Winter Precipitation Efficiency of Mountain Ranges in the Colorado Rockies Under Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eidhammer, Trude; Grubišić, Vanda; Rasmussen, Roy; Ikdea, Kyoko

2018-03-01

Orographic precipitation depends on the environmental conditions and the barrier shape. In this study we examine the sensitivity of the precipitation efficiency (i.e., drying ratio (DR)), defined as the ratio of precipitation to incoming water flux, to mountain shape, temperature, stability, and horizontal velocity of the incoming air mass. Furthermore, we explore how the DR of Colorado mountain ranges might change under warmer and moister conditions in the future. For given environmental conditions, we find the DR to be primarily dependent on the upwind slope for mountain ranges wider than about 70 km and on both the slope and width for narrower ranges. Temperature is found to exert an influence on the DR for all Colorado mountain ranges, with DR decreasing with increasing temperature, under both the current and future climate conditions. The decrease of DR with temperature under warmer climate was found to be stronger for wider mountains than the narrower ones. We attribute this asymmetry to the sensitivity of DR to reduced horizontal velocity under warmer conditions. Specifically, while DR for wider mountains shows no sensitivity to changes in horizontal velocity, the DR for narrow ranges increases as the horizontal velocity decreases and more time is provided for precipitation to form. Thus, for narrower ranges, the horizontal velocity appears to offset the temperature effect slightly. The percentagewise decrease of DR for all examined mountain ranges is about 4%K-1. In comparison, the increase in precipitation is about 6%K-1 while the vapor flux increase is about 9%K-1.

75 FR 27361 - Notice of Public Meeting, Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Range Locatable Mineral Withdrawal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-14

...] Notice of Public Meeting, Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Range Locatable Mineral Withdrawal Extension, WY...) will hold a public meeting in conjunction with the Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Range Locatable... of Proposed Withdrawal Extension for the Whiskey Mountain Bighorn Sheep Winter Range, which was...

Lifespan of mountain ranges scaled by feedbacks between landsliding and erosion by rivers.

PubMed

Egholm, David L; Knudsen, Mads F; Sandiford, Mike

2013-06-27

An important challenge in geomorphology is the reconciliation of the high fluvial incision rates observed in tectonically active mountain ranges with the long-term preservation of significant mountain-range relief in ancient, tectonically inactive orogenic belts. River bedrock erosion and sediment transport are widely recognized to be the principal controls on the lifespan of mountain ranges. But the factors controlling the rate of erosion and the reasons why they seem to vary significantly as a function of tectonic activity remain controversial. Here we use computational simulations to show that the key to understanding variations in the rate of erosion between tectonically active and inactive mountain ranges may relate to a bidirectional coupling between bedrock river incision and landslides. Whereas fluvial incision steepens surrounding hillslopes and increases landslide frequency, landsliding affects fluvial erosion rates in two fundamentally distinct ways. On the one hand, large landslides overwhelm the river transport capacity and cause upstream build up of sediment that protects the river bed from further erosion. On the other hand, in delivering abrasive agents to the streams, landslides help accelerate fluvial erosion. Our models illustrate how this coupling has fundamentally different implications for rates of fluvial incision in active and inactive mountain ranges. The coupling therefore provides a plausible physical explanation for the preservation of significant mountain-range relief in old orogenic belts, up to several hundred million years after tectonic activity has effectively ceased.

Publications of the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, 1980-1989

Treesearch

Robert P. Winokur

1982-01-01

Lists alphabetically, by author, publications of the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station for 1980 through 1989, including both subject matter and author Indexes. This publication continues the information shown in USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RM-6, “Publications of the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station, 1953-1973...

Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and portions of adjacent territory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayden, Ferdinand Vandeveer; Bien, Julius

1881-01-01

Sheets I-IV are triangulations, drainage, land classification, and geologic maps of Colorado west of longitude 102°, on the scale of 12 miles to the inch. Sheets V-XVI are topographic (contour) and geologic maps of Colorado and adjacent States, between meridians 104° 30' and 109° 30' and parallels 36° 45' and 40° 30', on the scale of 4 miles to the inch. Sheets XVII and XVIII contain three geologic sections across the State, west of the longitude 104° 30'. Sheets XIX and XX are panoramic views of the Pikes Peak group, Sawatch Range, central portion of West Elk Mountains, Twin Lakes, southwestern border of the Mesa Verde, San Juan Mountains, and La Plata Mountains.

Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and portions of adjacent territory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayden, Ferdinand Vandeveer; Bien, Julius

1877-01-01

Sheets I-IV are triangulations, drainage, land classification, and geologic maps of Colorado west of longitude 102°, on the scale of 12 miles to the inch. Sheets V-XVI are topographic (contour) and geologic maps of Colorado and adjacent States, between meridians 104° 30' and 109° 30' and parallels 36° 45' and 40° 30', on the scale of 4 miles to the inch. Sheets XVII and XVIII contain three geologic sections across the State, west of the longitude 104° 30'. Sheets XIX and XX are panoramic views of the Pikes Peak group, Sawatch Range, central portion of West Elk Mountains, Twin Lakes, southwestern border of the Mesa Verde, San Juan Mountains, and La Plata Mountains.

Effects of Climatic Variability and Change on Upland Vegetation in the Blue Mountains [Chapter 6].

Treesearch

Becky K. Kerns; David C. Powell; Sabine Mellmann-Brown; Gunnar Carnwath; John Kim

2017-01-01

The Blue Mountains ecoregion (BME) extends from the Ochoco Mountains in central Oregon to Hells Canyon of the Snake River in extreme northeastern Oregon and adjacent Idaho, and then north to the deeply carved canyons and basalt rimrock of southeastern Washington (see fig. 1.1 in chapter 1). The BME consists of a series of mountain ranges occurring in a southwest to...

King Ata Tag Mountain Range, western China as seen by STS-66 Atlantis

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-11-14

The northwest-southeast trending, snow-covered, linear mountain range is the King Ata Tag Mountain, located in extreme western most China. Highest peaks are just over 20,100 feet above sea level. The town or village of Muji is located in the largest river valley that is south of this range of mountains. This area includes part of the country of Tajikistan. The center point of the photo is approximately 39.30 degrees north and 74.30 degrees easth.

The ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) of the Strandzha Mountain and adjacent coastal territories (Bulgaria and Turkey)

PubMed Central

Guéorguiev, Borislav

2016-01-01

Abstract Background The knowledge of the ground-beetle fauna of Strandzha is currently incomplete, and is largely based on data from the Bulgarian part of the region and on records resulting from casual collecting. This study represents a critical revision of the available literature, museum collections and a three years field study of the carabid beetles of the Bulgarian and Turkish parts of Strandzha Mountain and the adjacent Black Sea Coast territories. New information A total of 328 species and subspecies of Carabidae, belonging to 327 species from the region of Strandzha Mountain and adjacent seacoast area, have been listed. Of these, 77 taxa represent new records for the Bulgarian part of the region, and 110 taxa new records for Turkish part of the studied region. Two taxa, one subgenus (Haptotapinus Reitter, 1886) and one species (Pterostichus crassiusculus), are new to the fauna of Bulgaria. Based on a misidentification, the species Apotomus testaceus is excluded from the list of the Bulgarian fauna. Seven species (Carabus violaceus azurescens, Apotomus rufus, Platynus proximus, Molops alpestris kalofericus, M. dilatatus angulicollis, Pterostichus merklii, and Calathus metallicus) are treated as doubtful for the regional fauna, and one (Apotomus rufus) also for the Bulgarian fauna. Altogether, 43 taxa collected in the Turkish part of the region are new for European Turkey. New taxa for Turkey are the genera Myas and Oxypselaphus, the subgenus Feronidius, and nine species and subspecies (Carabus granulatus granulatus, Dyschirius tristis, Bembidion normannum apfelbecki, B. subcostatum vau, Acupalpus exiguus, Myas chalybaeus, Oxypselaphus obscurus, Pterostichus leonisi, Pt. melas). In addition, there are a further seven species that are here confirmed for Turkey. PMID:27099564

Integrative overview of the herpetofauna from Serra da Mocidade, a granitic mountain range in northern Brazil.

PubMed

Moraes, Leandro J C L; de Almeida, Alexandre P; de Fraga, Rafael; Rojas, Rommel R; Pirani, Renata M; Silva, Ariane A A; de Carvalho, Vinícius T; Gordo, Marcelo; Werneck, Fernanda P

2017-01-01

The Brazilian mountain ranges from the Guiana Shield highlands are largely unexplored, with an understudied herpetofauna. Here the amphibian and reptile species diversity of the remote Serra da Mocidade mountain range, located in extreme northern Brazil, is reported upon, and biogeographical affinities and taxonomic highlights are discussed. A 22-days expedition to this mountain range was undertaken during which specimens were sampled at four distinct altitudinal levels (600, 960, 1,060 and 1,365 m above sea level) using six complementary methods. Specimens were identified through an integrated approach that considered morphological, bioacoustical, and molecular analyses. Fifty-one species (23 amphibians and 28 reptiles) were found, a comparable richness to other mountain ranges in the region. The recorded assemblage showed a mixed compositional influence from assemblages typical of other mountain ranges and lowland forest habitats in the region. Most of the taxa occupying the Serra da Mocidade mountain range are typical of the Guiana Shield or widely distributed in the Amazon. Extensions of known distribution ranges and candidate undescribed taxa are also recorded. This is the first herpetofaunal expedition that accessed the higher altitudinal levels of this mountain range, contributing to the basic knowledge of these groups in remote areas.

Integrative overview of the herpetofauna from Serra da Mocidade, a granitic mountain range in northern Brazil

PubMed Central

Moraes, Leandro J.C.L.; de Almeida, Alexandre P.; de Fraga, Rafael; Rojas, Rommel R.; Pirani, Renata M.; Silva, Ariane A.A.; de Carvalho, Vinícius T.; Gordo, Marcelo; Werneck, Fernanda P.

2017-01-01

Abstract The Brazilian mountain ranges from the Guiana Shield highlands are largely unexplored, with an understudied herpetofauna. Here the amphibian and reptile species diversity of the remote Serra da Mocidade mountain range, located in extreme northern Brazil, is reported upon, and biogeographical affinities and taxonomic highlights are discussed. A 22-days expedition to this mountain range was undertaken during which specimens were sampled at four distinct altitudinal levels (600, 960, 1,060 and 1,365 m above sea level) using six complementary methods. Specimens were identified through an integrated approach that considered morphological, bioacoustical, and molecular analyses. Fifty-one species (23 amphibians and 28 reptiles) were found, a comparable richness to other mountain ranges in the region. The recorded assemblage showed a mixed compositional influence from assemblages typical of other mountain ranges and lowland forest habitats in the region. Most of the taxa occupying the Serra da Mocidade mountain range are typical of the Guiana Shield or widely distributed in the Amazon. Extensions of known distribution ranges and candidate undescribed taxa are also recorded. This is the first herpetofaunal expedition that accessed the higher altitudinal levels of this mountain range, contributing to the basic knowledge of these groups in remote areas. PMID:29302235

Local and regional characterisation of the diurnal mountain wind systems in the Guadarrama mountain range (Spain)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arrillaga, Jon A.; Cano, Darío; Sastre, Mariano; Román-Cascón, Carlos; Maqueda, Gregorio; Morales, Gema; Viana, Samuel; Inclán, Rosa M.; Fidel González-Roúco, J.; Santolaria, Edmundo; Durán, Luis; Yagüe, Carlos

2017-04-01

Diurnal mountain wind systems that develop in the surroundings of the Guadarrama mountain range (Spain) are studied in this work. This area is highly interesting: the city of Madrid is located at approximately 50 km towards the SE; and on the other hand, unlike in other mountainous regions, the summers are characterised to be significantly dry, providing an interesting case study of energy balance in the context of complex orography. Slope and basin circulations formed play an important role in the development of fog and pollution episodes in the whole region. On top of that, when upslope basin winds strengthened by diurnal convection exceed 10 m s-1, the runway configuration at the airport of Madrid needs to be modified. Continuous meteorological data and turbulent fluxes of carbon dioxide, water vapour, momentum and heat are provided since June 2016 from measurements at a 10 m tower at La Herrería site, which is located at the foot of the Guadarrama mountain range. Besides, a 4 m high portable station is available for complementary measurements. La Herrería is part of the Guadarrama Monitoring Network (GuMNet; www.ucm.es/gumnet/), an atmospheric and subsurface observational facility distributed over the Guadarrama mountain range. As a support for the analysis, data from conventional meteorological stations within the region and a wind profiler at the airport are also employed. The wind roses for the period analysed (summer 2016) show how the diurnal cycle of the flows is influenced by local slopes and by the configuration of the basin. The irruption of the downslope flow in the evening produces a significant increase of the turbulence intensity and the eventual breakdown of the surface-based thermal inversion. However, the severe drying out of the soil throughout the summer, evident from the evolution of the surface latent and sensible heat fluxes, seems to play a role in altering the characteristics of the mountain-breeze system and its impact on turbulence

Conodont and Radiolarian Data from the De Long Mountains Quadrangle and Adjacent Areas, Northern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dumoulin, Julie A.; Harris, Anita G.; Blome, Charles D.; Young, Lorne E.

2006-01-01

INTRODUCTION This report presents biostratigraphic data from 289 collections at 189 localities in the De Long Mountains, Misheguk Mountain, and Noatak quadrangles (fig. 1); most of these data have never been previously published. The collections were made during studies of the Red Dog massive sulfide deposit in 1998?2004 and in support of regional mapping projects in 1979, 1981, 1983, and 1997?98. The collections?mostly conodonts and some radiolarians?tightly constrain the age of many stratigraphic units of Devonian through Triassic age exposed within the study area, and provide additional data on the depositional environments and thermal history of these rocks. The data are presented in a series of tables, organized by fossil type, stratigraphic unit, and location. Tables 1?12 contain conodont data, mostly from the De Long Mountains quadrangle. All of these collections were initially examined, or were reevaluated, from 1997 through 2004, and complete faunal lists are given for all samples. Table 13 lists ages and conodont color alteration indices (CAIs) of 27 collections from 24 localities in the Noatak quadrangle; updated faunal lists were not prepared for these samples. Radiolarian data?all from the De Long Mountains quadrangle?are given in table 14; these collections were analyzed between 1998 and 2003. Collection localities are shown in four maps (sheets 1, 2). Map 1 (sheet 1) shows all outcrop samples from the De Long Mountains and western Misheguk Mountain quadrangle (locs. 1-121). Maps 2?4 (sheets 1, 2) show all drill hole sample localities; samples come from the Su-Lik deposit and in and around the Anarraaq deposit (map 2, locs. 122?135), in and adjacent to the Red Dog deposits (Paalaaq, Aqqaluk, Main, and Qanaiyaq) (map 3, locs. 136?158), and from drill holes along the Port Road in the Noatak quadrangle (map 4, locs. 159?160). Map 4 (sheet 2) also shows all outcrop samples from the Noatak quadrangle (locs. 161?189). The text summarizes the lithofacies

Makran Mountain Range, Indus River Valley, Pakistan, India

NASA Image and Video Library

1984-10-13

41G-120-040 (5-13 Oct. 1984) --- Pakistan, featuring the city of Karachi, the Makran mountain range, the mouth of the Indus River and the North Arabian Sea were photographed with a medium format camera aboard the space shuttle Challenger during the 41-G mission. Photo credit: NASA

Ellsworth mountains: Position in West Antarctica due to sea-floor spreading

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schopf, J.M.

1969-01-01

Similarities of middle and upper Paleozoic deposits of the Ellsworth Mountains with those of the Pensacola, Horlick, and other Transantarctic mountains indicate that all these ranges may have had a related geologic history. A tentative explanation is now suggested which involves sea-floor spreading and translocation of the Ellsworth crustal block from its original location adjacent to the East Antarctic Shield. Accordingly, the islands of West Antarctica may differ in origin and the Transantarctic Mountains of East Antarctica may represent one margin of an ancient rift.

Makran Mountain Range, Indus River Valley, Pakistan, India

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The enormous geologic pressures exerted by continental drift can be very well illustrated by the long northward curving parallel folded mountain ridges and valleys of the coastal Makran Range of Pakistan (27.0N, 66.0E). As a result of the collision of the northward bound Indian sub-continent into the Asian Continent, the east/west parallel range has been bent in a great northward arc and forming the Indus River valley at the interface of the collision.

Range dynamics of mountain plants decrease with elevation.

PubMed

Rumpf, Sabine B; Hülber, Karl; Klonner, Günther; Moser, Dietmar; Schütz, Martin; Wessely, Johannes; Willner, Wolfgang; Zimmermann, Niklaus E; Dullinger, Stefan

2018-02-20

Many studies report that mountain plant species are shifting upward in elevation. However, the majority of these reports focus on shifts of upper limits. Here, we expand the focus and simultaneously analyze changes of both range limits, optima, and abundances of 183 mountain plant species. We therefore resurveyed 1,576 vegetation plots first recorded before 1970 in the European Alps. We found that both range limits and optima shifted upward in elevation, but the most pronounced trend was a mean increase in species abundance. Despite huge species-specific variation, range dynamics showed a consistent trend along the elevational gradient: Both range limits and optima shifted upslope faster the lower they were situated historically, and species' abundance increased more for species from lower elevations. Traits affecting the species' dispersal and persistence capacity were not related to their range dynamics. Using indicator values to stratify species by their thermal and nutrient demands revealed that elevational ranges of thermophilic species tended to expand, while those of cold-adapted species tended to contract. Abundance increases were strongest for nutriphilous species. These results suggest that recent climate warming interacted with airborne nitrogen deposition in driving the observed dynamics. So far, the majority of species appear as "winners" of recent changes, yet "losers" are overrepresented among high-elevation, cold-adapted species with low nutrient demands. In the decades to come, high-alpine species may hence face the double pressure of climatic changes and novel, superior competitors that move up faster than they themselves can escape to even higher elevations.

Small fishes crossed a large mountain range: Quaternary stream capture events and freshwater fishes on both sides of the Taebaek Mountains.

PubMed

Kim, Daemin; Hirt, M Vincent; Won, Yong-Jin; Simons, Andrew M

2017-07-01

The Taebaek Mountains in Korea serve as the most apparent biogeographic barrier for Korean freshwater fishes, resulting in 2 distinct ichthyofaunal assemblages on the eastern (East/Japan Sea slope) and western (Yellow Sea and Korea Strait slopes) sides of the mountain range. Of nearly 100 species of native primary freshwater fishes in Korea, only 18 species occur naturally on both sides of the mountain range. Interestingly, there are 5 rheophilic species (Phoxinus phoxinus, Coreoleuciscus splendidus, Ladislavia taczanowskii, Iksookimia koreensis and Koreocobitis rotundicaudata) found on both sides of the Taebaek Mountains that are geographically restricted to the Osip River (and several neighboring rivers, for L. taczanowskii and I. koreensis) on the eastern side of the mountain range. The Osip River and its neighboring rivers also shared a rheophilic freshwater fish, Liobagrus mediadiposalis, with the Nakdong River on the western side of the mountain range. We assessed historical biogeographic hypotheses on the presence of these rheophilic fishes, utilizing DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Results of our divergence time estimation indicate that ichthyofaunal transfers into the Osip River (and several neighboring rivers in East Sea slope) have occurred from the Han (Yellow Sea slope) and Nakdong (Korea Strait slope) Rivers since the Late Pleistocene. The inferred divergence times for the ichthyofaunal transfer across the Taebaek Mountains were consistent with the timing of hypothesized multiple reactivations of the Osip River Fault (Late Pleistocene), suggesting that the Osip River Fault reactivations may have caused stream capture events, followed by ichthyofaunal transfer, not only between the Osip and Nakdong Rivers, but also between the Osip and Han Rivers. © 2016 International Society of Zoological Sciences, Institute of Zoology/Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Mountain Meadows Dacite: Oligocene intrusive complex that welds together the Los Angeles Basin, northwestern Peninsular Ranges, and central Transverse Ranges, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCulloh, Thane H.; Beyer, Larry A.; Morin, Ronald W.

2001-01-01

Dikes and irregular intrusive bodies of distinctive Oligocene biotite dacite and serially related hornblende latite and felsite occur widely in the central and eastern San Gabriel Mountains, southern California, and are related to the Telegraph Peak granodiorite pluton. Identical dacite is locally present beneath Middle Miocene Topanga Group Glendora Volcanics at the northeastern edge of the Los Angeles Basin, where it is termed Mountain Meadows Dacite. This study mapped the western and southwestern limits of the dacite distribution to understand the provenance of derived redeposited clasts, to perceive Neogene offsets on several large strike-slip faults, to test published palinspastic reconstructions, and to better understand the tectonic boundaries that separate contrasting pre-Tertiary rock terranes where the Peninsular Ranges meet the central and western Transverse Ranges and the Los Angeles Basin. Transported and redeposited clasts of dacite-latite occur in deformed lower Miocene and lower middle Miocene sandy conglomerates (nonmarine, nearshore, and infrequent upper bathyal) close to the northern and northeastern margins of the Los Angeles Basin for a distance of nearly 60 km. Tie-lines between distinctive source suites and clast occurrences indicate that large tracts of the ancestral San Gabriel Mountains were elevated along range-bounding faults as early as 16–15 Ma. The tie-lines prohibit very large strike-slip offsets on those faults. Transport of eroded dacite began south of the range as early as 18 Ma. Published and unpublished data about rocks adjacent to the active Santa Monica-Hollywood-Raymond oblique reverse left-lateral fault indicate that cumulative left slip totals 13–14 km and total offset postdates 7 Ma. This cumulative slip, with assembly of stratigraphic and paleogeographic data, invalidates prior estimates of 60 to 90 km of left slip on these faults beginning about 17–16 Ma. A new and different palinspastic reconstruction of a region

An integrated environmental tracer approach to characterizing groundwater circulation in a mountain block

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manning, Andrew H.; Solomon, D. Kip

2005-01-01

The subsurface transfer of water from a mountain block to an adjacent basin (mountain block recharge (MBR)) is a commonly invoked mechanism of recharge to intermountain basins. However, MBR estimates are highly uncertain. We present an approach to characterize bulk fluid circulation in a mountain block and thus MBR that utilizes environmental tracers from the basin aquifer. Noble gas recharge temperatures, groundwater ages, and temperature data combined with heat and fluid flow modeling are used to identify clearly improbable flow regimes in the southeastern Salt Lake Valley, Utah, and adjacent Wasatch Mountains. The range of possible MBR rates is reduced by 70%. Derived MBR rates (5.5–12.6 × 104 m3 d−1) are on the same order of magnitude as previous large estimates, indicating that significant MBR to intermountain basins is plausible. However, derived rates are 50–100% of the lowest previous estimate, meaning total recharge is probably less than previously thought.

Geologic reconnaissance of the Hot Springs Mountains, Churchill County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Voegtly, Nickolas E.

1981-01-01

A geologic reconnaissance of the Hot Springs Mountains and adjacent areas, which include parts of the Brady-Hazen and the Stillwater-Soda Lake Known Geothermal Resource Areas, during June-December 1975, resulted in a reinterpretation of the nature and location of some Basin and Range faults. In addition, the late Cenozoic stratigraphy has been modified, chiefly on the basis of radiometric dates of volcanic rocks by U.S. Geological Survey personnel and others. The Hot Springs Mountains are in the western part of the Basin and Range province, which is characterized by east-west crustal extension and associated normal faulting. In the surrounding Trinity, West Humboldt, Stillwater, and Desert Mountains, Cenozoic rocks overlie ' basement ' rocks of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic age. A similar relation is inferred in the Hot Springs Mountains. Folding and faulting have taken place from the late Tertiary to the present. (USGS)

Use of curlleaf mountain-mahogany by mule deer on a transition range.

Treesearch

J. Edward Dealy; Paul J. Edgerton; Wayne G. Williams

1986-01-01

Using the pellet-group sampling method, we concluded that migrating mule deer showed no preference in use between two ratios of curlleaf mountain-mahogany cover and openings on a northern California transition range. Where there is a need to develop forage openings in transition habitats dominated by dense thickets of curlleaf mountain-mahogany, manipulation of cover...

Bouguer gravity and crustal structure of the Dead Sea transform fault and adjacent mountain belts in Lebanon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamal; Khawlie, Mohamad; Haddad, Fuad; Barazangi, Muawia; Seber, Dogan; Chaimov, Thomas

1993-08-01

The northern extension of the Dead Sea transform fault in southern Lebanon bifurcates into several faults that cross Lebanon from south to north. The main strand, the Yammouneh fault, marks the boundary between the Levantine (eastern Mediterranean) and Arabian plates and separates the western mountain range (Mount Lebanon) from the eastern mountain range (Anti-Lebanon). Bouguer gravity contours in Lebanon approximately follow topographic contours; i.e., positive Bouguer anomalies are associated with the Mount Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon ranges. This suggests that the region is not in simple isostatic compensation. Gravity observations based on 2.5-dimensional modeling and other available geological and geophysical information have produced the following interpretations. (1) The crust of Lebanon thins from ˜35 km beneath the Anti-Lebanon range, near the Syrian border, to ˜27 km beneath the Lebanese coast. No crustal roots exist beneath the Lebanese ranges. (2) The depth to basement is ˜3.5-6 km below sea level under the ranges and is ˜8-10 km beneath the Bekaa depression. (3) The Yammouneh fault bifurcates northward into two branches; one passes beneath the Yammouneh Lake through the eastern part of Mount Lebanon and another bisects the northern part of the Bekaa Valley (i.e., Mid-Bekaa fault). The Lebanese mountain ranges and the Bekaa depression were formed as a result of transtension and later transpression associated with the relative motion of a few crustal blocks in response to the northward movement of the Arabian plate relative to the Levantine plate.

Environmental Impact Analysis Process, Groom Mountain Range, Lincoln County, Nevada

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-10-01

bases clustered around springs, temporary camps, rock shelters , quarries, lithic scatters, rock art, pinyon caches, pot drops, isolates, and historic...include pinyon caches and rock shelters with associated historic artifacts and many of the spring sites. These sites provide an unusual research...Management. (b) Proposed Action: Renewed Withdrawal of Groom Mountain Range Addition to Nellis Air Force Bombing and Gunnery Range, Lincoln County, Nevada. (c

Monitoring glacier variations in the Urubamba and Vilcabamba Mountain Ranges, Peru, using "Landsat 5" images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suarez, Wilson; Cerna, Marcos; Ordoñez, Julio; Frey, Holger; Giráldez, Claudia; Huggel, Christian

2013-04-01

The Urubamba and Vilcabamba mountain ranges are two geological structures belonging to the Andes in the southern part of Peru, which is located in the tropical region. These mountain ranges are especially located within the transition area between the Amazon region (altitudes close to 1'000 m a.s.l.) and the Andes. These mountains, with a maximum height of 6'280 m a.s.l. (Salkantay Snow Peak in the Vilcabamba range), are characterized by glaciers mainly higher than 5000 m a.s.l. Here we present a study on the evolution of the ice cover based on "Landsat 5" images from 1991 and 2011 is presented in this paper. These data are freely available from the USGS in a georeferenced format and cover a time span of more than 25 years. The glacier mapping is based on the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI). In 1991 the Vilcabamba mountain range had 221 km2 of glacier cover, being reduced to 116.4 km2 in 2011, which represents a loss of 48%. In the Urubamba mountain range, the total glacier area was 64.9 km2 in 1991 and 29.4 km2 in 2011, representing a loss of 54.7%. It means that the glacier area was halved during the past two decades although precipitation patterns show an increase in recent years (the wet season lasts from September to April with precipitation peaks in February and March). Glacier changes in these two tropical mountain ranges also impact from an economic point of view due to small local farming common in this region (use of water from the melting glacier). Furthermore, potential glacier related hazards can pose a threat to people and infrastructure in the valleys below these glaciers, where the access routes to Machu Picchu Inca City, Peru's main tourist destination, are located too.

Tectonic evolution of the central Brooks Range mountain front: Evidence from the Atigun Gorge region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mull, C.G.; Glenn, R.K.; Adams, K.E.

1997-01-01

Atigun Gorge, at the northern front of the eastern Endicott Mountains, contains well-exposed rocks of the upper part of the Endicott Mountains allochthon and rocks of the structurally higher Picnic Creek or Ipnavik River allochthon. These allochthons contain rocks as young as Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) and are separated by a nearly vertical fault zone that contains exotic blocks of Triassic and Jurassic chert and silicified mudstone. Siliceous rocks of this type are not present in the Endicott Mountains allochthon but are characteristic of the Picnic Creek, Ipnavik River, and some of the other allochthons that structurally overlie the Endicott Mountains allochthon in the central and western Brooks Range. These exotic blocks, therefore indicate that structurally higher rocks of either the Picnic Creek or Ipnavik River allochthon were emplaced during the Early Cretaceous and are preserved along the northern flank of the eastern Endicott Mountains. The deformed thickness of this higher allochthon in the subsurface north of the mountains is unknown but probably exceeds 2 kilometers. Similar relations are mapped east of Atigun Gorge in an area of structural transition from the eastern Endicott Mountains into the northern Philip Smith Mountains, which are formed by the parautochthonous North Slope stratigraphic assemblage. The allochthonous rocks at the mountain front are regionally unconformably overlain by proximal Lower Cretaceous (Albian) foredeep conglomerate at the southern flank of the Colville basin, but at Atigun Gorge, the base of these deposits is interpreted as a possible back thrust at a triangle zone. Conglomerate clasts in the foredeep deposits are dominantly chert, mafic igneous rock, and other lithologies characteristic of the Picnic Creek and Ipnavik River allochthons and scattered clasts from the Endicott Mountains allochthon. The conglomerates show that the chert-rich allochthonous rocks and the Endicott Mountains allochthon were emplaced in the

Deciphering the Tectonic History of the Northern Transantarctic Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Samantha; Graw, Jordan; Brenn, Gregory; Kenyon, Lindsey; Park, Yongcheol; DuBay, Brian

2016-04-01

The Transantarctic Mountains (TAMs) are the largest non-compressional mountain range in the world, and their structure plays a key role in the climatic and tectonic development of Antarctica. While numerous uplift mechanisms for the TAMs have been proposed, there is little consensus on their origin. Over the past three years, we have operated a network of 15 broadband seismic stations within a previously unexplored portion of the northern TAMs. Using data collected by this array, we have undertaken numerous studies to further assess the crustal and lithospheric structure beneath the mountain range and to differentiate between competing origin models. Receiver functions indicate crustal thickening inland from the Ross Sea coast but comparable crustal thickness beneath the TAMs and the East Antarctic plateau, indicating little evidence for a substantial crustal root beneath the mountain range. Body and surface wave analyses show a pronounced low-velocity anomaly beneath Terror Rift, adjacent to the TAMs, and extending beneath Victoria Land in the upper mantle. Together, these findings support a thermally-buoyant source of uplift for the northern TAMs and broad flexure of the East Antarctic lithosphere.

Causal Chains Arising from Climate Change in Mountain Regions: the Core Program of the Mountain Research Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenwood, G. B.

2014-12-01

Mountains are a widespread terrestrial feature, covering from 12 to 24 percent of the world's terrestrial surface, depending of the definition. Topographic relief is central to the definition of mountains, to the benefits and costs accruing to society and to the cascade of changes expected from climate change. Mountains capture and store water, particularly important in arid regions and in all areas for energy production. In temperate and boreal regions, mountains have a great range in population densities, from empty to urban, while tropical mountains are often densely settled and farmed. Mountain regions contain a wide range of habitats, important for biodiversity, and for primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy. Climate change interacts with this relief and consequent diversity. Elevation itself may accentuate warming (elevationi dependent warming) in some mountain regions. Even average warming starts complex chains of causality that reverberate through the diverse social ecological mountain systems affecting both the highlands and adjacent lowlands. A single feature of climate change such as higher snow lines affect the climate through albedo, the water cycle through changes in timing of release , water quality through the weathering of newly exposed material, geomorphology through enhanced erosion, plant communities through changes in climatic water balance, and animal and human communities through changes in habitat conditions and resource availabilities. Understanding these causal changes presents a particular interdisciplinary challenge to researchers, from assessing the existence and magnitude of elevation dependent warming and monitoring the full suite of changes within the social ecological system to climate change, to understanding how social ecological systems respond through individual and institutional behavior with repercussions on the long-term sustainability of these systems.

Growth and erosion of mountain ranges at the northeastern margin of Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hetzel, Ralf; Palumbo, Luigi; Giese, Jörg; Guo, Jianming

2010-05-01

The hypothesis that mountain belts may reach a steady state, in which rock uplift is balanced by erosion, has been supported by numerous field studies and numerical models. The early evolution of mountain ranges, however, and especially the relation between fault growth and topographic response has received little attention. By using a space-for-time substitution we illustrate how active thrust faults and small, fault-bounded mountain ranges evolve into mature mountain chains that will ultimately be incorporated into the laterally growing Tibetan Plateau. At an early stage of development, when faults propagate laterally, slip rates are constant along strike [1-3]. As long as no significant topographic relief has developed, tectonic uplift is at least an order of magnitude faster than the rate of erosion [2,4]. During progressive relief growth and the establishment of drainage basins, erosion of the rising mountain ranges becomes more important, but the studied ranges are still in a pre-steady state and continue to grow both vertically and laterally [5]. During this stage the rate of erosion is linearly correlated to the mean hillslope gradient and the mean local relief, if differences in lithology or rock strength are negligible [6]. The rate of relief growth may be inferred from the difference between local erosion rates on ridge crests and catchment-wide denudation rates [7] - the latter may be taken as a surrogate for the rate of river incision. As hillslopes approach a threshold value, landsliding becomes the dominant process of mass transport and erosion rates increase non-linearly with slope. Once a steady state has been reached, the erosion rate is equal to the rate of rock uplift. A key problem is how the rate of rock uplift can be quantified in such regions, because the stochastic distribution of landslides causes the denudation rates inferred from 10Be in river sediment to be highly variable [8]. References [1] Hetzel et al. (2004). Implications of the

Flight Period of Mountain Pine Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in its Recently Expanded Range.

PubMed

Bleiker, K P; Van Hezewijk, B H

2016-12-01

The ability to predict key phenological events, such as the timing of flight periods, is useful for the monitoring and management of insect pests. We used empirical data to describe the flight period of mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, in its recently expanded range east of the Rocky Mountains in Canada and developed a degree-day model based on the number of trapped beetles. Data were collected over four degrees of latitude and six years. The main flight period, when the middle 70% of the total number of beetles were caught, started during the second or third week of July, lasted 26 d, and peaked within 2 wk of starting. The best model accounted for 89% of the variation in the data. Mountain pine beetle's flight tended to start later and be more contracted at higher latitudes. The synchrony of mountain pine beetle's flight period in the expanded range appears to be comparable to the limited reports from the historic range, although it may start earlier. This suggests that conditions in the new range are suitable for a coordinated dispersal flight, which is critical for the beetle's strategy of overwhelming tree defenses by attacking en masse. Forest managers can use the model to support operational decisions, e.g., when to impose hauling restrictions to reduce the risk of spread through the transport of infested material, or the time frame for control programs. Understanding the flight period may also improve our ability to assess the response of mountain pine beetle to novel and changing climates in the future. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

33 CFR 334.830 - Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill. 334.830 Section 334.830 Navigation and Navigable... REGULATIONS § 334.830 Lake Michigan; small-arms range adjacent to U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill...

Long-range atmospheric transport and the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Changbai Mountain.

PubMed

Zhao, Xiangai; Kim, Seung-Kyu; Zhu, Weihong; Kannan, Narayanan; Li, Donghao

2015-01-01

The Changbai (also known as "Baekdu") Mountain, on the border between China and North Korea, is the highest mountain (2750 m) in northeastern China. Recently, this mountain region has experienced a dramatic increase in air pollution, not only because of increasing volumes of tourism-derived traffic but also because of the long-range transport of polluted westerly winds passing through major industrial and urban cities in the eastern region of China. To assess the relative importance of the two sources of pollution, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as model substances were determined in the mountain soil. A total of 32 soil samples were collected from different sides of the mountain at different latitudes between July and August of 2009. The ∑PAH concentrations were within the range 38.5-190.1 ng g(-1) on the northern side, 117.7-443.6 ng g(-1) on the southern side, and 75.3-437.3 ng g(-1) on the western side. A progressive increase in the level of ∑PAHs with latitude was observed on the southern and western sides that face the westerly wind with abundant precipitation. However, a similar concentration gradient was not observed on the northern side that receives less rain and is on the leeward direction of the wind. The high-molecular-weight PAH compounds were predominant in the soils on the southern and western sides, while low-molecular-weight PAHs dominated the northern side soils. These findings show that the distribution of PAHs in the mountain soil is strongly influenced by the atmospheric long-range transport and cold trapping. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Habitat-effectiveness index for elk on Blue Mountain Winter Ranges.

Treesearch

Jack Ward Thomas; Donavin A. Leckenby; Mark Henjum; Richard J. Pedersen; Larry D. Bryant

1988-01-01

An elk-habitat evaluation procedure for winter ranges in the Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon and Washington is described. The index is based on an interaction of size and spacing of cover and forage areas, roads open to traffic per unit of area, cover quality, and quantity and quality of forage.

Mountain lions: preliminary findings on home-range use and density, central Sierra Nevada

Treesearch

Donald L. Neal; George N. Steger; Ronald C. Bertram

1987-01-01

Between August 1983 and December 1985, 19 mountain lions were captured, radio equipped, and monitored daily within a portion of the North Kings deer herd range on the west slope of the central Sierra Nevada in California. The density of adult mountain lions was estimated to be one per 33.3 km²; that of adults and kittens together was estimated to be one per 20...

Relief Evolution in Tectonically Active Mountain Ranges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whipple, Kelin X.

2004-01-01

The overall aims of this 3-yr project, as originally proposed were to: (1) investigate quantitatively the roles of fluvial and glacial erosion in the evolution of relief in mountainous regions, and (2) test rigorously the quality and accuracy of SRTM topographic data in areas of rugged relief - both the most challenging and of greatest interest to geomorphic, neotectonic, and hazards applications. Natural laboratories in both the western US and the Southern Alps of New Zealand were identified as most promising. The project has been both successful and productive, despite the fact that no SRTM data for our primary field sites in New Zealand were released on the time frame of the work effort. Given the delayed release of SRTM data, we pursued the scientific questions of the roles of fluvial and, especially, glacial erosion in the evolution of relief in mountainous regions using available digital elevation models (DEMs) for the Southern Alps of New Zealand (available at both 25m and 50m pixel sizes), and USGS 10m and 30m DEMs within the Western US. As emphasized in the original proposal, we chose the emphasis on the role of glacial modification of topographic relief because there has been little quantitative investigation of glacial erosion processes at landscape scale. This is particularly surprising considering the dramatic sculpting of most mid- and high-latitude mountain ranges, the prodigious quantities of glacially-derived sediment in terrestrial and marine basins, and the current cross-disciplinary interest in the role of denudational processes in orogenesis and the evolution of topography in general. Moreover, the evolution of glaciated landscapes is not only a fundamental problem in geomorphology in its own right, but also is at the heart of the debate over Late Cenozoic linkages between climate and tectonics.

Rocks and Rain: orographic precipitation and the form of mountain ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roe, G. H.; Anders, A. M.; Durran, D. R.; Montgomery, D. R.; Hallet, B.

2005-12-01

In mountainous landscapes patterns of erosion reflect patterns of precipitation that are, in turn, controlled by the orography. Ultimately therefore, the feedbacks between orography and the climate it creates are responsible for the sculpting of mountain ranges. Key questions concerning these interactions are: 1) how robust are patterns of precipitation on geologic time scales? and 2) how do those patterns affect landscape form? Since climate is by definition the statistics of weather, there is tremendous information to be gleaned from how patterns of precipitation vary between different weather events. However up to now sparse measurements and computational limitations have hampered our knowledge of such variations. For the Olympics in Washington State, a characteristic midlatitude mountain range, we report results from a high-resolution, state-of-the-art numerical weather prediction model and a dense network of precipitation gauges. Down to scales around 10 km, the patterns of precipitation are remarkably robust both storm-by-storm and year-to-year, lending confidence that they are indeed persistent on the relevant time scales. Secondly, the consequences of the coupled interactions are presented using a landscape evolution model coupled with a simple model of orographic precipitation that is able to substantially reproduce the observed precipitation patterns.

Global patterns of protection of elevational gradients in mountain ranges.

PubMed

Elsen, Paul R; Monahan, William B; Merenlender, Adina M

2018-05-21

Protected areas (PAs) that span elevational gradients enhance protection for taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity and facilitate species range shifts under climate change. We quantified the global protection of elevational gradients by analyzing the elevational distributions of 44,155 PAs in 1,010 mountain ranges using the highest resolution digital elevation models available. We show that, on average, mountain ranges in Africa and Asia have the lowest elevational protection, ranges in Europe and South America have intermediate elevational protection, and ranges in North America and Oceania have the highest elevational protection. We use the Convention on Biological Diversity's Aichi Target 11 to assess the proportion of elevational gradients meeting the 17% suggested minimum target and examine how different protection categories contribute to elevational protection. When considering only strict PAs [International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories I-IV, n = 24,706], nearly 40% of ranges do not contain any PAs, roughly half fail to meet the 17% target at any elevation, and ∼75% fail to meet the target throughout ≥50% of the elevational gradient. Observed elevational protection is well below optimal, and frequently below a null model of elevational protection. Including less stringent PAs (IUCN categories V-VI and nondesignated PAs, n = 19,449) significantly enhances elevational protection for most continents, but several highly biodiverse ranges require new or expanded PAs to increase elevational protection. Ensuring conservation outcomes for PAs with lower IUCN designations as well as strategically placing PAs to better represent and connect elevational gradients will enhance ecological representation and facilitate species range shifts under climate change. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Lithology and structure within the basement terrain adjacent to Clark Mountains, California, mapped with calibrated data from the airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Green, Robert O.; Vane, Gregg

1989-01-01

The Clark Mountains in eastern California form a rugged, highly dissected area nearly 5000 ft above sea level, with Clark Mountain rising to 8000 ft. The rocks of the Clark Mountains and the Mescal Range just to the south are Paleozoic carbonate and clastic rocks, and Mesozoic clastic and volcanic rocks standing in pronounced relief above the fractured Precambrian gneisses to the east. The Permian Kaibab Limestone and the Triassic Moenkopi and Chinle Formations are exposed in the Mescal Range, which is the only place in California where these rocks, which are typical of the Colorado Plateau, are found. To the west, the mountains are bordered by the broad alluvial plains of Shadow Valley. Cima Dome, which is an erosional remnant carved on a batholithic intrusion of quartz monzonite, is found at the south end of the valley. To the east of the Clark and Mescal Mountains is found the Ivanpah Valley, in the center of which is located the Ivanpah Play. Studies of the Clark Mountains with the airborne visible/infrared imaging spectrometer are briefly described.

Burial and exhumation of the Eisenhower Range, Transantarctic Mountains, based on thermochronological, sedimentary rock maturity and petrographic constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prenzel, J.; Lisker, F.; Elsner, M.; Schöner, R.; Balestrieri, M. L.; Läufer, A. L.; Berner, U.; Spiegel, C.

2014-09-01

The Eisenhower Range is a N-S trending mountain range in the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) adjacent to the NW Ross Sea Embayment. New AFT and apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He (AHe) data from vertical basement profiles supplemented by paleotemperature and pressure estimates derived from Beacon sandstones provide new quantitative results on regional burial evolution and first regional constraints on basin inversion and exhumation processes. AFT ages between 32 ± 2 and 259 ± 18 Ma and AHe ages of 37 ± 3-173 ± 16 Ma correlate positively with sample elevations. Thermal history modeling of these data and complementary thermal indications detect heating of the paleosurface on the Eisenhower Range to temperatures ≥ 80 °C subsequent to Ferrar magmatism, and constrain Late Eocene rapid cooling. Regression of modeled paleotemperatures against sample elevations refers to a high Jurassic (~ 45 °C/km) and a moderate Cretaceous-Eocene (28 ± 8 °C/km) geothermal gradient. The texture of Beacon sandstones supports strong mechanical compaction that requires a higher overburden than preserved in the stratigraphic record. Modeled paleotemperatures and pressures suggest basement burial that increases from Late Jurassic (0.7-1.1 km) to Eocene (1.8-2.1 km). The overburden comprises 0.7-1.1 km cumulative Beacon/Ferrar rocks and 0.7-1.4 km of post-Ferrar sediments. Rapid cooling of the whole sample suite between ~ 35 and 30 Ma implies fast erosion of the post-Ferrar sediments and (re-) exposure of underlying magmatic rocks. Subsequent differential sample cooling to present-day surface temperature infers ongoing exhumation by glacial incision enhanced by isostatic response to basin inversion. Decreasing amounts of exhumation from the coast (> 3 km) toward the interior (1.5-2.2 km) point to backstepping incision along the fault controlled Priestley Glacier. Substantial exhumation of the Eisenhower Range since the Late Eocene is hence triggered by both tectonic and climatic factors

Blue Mountains Ecoregion: Chapter 16 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soulard, Christopher E.

2012-01-01

The Blue Mountains Ecoregion encompasses approximately 65,461 km² (25,275 mi²) of land bordered on the north by the Columbia Plateau Ecoregion, on the east by the Northern Rockies Ecoregion, on the south by the Snake River Basin and the Northern Basin and Range Ecoregions, and on the west by the Cascades and the Eastern Cascades Slopes and Foothills Ecoregions (fig. 1) (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997). Most of the Blue Mountains Ecoregion is located within Oregon (83.5 percent); 13.8 percent is in Idaho, and 2.7 percent is in Washington. The Blue Mountains are composed of primarily Paleozoic volcanic rocks, with minor sedimentary, metamorphic, and granitic rocks. Lower mountains and numerous basin-and-range areas, as well as the lack of Quaternary-age volcanoes, distinguish the Blue Mountains from the adjacent Cascade Range (Thorson and others, 2003).

Tectonic uplift, threshold hillslopes, and denudation rates in a developing mountain range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Binnie, S.A.; Phillips, W.M.; Summerfield, M.A.; Fifield, L.K.

2007-01-01

Studies across a broad range of drainage basins have established a positive correlation between mean slope gradient and denudation rates. It has been suggested, however, that this relationship breaks down for catchments where slopes are at their threshold angle of stability because, in such cases, denudation is controlled by the rate of tectonic uplift through the rate of channel incision and frequency of slope failure. This mechanism is evaluated for the San Bernardino Mountains, California, a nascent range that incorporates both threshold hill-slopes and remnants of pre-uplift topography. Concentrations of in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be in alluvial sediments are used to quantify catchment-wide denudation rates and show a broadly linear relationship with mean slope gradient up to ???30??: above this value denudation rates vary substantially for similar mean slope gradients. We propose that this decoupling in the slope gradient-denudation rate relationship marks the emergence of threshold topography and coincides with the transition from transport-limited to detachment-limited denudation. The survival in the San Bernardino Mountains of surfaces formed prior to uplift provides information on the topographic evolution of the range, in particular the transition from slope-gradient-dependent rates of denudation to a regime where denudation rates are controlled by rates of tectonic uplift. This type of transition may represent a general model for the denudational response to orogenic uplift and topographic evolution during the early stages of mountain building. ?? 2007 The Geological Society of America.

Using hydraulic head, chloride and electrical conductivity data to distinguish between mountain-front and mountain-block recharge to basin aquifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bresciani, Etienne; Cranswick, Roger H.; Banks, Eddie W.; Batlle-Aguilar, Jordi; Cook, Peter G.; Batelaan, Okke

2018-03-01

Numerous basin aquifers in arid and semi-arid regions of the world derive a significant portion of their recharge from adjacent mountains. Such recharge can effectively occur through either stream infiltration in the mountain-front zone (mountain-front recharge, MFR) or subsurface flow from the mountain (mountain-block recharge, MBR). While a thorough understanding of recharge mechanisms is critical for conceptualizing and managing groundwater systems, distinguishing between MFR and MBR is difficult. We present an approach that uses hydraulic head, chloride and electrical conductivity (EC) data to distinguish between MFR and MBR. These variables are inexpensive to measure, and may be readily available from hydrogeological databases in many cases. Hydraulic heads can provide information on groundwater flow directions and stream-aquifer interactions, while chloride concentrations and EC values can be used to distinguish between different water sources if these have a distinct signature. Such information can provide evidence for the occurrence or absence of MFR and MBR. This approach is tested through application to the Adelaide Plains basin, South Australia. The recharge mechanisms of this basin have long been debated, in part due to difficulties in understanding the hydraulic role of faults. Both hydraulic head and chloride (equivalently, EC) data consistently suggest that streams are gaining in the adjacent Mount Lofty Ranges and losing when entering the basin. Moreover, the data indicate that not only the Quaternary aquifers but also the deeper Tertiary aquifers are recharged through MFR and not MBR. It is expected that this finding will have a significant impact on the management of water resources in the region. This study demonstrates the relevance of using hydraulic head, chloride and EC data to distinguish between MFR and MBR.

Uranium deposits at Shinarump Mesa and some adjacent areas in the Temple Mountain district, Emery County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wyant, Donald G.

1953-01-01

Deposits of uraniferous hydrocarbons are associated with carnotite in the Shinarump conglomerate of Triassic age at Shinarump Mesa and adjacent areas of the Temple Mountain district in the San Rafael Swell of Emery County, Utah. The irregular ore bodies of carnotite-bearing sandstone are genetically related to lenticular uraniferous ore bodies containing disseminated asphaltitic and humic hydrocarbon in permeable sandstones and were localized indirectly by sedimentary controls. Nearly non-uraniferous bitumen commonly permeates the sandstones in the Shinarump conglomerate and the underlying Moekopi formation in the area. The ore deposits at Temple Mountain have been altered locally by hydrothermal solutions, and in other deposits throughout the area carnotite has been transported by ground and surface water. Uraniferous asphaltite is thought to be the non-volatile residue of an original weakly uraniferous crude oil that migrated into the San Rafael anticline; the ore metals concentrated in the asphaltite as the oil was devolatilized and polymerized. Carnotite is thought to have formed from the asphaltite by ground water leaching. It is concluded that additional study of the genesis of the asphaltitic uranium ores in the San Rafael Swell, of the processes by which the hydrocarbons interact and are modified (such as heat, polymerization, and hydrogenation under the influence of alpha-ray bombardment), of petroleum source beds, and of volcanic intrusive rocks of Tertiary age are of fundamental importance in the continuing study of the uranium deposits on the Colorado Plateau.

Post-orogenic evolution of mountain ranges and associated foreland basins: Initial investigation of the central Pyrenees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernard, Thomas; Sinclair, Hugh; Ford, Mary; Naylor, Mark

2017-04-01

Mountain topography, including surrounding foreland basins, results from the long-term competition between tectonic and surface processes linked to climate. Numerous studies on young active mountain ranges such as the Southern Alps, New Zealand and Taiwan, have investigated the interaction between tectonics, climate and erosion on the topographic landscape. However most of the mountain ranges in the world are in various stages of post-orogenic decay, such as the European Alps, Urals, Caledonides, Appalachians and Pyrenees. The landscape evolution of these decaying mountains, which involve relatively inactive tectonics, should appear simple with progressive and relatively uniform erosion resulting in a general lowering of both elevation and topographic relief. However, in a number of examples, post-orogenic systems suggest a complex dynamism and interactions with their associated foreland basins in term of spatio-temporal variations in erosion and sedimentary flux. The complexity and transition to post-orogenesis is a function of multiple processes. Underpinning the transition to a post-orogenic state is the competition between erosion and crustal thickening; the balance of these processes determines the timing and magnitude of isostatic rebound and hence subsidence versus uplift of the foreland basin. It is expected that any change in the parameters controlling the balance of erosion versus crustal thickening will impact the topographic evolution and sediment flux from the mountain range and foreland basin to the surrounding continental margin. This study will focus on the causes and origins of the processes that define post-orogenesis. This will involve analyses of low-temperature thermochronological and topographic data, geodynamical modelling and sedimentological analyses (grainsize distribution). The Pyrenees and its associated northern retro-foreland basin, the Aquitaine basin, will form the natural laboratory for the project as it is one of the best

Preliminary Geologic Map of the Southern Funeral Mountains and Adjacent Ground-Water Discharge Sites, Inyo County, California, and Nye County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fridrich, Christopher J.; Thompson, Ren A.; Slate, Janet L.; Berry, M.E.; Machette, Michael N.

2008-01-01

This map covers the southern part of the Funeral Mountains, and adjacent parts of four structural basins - Furnace Creek, Amargosa Valley, Opera House, and central Death Valley. It extends over three full 7.5-minute quadrangles, and parts of eleven others - a total area of about 950 square kilometers. The boundaries of this map were drawn to include all of the known proximal hydrogeologic features that may affect the flow of ground water that discharges from the springs of the Furnace Creek wash area, in the west-central part of the map. These springs provide the major potable water supply for Death Valley National Park.

Analysis of Knickzones over a Coastal Mountain Range of the Korean Peninsula Implies Intensive Uplifts during the Opening of the East Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byun, J.; Paik, K.

2017-12-01

The Korean Peninsula jutting out from the Eurasia Continent is bordered to the east by the East Sea (or Sea of Japan), a back-arc sea behind the Japan Islands Arc. Along the eastern margin of the peninsula, a coastal mountain range over 800 km long including peaks reaching up to ca 2,500 m develops with great escarpments facing the East Sea. Compared to the substantial studies related to drifting of the Japanese Islands from the peninsula and consequent the opening of the East Sea as back-arc basin (23 12 Ma), the development of the coastal mountain range assumed to be associated with the East Sea opening is poorly understood. In particular, no consensus has been made regarding the timing of the coastal mountain range: Continuous uplift from the Early Tertiary over the Pliocene versus intensive uplift during the Early Miocene near ca 22 Ma. Addressing this problem could help reveal the relation between the formation of the coastal mountain range and the East Sea opening. In this study, to figure out the timing of the formation of the coastal mountain range, we extracted quantitatively the knickzones in a drainage basin over the coastal mountain range and attempted to analyze the spatial distribution of potential transient knickzones which were induced by the development of the coastal mountain range and then would migrate upstream. According to our analysis, all the identified knickzones (n=19) are revealed as steady-state responses to 1) different lithologies, 2) coarse bed material inputs from tributaries, and 3) more resistant rock patch or local faults. Non-existence of the potential transient knickzones suggests that the transient knickzones due to the coastal mountain range building had already propagated up to each watershed boundary. Sequent analysis on the time spent for knickzone migration up to the boundary reveals that the time when the coastal mountain range had formed back to at least 6 8 Ma. Therefore, it becomes evident that the development of the

PBO Facility Construction: Basin and Range and Rocky Mountain Regions Status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friesen, B.; Jenkins, F.; Kasmer, D.; Feaux, K.

2007-12-01

The Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), part of the larger NSF-funded EarthScope project, will study the three- dimensional strain field resulting from active plate boundary deformation across the western United States. PBO is a large construction project involving the reconnaissance, permitting, installation, documentation, and maintenance of 875 permanent GPS stations in five years. 163 of these stations lie within the Basin and Range and Rocky Mountain Regions consisting of the states of Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. During the fourth year of the project, the Basin and Range and Rocky Mountain regions of PBO completed reconnaissance and nearly all permitting activities, and maintained a fast pace of station installations. The fall of 2006 and spring of 2007 were devoted to the construction of a large push of 50 stations, most located on Bureau of Land Management controlled public lands in Nevada. This transect is located along Highway 50 and will profile the extension of the Basin and Range province. The Yellowstone area, including surrounding National Parks and Forests was the target of summer 2007, during which time 10 remote stations with difficult logistics were installed. To date, construction is complete for 135 of 163 GPS stations.

Evolution of Topography in Glaciated Mountain Ranges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brocklehurst, Simon H.

2002-01-01

This thesis examines the response of alpine landscapes to the onset of glaciation. The basic approach is to compare fluvial and glacial laudscapes, since it is the change from the former to the latter that accompanies climatic cooling. This allows a detailed evaluation of hypotheses relating climate change to tectonic processes in glaciated mountain belts. Fieldwork was carried out in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, and the Sangre de Cristo Range, Colorado, alongside digital elevation model analyses in the western US, the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and the Himalaya of northwestern Pakistan. hypothesis is overstated in its appeal to glacial erosion as a major source of relief production and subsequent peak uplift. Glaciers in the eastern Sierra Nevada and the western Sangre de Cristos have redistributed relief, but have produced only modest relief by enlarging drainage basins at the expense of low-relief topography. Glaciers have lowered valley floors and ridgelines by similar amounts, limiting the amount of "missing mass' that can be generated, and causing a decrease in drainage basin relief. The principal response of glaciated landscapes to rapid rock uplift is the development of towering cirque headwalls. This represents considerable relief production, but is not caused by glacial erosion alone. Large valley glaciers can maintain their low gradient regardless of uplift rate, which supports the "glacial buzzsaw" hypothesis. However, the inability of glaciers to erode steep hillslopes as rapidly can cause mean elevations to rise. Cosmogenic isotope dating is used to show that (i) where plucking is active, the last major glaciation removed sufficient material to reset the cosmogenic clock; and (ii) former glacial valley floors now stranded near the crest of the Sierra Nevada are at varying stages of abandonment, suggesting a cycle of drainage reorganiszation and relief inversion due to glacial erosion similar to that observed in river networks. Glaciated

Evolution of basin and range structure in the Ruby Mountains and vicinity, Nevada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blackwell, D. D.; Reese, N. M.; Kelley, S. A.

1985-01-01

Results from various age dating techniques, seismic reflection profiling hydrocarbon maturation studies, and structural analysis were used to evaluate the Cenozoic deformation in the Ruby Mountains and adjoining ranges (pinyon Range and Cortez Range) in Elko and Eureka Counties, Nevada. Age dating techniques used include potassium-argon ages of biotites from granites published by Kistler et al. (1981) and fission track ages from apatite and zircon. Fission track ages from apatite reflect a closing temperature of 100 plus or minus 20 deg C. Zircon fission track ages reflect a closing temperature of 175 plus or minus 25 deg C and potassium-argon ages from brotite reflect a closing temperature of 250 plus or minus 30 deg C. Thus these results allow a reasonably precise tracking of the evolution of the ranges during the Cenozoic. Seismic reflection data are available from Huntington Valley. Access to seismic reflection data directly to the west of the Harrison Pass Pluton in the central Ruby Mountains was obtained. In addition results are available from several deep exploration holes in Huntington Valley.

For Sale--Scotland's Most Famous Mountain Range: Land "Ownership" in Scotland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slattery, Deirdre

2005-01-01

The nature of land ownership is infrequently discussed by practitioners of outdoor education, though it is often central to the way they work. The recent controversy over the proposed sale of the Cuillin mountain range on the Isle of Skye in Scotland provoked heated discussion over rights to and benefits of this important place. The main point at…

Morphotectonic architecture of the Transantarctic Mountains rift flank between the Royal Society Range and the Churchill Mountains based on geomorphic analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Demyanick, Elizabeth; Wilson, Terry J.

2007-01-01

Extensional forces within the Antarctic Plate have produced the Transantarctic Mountains rift-flank uplift along the West Antarctic rift margin. Large-scale linear morphologic features within the mountains are controlled by bedrock structure and can be recognized and mapped from satellite imagery and digital elevation models (DEMs). This study employed the Antarctic Digital Database DEM to obtain slope steepness and aspect maps of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) between the Royal Society Range and the Churchill Mountains, allowing definition of the position and orientation of the morphological axis of the rift-flank. The TAM axis, interpreted as a fault-controlled escarpment formed by coast-parallel retreat, provides a marker for the orientation of the faulted boundary between the TAM and the rift system. Changes in position and orientation of the TAM axis suggests the rift flank is segmented into tectonic blocks bounded by relay ramps and transverse accommodation zones. The transverse boundaries coincide with major outlet glaciers, supporting interpretation of rift structures between them. The pronounced morphological change across Byrd Glacier points to control by structures inherited from the Ross orogen.

Enhanced resistance of the Pamirs high-mountain strain of Cryptococcus albidus to UV radiation of an ecological range

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Strakhovskaya, M.G.; Lavrukhina, O.G.; Fraikin, G.Y.

The results of a comparative analysis of the resistance of Pamirs high-mountain and lowland strains of the yeast Cryptococcus albidus to UV radiation of an ecological range are presented. A high-mountain strain, adapted to elevated UV radiation in its habitat, was found to be more resistant to UV light of a total ecorange (290-400 nm), including medium-wave (290-320 nm) and long-wave (320-400 nm) UV ranges. The enhanced UV light resistance of the high-mountain strain can be explained by efficient functioning of the excision DNA repair system. 7 refs., 3 tabs.

Ozone trends in Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the past two decades: Implications for plants and ecosystems

EPA Science Inventory

Hourly ozone data from five sampling locations in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and one low elevation location adjacent to the Park in NC were analyzed over the period 1989 to 2012 for diurnal and season trends. Sampling locations spanned an elevational range from 564 m at...

Mountain big sagebrush age distribution and relationships on the northern Yellowstone Winter Range

Treesearch

Carl L. Wambolt; Trista L. Hoffman

2001-01-01

This study was conducted within the Gardiner Basin, an especially critical wintering area for native ungulates utilizing the Northern Yellowstone Winter Range. Mountain big sagebrush plants on 33 sites were classified as large (≥22 cm canopy cover), small (

[Distribution characteristics of organochlorine pesticides in soil from Daiyun Mountain Range in Fujian, China].

PubMed

Qu, Cheng-Kai; Qi, Shi-Hua; Zhang, Li; Huang, Huan-Fang; Zhang, Jia-Quan; Zhang, Yuan; Yang, Dan; Liu, Hong-Xia; Chen, Wei

2013-11-01

Totally 101 typical surface soil samples were collected from Daiyun Mountain Range, and 20 compounds of OCPs were analyzed by a Ni electron capture detector (GC-ECD) to investigate the horizontal distribution and composition of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in the surface soil of Daiyun Mountain Range. The results showed that all OCPs were detected in the soil samples. The detection ratios of OCPs were all over 90%, except for Endrin and beta-HCH. The sum concentration of HCHs, DDTs, Endosulfan and Endosulfan sulfate, accounted for 79.51% of the total OCPs, which were considered to be the dominant OCPs in the Daiyun Mountain Range. The OCPs concentrations in the surface soils ranged from 2.56 to 465.99 ng x g(-1) with a mean value of 38.00 ng x g)(-1). Compared with other regions, the concentrations of HCHs and DDTs in this study stayed in a low pollution level. Endosulfan and Endosulfan sulfate showed a certain degree of risk in the surface soil of the study area. Source analysis showed that new input of lindane and dicofol might occur in the survey region. The historical application was the prime source of Endosulfan. The residue level of OCPs in different lands was in the following order: paddy land > vegetable land > orchard. The OCPs pollution of orchard soil was primarily due to the new input of lindane and dicofol, while the pollution of paddy land was mainly from the usage of Endosulfan.

