carbonate-Rock Aquifer System, White Pine County, Nevada and Adjacent Areas in Nevada and Utah
This data set consists of sub delineations of the hydrographic area (HA) boundaries and polygons drawn at 1:1,000,000 scale for the Great Basin supplemented by information from HA drawn at 1:750,000 scale where necessary. See the process steps for more information.
Water, Energy, and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB): Loch Vale Data
The chemistry of streams and lakes have been monitored in Loch Vale since 1983. Changes in stream and lake chemistry have been traced to variations in climate and atmospheric deposition of pollutants. Samples are collected throughout the year in Loch Vale. This provides information on seasonal variations in stream and lake chemistry.
Identifying Changes in Background Water-Quality Conditions, Arkansas River and Fountain Creek, near Pueblo, Colorado
Web based application to compare, on a real-time basis, estimated dissolved-solids concentration and load as a as a surrogate for water-quality condition in the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek near Pueblo, CO and determine whether future water-quality conditions are significantly different from background conditions.
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.
Using a dense seismic array to determine structure and site effects of the Two Towers earthflow in northern California
We deployed a network of 68 three-component geophones on the slow moving Two Towers earthflow in northern California. We compute horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios (HVSRs) from the ambient seismic field. The HVSRs have two prominent peaks, one near 1.23 Hz and another between 4 and 8 Hz at most stations. The 1.23 Hz resonance is a property...
Thomas, Amanda M.; Spica, Zack; Bodmer, Miles; Schulz, William; Roering, Joshua J.Resolving small-scale forest snow patterns using an energy-balance snow model with a 1-layer canopy
Modelling spatiotemporal dynamics of snow in forests is challenging, as involved processes are strongly dependent on small-scale canopy properties. In this study, we explore how local canopy structure information can be integrated in a medium-complexity energy-balance snow model to replicate observed snow patterns at very high spatial resolutions...
Mazzotti, Giulia; Essery, Richard; Moeser, C. David; Jonas, TobiasAn open source database for the synthesis of soil radiocarbon data: ISRaD version 1.0
Radiocarbon is a critical constraint on our estimates of the timescales of soil carbon cycling that can aid in identifying mechanisms of carbon stabilization and destabilization and improve the forecast of soil carbon response to management or environmental change. Despite the wealth of soil radiocarbon data that have been reported over the past...
Lawrence, Corey R.; Beem-Miller, Jeffrey; Hoyt, Alison; Monroe, Grey; Sierra, Carlos; Stoner, Shane; Heckman, Katherine; Blankinship, Joseph; Crow, Susan; McNichol, Gavin; Trumbore, Susan; Levine, Paul; Vinduśková, Olga; Todd-Brown, Katherine; Rasmussen, Craig; Hicks Pries, Caitlin; Schadel, Christina; McFarlane, Karis; Doetterl, Sebastian; Hatté, Christine; He, Yujie; Treat, Claire C.; Harden, Jennifer W.; Torn, Margaret S; Estop-Aragonés, Cristian; Berhe, Asmeret A.; Keiluweit, Marco; Kuhnen, Agatha Della Rosa; Marin-Spiotta, Erika; Plante, Alain F.; Thompson, Aaron; Shi, Zheng; Schimel, Joshua P.; Vaughn, Lydia J.S. ; von Fromm, Sophie F.; Wagai, RotaSustaining Environmental Capital Initiative summary report
Federal agencies need credible scientific information to determine the production and value of ecosystem services in an efficient and timely manner. The U.S. Geological Survey addresses this scientific information need through the Sustaining Environmental Capital Initiative project. The project has relied on U.S. Geological Survey expertise...
Huber, Christopher; Meldrum, James R.; Schuster, Rudy M.; Ancona, Zachary H.; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Beck, Scott M.; Carlisle, Daren; Claggett, Peter R.; Franco, Fabiano; Galbraith, Heather S.; Haefele, Michelle; Hoelting, Kristin R; Hogan, Dianna M.; Hopkins, Kristina G.; Kern, Tim; Lawrence, Collin B.; Lischka, Stacy; Loomis, John B.; Mueller, Julie M.; Noe, Gregory B.; Pindilli, Emily J.; Quay, Brian; Semmens, Darius J.; Sinclair, Wilson; Spooner, Daniel E.; Voigt, Brian; St. John White, BarabaraObservations on the May 2019 Joffre Peak landslides, British Columbia
Two catastrophic landslides occurred in quick succession on 13 and 16 May 2019, from the north face of Joffre Peak, Cerise Creek, southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia. With headscarps at 2560 m and 2690 m elevation, both began as rock avalanches, rapidly transforming into debris flows along middle Cerise Creek, and finally into debris floods...
