Pleistocene succession of the central interior United States

The Quaternary of the continental interior of the United States is characterized by deposits from glacial ice, with associated outwash and eolian deposits, and by alluvial deposits produced by the same climatic pulses. Erosional incision of valleys occurred early in the glacial pulse, outwash deposition during the waning phase of the pulse, and soil formation during times of relative stability between the glacial pulses. These features of deposition, erosion, and soil formation are presented in a series of curves. One way the marine record could be correlated with that of the continental interior is to compare and match the physical records of both environments.     

Composition of marsh gases in the central and eastern United States

Summer samples of marsh gases in Minnesota (fresh-water), Louisiana, and Delaware (fresh-water and brackish-water) yielded 50–85% methane, 3–52% “excess nitrogen”, 4–15% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of traces of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, propane, hydrogen sulfide, and C₄–C₇ hydrocarbons. These types of gas flows were found to decrease drastically in winter periods of sampling, and large amounts of “air” accumulate in some marsh and lake sediments. Carbon dioxide decreases in the winter samples, but carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide showed relative increases. Ethane is present in several, and butane in one, sample from Minnesota in the fall. There is a drop in “excess nitrogen” (non-air N₂) in the winter as compared to summer samples.Specimens of marsh plants were placed in culture flasks with mud from each collecting locality and allowed to culture for several months. In composition, the cultured gases are predominantly methane, carbon dioxide, and “excess nitrogen”. Hydrogen, ethane, propane, and hydrogen sulfide are minor components. Carbon monoxide was not detected, in contrast to marsh gases. Phragmites from industrially polluted Delaware Bay evolved many additional hydrocarbons in culture, pH and Eh were monitored for Typha in culture; pH remained near 7 and Eh near − 100 mV after stabilization.Carbohydrate analyses of marsh plants indicate xylans exceed cellulose as a major source of methane in these samples; mannose, galactose, and arabinose are also important potential contributors.Delta carbon-13 values of methane from marsh gases sampled are more negative than those from laboratory-cultured source plants, whereas delta deuterium values from methane from marsh gases are less negative than those of cultured source plants.     

A technical note on seismic microzonation in the central United States

Microzonation is an effort to evaluate and map potential hazards found in an area, urban area in particular, that could be induced by strong ground shaking during an earthquake. These hazards include: ground motion amplification, liquefaction, and slope failure. The microzonation maps, depicting ground-motion amplification, liquefaction, and landslide potentials, can be produced if the ground motion on bedrock (input) and the site conditions are known. These maps, in combination with ground-motion hazard maps (on bedrock), can be used to develop a variety of hazard mitigation strategies such as seismic risk assessment, emergency response and preparedness, and land-use planning. However, these maps have certain limitations that result from the nature of regional mapping, data limitations, generalization, and computer modeling. These microzonations show that when strong ground shaking occurs, damage is more likely to occur, or be more severe, in the higher hazard areas. The zones shown on the hazard maps should not serve as a substitute for site-specific evaluations.     

Environmental impacts of groundwater overdraft: selected case studies in the southwestern United States

The southwestern United States—this papers study region—is home to large urban centers and features a thriving agro-industrial economic sector. This region is also one of the driest in North America, with highly variable seasonal and inter-annual precipitation regimes and frequent droughts. The combination of a large demand for usable water and semi-arid climate has led to groundwater overdraft in many important aquifers of the region. Groundwater overdraft develops when long-term groundwater extraction exceeds aquifer recharge, producing declining trends in aquifer storage and hydraulic head. In conjunction with overdraft, declines in surface-water levels and streamflow, reduction or elimination of vegetation, land subsidence, and seawater intrusion are well documented in many aquifers of the southwestern United States. This work reviews case studies of groundwater overdraft in this region, focusing on its causes, consequences, and remedial methods applied to counter it.     