The Granite Mountain Atmospheric Sciences Testbed (GMAST): A Facility for Long Term Complex Terrain Airflow Studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zajic, D.; Pace, J. C.; Whiteman, C. D.; Hoch, S.

2011-12-01

This presentation describes a new facility at Dugway Proving Ground (DPG), Utah that can be used to study airflow over complex terrain, and to evaluate how airflow over a mountain barrier affects wind patterns over adjacent flatter terrain. DPG's primary mission is to conduct testing, training, and operational assessments of chemical and biological weapon systems. These operations require very precise weather forecasts. Most test operations at DPG are conducted on fairly flat test ranges having uniform surface cover, where airflow patterns are generally well-understood. However, the DPG test ranges are located alongside large, isolated mountains, most notably Granite Mountain, Camelback Mountain, and the Cedar Mountains. Airflows generated over, or influenced by, these mountains can affect wind patterns on the test ranges. The new facility, the Granite Mountain Atmospheric Sciences Testbed, or GMAST, is designed to facilitate studies of airflow interactions with topography. This facility will benefit DPG by improving understanding of how mountain airflows interact with the test range conditions. A core infrastructure of weather sensors around and on Granite Mountain has been developed including instrumented towers and remote sensors, along with automated data collection and archival systems. GMAST is expected to be in operation for a number of years and will provide a reference domain for mountain meteorology studies, with data useful for analysts, modelers and theoreticians. Visiting scientists are encouraged to collaborate with DPG personnel to utilize this valuable scientific resource and to add further equipment and scientific designs for both short-term and long-term atmospheric studies. Several of the upcoming MATERHORN (MountAin TERrain atmospHeric mOdeling and obseRvatioNs) project field tests will be conducted at DPG, giving an example of GMAST utilization and collaboration between DPG and visiting scientists.

Erosion of an ancient mountain range, the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina and Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matmon, A.; Bierman, P.R.; Larsen, J.; Southworth, S.; Pavich, M.; Finkel, R.; Caffee, M.

2003-01-01

Analysis of 10Be and 26Al in bedrock (n=10), colluvium (n=5 including grain size splits), and alluvial sediments (n=59 including grain size splits), coupled with field observations and GIS analysis, suggest that erosion rates in the Great Smoky Mountains are controlled by subsurface bedrock erosion and diffusive slope processes. The results indicate rapid alluvial transport, minimal alluvial storage, and suggest that most of the cosmogenic nuclide inventory in sediments is accumulated while they are eroding from bedrock and traveling down hill slopes. Spatially homogeneous erosion rates of 25 - 30 mm Ky-1 are calculated throughout the Great Smoky Mountains using measured concentrations of cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al in quartz separated from alluvial sediment. 10Be and 26Al concentrations in sediments collected from headwater tributaries that have no upstream samples (n=18) are consistent with an average erosion rate of 28 ?? 8 mm Ky-1, similar to that of the outlet rivers (n=16, 24 ?? 6 mm Ky-1), which carry most of the sediment out of the mountain range. Grain-size-specific analysis of 6 alluvial sediment samples shows higher nuclide concentrations in smaller grain sizes than in larger ones. The difference in concentrations arises from the large elevation distribution of the source of the smaller grains compared with the narrow and relatively low source elevation of the large grains. Large sandstone clasts disaggregate into sand-size grains rapidly during weathering and downslope transport; thus, only clasts from the lower parts of slopes reach the streams. 26Al/10Be ratios do not suggest significant burial periods for our samples. However, alluvial samples have lower 26Al/10Be ratios than bedrock and colluvial samples, a trend consistent with a longer integrated cosmic ray exposure history that includes periods of burial during down-slope transport. The results confirm some of the basic ideas embedded in Davis' geographic cycle model, such as the reduction of relief

Key to the species of Eotrechinae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae) of Thailand and review of the fauna of the Phetchabun Mountain Range.

PubMed

Nakthong, La-Au; Vitheepradit, Akekawat; Sites, Robert W

2014-09-03

Water striders of the subfamily Eotrechinae from the Phetchabun Mountain Range can be found at the margins of rock pools and puddles, and in hygropetric habitats including waterfalls. Twenty-two species in three genera are known from Thailand. In the Phetchabun Mountain Range, 12 species representing all three genera were recorded from over a decade of collections (2002-2012). This paper provides taxonomic, biological, and ecological information for taxa of the Phetchabun Mountain Range in Thailand and a taxonomic key to all known species from Thailand. 

Mountain ranges, climate and weathering. Do orogens strengthen or weaken the silicate weathering carbon sink?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maffre, Pierre; Ladant, Jean-Baptiste; Moquet, Jean-Sébastien; Carretier, Sébastien; Labat, David; Goddéris, Yves

2018-07-01

The role of mountains in the geological evolution of the carbon cycle has been intensively debated for the last decades. Mountains are thought to increase the local physical erosion, which in turns promotes silicate weathering, organic carbon transport and burial, and release of sulfuric acid by dissolution of sulfides. In this contribution, we explore the impact of mountain ranges on silicate weathering. Mountains modify the global pattern of atmospheric circulation as well as the local erosion conditions. Using an IPCC-class climate model, we first estimate the climatic impact of mountains by comparing the present day climate with the climate when all the continents are assumed to be flat. We then use these climate output to calculate weathering changes when mountains are present or absent, using standard expression for physical erosion and a 1D vertical model for rock weathering. We found that large-scale climate changes and enhanced rock supply by erosion due to mountain uplift have opposite effect, with similar orders of magnitude. A thorough testing of the weathering model parameters by data-model comparison shows that best-fit parameterizations lead to a decrease of weathering rate in the absence of mountain by about 20%. However, we demonstrate that solutions predicting an increase in weathering in the absence of mountain cannot be excluded. A clear discrimination between the solutions predicting an increase or a decrease in global weathering is pending on the improvement of the existing global databases for silicate weathering. Nevertheless, imposing a constant and homogeneous erosion rate for models without relief, we found that weathering decrease becomes unequivocal for very low erosion rates (below 10 t/km2/yr). We conclude that further monitoring of continental silicate weathering should be performed with a spatial distribution allowing to discriminate between the various continental landscapes (mountains, plains …).

Altitude Distributions and Source Analysis of OCPs and PCBs in Surface Soils of Changbai Mountain, Northeast China.

PubMed

Wang, Xiaochun; Chen, Shu; Wan, Kuiyuan; Yin, Xiaocai; Zhu, Xiaohua; Pan, Jing; Yang, Yongliang

2017-06-01

Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in surface soils of Changbai Mountain, Northeastern China, have been quantified by gas chromatography with electron capture detector and the altitude distributions and possible pollution sources were analyzed. The concentrations of ∑HCHs, ∑DDTs and ∑ 7 PCBs were in the range of 3.09-25.6, 0.96-19.4 and 7.32-26.1 ng/g dw, respectively. The concentration of α-HCH, β-HCH, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, PCB 101, 138, 153, and 180 showed increasing trends with altitude. ∑ 7 PCBs in surface soils of Changbai Mountain were significantly higher than that in Chinese background areas. The concentration of lower volatile PCB isomers showed positive correlation with altitude. These pollutants may originate from the adjacent industrial and agricultural areas via atmospheric transport and cold-trapping effect through wet precipitation. Additional, DDTs may cause a certain potential ecological risks on birds and soil organisms and the usage of lindane in the adjacent areas cannot be excluded in Changbai Mountain.

Turkish Children's Drawing of Nature in a Certain Way: Range of Mountains in the Back, the Sun, Couple of Clouds, a River Rising from the Mountains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ulker, Riza

2012-01-01

This study reveals that Turkish kindergarten through 8th Grade (K-8) students draw nature pictures in a certain way; range of mountains in the background, a sun, a couple of clouds, a river rising from the mountains. There are similarities in the K-8 students' nature drawings in the way these nature items are organized on a drawing paper. We…

Herpetology of the American Madrean Archipelago and adjacent valleys

Treesearch

Lawrence L. C. Jones

2005-01-01

Approximately 110 species of amphibians (18 frogs and toads, and 1 salamander) and reptiles (47 snakes, 39 lizards, and 5 turtles) are known from the American Madrean Archipelago and adjacent valleys. The high diversity of the herpetofauna comes from a variety of factors, including a convergence of biotic communities representing deserts, grasslands, and mountains....

Postobductional extension along and within the Frontal Range of the Eastern Oman Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattern, Frank; Scharf, Andreas

2018-04-01

The Oman Mountains formed by late Cretaceous obduction of the Tethys-derived Semail Ophiolite. This study concerns the postobductional extension on the northern flank of the mountain belt. Nine sites at the northern margins of the Jabal Akhdar/Nakhl and Saih Hatat domes of the Eastern Oman ("Hajar") Mountains were investigated. The northern margins are marked by a system of major interconnected extensional faults, the "Frontal Range Fault". While the vertical displacements along the Saih Hatat and westerly located Jabal Nakhl domes measure 2.25-6.25 km, 0.5-4.5 km and 4-7 km, respectively, it amounts to 1-5 km along the Jabal Akhdar Dome. Extension had started during the late Cretaceous, towards the end of ophiolite emplacement. Two stages of extension can be ascertained (late Cretaceous to early Eocene and probably Oligocene) at the eastern part of the Frontal Range Fault System (Wadi Kabir and Fanja Graben faults of similar strike). Along the intervening and differently striking fault segments at Sad and Sunub the same two stages of deformation are deduced. The first stage is characterized again by extension. The second stage is marked by dextral motion, including local transtension. Probable Oligocene extension affected the Batinah Coast Fault while it also affected the Wadi Kabir Fault and the Fanja Graben. It is unclear whether the western portion of the Frontal Range Fault also went through two stages of deformation. Bedding-parallel ductile and brittle deformation is a common phenomenon. Hot springs and listwaenite are associated with dextral releasing bends within the fault system, as well as a basalt intrusion of probable Oligocene age. A structural transect through the Frontal Range along the superbly exposed Wadi Bani Kharous (Jabal Akhdar Dome) revealed that extension affected the Frontal Range at least 2.5 km south of the Frontal Range Fault. Also here, bedding-parallel shearing is important, but not exclusive. A late Cretaceous thrust was

Climate and Floristic Variation in Great Basin Mountain Ranges (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charlet, D. A.; Leary, P.

2010-12-01

are 316 in the Snake Range transect, and 425 along the Sheep Range transect. Near the Sheep Range lies the Spring Mountains where 769 samples were obtained. More than 30,000 geo-referenced photographs document the sites, and nearly 1000 vascular plant taxa have been encountered and their distributions documented. Recently completed soil maps, the PRISM precipitation model, and 10m Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) of the study areas exist. As a result, many environmental conditions can be explored with multivariate statistical methods. Preliminary results indicate that different kinds of physical data may be appropriate only at certain scales. Most useful for fine-scale investigations on mountains appears to be measures of irradiance at the solstices and equinox derived from the 10m DEM. Past climate in Nevada is readily evident on its landscapes, featuring glacial, periglacial and pluvial features. Pollen and remains left by woodrats provide vegetation records dating up to 40,000 years before present. The vegetation work described here provides a snapshot of biodiversity at fine scale of several mountain ranges. Efforts of the physical scientists and physiologists now, and repeat visits to the sample sites of this study later, will help us track the processes and manifestations of landscape change as responses to climate.

Mountain ranges in western Pakistan as seen from the Apollo 7 spacecraft

NASA Image and Video Library

1968-10-15

AS07-07-1832 (15 Oct. 1968) --- Toba, Kakar, Fort Sandeman, Sulaiman Range area in (West) Pakistan, as seen from the Apollo 7 spacecraft during its 84th revolution of Earth. Note geological features such as folded mountain structures, anticlines and synclines. Photographed from an altitude of 108 nautical miles, at ground elapsed time of 132 hours and 30 minutes.

Using noble gases to investigate mountain-front recharge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manning, A.H.; Solomon, D.K.

2003-01-01

Mountain-front recharge is a major component of recharge to inter-mountain basin-fill aquifers. The two components of mountain-front recharge are (1) subsurface inflow from the mountain block (subsurface inflow), and (2) infiltration from perennial and ephemeral streams near the mountain front (stream seepage). The magnitude of subsurface inflow is of central importance in source protection planning for basin-fill aquifers and in some water rights disputes, yet existing estimates carry large uncertainties. Stable isotope ratios can indicate the magnitude of mountain-front recharge relative to other components, but are generally incapable of distinguishing subsurface inflow from stream seepage. Noble gases provide an effective tool for determining the relative significance of subsurface inflow, specifically. Dissolved noble gas concentrations allow for the determination of recharge temperature, which is correlated with recharge elevation. The nature of this correlation cannot be assumed, however, and must be derived for the study area. The method is applied to the Salt Lake Valley Principal Aquifer in northern Utah to demonstrate its utility. Samples from 16 springs and mine tunnels in the adjacent Wasatch Mountains indicate that recharge temperature decreases with elevation at about the same rate as the mean annual air temperature, but is on average about 2??C cooler. Samples from 27 valley production wells yield recharge elevations ranging from the valley elevation (about 1500 m) to mid-mountain elevation (about 2500 m). Only six of the wells have recharge elevations less than 1800 m. Recharge elevations consistently greater than 2000 m in the southeastern part of the basin indicate that subsurface inflow constitutes most of the total recharge in this area. ?? 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Geomorphology, denudation rates, and stream channel profiles reveal patterns of mountain building adjacent to the San Andreas fault in northern California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

DeLong, Stephen B.; Hilley, George E.; Prentice, Carol S.; Crosby, Christopher J.; Yokelson, Intan N.

2017-01-01

Relative horizontal motion along strike-slip faults can build mountains when motion is oblique to the trend of the strike-slip boundary. The resulting contraction and uplift pose off-fault seismic hazards, which are often difficult to detect because of the poor vertical resolution of satellite geodesy and difficulty of locating offset datable landforms in active mountain ranges. Sparse geomorphic markers, topographic analyses, and measurement of denudation allow us to map spatiotemporal patterns of uplift along the northern San Andreas fault. Between Jenner and Mendocino, California, emergent marine terraces found southwest of the San Andreas fault record late Pleistocene uplift rates between 0.20 and 0.45 mm yr–1 along much of the coast. However, on the northeast side of the San Andreas fault, a zone of rapid uplift (0.6–1.0 mm yr–1) exists adjacent to the San Andreas fault, but rates decay northeastward as the coast becomes more distant from the San Andreas fault. A newly dated 4.5 Ma shallow-marine deposit located at ∼500 m above sea level (masl) adjacent to the San Andreas fault is warped down to just 150 masl 15 km northeast of the San Andreas fault, and it is exposed at just 60–110 masl to the west of the fault. Landscape denudation rates calculated from abundance of cosmogenic radionuclides in fluvial sediment northeast of, and adjacent to, the San Andreas fault are 0.16–0.29 mm yr–1, but they are only 0.03–0.07 mm yr–1 west of the fault. Basin-average channel steepness and the denudation rates can be used to infer the erosive properties of the underlying bedrock. Calibrated erosion rates can then be estimated across the entire landscape using the spatial distribution of channel steepness with these erosive properties. The lower-elevation areas of this landscape that show high channel steepness (and hence calibrated erosion rate) are distinct from higher-elevation areas with systematically lower channel steepness and denudation rates

Tertiary volcanic rocks and uranium in the Thomas Range and northern Drum Mountains, Juab County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lindsey, David A.

1982-01-01

The Thomas Range and northern Drum Mountains have a history of volcanism, faulting, and mineralization that began about 42 m.y. (million years) ago. Volcanic activity and mineralization in the area can be divided into three stages according to the time-related occurrence of rock types, trace-element associations, and chemical composition of mineral deposits. Compositions of volcanic rocks changed abruptly from rhyodacite-quartz latite (42-39 m.y. ago) to rhyolite (38-32 m.y. ago) to alkali rhyolite (21 and 6-7 m.y. ago); these stages correspond to periods of chalcophile and siderophile metal mineralization, no mineralization(?), and lithophile metal mineralization, respectively. Angular unconformities record episodes of cauldron collapse and block faulting between the stages of volcanic activity and mineralization. The youngest angular unconformity formed between 21 and 7 m.y. ago during basin-and-range faulting. Early rhyodacite-quartz latite volcanism from composite volcanoes and fissures produced flows, breccias, and ash-flow tuff of the Drum Mountains Rhyodacite and Mt. Laird Tuff. Eruption of the Mt. Laird Tuff about 39 m.y. ago from an area north of Joy townsite was accompanied by collapse of the Thomas caldera. Part of the roof of the magma chamber did not collapse, or the magma was resurgent, as is indicated by porphyry dikes and plugs in the Drum Mountains. Chalcophile and siderophile metal mineralization, resulting in deposits of copper, gold, and manganese, accompanied early volcanism. Te middle stage of volcanic activity was characterized by explosive eruption of rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs and collapse of the Dugway Valley cauldron. Eruption of the Joy Tuff 38 m.y. ago was accompanied by subsidence of this cauldron and was followed by collapse and sliding of Paleozoic rocks from the west wall of the cauldron. Landslides in The Dell were covered by the Dell Tuff, erupted 32 m.y. ago from an unknown source to the east. An ash flow of the Needles Range

An integrated remote sensing approach for identifying ecological range sites. [parker mountain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jaynes, R. A.

1983-01-01

A model approach for identifying ecological range sites was applied to high elevation sagebrush-dominated rangelands on Parker Mountain, in south-central Utah. The approach utilizes map information derived from both high altitude color infrared photography and LANDSAT digital data, integrated with soils, geological, and precipitation maps. Identification of the ecological range site for a given area requires an evaluation of all relevant environmental factors which combine to give that site the potential to produce characteristic types and amounts of vegetation. A table is presented which allows the user to determine ecological range site based upon an integrated use of the maps which were prepared. The advantages of identifying ecological range sites through an integrated photo interpretation/LANDSAT analysis are discussed.

Strong Genetic Differentiation of Submerged Plant Populations across Mountain Ranges: Evidence from Potamogeton pectinatus in Iran

PubMed Central

Abbasi, Shabnam; Afsharzadeh, Saeed; Saeidi, Hojjatollah; Triest, Ludwig

2016-01-01

Biogeographic barriers for freshwater biota can be effective at various spatial scales. At the largest spatial scale, freshwater organisms can become genetically isolated by their high mountain ranges, vast deserts, and inability to cross oceans. Isolation by distance of aquatic plants is expected to be stronger across than alongside mountain ridges whereas the heterogeneity of habitats among populations and temporary droughts may influence connectivity and hamper dispersal. Suitable aquatic plant habitats became reduced, even for the widespread submerged Potamogeton pectinatus L. (also named Stuckenia pectinata) giving structure to various aquatic habitats. We compared the level of genetic diversity in a heterogeneous series of aquatic habitats across Iran and tested their differentiation over distances and across mountain ranges (Alborz and Zagros) and desert zones (Kavir), with values obtained from temperate region populations. The diversity of aquatic ecosystems across and along large geographic barriers provided a unique ecological situation within Iran. P. pectinatus were considered from thirty-six sites across Iran at direct flight distances ranging from 20 to 1,200 km. Nine microsatellite loci revealed a very high number of alleles over all sites. A PCoA, NJT clustering and STRUCTURE analysis revealed a separate grouping of individuals of southeastern Iranian sites and was confirmed by their different nuclear ITS and cpDNA haplotypes thereby indicating an evolutionary significant unit (ESU). At the level of populations, a positive correlation between allelic differentiation Dest with geographic distance was found. Individual-based STRUCTURE analysis over 36 sites showed 7 genetic clusters. FST and RST values for ten populations reached 0.343 and 0.521, respectively thereby indicating that allele length differences are more important and contain evolutionary information. Overall, higher levels of diversity and a stronger differentiation was revealed among

Strong Genetic Differentiation of Submerged Plant Populations across Mountain Ranges: Evidence from Potamogeton pectinatus in Iran.

PubMed

Abbasi, Shabnam; Afsharzadeh, Saeed; Saeidi, Hojjatollah; Triest, Ludwig

2016-01-01

Biogeographic barriers for freshwater biota can be effective at various spatial scales. At the largest spatial scale, freshwater organisms can become genetically isolated by their high mountain ranges, vast deserts, and inability to cross oceans. Isolation by distance of aquatic plants is expected to be stronger across than alongside mountain ridges whereas the heterogeneity of habitats among populations and temporary droughts may influence connectivity and hamper dispersal. Suitable aquatic plant habitats became reduced, even for the widespread submerged Potamogeton pectinatus L. (also named Stuckenia pectinata) giving structure to various aquatic habitats. We compared the level of genetic diversity in a heterogeneous series of aquatic habitats across Iran and tested their differentiation over distances and across mountain ranges (Alborz and Zagros) and desert zones (Kavir), with values obtained from temperate region populations. The diversity of aquatic ecosystems across and along large geographic barriers provided a unique ecological situation within Iran. P. pectinatus were considered from thirty-six sites across Iran at direct flight distances ranging from 20 to 1,200 km. Nine microsatellite loci revealed a very high number of alleles over all sites. A PCoA, NJT clustering and STRUCTURE analysis revealed a separate grouping of individuals of southeastern Iranian sites and was confirmed by their different nuclear ITS and cpDNA haplotypes thereby indicating an evolutionary significant unit (ESU). At the level of populations, a positive correlation between allelic differentiation Dest with geographic distance was found. Individual-based STRUCTURE analysis over 36 sites showed 7 genetic clusters. FST and RST values for ten populations reached 0.343 and 0.521, respectively thereby indicating that allele length differences are more important and contain evolutionary information. Overall, higher levels of diversity and a stronger differentiation was revealed among

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Calophaca (Fabaceae) Reveals Multiple Dispersals in Central Asian Mountains

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ming-Li; Wen, Zhi-Bin; Fritsch, Peter W.; Sanderson, Stewart C.

2015-01-01

Background The Central Asian flora plays a significant role in Eurasia and the Northern Hemisphere. Calophaca, a member of this flora, includes eight currently recognized species, and is centered in Central Asia, with some taxa extending into adjacent areas. A phylogenetic analysis of the genus utilizing nuclear ribosomal ITS and plastid trnS-trnG and rbcL sequences was carried out in order to confirm its taxonomic status and reconstruct its evolutionary history. Methodology/Principal Finding We employed BEAST Bayesian inference for dating, and S-DIVA and BBM for ancestral area reconstruction, to study its spatiotemporal evolution. Our results show that Calophacais monophyletic and nested within Caragana. The divergence time of Calophaca is estimated at ca. 8.0 Ma, most likely driven by global cooling and aridification, influenced by rapid uplift of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau margins. Conclusions/Significance According to ancestral area reconstructions, the genus most likely originated in the Pamir Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot and hypothesized Tertiary refugium of many Central Asian plant lineages. Dispersals from this location are inferred to the western Tianshan Mountains, then northward to the Tarbagatai Range, eastward to East Asia, and westward to the Caucasus, Russia, and Europe. The spatiotemporal evolution of Calophaca provides a case contributing to an understanding of the flora and biodiversity of the Central Asian mountains and adjacent regions. PMID:25849146

Spatiotemporal evolution of Calophaca (fabaceae) reveals multiple dispersals in central Asian mountains.

PubMed

Zhang, Ming-Li; Wen, Zhi-Bin; Fritsch, Peter W; Sanderson, Stewart C

2015-01-01

The Central Asian flora plays a significant role in Eurasia and the Northern Hemisphere. Calophaca, a member of this flora, includes eight currently recognized species, and is centered in Central Asia, with some taxa extending into adjacent areas. A phylogenetic analysis of the genus utilizing nuclear ribosomal ITS and plastid trnS-trnG and rbcL sequences was carried out in order to confirm its taxonomic status and reconstruct its evolutionary history. We employed BEAST Bayesian inference for dating, and S-DIVA and BBM for ancestral area reconstruction, to study its spatiotemporal evolution. Our results show that Calophacais monophyletic and nested within Caragana. The divergence time of Calophaca is estimated at ca. 8.0 Ma, most likely driven by global cooling and aridification, influenced by rapid uplift of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau margins. According to ancestral area reconstructions, the genus most likely originated in the Pamir Mountains, a global biodiversity hotspot and hypothesized Tertiary refugium of many Central Asian plant lineages. Dispersals from this location are inferred to the western Tianshan Mountains, then northward to the Tarbagatai Range, eastward to East Asia, and westward to the Caucasus, Russia, and Europe. The spatiotemporal evolution of Calophaca provides a case contributing to an understanding of the flora and biodiversity of the Central Asian mountains and adjacent regions.

Contributions of long-range and regional atmospheric transport on pesticide concentrations along a transect crossing a mountain divide.

PubMed

Lavin, Karen S; Hageman, Kimberly J

2013-02-05

Twenty-one halogenated legacy and current-use pesticides and pesticide degradation products were measured in pine needles along a coast-to-coast transect that crossed the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Concentration profiles of nine pesticides were used to determine the influence of geographic sources on the atmospheric pesticide burden at the mountain sites. Pesticide concentration profiles were calculated for each source and mountain site by normalizing concentrations (adjusted for temperature at the site and air-needle partitioning) to the sum of all pesticide concentrations at the site. Each mountain site profile was compared to varying mixtures of the potential source profiles to determine the percent contribution of each source. The highest elevation mountain sites were primarily influenced by long-range, synoptic-scale northwesterly winds. Westerly upslope winds had little influence on any of the mountain sites. Easterly upslope winds from the Canterbury Plains, an agricultural region, strongly influenced the mountain sites within close proximity and had progressively less influence with distance.

Mantle Subduction and Uplift of Intracontinental Mountains: A Case Study from the Chinese Tianshan Mountains within Eurasia.

PubMed

Li, Jinyi; Zhang, Jin; Zhao, Xixi; Jiang, Mei; Li, Yaping; Zhu, Zhixin; Feng, Qianwen; Wang, Lijia; Sun, Guihua; Liu, Jianfeng; Yang, Tiannan

2016-06-29

The driving mechanism that is responsible for the uplift of intracontinental mountains has puzzled geologists for decades. This study addresses this issue by using receiver function images across the Chinese Tianshan Mountains and available data from both deep seismic profiles and surface structural deformation. The near-surface structural deformation shows that the Tianshan crust experienced strong shortening during the Cenozoic. The receiver function image across the Tianshan Mountains reveals that the lithosphere of the Junggar Basin to the north became uncoupled along the Moho, and the mantle below the Moho subducted southwards beneath the northern part of the Tianshan Mountains, thereby thickening the overlying crust. Similar deep structures, however, are not observed under the Tarim Basin and the adjacent southern Tianshan Mountains. This difference in the deep structures correlates with geomorphological features in the region. Thus, a new model of mantle subduction, herein termed M-type subduction, is proposed for the mountain-building processes in intracontinental compressional settings. The available geomorphological, geological and seismic data in the literatures show that this model is probably suitable for other high, linear mountains within the continent.

Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California, during accretion near 10°N paleolatitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagstrum, Jonathan T.

1992-06-01

Paleomagnetic data are presented for a 50-m-thick sequence of Oxfordian to Tithonian sedimentary rocks conformably overlying Upper Jurassic pillow basalt within the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California. These new data are similar in direction and polarity to previously published paleomagnetic data for the pillow basalt. The Jurassic sedimentary rocks were deposited during a mixed-polarity interval of the geomagnetic field, and uniformity of the remanent magnetization within the entire section of pillow basalt and sedimentary rocks indicates later remagnetization. Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite is interpreted to have occurred during accretion to the continental margin, possibly by burial and low-temperature alteration related to this event. Similar paleolatitudes calculated for the ophiolite (11° ±3°) and for mid-Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Stanley Mountain terrane at Figueroa Mountain (6° ±5°) are consistent with remagnetization of the ophiolite at low paleo-latitudes. Uniform-polarity directions for other remnants of ophiolite in southern California and elsewhere along the Pacific coast imply that these rocks were also overprinted, and their magnetic inclinations suggest remagnetization at low paleolatitudes as well. The Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain is thus inferred to have been remagnetized along the North American margin near 10°N paleolatitude between earliest and mid-Cretaceous time and subsequently transported northward by strike-slip faulting related to relative motions between the Farallon, Kula, Pacific, and North American plates.

Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California, during accretion near 10°N paleolatitude

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagstrum, Jonathan T.

1992-01-01

Paleomagnetic data are presented for a 50-m-thick sequence of Oxfordian to Tithonian sedimentary rocks conformably overlying Upper Jurassic pillow basalt within the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California. These new data are similar in direction and polarity to previously published paleomagnetic data for the pillow basalt. The Jurassic sedimentary rocks were deposited during a mixed-polarity interval of the geomagnetic field, and uniformity of the remanent magnetization within the entire section of pillow basalt and sedimentary rocks indicates later remagnetization. Remagnetization of the Coast Range ophiolite is interpreted to have occurred during accretion to the continental margin, possibly by burial and low-temperature alteration related to this event. Similar paleolatitudes calculated for the ophiolite (11° ±3°) and for mid-Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of the Stanley Mountain terrane at Figueroa Mountain (6° ±5°) are consistent with remagnetization of the ophiolite at low paleo-latitudes. Uniform-polarity directions for other remnants of ophiolite in southern California and elsewhere along the Pacific coast imply that these rocks were also overprinted, and their magnetic inclinations suggest remagnetization at low paleolatitudes as well. The Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain is thus inferred to have been remagnetized along the North American margin near 10°N paleolatitude between earliest and mid-Cretaceous time and subsequently transported northward by strike-slip faulting related to relative motions between the Farallon, Kula, Pacific, and North American plates.

Summary of ground-water data, Post Headquarters and adjacent areas, White Sands Missile Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kelly, T.E.

1973-01-01

Geohydrologic data have been obtained from more than 100 wells and test holes that have been drilled in the Post Headquarters and adjacent areas of White Sands Missile Range. Observation-well data show that, in general, a continuous decline of the water table has occurred in the vicinity of the well field since production began in 1949. Approximately 40,000 acre-feet of water has been produced from the aquifer to date (1972). A series of maps are presented which show the changes that have occurred in the well field as the result of development.

Forest conditions in the San Francisco Mountains Forest Reserve, Arizona

Treesearch

John B. Leiberg; Theodore F. Rixon; Arthur. Dodwell

1904-01-01

On April 12, 1902, President Roosevelt issued a proclamation "for the purpose of consolidating into one reserve the lands heretofore embraced in the San Francisco Mountains Forest Reserves and of including therein the other adjacent lands within the description herein after given." The consolidated area is now known as the San Francisco Mountains Forest...

Geologic map of the Mohave Mountains area, Mohave County, western Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howard, K.A.; Nielson, J.E.; Wilshire, W.G.; Nakata, J.K.; Goodge, J.W.; Reneau, Steven L.; John, Barbara E.; Hansen, V.L.

1999-01-01

Introduction The Mohave Mountains area surrounds Lake Havasu City, Arizona, in the Basin and Range physiographic province. The Mohave Mountains and the Aubrey Hills form two northwest-trending ranges adjacent to Lake Havasu (elevation 132 m; 448 ft) on the Colorado River. The low Buck Mountains lie northeast of the Mohave Mountains in the alluviated valley of Dutch Flat. Lowlands at Standard Wash separate the Mohave Mountains from the Bill Williams Mountains to the southeast. The highest point in the area is Crossman Peak in the Mohave Mountains, at an elevation of 1519 m (5148 ft). Arizona Highway 95 is now rerouted in the northwestern part of the map area from its position portrayed on the base map; it now also passes through the southern edge of the map area. Geologic mapping was begun in 1980 as part of a program to assess the mineral resource potential of Federal lands under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (Light and others, 1983). Mapping responsibilities were as follows: Proterozoic and Mesozoic rocks, K.A. Howard; dikes, J.K. Nakata; Miocene section, J.E. Nielson; and surficial deposits, H.G. Wilshire. Earlier geologic mapping includes reconnaissance mapping by Wilson and Moore (1959). The present series of investigations has resulted in reports on the crystalline rocks and structure (Howard and others, 1982a), dikes (Nakata, 1982), Tertiary stratigraphy (Pike and Hansen, 1982; Nielson, 1986; Nielson and Beratan, 1990), surficial deposits (Wilshire and Reneau, 1992), tectonics (Howard and John, 1987; Beratan and others, 1990), geophysics (Simpson and others, 1986), mineralization (Light and McDonnell, 1983; Light and others, 1983), field guides (Nielson, 1986; Howard and others, 1987), and geochronology (Nakata and others, 1990; Foster and others, 1990).

Prevalence of gastrointestinal helminth infections in free-range laying hens under mountain farming production conditions.

PubMed

Wuthijaree, K; Lambertz, C; Gauly, M

2017-12-01

1. A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2015 to July 2016 in South Tyrol, Northern Italy to examine the prevalence of gastrointestinal helminths in free-range laying hens under mountain farming production conditions. 2. A total of 280 laying hens from 14 free-range mountain farms (4 organic, 10 conventional) were randomly collected at the end of the laying period. Faecal samples were taken to analyse faecal egg counts (FEC) and faecal oocyst counts (FOC). The gastrointestinal tracts were removed post mortem and examined for the presence of helminths. 3. In faeces, FEC values averaged 258 eggs per g of faeces, which were dominated by Ascaridia galli and Heterakis gallinarum. Mean FOC was 80 oocysts/g. In the gastrointestinal tract, at least one nematode species was found in 99.3% of the examined hens. H. gallinarum was the most prevalent nematode (95.7%), followed by Capillaria spp. (66.8%) and A. galli (63.6%). Thirty per cent of the chickens were infected with cestodes (tapeworms). Correlation coefficients between worm counts of H. gallinarum, Capillaria spp. and A. galli ranged from 0.41 to 0.51. 5. The helminth prevalence did not differ between conventional and organic farms, whereas total worm burden was higher in organic compared with conventional farms (318.9 vs. 112.0). Prevalence and infection intensity did not differ between farms that used anthelmintic treatments and those that did not. 6. In conclusion, free-range laying hens under the studied mountain farming conditions are at high risk of nematode infection, especially in organic systems. The vast majority of hens are subclinical infected with at least one helminth species.

Soil-geomorphic significance of land surface characteristics in an arid mountain range, Mojave Desert, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hirmas, D.R.; Graham, R.C.; Kendrick, K.J.

2011-01-01

Mountains comprise an extensive and visually prominent portion of the landscape in the Mojave Desert, California. Landform surface properties influence the role these mountains have in geomorphic processes such as dust flux and surface hydrology across the region. The primary goal of this study was to describe and quantify land surface properties of arid-mountain landforms as a step toward unraveling the role these properties have in soil-geomorphic processes. As part of a larger soil-geomorphic study, four major landform types were identified within the southern Fry Mountains in the southwestern Mojave Desert on the basis of topography and landscape position: mountaintop, mountainflank, mountainflat (intra-range low-relief surface), and mountainbase. A suite of rock, vegetation, and morphometric land surface characteristic variables was measured at each of 65 locations across the study area, which included an associated piedmont and playa. Our findings show that despite the variation within types, landforms have distinct land surface properties that likely control soil-geomorphic processes. We hypothesize that surface expression influences a feedback process at this site where water transports sediment to low lying areas on the landscape and wind carries dust and soluble salts to the mountains where they are washed between rocks, incorporated into the soil, and retained as relatively long-term storage. Recent land-based video and satellite photographs of the dust cloud emanating from the Sierra Cucapá Mountains in response to the 7.2-magnitude earthquake near Mexicali, Mexico, support the hypothesis that these landforms are massive repositories of dust.

Environmental exposures to agrochemicals in the Sierra Nevada mountain range

USGS Publications Warehouse

LeNoir, J.; Aston, L.; Data, S.; Fellers, G.; McConnell, L.; Sieber, J.

2000-01-01

The release of pesticides into the environment may impact human and environmental health. Despite the need for environmental exposure data, few studies quantify exposures in urban areas and even fewer determine exposures to wildlife in remote areas. Although it is expected that concentrations in remote regions will be low, recent studies suggest that even low concentrations may have deleterious effects on wildlife. Many pesticides are known to interfere with the endocrine systems of humans and wildlife, adversely affecting growth, development, and behavior. This chapter reviews the fate and transport of pesticides applied in the Central Valley of California and quantifies their subsequent deposition into the relatively pristine Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

Export Time of Earthquake-Derived Landslides in Active Mountain Ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croissant, T.; Lague, D.; Steer, P.; Davy, P.

2016-12-01

In active mountain ranges, large earthquakes (Mw > 5-6) trigger numerous landslides that impact river dynamics. These landslides bring local and sudden sediment deposits which are eroded and transported along the river network, causing downstream changes in river geometry, transport capacity and erosion efficiency. The progressive removal of landslide materials has implications for downstream hazards management and for landscape dynamics at the timescale of the seismic cycle. Although the export time of suspended sediments from landslides triggered by large-magnitude earthquakes has been extensively studied, the processes and time scales associated to bedload transport remains poorly studied. Here, we study the sediment export of large landslides with the 2D morphodynamic model, Eros. This model combines: (i) an hydrodynamic model, (ii) a sediment transport and deposition model and (iii) a lateral erosion model. Eros is particularly well suited for this issue as it accounts for the complex retro-actions between sediment transport and fluvial geometry for rivers submitted to external forcings such as abrupt sediment supply increase. Using a simplified synthetic topography we systematically study the influence of pulse volume (Vs) and channel transport capacity (QT) on the export time of landslides. The range of simulated river behavior includes landslide vertical incision, its subsequent removal by lateral erosion and the river morphology modifications induced by downstream sediment propagation. The morphodynamic adaptation of the river increases its transport capacity along the channel and tends to accelerate the landslide evacuation. Our results highlight two regimes: (i) the export time is linearly related to Vs/QT when the sediment pulse introduced in the river does not affect significantly the river hydrodynamic (low Vs/QT) and (ii) the export time is a non-linear function of Vs/QT when the pulse undergoes significant morphodynamic modifications during its

77 FR 8895 - Jimbilnan, Pinto Valley, Black Canyon, Eldorado, Ireteba Peaks, Nellis Wash, Spirit Mountain, and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-15

..., Pinto Valley, Black Canyon, Eldorado, Ireteba Peaks, Nellis Wash, Spirit Mountain, and Bridge Canyon..., Eldorado, Ireteba Peaks, Nellis Wash, Spirit Mountain, and Bridge Canyon Wilderness Areas, Lake Mead... wilderness character; providing for reasonable use of Spirit Mountain and adjacent areas in a manner meeting...

When did the Penglai orogeny begin on Taiwan?: Geochronological and petrographic constraints on the exhumed mountain belts and foreland-basin sequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, W. S.; Syu, S. J.; Yeh, J. J.

2017-12-01

Foreland basin receives large amounts of synorogenic infill that is eroded from the adjacent exhumed mountain belt, and therefore provides the important information on exhumation evolution. Furthermore, a complete stratigraphic sequence of Taiwan mountain belt consists of five units of Miocene sedimentary rocks (the Western Foothills and the uppermost sequence on the proto-Taiwan mountain belt), Oligocene argillite (the Hsuehshan Range), Eocene quartzite (the Hsuehshan Range), Eocene-Miocene slate and schist (Backbone Range), and Cretaceous schist (Backbone Range) from top to bottom. Based on the progressive unroofing history, the initiation of foreland basin received sedimentary lithic sediments from the uppermost sequence of proto-Taiwan mountain belt, afterwards, and receiving low- to medium-grade metamorphic lithic sediments in ascending order of argillite, quartzite, slate, and schist clasts. Therefore, the sedimentary lithics from mountain belt were deposited which represents the onset of the mountain uplift. In this study, the first appearance of sedimentary lithic sediments occurs in the Hengchun Peninsula at the middle Miocene (ca. 12-10 Ma). Thus, sandstone petrography of the late Miocene formation (10-5.3 Ma) shows a predominantly recycled sedimentary and low-grade metamorphic sources, including sandstone, argillite and quartzite lithic sediments of 10-25% which records erosion to slightly deeper metamorphic terrane on the mountain belt. Based on the results of previous thermogeochronological studies of the Yuli belt, it suggests that the middle Miocene occurred mountain uplift. The occurrence of low-grade metamorphic lithic sediments in the Hengchun Peninsula during late Miocene is coincident with the cooling ages of uplift and denuded Yuli schist belt at the eastern limb of Backbone Range.

Longitudinal Stream Profile Morphology and Patterns of Knickpoint Propagation in the Bighorn Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safran, E. B.; Anderson, R. S.; Riihimaki, C. A.; Armstrong, J.

2005-12-01

The northern U. S. Rocky Mountains and the adjacent sedimentary basins are in a transient state of response to regional, Late Cenozoic exhumation. Assembling the history of landscape change there requires interpreting the morphology and genesis of transient landforms such as knickpoints in longitudinal stream profiles. We used concavity and normalized channel steepness indices to quantify the longitudinal profile morphology of >75 streams draining the east side of the Bighorn Range and the adjacent Powder River Basin. Our analyses show that individual units in the range-margin sedimentary cover rock exert a strong influence on longitudinal profile morphology. In the Tongue River and Crazy Woman Creek drainages, more than 50% of the streams examined had knickpoints localized within a resistant, siliceous dolomite. Knickpoints on most streams with drainage areas greater than ~100 km2 at the range front have migrated headward into the gneissic and plutonic core of the range. In the Clear Creek drainage, where the lateral extent of sedimentary cover rock is more restricted than in the adjacent drainages, knickpoints do not align with any particular unit. River profiles in the Powder River Basin beyond 10-20 km from the range front exhibit concavities of ~0.3-0.6 and normalized channel steepness indices of 40-60 (using 0.45 as a reference concavity). All profiles analyzed that extend into the mountain range exhibit at least one reach with exceptionally high (>2) concavity and relatively high (100-600) normalized channel steepness index, highlighting zones of transient adjustment to local base-level drop in the basin. Headwater reaches of range-draining streams exhibit variable but moderate values of concavity (0.15-0.9) and normalized channel steepness index (20-100). The varied morphology of these reaches reflects their passage across a relict surface of low relief but also the effects of glaciation and/or the signature of the narrow summit spine that caps the range.

Invisible CO2 gas killing trees at Mammoth Mountain, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sorey, Michael L.; Farrar, Christopher D.; Evans, William C.; Hill, David P.; Bailey, Roy A.; Hendley, James W.; Stauffer, Peter H.

1996-01-01

Since 1980, scientists have monitored geologic unrest in Long Valley Caldera and at adjacent Mammoth Mountain, California. After a persistent swarm of earthquakes beneath Mammoth Mountain in 1989, earth scientists discovered that large volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas were seeping from beneath this volcano. This gas is killing trees on the mountain and also can be a danger to people. The USGS continues to study the CO2 emissions to help protect the public from this invisible potential hazard.

Mantle Subduction and Uplift of Intracontinental Mountains: A Case Study from the Chinese Tianshan Mountains within Eurasia

PubMed Central

Li, Jinyi; Zhang, Jin; Zhao, Xixi; Jiang, Mei; Li, Yaping; Zhu, Zhixin; Feng, Qianwen; Wang, Lijia; Sun, Guihua; Liu, Jianfeng; Yang, Tiannan

2016-01-01

The driving mechanism that is responsible for the uplift of intracontinental mountains has puzzled geologists for decades. This study addresses this issue by using receiver function images across the Chinese Tianshan Mountains and available data from both deep seismic profiles and surface structural deformation. The near-surface structural deformation shows that the Tianshan crust experienced strong shortening during the Cenozoic. The receiver function image across the Tianshan Mountains reveals that the lithosphere of the Junggar Basin to the north became uncoupled along the Moho, and the mantle below the Moho subducted southwards beneath the northern part of the Tianshan Mountains, thereby thickening the overlying crust. Similar deep structures, however, are not observed under the Tarim Basin and the adjacent southern Tianshan Mountains. This difference in the deep structures correlates with geomorphological features in the region. Thus, a new model of mantle subduction, herein termed M-type subduction, is proposed for the mountain-building processes in intracontinental compressional settings. The available geomorphological, geological and seismic data in the literatures show that this model is probably suitable for other high, linear mountains within the continent. PMID:27353861

Lesson 1: Mountains Matter.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byers, Alton; Gilligan, Nancy; Golston, Syd; Linville, Rex

1999-01-01

Provides a lesson that enables students to explain the global importance of mountains by applying the five themes of geography (location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions) to a particular mountain range. Explains that students work in teams to prepare a brochure about their mountain range. (CMK)

Mountains

Treesearch

Regina M. Rochefort; Laurie L. Kurth; Tara W. Carolin; Robert R. Mierendorf; Kimberly Frappier; David L. Steenson

2006-01-01

This chapter concentrates on subalpine parklands and alpine meadows of southern British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and western Montana. These areas lie on the flanks of several mountain ranges including the Olympics, the Cascades of Oregon and Washington, and the Coast Mountains in British Columbia.

Invisible CO2 gas killing trees at Mammoth Mountain, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sorey, Michael L.; Farrar, Christopher D.; Gerlach, Terrance M.; McGee, Kenneth A.; Evans, William C.; Colvard, Elizabeth M.; Hill, David P.; Bailey, Roy A.; Rogie, John D.; Hendley, James W.; Stauffer, Peter H.

2000-01-01

Since 1980, scientists have monitored geologic unrest in Long Valley Caldera and at adjacent Mammoth Mountain, California. After a persistent swarm of earthquakes beneath Mammoth Mountain in 1989, geologists discovered that large volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2 ) gas were seeping from beneath this volcano. This gas is killing trees on the mountain and also can be a danger to people. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) continues to study the CO2 emissions to help protect the public from this invisible potential hazard.

Genetic differentiation of the pine wilt disease vector Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) over a mountain range - revealed from microsatellite DNA markers.

PubMed

Shoda-Kagaya, E

2007-04-01

To study the dispersal process of the pine sawyer Monochamus alternatus (Hope) in frontier populations, a microsatellite marker-based genetic analysis was performed on expanding populations at the northern limit of its range in Japan. In Asian countries, M. alternatus is the main vector of pine wilt disease, the most serious forest disease in Japan. Sawyers were collected from nine sites near the frontier of the pine wilt disease damage area. A mountain range divides the population into western and eastern sides. Five microsatellite loci were examined and a total of 188 individuals was genotyped from each locus with the number of alleles ranged from two to nine. The mean observed heterozygosity for all loci varied from 0.282 to 0.480 in the nine sites, with an overall mean of 0.364. None of the populations have experienced a significant bottleneck. Significant differentiation was found across the mountain range, but the genetic composition was similar amongst populations of each side. It is believed that the mountain range acts as a geographical barrier to dispersal and that gene flow without a geographical barrier is high. On the west side of the mountain range, a pattern of isolation by distance was detected. This was likely to be caused by secondary contact of different colonizing routes on a small spatial scale. Based on these data, a process linking genetic structure at local (kilometres) and regional spatial scales (hundreds of kilometres) was proposed.

Thrust-induced collapse of mountains-an example from the "Big Bend" region of the San Andreas Fault, western transverse ranges, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kellogg, Karl S.

2005-01-01

Mount Pinos and Frazier Mountain are two prominent mountains just south of the San Andreas fault in the western Transverse Ranges of southern California, a region that has undergone rapid Quaternary contraction and uplift. Both mountains are underlain, at least in part, by thrusts that place granitic and gneissic rocks over sedimentary rocks as young as Pliocene. Broad profiles and nearly flat summits of each mountain have previously been interpreted as relicts of a raised erosion surface. However, several features bring this interpretation into question. First, lag or stream gravels do not mantle the summit surfaces. Second, extensive landslide deposits, mostly pre?Holocene and deeply incised, mantle the flanks of both mountains. Third, a pervasive fracture and crushed?rock network pervades the crystalline rocks underlying both mountains. The orientation of the fractures, prominent in roadcuts on Mount Pinos, is essentially random. 'Hill?and?saddle' morphology characterizes ridges radiating from the summits, especially on Mount Pinos; outcrops are sparse on the hills and are nonexistent in the saddles, suggesting fractures are concentrated in the saddles. Latest movement on the thrusts underlying the two mountain massifs is probably early Quaternary, during which the mountains were uplifted to considerably higher (although unknown) elevations than at present. A model proposes that during thrusting, ground accelerations in the hanging wall, particularly near thrust tips, were high enough to pervasively fracture the hanging?wall rocks, thereby weakening them and producing essentially an assemblage of loose blocks. Movement over flexures in the fault surface accentuated fracturing. The lowered shear stresses necessary for failure, coupled with deep dissection and ongoing seismic activity, reduced gravitational potential by spreading the mountain massifs, triggering flanking landslides and producing broad, flat?topped mountains. This study developed from mapping in

Colonization behaviors of mountain pine beetle on novel hosts: Implications for range expansion into northeastern North America

Treesearch

Derek W. Rosenberger; Robert C. Venette; Mitchell P. Maddox; Brian H. Aukema; Gadi V.P. Reddy

2017-01-01

As climates change, thermal limits may no longer constrain some native herbivores within their historical ranges. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a tree-killing bark beetle native to western North America that is currently expanding its range. Continued eastward expansion through the newly invaded and novel jack pine...

Small geographic range but not panmictic: how forests structure the endangered Point Arena mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa nigra)

Treesearch

William J. Zielinski; Fredrick V. Schlexer; Sean A. Parks; Kristine L. Pilgrim; Michael K. Schwartz

2012-01-01

The landscape genetics framework is typically applied to broad regions that occupy only small portions of a species' range. Rarely is the entire range of a taxon the subject of study. We examined the landscape genetic structure of the endangered Point Arena mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa nigra), whose isolated geographic range is found in a...

Biodiversity of Jinggangshan Mountain: The Importance of Topography and Geographical Location in Supporting Higher Biodiversity

PubMed Central

Liu, Gang; Huang, Fang-Fang; Liu, Jin-Gang; Liao, Wen-Bo; Wang, Ying-Yong; Ren, Si-Jie; Chen, Chun-Quan; Peng, Shao-Lin

2015-01-01

Diversity is mainly determined by climate and environment. In addition, topography is a complex factor, and the relationship between topography and biodiversity is still poorly understood. To understand the role of topography, i.e., altitude and slope, in biodiversity, we selected Jinggangshan Mountain (JGM), an area with unique topography, as the study area. We surveyed plant and animal species richness of JGM and compared the biodiversity and the main geographic characteristics of JGM with the adjacent 4 mountains. Gleason’s richness index was calculated to assess the diversity of species. In total, 2958 spermatophyte species, 418 bryophyte species, 355 pteridophyte species and 493 species of vertebrate animals were recorded in this survey. In general, the JGM biodiversity was higher than that of the adjacent mountains. Regarding topographic characteristics, 77% of JGM’s area was in the mid-altitude region and approximately 40% of JGM’s area was in the 10°–20° slope range, which may support more vegetation types in JGM area and make it a biodiversity hotspot. It should be noted that although the impact of topography on biodiversity was substantial, climate is still a more general factor driving the formation and maintenance of higher biodiversity. Topographic conditions can create microclimates, and both climatic and topographic conditions contribute to the formation of high biodiversity in JGM. PMID:25763820

Late glacial aridity in southern Rocky Mountains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Davis, O K; Pitblado, B L

While the slopes of the present-day Colorado Rocky Mountains are characterized by large stands of subalpine and montane conifers, the Rockies of the late glacial looked dramatically different. Specifically, pollen records suggest that during the late glacial, Artemisia and Gramineae predominated throughout the mountains of Colorado. At some point between 11,000 and 10,000 B.P., however, both Artemisia and grasses underwent a dramatic decline, which can be identified in virtually every pollen diagram produced for Colorado mountain sites, including Como Lake (Sangre de Cristo Mountains), Copley Lake and Splains; Gulch (near Crested Butte), Molas Lake (San Juan Mountains), and Redrock Lakemore » (Boulder County). Moreover, the same pattern seems to hold for pollen spectra derived for areas adjacent to Colorado, including at sites in the Chuska Mountains of New Mexico and in eastern Wyoming. The implications of this consistent finding are compelling. The closest modem analogues to the Artemisia- and Gramineae-dominated late-glacial Colorado Rockies are found in the relatively arid northern Great Basin, which suggests that annual precipitation was much lower in the late-glacial southern Rocky Mountains than it was throughout the Holocene.« less

Movements and home ranges of mountain plovers raising broods in three Colorado landscapes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dreitz, V.J.; Wunder, Michael B.; Knopf, F.L.

2005-01-01

We report movements and home-range sizes of adult Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus) with broods on rangeland, agricultural fields, and prairie dog habitats in eastern Colorado. Estimates of home range size (95% fixed kernel) were similar across the three habitats: rangeland (146.1 ha ± 101.5), agricultural fields (131.6 ha ± 74.4), and prairie dog towns (243.3 ha ± 366.3). Our minimum convex polygon estimates of home-range size were comparable to those on rangeland reported by Knopf and Rupert (1996). In addition, movements—defined as the distance between consecutive locations of adults with broods—were equivalent across habitats. However, our findings on prairie dog habitat suggest that home-range size for brood rearing may be related to whether the prairie dog habitat is in a complex of towns or in an isolated town.

Geologic map of the Valley Mountain 15’ quadrangle, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howard, Keith A.; Bacheller, John; Fitzgibbon, Todd T.; Powell, Robert E.; Allen, Charlotte M.

2013-01-01

The Valley Mountain 15’ quadrangle straddles the Pinto Mountain Fault, which bounds the eastern Transverse Ranges in the south against the Mojave Desert province in the north. The Pinto Mountains, part of the eastern Transverse Ranges in the south part of the quadrangle expose a series of Paleoproterozoic gneisses and granite and the Proterozoic quartzite of Pinto Mountain. Early Triassic quartz monzonite intruded the gneisses and was ductiley deformed prior to voluminous Jurassic intrusion of diorite, granodiorite, quartz monzonite, and granite plutons. The Jurassic rocks include part of the Bullion Mountains Intrusive Suite, which crops out prominently at Valley Mountain and in the Bullion Mountains, as well as in the Pinto Mountains. Jurassic plutons in the southwest part of the quadrangle are deeply denuded from midcrustal emplacement levels in contrast to supracrustal Jurassic limestone and volcanic rocks exposed in the northeast. Dikes inferred to be part of the Jurassic Independence Dike Swarm intrude the Jurassic plutons and Proterozoic rocks. Late Cretaceous intrusion of the Cadiz Valley Batholith in the northeast caused contact metamorphism of adjacent Jurassic plutonic rocks. The Tertiary period saw emplacement of basanitoid basalt at about 23 Ma and deposition of Miocene and (or) Pliocene ridge-capping gravels. An undated east-dipping low-angle normal fault zone in the Pinto Mountains drops hanging-wall rocks eastward and may account for part of the contrast in uplift history across the quadrangle. The eastern Transverse Ranges are commonly interpreted as severely rotated clockwise tectonically in the Neogene relative to the Mojave Desert, but similar orientations of Jurassic dike swarms suggest that any differential rotation between the two provinces is small in this quadrangle. The late Cenozoic Pinto Mountain Fault and other strike-slip faults cut Quaternary deposits in the quadrangle, with two northwest-striking faults cutting Holocene deposits

Deformation Rates in the Snake River Plain and Adjacent Basin and Range Regions Based on GPS Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Payne, S. J.; McCaffrey, R.; King, R. W.; Kattenhorn, S. A.

2012-12-01

We estimate horizontal velocities for 405 sites using Global Positioning System (GPS) phase data collected from 1994 to 2010 within the Northern Basin and Range Province, U.S.A. The velocities reveal a slowly-deforming region within the Snake River Plain in Idaho and Owyhee-Oregon Plateau in Oregon separated from the actively extending adjacent Basin and Range regions by shear. Our results show a NE-oriented extensional strain rate of 5.6 ± 0.7 nanostrain/yr in the Centennial Tectonic Belt and an ~E-oriented extensional strain rate of 3.5 ± 0.2 nanostrain/yr in the Great Basin. These extensional rates contrast with the very low strain rate within the 125 km x 650 km region of the Snake River Plain and Owyhee-Oregon Plateau which is not distinguishable from zero (-0.1 ± 0.4 x nanostrain/yr). Inversions of Snake River Plain velocities with dike-opening models indicate that rapid extension by dike intrusion in volcanic rift zones, as previously hypothesized, is not currently occurring. GPS data also disclose that rapid extension in the surrounding regions adjacent to the slowly-deforming region of the Snake River Plain drives shear between them. We estimate right-lateral shear with slip rates of 0.3-1.5 mm/yr along the northwestern boundary adjacent to the Centennial Tectonic Belt and left-lateral oblique extension with slip rates of 0.5-1.5 mm/yr along the southeastern boundary adjacent to the Intermountain Seismic Belt. The fastest lateral shearing evident in the GPS occurs near the Yellowstone Plateau where earthquakes with right-lateral strike-slip focal mechanisms are within a NE-trending zone of seismicity. The regional velocity gradients are best fit by nearby poles of rotation for the Centennial Tectonic Belt, Snake River Plain, Owyhee-Oregon Plateau, and eastern Oregon, indicating that clockwise rotation is not locally driven by Yellowstone hotspot volcanism, but instead by extension to the south across the Wasatch fault possibly due to gravitational

Orographic precipitation, wind-blown snow, and landscape evolution in glaciated mountain ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brocklehurst, S. H.; Rowan, A. V.; Plummer, M. A.; Foster, D.; Schultz, D. M.; MacGregor, K. R.

2011-12-01

Orographic precipitation and wind-blown snow appear to significantly influence the evolution of glaciated mountain ranges, and in narrow ranges the effect is opposite from orographic precipitation in non-glaciated ranges. While fluvially-eroded ranges tend to be exhumed more on the windward side, glacially-eroded ranges can experience greater erosion on the leeward side. On the timescale of an individual glaciation, the distribution of precipitation and settling is a key component of glacier mass balance and ice extent, while on longer timescales, the interaction of precipitation and topography can play a major role in landscape evolution and range morphology. Numerical modelling of last glacial maximum (LGM) ice extents for catchments on the eastern side of the Southern Alps, New Zealand, highlights the importance of the distribution of precipitation. The accumulation areas of the glaciers would have experienced much greater precipitation than lower elevations, because of the pronounced orographic precipitation gradient, so glacier length is very sensitive to the precipitation distribution employed for any given temperature change. This is particularly challenging given the lack of modern snow monitoring at high altitudes within the Southern Alps, the likelihood of steep accumulation gradients amongst high topography, below the resolution of current datasets, and the difficulty of extrapolating modern values to the LGM. The Sangre de Cristo Range, southern Colorado, and the Bitterroot Range on the Idaho-Montana border both run close to north-south, cross-cutting the prevailing westerly winds. Drainage basins on both sides of the ranges cover similar areas, but moraines are much more substantial on the eastern sides, indicating greater glacial incision, which we suggest at least partly reflects snow blown over the range crest. The Uinta Mountains, Utah, run west-east, parallel to prevailing winds, and show topographic asymmetry across individual catchments, rather

Multi-Faceted Geophysical Analysis of a Mountain Watershed in the Snowy Range, WY: from Airborne Electromagnetics to NMR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armstrong, R. S.; Holbrook, W. S.; Flinchum, B. A.; Provart, M.; Carr, B. J.; Auken, E.; Pedersen, J. B.

2014-12-01

Surface/groundwater interactions are an important, but poorly understood, facet of mountain hydrology. We utilize ground electrical resistivity data as a key tool for mapping groundwater pathways and aquifers. However, surface resistivity profiling is limited in both spatial extent and depth, especially in mountainous headwater environments because of inaccessibility and terrain. Because this important groundwater recharge environment is poorly understood, WyCEHG has focused efforts to increase knowledge about the dynamics and location of groundwater recharge. Currently, traditional hydrologic measurements estimate that only 10% of annual snowmelt enters the groundwater system while the rest is immediately available to surface flow. The Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG) collected a 40 sq. km survey of helicopter transient electromagnetic (HTEM) and aeromagnetic data during the fall of 2013 as the first step in a "top down" geophysical characterization of a mountainous headwater catchment in the Snowy Range, Wyoming. Furthermore, mountain springs in the Snowy Range suggests that the "groundwatershed" acts as both a sink and source to surface watersheds. HTEM data show horizontal electrical conductors at depth, which are currently interpreted as fluid-filled subsurface fractures. Because these fractures eventually connect to the surface, they could be geophysical evidence of connectivity between the watershed and "groundwatershed." However, current HTEM inversion techniques assume a layered homogenous subsurface model, which directly contradicts two characteristics of the Snowy Range: the subvertical bedding of the Cheyenne Belt and heterogeneous distribution of surface water. Ground electrical resistivity surveys and surface nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements collected during the summer of 2014 target these anomalies to determine their validity and further understand the complicated dynamic of surface and groundwater flow.

Dynamics of erosion in a compressional mountain range revealed by 10Be paleoerosion rates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Val, P.; Hoke, G. D.; Fosdick, J. C.; Wittmann, H.

2015-12-01

The temporal evolution of erosion over million-year timescales is key to understanding the evolution of mountain ranges and adjacent fold-and-thrust belts. While models of orogenic wedge evolution predict an instantaneous response of erosion to pulses of rock uplift, stream-power based landscape evolution models predict catchment-wide erosion maxima that lag behind a rock uplift pulse. Here, we explore the relationships between rock uplift, erosion, and sediment deposition in the Argentine Precordillera fold-and-thrust belt at 30°S where extensive previous work documents deformation, climate and sediment accumulation histories. Sandstone samples spanning 8.8 to 1.8 Ma were collected from the previously dated wedge-top (Iglesia) and foredeep basins (Bermejo) for quartz purification and 10Be extraction. 10Be concentrations due to burial and exhumation were estimated and subtracted from the measured concentrations and yielded the inherited 10Be concentrations, which were then corrected for sample magnetostratigraphic age. The inherited concentrations were then used to calculate paleoerosion rates. We modeled various pre-burial and post-burial exposure scenarios in order to assess potential sources of uncertainty in the recovered paleoerosion rates. The modeling results reveal that pre-burial and post-burial exposure periods only marginally affect our results. By combining the 10Be-derived paleoerosion rates and geomorphic observations with detrital zircon provenance, we document the isolation of the wedge-top basin, which was later reconnected by an upstream migrating pulse of erosion in a process that was directly controlled by thrust activity and base level. The data further indicate that the attainment of maximum upland erosion rates lags maximum rates of deformation and subsidence over million-year timescales. The magnitudes and causes of the erosional delays shed new light on the catchment erosional response to tectonic deformation and rock uplift in orogenic

Stratigraphic relations and U-Pb geochronology of the Upper Cretaceous upper McCoy Mountains Formation, southwestern Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tosdal, R.M.; Stone, P.

