First posted March 24, 2022 For additional information, contact: Director, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science CenterU.S. Geological Survey12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS-954 Reston, VA 20192 In 2000, the U.S. Geological Survey published a distinctive map, entitled “A Tapestry of Time and Terrain,” which showed a generalized depiction of the geology in the conterminous United States, draped over shaded-relief topography. In 2003, that map concept was extended geographically, and the resulting new map was published at 1:8,000,000 scale as “The North America Tapestry of Time and Terrain” (NATTT).The NATTT map showed the wide range of ages of the bedrock that underlies North America, as well as the distribution of the principal rock types— sedimentary, igneous (as two subtypes, volcanic and plutonic), and metamorphic. Regional processes active at the land surface, as well as continental-scale tectonic events, are exposed on the maps, in the three dimensions of space and in the fourth dimension, geologic time.This new publication contains the geographic information system (GIS) data from the NATTT map, which, in turn, includes map data from the earlier Tapestry map. The GIS files contain over 20,000 polygons that represent geologic age and rock class. In addition, layer files are provided to facilitate a symbolized display of the map that is similar to that of the original NATTT map publication. The data are intended to be used at the scale of the published source map (1:8,000,000).
First posted June 23, 2021 For additional information, contact: Director, New Mexico Water Science CenterU.S. Geological Survey6700 Edith Blvd. NEAlbuquerque, NM 87113 The Albuquerque Basin, located in central New Mexico, is about 100 miles long and 25–40 miles wide. The basin is hydrologically defined as the extent of consolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age that encompasses the structural Rio Grande Rift between San Acacia to the south and Cochiti Lake to the north. A 20-percent population increase in the basin from 1990 to 2000 and a 22-percent population increase from 2000 to 2010 resulted in an increased demand for water in areas within the basin. Drinking-water supplies throughout the basin were obtained solely from groundwater resources until December 2008, when the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (ABCWUA) began treatment and distribution of surface water from the Rio Grande through the San Juan-Chama Drinking Water Project.An initial network of wells was established by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the City of Albuquerque from April 1982 through September 1983 to monitor changes in groundwater levels throughout the Albuquerque Basin. In 1983, this network consisted of 6 wells with analog-to-digital recorders and 27 wells where water levels were measured monthly. As of 2020, the network consisted of 120 wells and piezometers. A piezometer is a specialized well open to a specific depth in the aquifer, often of small diameter and nested with other piezometers screened at different depths. The USGS, in cooperation with the ABCWUA, the New Mexico Office of the State Engineer, and Bernalillo County, measures water levels from the wells and piezometers in the network; this report, prepared in cooperation with the ABCWUA, presents water-level data collected by USGS personnel at the sites through water year 2020 (October 1, 2019, through September 30, 2020). Water levels that were collected from discontinued wells in previous water years were published in previous USGS reports.
First posted June 1, 2021 For additional information, contact: Director,Western Ecological Research CenterU.S. Geological Survey3020 State University Drive EastSacramento, California 95819 Surveys for coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) were done in 378 established plots in southern San Diego County in 2020, encompassing three genetic clusters (Otay, Lake Jennings, and Sweetwater/Encanto genetic clusters). Two surveys were completed at each plot between March 1 and July 31. Cactus Wrens were detected in 131 plots (35 percent of plots). This is a slight increase over the proportion of occupied plots in 2019. One hundred and nine Cactus Wren territories were detected across all survey plots in 2020, an increase from 83 in 2019. At least 85 percent of Cactus Wren territories were occupied by pairs, and 62 fledglings were observed in 2020.There were 89 color-banded Cactus Wrens observed in 2020, 84 of which we could identify to individual. Adults of known age ranged from 1 to at least 6 years old. Adult Cactus Wrens moved on average 0.2 kilometers (km; maximum 3.8 km) from their 2019 territories to their 2020 territories. Cactus Wrens that fledged in 2019 moved on average 1.2 km (maximum 9.9 km) to their 2020 territories. No known-identity Cactus Wrens moved between genetic clusters from 2019 to 2020.Vegetation at Cactus Wren plots typically was dominated by coastal sage scrub shrubs such as California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), lemonadeberry (Rhus integrifolia), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), and broom baccharis (Baccharis sarothroides). Very little dead or unhealthy cactus was observed within Cactus Wren survey plots. Thirty-eight percent of plots had at least 25 percent of the cactus crowded or overtopped by vines and shrubs. Non-native annual cover was greater than 25 percent at 35 percent of plots.