Loess stratigraphy in central China

The loess deposits in central China record world-wide climate changes of the last 2.5 Ma. Numerous climatic oscillations are marked by alternating loess and soil units with continuous coverage of the Matuyama and Brunhes Epochs. Magnetic susceptibility of the deposits correlates closely with the oxygen isotope record of the deep-sea sediments and provides an independent measure of climate and time.The key marker bed of the chinese loess sequence is the paleosol S5, the time equivalent of the mid-Brunhes oxygen isotope stages 13, 14 and 15. It marks a prolonged interval of warm humid climate lasting from approximately 615 to 470 thousand years ago. Several episodes of river downcutting coincide with deposition of the exceptionally thick loess units L1 (oceanic oxygen isotope stages 2 to 4) L2 (stage 6), L5 (stage 12) L6, (stage 16) L9 (stage 22) L15 (stage 38 about 1.15 Ma) and WS4 (about 2.3 Ma). These erosional events are interpreted as a result of episodic uplift of the Loess Plateau.The deposition of the earliest loess layers between 2.5 and 2.3 Ma ago marks a first order shift from warm and humid environments toward harsh continental steppes comparable to those of the Middle and Late Pleistocene. Little, if any lithologic or paleontologic changes were noted within or above the Olduvai magnetozone, so that the proposed Plio/Pleistocene boundary at approximately 1.65 Ma has no lithostratigraphic and biostratigraphic representation in the chinese loess series.Comparison with the Deep Sea Drilling Program core 552A in the North Atlantic and with the Santerno River section near Bologna shows that the occurrence of the earliest loess in China coincides with the timing of the first significant ice rafting in the North Atlantic and with the appearance of cold water foraminifers in the marine deposits of northern Italy. An extension of the stage system of the oxygen isotope signal extended back to the Gauss-Matuyama boundary is proposed.     

Stadial subdivisions of early Pleistocene glaciations in central United States - a developing chronology

Recently recognized field evidence clearly indicates that both the Nebraskan and Kansan Glaciations are divisible into stades on the basis of a stratigraphic record of ice-margin fluctuations. Two Nebraskan stades and three Kansan stades have been identified; it is suggested that others will be found. Recognition of multiple stades requires a thorough review of all Early Pleistocene stratigraphic and paleontologic age assignments applied in the American Midwest.     

Windstorms in the United States

High winds are one of the nation’s leading damage-producing storm conditions. They do not include winds from tornadoes, winter storms, nor hurricanes, but are strong winds generated by deep low pressure centers, by thunderstorms, or by air flow over mountain ranges. The annual average property and crop losses in the United States from windstorms are $379 million and windstorms during 1959–1997 caused an average of 11 deaths each year. Windstorms range in size from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands square kilometers, being largest in the western United States where 40% of all storms exceed 135,000 km². In the eastern United States, windstorms occur at a given location, on average, 1.4 times a year, whereas in the western US point averages are 1.9. Midwestern states average between 15 and 20 wind storms annually; states in the east average between 10 and 25 storms per year; and West Coast states average 27–30 storms annually. Storms causing insured property losses >$379 million and windstorms during 1959–1997 caused an average of 11 deaths each year. Windstorms range in size from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands square kilometers, being largest in the western United States where 40% of all storms exceed 135,000 km². In the eastern United States, windstorms occur at a given location, on average, 1.4 times a year, whereas in the western US point averages are 1.9. Midwestern states average between 15 and 20 wind storms annually; states in the east average between 10 and 25 storms per year; and West Coast states average 27–30 storms annually. Storms causing insured property losses >1 million, labeled catastrophes, during 1952–2006 totaled 176, an annual average of 3.2. Catastrophic windstorm losses were highest in the West and Northwest climate regions, the only form of severe weather in the United States with maximum losses on the West Coast. Most western storms occurred in the winter, a result of Pacific lows, and California has had 31 windstorm catastrophes, more than any other state. The national temporal distribution of catastrophic windstorms during 1952–2006 has a flat trend, but their losses display a distinct upward trend with time, peaking during 1996–2006.     