1994-01-01

A previously unrecognized angular unconformity divides the Jurassic and Cretaceous McCoy Mountains Formation into a lower and an upper unit in the Dome Rock Mountains and Livingston Hills of western Arizona. The intraformation unconformity in the McCoy Mountains Formation developed where rocks of the lower unit were deformed adjacent to the southern margin of the Maria fold and thrust belt. The upper unit of the formation is interpreted as a foreland-basin deposit that was shed southward from the actively rising and deforming fold and thrust belt. The apparent absence of an equivalent unconformity in the McCoy Mountains Formation in adjacent California is presumably a consequence of the observed westward divergence of the outcrop belt from the fold and thrust belt. Tectonic burial beneath the north-vergent Mule Mountains thrust system in the latest Late Cretaceous (~70 Ma) marked the end of Mesozoic contractile deformation in the area. -from Authors

Idealised large-eddy-simulation of thermally driven flows over an isolated mountain range with multiple ridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Moritz N.; Gohm, Alexander; Wagner, Johannes S.; Leukauf, Daniel; Posch, Christian

2014-05-01

Two dimensional idealised large-eddy-simulations are performed using the WRF model to investigate thermally driven flows during the daytime over complex terrain. Both the upslope flows and the temporal evolution of the boundary layer structure are studied with a constant surface heat flux forcing of 150 W m-2. In order to distinguish between different heating processes the flow is Reynold decomposed into its mean and turbulent part. The heating processes associated with the mean flow are a cooling through cold-air advection along the slopes and subsidence warming within the valleys. The turbulent component causes bottom-up heating near the ground leading to a convective boundary layer (CBL) inside the valleys. Overshooting potentially colder thermals cool the stably stratified valley atmosphere above the CBL. Compared to recent investigations (Schmidli 2013, J. Atmos. Sci., Vol. 70, No. 12: pp. 4041-4066; Wagner et al. 2014, manuscript submitted to Mon. Wea. Rev.), which used an idealised topography with two parallel mountain crests separated by a straight valley, this project focuses on multiple, periodic ridges and valleys within an isolated mountain range. The impact of different numbers of ridges on the flow structure is compared with the sinusoidal envelope-topography. The present simulations show an interaction between the smaller-scale upslope winds within the different valleys and the large-scale flow of the superimposed mountain-plain wind circulation. Despite a smaller boundary layer air volume in the envelope case compared to the multiple ridges case the volume averaged heating rates are comparable. The reason is a stronger advection-induced cooling along the slopes and a weaker warming through subsidence at the envelope-topography compared to the mountain range with multiple ridges.

Mineral resources of the Whipple Mountains and Whipple Mountains Addition Wilderness Study Areas, San Bernardino County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marsh, Sherman P.; Raines, Gary L.; Diggles, Michael F.; Howard, Keith A.; Simpson, Robert W.; Hoover, Donald B.; Ridenour, James; Moyle, Phillip R.; Willett, Spencee L.

1988-01-01

At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, approximately 85,100 acres of the Whipple Mountains Wilderness Study Area (CDCA-312) and 1,380 acres of the Whipple Mountains Addition Wilderness Study Area (AZ-050-010) were evaluated for identified mineral resources (known) and mineral resource potential (undiscovered). In this report, the Whipple Mountains and Whipple Mountains Addition Wilderness Study Areas are referred to as simply "the study area." Most of the mines and prospects with identified resources in the Whipple Mountains Wilderness Study Area are within areas designated as having mineral resource potential. The area in and around the Turk Silver mine and the Lucky Green group and the area near the northwest boundary of the study area have high mineral resource potential for copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver. An area along the west boundary of the study area has moderate resource potential for copper lead, zinc, gold, and silver. An area in the east adjacent to the Whipple Mountains Addition Wilderness Study Area has moderate resource potential for copper, gold, and silver resources. One area on the north boundary and one on the southeast boundary of the study area have low mineral resource potential for copper, lead, zinc, gold, and silver. Two areas, one on the north boundary and one inside the east boundary of the study area, have moderate resource potential for manganese. A small area inside the south boundary of the study area has high resource potential for decorative building stone, and the entire study area has low resource potential for sand and gravel and other rock products suitable for construction. Two areas in the eastern part of the study area have low resource potential for uranium. There is no resource potential for oil and gas or geothermal resources in the Whipple Mountains Wilderness Study Area. Sites within the Whipple Mountains Wilderness Study Area with identified resources of copper, gold, silver, manganese and (or

Stratigraphy and structural setting of Upper Cretaceous Frontier Formation, western Centennial Mountains, southwestern Montana and southeastern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dyman, T.S.; Tysdal, R.G.; Perry, W.J.; Nichols, D.J.; Obradovich, J.D.

2008-01-01

Stratigraphic, sedimentologic, and palynologic data were used to correlate the Frontier Formation of the western Centennial Mountains with time-equivalent rocks in the Lima Peaks area and other nearby areas in southwestern Montana. The stratigraphic interval studied is in the middle and upper parts (but not uppermost) of the formation based on a comparison of sandstone petrography, palynologic age data, and our interpretation of the structure using a seismic line along the frontal zone of the Centennial Mountains and the adjacent Centennial Valley. The Frontier Formation is comprised of sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, limestone, and silty shale in fluvial and coastal depositional settings. A distinctive characteristic of these strata in the western Centennial Mountains is the absence of conglomerate and conglomeratic sandstone beds. Absence of conglomerate beds may be due to lateral facies changes associated with fluvial systems, a distal fining of grain size, and the absence of both uppermost and lower Frontier rocks in the study area. Palynostratigraphic data indicate a Coniacian age for the Frontier Formation in the western Centennial Mountains. These data are supported by a geochronologic age from the middle part of the Frontier at Lima Peaks indicating a possible late Coniacian-early Santonian age (86.25 ?? 0.38 Ma) for the middle Frontier there. The Frontier Formation in the western Centennial Mountains is comparable in age and thickness to part of the Frontier at Lima Peaks. These rocks represent one of the thickest known sequences of Frontier strata in the Rocky Mountain region. Deposition was from about 95 to 86 Ma (middle Cenomanian to at least early Santonian), during which time, shoreface sandstone of the Telegraph Creek Formation and marine shale of the Cody Shale were deposited to the east in the area now occupied by the Madison Range in southwestern Montana. Frontier strata in the western Centennial Mountains are structurally isolated from other

[Distribution characteristics and risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides in soil from Jiufeng Mountain Range in Fujian, China].

PubMed

Huang, Huan-Fang; Qi, Shi-Hua; Qu, Cheng-Kai; Li, Hui; Chen, Wen-Wen; Zhang, Li; Hu, Ting; Shi, Liao

2014-07-01

Totally 81 surface soil samples were collected from Jiufeng Mountain Range, and 8 compounds of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were determined by a Ni electron capture detector (GC-ECD) to investigate the distribution, composition, source and potential health risks of these compounds in the study region. The detection ratio of HCHs and DDTs' isomers ranged from 77.78% to 100.00%. Concentrations of HCHs and DDTs in surface soils ranged from 0.97 ng x g(-1) to 247.40 ng x g(-1) (mean 10.17 ng x g(-1)) and 0.01 ng x g(-1) to 384.75 ng x g(-1) (mean 18.91 ng x g(-1)), respectively. Compared with other regions, the pollution of OCPs in Jiufeng Mountain Range stayed at a low level. The residue level in different types of lands was in the order as: paddy field > vegetable land > tea land > woodland. Source analysis indicated that Lindane and dicofol might be used recently in this area. The incremental lifetime, cancer risks (ILCRs) of different age groups (children, youths, and adults) were all within the acceptable risk range of 10(-6) to 10(-4) recommended by USEPA for carcinogenic chemicals. The residue level of OCPs in soil may not cause cancer risk for local residents basically.

A mass-wasting dominated Quaternary mountain range, the Coastal Range in eastern Taiwan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Meng-Long; Hogg, Alan; Song, Sheng-Rong; Kang, Su-Chen; Chou, Chun-Yen

2017-12-01

Fluvial bedrock incision, which creates topographic relief and controls hillslope development, has been considered the key medium linking denudation and tectonic uplift of unglaciated mountains. This article, however, shows a different scenario from the Coastal Range in eastern Taiwan. This range, with the steepness inherited from pre-orogenic volcanoes, has been subject to mass wasting even before its emergence above sea level no earlier than Middle Pleistocene. Numerous terraced alluvial fans/fan deltas record the ancient mass movements of the range, including rock avalanches. Multiple radiocarbon dates <16 ka cal BP reveal the recurrence intervals of these movements of over several thousand years. The largest event is dated ∼15 ka cal BP, and the two second largest, 9-8 ka cal BP. These mass movements were sourced from ridges with minimum heights of 350-400 m, have sequences not clearly related to the known climate-change events, and are believed to have been triggered mainly by severe rainfall events, large earthquakes, or their combinations. The resulting fluctuation of sediment yield has episodically changed river behavior, forming river terraces in catchments >1 km2. Alluvial terraces are typically exhibited close to the source ridges of mass movements, and strath terraces along the downstream parts of rivers. Both were created when enormous sediment supply had exceeded or matched the prevailing river transport capacity. This process, along with the protection by giant boulders from mass movement, disturbed the long-term incision trend of rivers in response to tectonic uplift. As a result, the observed Holocene bedrock incision at most sites has not kept pace with the tectonic uplift. The spatial contrast in mass-wasting histories further accounts for the great diversity of the terrace sequences, even in areas with similar tectonic and base-level conditions.

Cold Tolerance of Mountain Pine Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Eggs From the Historic and Expanded Ranges.

PubMed

Bleiker, K P; Smith, G D; Humble, L M

2017-10-01

Winter mortality is expected to be a key factor determining the ability of mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), to expand its range in Canada. We determined the mortality rate and supercooling points of eggs from the beetle's historic range in southern British Columbia as well as the recently expanded range in north-central Alberta and tested if eggs require an extended period of chilling to reach their maximum cold tolerance. We found no effect of population source or acclimation time on egg cold tolerance. Although 50% of eggs can survive brief exposure to -20.5 °C (LT50), storage at 0.3 °C and -7.5 °C for 59 d resulted in 50% and 100% mortality, respectively. Our results indicate that eggs suffer significant prefreeze mortality and are not well-adapted to overwintering: eggs are unlikely to survive winter throughout much of the beetle's range. Our results provide information that can be used to help model the climatic suitability of mountain pine beetle, including how changes in seasonality associated with new or changing climates may affect winter survival. In addition to lower lethal temperatures, it is critical that the duration of exposure to sublethal cold temperatures are considered in a comprehensive index of cold tolerance and incorporated into survival and population models. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Home range characteristics of Mexican Spotted Owls in the Rincon Mountains, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Willey, David W.; van Riper, Charles

2014-01-01

We studied a small isolated population of Mexican Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) from 1996–1997 in the Rincon Mountains of Saguaro National Park, southeastern Arizona, USA. All mixed-conifer and pine-oak forest patches in the park were surveyed for Spotted Owls, and we located, captured, and radio-tagged 10 adult birds representing five mated pairs. Using radio-telemetry, we examined owl home range characteristics, roost habitat, and monitored reproduction within these five territories. Breeding season (Mar–Sep) home range size for 10 adult owls (95% adaptive kernel isopleths) averaged 267 ha (±207 SD), and varied widely among owls (range 34–652 ha). Mean home range size for owl pairs was 478 ha (±417 ha SD), and ranged from 70–1,160 ha. Owls that produced young used smaller home ranges than owls that had no young. Six habitat variables differed significantly between roost and random sites, including: percent canopy cover, number of trees, number of vegetation layers, average height of trees, average diameter of trees, and tree basal area. Radio-marked owls remained in their territories following small prescribed management fires within those territories, exhibiting no proximate effects to the presence of prescribed fire.

Diversity relationships among wild potato collections from seven “Sky Island” mountain ranges in the Southwest USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The authors collected samples of 97 populations of the wild potato S. stoloniferum (previously fendleri) in the following seven mountain ranges of the southwest USA over seven years, 2004-2010: Chiricahua (CHI), Huachuca (HUA), Rincon (RIN), Guadalupe (GUA), Pinaleno (PIN), Santa Catalina (CAT), an...

Recent population trends of mountain goats in the Olympic Mountains, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jenkins, Kurt J.; Happe, Patricia J.; Beirne, Katherine F.; Hoffman, Roger A.; Griffin, Paul C.; Baccus, William T.; Fieberg, John

2012-01-01

Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) were introduced in Washington's Olympic Mountains during the 1920s. The population subsequently increased in numbers and expanded in range, leading to concerns by the 1970s over the potential effects of non-native mountain goats on high-elevation plant communities in Olympic National Park. The National Park Service (NPS) transplanted mountain goats from the Olympic Mountains to other ranges between 1981 and 1989 as a means to manage overabundant populations, and began monitoring population trends of mountain goats in 1983. We estimated population abundance of mountain goats during 18–25 July 2011, the sixth survey of the time series, to assess current population status and responses of the population to past management. We surveyed 39 sample units, comprising 39% of the 59,615-ha survey area. We estimated a population of 344 ± 72 (90% confidence interval [CI]) mountain goats in the survey area. Retrospective analysis of the 2004 survey, accounting for differences in survey area boundaries and methods of estimating aerial detection biases, indicated that the population increased at an average annual rate of 4.9% since the last survey. That is the first population growth observed since the cessation of population control measures in 1990. We postulate that differences in population trends observed in western, eastern, and southern sections of the survey zone reflected, in part, a variable influence of climate change across the precipitation gradient in the Olympic Mountains.

Two new species of Nazeris Fauvel in the Luoxiao Mountain Range, China(Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae).

PubMed

Hu, Jia-Yao; Liu, Yi-Xiao; Li, Li-Zhen

2018-01-09

Six species of the genus Nazeris Fauvel, 1873 are recorded in the Luoxiao Mountain Range, China. Two of them are described: N. yipingae sp. n. and N. jiaweii sp. n. Nazeris xiaobini Hu Li, 2015 and N. rufus Hu Li, 2015 are newly recorded from Hubei Province. An identification key to the Nazeris species in this area and a map showing their distribution are given.

Dataset of MIGRAME Project (Global Change, Altitudinal Range Shift and Colonization of Degraded Habitats in Mediterranean Mountains)

PubMed Central

Pérez-Luque, Antonio Jesús; Zamora, Regino; Bonet, Francisco Javier; Pérez-Pérez, Ramón

2015-01-01

Abstract In this data paper, we describe the dataset of the Global Change, Altitudinal Range Shift and Colonization of Degraded Habitats in Mediterranean Mountains (MIGRAME) project, which aims to assess the capacity of altitudinal migration and colonization of marginal habitats by Quercus pyrenaica Willd. forests in Sierra Nevada (southern Spain) considering two global-change drivers: temperature increase and land-use changes. The dataset includes information of the forest structure (diameter size, tree height, and abundance) of the Quercus pyrenaica ecosystem in Sierra Nevada obtained from 199 transects sampled at the treeline ecotone, mature forest, and marginal habitats (abandoned cropland and pine plantations). A total of 3839 occurrence records were collected and 5751 measurements recorded. The dataset is included in the Sierra Nevada Global-Change Observatory (OBSNEV), a long-term research project designed to compile socio-ecological information on the major ecosystem types in order to identify the impacts of global change in this mountain range. PMID:26491387

High rates of energy expenditure and water flux in free-ranging Point Reyes mountain beavers Aplodontia rufa phaea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crocker, D.E.; Kofahl, N.; Fellers, G.D.; Gates, N.B.; Houser, D.S.

2007-01-01

We measured water flux and energy expenditure in free-ranging Point Reyes mountain beavers Aplodontia rufa phaea by using the doubly labeled water method. Previous laboratory investigations have suggested weak urinary concentrating ability, high rates of water flux, and low basal metabolic rates in this species. However, free-ranging measurements from hygric mammals are rare, and it is not known how these features interact in the environment. Rates of water flux (210 ?? 32 mL d-1) and field metabolic rates (1,488 ?? 486 kJ d-1) were 159% and 265%, respectively, of values predicted by allometric equations for similar-sized herbivores. Mountain beavers can likely meet their water needs through metabolic water production and preformed water in food and thus remain in water balance without access to free water. Arginine-vasopressin levels were strongly correlated with rates of water flux and plasma urea : creatinine ratios, suggesting an important role for this hormone in regulating urinary water loss in mountain beavers. High field metabolic rates may result from cool burrow temperatures that are well below lower critical temperatures measured in previous laboratory studies and suggest that thermoregulation costs may strongly influence field energetics and water flux in semifossorial mammals. ?? 2007 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the genetic diversity of the nematode parasite Baylisascaris schroederi from wild giant pandas in different mountain ranges in China.

PubMed

Zhou, Xuan; Xie, Yue; Zhang, Zhi-he; Wang, Cheng-dong; Sun, Yun; Gu, Xiao-bin; Wang, Shu-xian; Peng, Xue-rong; Yang, Guang-you

2013-08-08

Baylisascaris schroederi is one of the most common nematodes of the giant panda, and can cause severe baylisascarosis in both wild and captive giant pandas. Previous studies of the giant pandas indicated that this population is genetically distinct, implying the presence of a new subspecies. Based on the co-evolution between the parasite and the host, the aim of this study was to investigate the genetic differentiation in the B. schroederi population collected from giant pandas inhabiting different mountain ranges, and further to identify whether the evolution of this parasite correlates with the evolution of giant pandas. In this study, 48 B. schroederi were collected from 28 wild giant pandas inhabiting the Qinling, Minshan and Qionglai mountain ranges in China. The complete sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (mtCytb) gene was amplified by PCR, and the corresponding population genetic diversity of the three mountain populations was determined. In addition, we discussed the evolutionary relationship between B. schroederi and its host giant panda. For the DNA dataset, insignificant Fst values and a significant, high level of gene flow were detected among the three mountain populations of B. schroederi, and high genetic variation within populations and a low genetic distance were observed. Both phylogenetic analyses and network mapping of the 16 haplotypes revealed a dispersed pattern and an absence of branches strictly corresponding to the three mountain range sampling sites. Neutrality tests and mismatch analysis indicated that B. schroederi experienced a population expansion in the past. Taken together, the dispersed haplotype map, extremely high gene flow among the three populations of B. schroederi, low genetic structure and rapid evolutionary rate suggest that the B. schroederi populations did not follow a pattern of isolation by distance, indicating the existence of physical connections before these populations became geographically separated.

Mountain research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The newly incorporated International Mountain Society (IMS) will in May begin publication of an interdisciplinary scientific journal, Mountain Research and Development. The quarterly will be copublished with the United National University; additional support will come from UNESCO.A primary objective of IMS is to ‘help solve mountain land-use problems by developing a foundation of scientific and technical knowledge on which to base management decisions,’ according to Jack D. Ives, president of the Boulder-based organization. ‘The Society is strongly committed to the belief that a rational worldwide approach to mountain problems must involve a wide range of disciplines in the natural and human sciences, medicine, architecture, engineering, and technology.’

Predation on Artificial Nests in Hurricane-Created Gaps and Adjacent Forest of the Southern Appalachians

Treesearch

Cathryn H. Greenberg; C. Reed Rossell; David B. Johnson

2002-01-01

Predation rates were compared during three 7-day trials on 742 artificial ground nests located in 10 hurricane-created canopy gaps and IO adjacent closed-canopy controls in the southern Appalachian mountains of North Carolina. White northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) eggs were used in trials 1 and 2, but brown-speckled Japanese Quail (...

Late Quaternary landscape evolution in the Kunlun Mountains and Qaidam Basin, Northern Tibet: A framework for examining the links between glaciation, lake level changes and alluvial fan formation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Owen, L.A.; Finkel, R.C.; Haizhou, M.; Barnard, P.L.

2006-01-01

The Qaidam Basin in Northern Tibet is one of the largest hyper-arid intermontane basins on Earth. Alluvial fans, pediment surfaces, shorelines and a thick succession of sediments within the basin, coupled with moraines and associated landforms in the adjacent high mountain catchments of the Kunlun Mountains, record a complex history of Late Quaternary paleoenvironmental change and landscape evolution. The region provides an ideal natural laboratory to examine the interaction between tectonics and climate within a continent-continent collision zone, and to quantify rates of landscape evolution as controlled by climate and the associated glacial and hydrological changes in hyper-arid and adjacent high-altitude environments. Geomorphic mapping, analysis of landforms and sediments, and terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclide surface exposure and optically stimulated luminescence dating serve to define the timing of formation of Late Quaternary landforms along the southern and northwestern margins of the Qaidam Basin, and in the Burhan Budai Shan of the Kunlun Mountains adjacent to the basin on the south. These dates provide a framework that suggests links between climatic amelioration, deglaciation, lake desiccation and alluvial fan evolution. At least three glacial advances are defined in the Burham Budai Shan of the Kunlun Mountains. On the northern side of this range these occurred in the penultimate glacial cycle or early in the last glacial cycle, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)/Lateglacial and during the Holocene. On the south side of the range, advances occurred during the penultimate glacial cycle, MIS-3, and possibly the LGM, Lateglacial or Holocene. Several distinct phases of alluvial fan sedimentation are likewise defined. Alluvial fans formed on the southern side of the Kunlun Mountains prior to 200 ka. Ice-contact alluvial fans formed during the penultimate glacial and during MIS-3. Extensive incised alluvial fans that form the main valley fills north of

Historical range of variation assessment for wetland and riparian ecosystems, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region

Treesearch

Edward Gage; David J. Cooper

2013-01-01

This document provides an overview of historical range of variation concepts and explores their application to wetland and riparian ecosystems in the US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region (Region 2), which includes National Forests and National Grasslands occurring in the states of Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and South Dakota. For each of five ecosystem...

Mountain chickadees from different elevations sing different songs: acoustic adaptation, temporal drift or signal of local adaptation?

PubMed Central

Branch, Carrie L.; Pravosudov, Vladimir V.

2015-01-01

Song in songbirds is widely thought to function in mate choice and male–male competition. Song is also phenotypically plastic and typically learned from local adults; therefore, it varies across geographical space and can serve as a cue for an individual's location of origin, with females commonly preferring males from their respective location. Geographical variation in song dialect may reflect acoustic adaptation to different environments and/or serve as a signal of local adaptation. In montane environments, environmental differences can occur over an elevation gradient, favouring local adaptations across small spatial scales. We tested whether food caching mountain chickadees, known to exhibit elevation-related differences in food caching intensity, spatial memory and the hippocampus, also sing different dialects despite continuous distribution and close proximity. Male songs were collected from high and low elevations at two different mountains (separated by 35 km) to test whether song differs between elevations and/or between adjacent populations at each mountain. Song structure varied significantly between high and low elevation adjacent populations from the same mountain and between populations from different mountains at the same elevations, despite a continuous distribution across each mountain slope. These results suggest that elevation-related differences in song structure in chickadees might serve as a signal for local adaptation. PMID:26064641

Home range, habitat use, survival, and fecundity of Mexican spotted owls in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico

Treesearch

Joseph L. Ganey; William M. Block; James P. Ward; Brenda E. Strohmeyer

2005-01-01

We studied home range, habitat use, and vital rates of radio-marked Mexican spotted owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) in 2 study areas in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico. One study area (mesic) was dominated by mixed-conifer forest, the other (xeric) by ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest and pinon (P. edulis)-juniper (Juniperus) woodland. Based on existing...

Spatial and temporal variability in rates of landsliding in seismically active mountain ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, R.; Petley, D.; Rosser, N.; Densmore, A.; Gunasekera, R.; Brain, M.

2012-04-01

Where earthquake and precipitation driven disasters occur in steep, mountainous regions, landslides often account for a large proportion of the associated damage and losses. This research addresses spatial and temporal variability in rates of landslide occurrence in seismically active mountain ranges as a step towards developing better regional scale prediction of losses in such events. In the first part of this paper we attempt to explain reductively the variability in spatial rates of landslide occurrence, using data from five major earthquakes. This is achieved by fitting a regression-based conditional probability model to spatial probabilities of landslide occurrence, using as predictor variables proxies for spatial patterns of seismic ground motion and modelled hillslope stability. A combined model for all earthquakes performs well in hindcasting spatial probabilities of landslide occurrence as a function of readily-attainable spatial variables. We present validation of the model and demonstrate the extent to which it may be applied globally to derive landslide probabilities for future earthquakes. In part two we examine the temporal behaviour of rates of landslide occurrence. This is achieved through numerical modelling to simulate the behaviour of a hypothetical landscape. The model landscape is composed of hillslopes that continually weaken, fail and reset in response to temporally-discrete forcing events that represent earthquakes. Hillslopes with different geometries require different amounts of weakening to fail, such that they fail and reset at different temporal rates. Our results suggest that probabilities of landslide occurrence are not temporally constant, but rather vary with time, irrespective of changes in forcing event magnitudes or environmental conditions. Various parameters influencing the magnitude and temporal patterns of this variability are identified, highlighting areas where future research is needed. This model has important

Isotope geochemistry and fluxes of carbon and organic matter in tropical small mountainous river systems and adjacent coastal waters of the Caribbean

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moyer, Ryan; Bauer, James; Grottoli, Andrea

2012-01-01

Recent studies have shown that small mountainous rivers (SMRs) may act as sources of aged and/or refractory carbon (C) to the coastal ocean, which may increase organic C burial at sea and subsidize coastal food webs and heterotrophy. However, the characteristics and spatial and temporal variability of C and organic matter (OM) exported from tropical SMR systems remain poorly constrained. To address this, the abundance and isotopic character (δ13C and Δ14C) of the three major C pools were measured in two Puerto Rico SMRs with catchments dominated by different land uses (agricultural vs. non-agricultural recovering forest). The abundance and character of C pools in associated estuaries and adjacent coastal waters were also examined. Riverine dissolved and particulate organic C (DOC and POC, respectively) concentrations were highly variable with respect to land use and sampling month, while dissolved inorganic C (DIC) was significantly higher at all times in the agricultural catchment. In both systems, riverine DOC and POC ranged from modern to highly aged (2,340 years before present), while DIC was always modern. The agricultural river and irrigation canals contained very old DOC (1,184 and 2,340 years before present, respectively), which is consistent with findings in temperate SMRs and indicates that these tropical SMRs provide a source of aged DOC to the ocean. During months of high river discharge, OM in estuarine and coastal waters had C isotope signatures reflective of direct terrestrial input, indicating that relatively unaltered OM is transported to the coastal ocean at these times. This is also consistent with findings in temperate SMRs and indicates that C transported to the coastal ocean by SMRs may differ from that of larger rivers because it is exported from smaller catchments that have steeper terrains and fewer land-use types.

The Geologic Story of the Uinta Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hansen, Wallace R.

1969-01-01

than scientific; his second, more scientific trip was made 2 years later. Powell revisited the Uinta Mountains in 1874 and 1875 to complete the studies begun 6 years earlier. His classic 'Report on the Geology of the Eastern Portion of the Uinta Mountains and a Region of Country Adjacent Thereto' was published in 1876. King's survey?officially 'The United States Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel'?is better known simply as the '40th Parallel Survey.' King began working eastward from California in 1867. The Uinta Mountains region, however, was mapped by S. F. Emmons, under the supervision of King, in the summers of 1869 and 1871. Emmons' work was monumental, and although he emphasized in his letter of transmittal to King the exploratory nature of the work?as the formal title of the report indicates?his maps, descriptions, and conclusions reflect a comprehensive understanding of the country and its rocks. The 40th Parallel report contains the best, most complete early descriptions of the Uinta Mountains. It, indeed, is a treasurechest of information and a landmark contribution to the emerging science of geology. Hayden visited the Uinta Mountains in 1870, descending the valley of Henrys Fork to Flaming Gorge in the fall after having earlier examined the higher part of the range to the west. Most of Hayden's observations were cursory, and he repeatedly expressed regret at having insufficient time for more detailed studies. In reference to the area between Clay Basin and Browns Park, he remarked (Hayden, 1871, p. 67) somewhat dryly that 'the geology of this portion of the Uinta range is very complicated and interesting. To have solved the problem to my entire satisfaction would have required a week or two.' Eighty-odd years later I spent several months there?looking at the same rocks. Powell was perhaps more creative?more intuitive?than either King or Hayden, and his breadth of interest in the fields of geology, physiography, ethnology, an

Aeromagnetic map of northwest Utah and adjacent parts of Nevada and Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langenheim, Victoria

2016-01-01

Two aeromagnetic surveys were flown to promote further understanding of the geology and structure in northwest Utah and adjacent parts of Nevada and Idaho by serving as a basis for geophysical interpretations and by supporting geological mapping, water and mineral resource investigations, and other topical studies. Although this area is in general sparsely populated, (except for cities and towns along the Wasatch Front such as Ogden and Brigham City), it encompasses metamorphic core complexes in the Grouse Creek and Raft River Mountains (figure 1) of interest to earth scientists studying Cenozoic extension. The region was shaken in 1909 and 1934 by M6+ earthquakes east of the Hansel Mountains (Doser, 1989; Arabasz and others, 1994); damage from the 1934 earthquake occurred as far east as Logan, Utah (http:// www.seis.utah.edu/lqthreat/nehrp_htm/1934hans/n1934ha1. shtml#urbse). The presence of Quaternary shield volcanoes and bimodal Pleistocene volcanism in Curlew Valley (Miller and others, 1995; Felger and others, 2016) as well as relatively high temperature gradients encountered in the Indian Cove drillhole in the north arm of Great Salt Lake (Blackett and others, 2014) may indicate some potential for geothermal energy development in the area (Miller and others, 1995). The area also hosts four significant mining districts, in the northern Pilot Range, the Goose Creek Mountains in the northwest corner of the map, the southern end of the Promontory Mountains, and the southwest part of the Raft River Mountains, although production notably waned after World War II (Doelling, 1980). Other prospects of interest include those in the southern Grouse Creek Mountains, Silver Island, and the northern Newfoundland Mountains.Large areas of northwest Utah are covered by young, surficial deposits or by Great Salt Lake or are down-dropped into deep Cenozoic basins, making extrapolation of bedrock geology from widely spaced exposures difficult or tenuous (figure 1). Local spatial

Fault-related fluid flow, Beech Mountain thrust sheet, Blue Ridge Province, Tennessee-North Carolina

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waggoner, W.K.; Mora, C.I.

1992-01-01

The latest proterozoic Beech Granite is contained within the Beech Mountain thrust sheet (BMTS), part of a middle-late Paleozoic thrust complex located between Mountain City and Grandfather Mountain windows in the western Blue Ridge of TN-NC. At the base of the BMTS, Beech Granite is juxtaposed against lower Paleozoic carbonate and elastics of the Rome Fm. along the Stone Mountain thrust on the southeaster margin of the Mountain City window. At the top of the BMTS, Beech Granite occurs adjacent to Precambrian mafic rocks of the Pumpkin Patch thrust sheet (PPTS). The Beech Granite is foliated throughout the BMTS withmore » mylonitization and localized cataclasis occurring within thrust zones along the upper and lower margins of the BMTS. Although the degree of mylonitization and cataclasis increases towards the thrusts, blocks of relatively undeformed granite also occur within these fault zones. Mylonites and thrusts are recognized as conduits for fluid movement, but the origin of the fluids and magnitude and effects of fluid migration are not well constrained. This study was undertaken to characterize fluid-rock interaction within the Beech Granite and BMTS. Extensive mobility of some elements/compounds within the thrust zones, and the isotopic and mineralogical differences between the thrust zones and interior of the BMTS indicate that fluid flow was focused within the thrust zones. The wide range of elevated temperatures (400--710 C) indicated by qz-fsp fractionations suggest isotopic disequilibrium. Using a more likely temperature range of 300--400 C for Alleghanian deformation, calculated fluid compositions indicate interactions with a mixture of meteoric-hydrothermal and metamorphic water with delta O-18 = 2.6--7.5[per thousand] for the upper thrust zone and 1.3 to 6.2[per thousand] for the lower thrust zone. These ranges are similar to isotopic data reported for other Blue Ridge thrusts and may represent later periods of meteoric water influx.« less

Mountain pine beetle host selection between lodgepole and ponderosa pines in the southern Rocky Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

West, Daniel R.; Briggs, Jenny S.; Jacobi, William R.; Negron, Jose F.

2016-01-01

Recent evidence of range expansion and host transition by mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) has suggested that MPB may not primarily breed in their natal host, but will switch hosts to an alternate tree species. As MPB populations expanded in lodgepole pine forests in the southern Rocky Mountains, we investigated the potential for movement into adjacent ponderosa pine forests. We conducted field and laboratory experiments to evaluate four aspects of MPB population dynamics and host selection behavior in the two hosts: emergence timing, sex ratios, host choice, and reproductive success. We found that peak MPB emergence from both hosts occurred simultaneously between late July and early August, and the sex ratio of emerging beetles did not differ between hosts. In two direct tests of MPB host selection, we identified a strong preference by MPB for ponderosa versus lodgepole pine. At field sites, we captured naturally emerging beetles from both natal hosts in choice arenas containing logs of both species. In the laboratory, we offered sections of bark and phloem from both species to individual insects in bioassays. In both tests, insects infested ponderosa over lodgepole pine at a ratio of almost 2:1, regardless of natal host species. Reproductive success (offspring/female) was similar in colonized logs of both hosts. Overall, our findings suggest that MPB may exhibit equally high rates of infestation and fecundity in an alternate host under favorable conditions.

Chemical data for bottom sediment, lake water, bottom-sediment pore water, and fish in Mountain Creek Lake, Dallas, Texas, 1994-96

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jones, S.A.; Van Metre, P.C.; Moring, J.B.; Braun, C.L.; Wilson, J.T.; Mahler, B.J.

1997-01-01

Mountain Creek Lake is a reservoir adjacent to two U.S. Department of the Navy facilities, the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant and the Naval Air Station in Dallas, Texas. A Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Investigation found ground-water plumes containing chlorinated solvents on both facilities. These findings led to a U.S. Geological Survey study of Mountain Creek Lake adjacent to both facilities between June 1994 and August 1996. Bottom sediments, lake water, bottom-sediment pore water, and fish were collected for chemical analysis.

Climate Change Effects on Treeline Communty Dynamics in Basin and Range Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smithers, B.; Millar, C.; North, M.

2014-12-01

Treeline advance is an expected sensitive indicator of climate change effects on species distributions. However, little evidence of treeline advance has been shown due to past disturbance or geomorphological limitations. The Basin and Range Mountains of Nevada and eastern California have seen minimal human impact and have been free of major glaciation, making these mountains an ideal location to test for climate change impacts on treeline. Great Basin treelines are dominated by bristlecone pine but recent observations show that usually downslope-growing limber pine appears to be pushing treeline upslope. In this study, we used modified belt transects at above and below adult treeline and at stand mid-elevation to compare species regeneration with adult, cone-bearing tree basal area. Our results show that limber pine regeneration surpasses bristlecone pine regeneration at treeline in terms of raw numbers of individuals. When adult basal area is taken into consideration, it appears that the very few adult limber pines have far more regeneration success at treeline than the bristlecone pine adults. This may have long-term ramifications on community composition of bristlecone pine forests, as these long-lived individuals largely exclude one another once established. Limber pine appears to be far better adapted to take advantage of rapid climate change. Even if bristlecone pine is ultimately better adapted to treeline in the long-term and this "changing of the guard" at treeline is temporary, due to their long lifespan, this effect could last thousands of years.

Chronology of rock falls and slides in a desert mountain range: Case study from the Sonoran Desert in south-central Arizona

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorn, Ronald I.

2014-10-01

In order to respond to the general paucity of information on the chronology of ubiquitous small rock falls and slides that litter the slopes of desert mountain ranges, a case study in the Sonoran Desert reveals new insight into the desert geomorphology of mountain slopes. Rock falls and rock slides in the McDowell Mountains that abut metropolitan Phoenix, USA, fall in three chronometric groupings dated by conventional radiocarbon and rock varnish microlamination methods. First, the oldest events are > 74 ka and take the form of stable colluvial boulder fields - positive relief features that are tens of meters long and a few meters wide. Second, randomly sampled slides and falls of various sizes and positions wasted during wetter periods of the terminal Pleistocene and Holocene. Third, an anomalous clustering of slides and falls occurred during the late Medieval Warm Period (Medieval Climatic Anomaly) when an extreme storm was a possible but unlikely trigger. One speculative hypothesis for the cluster of Medieval Warm Period events is that a small to moderate sized earthquake shook heavily shattered bedrock - close to failure - just enough to cause a spate of rock falls and slides. A second speculative hypothesis is that this dry period enhanced physical weathering processes such as dirt cracking. However, the reasons for the recent clustering of rock falls remain enigmatic. While the temporal distribution of slides and falls suggests a minimal hazard potential for homes and roads on the margins of the McDowell Mountains, this finding may not necessary match other desert ranges in metropolitan Phoenix or mountains with different rock types and structures that abut other arid urban centers.

Satellite Spots Turbulence Producing Mountain Waves in the Stratosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Britt, Robert Roy

2002-01-01

When masses of air flow over massive mountains, invisible waves often roil high into the stratosphere, affecting weather and mixing the chemicals that contribute to ozone depletion. The waves also create turbulence that can be a danger to high-altitude research missions by NASA's lightweight ER-2 aircraft, as well as shuttle flights upon reentry. In Friday's issue of the journal Science, researchers report for the first time a technique that allows them to see temperature signatures from these invisible mountain waves. The method, involving high-resolution, satellite-based measurement of adjacent pockets of the atmosphere, is expected to aid in spotting turbulence and, one day, improve weather forecasts.

Managers' summary - Ecological studies of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, 1992-1997

USGS Publications Warehouse

Singer, F.J.; Schoenecker, K.A.

2000-01-01

Ecological Studies of the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, 1992-1997 provides a synthesis of key findings of landscape-scale, interdisciplinary studies of the effects of wild horses and native ungulates on a rugged, mountain ecosystem. This is perhaps the most comprehensive study of a wild horse herd conducted. This was a complex study and one involving a truly interagency approach. Six agencies either provided input to research priority setting, funding, or both. The agencies included the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and U.S. Forest Service. The major research direction and effort came from the U.S. Geological Survey and Natural Resources Ecology Lab, Colorado State University with Montana State University and the University of Kentucky also participating. Ungulate monitoring was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Bureau of Land Management, Billings Field Office and the Montana Fish and Wildlife Parks, with funding by Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. Many other individuals and groups were involved and deserve credit. The report printing was made possible with funds from the Bureau of Land Management, Wild Horse and Burro Program, Washington Office. This report was prepared by the Information Management Project, Midcontinent Ecological Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey.

Cenozoic mountain building on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lease, Richard O.

2014-01-01

Northeastern Tibetan Plateau growth illuminates the kinematics, geodynamics, and climatic consequences of large-scale orogenesis, yet only recently have data become available to outline the spatiotemporal pattern and rates of this growth. I review the tectonic history of range growth across the plateau margin north of the Kunlun fault (35°–40°N) and east of the Qaidam basin (98°–107°E), synthesizing records from fault-bounded mountain ranges and adjacent sedimentary basins. Deformation began in Eocene time shortly after India-Asia collision, but the northeastern orogen boundary has largely remained stationary since this time. Widespread middle Miocene–Holocene range growth is portrayed by accelerated deformation, uplift, erosion, and deposition across northeastern Tibet. The extent of deformation, however, only expanded ~150 km outward to the north and east and ~150 km laterally to the west. A middle Miocene reorganization of deformation characterized by shortening at various orientations heralds the onset of the modern kinematic regime where shortening is coupled to strike slip. This regime is responsible for the majority of Cenozoic crustal shortening and thickening and the development of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

Himalayan Mountain Range

NASA Image and Video Library

1981-04-14

STS001-12-350 (12-14 April 1981) --- India and China, the Ladokh and Zaskar Ranges of the Great Himalaya are clearly etched by snow and shadow. A detailed view shows the glaciation process over a wide area. Photo credit: NASA

Structural Mapping of Paterae and Mountains on Io: Implications for Crustal Stresses and Feature Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahern, A.; Radebaugh, J.; Christiansen, E. H.; Harris, R. A.

2015-12-01

Paterae and mountains are some of the most distinguishing and well-distributed surface features on Io, and they reveal the role of tectonism in Io's crust. Paterae, similar to calderas, are volcano-tectonic collapse features that often have straight margins. Io's mountains are some of the highest in the solar system and contain linear features that reveal crustal stresses. Paterae and mountains are often found adjacent to one another, suggesting possible genetic relationships. We have produced twelve detailed regional structural maps from high-resolution images of relevant features, where available, as well as a global structural map from the Io Global Color Mosaic. The regional structural maps identify features such as fractures, lineations, folds, faults, and mass wasting scarps, which are then interpreted in the context of global and regional stress regimes. A total of 1048 structural lineations have been identified globally. Preliminary analyses of major thrust and normal fault orientations are dominantly 90° offset from each other, suggesting the maximum contractional stresses leading to large mountain formation are not a direct result of tidal extension. Rather, these results corroborate the model of volcanic loading of the crust and global shortening, leading to thrust faulting and uplift of coherent crustal blocks. Several paterae, such as Hi'iaka and Tohil, are found adjacent to mountains inside extensional basins where lava has migrated up normal faults to erupt onto patera floors. Over time, mass wasting and volcanic resurfacing can change mountains from young, steep, and angular peaks to older, gentler, and more rounded hills. Mass wasting scarps make up 53% of all features identified. The structural maps highlight the significant effect of mass wasting on Io's surface, the evolution of mountains through time, the role of tectonics in the formation of paterae, and the formation of mountains through global contraction due to volcanism.

Effects of urban development on stream ecosystems alongthe Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado and Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sprague, Lori A.; Zuellig, Robert E.; Dupree, Jean A.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a study from 2002 through 2003 through its National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program to determine the effects of urbanization on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of stream ecosystems along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The objectives of the study were to (1) examine physical, chemical, and biological responses at sites ranging from minimally to highly developed; (2) determine the major physical, chemical, and landscape variables affecting aquatic communities at these sites; and (3) evaluate the relevance of the results to the management of water resources in the South Platte River Basin.

A sightability model for mountain goats

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rice, C.G.; Jenkins, K.J.; Chang, W.-Y.

2009-01-01

Unbiased estimates of mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations are key to meeting diverse harvest management and conservation objectives. We developed logistic regression models of factors influencing sightability of mountain goat groups during helicopter surveys throughout the Cascades and Olympic Ranges in western Washington during summers, 20042007. We conducted 205 trials of the ability of aerial survey crews to detect groups of mountain goats whose presence was known based on simultaneous direct observation from the ground (n 84), Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry (n 115), or both (n 6). Aerial survey crews detected 77 and 79 of all groups known to be present based on ground observers and GPS collars, respectively. The best models indicated that sightability of mountain goat groups was a function of the number of mountain goats in a group, presence of terrain obstruction, and extent of overstory vegetation. Aerial counts of mountain goats within groups did not differ greatly from known group sizes, indicating that under-counting bias within detected groups of mountain goats was small. We applied HorvitzThompson-like sightability adjustments to 1,139 groups of mountain goats observed in the Cascade and Olympic ranges, Washington, USA, from 2004 to 2007. Estimated mean sightability of individual animals was 85 but ranged 0.750.91 in areas with low and high sightability, respectively. Simulations of mountain goat surveys indicated that precision of population estimates adjusted for sightability biases increased with population size and number of replicate surveys, providing general guidance for the design of future surveys. Because survey conditions, group sizes, and habitat occupied by goats vary among surveys, we recommend using sightability correction methods to decrease bias in population estimates from aerial surveys of mountain goats.

Nutrient status in soil of Ski runs in the sub-alpine belt of Uludag Mountain, Bursa, Turkey.

PubMed

Guleryuz, Gurcan; Kirmizi, Serap; Arslan, Hulya

2010-01-01

Large areas of land are disturbed in sensitive bio-diverse mountain environments by Skiruns. Restoration of vegetation on such disturbed mountain sites may be hampered by soil degradation but the severity and nature of the constraints is not well understood. This study was designed to compare the water holding and nutritional status of soil in three Ski runs which had different construction dates and disturbance levels, and the adjacent undisturbed site in the Abies bommuelleriana forest community in the sub-alpine belt of Uludag Mountain (Bithynian Olympus). The values of soil parameters were depressed in proportion to the disturbance level. Water holding capacity (WHC), total nitrogen (N), organic carbon (C) and calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and potassium (K+) contents (mg kg(-1) dry weight) of soils in the Ski run which had the highest disturbance level were lower than that of the undisturbed adjacent sites. However the results indicated that the soil parameters were less degraded when secondary vegetation was growing on the disturbed areas.

Survey of Pathogenic Chytrid Fungi (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis and B. salamandrivorans) in Salamanders from Three Mountain Ranges in Europe and the Americas.

PubMed

Parrott, Joshua Curtis; Shepack, Alexander; Burkart, David; LaBumbard, Brandon; Scimè, Patrick; Baruch, Ethan; Catenazzi, Alessandro

2017-06-01

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is a virulent fungal pathogen that infects salamanders. It is implicated in the recent collapse of several populations of fire salamanders in Europe. This pathogen seems much like that of its sister species, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), the agent responsible for anuran extinctions and extirpations worldwide, and is considered to be an emerging global threat to salamander communities. Bsal thrives at temperatures found in many mountainous regions rich in salamander species; because of this, we have screened specimens of salamanders representing 17 species inhabiting mountain ranges in three continents: The Smoky Mountains, the Swiss Alps, and the Peruvian Andes. We screened 509 salamanders, with 192 representing New World salamanders that were never tested for Bsal previously. Bsal was not detected, and Bd was mostly present at low prevalence except for one site in the Andes.

Mountain-front recharge along the eastern side of the Middle Rio Grande Basin, central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderholm, Scott K.

2000-01-01

Mountain-front recharge, which generally occurs along the margins of alluvial basins, can be a large part of total recharge to the aquifer system in such basins. Mountain-front recharge occurs as the result of infiltration of flow from streams that have headwaters in the mountainous areas adjacent to alluvial basins and ground- water flow from the aquifers in the mountainous areas to the aquifer in the alluvial basin. This report presents estimates of mountain-front recharge to the basin-fill aquifer along the eastern side of the Middle Rio Grande Basin in central New Mexico. The basin is a structural feature that contains a large thickness of basin-fill deposits, which compose the main aquifer in the basin. The basin is bounded along the eastern side by mountains composed of crystalline rocks of Precambrian age and sedimentary rocks of Paleozoic age. Precipitation is much larger in the mountains than in the basin; many stream channels debouch from the mountainous area to the basin. Chloride-balance and water-yield regression methods were used to estimate mountain-front recharge. The chloride-balance method was used to calculate a chloride balance in watersheds in the mountainous areas along the eastern side of the basin (subareas). The source of chloride to these watersheds is bulk precipitation (wet and dry deposition). Chloride leaves these watersheds as mountain-front recharge. The water-yield regression method was used to determine the streamflow from the mountainous watersheds at the mountain front. This streamflow was assumed to be equal to mountain-front recharge because most of this streamflow infiltrates and recharges the basin-fill aquifer. Total mountain-front recharge along the eastern side of the Middle Rio Grande Basin was estimated to be about 11,000 acre- feet per year using the chloride-balance method and about 36,000 and 38,000 acre-feet per year using two water-yield regression equations. There was a large range in the recharge estimates in a

YUCCA MOUNTAIN SITE DESCRIPTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

A.M. Simmons

The ''Yucca Mountain Site Description'' summarizes, in a single document, the current state of knowledge and understanding of the natural system at Yucca Mountain. It describes the geology; geochemistry; past, present, and projected future climate; regional hydrologic system; and flow and transport within the unsaturated and saturated zones at the site. In addition, it discusses factors affecting radionuclide transport, the effect of thermal loading on the natural system, and tectonic hazards. The ''Yucca Mountain Site Description'' is broad in nature. It summarizes investigations carried out as part of the Yucca Mountain Project since 1988, but it also includes work donemore » at the site in earlier years, as well as studies performed by others. The document has been prepared under the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management quality assurance program for the Yucca Mountain Project. Yucca Mountain is located in Nye County in southern Nevada. The site lies in the north-central part of the Basin and Range physiographic province, within the northernmost subprovince commonly referred to as the Great Basin. The basin and range physiography reflects the extensional tectonic regime that has affected the region during the middle and late Cenozoic Era. Yucca Mountain was initially selected for characterization, in part, because of its thick unsaturated zone, its arid to semiarid climate, and the existence of a rock type that would support excavation of stable openings. In 1987, the United States Congress directed that Yucca Mountain be the only site characterized to evaluate its suitability for development of a geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel.« less

Mountain Pine Beetle Host Selection Between Lodgepole and Ponderosa Pines in the Southern Rocky Mountains.

PubMed

West, Daniel R; Briggs, Jennifer S; Jacobi, William R; Negrón, José F

2016-02-01

Recent evidence of range expansion and host transition by mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) has suggested that MPB may not primarily breed in their natal host, but will switch hosts to an alternate tree species. As MPB populations expanded in lodgepole pine forests in the southern Rocky Mountains, we investigated the potential for movement into adjacent ponderosa pine forests. We conducted field and laboratory experiments to evaluate four aspects of MPB population dynamics and host selection behavior in the two hosts: emergence timing, sex ratios, host choice, and reproductive success. We found that peak MPB emergence from both hosts occurred simultaneously between late July and early August, and the sex ratio of emerging beetles did not differ between hosts. In two direct tests of MPB host selection, we identified a strong preference by MPB for ponderosa versus lodgepole pine. At field sites, we captured naturally emerging beetles from both natal hosts in choice arenas containing logs of both species. In the laboratory, we offered sections of bark and phloem from both species to individual insects in bioassays. In both tests, insects infested ponderosa over lodgepole pine at a ratio of almost 2:1, regardless of natal host species. Reproductive success (offspring/female) was similar in colonized logs of both hosts. Overall, our findings suggest that MPB may exhibit equally high rates of infestation and fecundity in an alternate host under favorable conditions. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Colonization behaviors of mountain pine beetle on novel hosts: Implications for range expansion into northeastern North America

PubMed Central

Venette, Robert C.; Maddox, Mitchell P.; Aukema, Brian H.

2017-01-01

As climates change, thermal limits may no longer constrain some native herbivores within their historical ranges. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a tree-killing bark beetle native to western North America that is currently expanding its range. Continued eastward expansion through the newly invaded and novel jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees of the Canadian boreal forest could result in exposure of several species of novel potential host pines common in northeastern North America to this oligophagous herbivore. Due to the tightly co-evolved relationship between mountain pine beetle and western pine hosts, in which the insect utilizes the defensive chemistry of the host to stimulate mass attacks, we hypothesized that lack of co-evolutionary association would affect the host attraction and acceptance behaviors of this insect among novel hosts, particularly those with little known historical association with an aggressive stem-infesting insect. We studied how beetle behavior differed among the various stages of colonization on newly cut logs of four novel potential pine host species; jack, red (P. resinosa Ait.), eastern white (P. strobus L.) and Scots (P. sylvestris L.) pines, as well as two historical hosts, ponderosa (P. ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws. var. scopulorum Engelm.) and lodgepole (P. contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) pines. Overall, we found that beetle colonization behaviors at each stage in the colonization process differ between pine hosts, likely due to differing chemical and physical bark traits. Pines without co-evolved constitutive defenses against mountain pine beetle exhibited reduced amounts of defensive monoterpenoid chemicals; however, such patterns also reduced beetle attraction and colonization. Neither chemical nor physical defenses fully defended trees against the various stages of host procurement that can result in tree colonization and death. PMID:28472047

Colonization behaviors of mountain pine beetle on novel hosts: Implications for range expansion into northeastern North America.

PubMed

Rosenberger, Derek W; Venette, Robert C; Maddox, Mitchell P; Aukema, Brian H

2017-01-01

As climates change, thermal limits may no longer constrain some native herbivores within their historical ranges. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a tree-killing bark beetle native to western North America that is currently expanding its range. Continued eastward expansion through the newly invaded and novel jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees of the Canadian boreal forest could result in exposure of several species of novel potential host pines common in northeastern North America to this oligophagous herbivore. Due to the tightly co-evolved relationship between mountain pine beetle and western pine hosts, in which the insect utilizes the defensive chemistry of the host to stimulate mass attacks, we hypothesized that lack of co-evolutionary association would affect the host attraction and acceptance behaviors of this insect among novel hosts, particularly those with little known historical association with an aggressive stem-infesting insect. We studied how beetle behavior differed among the various stages of colonization on newly cut logs of four novel potential pine host species; jack, red (P. resinosa Ait.), eastern white (P. strobus L.) and Scots (P. sylvestris L.) pines, as well as two historical hosts, ponderosa (P. ponderosa Dougl. ex. Laws. var. scopulorum Engelm.) and lodgepole (P. contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) pines. Overall, we found that beetle colonization behaviors at each stage in the colonization process differ between pine hosts, likely due to differing chemical and physical bark traits. Pines without co-evolved constitutive defenses against mountain pine beetle exhibited reduced amounts of defensive monoterpenoid chemicals; however, such patterns also reduced beetle attraction and colonization. Neither chemical nor physical defenses fully defended trees against the various stages of host procurement that can result in tree colonization and death.

Sierra Nevada Mountain Range as seen from STS-58

NASA Image and Video Library

1994-10-20

STS058-72-004 (18 Oct-1 Nov 1993) --- The Sierra Nevada Mountain Range can be seen in this north-looking high oblique view taken in October, 1993, by the STS-58 crew. Visible in the view to the west of the Sierra Nevada are the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys of central California. The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area can be seen to the west of the valley at the extreme left of the photograph. To the east or right of the Sierra Nevada, the basin and Range Region of central and northern Nevada is visible. Mono Lake, Lake Tahoe and Pyramid Lake are also visible in this scene. The long northwest/southeast trending Walker Lane Shear Zone, which lies just to the east (right) of the Sierra Nevada is also visible. Near the top of the view (near the horizon), the snow covered volcanic peak Mount Shasta can be seen. Over 645 kilometers (400 miles) long and from 65 to 130 kilometers (40 to 80 miles) wide, the Sierra Nevada have many peaks in excess of 3,300 meters (11,000 feet) above sea level. A titled fault block in structure (the largest in the United States) and shaped by glaciers during the last ice age over 12,000 years ago, the Sierra Nevada eastern front rises sharply from the Great Basin of Nevada, while its western slope descends gradually to the hills bordering the Central Valley of California. Snow-fed streams supply much of the irrigation water to the Central Valley and to western Nevada and also generate hydroelectricity. Recent above normal precipitation (snowfall) of the last two years has helped in alleviating the drought conditions that had prevailed throughout most of California in the mid and late 1980's and early 1990's.

Ecohydrological dynamics of peatlands and adjacent upland forests in the Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millar, D.; Parsekian, A.; Mercer, J.; Ewers, B. E.; Mackay, D. S.; Williams, D. G.; Cooper, D. J.; Ronayne, M. J.

2017-12-01

Mountain peatlands are susceptible to a changing climate via changes in the water cycle. Understanding the impacts of such changes requires knowledge of the hydrological processes within these peatlands and in the upland forests that supply them with water. We investigated hydrological processes in peatland catchments in the Rocky Mountains by developing empirical models of groundwater dynamics, and are working to improve subsurface water dynamics in a ecohydrological process model, the Terrestrial Regional Ecosystem Exchange Simulator (TREES). Results from empirical models showed major differences in water budget components between two peatlands with differing climate, vegetation, and hydrogeological settings. Several-fold higher rates of evapotranspiration from the saturated zone, and groundwater inflow were observed for a sloping fen in southern Wyoming than that of a basin fen in southwestern Colorado, where rainfall was two-fold higher due to stronger influence of the North American monsoon. We also present ongoing work coupling stable water isotope and borehole nuclear magnetic resonance analyses to test which soil water pools (bound or mobile) are used by dominant upland and peatland vegetation in two catchments in southern Wyoming. These data are being used to test whether the root hydraulic mechanisms in TREES can simulate water uptake from these two soil water pools, and sap flux measurements are being used to evaluate simulated transpiration. Preliminary results from this work suggest that upland vegetation utilize tightly-bound soil water pools, as these pools comprise the largest amount of subsurface water (> 80%) in the vadose zone long after snow melt. Conversely, it appears that herbaceous peatland hydrophytes may preferentially utilize mobile soil water pools, since their roots extend below the water table. The results of this work are expected to increase predictive understanding of hydrological processes in these important ecosystems.

Modeling the impact of climate warming on the range of brook trout in the Blue Ridge Mountains, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, M. G.

2012-12-01

Brook trout in the Eastern United States (Salvelinus fontinalis) thrive in a relatively narrow range of stream temperatures. Over the past several centuries, the introduction of competitive species has pushed brook trout to the cooler, upstream margins of what use to be a much more extensive range within most drainages. Over the next several decades, climate change may put further thermal pressure on the species, increasing the fragmentation of their distribution and shrinking their present range. Because the size and connectivity of habitats seem to influence the persistence of local populations, climate warming leading to increased fragmentation of remaining habitats could accelerated species decline. Using the Regional Hydrological and Ecological Simulation System (RHYSSys), I modeled the projected habitat changes for a group of native brook trout streams in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South-Central Virginia, USA. The modeling process is illustrative of the need for better understanding of the couplings that exist between geomorphology, hydrology, and ecology, particularly in mountain environments. Model results are quantified according to the degree of decrease in stream-miles of habitat and the increase in the fragmentation of the habitat as a function of the warming rate (degrees per decade). These results may help inform habitat management strategies for the coming several decades in the region, and the modeling process helps highlight the need for more refined understanding of climate change's impacts on habitability.

Assessment and prevention of the avalanche risk on medium-high mountain from a geo-historical point of view. The Vosges range (France) as a case study.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giacona, Florie; Martin, Brice; David, Pierre-Marie

2010-05-01

To mention avalanche risks in the Vosges generally causes certain disbelief because of its modest height. Moreover, as far as natural risks are concerned, and especially the avalanche risk, medium-high mountains are not usually studied. The attention is more focused on the spectacular and destructive phenomena that occur in highest mountains such as the Alps or the Pyrenees. However, in January and February 2000, fifteen people were victims of avalanches and three of them died. These accidents have suddenly drawn attention to the fact that avalanche risk is underestimated. In opposition to the Alps and Pyrenees there is no study or systematic inventory of avalanches in the medium-high mountain ranges. Moreover, the many research and methodological articles dedicated to studies on avalanches in the high mountain ranges do not, unfortunately, raise any concerns about medium-high mountain ranges. So, we had to develop a new research method based on handwritten, printed, and oral sources as well as on observations. The results of this historical research exceeded all expectations. About 300 avalanche events have been reported since the end of the 18th century; they happened in about 90 avalanche paths. Spatial and temporal distributions of the avalanche events can be explained by climate, vulnerability and land use evolutions. The vulnerability has evolved since the 18th century: material vulnerability decreased whereas human vulnerability increased due to the expansion of winter sports. Finally we focus our study on the perception of the avalanche risk by the winter sports adepts in the Vosges mountains. Indeed, at the beginning of this research, we were directly confronted to a lack of knowledge, or even to an ignorance, of the avalanche risk. Several factors contribute to this situation among which the topography. Even though some places in the Vosges mountains look like the alpine topography, most of the summits are rounded. Furthermore, this mountain presents an

Potential impacts on Colorado Rocky Mountain weather due to land use changes on the adjacent Great Plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chase, T.N.; Pielke, R.A.; Kittel, T.G.F.; Baron, Jill S.; Stohlgren, T.J.

1999-01-01

Evidence from both meteorological stations and vegetational successional studies suggests that summer temperatures are decreasing in the mountain-plain system in northeast Colorado, particularly since the early 1980s. These trends are coincident with large changes in regional land cover. Trends in global, Northern Hemisphere and continental surface temperatures over the same period are insignificant. These observations suggest that changes in the climate of this mountain-plain system may be, in some part, a result of localized forcing mechanisms. In this study the effects of land use change on the northern Colorado plains, where large regions of grasslands have been transformed into both dry and irrigated agricultural lands, on regional weather is examined in an effort to understand this local deviation from larger-scale trends. We find with high-resolution numerical simulations of a 3-day summer period using a regional atmospheric-land surface model that replacing grasslands with irrigated and dry farmland can have impacts on regional weather and therefore climate which are not limited to regions of direct forcing. Higher elevations remote from regions of land use change are affected as well. Specifically, cases with altered landcover had cooler, moister boundary layers, and diminished low-level upslope winds over portions of the plains. At higher elevations, temperatures also were lower as was low-level convergence. Precipitation and cloud cover were substantially affected in mountain regions. We advance the hypothesis that observed land use changes may have already had a role in explaining part of the observed climate record in the northern Colorado mountain-plain system. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union.

Contrasting stream water NO3- and Ca2+ in two nearly adjacent catchments: the role of soil Ca and forest vegetation

Treesearch

Sheila F. Christopher; Blair D. Page; John L. Campbell; Myron J. Mitchell

2006-01-01

Two nearly adjacent subcatchments, located in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State, US, with similar atmospheric inputs of N (0.6 kmol ha-1 yr-1), but markedly different stream water solute concentrations, provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the mechanisms causing this variation.

Individual and Population Level Resource Selection Patterns of Mountain Lions Preying on Mule Deer along an Urban-Wildland Gradient.

PubMed

Benson, John F; Sikich, Jeff A; Riley, Seth P D

2016-01-01

Understanding population and individual-level behavioral responses of large carnivores to human disturbance is important for conserving top predators in fragmented landscapes. However, previous research has not investigated resource selection at predation sites of mountain lions in highly urbanized areas. We quantified selection of natural and anthropogenic landscape features by mountain lions at sites where they consumed their primary prey, mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), in and adjacent to urban, suburban, and rural areas in greater Los Angeles. We documented intersexual and individual-level variation in the environmental conditions present at mule deer feeding sites relative to their availability across home ranges. Males selected riparian woodlands and areas closer to water more than females, whereas females selected developed areas marginally more than males. Females fed on mule deer closer to developed areas and farther from riparian woodlands than expected based on the availability of these features across their home ranges. We suggest that mortality risk for females and their offspring associated with encounters with males may have influenced the different resource selection patterns between sexes. Males appeared to select mule deer feeding sites mainly in response to natural landscape features, while females may have made kills closer to developed areas in part because these are alternative sites where deer are abundant. Individual mountain lions of both sexes selected developed areas more strongly within home ranges where development occurred less frequently. Thus, areas near development may represent a trade-off for mountain lions such that they may benefit from foraging near development because of abundant prey, but as the landscape becomes highly urbanized these benefits may be outweighed by human disturbance.

Individual and Population Level Resource Selection Patterns of Mountain Lions Preying on Mule Deer along an Urban-Wildland Gradient

PubMed Central

Benson, John F.; Sikich, Jeff A.; Riley, Seth P. D.