Friele, Pierre; Millard, Tom; Mitchell, Andrew; Allstadt, Kate; Menounos, Brian; Geertsema, Marten; Clague, John J.Thresholds for post-wildfire debris flows: Insights from the Pinal Fire, Arizona, USA
Wildfire significantly alters the hydrologic properties of a burned area, leading to increases in overland flow, erosion, and the potential for runoff-generated debris flows. The initiation of debris flows in recently burned areas is well-characterized by rainfall intensity-duration (ID) thresholds. However, there is currently a paucity of data...
Raymond, Carissa A; McGuire, Luke A.; Youberg, Ann M.; Staley, Dennis M.; Kean, Jason W.Environmental tracer evidence for connection between shallow and bedrock aquifers and high intrinsic susceptibility to contamination of the conterminous U.S. glacial aquifer
Covering a large portion of the northern conterminous United States (1.87 x 106 km2), the glacial aquifer serves as the primary water supply for 39 million public and domestic water users. Mean groundwater age, groundwater age distribution, and susceptibility to land surface contamination, using a new metric (Susceptibility Index; SI) based on the...
Solder, John E.; Jurgens, Bryant; Stackelberg, Paul; Shope, Christopher L.USGS near-real-time products-and their use-for the 2018 Anchorage earthquake
In the minutes to hours after a major earthquake, such as the recent 2018 Mw">Mw 7.1 Anchorage event, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) produces a suite of interconnected earthquake products that provides diverse information ranging from basic earthquake source parameters to loss estimates. The 2018 Anchorage earthquake is the first...
Thompson, Eric M.; McBride, Sara; Hayes, Gavin P.; Allstadt, Kate; Wald, Lisa; Wald, David J.; Knudsen, Keith L.; Worden, Charles; Marano, Kristin; Jibson, Randall W.; Grant, Alex R. R.Evaluation of ground‐motion models for U.S. Geological Survey seismic hazard models: 2018 Anchorage, Alaska, Mw 7.1 subduction zone earthquake sequence
Instrumental ground‐motion recordings from the 2018 Anchorage, Alaska (Mw">Mw 7.1), earthquake sequence provide an independent data set allowing us to evaluate the predictive power of ground‐motion models (GMMs) for intraslab earthquakes associated with the Alaska subduction zone. In this study, we evaluate 15 candidate GMMs using...
McNamara, Daniel E.; Wolin, Emily; Powers, Peter M.; Shumway, Allison; Moschetti, Morgan P.; Rekoske, John; Thompson, Eric M.; Mueller, Charles; Petersen, Mark D.Toward ecosystem accounts for Rwanda: Tracking 25 years of change in potential supply and flows of ecosystem services
1. Rwanda, a small but rapidly developing central African nation, has undertaken development of natural capital accounts to better inform its economic development through the World Bank’s Wealth Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services (WAVES) Partnership. In this paper, we develop ecosystem service (ES) models to quantify the physical...
Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Ingram, Jane Carter; Lange, Glenn-Marie; Masozera, Michel K.; Ancona, Zachary H.; Bana, Mediatrice; Kabogo, Desire; Musana, Bernard; Nabahungu, Nsharwasi Leon; Rukundo, Emmanuel; Rutebuka, Evariste; Polasky, Stephen; Rugege, Denis; Uwera, ClaudineAnatomy of a caldera collapse: Kīlauea 2018 summit seismicity sequence in high resolution
The 2018 Kīlauea eruption and caldera collapse generated intense cycles of seismicity tied to repeated large seismic (Mw ~5) collapse events associated with magma withdrawal from beneath the summit. To gain insight into the underlying dynamics and aid eruption response, we applied waveform-based earthquake detection and double-difference location...
Shelly, David R.; Thelen, WestonGround-motion amplification in Cook Inlet region, Alaska from intermediate-depth earthquakes, including the 2018 MW=7.1 Anchorage earthquake
We measure pseudospectral and peak ground motions from 44 intermediate‐depth Mw≥4.9">Mw≥4.9 earthquakes in the Cook Inlet region of southern Alaska, including those from the 2018 Mw">Mw 7.1 earthquake near Anchorage, to identify regional amplification features (0.1–5  s">0.1...
