Sample records for alaska outer continental

  1. 77 FR 10707 - Safety Zone; NOBLE DISCOVERER, Outer Continental Shelf Drillship, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-23

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; NOBLE DISCOVERER, Outer Continental Shelf Drillship, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas... Chukchi and Beaufort Seas Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska, from 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 2012 through 11:59 p... order to drill exploratory wells in several prospects located in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas during...

  2. 76 FR 7518 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Alaska

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-02-10

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 55 [EPA-R10-OAR-2011-0045; FRL-9265-3] Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Alaska AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (``EPA... Greaves, Federal and Delegated Air Programs Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10, 1200...

  3. 75 FR 61511 - Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement: Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation...

  4. Oil-spill risk analysis: Outer continental shelf lease sale 158, Gulf of Alaska/Yakutat. Final report

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

    Anderson, C.M.; Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.

    1995-01-01

    The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf lands in the Gulf of Alaska/Yakutat for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. The report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis conducted for OCS Lease Sale 158, Gulf of Alaska/Yakutat. The objective of this analysis was to estimate relative risks associated with oil and gas production for the proposed lease sale.

  5. 76 FR 2919 - Outer Continental Shelf Official Protraction Diagram and Supplemental Official Outer Continental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-18

    ...: Availability of Revised North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) Outer Continental Shelf Official Protraction... that effective with this publication, the following NAD 83-based Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Official...

  6. 75 FR 18404 - Safety Zone; FRONTIER DISCOVERER, Outer Continental Shelf Drillship, Chukchi and Beaufort Sea...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-12

    ... on location in order to drill exploratory wells at various prospects located in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska, during the 2010 drilling season. The purpose of the temporary... allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas, and thereby protect the safety of life, property, and...

  7. Outer continental shelf, Beaufort Sea, oil and gas lease sale 170 (proposed notice of sale)

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

    NONE

    1997-12-31

    The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is issuing this proposed Notice of Sale under the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, as amended) and the regulations issued thereunder (30 CFR Part 256). A `Sale Notice Package,` containing this Notice and several supporting and essential documents referenced in the Notice, is available from the MMS Alaska OCS Regional Office Public Information Unit.

  8. Gas hydrate potential of the mid Atlantic outer continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Shedd, William W.; Hutchinson, Deborah R.

    2006-01-01

    For the last two years, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has been studying the resource potential of gas hydrates in federal offshore lands of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) off the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, and Alaska in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Naval Research Lab (NRL) and academia. Utilizing its extensive seismic, well, and geochemical databases, the MMS will be reporting the in-place resource numbers within the next few months. Though the methodology of the study was not prospect oriented, discrete prospects have been recognized.

  9. Notices of Intent for Coverage Under the NPDES General Permit for Oil and Gas Exploration Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Chukchi Sea

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Notices of Intent (NOIs) submitted to EPA for coverage under the NPDES general permit for discharges from oil and gas exploration facilities on the outer continental shelf in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska.

  10. 76 FR 54787 - Outer Continental Shelf Official Protraction Diagram, Lease Maps, and Supplemental Official Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-02

    .... ACTION: Availability of revised North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27) Outer Continental Shelf Official...: Notice is hereby given that effective with this publication, the following NAD 27-based Outer Continental...

  11. Gas hydrates of outer continental margins

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

    Kvenvolden, K.A.

    1990-05-01

    Gas hydrates are crystalline substances in which a rigid framework of water molecules traps molecules of gas, mainly methane. Gas-hydrate deposits are common in continental margin sediment in all major oceans at water depths greater than about 300 m. Thirty-three localities with evidence for gas-hydrate occurrence have been described worldwide. The presence of these gas hydrates has been inferred mainly from anomalous lacoustic reflectors seen on marine seismic records. Naturally occurring marine gas hydrates have been sampled and analyzed at about tensites in several regions including continental slope and rise sediment of the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Gulf ofmore » Mexico. Except for some Gulf of Mexico gas hydrate occurrences, the analyzed gas hydrates are composed almost exclusively of microbial methane. Evidence for the microbial origin of methane in gas hydrates includes (1) the inverse relation between methane occurence and sulfate concentration in the sediment, (2) the subparallel depth trends in carbon isotopic compositions of methane and bicarbonate in the interstitial water, and (3) the general range of {sup 13}C depletion ({delta}{sub PDB}{sup 13}C = {minus}90 to {minus}60 {per thousand}) in the methane. Analyses of gas hydrates from the Peruvian outer continental margin in particular illustrate this evidence for microbially generated methane. The total amount of methane in gas hydrates of continental margins is not known, but estimates of about 10{sup 16} m{sup 3} seem reasonable. Although this amount of methane is large, it is not yet clear whether methane hydrates of outer continental margins will ever be a significant energy resource; however, these gas hydrates will probably constitute a drilling hazard when outer continental margins are explored in the future.« less

  12. Map of Distribution of Bottom Sediments on the Continental Shelf, Gulf of Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Evans, Kevin R.; Carlson, Paul R.; Hampton, Monty A.; Marlow, Michael S.; Barnes, Peter W.

    2000-01-01

    floor structures. Sea-floor sediment on shallow banks is eroded by seasonal wave-generated currents. The winnowing action of the large storm waves results in concentrations of gravel over broad segments of the Kodiak shelf. Northeastern Gulf of Alaska -- Tectonic framework studies demonstrate that rocks of distant origin (Yakutat terrane) are currently attached to and moving with the Pacific Plate, as it collides with and is subducted beneath southern Alaska. This collision process has led to pronounced structural deformation of the continental margin and adjacent southern Alaska. Consequences include rapidly rising mountains and high fluvial and glacial sedimentation rates on the adjacent margin and ocean floor. The northeastern Gulf of Alaska shelf also has concentrations of winnowed (lag) gravel on Tarr Bank and on the outer shelf southeast of Yakutat Bay. Between Kayak Island and Yakutat Bay the outer shelf consists of pebbly mud (diamict). This diamict is a product of glacial marine sedimentation during the Pleistocene and is present today as a relict sediment. A prograding wedge of Holocene sediment consisting of nearshore sand grading seaward into clayey silt and silty clay covers the relict pebbly mud to mid-shelf and beyond. Shelf and slope channel systems transport glacially derived sediment across the continental margin into Surveyor Channel, an abyssal fan and channel system that reaches over 1,000 km to the Aleutian Trench.

  13. 75 FR 1076 - Outer Continental Shelf Civil Penalties

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-08

    ...The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act requires the MMS to review the maximum daily civil penalty assessment for violations of regulations governing oil and gas operations in the Outer Continental Shelf at least once every 3 years. This review ensures that the maximum penalty assessment reflects any increases in the Consumer Price Index as prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. After conducting the required review in August 2009, the MMS determined that no adjustment is necessary at this time.

  14. 75 FR 63504 - Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-10-15

    ... Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 AGENCY: Bureau of... development; (2) determine whether missing information identified by BOEMRE in the 193 FEIS was essential or... in the FEIS for Chukchi Sea Lease Sale 193 was essential or relevant under 40 CFR 1502.22; and (3...

  15. 76 FR 30956 - Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-27

    ... Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193 AGENCY: Bureau of...: BOEMRE announces the availability of a Revised Draft SEIS, OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea.... The Revised Draft SEIS augments the analysis of the Final EIS, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193, Chukchi Sea...

  16. Geology and physiography of the continental margin north of Alaska and implications for the origin of the Canada Basin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grantz, Arthur; Eittreim, Stephen L.; Whitney, O.T.

    1979-01-01

    The continental margin north of Alaska is of Atlantic type. It began to form probably in Early Jurassic time but possibly in middle Early Cretaceous time, when the oceanic Canada Basin of the Arctic Ocean is thought to have opened by rifting about a pole of rotation near the Mackenzie Delta. Offsets of the rift along two fracture zones are thought to have divided the Alaskan margin into three sectors of contrasting structure and stratigraphy. In the Barter Island sector on the east and the Chukchi sector on the west the rift was closer to the present northern Alaska mainland than in the Barrow sector, which lies between them. In the Barter Island and Chukchi sectors the continental shelf is underlain by prisms of clastic sedimentary rocks that are inferred to include thick sections of Jurassic and Neocomian (lower Lower Cretaceous) strata of southern provenance. In the intervening Barrow sector the shelf is underlain by relatively thin sections of Jurassic and Neocomian strata derived from northern sources that now lie beneath the outer continental shelf. The rifted continental margin is overlain by a prograded prism of Albian (upper Lower Cretaceous) to Tertiary clastic sedimentary rocks that comprises the continental terrace of the western Beaufort and northern Chukchi Seas. On the south the prism is bounded by Barrow arch, which is a hingeline between the northward-tilted basement surface beneath the continental shelf of the western Beaufort Sea and the southward-tilted Arctic Platform of northern Alaska. The Arctic platform is overlain by shelf clastic and carbonate strata of Mississippian to Cretaceous age, and by Jurassic and Cretaceous clastic strata of the Colville foredeep. Both the Arctic platform and Colville foredeep sequences extend from northern Alaska beneath the northern Chukchi Sea. At Herald fault zone in the central Chukchi Sea they are overthrust by more strongly deformed Cretaceous to Paleozoic sedimentary rocks of Herald arch, which trends

  17. Geology and tectonic development of the continental margin north of Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grantz, A.; Eittreim, S.; Dinter, D.A.