2016-01-01

Understanding population and individual-level behavioral responses of large carnivores to human disturbance is important for conserving top predators in fragmented landscapes. However, previous research has not investigated resource selection at predation sites of mountain lions in highly urbanized areas. We quantified selection of natural and anthropogenic landscape features by mountain lions at sites where they consumed their primary prey, mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), in and adjacent to urban, suburban, and rural areas in greater Los Angeles. We documented intersexual and individual-level variation in the environmental conditions present at mule deer feeding sites relative to their availability across home ranges. Males selected riparian woodlands and areas closer to water more than females, whereas females selected developed areas marginally more than males. Females fed on mule deer closer to developed areas and farther from riparian woodlands than expected based on the availability of these features across their home ranges. We suggest that mortality risk for females and their offspring associated with encounters with males may have influenced the different resource selection patterns between sexes. Males appeared to select mule deer feeding sites mainly in response to natural landscape features, while females may have made kills closer to developed areas in part because these are alternative sites where deer are abundant. Individual mountain lions of both sexes selected developed areas more strongly within home ranges where development occurred less frequently. Thus, areas near development may represent a trade-off for mountain lions such that they may benefit from foraging near development because of abundant prey, but as the landscape becomes highly urbanized these benefits may be outweighed by human disturbance. PMID:27411098

Cordilleran front range structural features in northwest Montana interpreted from vintage seismic reflection data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porter, Mason C.; Rutherford, Bradley S.; Speece, Marvin A.; Mosolf, Jesse G.

2016-04-01

Industry seismic reflection data spanning the Rocky Mountain Cordillera front ranges of northwest Montana were reprocessed and interpreted in this study. Five seismic profiles represent 160 km of deep reflection data collected in 1983 that span the eastern Purcell anticlinorium, Rocky Mountain Trench (RMT), Rocky Mountain Basal Décollement (RMBD), and Lewis thrust. The data were reprocessed using modern techniques including refraction statics, pre-stack time migration (PSTM), and pre- and post-stack depth migration. Results indicate the RMBD is 8-13 km below the Earth's surface and dip 3-10° west. Evidence for the autochthonous Mesoproterozoic Belt and basal Cambrian rocks beneath the RMBD is present in all of the profiles and appears to extend east of the RMT. The Lewis thrust was identified in the seismic profiles and appears to sole into the RMBD east of the RMT. The RMT fault system has a dip displacement of 3-4 km and forms a half graben filled with 1 km of unconsolidated Tertiary sedimentary deposits. The RMT and adjacent Flathead fault systems are interpreted to be structurally linked and may represent a synthetic, en echelon fault system.

Comparison of lodgepole and jack pine resin chemistry: implications for range expansion by the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

PubMed

Clark, Erin L; Pitt, Caitlin; Carroll, Allan L; Lindgren, B Staffan; Huber, Dezene P W

2014-01-01

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, is a significant pest of lodgepole pine in British Columbia (BC), where it has recently reached an unprecedented outbreak level. Although it is native to western North America, the beetle can now be viewed as a native invasive because for the first time in recorded history it has begun to reproduce in native jack pine stands within the North American boreal forest. The ability of jack pine trees to defend themselves against mass attack and their suitability for brood success will play a major role in the success of this insect in a putatively new geographic range and host. Lodgepole and jack pine were sampled along a transect extending from the beetle's historic range (central BC) to the newly invaded area east of the Rocky Mountains in north-central Alberta (AB) in Canada for constitutive phloem resin terpene levels. In addition, two populations of lodgepole pine (BC) and one population of jack pine (AB) were sampled for levels of induced phloem terpenes. Phloem resin terpenes were identified and quantified using gas chromatography. Significant differences were found in constitutive levels of terpenes between the two species of pine. Constitutive α-pinene levels - a precursor in the biosynthesis of components of the aggregation and antiaggregation pheromones of mountain pine beetle - were significantly higher in jack pine. However, lower constitutive levels of compounds known to be toxic to bark beetles, e.g., 3-carene, in jack pine suggests that this species could be poorly defended. Differences in wounding-induced responses for phloem accumulation of five major terpenes were found between the two populations of lodgepole pine and between lodgepole and jack pine. The mountain pine beetle will face a different constitutive and induced phloem resin terpene environment when locating and colonizing jack pine in its new geographic range, and this may play a significant role in the ability of the insect to persist in

Upper mantle shear wave velocity structure beneath northern Victoria Land, Antarctica: Volcanism and uplift in the northern Transantarctic Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graw, Jordan H.; Adams, Aubreya N.; Hansen, Samantha E.; Wiens, Douglas A.; Hackworth, Lauren; Park, Yongcheol

2016-09-01

The Transantarctic Mountains (TAMs) are the largest non-compressional mountain range on Earth, and while a variety of uplift mechanisms have been proposed, the origin of the TAMs is still a matter of great debate. Most previous seismic investigations of the TAMs have focused on a central portion of the mountain range, near Ross Island, providing little along-strike constraint on the upper mantle structure, which is needed to better assess competing uplift models. Using data recorded by the recently deployed Transantarctic Mountains Northern Network, as well as data from the Transantarctic Mountains Seismic Experiment and from five stations operated by the Korea Polar Research Institute, we investigate the upper mantle structure beneath a previously unexplored portion of the mountain range. Rayleigh wave phase velocities are calculated using a two-plane wave approximation and are inverted for shear wave velocity structure. Our model shows a low velocity zone (LVZ; ∼4.24 km s-1) at ∼160 km depth offshore and adjacent to Mt. Melbourne. This LVZ extends inland and vertically upwards, with more lateral coverage above ∼100 km depth beneath the northern TAMs and Victoria Land. A prominent LVZ (∼4.16-4.24 km s-1) also exists at ∼150 km depth beneath Ross Island, which agrees with previous results in the TAMs near the McMurdo Dry Valleys, and relatively slow velocities (∼4.24-4.32 km s-1) along the Terror Rift connect the low velocity anomalies. We propose that the LVZs reflect rift-related decompression melting and provide thermally buoyant support for the TAMs uplift, consistent with proposed flexural models. We also suggest that heating, and hence uplift, along the mountain front is not uniform and that the shallower LVZ beneath northern Victoria Land provides greater thermal support, leading to higher bedrock topography in the northern TAMs. Young (0-15 Ma) volcanic rocks associated with the Hallett and the Erebus Volcanic Provinces are situated directly

A computer simulation model to compute the radiation transfer of mountainous regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yuguang; Zhao, Feng; Song, Rui

2011-11-01

In mountainous regions, the radiometric signal recorded at the sensor depends on a number of factors such as sun angle, atmospheric conditions, surface cover type, and topography. In this paper, a computer simulation model of radiation transfer is designed and evaluated. This model implements the Monte Carlo ray-tracing techniques and is specifically dedicated to the study of light propagation in mountainous regions. The radiative processes between sun light and the objects within the mountainous region are realized by using forward Monte Carlo ray-tracing methods. The performance of the model is evaluated through detailed comparisons with the well-established 3D computer simulation model: RGM (Radiosity-Graphics combined Model) based on the same scenes and identical spectral parameters, which shows good agreements between these two models' results. By using the newly developed computer model, series of typical mountainous scenes are generated to analyze the physical mechanism of mountainous radiation transfer. The results show that the effects of the adjacent slopes are important for deep valleys and they particularly affect shadowed pixels, and the topographic effect needs to be considered in mountainous terrain before accurate inferences from remotely sensed data can be made.

Basement control of alkalic flood rhyolite magmatism of the Davis Mountains volcanic field, Trans-Pecos Texas, U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parker, Don F.; White, John C.; Ren, Minghua; Barnes, Melanie

2017-11-01

Voluminous silicic lava flows, erupted 37.4 Ma from widespread centers within the Davis Mountains Volcanic Field (DMVF), covered approximately 10,000 km2 with an initial volume as great as 1000 km3. Lava flows form three major stratigraphic units: the Star Mountain Rhyolite (minimum 220 km3) of the eastern Davis Mountains and adjacent Barilla Mountains, the Crossen Formation ( 75 km3) of the southern Davis Mountains, and the Bracks Rhyolite ( 75 km3) of the Rim Rock region west of the Davis Mountains proper. Similar extensive rhyolite lava also occurs in slightly younger units (Adobe Canyon Rhyolite, 125 km3, 37.1 Ma), Sheep Pasture Formation ( 125 km3, 36 Ma) and, less voluminously, in the Paisano central volcano ( 36.9 Ma) and younger units in the Davis Mountains. Individual lava flows from these units formed fields as extensive as 55 km and 300-m-thick. Flood rhyolite lavas of the Davis Mountains are marginally peralkaline quartz trachyte to low-silica rhyolite. Phenocrysts include alkali feldspar, clinopyroxene, FeTi oxides, and apatite, and, rarely, fayalite, as well as zircon in less peralkaline units. Many Star Mountain flows may be assigned to one of four geochemical groupings. Temperatures were moderately high, ranging from 911 to 860 °C in quartz trachyte and low silica rhyolite. We suggest that flood rhyolite magma evolved from trachyte magma by filter pressing processes, and trachyte from mafic magma in deeper seated plutons. The Davis Mountains segment of Trans-Pecos Texas overlies Grenville basement and is separated from the older Southern Granite and Rhyolite Province to the north by the Grenville Front, and from the younger Coahuila terrane to the south by the Ouachita Front. We suggest that basement structure strongly influenced the timing and nature of Trans-Pecos magmatism, probably in varying degrees of impeding the ascent of mantle-derived mafic magmas, which were produced by upwelling of asthenospheric mantle above the foundered Farallon slab

The influence of mountain meteorology on precipitation chemistry at low and high elevations of the Colorado Front Range, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Denning, A. Scott

1993-01-01

We explored the seasonal characteristics in wet deposition chemistry for two sites located at different elevations along the east slope of the Colorado Front Range in Rocky Mountain National Park. Seasonally separated precipitation was stratified into highly concentrated (high salt), dilute (low salt), or acid-dominated precipitation groups. These groups and unstratified precipitation data were related to mean easterly or westerly zonal winds to determine direction of local transport. Strong acid anion associations were also determined for the stratified and unstratified precipitation data sets. We found that strong acid anions, acidity, ammonium, and high salt concentrations originate to the east of Rocky Mountain National Park, and are transported via up-valley funneling winds or convective instability from differential heating of the mountains and the plains to the east. These influence the composition of precipitation at Beaver Meadows, the low elevation site, throughout the year, while their effect on precipitation at Loch Vale, the high elevation site, is felt most strongly during the summer. During the winter, Loch Vale precipitation is very dilute, and occurs in conjunction with westerly winds resulting from the southerly location of the jet stream.

Structural and Geomorphic Controls in Altitudinal Treeline: a Case Study in the Front Ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macias Fauria, M.; Johnson, E. A.

2009-12-01

Altitudinal treelines occur on mountain slopes. The geological history of mountain systems sets both the distribution of slope angles, aspects and lengths, and the physical characteristics of the bedrock and regolith on which trees have to establish and grow. We show that altitudinal treeline is largely controlled at an ecosystem level by structural and slope (i.e. gravitational) geomorphic processes operating at a range of temporal and spatial scales, which have direct influence on the hydrological properties of the substrate (affecting the trees’ water and energy budget), as well as on substrate stability, both of which affect recruitment and growth of trees. The study was conducted over a relatively large area of > 200 km2 in the Front Ranges of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, selected to contain the regional diversity of slopes and substrates, which is the result of hundreds of millions of years of sea deposition, subsequent mountain building, and deep erosion by glaciations. Very high-resolution remote sensing data (LiDAR), aerial orthophotos taken at several times since the late 1940s, and ground truthing were employed to classify the terrain into process-based geomorphic units. High resolution, landscape-scale treeline studies are able avoid potential biases in site selection (i.e. selection of sites that are not representative of the overall regional treeline), and consequently capture the coupling between trees and the environment at an ecosystem (regional) level. Moreover, explicitly accounting for slope and substrate-related processes occurring in the studied mountain region is paramount in order to understand the dynamics of trees at their altitudinal distribution limit. Presence of trees in each unit was found to be controlled by a set of parameters relevant to both hydrological and slope processes, such as contributing area, slope angle, regolith transmissivity, and aspect. Our results show no treeline advance over the last 60 years in the region, as

Severity of a mountain pine beetle outbreak across a range of stand conditions in Fraser Experimental Forest, Colorado, United States

Treesearch

Anthony G. Vorster; Paul H. Evangelista; Thomas J. Stohlgren; Sunil Kumar; Charles C. Rhoades; Robert M. Hubbard; Antony S. Cheng; Kelly Elder

2017-01-01

The recent mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreaks had unprecedented effects on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) in western North America. We used data from 165 forest inventory plots to analyze stand conditions that regulate lodgepole pine mortality across a wide range of stand structure and species composition at the Fraser...

Identification of debris-flow hazards in warm deserts through analyzing past occurrences: Case study in South Mountain, Sonoran Desert, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorn, Ronald I.

2016-11-01

After recognition that debris flows co-occur with human activities, the next step in a hazards analysis involves estimating debris-flow probability. Prior research published in this journal in 2010 used varnish microlamination (VML) dating to determine a minimum occurrence of 5 flows per century over the last 8100 years in a small mountain range of South Mountain adjacent to neighborhoods of Phoenix, Arizona. This analysis led to the conclusion that debris flows originating in small mountain ranges in arid regions like the Sonoran Desert could pose a hazard. Two major precipitation events in the summer of 2014 generated 35 debris flows in the same study area of South Mountain-providing support for the importance of probability analysis as a key step in a hazards analysis in warm desert settings. Two distinct mechanisms generated the 2014 debris flows: intense precipitation on steep slopes in the first storm; and a firehose effect whereby runoff from the second storm was funneled rapidly by cleaned-out debris-flow chutes to remobilize Pleistocene debris-flow deposits. When compared to a global database on debris flows, the 2014 storms were among the most intense to generate desert debris flows - indicating that storms of lesser intensity are capable of generating debris flows in warm desert settings. The 87Sr/86Sr analyses of fines and clasts in South Mountain debris flows of different ages reveal that desert dust supplies the fines. Thus, wetter climatic periods of intense rock decay are not needed to resupply desert slopes with fines; instead, a combination of dust deposition supplying fines and dirt cracking generating coarse clasts can re-arm chutes in a warm desert setting with abundant dust.

Mountain building, strike-slip faulting, and landscape evolution in the Marlborough Fault System, NZ: Insights from new low-temperature thermochronology and modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duvall, A. R.; Collett, C.; Flowers, R. M.; Tucker, G. E.; Upton, P.

2016-12-01

The 150 km wide Marlborough Fault System (MFS) and adjacent dextral-reverse Alpine Fault accommodate oblique convergence of the Australian and Pacific plates in a broad transform boundary that extends for much of the South Island New Zealand. Understanding the deformation history of the Marlborough region offers the opportunity to study topographic evolution in a strike-slip setting and a fuller picture of the evolving New Zealand plate boundary as the MFS lies at the transition from oceanic Pacific plate subduction to oblique continental collision. Here we present low-temperature thermochronology from the MFS to place new limits on the timing and style of mountain building. We sampled a range of elevations spanning 2 km within and adjacent to the Kaikoura Mountains, which stand high as topographic anomalies above active strike-slip faults. Young apatite (U-Th)/He ages ( 2-5 Ma) on both sides of range-bounding faults are consistent with regional distributed deformation since the Pliocene initiation of strike-slip faulting. However, large differences in both zircon helium and apatite fission track ages, from Paleogene/Neogene ages within hanging walls to unreset >100 Ma ages in footwalls, indicate an early phase of fault-related vertical exhumation. Thermal modeling using the QTQt program reveals two phases of exhumation within the Kaikoura Ranges: rapid cooling at 15-12 Ma localized to hanging wall rocks and regional rapid cooling reflected in all samples starting at 4-5 Ma. These results and landscape evolution models suggest that, despite the presence of active mountain front faults, much of the topographic relief in this region may predate the onset of strike-slip faulting and that portions of the Marlborough Faults are re-activated thrusts that coincide with the early development of the transpressive plate boundary. Regional exhumation after 5 Ma likely reflects increased proximity to the migrating Pacific plate subduction zone and the buoyant Chatham Rise.

Integrating soils and geomorphology in mountains - An example from the Front Range of Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Birkeland, P.W.; Shroba, R.R.; Burns, S.F.; Price, A.B.; Tonkin, P.J.

2003-01-01

Soil distribution in high mountains reflects the impact of several soil-forming factors. Soil geomorphologists use key pedological properties to estimate ages of Quaternary deposits of various depositional environments, estimate long-term stability and instability of landscapes, and make inferences on past climatic change. Once the influence of the soil-forming factors is known, soils can be used to help interpret some aspects of landscape evolution that otherwise might go undetected. The Front Range of Colorado rises from the plains of the Colorado Piedmont at about 1700 m past a widespread, dissected Tertiary erosion surface between 2300 and 2800 m up to an alpine Continental Divide at 3600 to over 4000 m. Pleistocene valley glaciers reached the western edge of the erosion surface. Parent rocks are broadly uniform (granitic and gneissic). Climate varies from 46 cm mean annual precipitation (MAP) and 11 ??C mean annual temperature (MAT) in the plains to 102 cm and -4 ??C, respectively, near the range crest. Vegetation follows climate with grassland in the plains, forest in the mountains, and tundra above 3450 m. Soils reflect the bioclimatic transect from plains to divide: A/Bw or Bt/Bk or K (grassland) to A/E/Bw or Bt/C (forest) to A/Bw/C (tundra). Corresponding soil pH values decrease from 8 to less than 5 with increasing elevation. The pedogenic clay minerals dominant in each major vegetation zone are: smectite (grassland), vermiculite (forest), and 1.0-1.8 nm mixed-layer clays (tundra). Within the lower forested zone, the topographic factor (aspect) results in more leached, colder soils, with relatively thin O horizons, well-expressed E horizons and Bt horizons (Alfisols) on N-facing slopes, whereas soils with thicker A horizons, less developed or no E horizons, and Bw or Bt horizons (Mollisols) are more common on S-facing slopes. The topographic factor in the tundra results in soil patterns as a consequence of wind-redistributed snow and the amount of time it

Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Minimally Affects Adjacent Lumbar Segment Motion: A Finite Element Study

PubMed Central

Kiapour, Ali; Yerby, Scott A.; Goel, Vijay K.

2015-01-01

Background Adjacent segment disease is a recognized consequence of fusion in the spinal column. Fusion of the sacroiliac joint is an effective method of pain reduction. Although effective, the consequences of sacroiliac joint fusion and the potential for adjacent segment disease for the adjacent lumbar spinal levels is unknown. The objective of this study was to quantify the change in range of motion of the sacroiliac joint and the adjacent lumbar spinal motion segments due to sacroiliac joint fusion and compare these changes to previous literature to assess the potential for adjacent segment disease in the lumbar spine. Methods An experimentally validated finite element model of the lumbar spine and pelvis was used to simulate a fusion of the sacroiliac joint using three laterally placed triangular implants (iFuse Implant System, SI-BONE, Inc., San Jose, CA). The range of motion of the sacroiliac joint and the adjacent lumbar spinal motion segments were calculated using a hybrid loading protocol and compared with the intact range of motion in flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Results The range of motions of the treated sacroiliac joints were reduced in flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, by 56.6%, 59.5%, 27.8%, and 53.3%, respectively when compared with the intact condition. The stiffening of the sacroiliac joint resulted in increases at the adjacent lumbar motion segment (L5-S1) for flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, of 3.0%, 3.7%, 1.1%, and 4.6%, respectively. Conclusions Fusion of the sacroiliac joint resulted in substantial (> 50%) reductions in flexion, extension, and axial rotation of the sacroiliac joint with minimal (< 5%) increases in range of motion in the lumbar spine. Although the predicted increases in lumbar range of motion are minimal after sacroiliac joint fusion, the long-term clinical results remain to be investigated. PMID:26767156

Sacroiliac Joint Fusion Minimally Affects Adjacent Lumbar Segment Motion: A Finite Element Study.

PubMed

Lindsey, Derek P; Kiapour, Ali; Yerby, Scott A; Goel, Vijay K

2015-01-01

Adjacent segment disease is a recognized consequence of fusion in the spinal column. Fusion of the sacroiliac joint is an effective method of pain reduction. Although effective, the consequences of sacroiliac joint fusion and the potential for adjacent segment disease for the adjacent lumbar spinal levels is unknown. The objective of this study was to quantify the change in range of motion of the sacroiliac joint and the adjacent lumbar spinal motion segments due to sacroiliac joint fusion and compare these changes to previous literature to assess the potential for adjacent segment disease in the lumbar spine. An experimentally validated finite element model of the lumbar spine and pelvis was used to simulate a fusion of the sacroiliac joint using three laterally placed triangular implants (iFuse Implant System, SI-BONE, Inc., San Jose, CA). The range of motion of the sacroiliac joint and the adjacent lumbar spinal motion segments were calculated using a hybrid loading protocol and compared with the intact range of motion in flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. The range of motions of the treated sacroiliac joints were reduced in flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, by 56.6%, 59.5%, 27.8%, and 53.3%, respectively when compared with the intact condition. The stiffening of the sacroiliac joint resulted in increases at the adjacent lumbar motion segment (L5-S1) for flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, of 3.0%, 3.7%, 1.1%, and 4.6%, respectively. Fusion of the sacroiliac joint resulted in substantial (> 50%) reductions in flexion, extension, and axial rotation of the sacroiliac joint with minimal (< 5%) increases in range of motion in the lumbar spine. Although the predicted increases in lumbar range of motion are minimal after sacroiliac joint fusion, the long-term clinical results remain to be investigated.

Ural Mountains, Russia

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-10-06

This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows the Ural Mountains, which run 2500 km north-south through western Russia, and form the boundary between Europe and Asia. Since the 17th century, the mountains were exploited for their deposits of iron, copper, gold, coal, oil, mica and gemstones. The Urals are among the world's oldest existing mountain ranges, having been formed about 275 million years ago due to the collision of the Laurussia supercontinent with the continent of Kazakhstania. The image was acquired July 13, 2011, covers an area of 39 by 62 km, and is located near 65.5 degrees north, 59.9 degrees east. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19795

Effects of C5/C6 Intervertebral Space Distraction Height on Pressure on the Adjacent Intervertebral Disks and Articular Processes and Cervical Vertebrae Range of Motion.

PubMed

Lu, Tingsheng; Luo, Chunshan; Ouyang, Beiping; Chen, Qiling; Deng, Zhongliang

2018-04-25

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the association between range of motion of the cervical vertebrae and various C5/C6 intervertebral space distraction heights. MATERIAL AND METHODS The cervical vertebrae from 6 fresh adult human cadavers were used to prepare the models. Changes in C4/C5 and C6/C7 intervertebral disk pressures, articular process pressure, and range of motion of the cervical vertebrae before and after the distraction of the C5/C6 intervertebral space at benchmark heights of 100%, 120%, 140%, and 160% were tested under different exercise loads. RESULTS The pressure on the adjacent intervertebral disks was highest with the standing upright position before distraction, varied with different positions of the specimens and distraction heights after distraction, and was closest to that before distraction at a distraction height of 120% (P<0.05). The pressure of the adjacent articular processes was highest with left and right rotations before distraction, varied with different positions of the specimens and distraction heights after distraction, and was lowest under the same exercise load with different positions at a distraction height of 120% (P<0.05). The ranges of motion of the cervical vertebrae and intervertebral disks were largest without distraction and at a distraction height of 120% after distraction, respectively (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS When removing the C5/C6 intervertebral disk and implanting an intervertebral bone graft, a benchmark height of 120% had little influence on the pressure of the adjacent intervertebral disks and articular processes and range of motion of the cervical vertebrae and is therefore an appropriate intervertebral space distraction height.

Effects of C5/C6 Intervertebral Space Distraction Height on Pressure on the Adjacent Intervertebral Disks and Articular Processes and Cervical Vertebrae Range of Motion

PubMed Central

Lu, Tingsheng; Luo, Chunshan; Ouyang, Beiping; Chen, Qiling

2018-01-01

Background This study aimed to investigate the association between range of motion of the cervical vertebrae and various C5/C6 intervertebral space distraction heights. Material/Methods The cervical vertebrae from 6 fresh adult human cadavers were used to prepare the models. Changes in C4/C5 and C6/C7 intervertebral disk pressures, articular process pressure, and range of motion of the cervical vertebrae before and after the distraction of the C5/C6 intervertebral space at benchmark heights of 100%, 120%, 140%, and 160% were tested under different exercise loads. Results The pressure on the adjacent intervertebral disks was highest with the standing upright position before distraction, varied with different positions of the specimens and distraction heights after distraction, and was closest to that before distraction at a distraction height of 120% (P<0.05). The pressure of the adjacent articular processes was highest with left and right rotations before distraction, varied with different positions of the specimens and distraction heights after distraction, and was lowest under the same exercise load with different positions at a distraction height of 120% (P<0.05). The ranges of motion of the cervical vertebrae and intervertebral disks were largest without distraction and at a distraction height of 120% after distraction, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusions When removing the C5/C6 intervertebral disk and implanting an intervertebral bone graft, a benchmark height of 120% had little influence on the pressure of the adjacent intervertebral disks and articular processes and range of motion of the cervical vertebrae and is therefore an appropriate intervertebral space distraction height. PMID:29693646

Metal speciation in agricultural soils adjacent to the Irankuh Pb-Zn mining area, central Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mokhtari, Ahmad Reza; Roshani Rodsari, Parisa; Cohen, David R.; Emami, Adel; Dehghanzadeh Bafghi, Ali Akbar; Khodaian Ghegeni, Ziba

2015-01-01

Mining activities are a significant potential source of metal contamination of soils in surrounding areas, with particular concern for metals dispersed into agricultural area in forms that are bioavailable and which may affect human health. Soils in agricultural land adjacent to Pb-Zn mining operations in the southern part of the Irankuh Mountains contain elevated concentrations for a range of metals associated with the mineralization (including Pb, Zn and As). Total and partial geochemical extraction data from a suite of 137 soil samples is used to establish mineralogical controls on ore-related trace elements and help differentiate spatial patterns that can be related to the effects of mining on the agricultural land soils from general geological and environmental controls. Whereas the patterns for Pb, Zn and As are spatially related to the mining operations they display little correlation with the distribution of secondary Fe + Mn oxyhydroxides or carbonates, suggesting dispersion as dust and in forms with limited bioavailability.

Mountain Goats (Oreamnos americanum) at the livestock/wildlife interface: A susceptible species

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanum) were first introduced into the East Humboldt and Ruby Mountains of Elko County, Nevada in the 1960’s. These contiguous mountain ranges are also home to introduced Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and native mule deer and are surrounded by both public and private rang...

Geology of the Yucca Mountain region

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stuckless, J.S.; O'Leary, Dennis W.

2006-01-01

Yucca Mountain has been proposed as the site for the nation's first geologic repository for high-level radioactive waste. This chapter provides the geologic framework for the Yucca Mountain region. The regional geologic units range in age from late Precambrian through Holocene, and these are described briefly. Yucca Mountain is composed dominantly of pyroclastic units that range in age from 11.4 to 15.2 Ma. The proposed repository would be constructed within the Topopah Spring Tuff, which is the lower of two major zoned and welded ash-flow tuffs within the Paintbrush Group. The two welded tuffs are separated by the partly to nonwelded Pah Canyon Tuff and Yucca Mountain Tuff, which together figure prominently in the hydrology of the unsaturated zone. The Quaternary deposits are primarily alluvial sediments with minor basaltic cinder cones and flows. Both have been studied extensively because of their importance in predicting the long-term performance of the proposed repository. Basaltic volcanism began ca. 10 Ma and continued as recently as ca. 80 ka with the eruption of cones and flows at Lathrop Wells, ???10 km south-southwest of Yucca Mountain. Geologic structure in the Yucca Mountain region is complex. During the latest Paleozoic and Mesozoic, strong compressional forces caused tight folding and thrust faulting. The present regional setting is one of extension, and normal faulting has been active from the Miocene through to the present. There are three major local tectonic domains: (1) Basin and Range, (2) Walker Lane, and (3) Inyo-Mono. Each domain has an effect on the stability of Yucca Mountain. ?? 2007 Geological Society of America. All rights reserved.

Hungry Horse Dam Wildlife Habitat Enhancement Project: Long-Term Habitat Management Plan, Elk and Mule Deer Winter Range Enhancement, Firefighter Mountain and Spotted Bear Winter Ranges.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Casey, Daniel; Malta, Patrick

1990-06-01

Project goals are to rehabilitate 1120 acres of big game (elk and mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus) winter range on the Hungry Horse and Spotted Bear Districts of Flathead National Forest lands adjacent to Hungry Horse Reservoir. This project represents the initial phase of implementation toward the mitigation goal. A minimum of 547 acres Trust-funded enhancements are called for in this plan. The remainder are part of the typical Forest Service management activities for the project area. Monitor and evaluate the effects of project implementation on the big game forage base and elk and mule deer populations in the project area.more » Monitor enhancement success to determine effective acreage to be credited against mitigation goal. Additional enhancement acreage will be selected elsewhere in the Flathead Forest or other lands adjacent'' to the reservoir based on progress toward the mitigation goal as determined through monitoring. The Wildlife Mitigation Trust Fund Advisory Committee will serve to guide decisions regarding future enhancement efforts. 7 refs.« less

Comparison of Paleogene paleogeography: Southern Coast Ranges and western Transverse Ranges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schussler, S.A.

1991-02-01

The paleogene stratigraphic sequence exposed in the southwestern San Rafael Mountains at the southern terminus of the Coast Ranges, consists of up to 850 m (2,800 ft) of the marine limestone, sandstone, and mudstone that lies with a unique depositional contact upon Franciscan Complex rocks. Lithofacies identified represent four sedimentary environments: (1) foreslope talus deposits of a neritic algal bank (Sierra Blanca limestone), (2) bathyal basin plain and outer submarine fan deposits (Juncal/Anita Formation and Cozy Dell Shale), (3) suprafan lobe deposits of a bathyal submarine fan (lower Mitilija Sandstone), and (4) sublittoral shelf deposits (upper Matilija Sandstone). Similarities betweenmore » paleogene rocks in the southwest San Rafael mountains and the western Santa Ynez Mountains of the Transverse Ranges, approximately 60 km (40 mi) to the west, suggest deposition in a similar paleogeographic setting. Paleomagnetic data suggests post-Paleogene clockwise rotations of the western Transverse Ranges of 90{degree}+. Counterclockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges by this amount aligns the similar depositional sequences of the western Transverse Ranges with the northwest-trending Paleogene forearc basin of the southern Coast Ranges and eliminates the necessity for an east-west-oriented Paleogene basin at the site of the present western Transverse Ranges.« less

DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight over snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-02-25

The DC-8 in flight near Lone Pine, Calif. In the foreground are the Sierra Nevada Mountains, covered with winter snow. In the distance are the White Mountains. The DC-8's fuselage is painted white with a dark blue stripe down the side. The wings are silver, while the engine pods are white. In this view of the airplane's right-hand side, only a few of its antennas are visible. The experimental payload can be as great as 30,000 pounds of equipment for gathering data of various sorts.

A new interpretation of deformation rates in the Snake River Plain and adjacent basin and range regions based on GPS measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

S.J. Payne; R. McCaffrey; R.W. King

2012-04-01

We evaluate horizontal Global Positioning System (GPS) velocities together with geologic, volcanic, and seismic data to interpret extension, shear, and contraction within the Snake River Plain and the Northern Basin and Range Province, U.S.A. We estimate horizontal surface velocities using GPS data collected at 385 sites from 1994 to 2009 and present an updated velocity field within the Stable North American Reference Frame (SNARF). Our results show an ENE-oriented extensional strain rate of 5.9 {+-} 0.7 x 10{sup -9} yr{sup -1} in the Centennial Tectonic belt and an E-oriented extensional strain rate of 6.2 {+-} 0.3 x 10{sup -9} yr{supmore » -1} in the Intermountain Seismic belt combined with the northern Great Basin. These extensional strain rates contrast with the regional north-south contraction of -2.6 {+-} 1.1 x 10{sup -9} yr{sup -1} calculated in the Snake River Plain and Owyhee-Oregon Plateau over a 125 x 650 km region. Tests that include dike-opening reveal that rapid extension by dike intrusion in volcanic rift zones does not occur in the Snake River Plain at present. This slow internal deformation in the Snake River Plain is in contrast to the rapidly-extending adjacent Basin and Range provinces and implies shear along boundaries of the Snake River Plain. We estimate right-lateral shear with slip rates of 0.5-1.5 mm/yr along the northwestern boundary adjacent to the Centennial Tectonic belt and left-lateral oblique extension with slip rates of <0.5 to 1.7 mm/yr along the southeastern boundary adjacent to the Intermountain Seismic belt. The fastest lateral shearing occurs near the Yellowstone Plateau where strike-slip focal mechanisms and faults with observed strike-slip components of motion are documented. The regional GPS velocity gradients are best fit by nearby poles of rotation for the Centennial Tectonic belt, Idaho batholith, Snake River Plain, Owyhee-Oregon Plateau, and central Oregon, indicating that clockwise rotation is driven by extension to

Preliminary study of atmospheric carbon dioxide in a glacial area of the Qilian Mountains, west China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chuanjin; Zhou, Lingxi; Qin, Dahe; Liu, Lixin; Qin, Xiang; Wang, Zebin; Ren, Jiawen

2014-12-01

Carbon dioxide represents the most important contribution to increased radiative forcing. The preliminary results of the atmospheric carbon dioxide mole fraction from the glacial region in the Qilian Mountains area, in the northeast of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) Plateau during July, 2009 to October, 2012 are presented. The annual mean CO2 mole fractions in 2010 and 2011 were 388.4 ± 2.7 ppm and 392.7 ± 2.6 ppm, respectively. These values were consistent with the CO2 mole fractions from the WMO/GAW stations located at high altitudes. However, both the concentration and seasonal variation were significantly lower than stations located adjacent to megacities or economic centers at low latitudes in eastern China. Shorter durations of photosynthesis of the alpine vegetation system that exceeded respiration were detected at the Qilian Mountains glacial area. The annual mean increase during the sampling period was 2.9 ppm yr-1 and this value was higher than the global mean values. Anthropogenic activities in the cities adjacent to the Qilian Mountains may have important influences on the CO2 mole fractions, especially in summer, when north and north-north-west winds are typical.

Mountains of the world: vulnerable water towers for the 21st century.

PubMed

Messerli, Bruno; Viviroli, Daniel; Weingartner, Rolf

2004-11-01

Mountains as "Water Towers" play an important role for the surrounding lowlands. This is particularly true of the world's semiarid and arid zones, where the contributions of mountains to total discharge are 50-90%. Taking into account the increasing water scarcity in these regions, especially for irrigation and food production, then today's state of knowledge in mountain hydrology makes sustainable water management and an assessment of vulnerability quite difficult. Following the IPCC report, the zone of maximum temperature increase in a 2 x CO2 state extends from low elevation in the arctic and sub-arctic to high elevation in the tropics and subtropics. The planned GCOS climate stations do not reach this elevation of high temperature change, although there are many high mountain peaks with the necessary sensitive and vulnerable ecosystems. Worldwide, more than 700 million people live in mountain areas, of these, 625 million are in developing countries. Probably more than half of these 625 million people are vulnerable to food insecurity. Consequences of this insecurity can be emigration or overuse of mountain ecosystems. Overuse of the ecosystems will, ultimately, have negative effects on the environment and especially on water resources. New research initiatives and new high mountain observatories are needed in order to understand the ongoing natural and human processes and their impacts on the adjacent lowlands.

Tectonic and erosion-driven uplift in the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains of East Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferraccioli, Fausto; Jordan, Tom; Watts, Tony; Bell, Robin; Jamieson, Stewart; Finn, Carol; Damaske, Detlef

2014-05-01

Understanding the mechanisms leading to intraplate mountain building remains a significant challenge in Earth Sciences compared to ranges formed along plate margins. The most enigmatic intraplate mountain range on Earth is the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM) located in the middle of the Precambrian East Antarctic Craton. During the International Polar Year, the AGAP project acquired 120,000 line km of new airborne geophysical data (Bell et al., 2011, Science) and seismological observations (Hansen et al., 2010, EPSL) across central East Antarctica. Models derived from these datasets provide new geophysical perspectives on crustal architecture and possible uplift mechanisms for the enigmatic GSM (Ferraccioli et al., 2011, Nature). The geophysical data define a 2,500-km-long Paleozoic to Mesozoic rift system in East Antarctica surrounding the GSM. A thick high-density lower crustal root is partially preserved beneath the range and has been interpreted as formed during the Proterozoic assembly of East Antarctica. Rifting could have triggered phase/density changes at deep crustal levels, perhaps restoring some of the latent root buoyancy, as well as causing rift-flank uplift. Permian rifting is well-established in the adjacent Lambert Rift, and was followed by Cretaceous strike-slip faulting and transtension associated with Gondwana break-up; this phase may have provided a more recent tectonic trigger for the initial uplift of the modern GSM. The Cretaceous rift-flank uplift model for the Gamburtsevs is appealing because it relates the initiation of intraplate mountain-building to large-scale geodynamic processes that led to the separation of Greater India from East Antarctica. It is also consistent with several geological and geophysical interpretations within the Lambert Rift. However, recent detrital thermochrology results from Oligocene-Quaternary sediments in Prydz Bay (Tochlin et al., 2012, G3) argue against the requirement for major Cretaceous rift

Mountain pine beetle host selection between lodgepole and ponderosa pines in the southern Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

Daniel R. West; Jennifer S. Briggs; William R. Jacobi; Jose F. Negron

2016-01-01

Recent evidence of range expansion and host transition by mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) has suggested that MPB may not primarily breed in their natal host, but will switch hosts to an alternate tree species. As MPB populations expanded in lodgepole pine forests in the southern Rocky Mountains, we investigated the potential for...

Fuel and stand characteristics in p. pine infested with mountain pine beetle, Ips beetle, and southwestern dwarf mistletoe in Colorado's Northern Front Range

Treesearch

Jennifer G. Klutsch; Russell D. Beam; William R. Jacobi; Jose F. Negron

2008-01-01

In the ponderosa pine forests of the northern Front Range of Colorado, downed woody debris amounts, fuel arrangement, and stand characteristics were assessed in areas infested with southwestern dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium vaginatum subsp. cryptopodum), mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and

Ungulate herbivory on alpine willow in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zeigenfuss, L.C.; Schoenecker, K.A.; Amburg, L.K.V.

2011-01-01

In many areas of the Rocky Mountains, elk (Cervus elaphus) migrate from low-elevation mountain valleys during spring to high-elevation subalpine and alpine areas for the summer. Research has focused on the impacts of elk herbivory on winter-range plant communities, particularly on woody species such as willow and aspen; however, little information is available on the effects of elk herbivory on alpine willows. In the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of south central Colorado, select alpine areas appear to receive high levels of summer elk herbivory, while other areas are nearly unbrowsed. In 2005 and 2008, we measured willow height, cover, and utilization on sites that appeared to be used heavily by elk, as well as on sites that appeared to be used lightly, to determine differences between these communities over time. We found less willow cover and shorter willows at sites that received higher levels of browsing compared to those that had lower levels of browsing. Human recreational use was greater at lightly browsed sites than at highly browsed sites. From 2005 to 2008, willow utilization declined, and willow cover and height increased at sites with heavy browsing, likely owing to ownership change of adjacent valley land which led to (1) removal of grazing competition from, cattle at valley locations and (2) increased human use in alpine areas, which displaced elk. We discuss the implications of increased human use and climate change on elk use of these alpine habitats. ?? 2011.

Forest ecology and biogeography of the Uinta Mountains, USA

Treesearch

John D. Shaw; James N. Long

2007-01-01

The Uinta Mountains form a crossroads of forests and woodlands in the central Rocky Mountains. Although no tree species is endemic to the area, all species characteristic of the central Rocky Mountains are found there, and the ranges of several other species terminate in the Uinta Mountains and the surrounding area. The peninsula-like shape, east-west orientation, and...

Development of the archean crust in the medina mountain area, wind river range, wyoming (U.S.A.)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Koesterer, M.E.; Frost, C.D.; Frost, B.R.; Hulsebosch, T.P.; Bridgwater, D.; Worl, R.G.

1987-01-01

Evidence for an extensive Archean crustal history in the Wind River Range is preserved in the Medina Mountain area in the west-central part of the range. The oldest rocks in the area are metasedimentary, mafic, and ultramafic blocks in a migmatite host. The supracrustal rocks of the Medina Mountain area (MMS) are folded into the migmatites, and include semi-pelitic and pelitic gneisses, and mafic rocks of probable volcanic origin. Mafic dikes intrude the older migmatites but not the MMS, suggesting that the MMS are distinctly younger than the supracrustal rocks in the migmatites. The migmatites and the MMS were engulfed by the late Archean granite of the Bridger, Louis Lake, and Bears Ears batholiths, which constitutes the dominant rock of the Wind River Range. Isotopic data available for the area include Nd crustal residence ages from the MMS which indicate that continental crust existed in the area at or before 3.4 Ga, but the age of the older supracrustal sequence is not yet known. The upper age of the MMS is limited by a 2.7 Ga RbSr age of the Bridger batholith, which was emplaced during the waning stages of the last regional metamorphism. The post-tectonic Louis Lake and Bears Ears batholiths have ages of 2.6 and 2.5 Ga, respectively (Stuckless et al., 1985). At least three metamorphic events are recorded in the area: (1) an early regional granulite event (M1) that affected only the older inclusions within the migmatites, (2) a second regional amphibolite event (M2) that locally reached granulite facies conditions, and (3) a restricted, contact granulite facies event (M3) caused by the intrusion of charnockitic melts associated with the late Archean plutons. Results from cation exchange geobarometers and geothermometers yield unreasonablu low pressures and temperatures, suggesting resetting during the long late Archean thermal evenn. ?? 1987.

Developing landscape habitat models for rare amphibians with small geographic ranges: a case study of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders in the western USA

Treesearch

Nobuya Suzuki; Deanna H. Olson; Edward C. Reilly

2007-01-01

To advance the development of conservation planning for rare species with small geographic ranges, we determined habitat associations of Siskiyou Mountains salamanders (Plethodon stormi) and developed habitat suitability models at fine (10 ha), medium (40 ha), and broad (202 ha) spatial scales using available geographic information systems data and...

Field guide to geologic excursions in southwestern Utah and adjacent areas of Arizona and Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lund, William R.; Lund, William R.

2002-01-01

This field guide contains road logs for field trips planned in conjunction with the 2002 Rocky Mountain Section meeting of the Geological Society of America held at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. There are a total of eight field trips, covering various locations and topics in southwestern Utah and adjacent areas of Arizona and Nevada. In addition, the field guide contains a road log for a set of Geological Engineering Field Camp Exercises run annually by the University of Missouri at Rolla in and around Cedar City. Two of the field trips address structural aspects of the geology in southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona; two trips deal with ground water in the region; and along with the Field Camp Exercises, one trip, to the Grand Staircase, is designed specifically for educators. The remaining trips examine the volcanology and mineral resources of a large area in and around the Tusher Mountains in Utah; marine and brackish water strata in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; and the Pine Valley Mountains, which are cored by what may be the largest known laccolith in the world. The "Three Corners" area of Utah, Arizona, and Nevada is home to truly world-class geology, and I am confident that all of the 2002 Rocky Mountain Section meeting attendees will find a field trip suited to their interests.

Impact of tebuthiuron on biodiversity of high elevation mountain big sagebrush communities

Treesearch

Barbara A. Wachocki; Mohammad Sondossi; Stewart C. Sanderson; Bruce L. Webb; E. Durant McArthur

2001-01-01

The objectives of this study were to determine tebuthiuron’s (1) effectiveness at low application rates in thinning dense, high elevation stands of mountain big sagebrush, (2) impact on understory herbaceous plants and soil microflora, and (3) movement and stability in soil. Four study sites were established in the Fish Lake National Forest and adjacent Bureau of Land...

Adjacent-level arthroplasty following cervical fusion.

PubMed

Rajakumar, Deshpande V; Hari, Akshay; Krishna, Murali; Konar, Subhas; Sharma, Ankit

2017-02-01

OBJECTIVE Adjacent-level disc degeneration following cervical fusion has been well reported. This condition poses a major treatment dilemma when it becomes symptomatic. The potential application of cervical arthroplasty to preserve motion in the affected segment is not well documented, with few studies in the literature. The authors present their initial experience of analyzing clinical and radiological results in such patients who were treated with arthroplasty for new or persistent arm and/or neck symptoms related to neural compression due to adjacent-segment disease after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). METHODS During a 5-year period, 11 patients who had undergone ACDF anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) and subsequently developed recurrent neck or arm pain related to adjacent-level cervical disc disease were treated with cervical arthroplasty at the authors' institution. A total of 15 devices were implanted (range of treated levels per patient: 1-3). Clinical evaluation was performed both before and after surgery, using a visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and the Neck Disability Index (NDI). Radiological outcomes were analyzed using pre- and postoperative flexion/extension lateral radiographs measuring Cobb angle (overall C2-7 sagittal alignment), functional spinal unit (FSU) angle, and range of motion (ROM). RESULTS There were no major perioperative complications or device-related failures. Statistically significant results, obtained in all cases, were reflected by an improvement in VAS scores for neck/arm pain and NDI scores for neck pain. Radiologically, statistically significant increases in the overall lordosis (as measured by Cobb angle) and ROM at the treated disc level were observed. Three patients were lost to follow-up within the first year after arthroplasty. In the remaining 8 cases, the duration of follow-up ranged from 1 to 3 years. None of these 8 patients required surgery for the same vertebral level during the follow

Mammoth Mountain and its mafic periphery—A late Quaternary volcanic field in eastern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildreth, Wes; Fierstein, Judith; Champion, Duane E.; Calvert, Andrew T.

2014-01-01

The trachydacite complex of Mammoth Mountain and an array of contemporaneous mafic volcanoes in its periphery together form a discrete late Pleistocene magmatic system that is thermally and compositionally independent of the adjacent subalkaline Long Valley system (California, USA). The Mammoth system first erupted ca. 230 ka, last erupted ca. 8 ka, and remains restless and potentially active. Magmas of the Mammoth system extruded through Mesozoic plutonic rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith and extensive remnants of its prebatholith wall rocks. All of the many mafic and silicic vents of the Mammoth system are west or southwest of the structural boundary of Long Valley caldera; none is inboard of the caldera’s buried ring-fault zone, and only one Mammoth-related vent is within the zone. Mammoth Mountain has sometimes been called part of the Inyo volcanic chain, an ascription we regard inappropriate and misleading. The scattered vent array of the Mammoth system, 10 × 20 km wide, is unrelated to the range-front fault zone, and its broad nonlinear footprint ignores both Long Valley caldera and the younger Mono-Inyo range-front vent alignment. Moreover, the Mammoth Mountain dome complex (63%–71% SiO2; 8.0%–10.5% alkalies) ended its period of eruptive activity (100–50 ka) long before Holocene inception of Inyo volcanism. Here we describe 25 silicic eruptive units that built Mammoth Mountain and 37 peripheral units, which include 13 basalts, 15 mafic andesites, 6 andesites, and 3 dacites. Chemical data are appended for nearly 900 samples, as are paleomagnetic data for ∼150 sites drilled. The 40Ar/39Ar dates (230–16 ka) are given for most units, and all exposed units are younger than ca. 190 ka. Nearly all are mildly alkaline, in contrast to the voluminous subalkaline rhyolites of the contiguous long-lived Long Valley magma system. Glaciated remnants of Neogene mafic and trachydacitic lavas (9.1–2.6 Ma) are scattered near Mammoth Mountain, but Quaternary

Sediment pulses in mountain rivers. Part 2. Comparison between experiments and numerical predictions

Treesearch

Y. Cui; G. Parker; J. E. Pizzuto; T. E. Lisle

2003-01-01

Mountain rivers in particular are prone to sediment input in the form of pulses rather than a more continuous supply. These pulses often enter in the form of landslides from adjacent hillslopes or debris flows from steeper tributaries. The activities of humans such as timber harvesting, road building, and urban development can increase the frequency of sediment pulses...

Klamath Mountains bioregion

Treesearch

Carl N. Skinner; Alan H. Taylor; James K. Agee

2006-01-01

The Klamath Mountains bioregion makes up a major portion of northwestern California continuing into southwestern Oregon to near Roseburg. In California, the bioregion lies primarily between the Northern California Coast bioregion on the west and the southern Cascade Range to the east. The southern boundary is made up of the Northern California Coast Ranges and Northern...

Kinematics of Active Deformation Across the Western Kunlun Mountain Range (Xinjiang, China) and Potential Seismic Hazards Within the Southern Tarim Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guilbaud, Christelle; Simoes, Martine; Barrier, Laurie; Laborde, Amandine; Van der Woerd, Jérôme; Li, Haibing; Tapponnier, Paul; Coudroy, Thomas; Murray, Andrew

2017-12-01

The Western Kunlun mountain range is a slowly converging intracontinental orogen where deformation rates are too low to be properly quantified from geodetic techniques. This region has recorded little seismicity, but the recent July 2015 (Mw 6.4) Pishan earthquake shows that this mountain range remains seismic. To quantify the rate of active deformation and the potential for major earthquakes in this region, we combine a structural and quantitative morphological analysis of the Yecheng-Pishan fold, along the topographic mountain front in the epicentral area. Using a seismic profile, we derive a structural cross section in which we identify the fault that broke during the Pishan earthquake, an 8-12 km deep blind ramp beneath the Yecheng-Pishan fold. Combining satellite images and DEMs, we achieve a detailed morphological analysis of the Yecheng-Pishan fold, where we find nine levels of incised fluvial terraces and alluvial fans. From their incision pattern and using age constraints retrieved on some of these terraces from field sampling, we quantify the slip rate on the underlying blind ramp to 0.5 to 2.5 mm/yr, with a most probable long-term value of 2 to 2.5 mm/yr. The evolution of the Yecheng-Pishan fold is proposed by combining all structural, morphological, and chronological observations. Finally, we compare the seismotectonic context of the Western Kunlun to what has been proposed for the Himalayas of Central Nepal. This allows for discussing the possibility of M ≥ 8 earthquakes if the whole decollement across the southern Tarim Basin is seismically locked and ruptures in one single event.

Effects of 1997 debris floods in two Klamath Mountain streams: A large woody debris mass-balance approach

Treesearch

Zackary J. Mondry; Susan J. Hilton

2000-01-01

Large landslides and debris flows in January 1997 produced contrasting downstream debris flood effects in two adjacent Northern California Klamath Mountain streams. Valley morphology and riparian forests were examined on post-flood 1:3000 air photos along two approximately 8 km survey reaches.

The value of Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) woodlands in South Dakota as small mammal habitat

Treesearch

Carolyn Hull Sieg

1988-01-01

Small mammals and vegetation were sampled over two years in Rocky Mountain juniper woodlands and adjacent grasslands in South Dakota. Juniper woodlands provided specialized habitat for two woodland species, white-footed mice and bushy-tailed woodrats, and attracted a number of species generally associated with grasslands.

Exploring objective climate classification for the Himalayan arc and adjacent regions using gridded data sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forsythe, N.; Blenkinsop, S.; Fowler, H. J.

2015-05-01

A three-step climate classification was applied to a spatial domain covering the Himalayan arc and adjacent plains regions using input data from four global meteorological reanalyses. Input variables were selected based on an understanding of the climatic drivers of regional water resource variability and crop yields. Principal component analysis (PCA) of those variables and k-means clustering on the PCA outputs revealed a reanalysis ensemble consensus for eight macro-climate zones. Spatial statistics of input variables for each zone revealed consistent, distinct climatologies. This climate classification approach has potential for enhancing assessment of climatic influences on water resources and food security as well as for characterising the skill and bias of gridded data sets, both meteorological reanalyses and climate models, for reproducing subregional climatologies. Through their spatial descriptors (area, geographic centroid, elevation mean range), climate classifications also provide metrics, beyond simple changes in individual variables, with which to assess the magnitude of projected climate change. Such sophisticated metrics are of particular interest for regions, including mountainous areas, where natural and anthropogenic systems are expected to be sensitive to incremental climate shifts.

Silvics of western white pine

Treesearch

Charles A. Wellner

1962-01-01

Western white pine grows along west coast mountain ranges from Vancouver Island and the Homathko River on the adjacent mainland in British Columbia southward to the San Bernardino Mountains of southern California (13, 65, 75, 83). In the interior its range is from Quesnel Lake through the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia southward into northern Idaho, western...

Nitrogen saturation in the Rocky Mountains: Linking emissions, deposition, and ecosystem effects using stable isotopes of nitrogen compounds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Campbell, D.H.; Nanus, L.; Böhlke, J.K.; Harlin, K.; Collett, J.

2007-01-01

Elevated levels of atmospheric N deposition are affecting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems at high elevations in Rocky Mountain National Park and adjacent areas of the Front Range of Colorado. Federal and state agencies are now working together to develop cost-effective means for reducing atmospheric N deposition. A discussion on N saturation covers the need for better understanding of N emission source areas and source types that contribute to N deposition in the Rocky Mountains Front Range of Colorado; reductions in NO emissions that resulted from Clean Air Act Amendments, which caused NO3 deposition to decrease between 1984 and 2003; factors contributing to N deposition, e.g., rapid population growth and energy development; origins of NO3, e.g., as NO emissions from fossil fuel combustion, including stationary sources (e.g. emission from coal combustion in electric generating units), and mobile sources (vehicle emissions); disperse stationary sources from energy resource development, e.g., natural gas production; and the importance of incorporating local source characterization and finer spatial and temporal sampling into future studies, which could provide additional insight into N deposition source attribution. This is an abstract of a paper presented at the 100th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Air and Waste Management Association (Pittsburgh, PA 6/26-29/2007).

Mountain goat abundance and population trends in the Olympic Mountains, Washington, 2011

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jenkins, Kurt; Happe, Patricia; Griffin, Paul C.; Beirne, Katherine; Hoffman, Roger; Baccus, William

2011-01-01

We conducted an aerial helicopter survey between July 18 and July 25, 2011, to estimate abundance and trends of introduced mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in the Olympic Mountains. The survey was the first since we developed a sightability correction model in 2008, which provided the means to estimate the number of mountain goats present in the surveyed areas and not seen during the aerial surveys, and to adjust for undercounting biases. Additionally, the count was the first since recent telemetry studies revealed that the previously defined survey zone, which was delineated at lower elevations by the 1,520-meter elevation contour, did not encompass all lands used by mountain goats during summer. We redefined the lower elevation boundary of survey units before conducting the 2011 surveys in an effort to more accurately estimate the entire mountain goat population. We surveyed 39 survey units, comprising 39 percent of the 59,615-hectare survey area. We estimated a mountain goat population of 344±44 (standard error, SE) in the expanded survey area. Based on this level of estimation uncertainty, the 95-percent confidence interval ranged from 258 to 430 mountain goats at the time of the survey. To permit comparisons of mountain goat populations between the 2004 and 2011 surveys, we recomputed population estimates derived from the 2004 survey using the newly developed bias correction methods, and we computed the 2004 and 2011 surveys based on comparable survey zone definitions (for example, using the boundaries of the 2004 survey). The recomputed estimates of mountain goat populations were 217±19 (SE) in 2004 and 303±41(SE) in 2011. The difference between the current 2011 population estimate (344±44[SE]) and the recomputed 2011 estimate (303±41[SE]) reflects the number of mountain goats counted in the expanded lower elevation portions of the survey zone added in 2011. We conclude that the population of mountain goats has increased in the Olympic Mountains at

Geologic Insights and Suggestions on Mineral Potential Based on Analyses of Geophysical Data of the Southern Toquima Range, Nye County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shawe, D.R.; Kucks, R.P.; Hildenbrand, T.G.

2004-01-01

Aeromagnetic and gravity data provide confirmation of major structural and lithologic units in the southern Toquima Range, Nevada. These units include Cretaceous granite plutons and Tertiary calderas. In addition, the geophysical maps pinpoint numerous faults and lesser intrusions, and they suggest locations of several inferred subsurface intrusions. They also corroborate a system of northwesterly and northeasterly conjugate structures that probably are fundamental to the structural framework of the Toquima Range. A combination of geophysical, geochemical, and geologic data available for the widely mineralized and productive area suggests additional mineral resource potential, especially in and (or) adjacent to the Round Mountain, Jefferson, Manhattan, and Belmont mining districts. Also, evidence for mineral potential exists for areas near the Flower mercury mine south of Mount Jefferson caldera, and in the Bald Mountain Canyon belt of gold-quartz veins in the Manhattan caldera. A few other areas also show potential for mineral resources. The various geologic environments indicated within the map area suggest base- and precious-metal potential in porphyry deposits as well as in quartz-vein and skarn deposits associated with intrusive stocks.

A Comparison of Vegetation Within and Outside Riparian Areas Bordering Ephemeral Streams in the Ouachita Mountains

Treesearch

David K. Radabaugh; Hal O. Liechty; James M. Guldin

2004-01-01

Abstract - Ephemeral streams frequently occur in shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) hardwood stands that grow on the upper and mid-slopes of the Ouachita Mountains in Arkansas. Stream management zones are established around these ephemeral streams in the Ouachita National Forest to minimize impacts of adjacent forest management...

Long-range Transport of Aerosol at a Mountain Site in the Western Mediterranean Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, Greg; Corrigan, Craig; Ritchie, John; Pont, Véronique; Claeys, Marine; Sciare, Jean; Dulac, François

2016-04-01

The Mediterranean Region has been identified as sensitive to changes in the hydrological cycle, which could affect the water resources for millions of people by the turn of the century. However, prior to recent observations, most climate models have not accounted for the impacts of aerosol in this region. Past airborne studies have shown that aerosol sources from Europe and Africa are often transported throughout the lower troposphere; yet, because of their complex vertical distribution, it is a challenge to capture the variability and quantify the contribution of these sources to the radiative budget and precipitation processes. The PAEROS ChArMEx Mountain Experiment (PACMEx) complemented the regional activities by collecting aerosol data from atop a mountain on the island of Corsica, France in order to assess boundary layer / free troposphere atmospheric processes. In June/July 2013, PACMEx instruments were deployed at 2000 m.asl near the center of Corsica, France to complement ground-based aerosol observations at 550 m.asl on the northern peninsula, as well as airborne measurements. Comparisons between the peninsula site and the mountain site show similar general trends in aerosol properties; yet, differences in aerosol properties reveal the myriad transport mechanisms over the Mediterranean Basin. Using aerosol physicochemical data coupled with back trajectory analysis, different sources have been identified including Saharan dust transport, residual dust mixed with sea salt, anthropogenic emissions from Western Europe, and a period of biomass burning from Eastern Europe. Each period exhibits distinct signatures in the aerosol related to transport processes above and below the boundary layer. In addition, the total aerosol concentrations at the mountain site revealed a strong diurnal cycling the between the atmospheric boundary layer and the free troposphere, which is typical of mountain-top observations. PACMEx was funded by the National Science Foundation

Debris Flows and Record Floods from Extreme Mesoscale Convective Thunderstorms over the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Magirl, Christopher S.; Shoemaker, Craig; Webb, Robert H.; Schaffner, Mike; Griffiths, Peter G.; Pytlak, Erik

2007-01-01

Ample geologic evidence indicates early Holocene and Pleistocene debris flows from the south side of the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson, Arizona, but few records document historical events. On July 31, 2006, an unusual set of atmospheric conditions aligned to produce record floods and an unprecedented number of debris flows in the Santa Catalinas. During the week prior to the event, an upper-level area of low pressure centered near Albuquerque, New Mexico generated widespread heavy rainfall in southern Arizona. After midnight on July 31, a strong complex of thunderstorms developed over central Arizona in a deformation zone that formed on the back side of the upper-level low. High atmospheric moisture (2.00' of precipitable water) coupled with cooling aloft spawned a mesoscale thunderstorm complex that moved southeast into the Tucson basin. A 15-20 knot low-level southwesterly wind developed with a significant upslope component over the south face of the Santa Catalina Mountains advecting moist and unstable air into the merging storms. National Weather Service radar indicated that a swath of 3-6' of rainfall occurred over the lower and middle elevations of the southern Santa Catalina Mountains. This intense rain falling on saturated soil triggered over 250 hillslope failures and debris flows throughout the mountain range. Sabino Canyon, a heavily used recreation area administered by the U.S. Forest Service, was the epicenter of mass wasting, where at least 18 debris flows removed structures, destroyed the roadway in multiple locations, and closed public access for months. The debris flows were followed by streamflow floods which eclipsed the record discharge in the 75-year gaging record of Sabino Creek. In five canyons adjacent to Sabino Canyon, debris flows approached or excited the mountain front, compromising floow conveyance structures and flooding some homes.

Tectonic and erosion-driven uplift for the Gamburtsev Mountains: a preliminary combined landscape analyses and flexural modelling approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferraccioli, Fausto; Anderson, Lester; Jamieson, Stewart; Bell, Robin; Rose, Kathryn; Jordan, Tom; Finn, Carol; Damaske, Detlef

2013-04-01

Mountain building processes in intraplate settings remain relatively poorly understood when compared to ranges formed along plate margins. The most enigmatic intraplate mountain range on Earth is located in the middle of the East Antarctic Craton and is known from geophysical surveys as the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains (GSM). During the IPY, the AGAP project acquired 120,000 line km of airborne geophysical data (Bell et al., 2011, Science) and seismological observations (Hansen et al., 2010, EPSL) across central East Antarctica that provide new perspectives on crustal architecture and uplift mechanisms for the enigmatic GSM (Ferraccioli et al., 2011, Nature). The geophysical data define a 2,500-km-long Paleozoic-Mesozoic rift system in East Antarctica surrounding the GSM. A thick high-density lower crustal root is in parts preserved beneath the range and has been interpreted as having formed during Proterozoic assembly of a mosaic of originally separate East Antarctic provinces. Rifting could have triggered phase/density changes at deep crustal levels, effectively restoring some of the latent root buoyancy, as well as causing more classical flexural rift-flank uplift. Permian rifting was followed by Cretaceous strike-slip faulting and transtension associated with Gondwana break-up and this phase may have provided a more recent tectonic trigger for initial uplift of the modern GSM. The Cretaceous rift-flank uplift model for the Gamburtsevs is appealing because it relates the initiation of intraplate mountain-building to larger-scale geodynamic processes and is consistent with several geological and geophysical interpretations in the adjacent Lambert Rift (Ferraccioli et al., 2011). However, a more recent interpretation predicts that major Cretaceous rift-related exhumation in interior East Antarctica is not required to explain detrital thermochrology results from Oligocene-Quaternary sediments in Prydz Bay (Tochlin et al., 2012, G3). This raises the question of

Thermochronologic constraints on Jurassic rift flank denudation in the Thiel Mountains, Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fitzgerald, P.G.; Baldwin, S.L.

2007-01-01

The Thiel Mountains are part of the Transantarctic Mountains (TAM) and occupy a strategic position close to the East-West Antarctic boundary. They occur in a region of relatively subdued topography distal from high topography and high relief of most of the TAM adjacent to the West Antarctic rift system. Low-temperature thermochronology on samples collected from the Reed Ridge granite on the north flank of the Thiel Mountains constrain the thermal and hence tectonic history. Apatite fission track data plus thermal models indicate cooling from ca. 165-150 Ma. In conjunction with 40Ar/39Ar K-feldspar data, the results indicate cooling was due to relatively slow erosional denudation, and not thermal relaxation following Jurassic tholeiitic magmatism. Denudation was most likely associated with the formation of the Jurassic rift system across Antarctica that marked the initial breakup of Gondwana. This is the oldest episode of denudation associated with formation of the present day TAM

Cenozoic volcanic geology and probable age of inception of basin-range faulting in the southeasternmost Chocolate Mountains, California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crowe, B.M.