Moschetti, Morgan P.; Thompson, Eric M.; Rekoske, John; Hearne, Mike; Powers, Peter M.; McNamara, Daniel E.; Tape, CarlPhotos 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.
Great Salt Lake
Looking down and across the Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake Receding
Receding Great Salt Lake as seen from causeway
Kane Springs, San Juan County, Utah Fall 2015
Collecting sample in tall grass at Kane Springs, San Juan County, Utah, Fall 2015.
South Salt Wash, Emery County, Utah, Fall 2015
South Salt Wash, Emery County, Utah.
Lake Powell, Kane County, Utah, Fall 2015
Collecting sediment traps on Lake Powell.
Using a portable flume to measure streamflow on a small stream
Using a portable flume to measure streamflow on a small stream
Preparing to measure water level at Groundwater Streamgage
Preparing to measure water level at Groundwater Streamgage
2015 Great Salt Lake Breach at Lakeside, Utah
For the first time since it was opened in 1984, water has stopped flowing through the Great Salt Lake causeway breach, an area that allows water to travel between the southern and northern parts of the lake.
Great Salt Lake Breach at Lakeside, Utah
A gage to measure lake water levels stands dry in the lake bed of the Great Salt Lake. For the first time since it was opened in 1984, water has stopped flowing through the Great Salt Lake causeway breach, an area that allows water to travel between the southern and northern parts of the lake.
Measuring streamflow of the Green River near LaBarge
Measuring streamflow of the Green River near LaBarge
Sampling on Muddy Creek
Collecting a QW sample on Muddy Creek near Tomsich Butte, eastern Utah.
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.
The USGS’s Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC), under the auspices of the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program, will conduct scientific overflights in Grand Canyon National Park over Memorial Day weekend.
Reston, VA – The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) today released the first ever comprehensive and systematic review of the 169 U.S. volcanoes and established a framework for a National Volcano Early Warning System (NVEWS) which calls for a 24-hour seven-day-a-week Volcano Watch Office and enhanced instrumentation and monitoring at targeted volcanoes.
Another Great Earthquake in the Indian Ocean, but What About the Tsunami?
Steam Explosions, Earthquakes, and Volcanic Eruptions--What’s in Yellowstone’s Future?
Radio-Monitored Salmon Shed Light on Snake River for Water Managers
Itching to Know More About America’s Modern Gold Rush?
Hazards and Cooperation Spawn New Uses for Geospatial Information
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are presenting science about our changing world at the 2005 Association of American Geographers conference, April 5-9, in Denver, Colo. Changes to the landscape of the Front Range of Colorado, changes to the way American cities look, and changes to the water, land use, and land cover of our Nation are topics USGS scientists will discuss.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are presenting science about our changing world at the 2005 Association of American Geographers conference, April 5-9, in Denver, Colo.
The Department of the Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey is collaborating with partner agencies to conduct scientific experiments designed to evaluate the effect of a high-flow release from Glen Canyon Dam on the natural resources of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park.
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior has proposed conducting a scientific study on the use of high flows from Glen Canyon Dam to improve Colorado River natural and cultural resources in Grand Canyon National Park.
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center are concerned that avian cholera, which recently killed about 30,000 eared grebes—small, diving water birds—at Great Salt Lake, Utah, could spread as birds migrate south for the winter, the agency announced today.
Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center are concerned that avian cholera, which recently killed about 30,000 eared grebes—small, diving water birds—at Great Salt Lake, Utah, could spread as birds migrate south for the winter, the agency announced today.
Trace amounts of pesticides or volative organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in ground water sampled from public-supply wells in Salt Lake Valley if the age of the sampled water was less than about 50 years, according to a report recently released by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
A 5-year study by the U.S. Geological Survey on the occurrence and distribution of trace elements and synthetic organic compounds in sediment and fish from the Great Salt Lake Basin area of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming found that trace elements were elevated in areas affected by historic mining, and organic compounds were highest at sites with urban and agricultural land use.
Water samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in areas surrounding the Great Salt Lake in parts of Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming generally meet existing guidelines for drinking water and the protection of aquatic life, although water quality in some specific areas have elevated concentrations of pesticides...
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.
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.