    1979-01-01

    The continental margin north of Alaska, as interpreted from seismic reflection profiles, is of the Atlantic type and consists of three sectors of contrasting structure and stratigraphy. The Chukchi sector, on the west, is characterized by the deep late Mesozoic and Tertiary North Chukchi basin and the Chukchi Continental Borderland. The Barrow sector of central northern Alaska is characterized by the Barrow arch and a moderately thick continental terrace build of Albian to Tertiary clastic sediment. The terrace sedimentary prism is underlain by lower Paleozoic metasedimentary rocks. The Barter Island sector of northeastern Alaska and Yukon Territory is inferred to contain a very thick prism of Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary marine and nonmarine clastic sediment. Its structure is dominated by a local deep Tertiary depocenter and two regional structural arches. We postulate that the distinguishing characteristics of the three sectors are inherited from the configuration of the rift that separated arctic Alaska from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago relative to old pre-rift highlands, which were clastic sediment sources. Where the rift lay relatively close to northern Alaska, in the Chukchi and Barter Island sectors, and locally separated Alaska from the old source terranes, thick late Mesozoic and Tertiary sedimentary prisms extend farther south beneath the continental shelf than in the intervening Barrow sector. The boundary between the Chukchi and Barrow sectors is relatively well defined by geophysical data, but the boundary between the Barrow and Barter Island sectors can only be inferred from the distribution and thickness of Jurassic and Cretaceous sedimentary rocks. These boundaries may be extensions of oceanic fracture zones related to the rifting that is postulated to have opened the Canada Basin, probably beginning during the Early Jurassic. ?? 1979.

  18. An evaluation of the science needs to inform decisions on Outer Continental Shelf energy development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Holland-Bartels, Leslie; Pierce, Brenda

    2011-01-01

    On March 31, 2010, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a national strategy for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development. In that announcement, the Administration outlined a three-pronged approach (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010a): Development: "...expand development and production throughout the Gulf of Mexico, including resource-rich areas of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico..." Exploration: "...expand oil and gas exploration in frontier areas, such as the Arctic Ocean and areas in the Atlantic Ocean, to gather the information necessary to develop resources in the right places and the right ways." Conservation: "...calls for the protection of special areas like Bristol Bay in Alaska...national treasure[s] that we must protect for future generations." In a companion announcement (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2010b), within the Administration's "Exploration" component, the Secretary asked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct an initial, independent evaluation of the science needs that would inform the Administration's consideration of the right places and the right ways in which to develop oil and gas resources in the Arctic OCS, particularly focused on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas (fig. 1).

  19. 77 FR 24980 - Notice on Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Notice on Outer Continental Shelf Oil... Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease sales to be held during the bidding period May 1, 2012... Corporation ExxonMobil Exploration Company Group II. Shell Oil Company Shell Offshore Inc. SWEPI LP Shell...

  20. An oilspill risk analysis for the Beaufort Sea, Alaska (proposed sale 71)outer continental shelf lease area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Samuels, W.B.; Hopkins, Dorothy; Lanfear, K.J.

    1981-01-01

    An oilspill risk analysis was conducted to determine the relative environmental hazards of developing oil in different regions of the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, (Proposed Sale 71) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease area. The probability of spill occurrences, likely movement of oil slicks, and locations of resources vulnerable to spilled oil were analyzed. The model predicted movement of the center of spill mass and estimated the times between spill occurrence and contact with various resources, to allow a qualitative assessment of oil characteristics at the time of contact; no direct computation was made of weathering and cleanup. The model also assumed that any oil spilled under ice would remain in place, unchanged, until spring breakup. Ice movements, or travel of oil under ice, if occurring, would affect the results in a manner not directly predictable at this time. The combined results of spill occurrence and spill movement predictions yielded estimates of the overall risks associated with development of the proposed lease area. Assuming that oil exists in the lease area (a 99.3-percent chance) it is estimated that the leasing of the tracts proposed for OCS Sale 71 will result in an expected 9.2 oilspills (of 1,000 barrels or larger) over the lease lifetime of 25 years. This estimate is based on historic oilspill accident data for platforms and pipelines on the U.S. OCS (Gulf of Mexico and California). The estimated probability that land will be contacted by one or more oilspills (of 1,000 barrels or larger) that have been at sea less than 30 days (not counting any time trapped under ice) is greater than 99.5 percent. If oilspill accident data for Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, is used in the analysis, it is estimated that 5.6 oilspills (1,000 barrels or larger) will occur over the lease lifetime. The estimated probability that one or more oilspills (1,000 barrels or larger)will occur and contact land is99 percent. The results of a recent experimental cleanup operation for

  1. 76 FR 55090 - Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-09-06

    ...-2011-0039] Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer... renewable energy leases on the Outer Continental Shelf. In the preamble to the April 29, 2009, Final Rule, ``Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf,'' BOEMRE stated...

  2. 77 FR 71612 - Atlantic Wind Lease Sale 2 (ATLW2) Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-03

    ... Wind Lease Sale 2 (ATLW2) Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore...), Interior. ACTION: Proposed Sale Notice for commercial leasing for wind power on the Outer Continental Shelf... sale of commercial wind energy leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore Rhode Island and...

  3. 76 FR 63654 - Outer Continental Shelf Official Protraction Diagram, Lease Maps, and Supplemental Official Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-10-13

    ... Protraction Diagram, Lease Maps, and Supplemental Official Outer Continental Shelf Block Diagrams AGENCY... Supplemental Official OCS Block Diagrams (SOBDs); Correction. SUMMARY: BOEM (formerly the Bureau of Ocean... Official OCS Shelf Block Diagrams'' that contained an error. This notice corrects the address of the Web...

  4. 75 FR 82055 - Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Massachusetts...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-29

    ... No. BOEM-2010-0063] Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore..., Interior. ACTION: RFI in Commercial Wind Energy Leasing Offshore Massachusetts, and Invitation for Comments... the construction of a wind energy project(s) on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore...

  5. 30 CFR 250.1166 - What additional reporting is required for developments in the Alaska OCS Region?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Oil and Gas Production Requirements Other Requirements § 250.1166... development in the Alaska OCS Region, you must submit an annual reservoir management report to the Regional... request an MER for each producing sensitive reservoir in the Alaska OCS Region, unless otherwise...

  6. Mineral resource management of the Outer Continental Shelf : leasing procedures, evaluation of resources, and supervision of production operations on leased lands of the Outer Continental Shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Adams, Maurice V.; John, C.B.; Kelly, R.F.; LaPointe, A.E.; Meurer, R.W.

    1975-01-01

    An important function of the Geological Survey is the evaluation and management of the mineral resources of the Outer Continental Shelf, particularly with respect to oil and gas, salt, and sulfur. Production of oil and gas from the Outer Continental Shelf of the United States has increased substantially over the past 20 years and represents an increasing percentage of total United States production. As discovery of major onshore production of oil and gas has become more difficult, the search has moved into the surrounding waters where submerged sedimentary formations are conducive to the accumulation of oil and gas. Increased energy demands of recent years have accelerated the pace of offshore operations with a corresponding improvement in technology as exploration and development have proceeded farther from shore and into deeper water. While improved technology and enforcement of more stringent regulations have made offshore operations safer, it is unrealistic to believe that completely accident-free operations can ever be achieved. Only slightly more than six percent of the world's continental terrace is adjacent to the United States, but less than one percent has been explored for oil and gas. Since the lead time for the development of offshore oil and gas resources can be as much as a decade, they do not provide an immediate energy supply but should be viewed in the light of a near-term source with a potential of becoming a medium-range source of supply pending the development of alternative energy sources. Revenues from the Outer Continental Shelf are deposited to the general fund of the United States Treasury. A major portion of these funds is allocated to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the largest Federal grant-in-aid program of assistance to States, counties, and cities for the acquisition and development of public parks, open space, and recreation lands and water.

  7. 77 FR 5529 - Commercial Lease of Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-03

    ... Submerged Lands for Renewable Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean... use Form 0008 to issue commercial renewable energy leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In the preamble to the April 29, 2009, Final Rule, ``Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on...

  8. 77 FR 39164 - Safety Zone; KULLUK, Outer Continental Shelf Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), Beaufort Sea, AK

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-02

    ... sensitivity of the environmental and subsistence importance to the indigenous population; (4) the lack of any... Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and 33 C.F.R 147. Accordingly, State and Local law enforcement... due to the location of the MODU KULLUK on the Outer Continental Shelf and its distance from both land...

  9. 77 FR 71621 - Atlantic Wind One (ATLW1) Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-03

    ... Wind One (ATLW1) Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Virginia... Notice for Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Virginia. SUMMARY... (FONSI) for commercial wind lease issuance and site assessment activities on the Atlantic OCS offshore...

  10. 76 FR 37274 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Alaska

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-27

    ... and prevents EPA from making substantive changes to the requirements it incorporates. As a result, EPA... narrative discussing how EPA made the decision to include or exclude rules. The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission expressed specific concern with EPA's decision to exclude administrative and procedural rules and...