First posted March 29, 2021 For additional information, contact: Director, Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center U.S. Geological Survey640 Grassmere Park Drive Nashville, TN 37211 Groundwater-quality environmental data were collected from 983 wells as part of the National Water-Quality Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Program and are included in this report. The data were collected from six types of well networks: principal aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of groundwater used for public water supply; land-use study networks, which are used to assess land-use effects on shallow groundwater quality; major aquifer study networks, which are used to assess the quality of groundwater used for domestic supply; enhanced trends networks, which are used to evaluate the time scales during which groundwater quality changes; vertical flow-path study networks, which are used to evaluate changes in groundwater quality from shallow to deeper depths; and modeling support studies, which are used to provide data to support groundwater modeling. Groundwater samples were analyzed for many water-quality indicators and constituents, including major ions, nutrients, trace elements, volatile organic compounds, pesticides, radionuclides, microbiological indicators, and some constituents of special interest (arsenic speciation, hexavalent chromium [chromium (VI)], and perchlorate). These groundwater-quality data, along with data from quality-control samples, are tabulated in this report and in an associated data release. Data for microbiological indicators for samples collected in 2016 are included in the companion data release.
Streams in the Catskill Mountains region of New York provide many important ecological and economic services, including recreational angling and serving as a drinking water supply to New York City. Many streams in this region were adversely affected by acid deposition during the late 20th century, impairing water quality and aquatic ecosystems. More recently, the level of acid deposition has declined while changes in climate have become more pronounced. As a result, biological and chemical data are needed to determine the current condition of stream ecosystems in the Catskill Mountains region. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Rondout Neversink Stream Program, surveyed fish communities and water chemistry annually between 2017 and 2019 at 23 sites in the upper Neversink River and upper Rondout Creek watersheds to compile a contemporary baseline dataset and assess potential biological recovery from reduced acidification. The resulting data indicated that brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were present at every study site, although slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) was the most abundant species at most sites. Stream pH ranged from 4.8 to 7.0 across all sites and generally increased from upstream to downstream. Similarly, the number of species present and the ratio of brown trout (Salmo trutta) to brook trout increased at sites in each subwatershed from upstream to downstream. Introduction The Neversink River and Rondout Creek are historic trout fishing and recreational streams in the heart of the Catskill Mountains of southeastern New York. Both streams played an important role in the origins of fly fishing in the United States, and continue to be used heavily by anglers (Van Put, 2007). During the second half of the 20th century, however, the headwaters, tributaries, and some main stem reaches of both rivers were adversely affected by acid deposition. Surveys during the late 1980s and early 1990s found that some or all fish species were absent or their populations were depressed in many reaches of both river systems because of elevated acidity and concentrations of inorganic monomeric aluminum compounds (Baker and others, 1996; Baldigo and Lawrence, 2000, 2001). More recently, acid deposition and stream acidity have declined in the Catskill Mountains region (McHale and others, 2017), and climate change is an increasing threat that is affecting stream flow and temperature regimes across the northeastern United States (DupignyGiroux and others, 2018). Quantitative information on fish assemblages in the Catskill Mountains region is needed to assess the current health of stream ecosystems, evaluate potential biological recovery from decreasing acidification, and document the effects of climate change, invasive species, and other stressors on important natural resources. In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Rondout Neversink Stream Program initiated a study to determine the current status of fish assemblages and water chemistry across the watersheds of the upper Neversink River and upper Rondout Creek. The objectives of this study were to obtain a contemporary dataset that could be used to evaluate recovery from acid deposition and serve as a baseline for evaluating future changes in the watershed from climate change, invasive species, and other stressors. The information obtained in this study may be used to inform and assess future management actions in these watersheds related to stream restoration, trout stocking, and angling regulations. Equipment and Methods Fish communities were surveyed annually from 2017 to 2019 at study sites within the upper Neversink River and upper Rondout Creek watersheds (fig. 1). The study area was limited to the reaches upstream from the Neversink and Rondout reservoirs. A total of 23 study sites were surveyed annually for 3 years (table 1), with the exception of the DTHall site on the East Branch Neversink River, which was not sampled in 2017, and the WBGage site on the West Branch Neversink River, which was not sampled in 2018. The sites ranged in drainage area from 0.3 to 172.5 square kilometers. Fish assemblages were surveyed between late June and early August using multipass depletion electrofishing surveys. During each survey, fish were collected from seine-blocked reaches in three or four consecutive passes with one person 2 Survey of Fish Assemblages in the Upper Neversink River and Upper Rondout Creek, New York, 2017–19 We st B ran ch Ne ver sin k R ive r East B ran ch Ne ver sin k Ri ver Ro nd ou t C ree k Deer Oasis AbvBHB WBGage EBGage Tisons EMtRoad Sundown EVRanch Biscuit DSPeekLk USPeekLk BlueHill Ballfield CovBridge Winnisook