1978-02-01

A complex sequence of Oligocene-age volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks form a major volcanic center in the Picacho area of the southeasternmost Chocolate Mountains, Imperial County, California. Basal-volcanic rocks consist of lava flows and flow breccia of trachybasalt, pyroxene rhyodacite, and pyroxene dacite (32 My old). These volcanic rocks locally overlie fanglomerate and rest unconformably on pre-Cenozoic basement rocks. South and southeast of a prominent arcuate fault zone in the central part of the area, the rhyolite ignimbrite (26 My old) forms a major ash-flow sheet. In the southwestern part of the Picacho area the rhyolite ignimbrite interfingers with and ismore » overlain by dacite flows and laharic breccia. The rhyolite ignimbrite and the dacite of Picacho Peak are overlapped by lava flows and breccia of pyroxene andesite (25 My old) that locally rest on pre-Cenozoic basement rocks. The volcanic rocks of the Picacho area form a slightly bimodal volcanic suite consisting chiefly of silicic volcanic rocks with subordinate andesite. Late Miocene augite-olivine basalt is most similar in major-element abundances to transitional alkali-olivine basalt of the Basin and Range province. Normal separation faults in the Picacho area trend northwest and north parallel to major linear mountain ranges in the region. The areal distribution of the 26-My-old rhyolite ignimbrite and the local presence of megabreccia and fanglomerate flanking probable paleohighs suggest that the ignimbrite was erupted over irregular topography controlled by northwest- and north-trending probable basin-range faults. These relations date the inception of faulting in southeasternmost California at pre-26 and probably pre-32 My ago. A transition of basaltic volcanism in the area is dated at 13 My ago. 9 figures, 2 tables.« less

Kinematics of Active Deformation Across the Western Kunlun Mountain Range (Xinjiang, China), and Potential Seismic Hazards Within the Southern Tarim Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guilbaud, C.; Simoes, M.; Barrier, L.; Laborde, A.; van der Woerd, J.; Li, H.; Tapponnier, P.; Coudroy, T.; Murray, A. S.

2017-12-01

The Western Kunlun mountain range (Xinjiang, north-west China) is a slowly deforming intra-continental orogen where deformation rates are too low to be quantified from geodetic techniques. This region has recorded little historical seismicity, but the recent July 2015 (Mw 6.4) Pishan earthquake shows that this mountain range remains seismic. To quantify the rate of active deformation and the potential for major earthquakes in this region, we combine a structural and quantitative morphological analysis of the Yecheng-Pishan fold along the topographic mountain front in the epicentral area. Using field observations and a seismic profile, we derive a structural cross-section in which we identify the fault that broke during the Pishan earthquake, an 8-12 km deep blind ramp beneath the Yecheng-Pishan fold. Combining satellite images and DEMs, we achieve a detailed morphological analysis of the Yecheng-Pishan fold, where we find nine levels of incised fluvial terraces and alluvial fans. From their incision pattern and using age constraints retrieved on some of these terraces, we quantify the slip rate on the underlying blind ramp to 0.5 to 2.5 mm/yr over the last 400 kyr, with a most probable long-term value of 2 to 2.5 mm/yr. The evolution of the Yecheng-Pishan fold is then proposed by combining all structural, morphological and chronological observations. Finally, we compare the seismotectonic context of the Western Kunlun to what has been proposed for the Himalayas of Central Nepal. This allows for discussing the possibility of major M ≥ 8-8.5 earthquakes in the case that the whole decollement is presently seismically locked and fully ruptures in one single seismic event.

Human impacts to mountain streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wohl, Ellen

2006-09-01

Mountain streams are here defined as channel networks within mountainous regions of the world. This definition encompasses tremendous diversity of physical and biological conditions, as well as history of land use. Human effects on mountain streams may result from activities undertaken within the stream channel that directly alter channel geometry, the dynamics of water and sediment movement, contaminants in the stream, or aquatic and riparian communities. Examples include channelization, construction of grade-control structures or check dams, removal of beavers, and placer mining. Human effects can also result from activities within the watershed that indirectly affect streams by altering the movement of water, sediment, and contaminants into the channel. Deforestation, cropping, grazing, land drainage, and urbanization are among the land uses that indirectly alter stream processes. An overview of the relative intensity of human impacts to mountain streams is provided by a table summarizing human effects on each of the major mountainous regions with respect to five categories: flow regulation, biotic integrity, water pollution, channel alteration, and land use. This table indicates that very few mountains have streams not at least moderately affected by land use. The least affected mountainous regions are those at very high or very low latitudes, although our scientific ignorance of conditions in low-latitude mountains in particular means that streams in these mountains might be more altered than is widely recognized. Four case studies from northern Sweden (arctic region), Colorado Front Range (semiarid temperate region), Swiss Alps (humid temperate region), and Papua New Guinea (humid tropics) are also used to explore in detail the history and effects on rivers of human activities in mountainous regions. The overview and case studies indicate that mountain streams must be managed with particular attention to upstream/downstream connections, hillslope

Subpixel Snow-covered Area Including Differentiated Grain Size from AVIRIS Data Over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, R.; Calvin, W. M.; Harpold, A. A.

2016-12-01

Mountain snow storage is the dominant source of water for humans and ecosystems in western North America. Consequently, the spatial distribution of snow-covered area is fundamental to both hydrological, ecological, and climate models. Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data were collected along the entire Sierra Nevada mountain range extending from north of Lake Tahoe to south of Mt. Whitney during the 2015 and 2016 snow-covered season. The AVIRIS dataset used in this experiment consists of 224 contiguous spectral channels with wavelengths ranging 400-2500 nanometers at a 15-meter spatial pixel size. Data from the Sierras were acquired on four days: 2/24/15 during a very low snow year, 3/24/16 near maximum snow accumulation, and 5/12/16 and 5/18/16 during snow ablation and snow loss. Previous retrieval of subpixel snow-covered area in alpine regions used multiple snow endmembers due to the sensitivity of snow spectral reflectance to grain size. We will present a model that analyzes multiple endmembers of varying snow grain size, vegetation, rock, and soil in segmented regions along the Sierra Nevada to determine snow-cover spatial extent, snow sub-pixel fraction and approximate grain size or melt state. The root mean squared error will provide a spectrum-wide assessment of the mixture model's goodness-of-fit. Analysis will compare snow-covered area and snow-cover depletion in the 2016 year, and annual variation from the 2015 year. Field data were also acquired on three days concurrent with the 2016 flights in the Sagehen Experimental Forest and will support ground validation of the airborne data set.

Magnificent Mountains

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Heather

2004-01-01

One way to increase awareness of endangered national heritage is to teach youth the importance of the land through the study of selected works of art. This article describes a lesson, in which students will study the work of Thomas Moran and create a mountain range collage. A short biography of Thomas Moran is included.

Provenance and petrofacies, Upper Devonian sandstones, Philip Smith Mountains and Arctic quandrangles, Brooks Range, Alaska: Final report, Project No. 3

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, A.V.; Coney, P.J.

1987-11-01

Late Devonian sandstone beds are exposed as allochthonous sequences that extend for over 1000 km along the east-west strike of the Brooks Range in northern Alaska. These horizons, at least in part, record Late Devonian tectonism and deposition along the southern margin of the Arctic Alaska block. This study identifies clastic petrofacies in the western Philip Smith Mountains and southern Arctic quadrangles and infers the composition of the source terrane. The paleogeography is not known and the original distribution of lithofacies is uncertain, owing to the extensive post-depositional tectonism. In the study area the sandstones are exposed along rugged mountainmore » tops and high ridges. Although exposures are excellent, access is often difficult. Samples were collected from exposures near the western end of the Chandalar Shelf, Atigun Pass, and the Atigun River valley in the Philip Smith Mountains quadrangle and from the Crow Nest Creek and Ottertail Creek areas in the Arctic quadrangle. 34 refs., 17 figs.« less

Flexural rigidity of the Basin and Range-Colorado Plateau-Rocky Mountain transition from coherence analysis of gravity and topography

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowery, Anthony R.; Smith, Robert B.

1994-01-01

Stochastic inversion for flexural loads and flexural rigidity of the continental elastic layer can be accomplished most effectively by using the coherence of gravity and topography. However, the spatial resolution of coherence analysis has been limited by use of two-dimensional periodogram spectra from very large (greater than 10(exp 5)sq km) windows that generally include multiple tectonic features. Using a two-dimensional spectral estimator based on the maximum entropy method, the spatial resolution of flexural proerties can be enhanced by a factor of 4 or more, enabling more detailed analysis at the scale of individual tectonic features. This new approach is used to map the spatial variation of flexural rigidity along the Basin and Range transition to the Colorado Plateau and Middle Rocky Mountains physiographic provinces. Large variations in flexural isostatic responses are found, with rigidities ranging from as low as 8.7 x 10(exp 20) N m (elastic thickness (T(sub e) = 4.6 km) in the Basin and Range to as high as 4.1 x 10(exp 24) N m T(sub e) = 77 km) in the Middle Rocky Mountains. These results compare favorably woith independent determinations of flexural rigidity in the region. Areas of low flexural rigidity correlate strongly with areas of high surface heat flow, as is expected from the contingence of flexural rigidity on a temperature-dependent flow law. Also, late Cenozoic normal faults with large displacements are found primarily in area of low flexural rigidity region. The highest flexural rigidity is found within the Archean Wyoming craton, where evidence suggests that deeply rooted cratonic lithosphere may play a role in determining the distribution of tectonism at the surface.

Snow Coverage Analysis Using ASTER over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, B.

2017-12-01

Snow has strong impacts on human behavior, state and local activities, and the economy. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is California's most important natural reservoir of water. Such snow is melting sooner and faster. A recent California drought study showed that there was a deficit of 1.5 million acre-feet of water in 2014 due to the fast melting rates. Scientists have been using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) which is available at the spatial resolution of 500-meter, to analyze the changes in snow coverage. While such analysis provides us with the valuable information, it would be more beneficial to employ the imageries at a higher spatial resolution for snow studies. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer (ASTER), which acquires the high-resolution imageries ranging from 15-meter to 90-meter, has recently become freely available to the public. Our study utilized two scenes obtained from ASTER to investigate the changes in snow extent over the Sierra Nevada's mountain area for an 8-year period. These two scenes were collected on April 11, 2007 and April 16, 2015 covering the same geographic region. Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) was adopted to delineate the snow coverage in each scene. Our study shows a substantial decrease of snow coverage in the studied geographic region by pixel count.

Three Mountain Areas in Southwestern Wyoming.

DTIC Science & Technology

purpose of this report the areas are called the Wyoming-Salt River Range Area, the Wind River Range Area, and the Uinta Range Area. These mountain...ranges enclose the Upper Green River and Bridger Basins , high plateau basins with a general elevation of 6,500 to 7,500 feet.

Evidence of bovine viral diarrhea virus infection in three species of sympatric wild ungulates in Nevada: Life history strategies may maintain endemic infections in wild populations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Evidence for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection was detected in 2009-10 during a pneumonia die-off in Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis), and sympatric mountain goats (Oreamnos americanum) in adjacent mountain ranges in Elko County, Nevada. Seroprevalence to BVDV-1 ...

Spatiotemporal evolution of Calophaca (Fabaceae) reveals multiple dispersals in the Central Asian mountains and adjacent regions

Treesearch

Ming-Li Zhang; Zhi-Bin Wen; Peter W. Fritsch; Stewart C. Sanderson

2015-01-01

The Central Asian flora plays a significant role in Eurasia and the Northern Hemisphere. Calophaca, a member of this flora, includes eight currently recognized species, and is centered in Central Asia, with some taxa extending into adjacent areas. A phylogenetic analysis of the genus utilizing nuclear ribosomal ITS and plastid trnS-trnG and rbcL sequences was carried...

Inherited crustal features and tectonic blocks of the Transantarctic Mountains: An aeromagnetic perspective (Victoria Land, Antarctica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferraccioli, F.; Bozzo, E.

1999-11-01

Aeromagnetic images covering a sector of the Transantarctic Mountains in Victoria Land as well as the adjacent Ross Sea are used to study possible relationships between tectonic blocks along the Cenozoic and Mesozoic West Antarctic rift shoulder and prerift features inherited mainly from the Paleozoic terranes involved in the Ross Orogen. The segmentation between the Prince Albert Mountains block and the Deep Freeze Range-Terra Nova Bay region is related to an inherited NW to NNW ice-covered boundary, which we name the "central Victoria Land boundary." It is interpreted to be the unexposed, southern continuation of the Ross age back arc Exiles thrust system recognized at the Pacific coast. The regional magnetic high to the west of the central Victoria Land boundary is attributed to Ross age calc-alkaline back arc intrusives forming the in-board Wilson "Terrane," thus shifting the previously interpreted Precambrian "shield" at least 100 km farther to the west. The high-frequency anomalies of the Prince Albert Mountains and beneath the Polar Plateau show that this region was extensively effected by Jurassic tholeiitic magmatism; NE to NNE trending magnetic lineations within this pattern could reflect Cretaceous and/or Cenozoic faulting. The western and eastern edges of the Deep Freeze Range block, which flanks the Mesozoic Rennick Graben, are marked by two NW magnetic lineaments following the Priestley and Campbell Faults. The Campbell Fault is interpreted to be the reactivated Wilson thrust fault zone and is the site of a major isotopic discontinuity in the basement. To the east of the Campbell Fault, much higher amplitude magnetic anomalies reveal mafic-ultramafic intrusives associated with the alkaline Meander Intrusive Group (Eocene-Miocene). These intrusives are likely genetically linked to the highly uplifted Southern Cross Mountains block. The NW-SE trends crossing the previously recognized ENE trending Polar 3 Anomaly offshore of the Southern Cross Mountains

Development of Archean crust in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frost, C. D.; Koesterer, M. E.; Koesterer, M. E.; Koesterer, M. E.; Koesterer, M. E.

1986-01-01

The Wind River Mountains are a NW-SE trending range composed almost entirely of high-grade Archean gneiss and granites which were thrust to the west over Phanerozoic sediments during the Laramide orogeny. Late Archean granites make up over 50% of the exposed crust and dominates the southern half of the range, while older orthogneisses and magnatites form most of the northen half of the range. Locally these gneisses contain enclaves of supracrustal rocks, which appear to be the oldest preserved rocks in the range. Detailed work in the Medina Mountain area of the central Wind River Mountains and reconnaissance work throughout much of the northern part of the range has allowed definition of the sequence of events which marked crustal development in this area. The sequence of events are described.

Possible reactivation of the Vincent-Chocolate Mountains thrust in the Gavilan Hills area, southeasternmost California

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oyarzabal, F.R.; Jacobson, C.E.; Haxel, G.B.

The Late Cretaceous-early Tertiary Orocopia Schist (OS) of southeasternmost California consists of metamorphosed continental margin sedimentary and basaltic rocks, overlain by an upper plate of continental crust along the Vincent-Chocolate Mountains fault (VCMF). Previous analysis of late folds and shear band in OS and upper plate in the Gavilan Hills and adjacent ares indicated that the direction of transport of the upper plate was northeastward. This has been considered evidence of a SW dipping subduction zone, along which an outboard continental fragment was sutured to North America. Another view is that the VCMF was formed by underplating of the OSmore » in an Andean continental margin, and that the NE-vergent late structures formed during uplift of the OS. The authors' continuing work in the Gavilan Hills confirm the NE sense of vergence but suggests a more complex structural history. The schist is characterized by refolded folds, shear bands, and two penetrative lineations. An older lineation that ranges from N10[degree]E to N30[degree]E is widespread in the area, but is more evident at low structural levels. A second lineation ranges from N40[degree]E to N70[degree]E and is strongly developed in rocks near the VCMF. The complex folding pattern, presence of mylonitic schist, relative thinness of upper-plate mylonite, and possible retrogressive character of the shear bands suggest that the VCMF in the Gavilan Hills area may have been reactivated after original thrusting. The VCMF in the Gavilan Hills is intermediate in character between the probable subduction thrust in the San Gabriel Mountains and the reactivated faults in the Orocopia Mountains and areas surrounding the Gavilan Hills.« less

Fracture and matrix hydrologic characteristics of tuffaceous materials from Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Peters, R.R.; Klavetter, E.A.; Hall, I.J.

1984-12-01

The geological formations in the unsaturated zone at Yucca Mountain, on and adjacent to the Nevada Test Site (NTS), are currently being studied for consideration as the host for a radioactive-waste repository; the US Department of Energy is carrying out these studies through the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations project. The formations are composed of tuffaceous (tuff) materials that must be evaluated to estimate the rate at which radionuclides would migrate to the accessible environment. According to the available evidence, the flux of water in the unsaturated zone beneath the Yucca Mountain site is low; quantifying such low flow ratesmore » through direct measurements is difficult. To help provide data that can be used to assess unsaturated flow, Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL), under contract to Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), performed hydrologic tests on tuffaceous samples from 48 different locations in Yucca Mountain. This report contains the entire set of psychrometer measurements of desaturation curves for tuffs from Yucca Mountain as well as a substantial number of saturated conductivity measurements. 19 references, 132 figures, 23 tables.« less

Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Communities of a Sky Island Mountain Range in Southeastern Arizona, USA: Obtaining a Baseline for Assessing the Effects of Climate Change

PubMed Central

Meyer, Wallace M.; Eble, Jeffrey A.; Franklin, Kimberly; McManus, Reilly B.; Brantley, Sandra L.; Henkel, Jeff; Marek, Paul E.; Hall, W. Eugene; Olson, Carl A.; McInroy, Ryan; Bernal Loaiza, Emmanuel M.; Brusca, Richard C.; Moore, Wendy

2015-01-01

The few studies that have addressed past effects of climate change on species distributions have mostly focused on plants due to the rarity of historical faunal baselines. However, hyperdiverse groups like Arthropoda are vital to monitor in order to understand climate change impacts on biodiversity. This is the first investigation of ground-dwelling arthropod (GDA) assemblages along the full elevation gradient of a mountain range in the Madrean Sky Island Region, establishing a baseline for monitoring future changes in GDA biodiversity. To determine how GDA assemblages relate to elevation, season, abiotic variables, and corresponding biomes, GDA were collected for two weeks in both spring (May) and summer (September) 2011 in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, using pitfall traps at 66 sites in six distinct upland (non-riparian/non-wet canyon) biomes. Four arthropod taxa: (1) beetles (Coleoptera), (2) spiders (Araneae), (3) grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), and (4) millipedes and centipedes (Myriapoda) were assessed together and separately to determine if there are similar patterns across taxonomic groups. We collected 335 species of GDA: 192/3793 (species/specimens) Coleoptera, 102/1329 Araneae, 25/523 Orthoptera, and 16/697 Myriapoda. GDA assemblages differed among all biomes and between seasons. Fifty-three percent (178 species) and 76% (254 species) of all GDA species were found in only one biome and during only one season, respectively. While composition of arthropod assemblages is tied to biome and season, individual groups do not show fully concordant patterns. Seventeen percent of the GDA species occurred only in the two highest-elevation biomes (Pine and Mixed Conifer Forests). Because these high elevation biomes are most threatened by climate change and they harbor a large percentage of unique arthropod species (11–25% depending on taxon), significant loss in arthropod diversity is likely in the Santa Catalina Mountains and other isolated

Ground-Dwelling Arthropod Communities of a Sky Island Mountain Range in Southeastern Arizona, USA: Obtaining a Baseline for Assessing the Effects of Climate Change.

PubMed

Meyer, Wallace M; Eble, Jeffrey A; Franklin, Kimberly; McManus, Reilly B; Brantley, Sandra L; Henkel, Jeff; Marek, Paul E; Hall, W Eugene; Olson, Carl A; McInroy, Ryan; Bernal Loaiza, Emmanuel M; Brusca, Richard C; Moore, Wendy

2015-01-01

The few studies that have addressed past effects of climate change on species distributions have mostly focused on plants due to the rarity of historical faunal baselines. However, hyperdiverse groups like Arthropoda are vital to monitor in order to understand climate change impacts on biodiversity. This is the first investigation of ground-dwelling arthropod (GDA) assemblages along the full elevation gradient of a mountain range in the Madrean Sky Island Region, establishing a baseline for monitoring future changes in GDA biodiversity. To determine how GDA assemblages relate to elevation, season, abiotic variables, and corresponding biomes, GDA were collected for two weeks in both spring (May) and summer (September) 2011 in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona, using pitfall traps at 66 sites in six distinct upland (non-riparian/non-wet canyon) biomes. Four arthropod taxa: (1) beetles (Coleoptera), (2) spiders (Araneae), (3) grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), and (4) millipedes and centipedes (Myriapoda) were assessed together and separately to determine if there are similar patterns across taxonomic groups. We collected 335 species of GDA: 192/3793 (species/specimens) Coleoptera, 102/1329 Araneae, 25/523 Orthoptera, and 16/697 Myriapoda. GDA assemblages differed among all biomes and between seasons. Fifty-three percent (178 species) and 76% (254 species) of all GDA species were found in only one biome and during only one season, respectively. While composition of arthropod assemblages is tied to biome and season, individual groups do not show fully concordant patterns. Seventeen percent of the GDA species occurred only in the two highest-elevation biomes (Pine and Mixed Conifer Forests). Because these high elevation biomes are most threatened by climate change and they harbor a large percentage of unique arthropod species (11-25% depending on taxon), significant loss in arthropod diversity is likely in the Santa Catalina Mountains and other isolated

Big mountains but small barriers: population genetic structure of the Chinese wood frog (Rana chensinensis) in the Tsinling and Daba Mountain region of northern China.

PubMed

Zhan, Aibin; Li, Cheng; Fu, Jinzhong

2009-04-09

Amphibians in general are poor dispersers and highly philopatric, and landscape features often have important impacts on their population genetic structure and dispersal patterns. Numerous studies have suggested that genetic differentiation among amphibian populations are particularly pronounced for populations separated by mountain ridges. The Tsinling Mountain range of northern China is a major mountain chain that forms the boundary between the Oriental and Palearctic zoogeographic realms. We studied the population structure of the Chinese wood frog (Rana chensinensis) to test whether the Tsinling Mountains and the nearby Daba Mountains impose major barriers to gene flow. Using 13 polymorphic microsatellite DNA loci, 523 individuals from 12 breeding sites with geographical distances ranging from 2.6 to 422.8 kilometers were examined. Substantial genetic diversity was detected at all sites with an average of 25.5 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.504 to 0.855, and two peripheral populations revealed significantly lower genetic diversity than the central populations. In addition, the genetic differentiation among the central populations was statistically significant, with pairwise FST values ranging from 0.0175 to 0.1625 with an average of 0.0878. Furthermore, hierarchical AMOVA analysis attributed most genetic variation to the within-population component, and the between-population variation can largely be explained by isolation-by-distance. None of the putative barriers detected from genetic data coincided with the location of the Tsinling Mountains. The Tsinling and Daba Mountains revealed no significant impact on the population genetic structure of R. chensinensis. High population connectivity and extensive juvenile dispersal may account for the significant, but moderate differentiation between populations. Chinese wood frogs are able to use streams as breeding sites at high elevations, which may significantly contribute to the

The Nazeris Fauna of the Luoxiao Mountain Range, China. (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Paederinae).

PubMed

Hu, Jia-Yao; Li, Li-Zhen

2015-01-01

Fourteen species of Nazeris Fauvel are recorded from the Luoxiao Mountains. Twelve of them are described as new: N. luoxiaoshanus, N. pengzhongi, N. divisus, N. paradivisus, N. xiaobini, N. congchaoi, N. nannani, N. rufus, N. ziweii, N. daweishanus, N. prominens, and N. zekani. N. inaequalis Assing, 2014 is newly recorded from Hunan Province.

Reconnaissance geology and geochronology of the Precambrian of the Granite Mountains, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterman, Zell E.; Hildreth, Robert A.

1978-01-01

The Precambrian of the western part of the Granite Mountains, Wyoming, contains a metamorphic complex of gneisses, schists, and amphibolites that were derived through amphibolite-grade metamorphism from a sedimentary-volcanic sequence perhaps similar to that exposed in the southeastern Wind River Mountains. Whole-rock Rb-Sr dating places the time of metamorphism at 2,860?80 million years. A high initial 87Sr/ 86 S r ratio of 0.7048 suggests that either the protoliths or the source terrane of the sedimentary component is several hundred million years older than the time of metamorphism. Following an interval of 300:t100 million years for which the geologic record is lacking or still undeciphered, the metamorphic complex was intruded by a batholith and satellite bodies of medium- to coarse-grained, generally massive biotite granite and related pegmatite and aplite. The main body of granite is dated at 2,550?60 million years by the Rb-Sr method. Limited data suggest that diabase dikes were emplaced and nephrite veins were formed only shortly after intrusion of the granite. Emplacement of the granite at about 2,550 million years ago appears to be related to a major period of regional granitic plutonism in the Precambrian of southern and western Wyoming. Granites, in the strict sense, that are dated between 2,450 and 2,600 million years occur in the Teton Range, the Sierra Madre, the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Laramie Range. This episode of granitic plutonism occured some 50 to 100 million years later than the major tonalitic to granitic plutonism in the Superior province of northern Minnesota and adjacent Ontario-the nearest exposed Precambrian W terrane that is analogous to the Wyoming province. Initial 87Sr / 86Sr ratios of some of the Wyoming granites are higher than expected if the rocks had been derived from juvenile magmas and it is likely that older crustal rocks were involved to some degree in the generation of these granites. Slightly to highly disturbed

75 FR 29686 - Proposed Establishment of the Pine Mountain-Mayacmas Viticultural Area

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-27

... states that local growers report that Pine Mountain vineyards are naturally free of mildew, a vineyard... often stall over Pine Mountain and the Mayacmas range, dropping more rain than in other areas. Pine..., these mountain soils include large amounts of sand and gravel. Pine Mountain soils are generally less...

Structure, production and resource use in some old-growth spruce/fir forests in the front range of the Rocky Mountains, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Binkley, Dan; Olsson, U.; Rochelle, R.; Stohlgren, T.; Nikolov, N.

2003-01-01

Old-growth forests of Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelm.) and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt.) dominate much of the landscape of the Rocky Mountains. We characterized the structure, biomass and production of 18 old-growth (200-450-year-old) spruce/fir forests in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, as well as the stand-level supply and use of light and nitrogen. Stands were chosen to span a broad range of elevation, aspect, and topography. Aboveground tree biomass in these old-growth forests averaged 253 Mg/ha (range 130-488 Mg/ha), with aboveground net primary production of 3700 kg ha-1 yr-1 (range from 2700 to 5200 kg ha-1 yr-1). Within stands, trees >35 cm in diameter accounted for 70% of aboveground biomass, but trees <35 cm contributed 70% of the production of woody biomass. Differences in slope and aspect among sites resulted in a range of incoming light from 58 to 74 TJ ha-1 yr-1, and tree canopies intercepted an average of 71% of incoming light (range 50-90%). Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) of trees did not relate to the supply of light or N, but ANPP correlated strongly with the amount of light and N used (r2 = 0.45-0.54, P < 0.01). Uptake of 1 kg of N was associated with about 260 kg of ANPP, and one TJ of intercepted shortwave radiation produced about 78 kg of ANPP. Across these old-growth stands, stands with greater biomass showed higher rates of both ANPP and resource use; variation in aboveground biomass was associated with 24% of the variation in N use (P = 0.04), 44% of the light use (P = 0.003), and 45% of the ANPP (P = 0.002). ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Uplift of Zagros Mountains slows plate convergence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balcerak, Ernie

2013-05-01

Research has indicated that mountain ranges can slow down the convergence between two tectonic plates on timescales as short as a few million years, as the growing mountains provide enough tectonic force to impact plate motions. Focusing on the convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian plates at the Zagros mountain range, which runs across Iran and Iraq, Austermann and Iaffaldano reconstructed the relative motion of the plates using published paleomagnetic data covering the past 13 million years, as well as current geodetic measurements. They show that the convergence of the two plates has decreased by about 30% over the past 5 million years. Looking at the geological record to infer past topography and using a computer model of the mantle-lithosphere system, the authors examined whether the recent uplift across the Zagros Mountains could have caused the observed slowdown. They also considered several other geological events that might have influenced the convergence rate, but the authors were able to rule those out as dominant controls. The authors conclude that the uplift across the Zagros Mountains in the past 5 million years did indeed play a key role in slowing down the convergence between the Eurasian and Arabian plates. (Tectonics, doi:10.1002/tect.20027, 2013)

Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic thermotectonic evolution of the central Brooks Range and adjacent North Slope foreland basin, Alaska: Including fission track results from the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT)

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Sullivan, P. B.; Murphy, J.M.; Blythe, A.E.

1997-01-01

Apatite fission track data are used to evaluate the thermal and tectonic history of the central Brooks Range and the North Slope foreland basin in northern Alaska along the northern leg of the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT). Fission track analyses of the detrital apatite grains in most sedimentary units resolve the timing of structures and denudation within the Brooks Range, ranging in scale from the entire mountain range to relatively small-scale folds and faults. Interpretation of the results indicates that rocks exposed within the central Brooks Range cooled rapidly from paleotemperatures 110?? to 50??C during discrete episodes at ???100??5 Ma, ???60??4 Ma, and ???24??3 Ma, probably in response to kilometer-scale denudation. North of the mountain front, rocks in the southern half of the foreland basin were exposed to maximum paleotemperatures 110??C in the Late Cretaceous to early Paleocene as a result of burial by Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. Rapid cooling from these elevated paleotemperatures also occurred due to distinct episodes of kilometer-scale denudation at ???60??4 Ma, 46??3 Ma, 35??2 Ma, and ???24??3 Ma. Combined, the apatite analyses indicate that rocks exposed along the TACT line through the central Brooks Range and foreland basin experienced episodic rapid cooling throughout the Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic in response to at least three distinct kilometer-scale denudation events. Future models explaining orogenic events in northern Alaska must consider these new constraints from fission track thermochronology. Copyright 1997 by the American Geophysical Union.

Geology of the Southern Guadalupe Mountains, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

King, Philip B.

1948-01-01

This report deals with an area of 425 square miles in the western part of Texas, immediately south of the New Mexico line. The area comprises the south end of the Guadalupe Mountains and the adjacent part of the Delaware Mountains; it includes the highest peaks in the State of Texas. The area is a segment of a large mountain mass that extends 50 miles or more northward and southward. The report describes the geology of the area, that is, the nature of its rocks, tectonics, and surface features, and the evidence that they give as to the evolution of the area through geologic time. Incidental reference is made to the geology of surrounding regions in order to place the area in its environment. The Permian system of the southwestern United States has been until recently one of the intriguing but little known subjects of American stratigraphy. In the latter half of the nineteenth century after the western. United States was settled, the "red bed" sections of the Permian were studied and reported on by many geologists, but up to 1920 the existence of a contemporaneous marine sequence in western Texas and southeastern New Mexico was little appreciated. Since that year the discovery of extensive oil fields and potash beds in this region gave an impetus to the study of the Permian rocks, and furnished the geologist with records of hundreds of drill holes from which to deduce the nature of the strata not exposed at the surface. At the same time geologists have studied the rocks in the outcropping areas, and have compared them with the strata encountered by drilling.Much remains to be done in order to understand the history of Permian time in the region. The physical and chemical conditions that caused. the deposition of .the various and often complexly related deposits need to be better understood. More of the fossils of the rich and interesting marine faunas should be described, and the relations of the fossils to their environments should be determined. Further, a

DC-8 Airborne Laboratory in flight over snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-02-25

NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory during a flight over the snow-covered Sierra Nevada Mountains. Over the past several years the DC-8 has conducted research missions in such diverse places as the Pacific in spring and Sweden in winter.

Mountain Permafrost in the Yukon Territory, Canada: Mapping and Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewkowicz, A. G.; Bonnaventure, P.; Schultz, E.; Etzelmuller, B.

2006-12-01

The distribution and characteristics of mountain permafrost in North America are poorly known compared to lowland permafrost, and predictions of climatic change impacts are therefore subject to a higher degree of uncertainty. Recent DC resistivity soundings in association with borehole temperature information in the Yukon Territory, show the wide range of permafrost conditions that can exist at sites separated by short distances. To provide baseline information for future modelling, efforts are underway to produce a detailed map of permafrost probability in the mountains of the southern half of the Yukon Territory (60-65°N), an area greater than 200 x 103km2. The methodology is based on the Basal Temperature of Snow (BTS) technique, first developed in the European Alps. Ground surface temperatures measured at the base of snow > 80 cm thick in late winter are an indicator of permafrost presence or absence. We have used this method successfully in three study areas of about 200 km2: first, Wolf Creek basin near Whitehorse (Lewkowicz and Ednie, 2004) and now the western side of the Ruby Range adjacent to Kluane Lake, and the Haines Summit area in northwestern British Columbia. In each area, (1) we installed miniature temperature loggers at the ground surface and in the air to check on the timing of the BTS measurements; (2) we measured BTS values in the elevation zone across which permafrost was expected to become widespread; (3) we modelled the BTS spatial field using elevation (from a 30 m DEM) and potential incoming solar radiation (PISR) as the independent variables; and (4) we used logistic regression to compare the modelled BTS values with pit observations made in late-summer of the presence or absence of frozen ground. Both elevation and PISR were significant in the Wolf Creek and Ruby Range sites which have relatively continental climates and fall within the Upper Yukon-Stikine Basin climatic region (Wahl et al., 1987). For the Haines Summit area, however

STRAWBERRY MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS, OREGON.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thayer, T.P.; Stotelmeyer, Ronald B.

1984-01-01

The Strawberry Mountain Wilderness extends 18 mi along the crest of the Strawberry Range and comprises about 53 sq mi in the Malheur National Forest, Grant County, Oregon. Systematic geologic mapping, geochemical sampling and detailed sampling of prospect workings was done. A demonstrated copper resource in small quartz veins averaging at most 0. 33 percent copper with traces of silver occurs in shear zones in gabbro. Two small areas with substantiated potential for chrome occur near the northern edge of the wilderness. There is little promise for the occurrence of additional mineral or energy resources in the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness.

Cascade Mountain Range in Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherrod, David R.

2016-01-01

Along its Oregon segment, the Cascade Range is almost entirely volcanic in origin. The volcanoes and their eroded remnants are the visible magmatic expression of the Cascadia subduction zone, where the offshore Juan de Fuca tectonic plate is subducted beneath North America. Subduction occurs as two lithospheric plates collide, and an underthrusted oceanic plate is commonly dragged into the mantle by the pull of gravity, carrying ocean-bottom rock and sediment down to where heat and pressure expel water. As this water rises, it lowers the melting temperature in the overlying hot mantle rocks, thereby promoting melting. The molten rock supplies the volcanic arcs with heat and magma. Cascade Range volcanoes are part of the Ring of Fire, a popular term for the numerous volcanic arcs that encircle the Pacific Ocean.

Surficial Geologic Map of the Death Valley Junction 30' x 60' Quadrangle, California and Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slate, Janet L.; Berry, Margaret E.; Menges, Christopher M.

2009-01-01

This surficial geologic map of the Death Valley Junction 30' x 60' quadrangle was compiled digitally at 1:100,000 scale. The map area covers the central part of Death Valley and adjacent mountain ranges - the Panamint Range on the west and the Funeral Mountains on the east - as well as areas east of Death Valley including some of the Amargosa Desert, the Spring Mountains and Pahrump Valley. Shaded relief delineates the topography and appears as gray tones in the mountain ranges where the bedrock is undifferentiated and depicted as a single unit.

Mountain Child: Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Audsley, Annie; Wallace, Rebecca M M; Price, Martin F

2016-12-01

Objectives This systematic review identifies and reviews both peer-reviewed and 'grey' literature, across a range of disciplines and from diverse sources, relating to the condition of children living in mountain communities in low- and middle-income countries. Findings The literature on poverty in these communities does not generally focus on the particular vulnerabilities of children or the impact of intersecting vulnerabilities on the most marginalised members of communities. However, this literature does contribute analyses of the broader context and variety of factors impacting on human development in mountainous areas. The literature on other areas of children's lives-health, nutrition, child mortality, education, and child labour-focuses more specifically on children's particular vulnerabilities or experiences. However, it sometimes lacks the broader analysis of the many interrelated characteristics of a mountainous environment which impact on children's situations. Themes Nevertheless, certain themes recur across many disciplines and types of literature, and point to some general conclusions: mountain poverty is influenced by the very local specificities of the physical environment; mountain communities are often politically and economically marginalised, particularly for the most vulnerable within these communities, including children; and mountain communities themselves are an important locus for challenging and interrupting cycles of increasing inequality and disadvantage. While this broad-scale review represents a modest first step, its findings provide the basis for further investigation.

Influence of mountains on Arctic tropospheric ozone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seabrook, Jeffrey; Whiteway, James

2016-02-01

Tropospheric ozone was measured above Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic during spring of 2008 using a differential absorption lidar. The observations were carried out at Eureka Weather Station, which is located between various mountain ranges. Analysis of the observations revealed that mountains had a significant effect on the vertical distribution of ozone. Ozone depletion events were observed when air that had spent significant time near to the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean reached Eureka. This air arrived at Eureka by flowing over the surrounding mountains. Surface level ozone depletions were not observed during periods when mountains blocked the flow of air from over the sea ice. In the case of blocking there was an enhancement in the amount of ozone near the surface as air from the midtroposphere descended in the lee of the mountains. Three case studies from spring of 2008 are described.

SP mountain data analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rawson, R. F.; Hamilton, R. E.; Liskow, C. L.; Dias, A. R.; Jackson, P. L.

1981-01-01

An analysis of synthetic aperture radar data of SP Mountain was undertaken to demonstrate the use of digital image processing techniques to aid in geologic interpretation of SAR data. These data were collected with the ERIM X- and L-band airborne SAR using like- and cross-polarizations. The resulting signal films were used to produce computer compatible tapes, from which four-channel imagery was generated. Slant range-to-ground range and range-azimuth-scale corrections were made in order to facilitate image registration; intensity corrections were also made. Manual interpretation of the imagery showed that L-band represented the geology of the area better than X-band. Several differences between the various images were also noted. Further digital analysis of the corrected data was done for enhancement purposes. This analysis included application of an MSS differencing routine and development of a routine for removal of relief displacement. It was found that accurate registration of the SAR channels is critical to the effectiveness of the differencing routine. Use of the relief displacement algorithm on the SP Mountain data demonstrated the feasibility of the technique.

Crustal structure of Wrangellia and adjacent terranes inferred from geophysical studies along a transect through the northern Talkeetna Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glen, J.M.G.; Schmidt, J.; Pellerin, L.; McPhee, D.K.; O'Neill, J. M.

2007-01-01

Recent investigations of the Talkeetna Mountains in south-central Alaska were undertaken to study the region's framework geophysics and to reinterpret structures and crustal composition. Potential field (gravity and magnetic) and magnetotelluric (MT) data were collected along northwest-trending profiles as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's Talkeetna Mountains transect project. The Talkeetna Mountains transect area comprises eight 1:63,360 quadrangles (???9500 km2) in the Healy and Talkeetna Mountains 1?? ?? 3?? sheets that span four major lithostratigraphic terranes (Glen et al., this volume) including the Wrangellia and Peninsular terranes and two Mesozoic overlap assemblages inboard (northwest) of Wrangellia. These data were used here to develop 21/2-dimensional models for the three profiles. Modeling results reveal prominent gravity, magnetic, and MT gradients (???3.25 mGal/ km, ???100nT/km, ???300 ohm-m/km) corresponding to the Talkeetna Suture Zone-a first-order crustal discontinuity in the deep crust that juxtaposes rocks with strongly contrasting rock properties. This discontinuity corresponds with the suture between relatively dense magnetic crust of Wrangellia (likely of oceanic composition) and relatively less dense transitional crust underlying Jurassic to Cretaceous flysch basins developed between Wrangellia and North America. Some area of the oceanic crust beneath Wrangellia may also have been underplated by mafic material during early to mid-Tertiary volcanism. The prominent crustal break underlies the Fog Lakes basin approximately where theTalkeetna thrust faultwaspreviouslymappedas a surface feature. Potential fieldand MT models, however, indicate that the Talkeetna Suture Zone crustal break along the transect is a deep (2-8 km), steeply west-dipping structure-not a shallow east-dipping Alpine nappe-like thrust. Indeed, most of the crustal breaks in the area appear to be steep in the geophysical data, which is consistent with regional geologic

Upper Cretaceous and lower Eocene conglomerates of Western Transverse Ranges: evidence for tectonic rotation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reed, W.E.; Krause, R.G.F.

1989-04-01

Stratigraphic and paleomagnetic studies have suggested that the western Transverse Ranges (WTR) microplate is allochthonous, and may have experienced translational and rotational motions. Present paleocurrent directions from the Upper Cretaceous Jalama Formation of the Santa Ynez Mountains are north-directed; these forearc sediments (Great Valley sequence) contain magmatic arc-derived conglomerate clasts from the Peninsular Ranges in southern California. Paleocurrents in the lower Eocene Juncal and Cozy Dell Formations are south-directed. This juxtaposition is best explained by 90/degrees/ or more of clockwise rotation of the WTR microplate, so that Upper Cretaceous forearc sediments sourced from the Peninsular Ranges magmatic arc were depositedmore » by west-directed currents. Eocene sediments were derived from an uplifted portion of the western basin margin and deposited by east-directed currents. Franciscan olistoliths in the Upper Cretaceous sediments indicate deposition adjacent to an accretionary wedge; conglomeratic clasts recycled from the Upper Cretaceous sequence, and radiolarian cherts and ophiolitic boulders in the Eocene strata indicate derivation from an outer accretionary ridge.« less

Analysis of selected fungi variation and its dependence on season and mountain range in southern Poland-key factors in drawing up trial guidelines for aeromycological monitoring.

PubMed

Pusz, Wojciech; Weber, Ryszard; Dancewicz, Andrzej; Kita, Włodzimierz

2017-09-27

The aim of the study was to identify fungal spores, in particular plant pathogenic fungi, occurring in the air in selected mountain ranges. The results revealed not only the array of fungal species migrating with air currents from the Czech Republic and Slovakia but also how the season of the year affects the distribution of spores. Such studies may lay a foundation for future aeromycological monitoring, in accordance with the requirements for integrated plant protection. Aeromycological research was carried out between 2013 and 2016 at 3-month intervals in mountainous areas along the southern borders of Poland: the Bieszczady, the Pieniny, the Giant Mountains (Karkonosze) and the Babia Góra Massif. The research relied on impact method employing Air Ideal 3P sampler, which, by drawing in atmospheric air, also collects fungal spores. Regardless of altitudinal zonation, the changing weather conditions appeared to be the main reason for the variations in the number of the fungal spores under study in those years.

Phylogeographic Structure of a Tethyan Relict Capparis spinosa (Capparaceae) Traces Pleistocene Geologic and Climatic Changes in the Western Himalayas, Tianshan Mountains, and Adjacent Desert Regions.

PubMed

Wang, Qian; Zhang, Ming-Li; Yin, Lin-Ke

2016-01-01

Complex geological movements more or less affected or changed floristic structures, while the alternation of glacials and interglacials is presumed to have further shaped the present discontinuous genetic pattern of temperate plants. Here we consider Capparis spinosa, a xeromorphic Tethyan relict, to discuss its divergence pattern and explore how it responded in a stepwise fashion to Pleistocene geologic and climatic changes. 267 individuals from 31 populations were sampled and 24 haplotypes were identified, based on three cpDNA fragments (trnL-trnF, rps12-rpl20, and ndhF). SAMOVA clustered the 31 populations into 5 major clades. AMOVA suggests that gene flow between them might be restricted by vicariance. Molecular clock dating indicates that intraspecific divergence began in early Pleistocene, consistent with a time of intense uplift of the Himalaya and Tianshan Mountains, and intensified in mid-Pleistocene. Species distribution modeling suggests range reduction in the high mountains during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as a result of cold climates when glacier advanced, while gorges at midelevations in Tianshan appear to have served as refugia. Populations of low-altitude desert regions, on the other hand, probably experienced only marginal impacts from glaciation, according to the high levels of genetic diversity.

Phylogeographic Structure of a Tethyan Relict Capparis spinosa (Capparaceae) Traces Pleistocene Geologic and Climatic Changes in the Western Himalayas, Tianshan Mountains, and Adjacent Desert Regions

PubMed Central

Wang, Qian; Zhang, Ming-Li; Yin, Lin-Ke

2016-01-01

Complex geological movements more or less affected or changed floristic structures, while the alternation of glacials and interglacials is presumed to have further shaped the present discontinuous genetic pattern of temperate plants. Here we consider Capparis spinosa, a xeromorphic Tethyan relict, to discuss its divergence pattern and explore how it responded in a stepwise fashion to Pleistocene geologic and climatic changes. 267 individuals from 31 populations were sampled and 24 haplotypes were identified, based on three cpDNA fragments (trnL-trnF, rps12-rpl20, and ndhF). SAMOVA clustered the 31 populations into 5 major clades. AMOVA suggests that gene flow between them might be restricted by vicariance. Molecular clock dating indicates that intraspecific divergence began in early Pleistocene, consistent with a time of intense uplift of the Himalaya and Tianshan Mountains, and intensified in mid-Pleistocene. Species distribution modeling suggests range reduction in the high mountains during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as a result of cold climates when glacier advanced, while gorges at midelevations in Tianshan appear to have served as refugia. Populations of low-altitude desert regions, on the other hand, probably experienced only marginal impacts from glaciation, according to the high levels of genetic diversity. PMID:27314028

Structural profile reconstructions and thermal metamorphic evolution in the slate belt of southern Hsuehshan Range in the active Taiwan mountain belt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yu; Chen, Chih-Tung; Lee, Jian-Cheng; Shyu, J. Bruce H.

2017-04-01

The fate of passive continental margin in collisional orogens is crucial in understanding tectonic evolution of mountain belts. The active arc-continent collision of Taiwan is considered as a model case in studying mountain building processes, and largely consists of deformed margin basement and cover series. Among the whole orogeny belt, the slate belt of the Hsuehshan Range (HR) is a prominent large-scale pop-up structural on the prowedge part of the orogen, and is composed of metamorphosed Eocene to Miocene sediments which experienced only the Neogene Taiwan orogeny after diagenesis in margin graben. Characterizing the metamorphic history of the HR is essential for reconstructing its geological evolution during the mountain building processes. However, previous studies were mostly focused on northern and central HR, structural investigation coupled with metamorphic documentation in the southern part of HR, which is the most active part of the orogeny belt, is therefore targeted in this work. Since carbonaceous material is common in pelitic protolith of HR slates, the Raman spectrum of carbonaceous material (RSCM) measuring the rock peak temperature is chosen for quantitative thermal metamorphic documentation. In this study, we reconstruct a geological structural profile in western central Taiwan across the prowedge part of the mountain belt containing the southern HR by combining the surface geological data, well log records and published seismic reflection profiles. Although most of the existing data are concentrated in the fold-and-thrust belt, they are now reinforced by new field structural measurements and RSCM samples in the southern HR. In total 27 RSCM samples were collected along 2 transects perpendicular to the average strike with a dense interval about 2 km. The results allow us to map peak temperature distribution across southern HR, and provide new constraints for structural profile reconstruction and reappraisal of the structural evolution of the HR

Geology of Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest Little Belt Mountains, Meagher County, Montana

Treesearch

Mitchell W. Reynolds

1975-01-01

The Tenderfoot Creek Experimental Forest in the west-central part of the Little Belt Mountains occupies a transition zone in the west-central part of the Mountains-a transition from rolling mountain parks with rounded peaks that rise about 500 feet above the upland of the range to deeply incised canyons that drain the west end of the Mountains. The Experimental Forest...

Global Monitoring of Mountain Glaciers Using High-Resolution Spotlight Imaging from the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donnellan, A.; Green, J. J.; Bills, B. G.; Goguen, J.; Ansar, A.; Knight, R. L.; Hallet, B.; Scambos, T. A.; Thompson, L. G.; Morin, P. J.

2013-12-01

Mountain glaciers around the world are retreating rapidly, contributing about 20% to present-day sea level rise. Numerous studies have shown that mountain glaciers are sensitive to global environmental change. Temperate-latitude glaciers and snowpack provide water for over 1 billion people. Glaciers are a resource for irrigation and hydroelectric power, but also pose flood and avalanche hazards. Accurate mass balance assessments have been made for only 280 glaciers, yet there are over 130,000 in the World Glacier Inventory. The rate of glacier retreat or advance can be highly variable, is poorly sampled, and inadequately understood. Liquid water from ice front lakes, rain, melt, or sea water and debris from rocks, dust, or pollution interact with glacier ice often leading to an amplification of warming and further melting. Many mountain glaciers undergo rapid and episodic events that greatly change their mass balance or extent but are sparsely documented. Events include calving, outburst floods, opening of crevasses, or iceberg motion. Spaceborne high-resolution spotlight optical imaging provides a means of clarifying the relationship between the health of mountain glaciers and global environmental change. Digital elevation models (DEMs) can be constructed from a series of images from a range of perspectives collected by staring at a target during a satellite overpass. It is possible to collect imagery for 1800 targets per month in the ×56° latitude range, construct high-resolution DEMs, and monitor changes in high detail over time with a high-resolution optical telescope mounted on the International Space Station (ISS). Snow and ice type, age, and maturity can be inferred from different color bands as well as distribution of liquid water. Texture, roughness, albedo, and debris distribution can be estimated by measuring bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDF) and reflectance intensity as a function of viewing angle. The non-sun-synchronous orbit

Post-wildfire erosion in the Chiricahua Mountains

Treesearch

Ann Youberg; Daniel G. Neary; Karen A. Koestner; Peter E. Koestner

2013-01-01

The Horseshoe 2 Fire burned 90,226 ha (222,954 ac) of the Chiricahua Mountains in the Coronado National Forest of southeast Arizona from May 8 to June 25, 2011. This mountain range in the Madrean Archipelago was burned by widespread fires prior to 1890, numerous small fires after 1890, and, more recently, the 11,129 ha (27,500 ac) Rattlesnake Fire in 1994. The latter...

A new species of the genus Leptobrachium (Anura: Megophryidae) from the Gaoligongshan Mountain Range, China.

PubMed

Yang, Jian-Huan; Wang, Ying-Yong; Chan, Bosco Pui-Lok

2016-08-11

We describe a new species of the genus Leptobrachium from the Gaoligongshan Mountain Range, Yunnan Province of China based on molecular and morphological evidences. The new species, Leptobrachium tengchongense sp. nov., can be distinguished from its congeners by a combination of the following characters: (1) relatively small size (adult males SVL 41.7-51.5 mm); (2) head width slightly larger than head length; (3) tympanum indistinct; (4) two palmar tubercles oval and distinct, inner one larger than outer one; (5) sexually active males without spines on the upper lip; (6) dorsal skin smooth with distinct network of ridges; (7) dorsum pinkish grey and scattered with irregular black markings; (8) venter dark purplish-gray with numerous small white spots on tubercles, solid white chest; (9) iris bicolored, upper one-third light blue, lower two-third dark brown. With the description of the new species, the number of Leptobrachium species currently known from China adds up to ten.

Late Cenozoic sedimentation and volcanism during transtensional deformation in Wingate Wash and the Owlshead Mountains, Death Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Luckow, H.G.; Pavlis, T.L.; Serpa, L.F.; Guest, B.; Wagner, D.L.; Snee, L.; Hensley, T.M.; Korjenkov, A.

2005-01-01

New 1:24,000 scale mapping, geochemical analyses of volcanic rocks, and Ar/Ar and tephrochronology analyses of the Wingate Wash, northern Owlshead Mountain and Southern Panamint Mountain region document a complex structural history constrained by syntectonic volcanism and sedimentation. In this study, the region is divided into five structural domains with distinct, but related, histories: (1) The southern Panamint domain is a structurally intact, gently south-tilted block dominated by a middle Miocene volcanic center recognized as localized hypabyssal intrusives surrounded by proximal facies pyroclastic rocks. This Miocene volcanic sequence is an unusual alkaline volcanic assemblage ranging from trachybasalt to rhyolite, but dominated by trachyandesite. The volcanic rocks are overlain in the southwestern Panamint Mountains by a younger (Late Miocene?) fanglomerate sequence. (2) An upper Wingate Wash domain is characterized by large areas of Quaternary cover and complex overprinting of older structure by Quaternary deformation. Quaternary structures record ???N-S shortening concurrent with ???E-W extension accommodated by systems of strike-slip and thrust faults. (3) A central Wingate Wash domain contains a complex structural history that is closely tied to the stratigraphic evolution. In this domain, a middle Miocene volcanic package contains two distinct assemblages; a lower sequence dominated by alkaline pyroclastic rocks similar to the southern Panamint sequence and an upper basaltic sequence of alkaline basalt and basanites. This volcanic sequence is in turn overlain by a coarse clastic sedimentary sequence that records the unroofing of adjacent ranges and development of ???N-S trending, west-tilted fault blocks. We refer to this sedimentary sequence as the Lost Lake assemblage. (4) The lower Wingate Wash/northern Owlshead domain is characterized by a gently north-dipping stratigraphic sequence with an irregular unconformity at the base developed on granitic

Elevation-dependent temperature trends in the Rocky Mountain Front Range: changes over a 56- and 20-year record.

PubMed

McGuire, Chris R; Nufio, César R; Bowers, M Deane; Guralnick, Robert P

2012-01-01

Determining the magnitude of climate change patterns across elevational gradients is essential for an improved understanding of broader climate change patterns and for predicting hydrologic and ecosystem changes. We present temperature trends from five long-term weather stations along a 2077-meter elevational transect in the Rocky Mountain Front Range of Colorado, USA. These trends were measured over two time periods: a full 56-year record (1953-2008) and a shorter 20-year (1989-2008) record representing a period of widely reported accelerating change. The rate of change of biological indicators, season length and accumulated growing-degree days, were also measured over the 56 and 20-year records. Finally, we compared how well interpolated Parameter-elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) datasets match the quality controlled and weather data from each station. Our results show that warming signals were strongest at mid-elevations over both temporal scales. Over the 56-year record, most sites show warming occurring largely through increases in maximum temperatures, while the 20-year record documents warming associated with increases in maximum temperatures at lower elevations and increases in minimum temperatures at higher elevations. Recent decades have also shown a shift from warming during springtime to warming in July and November. Warming along the gradient has contributed to increases in growing-degree days, although to differing degrees, over both temporal scales. However, the length of the growing season has remained unchanged. Finally, the actual and the PRISM interpolated yearly rates rarely showed strong correlations and suggest different warming and cooling trends at most sites. Interpretation of climate trends and their seasonal biases in the Rocky Mountain Front Range are dependent on both elevation and the temporal scale of analysis. Given mismatches between interpolated data and the directly measured station data, we caution against

Fire on the mountain: birds and burns in the Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

Natasha B. Kotliar; Victoria A. Saab; Richard L. Hutto

2005-01-01

The diversity of climate and topography across the Rocky Mountains has resulted in a broad spectrum of fire regimes ranging from frequent, low-severity fires to infrequent stand-replacement events. Such variation in fire history contributes to landscape structure and dynamics, and in turn can influence subsequent fire behavior (Allen et al. 2002). In essence,...

Weather observations on Whistler Mountain during five storms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thériault, Julie M.; Rasmussen, Kristen L.; Fisico, Teresa; Stewart, Ronald E.; Joe, Paul; Gultepe, Ismail; Clément, Marilys; Isaac, George A.

2014-01-01

A greater understanding of precipitation formation processes over complex terrain near the west coast of British Colombia will contribute to many relevant applications, such as climate studies, local hydrology, transportation, and winter sport competition. The phase of precipitation is difficult to determine because of the warm and moist weather conditions experienced during the wintertime in coastal mountain ranges. The goal of this study is to investigate the wide range of meteorological conditions that generated precipitation on Whistler Mountain from 4-12 March 2010 during the SNOW-V10 field campaign. During this time period, five different storms were documented in detail and were associated with noticeably different meteorological conditions in the vicinity of Whistler Mountain. New measurement techniques, along with the SNOW-V10 instrumentation, were used to obtain in situ observations during precipitation events along the Whistler mountainside. The results demonstrate a high variability of weather conditions ranging from the synoptic-scale to the macro-scale. These weather events were associated with a variation of precipitation along the mountainside, such as events associated with snow, snow pellets, and rain. Only two events associated with a rain-snow transition along the mountainside were observed, even though above-freezing temperatures along the mountainside were recorded 90 % of the time. On a smaller scale, these events were also associated with a high variability of snowflake types that were observed simultaneously near the top of Whistler Mountain. Overall, these detailed observations demonstrate the importance of understanding small-scale processes to improve observational techniques, short-term weather prediction, and longer-term climate projections over mountainous regions.

Vertical Profile of Aerosol Properties at Pico Mountain, Azores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, K.; Mazzoleni, C.; Mazzoleni, L. R.; Dzepina, K.; Hueber, J.; China, S.; Sharma, N.

2013-12-01

Pico Mountain (2325m asl) is a dormant volcano in the archipelago of the Azores1500 km west of Lisbon, Portugal in the North Atlantic. It differs from typical mountain ranges such as the Alps or the Rockies, which are large and present a complex orography. Pico Mountain has a simple cone-like structure with only one main peak and is thousands of kilometers away from any other significant mountain range. In summer months, it is typical for air masses to move around the mountain rather than traveling up its face. This implies that often the peak of the mountain lies above the marine boundary layer in the free troposphere, while the lower part of the mountain is affected by marine clouds and marine air-masses. An atmospheric monitoring station, the Pico Mountain Observatory was established in 2001 in the summit caldera of the volcano at 2225m above sea level. The observatory is far from large populations or pollution sources, which makes the station ideal to study atmospheric gases and aerosols transported over long-ranges in the free troposphere. The station is reachable only by foot following a steep and strenuous hiking trail. In the summer of 2013 we began to collect vertical profiles of aerosol by carrying an instrumented backpack up to the summit of the mountain, with the goal of studying the vertical structure of atmospheric aerosols from the marine boundary layer to the free troposphere. The backpack was carried from the base of trail at 1200m asl. The backpack was equipped with the following instruments: 1. Nephelometer to measure light scattering from aerosol 2. 2-size optical particle counter (300-500 nm) 3. Portable micro-aethalometer to measure absorbing aerosols 4. SEM/TEM sampler to collect particles for off-line electron microscopy analysis 5. Battery powered data logger to measure relative humidity, temperature and pressure 6. GPS tracking device We provide a preliminary analysis of data collected in 2013 to gain insight on the vertical distribution

Characterization of microsatellite loci isolated in Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

John, J. St; Kysela, R.F.; Oyler-McCance, S.J.

2007-01-01

Primers for 15 microsatellite loci were developed for Mountain Plover, a species whose distribution and abundance have been reduced drastically in the past 30 years. In a screen of 126 individuals collected from four breeding locales across the species' range, levels of polymorphism ranged from two to 13 alleles per locus. No two loci were found to be linked, although one locus revealed significant departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. These microsatellite loci can be used in population genetic studies, ultimately aiding in management efforts for Mountain Plover. Additionally, these markers can potentially be used in studies investigating the mating system of Mountain Plover. ?? 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Relict colluvial boulder deposits as paleoclimatic indicators in the Yucca Mountain region, southern Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Whitney, J.W.; Harrington, C.D.

1993-01-01

Early to middle Pleistocene boulder deposits are common features on southern Nevada hillslopes. These darkly varnished, ancient colluvial deposits stand out in stark contrast to the underlying light-colored bedrock of volcanic tuffs, and they serve as minor divides between drainage channels on modern hillslopes. To demonstrate the antiquity of these stable hillslope features, six colluvial boulder deposits from Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, were dated by cation-ratio dating of rock varnish accreted on boulder surfaces. Estimated minimum ages of these boulder deposits range from 760 to 170 ka. Five additional older deposits on nearby Skull and Little Skull Mountains and Buckboard Mesa yielded cation-ratio minimum-age estimates of 1.38 Ma to 800 ka. An independent cosmogenic chlorine-36 surface exposure date was obtained on one deposit, which confirms an estimated early to middle Quaternary age. These deposits have provided the oldest age estimates for unconsolidated hillslope deposits in the southwestern United States. We suggest that the colluvial boulder deposits were produced during early and middle Pleistocene glacial/pluvial episodes and were stabilized during the transition to drier interglacial climates. The preservation of old, thin hillslope deposits and the less-than-2-m incision by hillslope runoff adjacent to these deposits, indicate that extremely low denudation rates have occurred on resistant volcanic hillslopes in the southern Great Basin during Quaternary time. -from Authors

Freshness in the Mountains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shapiro, Kay Slattery; Clauss, Judith Enz

2000-01-01

Situated in a western mountain range, the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching is a residential facility that houses teachers seeking intellectual refreshment. The center pays all expenses, aiming to advance teaching as an art and a profession via seminars and a relaxed atmosphere. (MLH)

76 FR 66629 - Establishment of the Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak Viticultural Area

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-27

... explains. The petition states that local growers report that Pine Mountain vineyards are naturally free of.... Southern storms often stall over Pine Mountain and the Mayacmas range, dropping more rain than in other..., and very well to excessively well-drained. Also, these mountain soils include large amounts of sand...

Testing fault growth models with low-temperature thermochronology in the northwest Basin and Range, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curry, Magdalena A. E.; Barnes, Jason B.; Colgan, Joseph P.

2016-01-01

Common fault growth models diverge in predicting how faults accumulate displacement and lengthen through time. A paucity of field-based data documenting the lateral component of fault growth hinders our ability to test these models and fully understand how natural fault systems evolve. Here we outline a framework for using apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronology (AHe) to quantify the along-strike growth of faults. To test our framework, we first use a transect in the normal fault-bounded Jackson Mountains in the Nevada Basin and Range Province, then apply the new framework to the adjacent Pine Forest Range. We combine new and existing cross sections with 18 new and 16 existing AHe cooling ages to determine the spatiotemporal variability in footwall exhumation and evaluate models for fault growth. Three age-elevation transects in the Pine Forest Range show that rapid exhumation began along the range-front fault between approximately 15 and 11 Ma at rates of 0.2–0.4 km/Myr, ultimately exhuming approximately 1.5–5 km. The ages of rapid exhumation identified at each transect lie within data uncertainty, indicating concomitant onset of faulting along strike. We show that even in the case of growth by fault-segment linkage, the fault would achieve its modern length within 3–4 Myr of onset. Comparison with the Jackson Mountains highlights the inadequacies of spatially limited sampling. A constant fault-length growth model is the best explanation for our thermochronology results. We advocate that low-temperature thermochronology can be further utilized to better understand and quantify fault growth with broader implications for seismic hazard assessments and the coevolution of faulting and topography.