The evolution of groundwater rights and groundwater management in New Mexico and the western United States

Historically, rights in water originated as public property and only later became individualized rights to utilize the public resource, in a manner consistent with the public welfare needs of society, but protected by principles of property law. Five basic regulatory systems for rights in groundwater in the United States have evolved to date. The problems raised by the hydrologic differences between groundwater hydraulically connected to stream systems and groundwater in non-replenished aquifers have been resolved to some extent by a couple of leading court cases. Numerical modeling and other technical methodologies have also evolved to evaluate the scientific issues raised by the different hydrologic conditions, but these are not immune from criticism. The current role of aquifers is evolving into that of storage facilities for recycled water, and their utilization in this manner may be expanded even further in the future. The policy implications of the choices relating to joint management of ground and surface water cannot be overstated. As this paper demonstrates, proactive administration of future groundwater depletions that affect stream systems is essential to the ultimate ability to plan for exploitation, management and utilization of water resources in a rational way that coordinates present and future demand with the reality of scarcity of supply. The examples utilized in this paper demonstrate the need for capacity building, not just to develop good measurement techniques, or to train talented lawyers and judges to write good laws, but also for practical professional water managers to keep the process on a rational course, avoiding limitless exploitation of the resource as well as conservative protectionism that forever precludes its use.

The evolution of regional development concepts: some new trends

This paper traces the theoretical development of the regional concept and the use of regionalization techniques in Soviet geography and seeks to compare this history with comparable trends in Western geography. It is severely critical of the major and rapid paradigm shifts noticed in post-war Western geographical science and relates these to shifts in the approach to global development issues.     

Storm catastrophes in the United States

A unique historical data set describing the 142 storms each producing losses in excess of $100 million in the United States during the 1950–89 period were analyzed to describe their temporal characteristics. The storms caused $66.2 billion in losses (in 1991 values), 76% of the nation's insured storm losses in this period. These extreme storm catastrophes (SCs) were most prevalent in the south, southeast, northeast, and central U.S., with few in and west of the Rocky Mountains. Storm incidences were high in the 1950s, low in the 1960s-early 1970s, and increased in the 1980s. Losses due to SCs peaked in the 1950s, again in the late 1960s, with a lesser peak after 1985. The areal extent of storm losses peaked after 1975 and was least in the 1960s. The temporal variations of the three storm measures (incidence, losses, and extent) did not agree except when they all peaked in the 1950s. Regionally-derived time distributions of SCs showed a marked north-south differences in the United States with a U-shaped 40-year distribution in the northern half of the nation, and a relatively flat trend until a peak in the 1980s in the southern regions. The temporal distributions of hurricane-caused catastrophes differed regionally with occurrences in the prime areas, the southern, southeastern, and northeastern U.S., each quite different. Temporal distributions of thunderstorm and winter storm catastrophes were regionally more uniform.     

Quaternary research in the United States

Book reviewed in this article:
Wright. H. E., Jr. (ed.) 1983: Late-Quaternary Environments of the United States . Vol. 1 The Late Pleistocene , edited by Stephen C. Porter.     

1970年以来美国地质调查局科研工作的发展与演化——基于论文计量分析

拥有130多年历史的美国地质调查局经久不衰,关键在于其时常将满足不断变化的国家与社会需求作为生存与发展之本。对GeoRef数据库收录的自1970年以来的科研论文的定量分析发现,美国地质调查局的科学研究在1990年左右发生了重大转折：论文产出数量摆脱长期低迷状态,开始大幅增长;形成完整学科体系,学科综合度保持稳定;科研工作从以资源研究为主的供给型地质学转向以环境研究为主的需求型地质学;基于学科持续度指标识别出9个重点学科,它们在1990年之后进入相对稳定的发展态势,未来水文地质学和环境地质学或许仍是重点所在。基于关键词的研究热点分析,结合重点学科的发展演化,可以发现其研究重心发生明显转移。     