  11. 78 FR 47748 - Right-of-Way Grant of Submerged Lands on the Outer Continental Shelf to Support Renewable Energy...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-06

    ...-Way Grant of Submerged Lands on the Outer Continental Shelf to Support Renewable Energy Development... will use Form 0009 to issue a renewable energy right-of- way (ROW) grant on the Outer Continental Shelf....gov/Renewable-Energy Program/ Regulatory-Information/Index.aspx. DATES: The ROW grant form will be...

  12. 77 FR 15118 - Information Collection Activities: Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-14

    ...-0005; OMB Number 1014-NEW] Information Collection Activities: Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other Than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur; Submitted for Office of Management and Budget (OMB... (ICR) for approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under Operations in the Outer...

  13. 77 FR 52353 - Right-of-Way Grant of Submerged Lands on the Outer Continental Shelf to Support Renewable Energy...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-29

    ... of Submerged Lands on the Outer Continental Shelf to Support Renewable Energy Development AGENCY... would be used to issue Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) renewable energy right-of-way (ROW) grants in order... renewable energy, but does not constitute a project easement. The ability of an ROW grantee to install such...

  14. 78 FR 52239 - Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf-Oil and Gas Production Safety...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-22

    ... Environmental Enforcement 30 CFR Part 250 Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf--Oil and Gas Production Safety Systems; Proposed Rule #0;#0;Federal Register / Vol. 78 , No. 163 / Thursday...] RIN 1014-AA10 Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf--Oil and Gas...

  15. 76 FR 29156 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for California

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-05-20

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Part 55 [OAR-2004-0091; FRL-9304-4] Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for California AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA... ``significant regulatory action'' subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget under Executive Order...

  16. 75 FR 10809 - Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Scientific Committee-Notice of Renewal

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-03-09

    ... AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior. ACTION: Notice of renewal of the Outer Continental... Minerals Management Service. The Committee reviews the relevance of the research and data being produced to meet MMS scientific information needs for decisionmaking and may recommend changes in scope, direction...

  17. An oilspill risk analysis for the North Atlantic outer continental shelf lease area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, Richard Allmon; Slack, James Richard; Davis, Robert K.

    1976-01-01

    The Federal Government has proposed to lease 1,172,795 acres of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands on Georges Bank off the New England Coast for oil and gas development. Estimated recoverable petroleum resources for the proposed 206 tract sale area range from 180 to 650 million barrels. Contingent upon actual discovery of this quantity of oil, production is expected to span a period of about 20 years. An oilspill risk analysis was conducted to determine relative environmental hazards of developing oil in the North Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf lease area. The study analyzed probability of spill occurrence, likely path of pollutants from spills, and locations in space and time of recreational and biological resources likely to be vulnerable. These results are combined to yield estimates of the overall oilspill risk associated with development of the lease area. (Woodard-USGS)

  18. 76 FR 48861 - Notice of Issuance of Final Outer Continental Shelf Air Permit for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-09

    ... Continental Shelf Air Permit for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA... final Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) air permit for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Anadarko). The permit... Petroleum Corporation regarding the project. EPA carefully reviewed each of the comments submitted and...

  19. 75 FR 55970 - Safety Zone; VERMILION 380A at Block 380 Outer Continental Shelf Fixed Platform in the Gulf of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-15

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; VERMILION 380A at Block 380 Outer Continental Shelf Fixed Platform in the Gulf of... safety zone around VERMILION 380A, a fixed platform, at Block 380 in the Outer Continental Shelf, approximately 90 miles south of Vermilion Bay, Louisiana. The fixed platform is on fire and the safety zone is...

  20. 75 FR 24966 - Notice on Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-05-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service Notice on Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales AGENCY: Minerals Management Service, Interior. ACTION: List of Restricted Joint Bidders. SUMMARY: Pursuant to the authority vested in the Director of the Minerals Management Service by...

  1. 30 CFR 250.1166 - What additional reporting is required for developments in the Alaska OCS Region?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Oil and... annual reservoir management report to the Regional Supervisor. The report must contain information... sensitive reservoir in the Alaska OCS Region, unless otherwise instructed by the Regional Supervisor. ...

  2. 78 FR 67326 - Safety and Environmental Management System Requirements for Vessels on the U.S. Outer Continental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-11-12

    ... 1625-AC05 Safety and Environmental Management System Requirements for Vessels on the U.S. Outer... ``Safety and Environmental Management System Requirements for Vessels on the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf... of industry to ensure stakeholders have adequate time to submit complete responses. DATES: Comments...

  3. 76 FR 13205 - Notice on Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Notice on Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation... the name of an oil company listed under Group VIII in that notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT...

  4. 75 FR 20859 - Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Policy Committee; Notice and Agenda for Meeting

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Policy Committee; Notice and Agenda for Meeting AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior. ACTION: Notice.... Jeryne Bryant at Minerals Management Service, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 4001, Herndon, Virginia 20170...

  5. 77 FR 19321 - Geological and Geophysical Exploration on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-30

    ... by BOEM: (1) Oil and gas exploration and development; (2) renewable energy; and (3) marine minerals... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Geological and Geophysical Exploration on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM...

  6. An evaluation of the science needs to inform decisions on Outer Continental Shelf energy development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Holland-Bartels, Leslie; Pierce, Brenda

    2011-01-01

    The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) was asked to conduct an initial, independent evaluation of the science needs that would inform the Administration's consideration of the right places and the right ways in which to develop oil and gas resources in the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), particularly focused on the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. Oil and gas potential is significant in Arctic Alaska. Beyond petroleum potential, this region supports unique fish and wildlife resources and ecosystems, and indigenous people who rely on these resources for subsistence. This report summarizes key existing scientific information and provides initial guidance of what new and (or) continued research could inform decision making. This report is presented in a series of topical chapters and various appendixes each written by a subset of the USGS OCS Team based on their areas of expertise. Three chapters (Chapters 2, 3, and 4) provide foundational information on geology; ecology and subsistence; and climate settings important to understanding the conditions pertinent to development in the Arctic OCS. These chapters are followed by three chapters that examine the scientific understanding, science gaps, and science sufficiency questions regarding oil-spill risk, response, and impact (Chapter 5), marine mammals and anthropogenic noise (Chapter 6), and cumulative impacts (Chapter 7). Lessons learned from the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill are included to identify valuable "pre-positioned" science and scientific approaches to improved response and reduced uncertainty in damage assessment and restoration efforts (appendix D). An appendix on Structured Decision Making (appendix C) is included to illustrate the value of such tools that go beyond, but incorporate, science in looking at what can/should be done about policy and implementation of Arctic development. The report provides a series of findings and recommendations for consideration developed during the independent examination of

  7. 30 CFR 550.251 - If I propose activities in the Alaska OCS Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... production activities in the Alaska OCS Region, the following planning information must accompany your DPP... Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP? 550.251 Section 550.251 Mineral Resources... IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Plans and Information Contents of Development and Production Plans...

  8. 30 CFR 550.251 - If I propose activities in the Alaska OCS Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... production activities in the Alaska OCS Region, the following planning information must accompany your DPP... Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP? 550.251 Section 550.251 Mineral Resources... IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Plans and Information Contents of Development and Production Plans...

  9. 30 CFR 550.251 - If I propose activities in the Alaska OCS Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... production activities in the Alaska OCS Region, the following planning information must accompany your DPP... Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP? 550.251 Section 550.251 Mineral Resources... IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Plans and Information Contents of Development and Production Plans...

  10. 78 FR 1759 - Notice of Approval of Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf Minor Source/Title V Minor Permit...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-09

    ... Outer Continental Shelf Minor Source/Title V Minor Permit Modification Issued to Shell Offshore, Inc. for the Kulluk Conical Drilling Unit AGENCY: United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA... decision granting Shell Offshore Inc.'s (``Shell'') request for minor modifications of Clean Air Act Outer...

  11. Managing the visual effects of outer continental shelf and other petroleum-related coastal development

    Treesearch

    Philip A. Marcus; Ethan T. Smith

    1979-01-01

    Five petroleum-related facilities often sited in the coastal zone during development of Outer Continental oil and gas can change the visual appearance of coastal areas. These facilities are service bases, platform fabrication yards, marine terminals and associated storage facilities, oil and gas processing facilities, and liquified natural gas terminals. Examples of...

  12. 77 FR 5561 - Information Collection Activities: Oil, Gas, and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-03

    ...-0006; OMB Control Number 1014-NEW] Information Collection Activities: Oil, Gas, and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf, Subpart A, General; Submitted for Office of Management and Budget... Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR...

  13. 76 FR 5189 - BOEMRE Information Collection Activities: 1010-0081, Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement [Docket ID No. BOEM-2010-0069] BOEMRE Information Collection Activities: 1010-0081, Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other Than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur, Submitted for Office of Management and Budget...

  14. 78 FR 48180 - Consolidation of Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection For Outer Continental Shelf Activities...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-07

    ... for all Mobile Offshore Drilling Units and Floating Outer Continental Shelf Facilities (as defined in... Commander. Vessels requiring Coast Guard inspection include Mobile Offshore Drilling Units (MODUs), Floating... engage directly in oil and gas exploration or production in the offshore waters of the Eighth Coast Guard...

  15. 76 FR 79705 - Information Collection Activities: Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-22

    .... BSEE-2011-0005; OMB Control Number 1014-NEW] Information Collection Activities: Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur; Submitted for Office of Management and Budget... Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR...