Human-climate-environment interactions during the past 4000 years in the Taurus Mountain Range, SW Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verstraeten, Gert; Broothaerts, Nils; Van Loo, Maarten; Poblome, Jeroen; Degryse, Patrick

2017-04-01

The Eastern Mediterranean has been an area of intense human occupation since the early Neolithic. However, contrary to many temperate environments in NW Europe, human pressure on the landscape did not follow a linear trajectory from the Neolithic to the present, but is rather characterised by cycles of land cover expansion and contraction. Here, we provide a synthesis of human-climate-environment interactions in the region of the antique city of Sagalassos in the Taurus mountain range of SW Turkey. The combination of archaeological, palynological and geomorphological data, together with geochemical sediment provenancing and spatial modelling techniques, enabled to reconstruct the relative importance of anthropogenic pressure and climatic changes on the environment. The sensitivity of the landscape towards anthropogenic disturbance is strongly controlled by the geomorphic-tectonic setting, as well as by important feedback mechanisms in the soil system. The first major clearing of the landscape in the Iron Age led to a peak in soil erosion, but also to soil exhaustion limiting erosion rates in subsequent periods. Soil erosion and sediment delivery is more limited during the main occupation phases of the Roman Imperial Period. Periods with more favorable climate in the Roman and Mid-Byzantine periods resulted in the occupation of more isolated parts of the territory (i.e. higher up in the mountains), whilst a decrease in human pressure can be observed during the Early Byzantine and Ottoman periods related to less favorable conditions. Such smaller and short-lasting bursts of human occupation did not significanlty impact the environment. Only in the last two hundred years, human pressure reached similar values as those encountered in the classical period.

Precipitation and Runoff Simulations of the Carson Range and Pine Nut Mountains, and Updated Estimates of Ground-Water Inflow and the Ground-Water Budgets for Basin-Fill Aquifers of Carson Valley, Douglas County, Nevada, and Alpine County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jeton, Anne E.; Maurer, Douglas K.

2007-01-01

Recent estimates of ground-water inflow to the basin-fill aquifers of Carson Valley, Nevada, and California, from the adjacent Carson Range and Pine Nut Mountains ranged from 22,000 to 40,000 acre-feet per year using water-yield and chloride-balance methods. In this study, watershed models were developed for watersheds with perennial streams and for watersheds with ephemeral streams in the Carson Range and Pine Nut Mountains to provide an independent estimate of ground-water inflow. This report documents the development and calibration of the watershed models, presents model results, compares the results with recent estimates of ground-water inflow to the basin-fill aquifers of Carson Valley, and presents updated estimates of the ground-water budget for basin-fill aquifers of Carson Valley. The model used for the study was the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System, a physically based, distributed-parameter model designed to simulate precipitation and snowmelt runoff as well as snowpack accumulation and snowmelt processes. Geographic Information System software was used to manage spatial data, characterize model drainages, and to develop Hydrologic Response Units. Models were developed for * Two watersheds with gaged perennial streams in the Carson Range and two watersheds with gaged perennial streams in the Pine Nut Mountains using measured daily mean runoff, * Ten watersheds with ungaged perennial streams using estimated daily mean runoff, * Ten watershed with ungaged ephemeral streams in the Carson Range, and * A large area of ephemeral runoff near the Pine Nut Mountains. Models developed for the gaged watersheds were used as index models to guide the calibration of models for ungaged watersheds. Model calibration was constrained by daily mean runoff for 4 gaged watersheds and for 10 ungaged watersheds in the Carson Range estimated in a previous study. The models were further constrained by annual precipitation volumes estimated in a previous study to provide

40Ar/39Ar geochronology and petrogenesis of the Table Mountain Shoshonite, Golden, Colorado, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Millikin, Alexie E. G.; Morgan, Leah; Noblett, Jeffery

2018-01-01

The Upper Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene Table Mountain Shoshonite lava flows and their proposed source, the Ralston Buttes intrusions, provide insight into the volcanic history of the Colorado Front Range. This study affirms the long-held hypothesis linking the extrusive Table Mountain lava flows and their intrusive equivalents at Ralston Buttes through major- and trace- element geochemistry. Systematic 40Ar/39Ar geochronology from all flows and intrusive units refines the eruptive history, improves precision on previously reported ages, and provides tighter constraints on the position of the K-Pg boundary in this location. Four flows are recognized on North and South Table mountains outside of Golden, Colorado. Flow 1 (66.5 ± 0.3 Ma, all ages reported with 2σ uncertainty) is the oldest, most compositionally distinct flow and is separated from younger flows by approximately 35 m of sedimentary deposits of the Denver Formation. Stratigraphically adjacent flows 2 (65.8 ± 0.2 Ma), 3 (65.5 ± 0.3 Ma), and 4 (65.9 ± 0.3 Ma) are compositionally indistinguishable. Lavas (referred to here as unit 5) that form three cone-shaped structures (shown by this study to be volcanic vents of a new unit 5) on top of North Table Mountain are compositionally similar to other units, but yield an age almost 20 m.y. younger (46.94 ± 0.15 Ma). Geochemistry and geochronology suggest that the rim phase of the Ralston plug (65.4 ± 0.2 Ma) is a reasonable source for flows 2, 3, and 4. All units are shoshonites—potassic basalts containing plagioclase, augite, olivine, and magnetite phenocrysts—and plot in the continental-arc field in tectonic discrimination diagrams. A continental-arc setting coupled with Late Cretaceous to early Paleogene ages suggest the high-K magmatism is associated with Laramide tectonism.

Lineations and structural mapping of Io's paterae and mountains: Implications for internal stresses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahern, Alexandra A.; Radebaugh, Jani; Christiansen, Eric H.; Harris, Ronald A.; Tass, E. Shannon

2017-11-01

The mountains of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io are tall, steep, and tectonic in origin, yet their precise modes of formation and their associations with volcanic paterae are not fully understood. Global spatial statistics of paterae and mountains and their associated lineations reveal that both types of features are more common at low latitudes and tectonic lineations have preferred orientations, whereas straight patera margins are randomly oriented. Additionally, structurally controlled lineations tend to cluster with each other, and in areas of high concentrations these tectonic lineations are shorter in length than their global average. These results indicate that global-scale (rather than local or regional) processes are involved in forming Io's tectonic structures, but that the diversity of mountain characteristics and the collapse of paterae adjacent to mountain complexes are more locally controlled. Regional structural mapping of the Hi'iaka, Shamshu, Tohil, and Zal regions reveals Io's mountains reside in large, fault-bounded crustal blocks that have undergone modification through local responses of subsurface structures to variable stresses. Strike-slip motion along reactivated faults led to the formation of transpressional and transtensional features, creating tall peaks and low basins, some of which are now occupied by paterae. We propose Io's mountains result from a combination of crustal stresses involving global and local-scale processes, dominantly volcanic loading and tidal flexing. These stresses sometimes are oriented at oblique angles to pre-existing faults, reactivating them as reverse, normal, or strike-slip faults, modifying the large, cohesive crustal blocks that many of Io's mountains reside in. Further degradation of mountains and burial of faults has occurred from extensive volcanism, mass wasting, gravitational collapse, and erosion by sublimation and sapping of sulfur-rich layers. This model of fault-bounded blocks being modified by global

Spatial and temporal interactions of sympatric mountain lions in Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nicholson, Kerry L.; Krausman, Paul R.; Munguia-Vega, Adrian; Culver, Melanie

2011-01-01

Spatial and temporal interactions among individual members of populations can have direct applications to habitat management of mountain lions (Puma concolor). Our objectives were to evaluate home range overlap and spatial/temporal use of overlap zones (OZ) of mountain lions in Arizona. We incorporated spatial data with genetic analyses to assess relatedness between mountain lions with overlapping home ranges. We recorded the space use patterns of 29 radio-collared mountain lions in Arizona from August 2005 to August 2008. We genotyped 28 mountain lions and estimated the degree of relatedness among individuals. For 26 pairs of temporally overlapping mountain lions, 18 overlapped spatially and temporally and eight had corresponding genetic information. Home range overlap ranged from 1.18% to 46.38% (x̄=2443, SE = 2.96). Male–male pairs were located within 1 km of each other on average, 0.04% of the time, whereas male–female pairs on average were 3.0%. Two male–male pairs exhibited symmetrical spatial avoidance and two symmetrical spatial attractions to the OZ. We observed simultaneous temporal attraction in three male–male pairs and four male–female pairs. Individuals from Tucson were slightly related to one another within the population (n = 13, mean R = 0.0373 ± 0.0151) whereas lions from Payson (n = 6, mean R = -0.0079 ± 0.0356) and Prescott (n = 9, mean R = -0.0242 ± 0.0452) were not as related. Overall, males were less related to other males (n = 20, mean R = -0.0495 ± 0.0161) than females were related to other females (n = 8, mean R = 0.0015 ± 0.0839). Genetic distance was positively correlated with geographic distance (r2 = 0.22, P = 0.001). Spatial requirements and interactions influence social behavior and can play a role in determining population density.

Interaction of an invasive bark beetle with a native forest pathogen: Potential effect of dwarf mistletoe on range expansion of mountain pine beetle in jack pine forests

Treesearch

Jennifer Klutsch; Nadir Erbilgin

2012-01-01

In recent decades, climate change has facilitated shifts in species ranges that have the potential to significantly affect ecosystem dynamics and resilience. Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) is expanding east from British Columbia, where it has killed millions of pine trees, primarily lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta...

Aeromagnetic and gravity data over the Central Transantarctic Mountains (CTAM), Antarctica: a website for the distribution of data and maps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, E.D.; Finn, C.A.; Damaske, D.; Abraham, J.D.; Goldmann, F.; Goodge, J.W.; Braddock, P.

2006-01-01

Near complete coverage of the East Antarctic Shield by ice hampers geological study of crustal architecture important for understanding global tectonic and climate history. Limited exposures in the central Transantarctic Mountains (CTAM), however, show that Archean and Proterozoic rocks of the shield as well as Neoproterozoic-lower Paleozoic sedimentary successions were involved in oblique convergence associated with Gondwana amalgamation. Subsequently, the area was overprinted by Jurassic magmatism and Cenozoic uplift. To extend the known geology of the region to ice-covered areas, we conducted an aeromagnetic survey flown in draped mode by helicopters over the Central Transantarctic Mountains and by fixed-wing aircraft over the adjacent polar plateau. We flew more than 32,000 line km covering an area of nearly 60,000 km2 at an average altitude of 600 m, with average line spacing 2.5 km over most areas and 1.25 km over basement rocks exposed in the Miller and Geologists ranges. Additional lines flown to the north, south, and west extended preliminary coverage and tied with existing surveys. Gravity data was collected on the ground along a central transect of the helicopter survey area.

Bedrock geologic map of the Yucca Mountain area, Nye County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Day, Warren C.; Dickerson, Robert P.; Potter, Christopher J.; Sweetkind, Donald S.; San Juan, Carma A.; Drake, Ronald M.; Fridrich, Christopher J.

1998-01-01

Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, has been identified as a potential site for underground storage of high-level radioactive nuclear waste. Detailed bedrock geologic maps form an integral part of the site characterization program by providing the fundamental framework for research into the geologic hazards and hydrologic behavior of the mountain. This bedrock geologic map provides the geologic framework and structural setting for the area in and adjacent to the site of the potential repository. The study area comprises the northern and central parts of Yucca Mountain, located on the southern flank of the Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley caldera complex, which was the source for many of the volcanic units in the area. The Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley caldera complex is part of the Miocene southwestern Nevada volcanic field, which is within the Walker Lane belt. This tectonic belt is a northwest-striking megastructure lying between the more active Inyo-Mono and Basin-and-Range subsections of the southwestern Great Basin.Excluding Quaternary surficial deposits, the map area is underlain by Miocene volcanic rocks, principally ash-flow tuffs with lesser amounts of lava flows. These volcanic units include the Crater Flat Group, the Calico Hills Formation, the Paintbrush Group, and the Timber Mountain Group, as well as minor basaltic dikes. The tuffs and lava flows are predominantly rhyolite with lesser amounts of latite and range in age from 13.4 to 11.6 Ma. The 10-Ma basaltic dikes intruded along a few fault traces in the north-central part of the study area. Fault types in the area can be classified as block bounding, relay structures, strike slip, and intrablock. The block-bounding faults separate the 1- to 4-km-wide, east-dipping structural blocks and exhibit hundreds of meters of displacement. The relay structures are northwest-striking normal fault zones that kinematically link the block-bounding faults. The strike-slip faults are steep, northwest-striking dextral

Evidence that local land use practices influence regional climate, vegetation, and stream flow patterns in adjacent natural areas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stohlgren, T.J.; Chase, T.N.; Pielke, R.A.; Kittel, T.G.F.; Baron, Jill S.

1998-01-01

We present evidence that land use practices in the plains of Colorado influence regional climate and vegetation in adjacent natural areas in the Rocky Mountains in predictable ways. Mesoscale climate model simulations using the Colorado State University Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (RAMS) projected that modifications to natural vegetation in the plains, primarily due to agriculture and urbanization, could produce lower summer temperatures in the mountains. We corroborate the RAMS simulations with three independent sets of data: (i) climate records from 16 weather stations, which showed significant trends of decreasing July temperatures in recent decades; (ii) the distribution of seedlings of five dominant conifer species in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, which suggested that cooler, wetter conditions occurred over roughly the same time period; and (iii) increased stream flow, normalized for changes in precipitation, during the summer months in four river basins, which also indicates cooler summer temperatures and lower transpiration at landscape scales. Combined, the mesoscale atmospheric/land-surface model, short-term in regional temperatures, forest distribution changes, and hydrology data indicate that the effects of land use practices on regional climate may overshadow larger-scale temperature changes commonly associated with observed increases in CO2 and other greenhouse gases.

Changes in vegetation cover and composition in the Swedish mountain region.

PubMed

Hedenås, Henrik; Christensen, Pernilla; Svensson, Johan

2016-08-01

Climate change, higher levels of natural resource demands, and changing land use will likely lead to changes in vegetation configuration in the mountain regions. The aim of this study was to determine if the vegetation cover and composition have changed in the Swedish region of the Scandinavian Mountain Range, based on data from the long-term landscape biodiversity monitoring program NILS (National Inventory of Landscapes in Sweden). Habitat type and vegetation cover were assessed in 1740 systematically distributed permanent field plots grouped into 145 sample units across the mountain range. Horvitz-Thompson estimations were used to estimate the present areal extension of the alpine and the mountain birch forest areas of the mountain range, the cover of trees, shrubs, and plants, and the composition of the bottom layer vegetation. We employed the data from two subsequent 5-year monitoring periods, 2003-2007 and 2008-2012, to determine if there have been any changes in these characteristics. We found that the extension of the alpine and the mountain birch forest areas has not changed between the inventory phases. However, the total tree canopy cover increased in the alpine area, the cover of graminoids and dwarf shrubs and the total cover of field vegetation increased in both the alpine area and the mountain birch forest, the bryophytes decreased in the alpine area, and the foliose lichens decreased in the mountain birch forest. The observed changes in vegetation cover and composition, as assessed by systematic data in a national and regional monitoring scheme, can validate the results of local studies, experimental studies, and models. Through benchmark assessments, monitoring data also contributes to governmental policies and land-management strategies as well as to directed cause and effect analyses.

Digital mountains: toward development and environment protection in mountain regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Xiaobo

2007-06-01

Former studies on mountain system are focused on the department or subject characters, i.e. different department and branches of learning carry out researches only for their individual purposes and with individual characters of the subject of interests. As a whole, their investigation is lacking of comprehensive study in combination with global environment. Ecological environment in mountain regions is vulnerable to the disturbance of human activities. Therefore, it is a key issue to coordinate economic development and environment protection in mountain regions. On the other hand, a lot of work is ongoing on mountain sciences, especially depending on the application of RS and GIS. Moreover, the development of the Digital Earth (DE) provides a clue to re-understand mountains. These are the background of the emergence of the Digital Mountains (DM). One of the purposes of the DM is integrating spatial related data and information about mountains. Moreover, the DM is a viewpoint and methodology of understanding and quantifying mountains holistically. The concept of the DM is that, the spatial and temporal data related to mountain regions are stored and managed in computers; moreover, manipulating, analyzing, modeling, simulating and sharing of the mountain information are implemented by utilizing technologies of RS, GIS, GPS, Geo-informatic Tupu, computer, virtual reality (VR), 3D simulation, massive storage, mutual operation and network communication. The DM aims at advancing mountain sciences and sustainable mountain development. The DM is used to providing information and method for coordinating the mountain regions development and environment protection. The fundamental work of the DM is the design of the scientific architecture. Furthermore, construct and develop massive databases of mountains are the important steps these days.

A new species of Simulium (Chirostilbia) (Diptera: Simuliidae) from Mantiqueira mountain range, southeastern Brazil.

PubMed

Hamada, Neusa; Nascimento, Jeane Marcelle Cavalcante; Pepinelli, Mateus

2015-10-01

Simulium (Chirostilbia) vitribasi n. sp. from the Mantiqueira mountain range, in São Paulo and Minas Gerais states, southeastern Brazil, is described and illustrated based on male, female, pupal and larval morphologies. The pupae of the new species is similar to the one of Simulium pertinax Kollar, one of the most voracious black fly species in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil and a target of control programs in these regions. But the pupa of the new species has a large basal fenestra in the gills that distinguishes it from all other S. (Chirostilibia) species. The other life stages of the new species also have morphological characters that distinguish it from the other species in the subgenus: male has scutum black, with patches of thick, golden hairs; female has scutum similar to that of the male, without banding or other markers, abdominal tergites I and II whitish and sternite VIII dark, heavily sclerotized; anal lobe almost as wide as long, with thin, long hairs on its outer margin; larva body cuticle has wide scale-like setae, with lobulated distal margins. Females were not observed biting humans during the fieldwork. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Geologic Map of the Sulphur Mountain Quadrangle, Park County, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bohannon, Robert G.; Ruleman, Chester A.

2009-01-01

The main structural element in the Sulphur Mountain quadrangle is the Elkhorn thrust. This northwest-trending fault is the southernmost structure that bounds the west side of the Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary Front Range basement-rock uplift. The Elkhorn thrust and the Williams Range thrust that occurs in the Dillon area north of the quadrangle bound the west flank of the Williams Range and the Front Range uplift in the South Park area. Kellogg (2004) described widespread, intense fracturing, landsliding, and deep-rooted scarps in the crystalline rocks that comprise the upper plate of the Williams Range thrust. The latter thrust is also demonstrably a low-angle structure upon which the fractured bedrock of the upper plate was translated west above Cretaceous shales. Westward thrusting along the border of the Front Range uplift is probably best developed in that area. By contrast, the Elkhorn in the Sulphur Mountain quadrangle is poorly exposed and occurs in an area of relatively low relief. The thrust also apparently ends in the central part of the quadrangle, dying out into a broad area of open, upright folds with northwest axes in the Sulphur Mountain area.

Isotopic assessment of NO3_ and SO42_ mobility during winter in two adjacent watersheds in the Adirondack Mountains, New York

Treesearch

John L. Campbell; Myron J. Mitchell; Bernhard Mayer

2006-01-01

Biogeochemical cycling of N and S was examined at two watersheds in the Adirondack Mountains, New York, to better understand the retention and loss of these elements during winter and spring snowmelt.

Baboquivari Mountain plants: Identification, ecology, and ethnobotany [Book Review

Treesearch

Rosemary L. Pendleton

2011-01-01

The Sky Islands of southern Arizona and northwestern Mexico make up a region that is rich, both biologically and culturally. These isolated mountain ranges, separated by desert "seas," contain a unique and diverse flora and have long been home to indigenous peoples of the southwestern US. This book, Baboquivari Mountain Plants: Identification, Ecology, and...

Geology of the Yucca Mountain site area, southwestern Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keefer, W.R.; Whitney, J.W.; Buesch, D.C.

2007-01-01

Pleistocene and Holocene times; these paleoseismic studies form the basis for evaluating the potential for future earthquakes and fault displacements. Thermoluminescence and U-series analyses were used to date the surficial materials involved in the Quaternary faulting events. The rate of erosional downcutting of bedrock on the ridge crests and hillslopes of Yucca Mountain, being of particular concern with respect to the potential for breaching of the proposed underground storage facility, was studied by using rock varnish cation-ratio and 10Be and 36Cl cosmogenic dating methods to determine the length of time bedrock outcrops and hillslope boulder deposits were exposed to cosmic rays, which then served as a basis for calculating long-term erosion rates. The results indicate rates ranging from 0.04 to 0.27 cm/k.y., which represent the maximum downcutting along the summit of Yucca Mountain under all climatic conditions that existed there during most of Quaternary time. Associated studies include the stratigraphy of surficial deposits in Fortymile Wash, the major drainage course in the area, which record a complex history of four to five cut-and-fill cycles within the channel during middle to late Quaternary time. The last 2-4 m of incision probably occurred during the last pluvial climatic period, 22-18 ka, followed by aggradation to the present time. Major faults at Yucca Mountain-from east to west, the Paintbrush Canyon, Bow Ridge, Stagecoach Road, Solitario Canyon, Fatigue Wash, Windy Wash, and Northern and Southern Crater Flat Faults-trend predominantly north, are spaced 1-5 km apart, have bedrock displacements ranging from 125 m to as much as 500 m, and exhibit Quaternary movements of several centimeters to a few meters. Displacements are predominantly down to the west, and bedrock/alluvium contacts commonly are marked by fault-line scarps. The predominant northerly fault trend changes to a more northeasterly trend in adjacent areas south

Evolution of endemism on a young tropical mountain.

PubMed

Merckx, Vincent S F T; Hendriks, Kasper P; Beentjes, Kevin K; Mennes, Constantijn B; Becking, Leontine E; Peijnenburg, Katja T C A; Afendy, Aqilah; Arumugam, Nivaarani; de Boer, Hugo; Biun, Alim; Buang, Matsain M; Chen, Ping-Ping; Chung, Arthur Y C; Dow, Rory; Feijen, Frida A A; Feijen, Hans; Feijen-van Soest, Cobi; Geml, József; Geurts, René; Gravendeel, Barbara; Hovenkamp, Peter; Imbun, Paul; Ipor, Isa; Janssens, Steven B; Jocqué, Merlijn; Kappes, Heike; Khoo, Eyen; Koomen, Peter; Lens, Frederic; Majapun, Richard J; Morgado, Luis N; Neupane, Suman; Nieser, Nico; Pereira, Joan T; Rahman, Homathevi; Sabran, Suzana; Sawang, Anati; Schwallier, Rachel M; Shim, Phyau-Soon; Smit, Harry; Sol, Nicolien; Spait, Maipul; Stech, Michael; Stokvis, Frank; Sugau, John B; Suleiman, Monica; Sumail, Sukaibin; Thomas, Daniel C; van Tol, Jan; Tuh, Fred Y Y; Yahya, Bakhtiar E; Nais, Jamili; Repin, Rimi; Lakim, Maklarin; Schilthuizen, Menno

2015-08-20

Tropical mountains are hot spots of biodiversity and endemism, but the evolutionary origins of their unique biotas are poorly understood. In varying degrees, local and regional extinction, long-distance colonization, and local recruitment may all contribute to the exceptional character of these communities. Also, it is debated whether mountain endemics mostly originate from local lowland taxa, or from lineages that reach the mountain by long-range dispersal from cool localities elsewhere. Here we investigate the evolutionary routes to endemism by sampling an entire tropical mountain biota on the 4,095-metre-high Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia. We discover that most of its unique biodiversity is younger than the mountain itself (6 million years), and comprises a mix of immigrant pre-adapted lineages and descendants from local lowland ancestors, although substantial shifts from lower to higher vegetation zones in this latter group were rare. These insights could improve forecasts of the likelihood of extinction and 'evolutionary rescue' in montane biodiversity hot spots under climate change scenarios.

Turbulence and Mountain Wave Conditions Observed with an Airborne 2-Micron Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teets, Edward H., Jr.; Ashburn, Chris; Ehernberger, L. J.; Bogue, Rodney K.

2006-01-01

Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar (light detection and ranging) for Advanced In-Flight Measurements was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This report describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges by lidar on board the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 (McDonnell Douglas Corporation, Long Beach, California) airplane during two flights. The examples in this report compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent airplane-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 m/s at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 s in moderate turbulence.

Size cues and the adjacency principle.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1963-11-01

The purpose of the present study was to apply the adjacency principle to the perception of relative depth from size cues. In agreement with the adjacency principle, it was found that the size cue between adjacent objects was more effective than the s...

Seasonal distribution and aerial surveys of mountain goats in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks, Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jenkins, Kurt; Beirne, Katherine; Happe, Patricia; Hoffman, Roger; Rice, Cliff; Schaberl, Jim

2011-01-01

We described the seasonal distribution of Geographic Positioning System (GPS)-collared mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in Mount Rainier, North Cascades, and Olympic National Parks to evaluate aerial survey sampling designs and provide general information for park managers. This work complemented a companion study published elsewhere of aerial detection biases of mountain goat surveys in western Washington. Specific objectives reported here were to determine seasonal and altitudinal movements, home range distributions, and temporal dynamics of mountain goat movements in and out of aerial survey sampling frames established within each park. We captured 25 mountain goats in Mount Rainier (9), North Cascades (5), and Olympic (11) National Parks, and fitted them with GPS-collars programmed to obtain 6-8 locations daily. We obtained location data on 23 mountain goats for a range of 39-751 days from 2003 to 2008. Altitudinal distributions of GPS-collared mountain goats varied individually and seasonally, but median altitudes used by individual goats during winter ranged from 817 to 1,541 meters in Olympic and North Cascades National Parks, and 1,215 to 1,787 meters in Mount Rainier National Park. Median altitudes used by GPS-collared goats during summer ranged from 1,312 to 1,819 meters in Olympic and North Cascades National Parks, and 1,780 to 2,061 meters in Mount Rainier National Park. GPS-collared mountain goats generally moved from low-altitude winter ranges to high-altitude summer ranges between June 11 and June 19 (range April 24-July 3) and from summer to winter ranges between October 26 and November 9 (range September 11-December 23). Seasonal home ranges (95 percent of adaptive kernel utilization distribution) of males and female mountain goats were highly variable, ranging from 1.6 to 37.0 kilometers during summers and 0.7 to 9.5 kilometers during winters. Locations of GPS-collared mountain goats were almost 100 percent within the sampling frame used for

K-Ar geochronology of the Survey Pass, Ambler River and Eastern Baird Mountains quadrangles, southwestern Brooks Range, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Turner, Donald L.; Forbes, R.B.; Mayfield, C.F.

1978-01-01

We report 76 previously unpublished K-Ar mineral ages from 47 metamorphic and igneous rocks in the southwestern Brooks Range. The pattern of radiometric ages is complex, reflecting the complex geologic history of this area. Local and regional radiometric evidence suggests that the southern Brooks Range schist belt has, at least in part, undergone a late Precambrian metamorphism and that the parent sedimentary and igneous rocks for the metamorphic rocks dated as late Precambrian are at least this old (Precambrian Z). This schist terrane experienced a major thermal event in mid-Cretaceous time, causing widespread resetting of nearly all K-Ar mica ages. A series of apparent ages intermediate between late Precambrian and mid-Cretaceous are interpreted as indicating varying amounts of partial argon loss from older rocks during the Cretaceous event. The schist belt is characterized by dominant metasediments and subordinate metabasites and metafelsites. Blueschists occur within the schist belt from the Chandalar quadrangle westward to the Baird Mountains quadrangle, but geologic evidence does not support the existence of a fossil subduction zone.

ESR and 230Th/234U dating of speleothems from Aladağlar Mountain Range (AMR) in Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulusoy, Ülkü; Anbar, Gül; Bayarı, Serdar; Uysal, Tonguç

2014-03-01

Electron spin resonance (ESR) and 230Th/234U ages of speleothem samples collected from karstic caves located around 3000 m elevation in the Aladağlar Mountain Range (AMR), south-central Turkey, were determined in order to provide new insight and information regarding late Pleistocene climate. ESR ages were validated with the 230Th/234U ages of test samples. The ESR ages of 21 different layers of six speleothem samples were found to range mostly between about 59 and 4 ka, which cover the Marine Oxygen Isotope Stages (MIS) MIS 3 to MIS 1. Among all, only six layers appear to have deposited during MIS 8 and 5. Most of the samples dated were deposited during the late glacial stage (MIS 2). It appears that a cooler climate with a perennial and steady recharge was more conducive to speleothem development rather than a warmer climate with seasonal recharge in the AMR during the late Quaternary. This argument supports previous findings that suggest a two -fold increase in last glacial maximum mean precipitation in Turkey with respect to the present value.

Density and magnetic suseptibility values for rocks in the Talkeetna Mountains and adjacent region, south-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanger, Elizabeth A.; Glen, Jonathan M.G.

2003-01-01

This report presents a compilation and statistical analysis of 306 density and 706 magnetic susceptibility measurements of rocks from south-central Alaska that were collected by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS) scientists between the summers of 1999 and 2002. This work is a product of the USGS Talkeetna Mountains Transect Project and was supported by USGS projects in the Talkeetna Mountains and Iron Creek region, and by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) projects in the Delta River Mining District that aim to characterize the subsurface structures of the region. These data were collected to constrain potential field models (i.e., gravity and magnetic) that are combined with other geophysical methods to identify and model major faults, terrane boundaries, and potential mineral resources of the study area. Because gravity and magnetic field anomalies reflect variations in the density and magnetic susceptibility of the underlying lithology, these rock properties are essential components of potential field modeling. In general, the average grain density of rocks in the study region increases from sedimentary, felsic, and intermediate igneous rocks, to mafic igneous and metamorphic rocks. Magnetic susceptibility measurements performed on rock outcrops and hand samples from the study area also reveal lower magnetic susceptibilities for sedimentary and felsic intrusive rocks, moderate susceptibility values for metamorphic, felsic extrusive, and intermediate igneous rocks, and higher susceptibility values for mafic igneous rocks. The density and magnetic properties of rocks in the study area are generally consistent with general trends expected for certain rock types.

Elevation-Dependent Temperature Trends in the Rocky Mountain Front Range: Changes over a 56- and 20-Year Record

PubMed Central

McGuire, Chris R.; Nufio, César R.; Bowers, M. Deane; Guralnick, Robert P.

2012-01-01

Determining the magnitude of climate change patterns across elevational gradients is essential for an improved understanding of broader climate change patterns and for predicting hydrologic and ecosystem changes. We present temperature trends from five long-term weather stations along a 2077-meter elevational transect in the Rocky Mountain Front Range of Colorado, USA. These trends were measured over two time periods: a full 56-year record (1953–2008) and a shorter 20-year (1989–2008) record representing a period of widely reported accelerating change. The rate of change of biological indicators, season length and accumulated growing-degree days, were also measured over the 56 and 20-year records. Finally, we compared how well interpolated Parameter-elevation Regression on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) datasets match the quality controlled and weather data from each station. Our results show that warming signals were strongest at mid-elevations over both temporal scales. Over the 56-year record, most sites show warming occurring largely through increases in maximum temperatures, while the 20-year record documents warming associated with increases in maximum temperatures at lower elevations and increases in minimum temperatures at higher elevations. Recent decades have also shown a shift from warming during springtime to warming in July and November. Warming along the gradient has contributed to increases in growing-degree days, although to differing degrees, over both temporal scales. However, the length of the growing season has remained unchanged. Finally, the actual and the PRISM interpolated yearly rates rarely showed strong correlations and suggest different warming and cooling trends at most sites. Interpretation of climate trends and their seasonal biases in the Rocky Mountain Front Range are dependent on both elevation and the temporal scale of analysis. Given mismatches between interpolated data and the directly measured station data, we caution

46 CFR 148.445 - Adjacent spaces.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Adjacent spaces. 148.445 Section 148.445 Shipping COAST... THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING Additional Special Requirements § 148.445 Adjacent spaces. When... following requirements must be met: (a) Each space adjacent to a cargo hold must be ventilated by natural...

46 CFR 148.445 - Adjacent spaces.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Adjacent spaces. 148.445 Section 148.445 Shipping COAST... THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING Additional Special Requirements § 148.445 Adjacent spaces. When... following requirements must be met: (a) Each space adjacent to a cargo hold must be ventilated by natural...

46 CFR 148.445 - Adjacent spaces.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Adjacent spaces. 148.445 Section 148.445 Shipping COAST... THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING Additional Special Requirements § 148.445 Adjacent spaces. When... following requirements must be met: (a) Each space adjacent to a cargo hold must be ventilated by natural...

46 CFR 148.445 - Adjacent spaces.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 5 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Adjacent spaces. 148.445 Section 148.445 Shipping COAST... THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL HANDLING Additional Special Requirements § 148.445 Adjacent spaces. When... following requirements must be met: (a) Each space adjacent to a cargo hold must be ventilated by natural...

Rocks above the clouds: A hiker's and climber's guide to Colorado mountain geology

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reed, Jack; Ellis, Gene

2008-01-01

Rocks Above the Clouds is the first geology book written for climbers, scramblers and hikers. It is an exploration of how the nature of mountains and the challenges they present to the climber and hiker are influenced by the rocks that form them, in other words, by their geology. After describing the types of rocks found in mountains, the authors of Rocks Above the Clouds cover the geologic process from the big bang through the processes that continue to shape the mountains today. This mountain geology primer is a range-by-range description of what to expect in the Colorado mountains followed by some very curious information on the Colorado 14ers. Whether you travel in the mountains as a casual hiker, peak bagging scrambler, or technical climber, knowledge of mountain geology can help in planning your route, selecting your campsite and evaluating the hazards you face. Knowing something about different rock types might enable you to pick a route that avoids loose rock. Knowing that when wet, a particular rock surface will feel like oil might encourage you to forgo that siesta on the summit and head down before the afternoon thunderstorm.

ESTIMATES OF CLOUD WATER DEPOSITION AT MOUNTAIN DEPOSITION AT MOUNTAIN ACID DEPOSITION PROGRAM SITES IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS

EPA Science Inventory

Cloud water deposition was estimated at three high elevation sites in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States (Whiteface Mountain, NY, Whitetop Mountain, VA, and Clingrnan's Dome, TN) from 1994 through 1999 as part of the Mountain Acid Deposition Program (MADPro). ...

Map showing spatial and temporal relations of mountain and continental glaciations on the Northern Plains, primarily in northern Montana and northwestern North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fullerton, David S.; Colton, Roger B.; Bush, Charles A.; Straub, Arthur W.

2004-01-01

This report is an overview of glacial limits and glacial history on the plains in northern Montana and northeastern North Dakota (long 102?-114?W.) and also in adjacent southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. In the Rocky Mountains and on the plains adjacent to the mountains in Montana, the map also depicts spatial relations of valley glaciers and piedmont ice lobes to continental ice sheets. Glacial limits east of 102?, in the United States and also in adjacent Canada, are depicted on published maps of the U.S. Geological Survey Quaternary Geologic Atlas of the United States (I-1420) map series. The limits shown here are from data compiled for the Lethbridge, Regina, Yellowstone, and Big Horn Mountains 4? x 6? quadrangles in the Quaternary Geologic Atlas series. This geospatial database has been prepared with a degree of detail appropriate for viewing at a scale of 1:1,000,000. Because of the degree of generalization required, the map is intended for regional analysis, rather than for detailed analysis in specific areas. It depicts the geographic positions of the limits of mountain and continental glaciations and the limits of selected glacial readvances. That information provides a foundation for reconstruction of geologic history and for reconstruction. The base map is simplified. Selected hydrographic features, selected towns and cities, selected physiographic features, and a grid of 1? x 2? topographic quadrangles are included to aid the reader in location of the glacial limits and other features that are depicted here on other maps at different scales. Most of the geologic data were compiled at 1:250,000 scale. The nominal reading scale of the digitized map data is 1:1,000,000. Enlargement will not restore resolution that was lost by simplification or generalization of data. Accompanying illustrations show regional directions of ice movement from Canada into the United States during maximum Illinoian glaciation, during maximum late Wisconsin glaciation

Geologic map of the Yucca Mountain region, Nye County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Potter, Christopher J.; Dickerson, Robert P.; Sweetkind, Donald S.; Drake II, Ronald M.; Taylor, Emily M.; Fridrich, Christopher J.; San Juan, Carma A.; Day, Warren C.

2002-01-01

Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nev., has been identified as a potential site for underground storage of high-level radioactive waste. This geologic map compilation, including all of Yucca Mountain and Crater Flat, most of the Calico Hills, western Jackass Flats, Little Skull Mountain, the Striped Hills, the Skeleton Hills, and the northeastern Amargosa Desert, portrays the geologic framework for a saturated-zone hydrologic flow model of the Yucca Mountain site. Key geologic features shown on the geologic map and accompanying cross sections include: (1) exposures of Proterozoic through Devonian strata inferred to have been deformed by regional thrust faulting and folding, in the Skeleton Hills, Striped Hills, and Amargosa Desert near Big Dune; (2) folded and thrust-faulted Devonian and Mississippian strata, unconformably overlain by Miocene tuffs and lavas and cut by complex Neogene fault patterns, in the Calico Hills; (3) the Claim Canyon caldera, a segment of which is exposed north of Yucca Mountain and Crater Flat; (4) thick densely welded to nonwelded ash-flow sheets of the Miocene southwest Nevada volcanic field exposed in normal-fault-bounded blocks at Yucca Mountain; (5) upper Tertiary and Quaternary basaltic cinder cones and lava flows in Crater Flat and at southernmost Yucca Mountain; and (6) broad basins covered by Quaternary and upper Tertiary surficial deposits in Jackass Flats, Crater Flat, and the northeastern Amargosa Desert, beneath which Neogene normal and strike-slip faults are inferred to be present on the basis of geophysical data and geologic map patterns. A regional thrust belt of late Paleozoic or Mesozoic age affected all pre-Tertiary rocks in the region; main thrust faults, not exposed in the map area, are interpreted to underlie the map area in an arcuate pattern, striking north, northeast, and east. The predominant vergence of thrust faults exposed elsewhere in the region, including the Belted Range and Specter Range thrusts, was to the east

Climate Change Impacts on the Cryosphere of Mountain Regions: Validation of a Novel Model Using the Alaska Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mosier, T. M.; Hill, D. F.; Sharp, K. V.

2015-12-01

Mountain regions are natural water towers, storing water seasonally as snowpack and for much longer as glaciers. Understanding the response of these systems to climate change is necessary in order to make informed decisions about prevention or mitigation measures. Yet, mountain regions are often data sparse, leading many researchers to implement simple or enhanced temperature index (ETI) models to simulate cryosphere processes. These model structures do not account for the thermal inertia of snowpack and glaciers and do not robustly capture differences in system response to climate regimes that differ from those the model was calibrated for. For instance, a temperature index calibration parameter will differ substantially in cold-dry conditions versus warm-wet ones. To overcome these issues, we have developed a cryosphere hydrology model, called the Significantly Enhanced Temperature Index (SETI), which uses an energy balance structure but parameterizes energy balance components in terms of minimum, maximum and mean temperature, precipitation, and geometric inputs using established relationships. Additionally, the SETI model includes a glacier sliding model and can therefore be used to estimate long-term glacier response to climate change. Sensitivity of the SETI model to changing climate is compared with an ETI and a simple temperature index model for several partially-glaciated watersheds within Alaska, including Wolverine glacier where multi-decadal glacier stake measurements are available, to highlight the additional fidelity attributed to the increased complexity of the SETI structure. The SETI model is then applied to the entire Alaska Range region for an ensemble of global climate models (GCMs), using representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5. Comparing model runs based on ensembles of GCM projections to historic conditions, total annual snowfall within the Alaska region is not expected to change appreciably, but the spatial distribution of snow

Sustained Water Loss in California's Mountain Ranges During Severe Drought From 2012 to 2015 Inferred From GPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argus, Donald F.; Landerer, Felix W.; Wiese, David N.; Martens, Hilary R.; Fu, Yuning; Famiglietti, James S.; Thomas, Brian F.; Farr, Thomas G.; Moore, Angelyn W.; Watkins, Michael M.

2017-12-01

Drought struck California during 7 of the 9 years from 2007 to 2015, reducing the state's available water resources. Pumping of Central Valley groundwater has produced spectacular land subsidence. Uplift of the adjacent Sierra Nevada mountains has been proposed to be either tectonic uplift or solid Earth's elastic response to unloading of Central Valley groundwater. We find that of the 24 mm of uplift of the Sierra Nevada from October 2011 to October 2015, just 5 mm is produced by Central Valley groundwater loss, less than 2 mm is tectonic uplift, and 17 mm is solid Earth's elastic response to water loss in the Sierra Nevada. We invert GPS vertical displacements recording solid Earth's elastic response to infer changes in water storage across the western U.S. from January 2006 to October 2017. We find water changes to be sustained over periods of drought or heavy precipitation: the Sierra Nevada lost 15 ± 19 km3 of water during drought from October 2006 to October 2009, gained 18 ± 14 km3 of water during heavy precipitation from October 2009 to October 2011, and lost 45 ± 21 km3 of water during severe drought from October 2011 to October 2015 (95% confidence limits). Such large changes are not in hydrology models: snow accumulation in October is negligible and long-term soil moisture change is small. We infer that there must be large loss of either deep soil moisture or groundwater in river alluvium and in crystalline basement in the Sierra Nevada. The results suggest there to be parching of water in the ground during the summer of years of drought and seeping of melting snow into the Sierra Nevada in the spring of years of heavy precipitation.

View east over the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains

NASA Image and Video Library

1974-02-01

SL4-138-3875 (February 1974) --- A color oblique photograph looking east over the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. This view covers a portion of the States of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. A Skylab 4 crewmen took this picture with a hand-held 70mm Hasselblad camera. This entire region, covered with a blanket of snow, depicts much of the structural and topographic features of the Rocky Mountain chain. Man's only apparent change to the snow pattern seen here is the (right center) metropolitan areas of Denver and Colorado Springs, Colorado, which can be observed along the eastern edge of the mountain front. Grand Junction, Colorado on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains is just off the photograph at left center bottom. The major inter-montane valleys of South Park (right center), Middle Park (center), and North Park (left center) are clearly visible and separate the Colorado Rockies Front Range from the high rugged mountains can be discovered such as Pikes Peak near right border (center), Mt. Cunnison region, circular feature accentuated by the Cunnison River (dark) in the right center (bottom) of the photograph. The snow covered peaks of Mts. Harvard, Princeton and Yale form the high region of the Collegiate Range which is the pronounced mountain area in the right center. Snow cover not only enhances mountain features but also the drainage patterns. East of Denver (right corner) the sinuous trace of the South Platte River (center) and its junction with the North Platte River near North Platte, Nebraska. Lake McConaughy in Nebraska is the body of water (black) near the river intersection. The trace of the Republic River in southern Nebraska is visible near the right corner of the photography. Geologic and hydro logic studies using this photograph will be conducted by Dr. Roger Morrison, U.S. Geological Survey. Photo credit: NASA

Diffusion-Weighted MRI Assessment of Adjacent Disc Degeneration After Thoracolumbar Vertebral Fractures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Noriega, David C., E-mail: dcnoriega1970@gmail.com; Marcia, Stefano, E-mail: stemarcia@gmail.com; Ardura, Francisco, E-mail: fardura@ono.com

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess, by the mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), if a relationship exists between disc ADC and MR findings of adjacent disc degeneration after thoracolumbar fractures treated by anatomic reduction using vertebral augmentation (VAP).Materials and MethodsTwenty non-consecutive patients (mean age 50.7 years; range 45–56) treated because of vertebral fractures, were included in this study. There were 10 A3.1 and 10 A1.2 fractures (AO classification). Surgical treatment using VAP was applied in 14 cases, and conservative in 6 patients. MRI T2-weighted images and mapping of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the intervertebral disc adjacent to themore » fractured segment were performed after a mean follow-up of 32 months. A total of 60 discs, 3 per patient, were analysed: infra-adjacent, supra-adjacent and a control disc one level above the supra-adjacent.ResultsNo differences between patients surgically treated and those following a conservative protocol regarding the average ADC values obtained in the 20 control discs analysed were found. Considering all discs, average ADC in the supra-adjacent level was lower than in the infra-adjacent (1.35 ± 0.12 vs. 1.53 ± 0.06; p < 0.001). Average ADC values of the discs used as a control were similar to those of the infra-adjacent level (1.54 ± 0.06). Compared to surgically treated patients, discs at the supra-adjacent fracture level showed statistically significant lower values in cases treated conservatively (p < 0.001). The variation in the delay of surgery had no influence on the average values of ADC at any of the measured levels.ConclusionsADC measurements of the supra-adjacent discs after a mean follow-up of 32 months following thoracolumbar fractures, showed that restoration of the vertebral collapse by minimally invasive VAP prevents posttraumatic disc degeneration.« less

Timber Mountain Precipitation Monitoring Station

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lyles, Brad; McCurdy, Greg; Chapman, Jenny

2012-01-01

A precipitation monitoring station was placed on the west flank of Timber Mountain during the year 2010. It is located in an isolated highland area near the western border of the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS), south of Pahute Mesa. The cost of the equipment, permitting, and installation was provided by the Environmental Monitoring Systems Initiative (EMSI) project. Data collection, analysis, and maintenance of the station during fiscal year 2011 was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Nevada Site Office Environmental Restoration, Soils Activity. The station is located near the western headwaters of Forty Milemore » Wash on the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR). Overland flows from precipitation events that occur in the Timber Mountain high elevation area cross several of the contaminated Soils project CAU (Corrective Action Unit) sites located in the Forty Mile Wash watershed. Rain-on-snow events in the early winter and spring around Timber Mountain have contributed to several significant flow events in Forty Mile Wash. The data from the new precipitation gauge at Timber Mountain will provide important information for determining runoff response to precipitation events in this area of the NNSS. Timber Mountain is also a groundwater recharge area, and estimation of recharge from precipitation was important for the EMSI project in determining groundwater flowpaths and designing effective groundwater monitoring for Yucca Mountain. Recharge estimation additionally provides benefit to the Underground Test Area Sub-project analysis of groundwater flow direction and velocity from nuclear test areas on Pahute Mesa. Additionally, this site provides data that has been used during wild fire events and provided a singular monitoring location of the extreme precipitation events during December 2010 (see data section for more details). This letter report provides a summary of the site location, equipment, and data

Verbenone decreases whitebark pine mortality throughout a mountain pine beetle outbreak

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mountain pine beetle [Dendroctonus ponderosae (Hopkins)] outbreaks are killing large numbers of pine trees on millions of hectares in the western U.S. The ranges, impacts and frequencies of mountain pine beetle outbreaks are increasing, perhaps due to climate change. One of the species being impacte...

75 FR 37353 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Listing the Mountain Plover as Threatened

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-29

... rule proposed to allow the incidental take of mountain plovers during routine farming practices on... agricultural practices in the winter range; (4) Effects of range management on mountain plover habitat; (5... techniques, or changes in cultivation practices could further affect the availability and quality of...

SANTA LUCIA WILDERNESS, AND GARCIA MOUNTAIN, BLACK MOUNTAIN, LA PANZA, MACHESNA MOUNTAIN, LOS MACHOS HILLS, BIG ROCKS, AND STANLEY MOUNTAIN ROADLESS AREAS, CALIFORNIA.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Frizzell, Virgil A.; Kuizon, Lucia

1984-01-01

The Santa Lucia Wilderness Area and Garcia Mountain, Black Mountain, La Panza, Machesna Mountain, Los Machos Hills, Big Rocks, and Stanley Mountain Roadless Areas together occupy an area of about 218 sq mi in the Los Padres National Forest, California. On the basis of a mineral-resource evaluation a small area in the Black Mountain Roadless Area has a probable mineral-resource potential for uranium, and a small area in the Stanley Mountain Roadless Area has probable potential for low-grade mercury resources. Although petroleum resources occur in rocks similar to those found in the study area, no potential for petroleum resources was identified in the wilderness or any of the roadless areas. No resource potential for other mineral resources was identified in any of the areas. Detailed geologic mapping and geochemical sampling probably would increase knowledge about distribution and modes of occurrence of uranium and cinnabar in those areas, respectively.

Mountain Lions of the Flagstaff Uplands: 2003-2006 Progress Report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mattson, David J.

2007-01-01

Executive Summary Stakeholders in management of mountain lions in the Flagstaff Uplands of northern Arizona have expressed increasing concern about both potential impacts of humans on lions and potential risks posed by lions to humans. A series of human-mountain lion encounters during 2000-2001 on Mt. Elden, immediately adjacent to Flagstaff, and similar incidents during 2004 near Tucson brought increased attention to management of human safety in mountain lion range. These human-centered concerns, together with long-standing questions about how the human infrastructure centered on Flagstaff might be affecting lion movements led us to initiate a mountain lion study in 2003 which we plan to continue through 2009. Our study focuses on movements and other behaviors of mountain lions, with the goal of providing information that can be used to increase human safety, decrease human impacts, and, overall, provide insight into the ecology of lions in this region. To serve this goal, we have focused on collecting data that will be the basis of explanatory models that can provide spatially-explicit predictions of mountain lion activity, specify the effects of human facilities, such as highways and urban areas, and provide insight into when, where, and how often different kinds of lions kill different kinds of prey. During 2003-2006, we captured six female and five male mountain lions in the Flagstaff Uplands, 10 of which we fitted with collars that collected up to six high-precision GPS fixes per day, transmitted daily to our offices via Argos satellites. This timely delivery of data allowed us to visit kill sites and other foci of localized activity to collect detailed information on lion behavior. By June 2006 we had obtained 9357 GPS locations and visited 394 sites, at which we documented 218 kills, 165 of which were by five females and 53 by five males. These data were the basis for preliminary analyses presented in this report. All lions during all seasons exhibited a

Wasatch and Uinta Mountains Ecoregion: Chapter 9 in Status and trends of land change in the Western United States--1973 to 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooks, Mark S.

2012-01-01

The Wasatch and Uinta Mountains Ecoregion covers approximately 44,176 km2 (17, 057 mi2) (fig. 1) (Omernik, 1987; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1997). With the exception of a small part of the ecoregion extending into southern Wyoming and southern Idaho, the vast majority of the ecoregion is located along the eastern mountain ranges of Utah. The ecoregion is situated between the Wyoming Basin and Colorado Plateaus Ecoregions to the east and south and the Central Basin and Range Ecoregion to the west; in addition, the Middle Rockies, Snake River Basin, and Northern Basin and Range Ecoregions are nearby to the north. Considered the western front of the Rocky Mountains, the two major mountain ranges that define the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains Ecoregion include the north-south-trending Wasatch Range and east-west- trending Uinta Mountains. Both mountain ranges have been altered by multiple mountain building and burial cycles since the Precambrian era 2.6 billion years ago, and they have been shaped by glacial processes as early as 1.6 million years ago. The terrain is defined by sharp ridgelines, glacial lakes, and narrow canyons, with elevations ranging from 1,829 m in the lower canyons to 4,123 m at Kings Peak, the highest point in Utah (Milligan, 2010).

Internal Gravity Waves Forced by an Isolated Mountain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikitina, L.; Campbell, L.

2009-12-01

Density-stratified fluid flow over topography such as mountains, hills and ridges may give rise to internal gravity waves which transport and distribute energy away from their source and have profound effects on the general circulation of the atmosphere and ocean. Much of our knowledge of internal gravity wave dynamics has been acquired from theoretical studies involving mathematical analyses of simplified forms of the governing equations, as well as numerical simulations at varying levels of approximation. In this study, both analytical and numerical methods are used to examine the nonlinear dynamics of gravity waves forced by an isolated mountain. The topography is represented by a lower boundary condition on a two-dimensional rectangular domain and the waves are represented as a perturbation to the background shear flow, thus allowing the use of weakly-nonlinear and multiple-scale asymptotic analyzes. The waves take the form of a packet, localized in the horizontal direction and comprising a continuous spectrum of horizontal wavenumbers centered at zero. For horizontally-localized wave packets, such as those forced by a mountain range with multiple peaks, there are generally two horizontal scales, the fast (short) scale which is defined by the oscillations within the packet and the slow (large) scale which is defined by the horizontal extent of the packet. In the case of an isolated mountain that we examine here, the multiple-scaling procedure is simplified by the absence of a fast spatial scale. The problem is governed by two small parameters that define the height and width of the mountain and approximate solutions are derived in terms of these parameters. Numerical solutions are also carried out to simulate nonlinear critical-level interactions such as the transfer of energy to the background flow by the wave packet, wave reflection and static instability and, eventually, wave breaking leading to turbulence. It is found that for waves forced by an isolated

Review of the geology and paleontology of the Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica

USGS Publications Warehouse

Webers, G.F.; Splettstoesser, J.F.

2007-01-01

The geology of the Ellsworth Mountains has become known in detail only within the past 40-45 years, and the wealth of paleontologic information within the past 25 years. The mountains are an anomaly, structurally speaking, occurring at right angles to the Transantarctic Mountains, implying a crustal plate rotation to reach the present location. Paleontologic affinities with other parts of Gondwanaland are evident, with nearly 150 fossil species ranging in age from Early Cambrian to Permian, with the majority from the Heritage Range. Trilobites and mollusks comprise most of the fauna discovered and identified, including many new genera and species. A Glossopteris flora of Permian age provides a comparison with other Gondwana floras of similar age. The quartzitic rocks that form much of the Sentinel Range have been sculpted by glacial erosion into spectacular alpine topography, resulting in eight of the highest peaks in Antarctica.

Mountains: An Overview.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byers, Alton; Gilligan, Nancy; Golston, Syd; Linville, Rex

1999-01-01

Introduces the lessons from "Mountain: A Global Resource" that were developed by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and The Mountain Institute for use by NCSS members and their students. Provides an overview that introduces the mountains, mountain cultures, historical perceptions, and the geographical importance of…

Turbulence and Mountain Wave Conditions Observed with an Airborne 2-Micron Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teets, Edward H., Jr.; Ehernberger, Jack; Bogue, Rodney; Ashburn, Chris

2007-01-01

Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced In-Flight Measurements (ACLAIM) was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This paper describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in southern California by lidar onboard the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 airplane. The examples in this paper compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent aircraft-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 m/s at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 s in moderate turbulence.

Turbulence and mountain wave conditions observed with an airborne 2-micron lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teets, Edward H., Jr.; Ashburn, Chris; Ehernberger, Jack; Bogue, Rodney

2006-01-01

Joint efforts by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and industry partners are enhancing the capability of airborne wind and turbulence detection. The Airborne Coherent Lidar for Advanced In-Flight Measurements (ACLAIM) was flown on three series of flights to assess its capability over a range of altitudes, air mass conditions, and gust phenomena. This paper describes the observation of mountain waves and turbulence induced by mountain waves over the Tehachapi and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges (California, USA) by lidar onboard the NASA Airborne Science DC-8 airplane. The examples in this paper compare lidar-predicted mountain waves and wave-induced turbulence to subsequent aircraft-measured true airspeed. Airplane acceleration data is presented describing the effects of the wave-induced turbulence on the DC-8 airplane. Highlights of the lidar-predicted airspeed from the two flights show increases of 12 meters per second (m/s) at the mountain wave interface and peak-to-peak airspeed changes of 10 m/s and 15 m/s in a span of 12 seconds in moderate turbulence.

Paleomagnetism of Jurassic radiolarian chert above the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California, and implications for its paleogeographic origins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagstrum, J.T.; Murchey, B.L.

1996-01-01

Upper Jurassic red tuffaceous chert above the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain, California (lat 35??N, long 240??E), contains three components of remanent magnetization. The first component (A; removed by ???100-???200 ??C) has a direction near the present-day field for southern California and is probably a recently acquired thermoviscous magnetization. A second component (B; removed between ???100 and ???600 ??C) is identical to that observed by previous workers in samples of underlying pillow basalt and overlying terrigenous sedimentary rocks. This component has constant normal polarity and direction throughout the entire section, although these rocks were deposited during a mixed polarity interval of the geomagnetic field. The B magnetization, therefore, is inferred to be a secondary magnetization acquired during accretion, uplift, or Miocene volcanism prior to regional clockwise rotation. The highest temperature component (C; removed between ???480 and 680 ??C) is of dual polarity and is tentatively interpreted as a primary magnetization, although it fails a reversal test possibly due to contamination by B. Separation of the B and C components is best shown by samples with negative-inclination C directions, and a corrected mean direction using only these samples indicates an initial paleolatitude of 32??N ?? 8??. Paleobiogeographic models relating radiolarian faunal distribution patterns to paleolatitude have apparently been incorrectly calibrated using the overprint B component. Few other paleomagnetic data have been incorporated in these models, and faunal distribution patterns are poorly known and mostly unqualified. The available data, therefore, do not support formation of the Coast Range ophiolite at Stanley Mountain near the paleoequator or accretion at ???10??N paleolatitude, as has been previously suggested based on paleomagnetic data, but indicate deposition near expected paleolatitudes for North America (35??N ?? 4??) during Late Jurassic

Rocky Mountain National Park intelligent transportation system evaluation plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-07-01

Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO) has maintained a consistent level of visitation over the : last few years, approximately 3 million annual visitors (1). About 40% of these visitors come : from the front range. The front range includes ...

Mountain pine beetle in high-elevation five-needle white pine ecosystems

Treesearch

Barbara Bentz; Elizabeth Campbell; Ken Gibson; Sandra Kegley; Jesse Logan; Diana Six

2011-01-01

Across western North America mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae), populations are growing at exponential rates in pine ecosystems that span a wide range of elevations. As temperature increased over the past several decades, the flexible, thermally-regulated life-history strategies of mountain pine beetle have allowed...

Respiratory disease, behavior, and survival of mountain goat kids

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blanchong, Julie A.; Anderson, Christopher A.; Clark, Nicholas J.; Klaver, Robert W.; Plummer, Paul J.; Cox, Mike; Mcadoo, Caleb; Wolff, Peregrine L.

2018-01-01

Bacterial pneumonia is a threat to bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations. Bighorn sheep in the East Humboldt Mountain Range (EHR), Nevada, USA, experienced a pneumonia epizootic in 2009–2010. Testing of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) that were captured or found dead on this range during and after the epizootic detected bacteria commonly associated with bighorn sheep pneumonia die‐offs. Additionally, in years subsequent to the bighorn sheep epizootic, the mountain goat population had low kid:adult ratios, a common outcome for bighorn sheep populations that have experienced a pneumonia epizootic. We hypothesized that pneumonia was present and negatively affecting mountain goat kids in the EHR. From June–August 2013–2015, we attempted to observe mountain goat kids with marked adult females in the EHR at least once per week to document signs of respiratory disease; identify associations between respiratory disease, activity levels, and subsequent disappearance (i.e., death); and estimate weekly survival. Each time we observed a kid with a marked adult female, we recorded any signs of respiratory disease and collected behavior data that we fit to a 3‐state discrete hidden Markov model (HMM) to predict a kid's state (active vs. sedentary) and its probability of disappearing. We first observed clinical signs of respiratory disease in kids in late July–early August each summer. We observed 8 of 31 kids with marked adult females with signs of respiratory disease on 13 occasions. On 11 of these occasions, the HMM predicted that kids were in the sedentary state, which was associated with increased probability of subsequent death. We estimated overall probability of kid survival from June–August to be 0.19 (95% CI = 0.08–0.38), which was lower than has been reported in other mountain goat populations. We concluded that respiratory disease was present in the mountain goat kids in the EHR and negatively affected their activity levels and survival

Monitoring the Snowpack in Remote, Ungauged Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dozier, J.; Davis, R. E.; Bair, N.; Rittger, K. E.

2013-12-01

Our objective is to estimate seasonal snow volumes, relative to historical trends and extremes, in snow-dominated mountains that have austere infrastructure, sparse gauging, challenges of accessibility, and emerging or enduring insecurity related to water resources. The world's mountains accumulate substantial snow and, in some areas, produce the bulk of the runoff. In ranges like Afghanistan's Hindu Kush, availability of water resources affects US policy, military and humanitarian operations, and national security. The rugged terrain makes surface measurements difficult and also affects the analysis of remotely sensed data. To judge feasibility, we consider two regions, a validation case and a case representing inaccessible mountains. For the validation case, we use the Sierra Nevada of California, a mountain range of extensive historical study, emerging scientific innovation, and conflicting priorities in managing water for agriculture, urban areas, hydropower, recreation, habitat, and flood control. For the austere regional focus, we use the Hindu Kush, where some of the most persistent drought in the world causes food insecurity and combines with political instability, and occasional flooding. Our approach uses a mix of satellite data and spare modeling to present information essential for planning and decision making, ranging from optimization of proposed infrastructure projects to assessment of water resources stored as snow for seasonal forecasts. We combine optical imagery (MODIS on Terra/Aqua), passive microwave data (SSM/I and AMSR-E), retrospective reconstruction with energy balance calculations, and a snowmelt model to establish the retrospective context. With the passive microwave data we bracket the historical range in snow cover volume. The rank orders of total retrieved volume correlates with reconstructions. From a library of historical reconstruction, we find similar cases that provide insights about snow cover distribution at a finer scale than

Global mountain topography and the fate of montane species under climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elsen, Paul R.; Tingley, Morgan W.

2015-08-01

Increasing evidence indicates that species throughout the world are responding to climate change by shifting their geographic distributions. Although shifts can be directionally heterogeneous, they often follow warming temperatures polewards and upslope. Montane species are of particular concern in this regard, as they are expected to face reduced available area of occupancy and increased risk of extinction with upslope movements. However, this expectation hinges on the assumption that surface area decreases monotonically as species move up mountainsides. We analysed the elevational availability of surface area for a global data set containing 182 of the world's mountain ranges. Sixty-eight per cent of these mountain ranges had topographies in which area did not decrease monotonically with elevation. Rather, mountain range topographies exhibited four distinct area-elevation patterns: decreasing (32% of ranges), increasing (6%), a mid-elevation peak in area (39%), and a mid-elevation trough in area (23%). These findings suggest that many species, particularly those of foothills and lower montane zones, may encounter increases in available area as a result of shifting upslope. A deeper understanding of underlying mountain topography can inform conservation priorities by revealing where shifting species stand to undergo area increases, decreases and bottlenecks as they respond to climate change.

Isolation of Bartonella henselae and Two New Bartonella Subspecies, Bartonella koehlerae Subspecies boulouisii subsp. nov. and Bartonella koehlerae Subspecies bothieri subsp. nov. from Free-Ranging Californian Mountain Lions and Bobcats

PubMed Central

Chomel, Bruno B.; Molia, Sophie; Kasten, Rickie W.; Borgo, Gina M.; Stuckey, Matthew J.; Maruyama, Soichi; Chang, Chao-chin; Haddad, Nadia; Koehler, Jane E.