Tourism research in the United States: a geographic perspective

The nature of tourism geography research in the United States is characterized by seven factors. First, research is not concentrated on a few topics of interest but rather is very diverse. Second, there is no research paradigm to influence the direction of investigations. Third, examination of tourism tends to stress the unique case rather than the general situation. Fourth, studies that replicate and/or verify original findings are not common. Fifth, the complexity of the tourism experience and the lack of data bases partially explain ideographic tendencies. Sixth, efforts to produce an understanding of the spatial aspects of tourism are primarily conducted by individuals and small groups. Seventh, emphasis is placed on domestic rather than international tourism. In conclusion, four future trends are noted. One, research that has been expanding rapidly will continue to increase but at a slower rate. Two, improved technology and methods of collecting information will make available large data sets for the assessment of tourism trends at international, national, regional, and state levels. Three, increased needs for useful research findings will result in more theoretical and applied investigations. Four, tourism geographers will engage in increased amounts of interdisciplinary research and begin to associate more and more with other social scientists in the examination of tourism.     

Strontium isotopic studies of alkalic rocks: Localities from Australia,Spain, and the Western United States

Initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratios and rubidium and strontium contents have been measured in 83 specimens from 8 suites of alkalic and ultrabasic rocks. The range of initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio observed and the number of specimens (in parentheses) analysed for each suite are: West Kimberley, Australia (8), 0.7125–0.7215; Jumilla, Spain (6), 0.7136–0.7158; Bearpaw Mountains, Montana (9), 0.7062–0.7086; Highwood Mountains, Montana (10), 0.7072–0.7087; Hopi Buttes, Arizona (8), 0.7038–0.7094; Leucite Hills, Wyoming (17), 0.7055–0.7070; Montana diatremes (13), 0.7034–0.7073; Navajo Province, Arizona and New Mexico (12), 0.7052–0.7099.The initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratios of the West Kimberley and Jumilla rocks are the highest yet found in strontium-rich basic rocks. Some of the individual specimens from West Kimberley have initial ratios as high as some estimates of the present Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio of average crustal material. This is interpreted to mean that the West Kimberley and Jumilla rocks contain substantial amounts of radiogenic strontium, and possibly other elements, from a crustal source.     

Chlorine-36 in groundwater of the United States: empirical data

Natural production of the radionuclide chlorine-36 (³⁶Cl) has provided a valuable tracer for groundwater studies. The nuclear industry, especially the testing of thermonuclear weapons, has also produced large amounts of ³⁶Cl that can be detected in many samples of groundwater. In order to be most useful in hydrologic studies, the natural production prior to 1952 should be distinguished from more recent artificial sources. The object of this study was to reconstruct the probable preanthropogenic levels of ³⁶Cl in groundwater in the United States. Although significant local variations exist, they are superimposed on a broad regional pattern of ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios in the United States. Owing to the influence of atmospherically transported ocean salt, natural ratios of ³⁶Cl/total Cl are lowest near the coast and increase to a maximum in the central Rocky Mountains of the United States. Electronic Publication     

Coal deposits of the United States

The coal fields of the Unites States can be divided into six major provinces. The Appalachian and Interior Provinces contain dominantly bituminous coal in strata of Pennsylvanian age. The coal seams are relatively thin and are mined both by surface and underground methods. Sulfyur content is low to moderate in the Appalachian Province, generally high in the Interior province. The Gulf Coastal Plain Province, in Texas and neighboring states, contains lignite of Eocene age. The seams are 3–25 ft (0.9–7.5 m) thick and are minded in large open pits. The Northern Great Plains Province has lignite and subbituminous coal of Cretaceous, Paleocene and Eocene age. The coal, largely very low in sulfur, occurs in beds up to 100 ft (30 m) thick and is strip-mined. The Rocky Mountain Province contains a great variety of coal deposits in numerous separate intermontane basins. Most of it is low-sulfur subbituminous to bituminous coal iof Creatceous and early Tertiary age. The seams range from a few feet to over 100 ft (30 m) thick. Strip-mining dominates but underground mines are important in Utah and Colorado. The Pacific Coast Province, which includes Alaska, contains enormous cola resources but has seen little mining. The coal is highly diverse in physical character and geologic setting.     