  16. 77 FR 38718 - Safety Zone; NOBLE DISCOVERER, Outer Continental Shelf Drillship, Chukchi and/or Beaufort Seas, AK

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-29

    ... Beaufort Seas, Alaska (See Table 1). Table 1--Prospect Locations Prospect Well Area Block Lease No... requirements. The planned exploration drilling in the identified lease blocks will be conducted with the NOBLE... outer boundaries of the safety zone to include the anchor chain extending from the OCS facilities; one...

  17. 30 CFR 250.251 - If I propose activities in the Alaska OCS Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false If I propose activities in the Alaska OCS Region, what planning information must accompany the DPP? 250.251 Section 250.251 Mineral Resources... AND GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Plans and Information Contents of...

  18. 30 CFR 250.220 - If I propose activities in the Alaska OCS Region, what planning information must accompany the EP?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false If I propose activities in the Alaska OCS Region, what planning information must accompany the EP? 250.220 Section 250.220 Mineral Resources BUREAU... GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Plans and Information Contents of...

  19. 75 FR 17155 - Preparation of an Environmental Assessment (EA) for Proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-05

    ... all requirements of NEPA, the Coastal Zone Management Act, Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and... consistent with each affected state's federally approved Coastal Zone Management program. Finally, the MMS...-circulation modeling, ecological effects of oil and gas activities, and hurricane impacts on coastal...

  20. 75 FR 80717 - Increased Safety Measures for Energy Development on the Outer Continental Shelf; Availability...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-12-23

    ... 211111, Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction and 213111, Drilling Oil and Gas Wells. For these... identify measures necessary to improve the safety of oil and gas exploration and development on the Outer Continental Shelf in light of the Deepwater Horizon event on April 20, 2010, and resulting oil spill. To...

  1. Coral forests diversity in the outer shelf of the south Sardinian continental margin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cau, Alessandro; Moccia, Davide; Follesa, Maria Cristina; Alvito, Andrea; Canese, Simonepietro; Angiolillo, Michela; Cuccu, Danila; Bo, Marzia; Cannas, Rita

    2017-04-01

    Ecological theory predicts that heterogeneous habitats allow more species to co-exist in a given area, but to date, knowledge on relationships between habitat heterogeneity and biodiversity of coral forests in the outer shelf and upper slope along continental margins is rather limited. We investigated biodiversity of coral forests from 8 sites spread over two different geomorphological settings (namely, pinnacles vs. canyons) in the outer shelf along Sardinian continental margin. Using a combination of multivariate statistical analyses, we show here that differences in the composition of coral assemblages among contrasting geomorphological settings were not statistically significant, whereas significant differences emerged among sites within similar geomorphologies (i.e. among pinnacles and among canyons). Our results reveal that environmental and bathymetric factors such as sediment coverage, slope of the substrate, terrain ruggedness, bathymetric positioning index and aspect were important drivers of the observed patterns of coral biodiversity, in both settings. Spatial variability of coral forests' biodiversity is affected by environmental factors that act at the scale of each geomorphological setting (i.e. within each pinnacle and canyon) rather than by the contrasting geomorphological settings themselves. This result allows us to suggest that simple categorization of benthic communities according topographically defined habitat is unlikely to be sufficient for addressing conservation purposes.

  2. 77 FR 5830 - Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-06

    ...] Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore... governments, offshore wind energy developers, and the public in the Department of the Interior's (DOI) ``Smart from the Start'' wind energy initiative offshore Massachusetts. The purpose of the ``Smart from the...

  3. 78 FR 33859 - Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Geological and Geophysical Exploration Activities in the Gulf of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [MMAA104000] Outer Continental Shelf...: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of Intent; Notice of Scoping Meetings... 70123-2394, telephone (504) 736-3233. For information on the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS...

  4. 78 FR 36571 - North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Provisional Official...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-06-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [MMAA104000] North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Provisional Official Protraction Diagram (OPDs) AGENCY... OPDs. SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that effective with this publication two NAD 83-based OCS...

  5. 76 FR 14681 - Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Massachusetts...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-17

    ... No. BOEM-2010-0063] Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore..., Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), Interior. ACTION: Request for Interest (RFI) in Commercial Wind Energy... (BOEMRE) is reopening the comment period on the RFI in Commercial Wind Energy Leasing Offshore...

  6. Measurements of storm-generated bottom stresses on the continental shelf.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cacchione, D.A.; Drake, D.E.

    1982-01-01

    Large values of bottom friction velocity, u., and roughness length, zo, determined from burst-averaged speed data taken on the continental shelf in outer Norton Sound, Alaska, with the GEOPROBE tripod during a storm are correlated with extremely large values of near-bottom concentration of total suspended particulate matter (TSM). The values obtained from the 'law of the wall' velocity-depth relationship are diminished substantially throughout the storm period when the turbulence-reducing effects of the vertical cncentration gradient of TSM are considered. The values are compared to those obtained from other workers. -from Authors

  7. An oilspill risk analysis for the Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf lease area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smith, Richard Allmon; Slack, James Richard; Davis, Robert K.

    1976-01-01

    An oilspill risk analysis was conducted to determine relative environmental impacts of developing oil in different regions of the Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf lease area. The study analyzed probability of spills, likely path of pollutants from spills, and locations in space and time of recreational and biological resources likely to be vulnerable. These results are combined to yield estimates of the overall oilspill risk associated with development of the lease area. (Woodard-USGS)

  8. 78 FR 45965 - Research Lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Virginia, Request for Competitive...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-30

    ...; MMAA104000] Research Lease on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Virginia, Request for Competitive... Unsolicited Request for an OCS Research Lease; Request for Competitive Interest (RFCI); and Request for Public... for wind energy research activities; (2) solicit indications of interest in a renewable energy lease...

  9. Assessment of the U. S. outer continental shelf environmental studies program. 1. Physical oceanography. Final report

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

    Not Available

    Federal responsibility for oil and gas development on the U.S. outer continental shelf (OCS) resides with the Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). The DOI's Environmental Studies Program (ESP) is the program through which MMS conducts environmental studies on the OCS and collects information to prepare environmental impact statements (EISs). It appeared to MMS in 1986 that the time was ripe to assess the status of the present program and to explore the needs for future studies. MMS requested an evaluation of the adequacy and applicability of ESP studies, a review of the generalmore » state of knowledge in the appropriate disciplines, and recommendations for future studies. Three panels were established, one of which, the Physical Oceanography Panel, investigated the physical oceanographic aspects of the ESP, the subject of the report, which is the first of three in a series. In reviewing the ESP's physical oceanography program, the panel evaluated the quality and relevance of studies carried out in waters under federal control, which extend from the limits of state jurisdictions (3-12 miles offshore) and include the central and outer continental shelf waters and the continental slope.« less

  10. Revised oil-spill risk analysis: Beaufort Sea outer continental shelf lease sale 170. Final report

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

    Anderson, C.; Johnson, W.; Marshall, C.

    1997-11-01

    The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf lands in the Beaufort Sea for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. This report summarizes results of oil-spill risk analysis conducted for the proposed Beaufort Sea lease sale.

  11. 78 FR 8190 - Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-05

    ...] Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore... Assessment (EA) for Commercial Wind Leasing and Site Assessment Activities on the OCS Offshore North Carolina... INFORMATION: Background: On December 13, 2012, BOEM published the Notice in the Federal Register (77 FR 74218...

  12. 77 FR 74512 - Interim Policy Leasing for Renewable Energy Data Collection Facility on the Outer Continental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-14

    ... Policy Leasing for Renewable Energy Data Collection Facility on the Outer Continental Shelf off the Coast..., tribes, local governments, and the public in the preparation of an EA. The EA will consider the environmental consequences associated with issuing a lease for an offshore data collection facility located on...

  13. Very large dune formation along the Ebro outer continental shelf (Western Mediterranean)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lo Iacono, Claudio; Guillén, Jorge; Puig, Pere; Ribó, Marta; Ballesteros, Maria; Palanques, Albert; Farrán, Marcelli; Acosta, Juan

    2010-05-01

    Large and very large subaqueous dunes have been observed in a number of outer shelf regions around the world, tipically developing on fossil sand bodies and ridges. Dunes observed on outer shelves usually display large dimensions with maximum wavelength reaching up to 500 m and heights up to 20 m. Forcing mechanisms able to induce their formation have been described as strong bottom currents related to tidal variations and water masses flowing under geostrophic conditions, generally controlled and enhanced by local geomorphologic configurations. In this study, such bed features have been recognized, mapped and measured around the Columbretes Islands (Ebro continental shelf - Western Mediterranean) with the aim to reconstruct which are the potential forcing processes that could generate them in relation to the local settings of the area. Swath-bathymetry around the Columbretes Islands was collected using 30 kHz and 180 kHz Multi Beam echo-sounders for a 50-400 m water depth range. Bathymetric data revealed the presence of three main relict sand bodies along the outer shelf, for a 80-116 m depth range, above which asymmetrical, slightly asymmetrical and symmetrical large and very large 2D and 3D subaqueous dunes were observed. Dunes range from 150 to 760 m in wavelength and from tens of cm to 6 m in height. These bedforms are composed of sandy sediments, presumably coming from the degraded relict sand bodies on which they developed, mixed to the fine fractions coming from the recent draping holocenic sediments. The orientation of the dunes is SSW and progressively turns to W directions moving towards the southernmost sector of the area, following the trend of the shelf-edge. Observed dunes display a strong asymmetric profile for those occurring along the shelf-edge (Symmetry Index (SI): 2.6) and lose progressively their asymmetry towards the inner portion of the shelf (SI: 0.5), being 0.6 the minimum SI value to classify the dunes as asymmetric. The subaqueous dunes

  14. 76 FR 20367 - Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Off Delaware...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-04-12

    ... No. BOEM-2011-0008] Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Off... determination that no competitive interest exists in acquiring a commercial wind lease in the area offshore... a Request for Interest (RFI) in the Federal Register on April 26, 2010 (75 FR 21653). Bluewater Wind...