2016-01-01

Domestic cats are the natural reservoir of Bartonella henselae, B. clarridgeiae and B. koehlerae. To determine the role of wild felids in the epidemiology of Bartonella infections, blood was collected from 14 free-ranging California mountain lions (Puma concolor) and 19 bobcats (Lynx rufus). Bartonella spp. were isolated from four (29%) mountain lions and seven (37%) bobcats. These isolates were characterized using growth characteristics, biochemical reactions, molecular techniques, including PCR-RFLP of selected genes or interspacer region, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), partial sequencing of several genes, and DNA-DNA hybridization. Two isolates were identical to B. henselae genotype II. All other isolates were distinguished from B. henselae and B. koehlerae by PCR-RFLP of the gltA gene using endonucleases HhaI, TaqI and AciI, with the latter two discriminating between the mountain lion and the bobcat isolates. These two novel isolates displayed specific PFGE profiles distinct from B. henselae, B. koehlerae and B. clarridgeiae. Sequences of amplified gene fragments from the three mountain lion and six bobcat isolates were closely related to, but distinct from, B. henselae and B. koehlerae. Finally, DNA-DNA hybridization studies demonstrated that the mountain lion and bobcat strains are most closely related to B. koehlerae. We propose naming the mountain lion isolates B. koehlerae subsp. boulouisii subsp. nov. (type strain: L-42-94), and the bobcat isolates B. koehlerae subsp. bothieri subsp. nov. (type strain: L-17-96), and to emend B. koehlerae as B. koehlerae subsp. koehlerae. The mode of transmission and the zoonotic potential of these new Bartonella subspecies remain to be determined. PMID:26981874

The Mountainous Shoreline of Sputnik Planum

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-12-05

In this highest-resolution image from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, great blocks of Pluto's water-ice crust appear jammed together in the informally named al-Idrisi mountains. Some mountain sides appear coated in dark material, while other sides are bright. Several sheer faces appear to show crustal layering, perhaps related to the layers seen in some of Pluto's crater walls. Other materials appear crushed between the mountains, as if these great blocks of water ice, some standing as much as 1.5 miles high, were jostled back and forth. The mountains end abruptly at the shoreline of the informally named Sputnik Planum, where the soft, nitrogen-rich ices of the plain form a nearly level surface, broken only by the fine trace work of striking, cellular boundaries and the textured surface of the plain's ices (which is possibly related to sunlight-driven ice sublimation). This view is about 50 miles wide. The top of the image is to Pluto's northwest. These images were made with the telescopic Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) aboard New Horizons, in a timespan of about a minute centered on 11:36 UT on July 14 -- just about 15 minutes before New Horizons' closest approach to Pluto -- from a range of just 10,000 miles (17,000 kilometers). They were obtained with an unusual observing mode; instead of working in the usual "point and shoot," LORRI snapped pictures every three seconds while the Ralph/Multispectral Visual Imaging Camera (MVIC) aboard New Horizons was scanning the surface. This mode requires unusually short exposures to avoid blurring the images. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20198

Distributional changes and range predictions of downy brome (Bromus tectorum) in Rocky Mountain National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bromberg, J.E.; Kumar, S.; Brown, C.S.; Stohlgren, T.J.

2011-01-01

Downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.), an invasive winter annual grass, may be increasing in extent and abundance at high elevations in the western United States. This would pose a great threat to high-elevation plant communities and resources. However, data to track this species in high-elevation environments are limited. To address changes in the distribution and abundance of downy brome and the factors most associated with its occurrence, we used field sampling and statistical methods, and niche modeling. In 2007, we resampled plots from two vegetation surveys in Rocky Mountain National Park for presence and cover of downy brome. One survey was established in 1993 and had been resampled in 1999. The other survey was established in 1996 and had not been resampled until our study. Although not all comparisons between years demonstrated significant changes in downy brome abundance, its mean cover increased nearly fivefold from 1993 (0.7%) to 2007 (3.6%) in one of the two vegetation surveys (P = 0.06). Although the average cover of downy brome within the second survey appeared to be increasing from 1996 to 2007, this slight change from 0.5% to 1.2% was not statistically significant (P = 0.24). Downy brome was present in 50% more plots in 1999 than in 1993 (P = 0.02) in the first survey. In the second survey, downy brome was present in 30% more plots in 2007 than in 1996 (P = 0.08). Maxent, a species-environmental matching model, was generally able to predict occurrences of downy brome, as new locations were in the ranges predicted by earlier generated models. The model found that distance to roads, elevation, and vegetation community influenced the predictions most. The strong response of downy brome to interannual environmental variability makes detecting change challenging, especially with small sample sizes. However, our results suggest that the area in which downy brome occurs is likely increasing in Rocky Mountain National Park through increased frequency and cover

High mountain origin, phylogenetics, evolution, and niche conservatism of arctic lineages in the hemiparasitic genus Pedicularis (Orobanchaceae).

PubMed

Tkach, Natalia; Ree, Richard H; Kuss, Patrick; Röser, Martin; Hoffmann, Matthias H

2014-07-01

The origin of the arctic flora covering the northernmost treeless areas is still poorly understood. Arctic plants may have evolved in situ or immigrated from the adjacent ecosystems. Frequently arctic species have disjunctive distributions between the Arctic and high mountain systems of the temperate zone. This pattern may result from long distance dispersal or from glacial plant migrations and extinctions of intermediate populations. The hemiparasitic genus Pedicularis is represented in the Arctic by c. 28 taxa and ranks among the six most species-rich vascular plant genera of this region. In this study, we test the hypothesis that these lineages evolved from predecessors occurring in northern temperate mountain ranges, many of which are current centers of diversity for the genus. We generated a nuclear ribosomal and chloroplast DNA phylogeny including almost all of the arctic taxa and nearly half of the genus as a whole. The arctic taxa of Pedicularis evolved 12-14 times independently and are mostly nested in lineages that otherwise occur in the high mountains of Eurasia and North America. It appears that only three arctic lineages arose from the present-day center of diversity of the genus, in the Hengduan Mountains and Himalayas. Two lineages are probably of lowland origin. Arctic taxa of Pedicularis show considerable niche conservatism with respect to soil moisture and grow predominantly in moist to wet soils. The studied characteristics of ecology, morphology, and chromosome numbers of arctic Pedicularis show a heterogeneous pattern of evolution. The directions of morphological changes among the arctic lineages show opposing trends. Arctic taxa are chiefly diploid, the few tetraploid chromosome numbers of the genus were recorded only for arctic taxa. Five arctic Pedicularis are annuals or biennials, life forms otherwise rare in the Arctic. Other genera of the Orobanchaceae consist also of an elevated number of short-lived species, thus hemiparasitism may

Managing Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

PubMed

Minniear, Timothy D; Buckingham, Steven C

2009-11-01

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is caused by the tick-borne bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii. Symptoms range from moderate illness to severe illness, including cardiovascular compromise, coma and death. The disease is prevalent in most of the USA, especially during warmer months. The trademark presentation is fever and rash with a history of tick bite, although tick exposure is unappreciated in over a third of cases. Other signature symptoms include headache and abdominal pain. The antibiotic therapy of choice for R. rickettsii infection is doxycycline. Preventive measures for Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other tick-borne diseases include: wearing long-sleeved, light colored clothing; checking for tick attachment and removing attached ticks promptly; applying topical insect repellent; and treating clothing with permethrin.

Non-invasive pH determination adjacent to degradable biomaterials in vivo.

PubMed

Bartsch, Ivonne; Willbold, Elmar; Rosenhahn, Bodo; Witte, Frank

2014-01-01

An appropriate pH level is an important prerequisite for the physiologal functioning of cells and tissues. Changes in the extracellular pH often lead to specific cellular reactions and an altered metabolism of cells and tissues influences the extracellular pH range. Thus a method to monitor the extracellular pH is a valuable tool to track specific tissue reactions. In this article we describe a method for the determination of the pH range adjacent to degradable biomaterials using wireless in vivo imaging. Using hairless but immunocompetent mice the fluorophor 5-(6)-carboxy SNARF-1 and the in vivo fluorescence and multispectral acquisition and analysis system Maestro it is possible to track shifts in pH in small living animals over a longer period of time. This method is especially suitable for studies which focus on the interaction of degrading biomaterials with their adjacent tissues. Copyright © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mountain peatlands range from CO2 sinks at high elevations to sources at low elevations: Implications for a changing climate

Treesearch

David J. Millar; David J. Cooper; Kathleen A. Dwire; Robert M. Hubbard; Joseph von Fischer

2016-01-01

Mountain fens found in western North America have sequestered atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) for millennia, provide important habitat for wildlife, and serve as refugia for regionally-rare plant species typically found in boreal regions. It is unclear how Rocky Mountain fens are responding to a changing climate. It is possible that fens found at lower elevations may...

The Icy Mountains of Pluto

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-07-15

New close-up images of a region near Pluto's equator reveal a giant surprise: a range of youthful mountains rising as high as 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) above the surface of the icy body. The mountains likely formed no more than 100 million years ago -- mere youngsters relative to the 4.56-billion-year age of the solar system -- and may still be in the process of building. That suggests the close-up region, which covers less than one percent of Pluto's surface, may still be geologically active today. The youthful age estimate is based on the lack of craters in this scene. Like the rest of Pluto, this region would presumably have been pummeled by space debris for billions of years and would have once been heavily cratered -- unless recent activity had given the region a facelift, erasing those pockmarks. Unlike the icy moons of giant planets, Pluto cannot be heated by gravitational interactions with a much larger planetary body. Some other process must be generating the mountainous landscape. The mountains are probably composed of Pluto's water-ice "bedrock." Although methane and nitrogen ice covers much of the surface of Pluto, these materials are not strong enough to build the mountains. Instead, a stiffer material, most likely water-ice, created the peaks. The close-up image was taken about 1.5 hours before New Horizons closest approach to Pluto, when the craft was 47,800 miles (770,000 kilometers) from the surface of the planet. The image easily resolves structures smaller than a mile across. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19710

The regional structural setting of the 2008 Wells earthquake and Town Creek Flat Basin: implications for the Wells earthquake fault and adjacent structures

USGS Publications Warehouse

Henry, Christopher S.; Colgan, Joseph P.

2011-01-01

The 2008 Wells earthquake occurred on a northeast-striking, southeast-dipping fault that is clearly delineated by the aftershock swarm to a depth of 10-12 km below sea level. However, Cenozoic rocks and structures around Wells primarily record east-west extension along north- to north-northeast-striking, west-dipping normal faults that formed during the middle Miocene. These faults are responsible for the strong eastward tilt of most basins and ranges in the area, including the Town Creek Flat basin (the location of the earthquake) and the adjacent Snake Mountains and western Windermere Hills. These older west-dipping faults are locally overprinted by a younger generation of east-dipping, high-angle normal faults that formed as early as the late Miocene and have remained active into the Quaternary. The most prominent of these east-dipping faults is the set of en-échelon, north-striking faults that bounds the east sides of the Ruby Mountains, East Humboldt Range, and Clover Hill (about 5 km southwest of Wells). The northeastern-most of these faults, the Clover Hill fault, projects northward along strike toward the Snake Mountains and the approximately located surface projection of the Wells earthquake fault as defined by aftershock locations. The Clover Hill fault also projects toward a previously unrecognized, east-facing Quaternary fault scarp and line of springs that appear to mark a significant east-dipping normal fault along the western edge of Town Creek Flat. Both western and eastern projections may be northern continuations of the Clover Hill fault. The Wells earthquake occurred along this east-dipping fault system. Two possible alternatives to rupture of a northern continuation of the Clover Hill fault are that the earthquake fault (1) is antithetic to an active west-dipping fault or (2) reactivated a Mesozoic thrust fault that dips east as a result of tilting by the west-dipping faults along the west side of the Snake Mountains. Both alternatives are

Deposition patterns and transport mechanisms for the endocrine disruptor 4-nonylphenol across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California.

PubMed

Lyons, Rebecca; Van de Bittner, Kyle; Morgan-Jones, Sean

2014-12-01

Dust and particulate distribution patterns are shifting as global climate change brings about longer drought periods. Particulates act as vehicles for long range transport of organic pollutants, depositing at locations far from their source. Nonylphenol, a biodegradation product of nonylphenol polyethoxylate, is a known endocrine disruptor. Nonylphenol polyethoxylate enters the environment as an inert ingredient in pesticide sprays, potentially traveling great distances from its application site. This is of concern when a highly agricultural region, California's Central Valley, lies adjacent to sensitive areas like the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The distribution and transport mechanisms for 4-nonylphenol were investigated in Eastern Sierra Nevada canyons. Regions close to canyon headwalls showed trace amounts of 4-nonylphenol in surface water, snow, and atmospheric deposition. Exposed areas had yearly average concentrations as high as 9 μg/L. Distribution patterns are consistent with particulate-bound transport. This suggests with increasing drought periods, higher levels of persistent organic pollutants are likely. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Convective boundary layer heights over mountainous terrain - A review of concepts -

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Wekker, Stephan; Kossmann, Meinolf

2015-12-01

Mountainous terrain exerts an important influence on the Earth's atmosphere and affects atmospheric transport and mixing at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. The vertical scale of this transport and mixing is determined by the height of the atmospheric boundary layer, which is therefore an important parameter in air pollution studies, weather forecasting, climate modeling, and many other applications. It is recognized that the spatio-temporal structure of the daytime convective boundary layer (CBL) height is strongly modified and more complex in hilly and mountainous terrain compared to flat terrain. While the CBL over flat terrain is mostly dominated by turbulent convection, advection from multi-scale thermally driven flows plays an important role for the CBL evolution over mountainous terrain. However, detailed observations of the CBL structure and understanding of the underlying processes are still limited. Characteristics of CBL heights in mountainous terrain are reviewed for dry, convective conditions. CBLs in valleys and basins, where hazardous accumulation of pollutants is of particular concern, are relatively well-understood compared to CBLs over slopes, ridges, or mountain peaks. Interests in the initiation of shallow and deep convection, and of budgets and long-range transport of air pollutants and trace gases, have triggered some recent studies on terrain induced exchange processes between the CBL and the overlying atmosphere. These studies have helped to gain more insight into CBL structure over complex mountainous terrain, but also show that the universal definition of CBL height over mountains remains an unresolved issue. The review summarizes the progress that has been made in documenting and understanding spatio-temporal behavior of CBL heights in mountainous terrain and concludes with a discussion of open research questions and opportunities for future research.

Variable and Asymmetric Range of Enslaving: Fingers Can Act Independently over Small Range of Flexion

PubMed Central

van den Noort, Josien C.; van Beek, Nathalie; van der Kraan, Thomas; Veeger, DirkJan H. E. J.; Stegeman, Dick F.; Veltink, Peter H.; Maas, Huub

2016-01-01

The variability in the numerous tasks in which we use our hands is very large. However, independent movement control of individual fingers is limited. To assess the extent of finger independency during full-range finger flexion including all finger joints, we studied enslaving (movement in non-instructed fingers) and range of independent finger movement through the whole finger flexion trajectory in single and multi-finger movement tasks. Thirteen young healthy subjects performed single- and multi-finger movement tasks under two conditions: active flexion through the full range of movement with all fingers free to move and active flexion while the non-instructed finger(s) were restrained. Finger kinematics were measured using inertial sensors (PowerGlove), to assess enslaving and range of independent finger movement. Although all fingers showed enslaving movement to some extent, highest enslaving was found in adjacent fingers. Enslaving effects in ring and little finger were increased with movement of additional, non-adjacent fingers. The middle finger was the only finger affected by restriction in movement of non-instructed fingers. Each finger showed a range of independent movement before the non-instructed fingers started to move, which was largest for the index finger. The start of enslaving was asymmetrical for adjacent fingers. Little finger enslaving movement was affected by multi-finger movement. We conclude that no finger can move independently through the full range of finger flexion, although some degree of full independence is present for smaller movements. This range of independent movement is asymmetric and variable between fingers and between subjects. The presented results provide insight into the role of finger independency for different types of tasks and populations. PMID:27992598

Mountain biking injuries in rural England

PubMed Central

Jeys, L; Cribb, G; Toms, A; Hay, S

2001-01-01

Background—Off road mountain biking is now an extremely popular recreation and a potent cause of serious injury. Aim—To establish the morbidity associated with this sport. Methods—Data were collected prospectively over one year on all patients presenting with an injury caused by either recreational or competitive off road mountain biking. Results—Eighty four patients were identified, 70 males and 14 females, with a mean age of 22.5 years (range 8–71). Most accidents occurred during the summer months, most commonly in August. Each patient had an average of 1.6 injuries (n = 133) and these were divided into 15 categories, ranging from minor soft tissue to potentially life threatening. Operative intervention was indicated for 19 patients (23%) and several required multiple procedures. The commonest injuries were clavicle fractures (13%), shoulder injuries (12%), and distal radial fractures (11%). However, of a more sinister nature, one patient had a C2/3 dislocation requiring urgent stabilisation, one required a chest drain for a haemopneumothorax, and another required an emergency and life saving nephrectomy. Conclusion—This sport has recently experienced an explosion in popularity, and, as it carries a significant risk of potentially life threatening injury across all levels of participation, the use of protective equipment to reduce this significant morbidity may be advisable. Key Words: mountain biking; injury PMID:11375881

Suicide in the Mountain West Region of the United States.

PubMed

Pepper, Carolyn M

2017-09-01

The Mountain West region of the United States consistently reports the highest rates of suicide in the country. This pattern could reflect a regional culture-of-suicide script in support of suicide that implicitly influences individual's behavior. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether suicide rates are elevated in the Mountain West across a wide range of demographic groups, thereby supporting a regional cultural script. Suicide rates in the Mountain West between 1999 and 2014 were compared to the rest of the country across a wide range of demographic categories and levels of population density using the Center for Disease Control Multiple Causes of Death dataset published on the WONDER online database. Suicide rates are elevated in the Mountain West for men and women, all racial groups, all age groups, and at every level of population density compared to the rest of the country. Missing and suppressed data, the use of coroner reports, and the arbitrary nature of state and regional boundaries are all discussed as possible limitations to this study. These findings support a broad culture-of-suicide script that is pervasive in this region across demographic groups and all levels of population density.

Mountain goat abundance and population trends in the Olympic Mountains, northwestern Washington, 2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jenkins, Kurt J.; Happe, Patricia J.; Beirne, Katherine F.; Baccus, William T.

2016-11-30

Executive SummaryWe estimated abundance and trends of non-native mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) in the Olympic Mountains of northwestern Washington, based on aerial surveys conducted during July 13–24, 2016. The surveys produced the seventh population estimate since the first formal aerial surveys were conducted in 1983. This was the second population estimate since we adjusted survey area boundaries and adopted new estimation procedures in 2011. Before 2011, surveys encompassed all areas free of glacial ice at elevations above 1,520 meters (m), but in 2011 we expanded survey unit boundaries to include suitable mountain goat habitats at elevations between 1,425 and 1,520 m. In 2011, we also began applying a sightability correction model allowing us to estimate undercounting bias associated with aerial surveys and to adjust survey results accordingly. The 2016 surveys were carried out by National Park Service (NPS) personnel in Olympic National Park and by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) biologists in Olympic National Forest and in the southeastern part of Olympic National Park. We surveyed a total of 59 survey units, comprising 55 percent of the 60,218-hectare survey area. We estimated a mountain goat population of 623 ±43 (standard error, SE). Based on this level of estimation uncertainty, the 95-percent confidence interval ranged from 561 to 741 mountain goats at the time of the survey.We examined the rate of increase of the mountain goat population by comparing the current population estimate to previous estimates from 2004 and 2011. Because aerial survey boundaries changed between 2004 and 2016, we recomputed population estimates for 2011 and 2016 surveys based on the revised survey boundaries as well as the previously defined boundaries so that estimates were directly comparable across years. Additionally, because the Mount Washington survey unit was not surveyed in 2011, we used results from an independent survey of the Mount

Gravity and Magnetic Investigations of the Mojave National Preserve and Adjacent Areas, California and Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langenheim, V.E.; Biehler, S.; Negrini, R.; Mickus, K.; Miller, D.M.; Miller, R.J.

2009-01-01

Gravity and aeromagnetic data provide the underpinnings of a hydrogeologic framework for the Mojave National Preserve by estimating the thickness of Cenozoic deposits and locating inferred structural features that influence groundwater flow. An inversion of gravity data indicates that thin (<1 km) basin deposits cover much of the Preserve, except for Ivanpah Valley and the Woods Mountains volcanic center. Localized areas of Cenozoic deposits thicker than 500 m are predicted beneath parts of Lanfair Valley, Fenner Valley, near Kelso, Soda Lake, and southeast of Baker. Along the southern margin of the Mojave National Preserve, basins greater than 1 km deep are located between the Clipper and Marble Mountains, between the Marble and Bristol Mountains, and south of the Bristol Mountains near Amboy. Both density and magnetization boundaries defined by horizontal-gradient analyses coincide locally with Cenozoic faults and can be used to extend these faults beneath cover. Magnetization boundaries also highlight the structural grain within the crystalline rocks and may serve as a proxy for fracturing, an important source of permeability within the generally impermeable basement rocks, thus mapping potential groundwater pathways through and along the mountain ranges in the study area.

Colluvial deposits as a possible weathering reservoir in uplifting mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carretier, Sébastien; Goddéris, Yves; Martinez, Javier; Reich, Martin; Martinod, Pierre

2018-03-01

The role of mountain uplift in the evolution of the global climate over geological times is controversial. At the heart of this debate is the capacity of rapid denudation to drive silicate weathering, which consumes CO2. Here we present the results of a 3-D model that couples erosion and weathering during mountain uplift, in which, for the first time, the weathered material is traced during its stochastic transport from the hillslopes to the mountain outlet. To explore the response of weathering fluxes to progressively cooler and drier climatic conditions, we run model simulations accounting for a decrease in temperature with or without modifications in the rainfall pattern based on a simple orographic model. At this stage, the model does not simulate the deep water circulation, the precipitation of secondary minerals, variations in the pH, below-ground pCO2, and the chemical affinity of the water in contact with minerals. Consequently, the predicted silicate weathering fluxes probably represent a maximum, although the predicted silicate weathering rates are within the range of silicate and total weathering rates estimated from field data. In all cases, the erosion rate increases during mountain uplift, which thins the regolith and produces a hump in the weathering rate evolution. This model thus predicts that the weathering outflux reaches a peak and then falls, consistent with predictions of previous 1-D models. By tracking the pathways of particles, the model can also consider how lateral river erosion drives mass wasting and the temporary storage of colluvial deposits on the valley sides. This reservoir is comprised of fresh material that has a residence time ranging from several years up to several thousand years. During this period, the weathering of colluvium appears to sustain the mountain weathering flux. The relative weathering contribution of colluvium depends on the area covered by regolith on the hillslopes. For mountains sparsely covered by regolith

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge - Comprehensive Alternative Transportation Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

The Comprehensive Alternative Transportation Plan for Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Oklahoma analyzes a range of transportation and resource management challenges and documents a holistic set of alternative transportation strategi...

Comparison of burbot populations across adjacent native and introduced ranges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walters, Annika W.; Mandeville, Elizabeth G.; Saunders, W. Carl; Gerrity, Paul C.; Skorupski, Joseph A.; Underwood, Zachary E.; Gardunio, Eric I.

2017-01-01

Introduced species are a threat to biodiversity. Burbot, Lota lota, a fish native to the Wind River Drainage, Wyoming and a species of conservation concern, have been introduced into the nearby Green River Drainage, Wyoming, where they are having negative effects on native fish species. We compared these native and introduced burbot populations to evaluate potential mechanisms that could be leading to introduction success. We examined genetic ancestry, physical habitat characteristics, community composition, and burbot abundance, relative weight, and size structure between the native and introduced range to elucidate potential differences. The origin of introduced burbot in Flaming Gorge Reservoir is most likely Boysen Reservoir and several nearby river populations in the native Wind River Drainage. Burbot populations did not show consistent differences in abundance, size structure, and relative weight between drainages, though Fontenelle Reservoir, in the introduced drainage, had the largest burbot. There were also limited environmental and community composition differences, though reservoirs in the introduced drainage had lower species richness and a higher percentage of non-native fish species than the reservoir in the native drainage. Burbot introduction in the Green River Drainage is likely an example of reservoir construction creating habitat with suitable environmental conditions to allow a southwards range expansion of this cold-water species. An understanding of the factors driving introduction success can allow better management of species, both in their introduced and native range.

Russian aeromagnetic surveys of the Prince Charles Mountains and adjacent regions into the 21st century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golynsky, Alexander; Golynsky, Dmitry; Kiselev, Alexander; Masolov, Valery

2014-05-01

Russian aeromagnetic investigations in the Prince Charles Mountains (PCM) and surrounding areas, seek to contribute data on the tectonics of Precambrian igneous belts and cratonic fragments, the crustal structure of the Lambert Rift system and other major aspects of Antarctic geology, critical to understanding continental growth processes (Golynsky et al., 2006). Over the past decade, the Polar Marine Geoscience Expedition projects acquired approximately 77,400 line-km of aeromagnetic data over the largely ice-covered regions of MacRobertson Land and Princess Elizabeth Land. The airborne surveys were performed with a standard profile spacing of 5 km and tie-line interval of 15-25 km. The total amount of the Russian aeromagnetic data collected in this region exceeded more than 165,000 line-km. Together with the PCMEGA and AGAP surveys (Damaske and McLean, 2005; Ferraccioli et al., 2011) the PMGE dataset forms the longest transect ever mapped in East Antarctica exceeding 1950 km in length. Several distinct crustal subdivisions are clearly differentiated in the magnetic data. The high-amplitude positive anomalies that extend around the Vestfold Hills and Rauer Islands are likely be attributed to the southern boundary of high-grade metamorphic Late Archean craton. The northern PCM that are composed by ~1 Ga orthogneiss and charnockite display a predominantly northeasterly trending magnetic fabric that continues to the eastern shoulder of the Lambert Rift. The aeromagnetic data from the Southern PCM reveal the spatial boundary of the Archaean Ruker Terrane that is characterized by a short-wavelength anomalies and the prominent Ruker Anomaly that is associated with a banded iron formation. The prominent alternating system of linear NE-SW positive and negative anomalies over the eastern shoulder of the Lambert Rift may reflect the western boundary of the Princess Elizabeth Land cratonic(?) block, although its relationships and tectonic origin remained largely ambiguous

49 CFR 71.7 - Boundary line between central and mountain zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Boundary line between central and mountain zones... BOUNDARIES § 71.7 Boundary line between central and mountain zones. (a) Montana-North Dakota. Beginning at... south along the range line between Rs. 30 and 31 W. to the southwest corner of sec. 19, T. 33 N., R. 30...

49 CFR 71.7 - Boundary line between central and mountain zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Boundary line between central and mountain zones... BOUNDARIES § 71.7 Boundary line between central and mountain zones. (a) Montana-North Dakota. Beginning at... south along the range line between Rs. 30 and 31 W. to the southwest corner of sec. 19, T. 33 N., R. 30...

49 CFR 71.7 - Boundary line between central and mountain zones.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Boundary line between central and mountain zones... BOUNDARIES § 71.7 Boundary line between central and mountain zones. (a) Montana-North Dakota. Beginning at... south along the range line between Rs. 30 and 31 W. to the southwest corner of sec. 19, T. 33 N., R. 30...

Rocky Mountain snowpack chemistry network; history, methods, and the importance of monitoring mountain ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ingersoll, George P.; Turk, John T.; Mast, M. Alisa; Clow, David W.; Campbell, Donald H.; Bailey, Zelda C.

2002-01-01

Because regional-scale atmospheric deposition data in the Rocky Mountains are sparse, a program was designed by the U.S. Geological Survey to more thoroughly determine the quality of precipitation and to identify sources of atmospherically deposited pollution in a network of high-elevation sites. Depth-integrated samples of seasonal snowpacks at 52 sampling sites, in a network from New Mexico to Montana, were collected and analyzed each year since 1993. The results of the first 5 years (1993?97) of the program are discussed in this report. Spatial patterns in regional data have emerged from the geographically distributed chemical concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and sulfate that clearly indicate that concentrations of these acid precursors in less developed areas of the region are lower than concentrations in the heavily developed areas. Snowpacks in northern Colorado that lie adjacent to both the highly developed Denver metropolitan area to the east and coal-fired powerplants to the west had the highest overall concentrations of nitrate and sulfate in the network. Ammonium concentrations were highest in northwestern Wyoming and southern Montana.

Map of normal faults and extensional folds in the Tendoy Mountains and Beaverhead Range, Southwest Montana and eastern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Janecke, S.U.; Blankenau, J.J.; VanDenburg, C.J.; VanGosen, B.S.

2001-01-01

Compilation of a 1:100,000-scale map of normal faults and extensional folds in southwest Montana and adjacent Idaho reveals a complex history of normal faulting that spanned at least the last 50 m.y. and involved six or more generations of normal faults. The map is based on both published and unpublished mapping and shows normal faults and extensional folds between the valley of the Red Rock River of southwest Montana and the Lemhi and Birch Creek valleys of eastern Idaho between latitudes 45°05' N. and 44°15' N. in the Tendoy and Beaverhead Mountains. Some of the unpublished mapping has been compiled in Lonn and others (2000). Many traces of the normal faults parallel the generally northwest to north-northwest structural grain of the preexisting Sevier fold and thrust belt and dip west-southwest, but northeastand east-striking normal faults are also prominent. Northeaststriking normal faults are subparallel to the traces of southeast-directed thrusts that shortened the foreland during the Laramide orogeny. It is unlikely that the northeast-striking normal faults reactivated fabrics in the underlying Precambrian basement, as has been documented elsewhere in southwestern Montana (Schmidt and others, 1984), because exposures of basement rocks in the map area exhibit north-northwest- to northwest-striking deformational fabrics (Lowell, 1965; M’Gonigle, 1993, 1994; M’Gonigle and Hait, 1997; M’Gonigle and others, 1991). The largest normal faults in the area are southwest-dipping normal faults that locally reactivate thrust faults (fig. 1). Normal faulting began before middle Eocene Challis volcanism and continues today. The extension direction flipped by about 90° four times.

Modeling the biophysical impacts of global change in mountain biosphere reserves

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bugmann, H.K.M.; Bjornsen, F. Ewert; Haeberli, W.; Guisan, Antoine; Fagre, Daniel B.; Kaab, A.

2007-01-01

Mountains and mountain societies provide a wide range of goods and services to humanity, but they are particularly sensitive to the effects of global environmental change. Thus, the definition of appropriate management regimes that maintain the multiple functions of mountain regions in a time of greatly changing climatic, economic, and societal drivers constitutes a significant challenge. Management decisions must be based on a sound understanding of the future dynamics of these systems. The present article reviews the elements required for an integrated effort to project the impacts of global change on mountain regions, and recommends tools that can be used at 3 scientific levels (essential, improved, and optimum). The proposed strategy is evaluated with respect to UNESCO's network of Mountain Biosphere Reserves (MBRs), with the intention of implementing it in other mountain regions as well. First, methods for generating scenarios of key drivers of global change are reviewed, including land use/land cover and climate change. This is followed by a brief review of the models available for projecting the impacts of these scenarios on (1) cryospheric systems, (2) ecosystem structure and diversity, and (3) ecosystem functions such as carbon and water relations. Finally, the cross-cutting role of remote sensing techniques is evaluated with respect to both monitoring and modeling efforts. We conclude that a broad range of techniques is available for both scenario generation and impact assessments, many of which can be implemented without much capacity building across many or even most MBRs. However, to foster implementation of the proposed strategy, further efforts are required to establish partnerships between scientists and resource managers in mountain areas.

Biogeographical and evolutionary importance of the European high mountain systems

PubMed Central

Schmitt, Thomas

2009-01-01

Europe is characterised by several high mountain systems dominating major parts of its area, and these structures have strongly influenced the evolution of taxa. For species now restricted to these high mountain systems, characteristic biogeographical patterns of differentiation exist. (i) Many local endemics are found in most of the European high mountain systems especially in the Alps and the more geographically peripheral regions of Europe. Populations isolated in these peripheral mountain ranges often have strongly differentiated endemic genetic lineages, which survived and evolved in the vicinity of these mountain areas over long time periods. (ii) Populations of taxa with wide distributions in the Alps often have two or more genetic lineages, which in some cases even have the status of cryptic species. In many cases, these lineages are the results of several centres of glacial survival in the perialpine areas. Similar patterns also apply to the other geographically extended European high mountain systems, especially the Pyrenees and Carpathians. (iii) Populations from adjoining high mountain systems often show similar genetic lineages, a phenomenon best explained by postglacial retreat to these mountains from one single differentiation centre between them. (iv) The populations of a number of species show gradients of genetic diversity from a genetically richer East to a poorer West. This might indicate better glacial survival conditions for this biogeographical group of species in the more eastern parts of Europe. PMID:19480666

The geohydrologic setting of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stuckless, J.S.; Dudley, W.W.

2002-01-01

This paper provides a geologic and hydrologic framework of the Yucca Mountain region for the geochemical papers in this volume. The regional geologic units, which range in age from late Precambrian through Holocene, are briefly described. Yucca Mountain is composed of dominantly pyroclastic units that range in age from 11.4 to 15.2 Ma. The principal focus of study has been on the Paintbrush Group, which includes two major zoned and welded ash-flow tuffs separated by an important hydrogeologic unit referred to as the Paintbrush non-welded (PTn). The regional structural setting is currently one of extension, and the major local tectonic domains are presented together with a tectonic model that is consistent with the known structures at Yucca Mountain. Streamflow in this arid to semi-arid region occurs principally in intermittent or ephemeral channels. Near Yucca Mountain, the channels of Fortymile Wash and Amargosa River collect infrequent runoff from tributary basins, ultimately draining to Death Valley. Beneath the surface, large-scale interbasin flow of groundwater from one valley to another occurs commonly in the region. Regional groundwater flow beneath Yucca Mountain originates in the high mesas to the north and returns to the surface either in southern Amargosa Desert or in Death Valley, where it is consumed by evapotranspiration. The water table is very deep beneath the upland areas such as Yucca Mountain, where it is 500-750 m below the land surface, providing a large thickness of unsaturated rocks that are potentially suitable to host a nuclear-waste repository. The nature of unsaturated flow processes, which are important for assessing radionuclide migration, are inferred mainly from hydrochemical or isotopic evidence, from pneumatic tests of the fracture systems, and from the results of in situ experiments. Water seeping down through the unsaturated zone flows rapidly through fractures and more slowly through the pores of the rock matrix. Although

Geology of the Southern Appalachian Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Clark, Sandra H.B.

2008-01-01

The Southern Appalachian Mountains includes the Blue Ridge province and parts of four other physiographic provinces. The Blue Ridge physiographic province is a high, mountainous area bounded by several named mountain ranges (including the Unaka Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains) to the northwest, and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the southeast. Metamorphic rocks of the mountains include (1) fragments of a billion-year-old supercontinent, (2) thick sequences of sedimentary rock that were deposited in subsiding (sinking) basins on the continent, (3) sedimentary and volcanic rocks that were deposited on the sea floor, and (4) fragments of oceanic crust. Most of the rocks formed as sediments or volcanic rocks on ocean floors, islands, and continental plates; igneous rocks formed when crustal plates collided, beginning about 450 million years ago. The collision between the ancestral North American and African continental plates ended about 270 million years ago. Then, the continents began to be stretched, which caused fractures to open in places throughout the crust; these fractures were later filled with sediment. This product (U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 2830) consists of a geologic map of the Southern Appalachian Mountains overlain on a shaded-relief background. The map area includes parts of southern Virginia, eastern West Virginia and Tennessee, western North and South Carolina, northern Georgia and northeastern Alabama. Photographs of localities where geologic features of interest can be seen accompany the map. Diagrams show how the movement of continental plates over many millions of years affected the landscapes seen today, show how folds and faults form, describe important mineral resources of the region, and illustrate geologic time. This two-sided map is folded into a convenient size (5x9.4 inches) for use in the field. The target audience is high school to college earth science and geology teachers and students; staffs of

Neogene paleoelevation of intermontane basins in a narrow, compressional mountain range, southern Central Andes of Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoke, Gregory D.; Giambiagi, Laura B.; Garzione, Carmala N.; Mahoney, J. Brian; Strecker, Manfred R.

2014-11-01

The topographic growth of mountain ranges at convergent margins results from the complex interaction between the motion of lithospheric plates, crustal shortening, rock uplift and exhumation. Constraints on the timing and magnitude of elevation change gleaned from isotopic archives preserved in sedimentary sequences provide insight into how these processes interact over different timescales to create topography and potentially decipher the impact of topography on atmospheric circulation and superposed exhumation. This study uses stable isotope data from pedogenic carbonates collected from seven different stratigraphic sections spanning different tectonic and topographic positions in the range today, to examine the middle to late Miocene history of elevation change in the central Andes thrust belt, which is located immediately to the south of the Altiplano-Puna Plateau, the world's second largest orogenic plateau. Paleoelevations are calculated using previously published local isotope-elevation gradients observed in modern rainfall and carbonate-formation temperatures determined from clumped isotope studies in modern soils. Calculated Neogene basin paleoelevations are between 1 km and 1.9 km for basins that today are located between 1500 and 3400 m elevation. Considering the modern elevation and δ18O values of precipitation at the sampling sites, three of the intermontane basins experienced surface uplift between the end of deposition during the late Miocene and present. The timing of elevation change cannot be linked to any documented episodes of large-magnitude crustal shortening. Paradoxically, the maximum inferred surface uplift in the core of the range is greatest where the crust is thinnest. The spatial pattern of surface uplift is best explained by eastward migration of a crustal root via ductile deformation in the lower crust and is not related to flat-slab subduction.

Optimum gradient of mountain paths.

PubMed

Minetti, A E

1995-11-01

By combining the experiment results of R. Margaria (Atti Accad. Naz. Lincei Memorie 7: 299-368, 1938), regarding the metabolic cost of gradient locomotion, together with recent insights on gait biomechanics, a prediction about the most economical gradient of mountain paths (approximately 25%) is obtained and interpreted. The pendulum-like mechanism of walking produces a waste of mechanical work against gravity within the gradient range of up to 15% (the overall efficiency is dominated by the low transmission efficiency), whereas for steeper values only the muscular efficiency is responsible for the (slight) metabolic change (per meter of vertical displacement) with respect to gradient. The speeds at the optimum gradient turned out to be approximately 0.65 m/s (+0.16 m/s vertical) and 1.50 m/s (-0.36 m/s vertical), for uphill and downhill walking, respectively, and the ascensional energy expenditure was 0.4 and 2.0 ml O2.kg body mass-1.vertical m-1 climbed or descended. When the metabolic power becomes a burden, as in high-altitude mountaineering, the optimum gradient should be reduced. A sample of real mountain path gradients, experimentally measured, mimics the obtained predictions.

Advances in global mountain geomorphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slaymaker, Olav; Embleton-Hamann, Christine

2018-05-01

Three themes in global mountain geomorphology have been defined and reinforced over the past decade: (a) new ways of measuring, sensing, and analyzing mountain morphology; (b) a new emphasis on disconnectivity in mountain geomorphology; and (c) the emergence of concerns about the increasing influence of anthropogenic disturbance of the mountain geomorphic environment, especially in intertropical mountains where population densities are higher than in any other mountain region. Anthropogenically induced hydroclimate change increases geomorphic hazards and risks but also provides new opportunities for mountain landscape enhancement. Each theme is considered with respect to the distinctiveness of mountain geomorphology and in relation to important advances in research over the past decade. The traditional reliance on the high energy condition to define mountain geomorphology seems less important than the presence of unique mountain landforms and landscapes and the distinctive ways in which human activity and anthropogenically induced hydroclimate change are transforming mountain landscapes.

Starkey experimental forest and range.

Treesearch

Valerie. Rapp

2004-01-01

The Starkey Experimental Forest and Range. (Starkey) is a one-of-a-kind, world class research facility, located in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. Starkey is the primary field location for scientific study of the effects of deer, elk, and cattle on ecosystems. Most of the 28,000-acre forest and range is enclosed by a game-proof fence.The research...

Species-level phylogeographical history of Myricaria plants in the mountain ranges of western China and the origin of M. laxiflora in the Three Gorges mountain region.

PubMed

Liu, Yifei; Wang, Yong; Huang, Hongwen

2009-06-01

Myricaria species in China occur mostly in the major high-altitude mountain areas in and around the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The one major exception to this is M. laxiflora which is restricted to the Three Gorges mountain region. In this study, we investigate species-level phylogeographical patterns of Myricaria species in western China and the origin of M. laxiflora. The results show that most chloroplast haplotypes are species-specific, except for one haplotype which is shared by three widespread species. Higher haplotype diversity within the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau region supports the hypothesis that the Himalayas are the centre of origin for Myricaria. The phylogeny of Myricaria was geographically structured, and an estimated Bayesian chronology suggested the main divergence events occurred during the Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene (approximately 1.46-2.30 million years ago). The overall phylogeographical pattern was characterized by vicariance events and regional demographical expansion, reflecting a major influence of geological and climatic events on the evolution of Myricaria species. Our data suggest that M. laxiflora has an ancient origin, but has experienced recent population expansion through the Three Gorges Valley. The origin of M. laxiflora was estimated to be during the Early Pleistocene but its demographical expansion was more recent at about 0.015 million years ago. This highlights the unique phylogeographical history of the Three Gorges mountain region, and the deep imprint of the watercourse connections of the Yangtze River Valley on the phylogeographical structure of the species in this region.

Application of LANDSAT MSS to elk habitat management. [Blue Mountains, Oregon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schrumpf, B. J.

1981-01-01

The utilization of information derived from LANDSAT multispectral scanner data to estimate the impact of proposed timber harvests on potential elk use is briefly discussed. The evaluations were conducted in Northeastern Oregon where several herds of Rocky Mountain elk range in the Blue Mountains. The inventory product is a geographically referenced data base containing land cover types and habitat components (cover/forage).

A new network on mountain geomorphosites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giusti, Christian

2013-04-01

Since about two decades, the value of geoheritage in mountain areas has been re-discovered in various parts of the Alps (Reynard et al., 2010) and other mountain ranges, and various initiatives (protection of sites worthy of protection, inventories of geomorphosites, geotourist promotion, creation of geoparks, etc.) to conserve or promote mountain geoheritage have been developed. As mountains are recognized as natural areas with a very high geodiversity, and at the same time as areas with a great potential for the development of soft tourism, a new Network on Mountain Geomorphosites was created in October 2012 in conclusion to a workshop organized by the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). The Network is open to all researchers active in geoheritage, geoconservation and geotourism studies in mountain areas. For the first years research will focus on three main issues: - Geoheritage and natural processes: Mountains are very sensitive areas where climate change impacts are very acute and where active geomorphological processes rapidly modify landscapes. It is hypothesized that geoheritage will be highly impacted by global change in the future. Nevertheless, at the moment, very little research is carried out on the evolution of landforms recognized as geoheritage and no specific management measures have been developed. Also, the tourist activities related to geoheritage, especially the trails developed to visit geomorphosites, are sensitive to geomorphological processes in mountain areas in a context of global change, and need, therefore, to be better addressed by geomorphologists. - Geotourism: During the last two decades numerous initiatives have developed geotourism in mountain areas. Nevertheless, studies addressing issues such as the needs of the potential public(s) of geotourism, the evaluation of the quality of the geotourist products developed by scientists and/or local authorities, and the assessment of the economic benefits of geotourism for the regional

Similarities and contrasts in tectonic and volcanic style and history along the Colorado plateaus-to-basin and range transition zone in Western Arizona: Geologic framework for tertiary extensional tectonics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, R. A.; Mckee, E. H.; Hartman, J. H.; Simmons, A. M.

1985-01-01

The overall temporal and spatial relations between middle Tertiary volcanism and tectonism from the Basin and Range province onto the edge of the Colorado Plateaus province suggest that a single magnetic-tectonic episode affected the entire region more or less simultaneously during this period. The episode followed a post-Laramide (late Eocene through Oligocene) period of 25 million years of relative stability. Middle Tertiary volcanism did not migrate gradually eastward in a simple fashion onto the Colorado Plateau. In fact, late Oligocene volcanism appears to be more voluminous near the Aquarius Mountains than throughout the adjacent Basin and Range province westward to the Colorado River. Any model proposed to explain the cause of extension and detachment faulting in the eastern part of the Basin and Range province must consider that the onset of volcanism appears to have been approximately synchronous from the Colorado River region of the Basin and Range across the transition zone and onto the edge of the Colorado Plateaus.

Deglaciation of the northwestern White Mountains, New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, W.B.; Fowler, B.K.; Dorion, C.C.

1999-01-01

The mode of deglaciation in the northwestern White Mountains of New Hampshire has been controversial since the mid 1800's. Early workers believed that active ice deposited the Bethlehem Moraine complex in the Ammonoosuc River basin during recession of the last ice sheet. In the 1930's this deglaciation model was replaced by the concept of widespread simultaneous stagnation and downwastage of Late Wisconsinan ice. The present authors reexamined the Bethlehem Moraine complex and support the original interpretation of a series of moraines deposited by active ice. We found other moraine clusters of similar age to the northeast in the Johns River and Israel River basins. Ice-marginal deposits that probably correlate with the Bethlehem Moraine also occur west of Littleton. The Bethlehem Moraine complex and equivalent deposits in adjacent areas were formed by readvance and oscillatory retreat of the Connecticut Valley lobe of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. This event is called the Littleton-Bethlehem Readvance. Throughout the study area, sequences of glaciolacustrine deposits and meltwater drainage channels indicate progressive northward recession of the glacier margin. Radiocarbon dates from nearby New England and Quebec suggest that the ice sheet withdrew from this part of the White Mountains between about 12,500 and 12,000 14C yr BP. We attribute the Littleton-Bethlehem Readvance to a brief climatic cooling during Older Dyas time, close to 12,000 BP.

Location-Related Differences in Weathering Behaviors and Populations of Culturable Rock-Weathering Bacteria Along a Hillside of a Rock Mountain.

PubMed

Wang, Qi; Wang, Rongrong; He, Linyan; Sheng, Xiafang

2017-05-01

Bacteria play important roles in rock weathering, elemental cycling, and soil formation. However, little is known about the weathering potential and population of bacteria inhabiting surfaces of rocks. In this study, we isolated bacteria from the top, middle, and bottom rock samples along a hillside of a rock (trachyte) mountain as well as adjacent soils and characterized rock-weathering behaviors and populations of the bacteria. Per gram of rock or surface soil, 10 6 -10 7 colony forming units were obtained and total 192 bacteria were isolated. Laboratory rock dissolution experiments indicated that the proportions of the highly effective Fe (ranging from 67 to 92 %), Al (ranging from 40 to 48 %), and Cu (ranging from 54 to 81 %) solubilizers were significantly higher in the top rock and soil samples, while the proportion of the highly effective Si (56 %) solubilizers was significantly higher in the middle rock samples. Furthermore, 78, 96, and 6 % of bacteria from the top rocks, soils, and middle rocks, respectively, significantly acidified the culture medium (pH < 4.0) in the rock dissolution process. Most rock-weathering bacteria (79 %) from the rocks were different to those from the soils and most of them (species level) have not been previously reported. Furthermore, location-specific rock-weathering bacterial populations were found and Bacillus species were the most (66 %) frequently isolated rock-weathering bacteria in the rocks based on cultivation methods. Notably, the top rocks and soils had the highest and lowest diversity of rock-weathering bacterial populations, respectively. The results suggested location-related differences in element (Si, Al, Fe, and Cu) releasing effectiveness and communities of rock-weathering bacteria along the hillside of the rock mountain.

Mountain-Top-to-Mountain-Top Optical Link Demonstration. Part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biswas, A.; Wright, M. W.

2002-01-01

A mountain-top-to-mountain-top optical communications demonstration was conducted between the JPL Table Mountain Facility (TMF), Wrightwood, California, and Strawberry Peak (SP), Lake Arrowhead, California, during the months of August and September of 2000. The link was nearly horizontal at an altitude of 2 km and spanned a range of 46.8 km. A 780-nm multibeam beacon broadcast from TMF was received by the JPL Optical Communications Demonstrator (OCD) located at SP. The received beacon was utilized as a pointing reference to retransmit an 852-nm communications laser beam, modulated at 400 Mb/s by a PN7 pseudo-random bit stream (PRBS) sequence. The long atmospheric path resulted in atmospheric-turbulence-induced angle-of-arrival fluctuations of the beacon at the OCD aperture. A .ne-steering control loop was used to track the resulting beacon centroid motion and update the pointing of the communications laser beam transmitted from SP to TMF. Fried parameters, or r0, inferred from focal spot sizes received at SP were 4 to 5 cm whereas, using the spot sizes received at TMF, they were 2 to 3 cm. In both cases, theory predicts larger r0 values. The predicted angle-of-arrival fluctuations compare well with measured rms displacements exhibited by the focal spots at either end of the link. An uncompensated error of 1.1 rad in the x-axis and 2 rad in the y-axis was obtained using centroid data logged by the OCD. Average bit-error rates of 10-5 were recorded for extended periods of time. An atmospheric coherence length r0 of 3 to 5 cm was inferred using the focal-plane spot size measured on the CCD tracking sensor and compared to a predicted value of 5 to 7 cm using reasonable atmospheric models. The irradiance bounds required for the CCD tracking sensor to perform centroiding was found to range from 2000 to 3000 integrated pixel counts, although a more reliable range was 600 to 3000, indicating a dynamic range of 6 to 11 dB. The motion of the spot on the focal plane was also

Aspects of late Quaternary geomorphological development in the Khangai Mountains and the Gobi Altai Mountains (Mongolia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmkuhl, Frank; Nottebaum, Veit; Hülle, Daniela

2018-07-01

The reconstruction of geomorphological processes as a result of environmental change is approached by investigating and dating some fluvial, aeolian and lacustrine archives at specific locations that form a N-S basin and range transect across the Khangai Mountains south to the eastern Gobi Altai mountains in Mongolia. Geomorphological processes varied a) spatially with different climatic conditions and vegetation cover in relation to different elevation and latitude and b) temporally due to climatic shifts during the late Quaternary. In total, 15 sections from three distinct sub-regions along that transect were dated by 22 OSL ages. The Khangai Mountain sub-region exhibits mainly late Glacial to Holocene aeolian silty to sandy cover sediments mainly in the upper catchment reaches (>1800 m a.s.l.). Sections in the northern and central Gobi represent river terraces and alluvial fans in basin areas as well as aeolian sediments in the mountains above 2200 m a.s.l. The oldest terrace surface found in this study (T2; NGa1) dates to the penultimate Glacial cycle. The T1 terrace surfaces, on the northern Khangai Mountain front and in the central Gobi sub-region yield a maximum accumulation during the global Last Glacial Maximum (gLGM) and late Glacial time. During the gLGM phase represents rather sheetflow dominated transport built the alluvial fans and in late Glacial times the sediments exhibit more debrisflow controlled accumulation. Incision, forming the T1-terrace edges is therefore, supposed for the Pleistocene-Holocene transition and subsequent early Holocene. The geomorphic evidence is interpreted as stronger fluvial morphodynamics induced by enhanced humidity under beginning interglacial conditions. These processes coincided with the development of aeolian mantles at higher altitudes in the Khangai and Gobi Altai mountains where higher temperatures and humidities supported the formation of a vegetation cover, that served as a dust trap at least since late Glacial

Plasma cholinesterase levels of mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus) wintering in central California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Iko, W.M.; Archuleta, A.S.; Knopf, F.L.

2003-01-01

Declines of over 60% in mountain plover (Charadrius montanus) populations over the past 30 years have made it a species of concern throughout its current range and a proposed species for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Wintering mountain plovers spend considerable time on freshly plowed agricultural fields where they may potentially be exposed to anticholinesterase pesticides. Because of the population status and wintering ecology of plovers, the objectives of our study were to use nondestructive methods to report baseline plasma cholinesterase (ChE) levels in free-ranging mountain plovers wintering in California, USA, and to assess whether sampled birds showed signs of ChE inhibition related to anticholinesterase chemical exposure. We compared plasma ChE activity for mountain plovers sampled from the Carrizo Plain (an area relatively free of anticholinesterase pesticide use) with similar measures for plovers from the Central Valley (where anticholinesterase pesticides are widely used). Analyses for ChE inhibition indicated that none of the plovers had been recently exposed to these chemicals. However, mean ChE levels of plovers from the Central Valley were significantly higher (32%) than levels reported for plovers from the Carrizo Plain. This result differs from our original assumption of higher exposure risk to mountain plovers in the Central Valley but does suggest that some effect is occurring in the ChE activity of mountain plovers wintering in California.

Increasing risks related to landslides from degrading permafrost into new lakes in de-glaciating mountain ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haeberli, Wilfried; Schaub, Yvonne; Huggel, Christian

2017-09-01

While glacier volumes in most cold mountain ranges rapidly decrease due to continued global warming, degradation of permafrost at altitudes above and below glaciers is much slower. As a consequence, many still existing glacier and permafrost landscapes probably transform within decades into new landscapes of bare bedrock, loose debris, sparse vegetation, numerous new lakes and steep slopes with slowly degrading permafrost. These new landscapes are likely to persist for centuries if not millennia to come. During variable but mostly extended future time periods, such new landscapes will be characterized by pronounced disequilibria within their geo- and ecosystems. This especially involves long-term stability reduction of steep/icy mountain slopes as a slow and delayed reaction to stress redistribution following de-buttressing by vanishing glaciers and to changes in mechanical strength and hydraulic permeability caused by permafrost degradation. Thereby, the probability of far-reaching flood waves from large mass movements into lakes systematically increases with the formation of many new lakes and systems of lakes in close neighborhood to, or even directly at the foot of, so-affected slopes. Results of recent studies in the Swiss Alps are reviewed and complemented with examples from the Cordillera Blanca in Peru and the Mount Everest region in Nepal. Hot spots of future hazards from potential flood waves caused by large rock falls into new lakes can already now be recognized. To this end, integrated spatial information on glacier/permafrost evolution and lake formation can be used together with scenario-based models for rapid mass movements, impact waves and flood propagation. The resulting information must then be combined with exposure and vulnerability considerations related to settlements and infrastructure. This enables timely planning of risk reduction options. Such risk reduction options consist of two components: Mitigation of hazards, which in the present

Regional geochemical studies in the Patagonia Mountains, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chaffee, M.A.; Hill, R.H.; Sutley, S.J.; Watterson, J.R.

1981-01-01

The Patagonia Mountains in southern Arizona contain the deeply buried porphyry copper system at Red Mountain as well as a number of other base- and precious-metal mines and prospects. The range contains complex Basin and Range geology with units ranging in age from Precambrian to Holocene. Rock types present include igneous intrusive and extrusive units as well as sedimentary and metamorphic units, most of which have been tectonically disturbed. A total of 264 stream-sediment samples were collected and analyzed for 32 elements. Geochemical maps for Sb, Ag, Pb, Te, B, Mn, Au, Zn, Cu (total), Cu (cold-extractable), and Mo, as well as for Cu (cold-extractable)/Cu (total) and Fe/Mn, are presented. Anomaly patterns for these elements generally occur over the Red Mountain deposit and (or) along a north-northwest trend parallel to the major Harshaw Creek Fault. Much of the entire area sampled contains widespread anomalies for Pb, Te, and Cu; the other elements are only locally anomalous. Various plots of ratios of Cu (cold-extractable) to Cu (total) did not produce any new information not readily apparent on either one of the two copper maps. A plot of ratios of Fe to Mn delineated many areas of pyrite mineralization. Several of these areas may represent the pyritic halos around deeply buried porphyry copper systems. The best ore guide for the Red Mountain porphyry system is the coincidence of positive anomalies of Mo, Pb, and Te and a negative anomaly of Mn. Other areas with anomalies of the same suite of elements are present within the Patagonia Mountains. It is concluded that geochemical sampling, even in a highly contaminated area, can be useful in delineating major geologic features, such as porphyry copper belts and major faults. Multielement geochemical surveys on a regional scale can effectively locate large, deeply buried, zoned mineral systems such as that at Red Mountain. Plots of element ratios, where adequately understood, can provide geochemical information

Inbreeding in Gredos mountain range (Spain): contribution of multiple consanguinity and intervalley variation.

PubMed

Fuster, V; Jiménez, A M; Colantonio, S E

2001-04-01

The present paper examines consanguineous marriages occurring between 1874 and 1975 in three valleys (Tormes, Alberche, and Tiétar) in the Sierra de Gredos mountain range, Avila province, Spain. Information was obtained from parish registers of 42 localities, corresponding to a total of 41,696 weddings. Consanguineous marriages were defined as those up to the third degree of consanguinity (second cousins). From 1874 to 1975 the percentage of related mates was 4.45% and the inbreeding coefficient was 0.0011868 (for 1874 to 1917 corresponding figures up to the fourth degree were 16.44% and 0.00 19085, respectively). In order to ascertain the characteristics and evolution of mating patterns in Gredos, the contribution of each degree of kinship was analyzed as a whole and then for each valley separately. Regarding total consanguineous marriages in Gredos, there is a low frequency of uncle-niece matings (0.21%) and a first-second cousin mating ratio (C22/C33) of 0.23 (up to the third degree of consanguinity). Before 1918 multiple matings (i.e., those involving more than a single relationship) accounted for 19.16% of consanguineous marriages (up to the fourth degree). The observed frequencies of multiple consanguineous marriages was, on average, about twice that expected at random, and the proportion of such marriages to total inbreeding was 34.65%. The temporal change of the Gredos inbreeding pattern was characterized by a recent decrease; the highest inbreeding levels correspond to the period from 1915 to 1944. Finally, intervalley differences (maximum inbreeding coefficient in the Tormes, minimum in the Tiétar) are interpreted considering the geography, population size, and population mobility for each valley

A rapid method to map the crustal and lithospheric thickness using elevation, geoid anomaly and thermal analysis. Application to the Gibraltar Arc System, Atlas Mountains and adjacent zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fullea, J.; Fernàndez, M.; Zeyen, H.; Vergés, J.

2007-02-01

We present a method based on the combination of elevation and geoid anomaly data together with thermal field to map crustal and lithospheric thickness. The main assumptions are local isostasy and a four-layered model composed of crust, lithospheric mantle, sea water and the asthenosphere. We consider a linear density gradient for the crust and a temperature dependent density for the lithospheric mantle. We perform sensitivity tests to evaluate the effect of the variation of the model parameters and the influence of RMS error of elevation and geoid anomaly databases. The application of this method to the Gibraltar Arc System, Atlas Mountains and adjacent zones reveals the presence of a lithospheric thinning zone, SW-NE oriented. This zone affects the High and Middle Atlas and extends from the Canary Islands to the eastern Alboran Basin and is probably linked with a similarly trending zone of thick lithosphere constituting the western Betics, eastern Rif, Rharb Basin, and Gulf of Cadiz. A number of different, even mutually opposite, geodynamic models have been proposed to explain the origin and evolution of the study area. Our results suggest that a plausible slab-retreating model should incorporate tear and asymmetric roll-back of the subducting slab to fit the present-day observed lithosphere geometry. In this context, the lithospheric thinning would be caused by lateral asthenospheric flow. An alternative mechanism responsible for lithospheric thinning is the presence of a hot magmatic reservoir derived from a deep ancient plume centred in the Canary Island, and extending as far as Central Europe.

Catchment-scale variation in the nitrate concentrations of groundwater seeps in the Catskill Mountains, New York, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

West, A.J.; Findlay, S.E.G.; Burns, Douglas A.; Weathers, K.C.; Lovett, Gary M.

2001-01-01

Forested headwater streams in the Catskill Mountains of New York show significant among-catchment variability in mean annual nitrate (NO3-) concentrations. Large contributions from deep groundwater with high NO3- concentrations have been invoked to explain high NO3- concentrations in stream water during the growing season. To determine whether variable contributions of groundwater could explain among-catchment differences in streamwater, we measured NO3- concentrations in 58 groundwater seeps distributed across six catchments known to have different annual average streamwater concentrations. Seeps were identified based on release from bedrock fractures and bedding planes and had consistently lower temperatures than adjacent streamwaters. Nitrate concentrations in seeps ranged from near detection limits (0.005 mg NO3--N/L) to 0.75 mg NO3--N/L. Within individual catchments, groundwater residence time does not seem to strongly affect NO3- concentrations because in three out of four catchments there were non-significant correlations between seep silica (SiO2) concentrations, a proxy for residence time, and seep NO3- concentrations. Across catchments, there was a significant but weak negative relationship between NO3- and SiO2 concentrations. The large range in NO3- concentrations of seeps across catchments suggests: 1) the principal process generating among-catchment differences in streamwater NO3- concentrations must influence water before it enters the groundwater flow system and 2) this process must act at large spatial scales because among-catchment variability is much greater than intra-catchment variability. Differences in the quantity of groundwater contribution to stream baseflow are not sufficient to account for differences in streamwater NO3- concentrations among catchments in the Catskill Mountains.

Minerals in the foods eaten by mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei).

PubMed

Cancelliere, Emma C; DeAngelis, Nicole; Nkurunungi, John Bosco; Raubenheimer, David; Rothman, Jessica M

2014-01-01

Minerals are critical to an individual's health and fitness, and yet little is known about mineral nutrition and requirements in free-ranging primates. We estimated the mineral content of foods consumed by mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Mountain gorillas acquire the majority of their minerals from herbaceous leaves, which constitute the bulk of their diet. However, less commonly eaten foods were sometimes found to be higher in specific minerals, suggesting their potential importance. A principal component analysis demonstrated little correlation among minerals in food items, which further suggests that mountain gorillas might increase dietary diversity to obtain a full complement of minerals in their diet. Future work is needed to examine the bioavailability of minerals to mountain gorillas in order to better understand their intake in relation to estimated needs and the consequences of suboptimal mineral balance in gorilla foods.

Minerals in the Foods Eaten by Mountain Gorillas (Gorilla beringei)

PubMed Central

Cancelliere, Emma C.; DeAngelis, Nicole; Nkurunungi, John Bosco; Raubenheimer, David; Rothman, Jessica M.

2014-01-01

Minerals are critical to an individual’s health and fitness, and yet little is known about mineral nutrition and requirements in free-ranging primates. We estimated the mineral content of foods consumed by mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. Mountain gorillas acquire the majority of their minerals from herbaceous leaves, which constitute the bulk of their diet. However, less commonly eaten foods were sometimes found to be higher in specific minerals, suggesting their potential importance. A principal component analysis demonstrated little correlation among minerals in food items, which further suggests that mountain gorillas might increase dietary diversity to obtain a full complement of minerals in their diet. Future work is needed to examine the bioavailability of minerals to mountain gorillas in order to better understand their intake in relation to estimated needs and the consequences of suboptimal mineral balance in gorilla foods. PMID:25372712

Impacts of temperature on giant panda habitat in the north Minshan Mountains.