Tetrapyrrole pigments in United States humic coals

Analyses of forty-two United States humic coals have revealed a striking divergence between chlorophyll diagenesis in coals when compared to the more widely studied marine sediments, shales, asphalts and petroleums. Porphyrins of humic coals have been found to be dominated by the ETIO-series, to lack members above C-32, and, in lower ranked samples (e.g. Sub-bituminous-B, high volatile C) to exhibit mass spectral envelopes with unique even-carbon number predominances. The weighted average mass, as well as the carbon number maximum (viz. mode), of these coal porphyrin homologies has been found to decrease as rank increases. The generation of porphyrins of the ETIO-series is suggested as occurring both during early coal formation, including oxidative scission of the isocyclic ring at the phorbide stage, and later during the catagenic alteration of surviving DPEP-series porphyrins. A preliminary study of chlorophyll diagenesis in a South Florida peat partially substantiates this suggestion and has further shown that the coal porphyrins can be derived from bacterial, as well as higher plant, chlorophylls.     

Cenozoic landscape evolution in central Queensland

Central Queensland lies on the passive margin of eastern Australia and owes its landscape to processes that began following rifting and opening of the Tasman Sea. The modern landscape is the result of long-term processes of landform development, and the landforms themselves are the evidence of these processes. Hence, interpreting their significance provides an understanding of long-term landscape evolution. Along the eastern Australian coast, numerous rivers drain into the sea but among these, there are two that stand out: the neighbouring Fitzroy and Burdekin Rivers in central Queensland. These two streams have by far the largest catchments of any rivers along the eastern seaboard of Australia. The Burdekin and Fitzroy catchments contain widespread remnants of Cenozoic deposits, which accumulated predominantly in fluvial and lacustrine environments established during the Palaeogene. Alluvial sediments were supplied by erosion of nearby uplands, and accumulated in depressions and basins on a prior land surface. Volcanic activity also resulted in large lava flows in central western areas. Water was the main agent of sediment transport, distributing unconsolidated deposits along the drainage networks of the time, some of which were directed inland. It is inferred that during the Palaeogene, the divide between coastward and inland draining streams was further to the east than it is at present. Several basins were located west of the former coastal divide, and were characterised by continental environments of deposition in a generally westward drainage system. With continued accumulation of sediments, individual basins overflowed and merged to form a widespread flat-lying Palaeogene landscape that concealed an earlier land surface on which bedrock was more extensive. In the Early Cenozoic, there was a change from the depositional phase that resulted in the continental sequence, to an erosional phase that developed the modern landforms. The change from deposition to erosion probably started during the Palaeogene. Erosion continued through to the present, re-exposing parts of the basal Palaeogene sequence and earlier Mesozoic land surface. The erosional phase that shaped the landforms of the modern Burdekin and Fitzroy catchments can be explained by slowly evolving drainage basins in the interior being captured by small coastal streams—the predecessors of the Burdekin and Fitzroy Rivers. The coastal streams were short and steep in comparison with those in the interior, allowing a more active erosional environment along the coast. As the coastal streams expanded, the drainage divide moved rapidly westwards. Stream capture began a phase of regional erosion, which transported large quantities of sediments to the coast. The sediments contributed to coastal and nearshore features similar to the Holocene high sea-level examples at the mouth of the Burdekin River in the north, and the Fitzroy Delta and the Keppel Coast in the south. Large volumes of sediments were also transported beyond the present coast during low sea-levels of the Cenozoic, forming similar coastal features and contributing to a major eastward bulge on the central Queensland continental shelf. The emptying of continental basins has paralleled the development of the continental shelf bulge from the coast to the Marion Plateau.