  15. Climatic Atlas of the Outer Continental Shelf Waters and Coastal Regions of Alaska. Volume 1. Gulf of Alaska, Revision

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-01-01

    SOO , . 978 Kilometers 972 ’ 1,r 1ni gc g March April 1-21 Tides Tides in the Gulf of Alaska are generally of the mixed type with two high waters and...good does not breathe the liquid into his lungs. the clothing. Keeping clothing dry preserves its indicators. The pulse is generally slow and Alcohol ...7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 2 Precipitation types - graphs 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 Wind / visibility / cloudiness - maps 33 35

  16. 77 FR 1019 - Renewable Energy Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf-Acquire a...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-09

    ...-0045] RIN 1010-AD79 Renewable Energy Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental... rule related to acquiring a lease non-competitively for offshore renewable energy projects. DATES... or Timothy Redding, Renewable Energy, BOEM, at (703) 787-1219 or email [email protected

  17. 76 FR 11079 - Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf-Safety and Environmental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-03-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 30 CFR Part 250 [Docket ID: BOEM-2010-0076] Oil and Gas and Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf--Safety and Environmental Management Systems; Public Workshop AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management...

  18. 77 FR 44232 - Delegation of Authority To Implement and Enforce Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations to the...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-27

    ... Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and.... SUMMARY: On July 21, 2010, EPA sent the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control... of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, 89 Kings Highway, P.O. Box 1401, Dover, Delaware. FOR...

  19. Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development on recreation and tourism. Volume 4. User's manual

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

    Not Available

    The final report for the project is presented in five volumes. The project sought to determine the impact of Outer Continental Shelf development on recreation and tourism in California. This volume is the User's Guide. It includes the following topics: Introduction and Summary Guide; Input Data Files; Gravity Model Programs; Economic Effects Model Programs; Consumer Surplus Model Programs; References; and Appendices.

  20. Surface current patterns suggested by suspended sediment distribution over the outer continental margin, Bering Sea

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Karl, Herman A.; Carlson, P.R.

    1987-01-01

    Samples of total suspended matter (TSM) were collected at the surface over the northern outer continental margin of the Bering Sea during the summers of 1980 and 1981. Volume concentrations of surface TSM averaged 0.6 and 1.1 mg l-1 for 1980 and 1981, respectively. Organic matter, largely plankton, made up about 65% of the near-surface TSM for both years. Distributions of TSM suggested that shelf circulation patterns were characterized either by meso- and large- scale eddies or by cross-shelf components of flow superimposed on a general northwesterly net drift. These patterns may be caused by large submarine canyons which dominate the physiography of this part of the Bering Sea continental margin. ?? 1987.

  1. 77 FR 10711 - Safety Zone; KULLUK, Outer Continental Shelf Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), Beaufort Sea, AK

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-23

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; KULLUK, Outer Continental Shelf Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), Beaufort Sea... on location in order to drill exploratory wells at various prospects located in the Beaufort Sea... in order to drill exploratory wells in several prospects located in the Beaufort Sea during the 2012...

  2. 75 FR 68824 - Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Maryland-Request...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-11-09

    ... will use responses to this RFI to enable BOEMRE to gauge specific interest in commercial development of... BOEMRE Maryland Renewable Energy Task Force. A detailed description of the RFI area is found later in... Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf (REAU) rule. If...

  3. 78 FR 8190 - Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore North Carolina...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-05

    ...] Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore North Carolina--Call for... Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Offshore North Carolina (Call), published on December 13, 2012 (77 FR 7204). DATES: BOEM must receive your nomination describing your interest in obtaining a commercial wind lease...

  4. Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development on recreation and tourism. Volume 5. Program logic manual

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

    Not Available

    The final report for the project is presented in five volumes. This volume is the Programmer's Manual. It covers: a system overview, attractiveness component of gravity model, trip-distribution component of gravity model, economic-effects model, and the consumer-surplus model. The project sought to determine the impact of Outer Continental Shelf development on recreation and tourism.

  5. 77 FR 68147 - Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA), Oil and Gas Lease...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-11-15

    ... Environmental Impact Statement (Multisale FEIS). Authority: This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations... NEPA process. The Multisale FEIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for WPA Lease... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental...

  6. 76 FR 50245 - Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA), Oil and Gas...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-12

    ... (BOEMRE), Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact... sale's incremental contribution to the cumulative impacts on environmental and socioeconomic resources... Mexico (GOM), Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA), Oil and Gas Lease Sale for the...

  7. 77 FR 47877 - Potential Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Maine...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-10

    ... Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Offshore Maine; Request for Interest... Request for a Commercial OCS Wind Lease, Request for Interest, and Request for Public Comment SUMMARY: The... (Statoil NA) to acquire an OCS wind lease; (2) solicit public input regarding the proposal, its potential...

  8. 76 FR 4716 - Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Off Delaware, Notice of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-26

    ... No. BOEM-2010-0075] Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Off... commercial wind development on the OCS off Delaware and requests submission of indications of competitive... received two nominations of proposed lease areas: One from Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC (Bluewater) and...

  9. 78 FR 9731 - Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Central Planning Area (CPA) Oil and Gas Lease Sale...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-11

    ... Environmental Impact Statement (Multisale FEIS). Authority: This NOA is published pursuant to the regulations... the NEPA process. The Multisale FEIS evaluated the environmental and socioeconomic impacts for CPA... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental...

  10. 77 FR 7148 - Notice of Approval of Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf Permits Issued to Shell Gulf of...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-02-10

    ... Shelf Permits Issued to Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc., and Shell Offshore, Inc. for the Discoverer... Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) permit applications, one from Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc., for operation of the Discoverer drillship in the Chukchi Sea and one from Shell Offshore, Inc...

  11. 78 FR 59715 - Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Proposed Oil and Gas...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-09-27

    ... . An interested party nominating areas for inclusion in the sale must provide a detailed explanation of... for Exclusion Areas, and Other Comments Interested parties who are requesting area(s) for inclusion in..., Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5823. Requests for proposed exclusion areas or general proposed inclusion areas...

  12. 76 FR 70748 - Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sales for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-11-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Central and Western Gulf of Mexico, Oil and Gas Lease Sales for Years 2012-2017 AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean... 229, Western GOM 2012 Sale 227, Central GOM 2013 Sale 233, Western GOM 2013 Sale 231, Central GOM 2014...

  13. 75 FR 17156 - Gulf of Mexico, Outer Continental Shelf, Western Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 215 (2010...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-05

    ... environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale... Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2007-018) and in the Gulf of...; Western Planning Area Sales 210, 215, and 218--Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement...

  14. 78 FR 76643 - Atlantic Wind Lease Sale 3 (ATLW3) Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-18

    ...: Nameplate capacity is the maximum rated electric output, expressed in MW, which the turbines of the wind facility under commercial operations can produce at their rated wind speed as designated by the turbine's...; MMAA104000] Atlantic Wind Lease Sale 3 (ATLW3) Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental...

  15. 77 FR 18260 - Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Alaska OCS Region, Cook Inlet Planning Area, Proposed Oil and Gas...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-27

    ... OCS Region, Cook Inlet Planning Area, Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sale 244 for OCS Oil and Gas Leasing...) identifies Sale 244 as a potential special interest sale for the Cook Inlet Planning Area in Alaska. While...-central region of the state, as evidenced by acreage leased in state sales and announced discoveries of...

  16. 75 FR 17159 - Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale (NOS) for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-05

    ... Notice of Sale (NOS) for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 215 in the Western Planning... matter of information to the public. With regard to oil and gas leasing on the OCS, the Secretary of the... NOS for Sale 215 and a ``Proposed Notice of Sale Package'' containing information essential to...

  17. 76 FR 52344 - Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale (NOS) for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-22

    ... Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale (NOS) for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 218... matter of information to the public. With regard to oil and gas leasing on the OCS, the Secretary of the... NOS for Sale 218 and a ``Proposed Notice of Sale Package'' containing information essential to...

  18. 77 FR 4360 - Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-27

    ... Proposed Notice of Sale for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 216/222 in the Central...: Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale for Proposed Sale 216/222. SUMMARY: BOEM announces the availability of the proposed Notice of Sale (NOS) for proposed Sale 216/222 in the CPA. This...

  19. Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Cetaceans in the Subtropical Southwestern Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf and Slope.