PubMed

Liu, Gang; Guan, Tianpei; Dai, Qiang; Li, Huixin; Gong, Minghao

2016-02-01

Understanding the impacts of meteorological factors on giant pandas is necessary for future conservation measures in response to global climate change. We integrated temperature data with three main habitat parameters (elevation, vegetation type, and bamboo species) to evaluate the influence of climate change on giant panda habitat in the northern Minshan Mountains using a habitat assessment model. Our study shows that temperature (relative importance = 25.1%) was the second most important variable influencing giant panda habitat excepting the elevation. There was a significant negative correlation between temperature and panda presence (ρ = -0.133, P < 0.05), and the temperature range preferred by giant pandas within the study area was 18-21°C, followed by 15-17°C and 22-24°C. The overall suitability of giant panda habitats will increase by 2.7%, however, it showed a opposite variation patterns between the eastern and northwestern region of the study area. Suitable and subsuitable habitats in the northwestern region of the study area, which is characterized by higher elevation and latitude, will increase by 18007.8 hm(2) (9.8% habitat suitability), while the eastern region will suffer a decrease of 9543.5 hm(2) (7.1% habitat suitability). Our results suggest that increasing areas of suitable giant panda habitat will support future giant panda expansion, and food shortage and insufficient living space will not arise as problems in the northwest Minshan Mountains, which means that giant pandas can adapt to climate change, and therefore may be resilient to climate change. Thus, for the safety and survival of giant pandas in the Baishuijiang Reserve, we propose strengthening the giant panda monitoring program in the west and improving the integrity of habitats to promote population dispersal with adjacent populations in the east.

Mammoth Mountain, California broadband seismic experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, P. B.; Pitt, A. M.; Wilkinson, S. K.; Chouet, B. A.; Hill, D. P.; Mangan, M.; Prejean, S. G.; Read, C.; Shelly, D. R.

2013-12-01

Mammoth Mountain is a young cumulo-volcano located on the southwest rim of Long Valley caldera, California. Current volcanic processes beneath Mammoth Mountain are manifested in a wide range of seismic signals, including swarms of shallow volcano-tectonic earthquakes, upper and mid-crustal long-period earthquakes, swarms of brittle-failure earthquakes in the lower crust, and shallow (3-km depth) very-long-period earthquakes. Diffuse emissions of C02 began after a magmatic dike injection beneath the volcano in 1989, and continue to present time. These indications of volcanic unrest drive an extensive monitoring effort of the volcano by the USGS Volcano Hazards Program. As part of this effort, eleven broadband seismometers were deployed on Mammoth Mountain in November 2011. This temporary deployment is expected to run through the fall of 2013. These stations supplement the local short-period and broadband seismic stations of the Northern California Seismic Network (NCSN) and provide a combined network of eighteen broadband stations operating within 4 km of the summit of Mammoth Mountain. Data from the temporary stations are not available in real-time, requiring the merging of the data from the temporary and permanent networks, timing of phases, and relocation of seismic events to be accomplished outside of the standard NCSN processing scheme. The timing of phases is accomplished through an interactive Java-based phase-picking routine, and the relocation of seismicity is achieved using the probabilistic non-linear software package NonLinLoc, distributed under the GNU General Public License by Alomax Scientific. Several swarms of shallow volcano-tectonic earthquakes, spasmodic bursts of high-frequency earthquakes, a few long-period events located within or below the edifice of Mammoth Mountain and numerous mid-crustal long-period events have been recorded by the network. To date, about 900 of the ~2400 events occurring beneath Mammoth Mountain since November 2011 have

Mines, prospects, and mineral sites, wilderness and RARE II areas, White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gazdik, G. C.; Harris, Gazdik; Welsh, R. A.; Girol, V. P.

1988-01-01

The areas investigated are located in the White Mountain National Forest in Coos, Grafton, and Carroll Counties, New Hampshire. Personnel from the U.S. Bureau of Mines conducted field reconnaissance of the westernmost areas, Kinsman Mountain, Mt. Wolf-Gordon Pond, Jobildunk, and Carr Mountain, in the fall of 1980. Field reconnaissance of the eastern areas, Great Gulf, Presidential Range-Dry River, Dartmouth Range, Pemigewasset and Wild River was conducted in the spring of 1981. A total of 237 rock and 103 panned-concentrate samples were collected during the investigations. Reconnaissance radiometric ground surveys were conducted at selected locations.

Geodesy and contemporary strain in the Yucca Mountain region, Nevada

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Keefer, W.R.; Coe, J.A.; Pezzopane, S.K.

Geodetic surveys provide important information for estimating recent ground movement in support of seismotectonic investigations of the potential nuclear-waste storage site at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Resurveys of established level lines document up to 22 millimeters of local subsidence related to the 1992 Little Skull Mountain earthquake, which is consistent with seismic data that show normal-slip rupture and with data from a regional trilateration network. Comparison of more recent surveys with a level line first established in 1907 suggests 3 to 13 centimeters of subsidence in the Crater Flat-Yucca Mountain structural depression that coincides with the Bare Mountain fault; small upliftsmore » also were recorded near normal faults at Yucca Mountain. No significant deformation was recorded by a trilateration network over a 10-year period, except for coseismic deformation associated with the Little Skull Mountain earthquake, but meaningful results are limited by the short temporal period of that data set and the small rate of movement. Very long baseline interferometry that is capable of measuring direction and rates of deformation is likewise limited by a short history of observation, but rates of deformation between 8 and 13 millimeters per year across the basin and Range province are indicated by the available data.« less

Mineral resources of the Turtle Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howard, Keith A.; Nielson, Jane E.; Simpson, Robert W.; Hazlett, Richard W.; Alminas, Henry V.; Nakata, John K.; McDonnell, John R.

1988-01-01

At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, approximately 105,200 acres of the Turtle Mountains Wilderness Study Area (CDCA-307) were evaluated for mineral resources (known) and resource potential (undiscovered). In this report, the area studied is referred to as "the wilderness study area" or simply "the study area"; any reference to the Turtle Mountain Wilderness Study Area refers only to that part of the wilderness study area for which a mineral survey was requested by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.The wilderness study area is in southeastern San Bernardino County, Calif. Gold, silver, copper, and lead have been mined within and adjacent to the study area. Copper-zinc-silver-gold mineral occurrences are found in the southern part and gold-silver mineral occurrences are found in the northern part of the study area; identified low- to moderate-grade gold-silver resources occur adjacent to the study area along the western boundary. Six areas in the south-central and northwestern parts of the study area have high resource potential, two broad areas have moderate resource potential, and part of the southwest corner has low resource potential for lode gold, silver, and associated copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and tungsten. Alluvium locally within one of these areas has moderate resource potential for placer gold and silver, and the entire area has low resource potential for placer gold and silver. There is low resource potential for perlite, ornamental stone (onyx marble and opal), manganese, uranium and thorium, pegmatite minerals, and oil and gas within the study area. Sand and gravel are abundant but are readily available outside the wilderness study area.

Preliminary hydrologic evaluation of the North Horn Mountain coal-resource area, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Graham, M.J.; Tooley, John E.; Price, Don

1981-01-01

North Horn Mountain is part of a deeply dissected plateau in central Utah which is characterized by deep, narrow, steep-walled canyons with local relief of more than 1,000 feet. Geologic units exposed in the North Horn Mountain area range in age from Late Cretaceous to Holocene and contain two mineable seams of Cretaceous coal. The area is in the drainage basin of the San Rafael River, in the Colorado River Basin. Runoff from the mountain is ephemeral. This runoff to the San Rafael River is by way of Cottonwood and Perron Creeks and represents less than 10 percent of their average annual runoff. Probable peak discharges (100-year flood) for the ephemeral streams draining North Horn Mountain are estimated to range from 200 to 380 cubic feet per second.The chemical quality of surface water in the area is good. The water is generally of a calcium magnesium bicarbonate type with average dissolved solids less than 500 milligrams per liter. Annual sediment yield in most of the area ranges from 0.1 to 0.2 acre-foot per square mile but locally is as high as 1.0 acre-foot per square mile. Most of the sediment is eroded during cloudbursts.Most of the ground water above the coal on North Horn Mountain probably is in perched aquifers. These aquifers support the flow of small seeps and springs. In some areas, the regional water table appears to extend upward into the coal. The principal source of recharge is precipitation that probably moves to aquifers along faults, joints, or fractures. This movement is apparently quite rapid. The dissolved-solids concentrations of ground water in the North Horn Mountain area range from less than 500 to about 1,000 milligrams per liter.Coal mining on North Horn Mountain should have minor "effects on the quantity and quality of surface water. The maximum predicted decrease in the annual flow of Ferron and Cottonwood Creeks is less than U percent. The sediment loads of affected streams could be significantly increased if construction were to

Treeline advances along the Urals mountain range - driven by improved winter conditions?

PubMed

Hagedorn, Frank; Shiyatov, Stepan G; Mazepa, Valeriy S; Devi, Nadezhda M; Grigor'ev, Andrey A; Bartysh, Alexandr A; Fomin, Valeriy V; Kapralov, Denis S; Terent'ev, Maxim; Bugman, Harald; Rigling, Andreas; Moiseev, Pavel A

2014-11-01

High-altitude treelines are temperature-limited vegetation boundaries, but little quantitative evidence exists about the impact of climate change on treelines in untouched areas of Russia. Here, we estimated how forest-tundra ecotones have changed during the last century along the Ural mountains. In the South, North, Sub-Polar, and Polar Urals, we compared 450 historical and recent photographs and determined the ages of 11,100 trees along 16 altitudinal gradients. In these four regions, boundaries of open and closed forests (crown covers above 20% and 40%) expanded upwards by 4 to 8 m in altitude per decade. Results strongly suggest that snow was an important driver for these forest advances: (i) Winter precipitation has increased substantially throughout the Urals (~7 mm decade(-1) ), which corresponds to almost a doubling in the Polar Urals, while summer temperatures have only changed slightly (~0.05°C decade(-1) ). (ii) There was a positive correlation between canopy cover, snow height and soil temperatures, suggesting that an increasing canopy cover promotes snow accumulation and, hence, a more favorable microclimate. (iii) Tree age analysis showed that forest expansion mainly began around the year 1900 on concave wind-sheltered slopes with thick snow covers, while it started in the 1950s and 1970s on slopes with shallower snow covers. (iv) During the 20th century, dominant growth forms of trees have changed from multistemmed trees, resulting from harsh winter conditions, to single-stemmed trees. While 87%, 31%, and 93% of stems appearing before 1950 were from multistemmed trees in the South, North and Polar Urals, more than 95% of the younger trees had a single stem. Currently, there is a high density of seedlings and saplings in the forest-tundra ecotone, indicating that forest expansion is ongoing and that alpine tundra vegetation will disappear from most mountains of the South and North Urals where treeline is already close to the highest peaks. © 2014

The geologic structure of part of the southern Franklin Mountains, El Paso County, Texas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smith, W.R.; Julian, F.E.

1993-02-01

The Franklin Mountains are a west tilted fault block mountain range which extends northwards from the city of El Paso, Texas. Geologic mapping in the southern portion of the Franklin Mountains has revealed many previously unrecognized structural complexities. Three large high-angle faults define the boundaries of map. Twenty lithologic units are present in the field area, including the southernmost Precambrian meta-sedimentary rocks in the Franklin Mountains (Lanoria Quartzite and Thunderbird group conglomerates). The area is dominated by Precambrian igneous rocks and lower Paleozoic carbonates, but Cenozoic ( ) intrusions are also recognized. Thin sections and rock slabs were used tomore » describe and identify many of the lithologic units. The Franklin Mountains are often referred to as a simple fault block mountain range related to the Rio Grande Rift. Three critical regions within the study area show that these mountains contain structural complexities. In critical area one, Precambrian granites and rhyolites are structurally juxtaposed, and several faults bisecting the area affect the Precambrian/Paleozoic fault contact. Critical area two contains multiple NNW-trending faults, three sills and a possible landslide. This area also shows depositional features related to an island of Precambrian rock exposed during deposition of the lower Paleozoic rocks. Critical area three contains numerous small faults which generally trend NNE. They appear to be splays off of one of the major faults bounding the area. Cenozoic kaolinite sills and mafic intrusion have filled many of the fault zones.« less

Options for the management of white pine blister rust in the Rocky Mountain Region

Treesearch

Kelly S. Burns; Anna W. Schoettle; William R. Jacobi; Mary F. Mahalovich

2008-01-01

This publication synthesizes current information on the biology, distribution, and management of white pine blister rust (WPBR) in the Rocky Mountain Region. In this Region, WPBR occurs within the range of Rocky Mountain bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata), limber pine (P. flexilis), and whitebark pine (P. albicaulis...

Model for predicting mountain wave field uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Damiens, Florentin; Lott, François; Millet, Christophe; Plougonven, Riwal

2017-04-01

Studying the propagation of acoustic waves throughout troposphere requires knowledge of wind speed and temperature gradients from the ground up to about 10-20 km. Typical planetary boundary layers flows are known to present vertical low level shears that can interact with mountain waves, thereby triggering small-scale disturbances. Resolving these fluctuations for long-range propagation problems is, however, not feasible because of computer memory/time restrictions and thus, they need to be parameterized. When the disturbances are small enough, these fluctuations can be described by linear equations. Previous works by co-authors have shown that the critical layer dynamics that occur near the ground produces large horizontal flows and buoyancy disturbances that result in intense downslope winds and gravity wave breaking. While these phenomena manifest almost systematically for high Richardson numbers and when the boundary layer depth is relatively small compare to the mountain height, the process by which static stability affects downslope winds remains unclear. In the present work, new linear mountain gravity wave solutions are tested against numerical predictions obtained with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. For Richardson numbers typically larger than unity, the mesoscale model is used to quantify the effect of neglected nonlinear terms on downslope winds and mountain wave patterns. At these regimes, the large downslope winds transport warm air, a so called "Foehn" effect than can impact sound propagation properties. The sensitivity of small-scale disturbances to Richardson number is quantified using two-dimensional spectral analysis. It is shown through a pilot study of subgrid scale fluctuations of boundary layer flows over realistic mountains that the cross-spectrum of mountain wave field is made up of the same components found in WRF simulations. The impact of each individual component on acoustic wave propagation is discussed in terms of

The Olympic Mountains Experiment for GPM (OLYMPEX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houze, R.; McMurdie, L. A.; Petersen, W. A.; Schwaller, M.

2016-12-01

The GPM satellite has made it possible to observe the amount and nature of precipitation in remote areas of midlatitudes, including oceans and mountain ranges. OLYMPEX conducted over the Olympic Mountains on the northwest coast of Washington State was designed to provide the means for evaluating the physical basis of the algorithms used to convert GPM satellite measurements to determine the amount and nature of precipitation in midlatitude extratropical cyclones. Microphysical processes producing precipitation are highly sensitive to the vertical profile of temperature. In the tropics, the domain of the TRMM satellite, the temperature profile varies only slightly. GPM algorithms, however, must account for the strong horizontal variation of temperature profiles in baroclinic storms systems of midlatitudes and for the variations of precipitation mechanisms caused by passage of these storms over mountains. The OLYMPEX scientific strategy was: 1) collect a statistically robust set of measurements in midlatitude cyclones upstream of, over, and downstream of a midlatitude mountain range that can be used to improve GPM satellite algorithms; 2) determine how the physics and dynamics of the mechanisms affecting precipitation formation in relation to storm structure and terrain. To accomplish these goals 3 aircraft, 4 scanning dual polarization Doppler radars, supplemental soundings, and sophisticated surface instruments were deployed on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington, where Pacific frontal systems produce seasonal precipitation of 2000-4000 mm. 13 storms were observed. 3 of these were atmospheric rivers. The NASA DC-8 and ER-2 aircraft overflew the storms with instruments similar to those on GPM. The U. North Dakota Citation sampled hydrometeors in situ. Preliminary analysis indicates that one of the primary modes of orographic enhancement is low-level moist flow rising over the lower windward slopes and producing many very small drops. Ice-phase processes producing

A New Estimate of North American Mountain Snow Accumulation From Regional Climate Model Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wrzesien, Melissa L.; Durand, Michael T.; Pavelsky, Tamlin M.; Kapnick, Sarah B.; Zhang, Yu; Guo, Junyi; Shum, C. K.

2018-02-01

Despite the importance of mountain snowpack to understanding the water and energy cycles in North America's montane regions, no reliable mountain snow climatology exists for the entire continent. We present a new estimate of mountain snow water equivalent (SWE) for North America from regional climate model simulations. Climatological peak SWE in North America mountains is 1,006 km3, 2.94 times larger than previous estimates from reanalyses. By combining this mountain SWE value with the best available global product in nonmountain areas, we estimate peak North America SWE of 1,684 km3, 55% greater than previous estimates. In our simulations, the date of maximum SWE varies widely by mountain range, from early March to mid-April. Though mountains comprise 24% of the continent's land area, we estimate that they contain 60% of North American SWE. This new estimate is a suitable benchmark for continental- and global-scale water and energy budget studies.

Southern montane populations did not contribute to the recolonization of West Siberian Plain by Siberian larch (Larix sibirica): a range-wide analysis of cytoplasmic markers.

PubMed

Semerikov, Vladimir L; Semerikova, Svetlana A; Polezhaeva, Maria A; Kosintsev, Pavel A; Lascoux, Martin

2013-10-01

While many species were confined to southern latitudes during the last glaciations, there has lately been mounting evidence that some of the most cold-tolerant species were actually able to survive close to the ice sheets. The contribution of these higher latitude outposts to the main recolonization thrust remains, however, untested. In the present study, we use the first range-wide survey of genetic diversity at cytoplasmic markers in Siberian larch (Larix sibirica; four mitochondrial (mt) DNA loci and five chloroplast (cp) DNA SSR loci) to (i) assess the relative contributions of southern and central areas to the current L. sibirica distribution range; and (ii) date the last major population expansion in both L. sibirica and adjacent Larix species. The geographic distribution of cpDNA variation was uninformative, but that of mitotypes clearly indicates that the southernmost populations, located in Mongolia and the Tien-Shan and Sayan Mountain ranges, had a very limited contribution to the current populations of the central and northern parts of the range. It also suggests that the contribution of the high latitude cryptic refugia was geographically limited and that most of the current West Siberian Plain larch populations likely originated in the foothills of the Sayan Mountains. Interestingly, the main population expansion detected through Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) in all four larch species investigated here pre-dates the LGM, with a mode in a range of 220,000-1,340,000 years BP. Hence, L. sibirica, like other major conifer species of the boreal forest, was strongly affected by climatic events pre-dating the Last Glacial Maximum. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Widespread introgression of mountain hare genes into Fennoscandian brown hare populations.

PubMed

Levänen, Riikka; Thulin, Carl-Gustaf; Spong, Göran; Pohjoismäki, Jaakko L O

2018-01-01

In Fennoscandia, mountain hare (Lepus timidus) and brown hare (Lepus europaeus) hybridize and produce fertile offspring, resulting in gene flow across the species barrier. Analyses of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) show that introgression occur frequently, but unavailability of appropriate nuclear DNA markers has made it difficult to evaluate the scale- and significance for the species. The extent of introgression has become important as the brown hare is continuously expanding its range northward, at the apparent expense of the mountain hare, raising concerns about possible competition. We report here, based on analysis of 6833 SNP markers, that the introgression is highly asymmetrical in the direction of gene flow from mountain hare to brown hare, and that the levels of nuclear gene introgression are independent of mtDNA introgression. While it is possible that brown hares obtain locally adapted alleles from the resident mountain hares, the low levels of mountain hare alleles among allopatric brown hares suggest that hybridization is driven by stochastic processes. Interspecific geneflow with the brown hare is unlikely to have major impacts on mountain hare in Fennoscandia, but direct competition may.

Historical and recent flora of the Santa Rita Experimental Range

Treesearch

Alvin L. Medina

2003-01-01

The historical flora of the Santa Rita Experimental Range was composed from historical lists of plants collected by various investigators since 1903. Plant accessions were verified from lists of plant specimens housed at the Rocky Mountain Research Station herbarium in Flagstaff, AZ, and the Rocky Mountain National Herbarium in Laramie, WY. Recent additions (1980 to...

Ozone levels in the Spanish Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range are above the thresholds for plant protection: analysis at 2262, 1850, and 995 m a.s.l.

PubMed

Elvira, S; González-Fernández, I; Alonso, R; Sanz, J; Bermejo-Bermejo, V

2016-10-01

The Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range, located at 60 km from Madrid City (Spain), includes high valuable ecosystems following an altitude gradient, some of them protected under the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park. The characteristic Mediterranean climatic conditions and the precursors emitted from Madrid favor a high photochemical production of ozone (O 3 ) in the region. However, very little information is available about the patterns and levels of O 3 and other air pollutants in the high elevation areas and their potential effects on vegetation. Ozone levels were monitored at three altitudes (2262, 1850, and 995 m a.s.l.) for at least 3 years within the 2005-2011 period. NO x and SO 2 were also recorded at the highest and lowest altitude sites. Despite the inter-annual and seasonal variations detected in the O 3 concentrations, the study revealed that SG is exposed to a chronic O 3 pollution. The two high elevation sites showed high O 3 levels even in winter and at nighttime, having low correlation with local meteorological variables. At the lower elevation site, O 3 levels were more related with local meteorological and pollution conditions. Ozone concentrations at the three sites exceeded the thresholds for the protection of human health and vegetation according to the European Air Quality Directive (EU/50/2008) and the thresholds for vegetation protection of the CLRTAP. Ozone should be considered as a stress factor for the health of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountain ecosystems. Furthermore, since O 3 levels at foothills differ from concentration in high elevation, monitoring stations in mountain ranges should be incorporated in regional air quality monitoring networks.

The demography of a small population of yellow columbines in the Organ Mountains

Treesearch

Chris J. Stubben; Brook G. Milligan

2001-01-01

Yellow-flowered columbines (Aquilegia chrysantha Gray) are usually found in small, isolated populations near streams and pools in mountain ranges throughout the southwestern United States. To study the long-term dynamics of these populations, which are vulnerable to extinction, we have monitored the demography of a population in Fillmore Canyon in the Organ Mountains...

Rectal prolapse in a free-ranging mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei): clinical presentation and surgical management.

PubMed

Kalema-Zikusoka, G; Lowenstine, L

2001-12-01

A juvenile female mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) of the Mubare tourist group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, developed a severe, complete rectal prolapse that did not spontaneously resolve. Eight months prior, a juvenile female mountain gorilla of the Mubare group developed a mild, complete rectal prolapse that resolved spontaneously within 24 hr. Field guides reported that spontaneously resolving prolapses had been seen previously in two other juveniles, one of which was from the Mubare group. The tissue became increasingly necrotic and maggot infested over the course of 1 wk. Surgical intervention involved amputation of the affected rectal tissues and suturing the viable portion to the anal sphincter muscle with simple interrupted absorbable sutures. The surgery was performed in the field in accordance with Uganda Wildlife Authority policies. Antibiotics and anthelmintics were administered systemically, and the gorilla returned to the group. The gorilla appeared to recover fully after 3 wk. Histology of the resected rectal tissue confirmed intense inflammation and necrosis with myiasis but did not reveal an underlying etiology.

Lumbar intervertebral disc allograft transplantation: long-term mobility and impact on the adjacent segments.

PubMed

Huang, Yong-Can; Xiao, Jun; Lu, William W; Leung, Victor Y L; Hu, Yong; Luk, Keith D K

2017-03-01

Fresh-frozen intervertebral disc (IVD) allograft transplantation has been successfully performed in the human cervical spine. Whether this non-fusion technology could truly decrease adjacent segment disease is still unknown. This study evaluated the long-term mobility of the IVD-transplanted segment and the impact on the adjacent spinal segments in a goat model. Twelve goats were used. IVD allograft transplantation was performed at lumbar L4/L5 in 5 goats; the other 7 goats were used as the untreated control (5) and for the supply of allografts (2). Post-operation lateral radiographs of the lumbar spine in the neutral, full-flexion and full-extension positions were taken at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Disc height (DH) of the allograft and the adjacent levels was calculated and range of motion (ROM) was measured using the Cobb's method. The anatomy of the adjacent discs was observed histologically. DH of the transplanted segment was decreased significantly after 3 months but no further reduction was recorded until the final follow-up. No obvious alteration was seen in the ROM of the transplanted segment at different time points with the ROM at 12 months being comparable to that of the untreated control. The DH and ROM in the adjacent segments were well maintained during the whole observation period. At post-operative 12 months, the ROM of the adjacent levels was similar to that of the untreated control and the anatomical morphology was well preserved. Lumbar IVD allograft transplantation in goats could restore the segmental mobility and did not negatively affect the adjacent segments after 12 months.

Valemount strain zone: A dextral oblique-slip thrust system linking the Rocky Mountain and Omineca belts of the southeastern Canadian Cordillera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonough, Michael R.; Simony, Philip S.

1989-03-01

The Valemount strain zone (VSZ), a narrow zone of high orogen-parallel (OP) strain in pebble conglomerate of the Late Proterozoic Miette Group, is the footwall expression of a thrust fault on the western edge of the Rocky Mountain belt, marking the eastern limit of a wide zone of OP fabrics distributed through the Omineca crystalline and western Rocky Mountain belts of the southeastern Canadian Cordillera. Kinematic indicators from the VSZ and the adjacent Bear Foot thrust zone show that both thrust and dextral displacement are associated with folding and thrust motion in the Rocky Mountains, thereby linking the southern Rocky Mountain belt to the Omineca belt by an oblique-slip thrust regime that is tectonically unrelated to the Southern Rocky Mountain Trench. Transverse shortening of thrust sheets and subsequent distribution of OP shear are invoked to explain the parallelism of stretching lineations and fold axes. Strain and kinematic data and the thrust-belt geometry of the VSZ suggest that OP lineations are a product of a large amount of transverse shortening during slightly oblique A-type subduction. Thus, OP lineations are not representative of relative plate motions between North America and accreted terranes, but probably are a function of footwall buttressing of thrust sheets, a mechanism that may be widely applicable to the internal zones of collisional orogens.

Mountain lions prey selectively on prion-infected mule deer

PubMed Central

Krumm, Caroline E.; Conner, Mary M.; Hobbs, N. Thompson; Hunter, Don O.; Miller, Michael W.

2010-01-01

The possibility that predators choose prey selectively based on age or condition has been suggested but rarely tested. We examined whether mountain lions (Puma concolor) selectively prey upon mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) infected with chronic wasting disease, a prion disease. We located kill sites of mountain lions in the northern Front Range of Colorado, USA, and compared disease prevalence among lion-killed adult (≥2 years old) deer with prevalence among sympatric deer taken by hunters in the vicinity of kill sites. Hunter-killed female deer were less likely to be infected than males (odds ratios (OR) = 0.2, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 0.1–0.6; p = 0.015). However, both female (OR = 8.5, 95% CI = 2.3–30.9) and male deer (OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1–10) killed by a mountain lion were more likely to be infected than same-sex deer killed in the vicinity by a hunter (p < 0.001), suggesting that mountain lions in this area actively selected prion-infected individuals when targeting adult mule deer as prey items. PMID:19864271

Perspectives on climate change, mountain hydrology, and water resources in the Oregon Cascades, USA

Treesearch

A.W. Nolin

2012-01-01

From both social and environmental perspectives, water is the main connection between highland and lowland processes in mountain watersheds: Water flows downhill while human impacts flow uphill. For example, in the Oregon Cascades mountain range, geology, vegetation, and climate influence the hydrologic connections within watersheds. Geology determines which watersheds...

Paleomagnetism and tectonics of the Jura arcuate mountain belt in France and Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gehring, Andreas U.; Keller, Peter; Heller, Friedrich

1991-02-01

Goethite and hematite in ferriferous oolitic beds of Callovian age from the Jura mountains (Switzerland, France) carry either pre- and/or post-tectonic magnetization. The frequent pre-tectonic origin of goethite magnetization indicates a temperature range during formation of the arcuate Jura mountain belt below the goethite Néel temperature of about 100°C. The scatter of the pre-tectonic paleomagnetic directions ( D = 11.5° E, I = 55.5°; α95 = 4.7) which reside both in goethite and hematite, provides strong evidence that the arcuate mountain belt was shaped without significant rotation. The paleomagnetic results support tectonic thin-skinned models for the formation of the Jura mountain belt.

Variability of adjacency effects in sky reflectance measurements.

PubMed

Groetsch, Philipp M M; Gege, Peter; Simis, Stefan G H; Eleveld, Marieke A; Peters, Steef W M

2017-09-01

Sky reflectance R sky (λ) is used to correct in situ reflectance measurements in the remote detection of water color. We analyzed the directional and spectral variability in R sky (λ) due to adjacency effects against an atmospheric radiance model. The analysis is based on one year of semi-continuous R sky (λ) observations that were recorded in two azimuth directions. Adjacency effects contributed to R sky (λ) dependence on season and viewing angle and predominantly in the near-infrared (NIR). For our test area, adjacency effects spectrally resembled a generic vegetation spectrum. The adjacency effect was weakly dependent on the magnitude of Rayleigh- and aerosol-scattered radiance. The reflectance differed between viewing directions 5.4±6.3% for adjacency effects and 21.0±19.8% for Rayleigh- and aerosol-scattered R sky (λ) in the NIR. Under which conditions in situ water reflectance observations require dedicated correction for adjacency effects is discussed. We provide an open source implementation of our method to aid identification of such conditions.

Microbial oxidation of lithospheric organic carbon in rapidly eroding tropical mountain soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hemingway, Jordon D.; Hilton, Robert G.; Hovius, Niels; Eglinton, Timothy I.; Haghipour, Negar; Wacker, Lukas; Chen, Meng-Chiang; Galy, Valier V.

2018-04-01

Lithospheric organic carbon (“petrogenic”; OCpetro) is oxidized during exhumation and subsequent erosion of mountain ranges. This process is a considerable source of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere over geologic time scales, but the mechanisms that govern oxidation rates in mountain landscapes are poorly constrained. We demonstrate that, on average, 67 ± 11% of the OCpetro initially present in bedrock exhumed from the tropical, rapidly eroding Central Range of Taiwan is oxidized in soils, leading to CO2 emissions of 6.1 to 18.6 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer per year. The molecular and isotopic evolution of bulk OC and lipid biomarkers during soil formation reveals that OCpetro remineralization is microbially mediated. Rapid oxidation in mountain soils drives CO2 emission fluxes that increase with erosion rate, thereby counteracting CO2 drawdown by silicate weathering and biospheric OC burial.

The influence of terracettes on surface hydrology and erosion on vegetated Alpine, mountain and steep-sloping environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhn, Nikolaus; (Phil) Greenwood, Philip

2014-05-01

Alpine and mountain slopes represent important pathways that link high altitude grazing areas to meadows and rangelands at lower elevations. Given the often acute gradient of mountain slopes, they represent a convenient and potentially highly efficient runoff conveyance route that facilitates the downslope transfer of fine-sediment and sediment-bound nutrients and contaminants during erosion events. Above a certain gradient, many slopes host small steps, or `terracettes`. As these are generally orientated across slope, their genesis is usually attributed to a combination of soil creep, coupled with (and often accentuated by) grazing animals. Motivated by the prevalence of these distinct landform features and lack of information on their role as runoff conveyance routes, this communication reports preliminary results from an investigation to explore the possibility that terracettes may act as preferential flow-paths, with an as yet undocumented ability to greatly influence surface hydrology in mountainous and steeply-sloping environments. A ca. 40 m2 area of vegetated terracettes and section of adjacent thalweg, with gradients ranging from approximately 25-35o, were scanned using an automated Topcon IS03 Total Station at a resolution of 0.1 * 0.1 m. Data were converted to a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in ArcGIS 10 Geographical Information System (GIS), and queried using Spatial Analyst (Surface Hydrology; Flow Accumulation function) to identify slope-sections that could act as preferential flow-pathways during runoff events. These data were supplemented by information on soil physical properties that included grain size composition, bulk density and porosity, in order to establish spatial variations in soil characteristics associated with the vertical and horizontal terracette features. Combining the digital and in-situ data indicate that the technique is able to identify preferential surface flow-paths. Such information could greatly benefit the future management

Annual Copper Mountain Conferences on Multigrid and Iterative Methods, Copper Mountain, Colorado

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McCormick, Stephen F.

This project supported the Copper Mountain Conference on Multigrid and Iterative Methods, held from 2007 to 2015, at Copper Mountain, Colorado. The subject of the Copper Mountain Conference Series alternated between Multigrid Methods in odd-numbered years and Iterative Methods in even-numbered years. Begun in 1983, the Series represents an important forum for the exchange of ideas in these two closely related fields. This report describes the Copper Mountain Conference on Multigrid and Iterative Methods, 2007-2015. Information on the conference series is available at http://grandmaster.colorado.edu/~copper/.

Soil mercury distribution in adjacent coniferous and deciduous stands highly impacted by acid rain in the Ore Mountains, Czech Republic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Navrátil, Tomáš; Shanley, James B.; Rohovec, Jan; Oulehle, Filip; Šimeček, Martin; Houška, Jakub; Cudlín, Pavel

2016-01-01

Forests play a primary role in the cycling and storage of mercury (Hg) in terrestrial ecosystems. This study aimed to assess differences in Hg cycling and storage resulting from different vegetation at two adjacent forest stands - beech and spruce. The study site Načetín in the Czech Republic's Black Triangle received high atmospheric loadings of Hg from coal combustion in the second half of the 20th century as documented by peat accumulation rates reaching 100 μg m−2 y−1. In 2004, the annual litterfall Hg flux was 22.5 μg m−2 y−1 in the beech stand and 14.5 μg m−2 y−1 in the spruce stand. Soil concentrations and pools of Hg had a strong positive relation to soil organic matter and concentrations of soil sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N). O-horizon Hg concentrations ranged from 245 to 495 μg kg−1 and were greater in the spruce stand soil, probably as a result of greater dry Hg deposition. Mineral soil Hg concentrations ranged from 51 to 163 μg kg−1 and were greater in the beech stand soil due to its greater capacity to store organic carbon (C). The Hg/C ratio increased with depth from 0.3 in the O-horizon to 3.8 μg g−1 in the C horizon of spruce soil and from 0.7 to 2.7 μg g−1 in beech soil. The Hg/C ratio was greater at all mineral soil depths in the spruce stand. The organic soil Hg pools in beech and spruce stands (6.4 and 5.7 mg m−2, respectively) were considerably lower than corresponding mineral soil Hg pools (39.1 and 25.8 mg m−2). Despite the important role of S in Hg cycling, differences in soil Hg distribution at both stands could not be attributed to differences in soil sulfur speciation.

Mountain-Top-to-Mountain-Top Optical Link Demonstration. Part 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Biswas, A.; Wright, M. W.

2002-01-01

A mountain-top-to-mountain-top optical link was demonstrated between JPL's Table Mountain Facility (TMF), Wrightwood, California, and Strawberry Peak (SP), Lake Arrowhead, California, during the months of June, August, and September of 2000. The bidirectional laser link was nearly horizontal at an altitude of 2 km and spanned a range of 46.8 km. The 780-nm beacon laser transmitted from TMF comprised eight co-propagating mutually incoherent laser beams. The normalized variance or scintillation index (SI) of the individual beacon lasers measured by recording the signal received through 8.50-cm-diameter spotting telescopes on three different nights (June 28-30, 2000) was 1.05 +/- 0.2, 1.76 +/- 0.6, and 0.96 +/- 0.24, respectively. These measurements agreed with values predicted by a heuristic model. The SI of the signal received at SP was found to decrease progressively with an increasing number of beams, and a factor of 3 to 3.5 reduction was achieved for all eight beams. The beam divergence determined by mapping out the point spread function of a few of the individual laser footprints received at SP was 85 to 150 microrad, compared to a design goal of 120 microrad. The 852-nm communications laser beam received at TMF through a 60-cm-diameter telescope on the nights of August 4 and September 14 and 15, 2000, yielded SI values of 0.23 +/- 0.04, 0.32 +/- 0.01, and 0.49 +/- 0.18, respectively, where the reduction was attributed to aperture averaging. The probability distribution functions of the received signal at either end, mitigated by multi-beam averaging in one direction and by aperture averaging in the other direction, displayed lognormal behavior. Consequently, the measured fade statistics showed good agreement with a lognormal model.

Earth observations of the Andes Mountains taken during the STS-97 mission

NASA Image and Video Library

2000-12-10

STS097-715-061 (10 December 2000) This view over the Central Andes Mountains in Argentina and Chile was taken on December 10, 2000 by one of the astronauts aboard the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Endeavour. Extending 5500 miles (8850 kilometers) along the western coast of South America from northern Colombia to Cape Horn in southern Chile, the Andes are the longest mountain range, above sea level, and the second highest range in the world. According to NASA scientists studying the STS-97 photo collection, this immense system came into existence nearly 70 million years ago. With numerous active volcanoes and a slow uplift, the building of the Andes Mountains continues today rising four inches (10 centimeters) per century, the scientists say. In this north-looking view, snow covers the higher peaks of the range, some of which rise to over 20000 feet (6100 meters) above sea level. Along the left or western portion of the view, clouds can be seen along coastal areas of Chile. In the bottom left quadrant of the scene, the blue waters of the Paloma Reservoir, a recreational lake, are visible. The folded Tontal Range (bottom center) and the Valle Fertil Range (upper right quadrant and partially cloud covered) of western Argentina can be seen. The rocks of these ranges, the scientists point out, are ancient compared to the younger volcanic peaks and ranges of the Andes. The city of San Juan, Argentina is visible on the eastern (right) base of the Tontal Range in the lower right quadrant of the view.

Genetic sampling of Palmer's chipmunks in the Spring Mountains, Nevada

Treesearch

Kevin S. McKelvey; Jennifer E. Ramirez; Kristine L. Pilgrim; Samuel A. Cushman; Michael K. Schwartz

2013-01-01

Palmer's chipmunk (Neotamias palmeri) is a medium-sized chipmunk whose range is limited to the higher-elevation areas of the Spring Mountain Range, Nevada. A second chipmunk species, the Panamint chipmunk (Neotamias panamintinus), is more broadly distributed and lives in lower-elevation, primarily pinyon-juniper (Pinus monophylla-Juniperus osteosperma) habitat...

Environmental geochemistry at Red Mountain, an unmined volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit in the Bonnifield district, Alaska Range, east-central Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eppinger, R.G.; Briggs, P.H.; Dusel-Bacon, C.; Giles, S.A.; Gough, L.P.; Hammarstrom, J.M.; Hubbard, B.E.

2007-01-01

The unmined, pyrite-rich Red Mountain (Dry Creek) deposit displays a remarkable environmental footprint of natural acid generation, high metal and exceedingly high rate earth element (REE) concentrations in surface waters. The volcanogenic massive sulphide deposit exhibits well-constrained examples of acid-generating, metal-leaching, metal-precipitation and self-mitigation (via co-precipitation, dilution and neutralization) processes that occur in an undisturbed natural setting, a rare occurrence in North America. Oxidative dissolution of pyrite and associated secondary reactions under near-surface oxidizing conditions are the primary causes for the acid generation and metal leaching. The deposit is hosted in Devonian to Mississippian felsic metavolcanic rocks of the Mystic Creek Member of the Totatlanika Schist. Water samples with the lowest pH (many below 3.5), highest specific conductance (commonly >2500 ??S/cm) and highest major- and trace-element concentrations are from springs and streams within the quartz-sericite-pyrite alteration zone. Aluminum, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Y, Zn and, particularly, the REEs are found in high concentrations, ranging across four orders of magnitude. Waters collected upstream from the alteration zone have near-neutral pH, lower specific conductance (370 to 830 ??S/cm), lower metal concentrations and measurable alkalinities. Water samples collected downstream of the alteration zone have pH and metal concentrations intermediate between these two extremes. Stream sediments are anomalous in Zn, Pb, S, Fe, Cu, As, Co, Sb and Cd relative to local and regional background abundances. Red Mountain Creek and its tributaries do not, and probably never have, supported significant aquatic life. ?? 2007 AAG/ Geological Society of London.

Protocols for care and handling of deer and elk at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range.

Treesearch

Michael J. Wisdom; John G. Cook; Mary M. Rowland; James H. Noyes

1993-01-01

Several hundred Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni V. Bailey) and Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus Rafinesque) inhabit a fenced, 25,000-acre enclosure at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon. Research there requires handling...

Earth science: Making a mountain out of a plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinclair, Hugh

2017-02-01

A theory proposed in 2015 suggested that relatively flat surfaces in mountain ranges were formed by the reorganization of river networks. A fresh analysis rebuts this idea, reigniting discussion of a long-standing problem in Earth science.

Rocky Mountain National Park

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-12-08

Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park presents a very different landscape in summertime than in wintertime. Snow retreats and gives way to blooms of wildflowers, even at high elevations. Roads and trails become accessible, allowing visitors easier access to the rugged mountain trails and vistas. The diversity of the park’s landscape is visible in this image, acquired on September 20, 2014, with the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite. Except for a few patches, seasonal snow is mostly gone. Even the “Never Summer Mountains”—a range along the park’s northwest border known to receive snow any time of year—appears to be temporarily snow-free. Read more: go.nasa.gov/29Rmz4Y Credit: NASA/Landsat8 NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

Mountaineers' risk perception in outdoor-adventure sports: a study of sex and sports experience.

PubMed

Demirhan, Giyasettin

2005-06-01

The purpose of this study was to examine mountaineers' (expert, less-experienced, nonparticipant) risk perception in 19 outdoor-adventure sports related to their sex and sports experience. A total of 299 experienced mountaineers (90 women, 209 men), 321 less-experienced mountaineers (110 women, 211 men) and 193 volunteers nonparticipants in sport (95 women and 98 men) took part. Data were collected with items on a Likert-type 5-point scale. Test-retest over 15 days ranged from .64-86. A two-way variance analysis of sex x group showed that men's mean risk perception was lower than that of women for orienteering, mountain biking, rowing, surfing, sailing, nordic skiing, tour skiing, snowboarding, parachuting, and cliff jumping. Also, experienced mountaineers' mean risk perception was lower than that of those less experienced.

Phylogeography of Eomecon chionantha in subtropical China: the dual roles of the Nanling Mountains as a glacial refugium and a dispersal corridor.

PubMed

Tian, Shuang; Kou, Yixuan; Zhang, Zhirong; Yuan, Lin; Li, Derong; López-Pujol, Jordi; Fan, Dengmei; Zhang, Zhiyong

2018-02-09

Mountains have not only provided refuge for species, but also offered dispersal corridors during the Neogene and Quaternary global climate changes. Compared with a plethora of studies on the refuge role of China's mountain ranges, their dispersal corridor role has received little attention in plant phylogeographic studies. Using phylogeographic data of Eomecon chionantha Hance (Papaveraceae), this study explicitly tested whether the Nanling Mountains, which spans from west to east for more than 1000 km in subtropical China, could have functioned as a dispersal corridor during the late Quaternary in addition to a glacial refugium. Our analyses revealed a range-wide lack of phylogeographic structure in E. chionantha across three kinds of molecular markers [two chloroplast intergenic spacers, nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS), and six nuclear microsatellite loci]. Demographic inferences based on chloroplast and nrITS sequences indicated that E. chionantha could have experienced a strong postglacial range expansion between 6000 and 1000 years ago. Species distribution modelling showed that the Nanling Mountains and the eastern Yungui Plateau were the glacial refugia of E. chionantha. Reconstruction of dispersal corridors indicated that the Nanling Mountains also have acted as a corridor of population connectivity for E. chionantha during the late Quaternary. Our results suggest that the Nanling Mountains may acted dual roles as a dispersal corridor in east-west direction and as a glacial refugium in subtropical China during the late Quaternary. The population connectivity mediated by the mountain range and a strong postglacial range expansion are the most likely reasons for the lack of phylogeographic structure in E. chionantha. The hypothesis of dual roles of the mountain range presented here sheds new insights into the phylogeographic patterns of organisms in subtropical China.

Export of earthquake-triggered landslides in active mountain ranges: insights from 2D morphodynamic modelling.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croissant, Thomas; Lague, Dimitri; Davy, Philippe; Steer, Philippe

2016-04-01

In active mountain ranges, large earthquakes (Mw > 5-6) trigger numerous landslides that impact river dynamics. These landslides bring local and sudden sediment piles that will be eroded and transported along the river network causing downstream changes in river geometry, transport capacity and erosion efficiency. The progressive removal of landslide materials has implications for downstream hazards management and also for understanding landscape dynamics at the timescale of the seismic cycle. The export time of landslide-derived sediments after large-magnitude earthquakes has been studied from suspended load measurements but a full understanding of the total process, including the coupling between sediment transfer and channel geometry change, still remains an issue. Note that the transport of small sediment pulses has been studied in the context of river restoration, but the magnitude of sediment pulses generated by landslides may make the problem different. Here, we study the export of large volumes (>106 m3) of sediments with the 2D hydro-morphodynamic model, Eros. This model uses a new hydrodynamic module that resolves a reduced form of the Saint-Venant equations with a particle method. It is coupled with a sediment transport and lateral and vertical erosion model. Eros accounts for the complex retroactions between sediment transport and fluvial geometry, with a stochastic description of the floods experienced by the river. Moreover, it is able to reproduce several features deemed necessary to study the evacuation of large sediment pulses, such as river regime modification (single-thread to multi-thread), river avulsion and aggradation, floods and bank erosion. Using a synthetic and simple topography we first present how granulometry, landslide volume and geometry, channel slope and flood frequency influence 1) the dominance of pulse advection vs. diffusion during its evacuation, 2) the pulse export time and 3) the remaining volume of sediment in the catchment

Toward mountains without permanent snow and ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huss, M.; Bookhagen, B.; Huggel, C.; Jacobsen, D.; Bradley, R. S.; Clague, J. J.; Vuille, M.; Buytaert, W.; Cayan, D. R.; Greenwood, G.; Mark, B. G.; Milner, A. M.; Weingartner, R.; Winder, M.

2017-05-01

The cryosphere in mountain regions is rapidly declining, a trend that is expected to accelerate over the next several decades due to anthropogenic climate change. A cascade of effects will result, extending from mountains to lowlands with associated impacts on human livelihood, economy, and ecosystems. With rising air temperatures and increased radiative forcing, glaciers will become smaller and, in some cases, disappear, the area of frozen ground will diminish, the ratio of snow to rainfall will decrease, and the timing and magnitude of both maximum and minimum streamflow will change. These changes will affect erosion rates, sediment, and nutrient flux, and the biogeochemistry of rivers and proglacial lakes, all of which influence water quality, aquatic habitat, and biotic communities. Changes in the length of the growing season will allow low-elevation plants and animals to expand their ranges upward. Slope failures due to thawing alpine permafrost, and outburst floods from glacier- and moraine-dammed lakes will threaten downstream populations. Societies even well beyond the mountains depend on meltwater from glaciers and snow for drinking water supplies, irrigation, mining, hydropower, agriculture, and recreation. Here, we review and, where possible, quantify the impacts of anticipated climate change on the alpine cryosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, and consider the implications for adaptation to a future of mountains without permanent snow and ice.

Great Basin cold desert shrublands and the Desert Experimental Range

Treesearch

Stanley G. Kitchen; Stephanie L. Carlson

2008-01-01

The Great Basin is a vast, internally drained region of the Western United States, bounded by the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Mountain ranges to the west and the Wasatch Mountains and western rim of the Colorado Plateau to the east. Although less discrete, northern and southern boundaries are generally defined by the drainages of the Columbia and Colorado Rivers...

Rapid middle Miocene extension and unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Colgan, Joseph P.; Howard, Keith A.; Fleck, Robert J.; Wooden, Joseph L.

2010-01-01

Paleozoic rocks in the northern Ruby Mountains were metamorphosed during Mesozoic crustal shortening and Cenozoic magmatism, but equivalent strata in the southern Ruby Mountains were never buried deeper than stratigraphic depths prior to exhumation in the footwall of a west dipping brittle normal fault. In the southern Ruby Mountains, Miocene sedimentary rocks in the hanging wall of this fault date from 15.2 to 11.6 Ma and contain abundant detritus from the Paleozoic section. Apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He samples of the Eocene Harrison Pass pluton record rapid cooling that peaked ca. 17–15 Ma, while apatite fission track data from Jurassic plutons east and west of the southern Ruby Mountains indicate near-surface temperatures (<60°C) since the Cretaceous. We interpret these data to record rapid unroofing of the southern Ruby Mountains during slip on the west dipping brittle detachment between 17–16 and 10–12 Ma, followed by minor high-angle faulting. We interpret published Oligocene to early Miocene K-Ar biotite and zircon fission track dates from the Harrison Pass pluton to be partially reset rather than to directly record fault slip. Our new data, together with published data on the distribution and composition of Miocene basin fill, suggest that rapid middle Miocene slip took place on the west dipping brittle detachment that bounds the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range for 150 km along strike. This fault was thus active during a period of rapid extension (ca. 17–15 to 12–10 Ma) documented widely across the northern Basin and Range Province.

Expansion of deciduous tall shrubs but not evergreen dwarf shrubs inhibited by reindeer in Scandes mountain range.

PubMed

Vowles, Tage; Gunnarsson, Bengt; Molau, Ulf; Hickler, Thomas; Klemedtsson, Leif; Björk, Robert G

2017-11-01

One of the most palpable effects of warming in Arctic ecosystems is shrub expansion above the tree line. However, previous studies have found that reindeer can influence plant community responses to warming and inhibit shrubification of the tundra.We revisited grazed (ambient) and ungrazed study plots (exclosures), at the southern as well as the northern limits of the Swedish alpine region, to study long-term grazing effects and vegetation changes in response to increasing temperatures between 1995 and 2011, in two vegetation types (shrub heath and mountain birch forest).In the field layer at the shrub heath sites, evergreen dwarf shrubs had increased in cover from 26% to 49% but were unaffected by grazing. Deciduous dwarf and tall shrubs also showed significant, though smaller, increases over time. At the birch forest sites, the increase was similar for evergreen dwarf shrubs (20-48%) but deciduous tall shrubs did not show the same consistent increase over time as in the shrub heath.The cover and height of the shrub layer were significantly greater in exclosures at the shrub heath sites, but no significant treatment effects were found on species richness or diversity.July soil temperatures and growing season thawing degree days (TDD) were higher in exclosures at all but one site, and there was a significant negative correlation between mean shrub layer height and soil TDD at the shrub heath sites. Synthesis . This study shows that shrub expansion is occurring rapidly in the Scandes mountain range, both above and below the tree line. Tall, deciduous shrubs had benefitted significantly from grazing exclosure, both in terms of cover and height, which in turn lowered summer soil temperatures. However, the overriding vegetation shift across our sites was the striking increase in evergreen dwarf shrubs, which were not influenced by grazing. As the effects of an increase in evergreen dwarf shrubs and more recalcitrant plant litter may to some degree counteract some of

Topographic View of Ceres Mountain

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-09-30

This view, made using images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, features a tall conical mountain on Ceres. Elevations span a range of about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the lowest places in this region to the highest terrains. Blue represents the lowest elevation, and brown is the highest. The white streaks seen running down the side of the mountain are especially bright parts of the surface. The image was generated using two components: images of the surface taken during Dawn's High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phase, where it viewed the surface at a resolution of about 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel, and a shape model generated using images taken at varying sun and viewing angles during Dawn's lower-resolution Survey phase. The image of the region is color-coded according to elevation, and then draped over the shape model to give this view. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA19976

Composite Sunrise Butte pluton: Insights into Jurassic–Cretaceous collisional tectonics and magmatism in the Blue Mountains Province, northeastern Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Johnson, Kenneth H.; Schwartz, J.J.; Žák, Jiří; Verner, Krystof; Barnes, Calvin G.; Walton, Clay; Wooden, Joseph L.; Wright, James E.; Kistler, Ronald W.

2015-01-01

The composite Sunrise Butte pluton, in the central part of the Blue Mountains Province, northeastern Oregon, preserves a record of subduction-related magmatism, arc-arc collision, crustal thickening, and deep-crustal anatexis. The earliest phase of the pluton (Desolation Creek unit) was generated in a subduction zone environment, as the oceanic lithosphere between the Wallowa and Olds Ferry island arcs was consumed. Zircons from this unit yielded a 206Pb/238U age of 160.2 ± 2.1 Ma. A magmatic lull ensued during arc-arc collision, after which partial melting at the base of the thickened Wallowa arc crust produced siliceous magma that was emplaced into metasedimentary rocks and serpentinite of the overthrust forearc complex. This magma crystallized to form the bulk of the Sunrise Butte composite pluton (the Sunrise Butte unit; 145.8 ± 2.2 Ma). The heat necessary for crustal anatexis was supplied by coeval mantle-derived magma (the Onion Gulch unit; 147.9 ± 1.8 Ma).The lull in magmatic activity between 160 and 148 Ma encompasses the timing of arc-arc collision (159–154 Ma), and it is similar to those lulls observed in adjacent areas of the Blue Mountains Province related to the same shortening event. Previous researchers have proposed a tectonic link between the Blue Mountains Province and the Klamath Mountains and northern Sierra Nevada Provinces farther to the south; however, timing of Late Jurassic deformation in the Blue Mountains Province predates the timing of the so-called Nevadan orogeny in the Klamath Mountains. In both the Blue Mountains Province and Klamath Mountains, the onset of deep-crustal partial melting initiated at ca. 148 Ma, suggesting a possible geodynamic link. One possibility is that the Late Jurassic shortening event recorded in the Blue Mountains Province may be a northerly extension of the Nevadan orogeny. Differences in the timing of these events in the Blue Mountains Province and the Klamath–Sierra Nevada Provinces suggest that

Western Mountain Initiative

Science.gov Websites

Home About WMI People Publications News Media Research Links Western Mountain Initiative The Western Mountain Initiative is a team of USGS, US Forest Service, and university scientists working to

47 CFR 101.1421 - Coordination of adjacent area MVDDS stations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... SPECIAL RADIO SERVICES FIXED MICROWAVE SERVICES Multichannel Video Distribution and Data Service Rules for... compatible with adjacent and co-channel operations in the adjacent areas on all its frequencies; and (2... adjacent and co-channel operations in adjacent areas. (b) Harmful interference to public safety stations...

In utero transmission and tissue distribution of chronic wasting disease-associated prions in free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk.

PubMed

Selariu, Anca; Powers, Jenny G; Nalls, Amy; Brandhuber, Monica; Mayfield, Amber; Fullaway, Stephenie; Wyckoff, Christy A; Goldmann, Wilfred; Zabel, Mark M; Wild, Margaret A; Hoover, Edward A; Mathiason, Candace K

2015-11-01

The presence of disease-associated prions in tissues and bodily fluids of chronic wasting disease (CWD)-infected cervids has received much investigation, yet little is known about mother-to-offspring transmission of CWD. Our previous work demonstrated that mother-to-offspring transmission is efficient in an experimental setting. To address the question of relevance in a naturally exposed free-ranging population, we assessed maternal and fetal tissues derived from 19 elk dam-calf pairs collected from free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk from north-central Colorado, a known CWD endemic region. Conventional immunohistochemistry identified three of 19 CWD-positive dams, whereas a more sensitive assay [serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA)] detected CWD prion seeding activity (PrPCWD) in 15 of 19 dams. PrPCWD distribution in tissues was widespread, and included the central nervous system (CNS), lymphoreticular system, and reproductive, secretory, excretory and adipose tissues. Interestingly, five of 15 sPMCA-positive dams showed no evidence of PrPCWD in either CNS or lymphoreticular system, sites typically assessed in diagnosing CWD. Analysis of fetal tissues harvested from the 15 sPMCA-positive dams revealed PrPCWD in 80 % of fetuses (12 of 15), regardless of gestational stage. These findings demonstrated that PrPCWD is more abundant in peripheral tissues of CWD-exposed elk than current diagnostic methods suggest, and that transmission of prions from mother to offspring may contribute to the efficient transmission of CWD in naturally exposed cervid populations.

In utero transmission and tissue distribution of chronic wasting disease-associated prions in free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk

PubMed Central

Selariu, Anca; Powers, Jenny G.; Nalls, Amy; Brandhuber, Monica; Mayfield, Amber; Fullaway, Stephenie; Wyckoff, Christy A.; Goldmann, Wilfred; Zabel, Mark M.; Wild, Margaret A.; Hoover, Edward A.

2015-01-01

The presence of disease-associated prions in tissues and bodily fluids of chronic wasting disease (CWD)-infected cervids has received much investigation, yet little is known about mother-to-offspring transmission of CWD. Our previous work demonstrated that mother-to-offspring transmission is efficient in an experimental setting. To address the question of relevance in a naturally exposed free-ranging population, we assessed maternal and fetal tissues derived from 19 elk dam–calf pairs collected from free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk from north-central Colorado, a known CWD endemic region. Conventional immunohistochemistry identified three of 19 CWD-positive dams, whereas a more sensitive assay [serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (sPMCA)] detected CWD prion seeding activity (PrPCWD) in 15 of 19 dams. PrPCWD distribution in tissues was widespread, and included the central nervous system (CNS), lymphoreticular system, and reproductive, secretory, excretory and adipose tissues. Interestingly, five of 15 sPMCA-positive dams showed no evidence of PrPCWD in either CNS or lymphoreticular system, sites typically assessed in diagnosing CWD. Analysis of fetal tissues harvested from the 15 sPMCA-positive dams revealed PrPCWD in 80 % of fetuses (12 of 15), regardless of gestational stage. These findings demonstrated that PrPCWD is more abundant in peripheral tissues of CWD-exposed elk than current diagnostic methods suggest, and that transmission of prions from mother to offspring may contribute to the efficient transmission of CWD in naturally exposed cervid populations. PMID:26358706

Impact of Front Range sources on reactive nitrogen concentrations and deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park

PubMed Central

Prenni, Anthony J.; Sullivan, Amy P.; Evanoski-Cole, Ashley R.; Fischer, Emily V.; Callahan, Sara; Sive, Barkley C.; Zhou, Yong; Schichtel, Bret A.; Collett Jr, Jeffrey L.

2018-01-01

Human influenced atmospheric reactive nitrogen (RN) is impacting ecosystems in Rocky Mountain National Park (ROMO). Due to ROMO’s protected status as a Class 1 area, these changes are concerning, and improving our understanding of the contributions of different types of RN and their sources is important for reducing impacts in ROMO. In July–August 2014 the most comprehensive measurements (to date) of RN were made in ROMO during the Front Range Air Pollution and Photochemistry Éxperiment (FRAPPÉ). Measurements included peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), C1–C5 alkyl nitrates, and high-time resolution NOx, NOy, and ammonia. A limited set of measurements was extended through October. Co-located measurements of a suite of volatile organic compounds provide information on source types impacting ROMO. Specifically, we use ethane as a tracer of oil and gas operations and tetrachloroethylene (C2Cl4) as an urban tracer to investigate their relationship with RN species and transport patterns. Results of this analysis suggest elevated RN concentrations are associated with emissions from oil and gas operations, which are frequently co-located with agricultural production and livestock feeding areas in the region, and from urban areas. There also are periods where RN at ROMO is impacted by long-range transport. We present an atmospheric RN budget and a nitrogen deposition budget with dry and wet components. Total deposition for the period (7/1–9/30) was estimated at 1.58 kg N/ha, with 87% from wet deposition during this period of above average precipitation. Ammonium wet deposition was the dominant contributor to total nitrogen deposition followed by nitrate wet deposition and total dry deposition. Ammonia was estimated to be the largest contributor to dry deposition followed by nitric acid and PAN (other species included alkyl nitrates, ammonium and nitrate). All three species are challenging to measure routinely, especially at high time resolution.

Spatial variations in focused exhumation along a continental-scale strike-slip fault: The Denali fault of the eastern Alaska Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benowitz, J.A.; Layer, P.W.; Armstrong, P.; Perry, S.E.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Fitzgerald, P.G.; VanLaningham, S.

2011-01-01

40Ar/39Ar, apatite fission-track, and apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronological techniques were used to determine the Neogene exhumation history of the topographically asymmetric eastern Alaska Range. Exhumation cooling ages range from ~33 Ma to ~18 Ma for 40Ar/39Ar biotite, ~18 Ma to ~6 Ma for K-feldspar minimum closure ages, and ~15 Ma to ~1 Ma for apatite fission-track ages, and apatite (U-Th)/He cooling ages range from ~4 Ma to ~1 Ma. There has been at least ~11 km of exhumation adjacent to the north side of Denali fault during the Neogene inferred from biotite 40Ar/39Ar thermochronology. Variations in exhumation history along and across the strike of the fault are influenced by both far-field effects and local structural irregularities. We infer deformation and rapid exhumation have been occurring in the eastern Alaska Range since at least ~22 Ma most likely related to the continued collision of the Yakutat microplate with the North American plate. The Nenana Mountain region is the late Pleistocene to Holocene (~past 1 Ma) primary locus of tectonically driven exhumation in the eastern Alaska Range, possibly related to variations in fault geometry. During the Pliocene, a marked increase in climatic instability and related global cooling is temporally correlated with an increase in exhumation rates in the eastern Alaska Range north of the Denali fault system.

Protocols for care and handling of deer and elk at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range.

Treesearch

M.J. Wisdom; J.G. Cook; M.M. Rowland; J.H. Noyes

1993-01-01

Several hundred Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus nelsomi V. Bailey and Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus Rafinesque) inhabit a fenced, 25,000-acre enclosure at the Starkey Experimental Forest and Range in the Blue Mountains of northeast Oregon. Research there requires handling most of these animals each...

Structure and deformation history of the northern range of Trinidad and adjacent areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Algar, S. T.; Pindell, J. L.

1993-08-01

Conflicting models have been proposed for both the evolution of northern South America and the neotectonics of the south Caribbean plate boundary zone. The Trinidadian portion of the margin is particularly controversial, but surprisingly it has been little studied. We present a structural analysis of Trinidad's Northern Range, pertinent updates of the island's stratigraphy and sedimentology, and new zircon fission track age determinations, and use them to constrain Trinidad's geologic history, and to better understand the controlling tectonic processes. In our interpretation Trinidad's three E-ENE striking ranges, which are separated by late Neogene-Recent depocenters, expose (1) the Northern Range Group, generally greenschist-metamorphosed Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous north facing continental slope sediments of the Northern Range, deposited on the northern South American passive margin 200-400 km to the WNW, and (2) the Trinidad Group, Cretaceous-Paleogene shelf slope sediments of the central and southern Trinidad deposited less than 100 km WNW of their present location. A small allochthon composing the Sans Souci Group Cretaceous tholeiitic volcaniclastic, basaltic, and gabbroic rocks (Sans Souci Formation) and sediments (Toco Formation) now in the northeastern Northern Range, has been transported hundreds of kilometers from the west with the Caribbean Plate. Despite earlier references to Cretaceous orogenesis, all deformation in Trinidad is of Cenozoic age. The first deformation in the Northern Range (D1) formed north vergent nappes and induced greenschist metamorphism, probably in the Late Eocene or Oligocene. The nappes developed either by the underthrusting of the Proto-Caribbean crust beneath South America due to convergence between North and South America, or as gravity slides caused by oversteepening induced by this convergence and/or the passage of the Caribbean Plate's peripheral bulge and arrival of its foredeep. Northern Range D2 deformation is south

Geomorphological Controls on Fluvial Organic Carbon Storage in Wood and Soil in the Olympic, Cascade, and Rocky Mountains