    PubMed

    Di Tullio, Juliana Couto; Gandra, Tiago B R; Zerbini, Alexandre N; Secchi, Eduardo R

    2016-01-01

    Temporal and spatial patterns of cetacean diversity and distribution were investigated through eight ship-based surveys carried out during spring and autumn between 2009 and 2014 on the outer continental shelf (~150m) and slope (1500m) off southeastern and southern Brazil (~23°S to ~34°S). The survey area was divided into southeast and south areas according to their oceanographic characteristics. Twenty-one species were observed in 503 sightings. The overall number of species was similar between the two areas, though it was higher in the spring in the south area. Five species were dominant and diversity varied more seasonally than spatially. ANOVA and kernel analyses showed that overall cetacean densities were higher in spring compared to autumn. Physeter macrocephalus, the most frequent species, concentrated throughout the south area at depths over 1000m in both seasons. Despite the overlapped occurrence at a broader scale, small delphinids presented latitudinal and in-offshore gradients as well as seasonal variation in distribution patterns, which could indicate habitat partitioning between some species. Delphinus delphis was only recorded in the south and its density decreased in areas where the presence of Stenella frontalis increased, mainly beyond the 250m isobath. Densities of S. longirostris and S. attenuata increased in lower latitudes and beyond the shelf break. The large delphinids Tursiops truncatus and Globicephala melas formed mixed groups in many occasions and were observed along the study area around depths of 500m. Grampus griseus was twice as frequent in the south area and densities increased in waters deeper than 600m. As expected, densities of both small and large migratory whales were higher during spring, over the continental slope, in the southeast area. The results presented here provided strong evidence on the importance of the outer continental shelf and slope to a diverse community of cetaceans occurring in the subtropical Southwestern

  20. 77 FR 43355 - Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-24

    ... Proposed Notice of Sale for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Lease Sale 229 in the Western...: Notice of Availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale for Proposed Sale 229. SUMMARY: BOEM announces the availability of the Proposed Notice of Sale (NOS) for proposed Sale 229 in the WPA. This sale will be the first...

  1. Oil-spill risk analysis: Outer continental shelf lease sale 144, Beaufort Sea. Final report

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

    Anderson, C.M.; Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.

    1995-08-01

    The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf lands in the Beaufort Sea for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. In evaluating the significance of accidental oil spills, it is important to remember that the occurrence of such spills is fundamentally probabilistic. This report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis conducted for OCS Lease Sale 144, Beaufort Sea. The objective of this analysis was to estimate relative risks associated with oil and gas production for the proposed leasemore » sale.« less

  2. Climatic Atlas of the Outer Continental Shelf Waters and Coastal Regions of Alaska. Volume 2. Bering Sea. Revision

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-01-01

    Joe D. Elms , for their editorial evaluation of the vironmental Assessmant Program. Additional depends to a large extent on weather condi- isopleth...waves, icing rates are open waters and coastal sectionsofAlaska.The temperatures less than 8°C, winds of 25 knots lower. icing causes slippery decks...thereby bias the oceanic climatology towards fair weather. A recent study by Elms (1986), in which he compared the Volunteer Observing Ship (VOS) data

  3. Faulting and instability of shelf sediments: eastern Gulf of Alaska

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

    Carlson, P.R.; Molnia, B.F.

    1976-04-01

    Faults and submarine slides or slumps are potential environmental hazards on the outer continental shelf of the northern Gulf of Alaska. Submarine slides or slumps have been found in two places in the OCS region: (1) seaward of the Malaspina Glacier and Icy Bay, an area of 1770 square kilometers, that has a slope of less than one-half degree, and (2) across the entire span of the Copper River prodelta, an area of 1730 square kilometers, that has a slope of about one-half degree. Seismic profiles across these areas show disrupted reflectors and irregular topography commonly associated with submarine slidesmore » or slumps. Other potential slide or slum areas have been delineated in areas of thick sediment accumulation and relatively steep slopes. These areas include Kayak Trough, parts of Hinchinbrook Entrance and Sea Valley, parts of the outer shelf and upper slope between Kayak Island and Yakutat Bay and Bering Trough.« less

  4. Sedimentology and geochemistry of surface sediments, outer continental shelf, southern Bering Sea

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gardner, J.V.; Dean, W.E.; Vallier, T.L.

    1980-01-01

    Present-day sediment dynamics, combined with lowerings of sea level during the Pleistocene, have created a mixture of sediments on the outer continental shelf of the southern Bering Sea that was derived from the Alaskan Mainland, the Aleutian Islands, and the Pribilof ridge. Concentrations of finer-grained, higher-organic sediments in the region of the St. George basin have further modified regional distribution patterns of sediment composition. Q-mode factor analysis of 58 variables related to sediment size and composition - including content of major, minor, and trace elements, heavy and light minerals, and clay minerals - reveals three dominant associations of sediment: 1. (1) The most significant contribution, forming a coarse-grained sediment scattered over most of the shelf consists of felsic sediment derived from the generally quartz-rich rocks of the Alaskan mainland. This sediment contains relatively high concentrations of Si, Ba, Rb, quartz, garnet, epidote, metamorphic rock fragments, potassium feldspar, and illite. 2. (2) The next most important group, superimposed on the felsic group consists of andesitic sediment derived from the Aleutian Islands. This more mafic sediment contains relatively high concentrations of Na, Ca, Ti, Sr, V, Mn, Cu, Fe, Al, Co, Zn, Y, Yb, Ga, volcanic rock fragments, glass, clinopyroxene, smectite, and vermiculite. 3. (3) A local group of basaltic sediment, derived from rocks of the Pribilof Islands, is a subgroup of the Aleutian andesite group. Accumulation of fine-grained sediment in St. George basin has created a sediment group containing relatively high concentrations of C, S, U, Li, B, Zr, Ga, Hg, silt, and clay. Sediment of the Aleutian andesite group exhibits a strong gradient, or "plume", with concentrations decreasing away from Unimak Pass and toward St. George basin. The absence of present-day currents sufficient to move even clay-size material as well as the presence of Bering submarine canyon between the Aleutian

  5. Diversity and Distribution Patterns of Cetaceans in the Subtropical Southwestern Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf and Slope

    PubMed Central

    Di Tullio, Juliana Couto; Gandra, Tiago B. R.; Zerbini, Alexandre N.; Secchi, Eduardo R.

    2016-01-01

    Temporal and spatial patterns of cetacean diversity and distribution were investigated through eight ship-based surveys carried out during spring and autumn between 2009 and 2014 on the outer continental shelf (~150m) and slope (1500m) off southeastern and southern Brazil (~23°S to ~34°S). The survey area was divided into southeast and south areas according to their oceanographic characteristics. Twenty-one species were observed in 503 sightings. The overall number of species was similar between the two areas, though it was higher in the spring in the south area. Five species were dominant and diversity varied more seasonally than spatially. ANOVA and kernel analyses showed that overall cetacean densities were higher in spring compared to autumn. Physeter macrocephalus, the most frequent species, concentrated throughout the south area at depths over 1000m in both seasons. Despite the overlapped occurrence at a broader scale, small delphinids presented latitudinal and in-offshore gradients as well as seasonal variation in distribution patterns, which could indicate habitat partitioning between some species. Delphinus delphis was only recorded in the south and its density decreased in areas where the presence of Stenella frontalis increased, mainly beyond the 250m isobath. Densities of S. longirostris and S. attenuata increased in lower latitudes and beyond the shelf break. The large delphinids Tursiops truncatus and Globicephala melas formed mixed groups in many occasions and were observed along the study area around depths of 500m. Grampus griseus was twice as frequent in the south area and densities increased in waters deeper than 600m. As expected, densities of both small and large migratory whales were higher during spring, over the continental slope, in the southeast area. The results presented here provided strong evidence on the importance of the outer continental shelf and slope to a diverse community of cetaceans occurring in the subtropical Southwestern

  6. DESIGNING AND CONDUCTING WORKSHOPS: LESSONS FROM A TWO-YEAR PROJECT (ONSHORE IMPACTS OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OIL AND GAS DEVELOPMENT: A TRAINING PROJECT)

    EPA Science Inventory

    The report describes the process of developing and conducting two series of workshops on 'Onshore Impact of Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Development'. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the workshops from the standpoint of their objectives, content, teaching methods...

  7. Continental Evolution Involving Subduction Underplating and Synchronous Foreland Thrusting: Evidence from the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fuis, G. S.; Moore, T. E.; Plafker, G.; Brocher, T. M.; Fisher, M. A.; Mooney, W. D.; Nokleberg, W. J.; Page, R. A.; Beaudoin, B. C.; Christensen, N. I.; Levander, A.; Lutter, W. J.; Saltus, R. W.; Ruppert, N. A.

    2010-12-01

    We investigated the crustal structure and tectonic evolution of the North American continent in Alaska, where the continent has grown through magmatism, accretion, and tectonic underplating. In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, we conducted a geological and geophysical investigation, known as the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT), along a 1350-km-long corridor from the Aleutian Trench to the Arctic coast. The most distinctive crustal structures and the deepest Moho along the transect are located near the Pacific and Arctic margins. Near the Pacific margin, we infer a stack of tectonically underplated oceanic layers interpreted to be remnants of the extinct Kula (or Resurrection) Plate. Continental Moho just north of this underplated stack is more than 55 km deep. Near the Arctic margin, the Brooks Range is underlain by north-vergent, crustal-scale duplexes that overlie a ramp on autochthonous North Slope crust. There, Moho has been depressed to nearly 50-km depth. In contrast, the Moho of central Alaska is on average 32 km deep. In the Paleogene, tectonic underplating of Kula- (or Resurrection-) Plate fragments overlapped in time with duplexing in the Brooks Range. Possible tectonic models linking these two widely separated regions include “flat-slab” subduction and an “orogenic-float” model. In the Neogene, the collision of the Yakutat terrane (YAK), in southern Alaska, correlates with renewed compression in northeast Alaska and northwest Canada, in a fashion somewhat similar to the tectonics in the Paleogene. The Yakutat terrane, riding atop the subducting Pacific oceanic lithosphere (POL), spans a newly interpreted tear in the POL. East of the tear, POL is interpreted to subduct steeply and alone beneath the Wrangell arc volcanoes because the overlying YAK has been left behind as tectonically underplated rocks beneath the rising St. Elias Range in the coastal region. West of the tear, the YAK and POL are interpreted to subduct together at a gentle

  8. Depositional history of Louisiana-Mississippi outer continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kindinger, J.L.; Miller, R.J.; Stelting, C.E.

    1982-01-01

    A geological study was undertaken in 1981 in the Louisiana-Mississippi outer continental shelf for the Bureau of Land Management. The study included a high-resolution seismic reflection survey, surficial sediment sampling and surface current drifter sampling. Approximately 7100 sq km of the Louisiana-Mississippi shelf and upper slope were surveyed. The sea floor of the entire area is relatively smooth except for occasional areas of uplift produced by diapiric intrusion along the upper slope. Characteristics of the topography and subsurface shelf sediments are the result of depositional sequences due to delta outbuilding over transgressive sediments with intervening periods of erosion during low sea level stands. Little evidence of structural deformation such as faults, diapirs, and shallow gas is present on the shelf and only a few minor faults and scarps are found on the slope. Minisparker seismic records in combination with air gun (40 and 5 cu in) and 3.5-kHz subbottom profile records reveal that seven major stages of shelf development have occurred since the middle Pleistocene. The shelf development has been controlled by the rise and fall of sea level. These stages are defined by four major unconformities, several depositions of transgressive sediments, sequences of river channeling and progradational delta deposits. Surficial sediment sample and seismic records indicate tat the last major depositional event was the progradation of the St. Bernard Delta lobe. This delta lobe covered the northwestern and central regions. Surficial sediments in most of the study area are the product of the reworking of the San Bernard Delta lobe and previous progradations.

  9. Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect and continental evolution involving subduction underplating and synchronous foreland thrusting

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fuis, G.S.; Moore, Thomas E.; Plafker, G.; Brocher, T.M.; Fisher, M.A.; Mooney, W.D.; Nokleberg, W.J.; Page, R.A.; Beaudoin, B.C.; Christensen, N.I.; Levander, A.R.; Lutter, W.J.; Saltus, R.W.; Ruppert, N.A.

    2008-01-01

    We investigate the crustal structure and tectonic evolution of the North American continent in Alaska, where the continent has grown through magmatism, accretion, and tectonic underplating. In the 1980s and early 1990s, we conducted a geological and geophysical investigation, known as the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT), along a 1350-km-long corridor from the Aleutian Trench to the Arctic coast. The most distinctive crustal structures and the deepest Moho along the transect are located near the Pacific and Arctic margins. Near the Pacific margin, we infer a stack of tectonically underplated oceanic layers interpreted as remnants of the extinct Kula (or Resurrection) plate. Continental Moho just north of this underplated stack is more than 55 km deep. Near the Arctic margin, the Brooks Range is underlain by large-scale duplex structures that overlie a tectonic wedge of North Slope crust and mantle. There, the Moho has been depressed to nearly 50 km depth. In contrast, the Moho of central Alaska is on average 32 km deep. In the Paleogene, tectonic underplating of Kula (or Resurrection) plate fragments overlapped in time with duplexing in the Brooks Range. Possible tectonic models linking these two regions include flat-slab subduction and an orogenic-float model. In the Neogene, the tectonics of the accreting Yakutat terrane have differed across a newly interpreted tear in the subducting Pacific oceanic lithosphere. East of the tear, Pacific oceanic lithosphere subducts steeply and alone beneath the Wrangell volcanoes, because the overlying Yakutat terrane has been left behind as underplated rocks beneath the rising St. Elias Range, in the coastal region. West of the tear, the Yakutat terrane and Pacific oceanic lithosphere subduct together at a gentle angle, and this thickened package inhibits volcanism. ?? 2008 The Geological Society of America.

  10. Continental Margins of the Arctic Ocean: Implications for Law of the Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mosher, David

    2016-04-01

    A coastal State must define the outer edge of its continental margin in order to be entitled to extend the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 M, according to article 76 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The article prescribes the methods with which to make this definition and includes such metrics as water depth, seafloor gradient and thickness of sediment. Note the distinction between the "outer edge of the continental margin", which is the extent of the margin after application of the formula of article 76, and the "outer limit of the continental shelf", which is the limit after constraint criteria of article 76 are applied. For a relatively small ocean basin, the Arctic Ocean reveals a plethora of continental margin types reflecting both its complex tectonic origins and its diverse sedimentation history. These factors play important roles in determining the extended continental shelves of Arctic coastal States. This study highlights the critical factors that might determine the outer edge of continental margins in the Arctic Ocean as prescribed by article 76. Norway is the only Arctic coastal State that has had recommendations rendered by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). Russia and Denmark (Greenland) have made submissions to the CLCS to support their extended continental shelves in the Arctic and are awaiting recommendations. Canada has yet to make its submission and the US has not yet ratified the Convention. The various criteria that each coastal State has utilized or potentially can utilize to determine the outer edge of the continental margin are considered. Important criteria in the Arctic include, 1) morphological continuity of undersea features, such as the various ridges and spurs, with the landmass, 2) the tectonic origins and geologic affinities with the adjacent land masses of the margins and various ridges, 3) sedimentary processes, particularly along continental slopes, and 4) thickness and

  11. Lithostratigraphic, conodont, and other faunal links between lower Paleozoic strata in northern and central Alaska and northeastern Russia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dumoulin, Julie A.; Harris, Anita G.; Gagiev, Mussa; Bradley, Dwight C.; Repetski, John E.

    2002-01-01

    Lower Paleozoic platform carbonate strata in northern Alaska (parts of the Arctic Alaska, York, and Seward terranes; herein called the North Alaska carbonate platform) and central Alaska (Farewell terrane) share distinctive lithologic and faunal features, and may have formed on a single continental fragment situated between Siberia and Laurentia. Sedimentary successions in northern and central Alaska overlie Late Proterozoic metamorphosed basement; contain Late Proterozoic ooid-rich dolostones, Middle Cambrian outer shelf deposits, and Ordovician, Silurian, and Devonian shallow-water platform facies, and include fossils of both Siberian and Laurentian biotic provinces. The presence in the Alaskan terranes of Siberian forms not seen in wellstudied cratonal margin sequences of western Laurentia implies that the Alaskan rocks were not attached to Laurentia during the early Paleozoic.The Siberian cratonal succession includes Archean basement, Ordovician shallow-water siliciclastic rocks, and Upper Silurian–Devonian evaporites, none of which have counterparts in the Alaskan successions, and contains only a few of the Laurentian conodonts that occur in Alaska. Thus we conclude that the lower Paleozoic platform successions of northern and central Alaska were not part of the Siberian craton during their deposition, but may have formed on a crustal fragment rifted away from Siberia during the Late Proterozoic. The Alaskan strata have more similarities to coeval rocks in some peri-Siberian terranes of northeastern Russia (Kotelny, Chukotka, and Omulevka). Lithologic ties between northern Alaska, the Farewell terrane, and the peri-Siberian terranes diminish after the Middle Devonian, but Siberian afµnities in northern and central Alaskan biotas persist into the late Paleozoic.

  12. Miocene stratigraphy and structure of Sabine Pass, West Cameron, and East Cameron outer continental shelf areas, Louisiana

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

    Yang, S.Y.; Watkins, J.S.

    Mapping of Miocene stratigraphy and structure of the Sabine Pass, West Cameron, and East Cameron areas of the western Louisiana outer continental shelf - based on over 1300 mi of seismic data on a 4-mi grid, paleotops from 60 wells, and logs from 35 wells - resulted in time-structure and isochron maps at six intervals from the upper Pliocene to lower Miocene. The most pronounced structural features are the fault systems, which trend east-northeast to east along the Miocene stratigraphic trend. Isolated normal faults with small displacements characterize the inner inner shelf, whereas interconnected faults with greater displacements characterize themore » outer inner shelf. The inner inner shelf faults exhibit little growth, but expansion across the interconnected outer inner shelf fault ranges up to 1 sec two-way traveltime. The interconnected faults belong to two structurally independent fault families. The innermost shelf faults appear to root in the sediment column. A third set of faults located in the Sabine Pass area trends north-south. This fault set is thought to be related to basement movement and/or basement structure. Very little salt is evident in the area. A single diapir is located in West Cameron Block 110 and vicinity. There is little evidence of deep salt. Overall sediment thickness probably exceeds 20,000 ft, with the middle Miocene accounting for 8000 ft.« less

  13. Going coastal: shared evolutionary history between coastal British Columbia and Southeast Alaska wolves (Canis lupus).

    PubMed

    Weckworth, Byron V; Dawson, Natalie G; Talbot, Sandra L; Flamme, Melanie J; Cook, Joseph A

    2011-05-04

    Many coastal species occupying the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest in North America comprise endemic populations genetically and ecologically distinct from interior continental conspecifics. Morphological variation previously identified among wolf populations resulted in recognition of multiple subspecies of wolves in the Pacific Northwest. Recently, separate genetic studies have identified diverged populations of wolves in coastal British Columbia and coastal Southeast Alaska, providing support for hypotheses of distinct coastal subspecies. These two regions are geographically and ecologically contiguous, however, there is no comprehensive analysis across all wolf populations in this coastal rainforest. By combining mitochondrial DNA datasets from throughout the Pacific Northwest, we examined the genetic relationship between coastal British Columbia and Southeast Alaska wolf populations and compared them with adjacent continental populations. Phylogenetic analysis indicates complete overlap in the genetic diversity of coastal British Columbia and Southeast Alaska wolves, but these populations are distinct from interior continental wolves. Analyses of molecular variation support the separation of all coastal wolves in a group divergent from continental populations, as predicted based on hypothesized subspecies designations. Two novel haplotypes also were uncovered in a newly assayed continental population of interior Alaska wolves. We found evidence that coastal wolves endemic to these temperate rainforests are diverged from neighbouring, interior continental wolves; a finding that necessitates new international strategies associated with the management of this species.

  14. Modeled connectivity between northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra) spawning and nursery areas in the eastern Bering Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cooper, D. W.; Duffy-Anderson, J. T.; Stockhausen, W. T.; Cheng, W.

    2013-11-01

    Connectivity between spawning and potential nursery areas of northern rock sole, Lepidopsetta polyxystra, in the eastern Bering Sea was examined using an individual-based biophysical-coupled model. Presumed spawning areas were identified using historical field-collected ichthyoplankton data, and nursery habitats were characterized based on previously described settlement areas. Simulated larvae were released from spawning areas near the Pribilof Islands, south of the Pribilof Islands along the outer continental shelf, on the north side of the Alaska Peninsula, and in the Gulf of Alaska south of Unimak Island. Simulated larvae were transported along two general pathways: 1) northwards along the outer continental shelf from Unimak Island towards the Pribilof Islands and further north offshore of mainland Alaska, and 2) eastward along the Alaska Peninsula. At the end of the 2-month simulation, drift pathways placed pre-settlement stage larvae offshore of known nursery areas of older juveniles near mainland Alaska, consistent with a hypothesis that initial settlement may be followed by substantial post-settlement redistribution.

  15. 76 FR 53481 - Outer Continental Shelf, Alaska OCS Region, Chukchi Sea Planning Area, Oil and Gas Lease Sale 193

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement Outer... Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Interior. ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement SUMMARY: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and...

  16. Sediments, structural framework, petroleum potential, environmental conditions, and operational considerations of the United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    1975-01-01

    The area designated for possible oil and gas lease sale in Bureau of Land Management memorandum 3310 #43 (722) and referred to therein as part of the United States South Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) contains about 98,000 square kilometres of the continental margin seaward of the 3 mile offshore limit and within the 600 metre isobath. The designated area, offshore of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, encompasses parts of three physiographic provinces: the Continental Shelf, the Florida-Hatteras Slope, and the Blake Plateau. The structural framework of the U.3. South Atlantic region is dominated by the Southeast Georgia Embayment --an east-plunging depression recessed into the Atlantic Coastal Plain and shelf between Cape Fear, North Carolina and Jacksonville, Florida. The embayment is bounded to the north by the Cape Fear Arch and to southeast by the Peninsular Arch. Refraction data indicate a minor basement(?) ridge beneath the outer shelf between 30? and 32?N at 80?W. Drill hole data also suggest a gentle fold or accretionary structure (reef?) off the east coast of Florida. Several other structural features have been identified by refraction and reflection techniques and drilling. These are the Yamacraw Uplift, Burton High, Stone Arch, and the Suwannee Channel. Gravity and magnetic anomalies within the area probably result from emplacement of magma bodies along linear features representing fundamental crustal boundaries. Of these anomalies, the most prominent, is a segment of the East Coast Magnetic Anomaly which crosses the coast at Brunswick, Georgia. This anomaly has been interpreted as representing an ancient continental boundary where two formerly separate continental plates collided and were welded together. There may be as much as 5,000 m of sedimentary rocks in the Southeast Georgia Embayment out to the 600 m isobath. Basement rocks beneath the Southeast Georgia Embayment are expected to be similar to those exposed in the

  17. Outer Continental Shelf environmental assessment program. Final reports of principal investigators. Volume 56

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

    Not Available

    1988-07-01

    Contents include: seal, sea lion, walrus and beluga whale surveys of the Bering Sea, 1979 and 1982-1983; investigations of belukha whales in coastal waters of western and northern Alaska. i. distribution, abundance, and movements; investigations of belukha whales in coastal waters of western and northern Alaska. ii. biology and ecology; investigations of belukha whales in coastal water of western and northern Alaska. iii. food habits; behavioral responses of gray whales to industrial noise: feeding observations and predictive modeling.

  18. Environmental geologic studies on the southeastern United States Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf, 1977-1978

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Popenoe, Peter; Popenoe, Peter

    1981-01-01

    This report is a summary of the second year of marine environmental research activities by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on the southeaster U.S. Atlantic Continental Margin, in accordance with with Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) AA551-MU8-13 between the USGS and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The report covers studies whose fieldwork was conducted during the period from 1 October 1977 to 30 September 1978. The results of the first year of study are reported in Popenoe (1978a and b) and as U.S. Department of Commerce NTIS report PB 300-820. The purpose of these investigations is to provide basic geologic and oceanographic data to the BLM Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Marine Environmental Studies Program in support of management decisions which relate to possible development of oil and gas resources of the continental shelf. The objectives of the USGS-BLM geologic research program for fiscal year 1978 (FY-78) were 1) to determine the sedimentation rates and processes on the upper slope and inner Blake Plateau; 2) to determine the distribution, areal extent, and vertical characteristics of geological features supportive of biological communities; 3) to monitor the transport of bottom sediment across the OCS, evaluate its possible effect on pollutant transfer along the seabed and the potential of sediment as a pollutant sink, determine the implications of erosion/deposition on pipeline emplacement, and aid the interpretation of chemical, biological, and physical data; 4) to determine the concentration levels of chosen trace metals and silica in three chemically defined fractions of the suspended particulate matter (seston); 5) to study the shelf edge and slope near areas of oil and gas interest, and the northern portion of the Blake Plateau for evidence of slope instability and other geologic hazards, and 6) to determine the depth and rate of sediment mixing caused by large storms and/or by benthic organisms and where possible to estimate the rate of

  19. Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development on recreation and tourism. Volume 3. Detailed methodology

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

    Not Available

    The final report for the project is presented in five volumes. This volume, Detailed Methodology Review, presents a discussion of the methods considered and used to estimate the impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas development on coastal recreation in California. The purpose is to provide the Minerals Management Service with data and methods to improve their ability to analyze the socio-economic impacts of OCS development. Chapter II provides a review of previous attempts to evaluate the effects of OCS development and of oil spills on coastal recreation. The review also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of differentmore » approaches and presents the rationale for the methodology selection made. Chapter III presents a detailed discussion of the methods actually used in the study. The volume contains the bibliography for the entire study.« less

  20. Age, distribution and style of deformation in Alaska north of 60°N: Implications for assembly of Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moore, Thomas; Box, Stephen E.

    2016-01-01

    The structural architecture of Alaska is the product of a complex history of deformation along both the Cordilleran and Arctic margins of North America involving oceanic plates, subduction zones and strike-slip faults and with continental elements of Laurentia, Baltica, and Siberia. We use geological constraints to assign regions of deformation to 14 time intervals and to map their distributions in Alaska. Alaska can be divided into three domains with differing deformational histories. Each domain includes a crustal fragment that originated near Early Paleozoic Baltica. The Northern domain experienced the Early Cretaceous Brookian orogeny, an oceanic arc-continent collision, followed by mid-Cretaceous extension. Early Cretaceous opening of the oceanic Canada Basin rifted the orogen from the Canadian Arctic margin, producing the bent trends of the orogen. The second (Southern) domain consists of Neoproterozoic and younger crust of the amalgamated Peninsular-Wrangellia-Alexander arc terrane and its paired Mesozoic accretionary prism facing the Pacific Ocean basin. The third (Interior) domain, situated between the first two domains and roughly bounded by the Cenozoic dextral Denali and Tintina faults, includes the large continental Yukon Composite and Farewell terranes having different Permian deformational episodes. Although a shared deformation that might mark their juxtaposition by collisional processes is unrecognized, sedimentary linkage between the two terranes and depositional overlap of the boundary with the Northern domain occurred by early Late Cretaceous. Late Late Cretaceous deformation is the first deformation shared by all three domains and correlates temporally with emplacement of the Southern domain against the remainder of Alaska. Early Cenozoic shortening is mild across interior Alaska but is significant in the Brooks Range, and correlates in time with dextral faulting, ridge subduction and counter-clockwise rotation of southern Alaska. Late Cenozoic

  1. Going coastal: Shared evolutionary history between coastal British Columbia and Southeast Alaska wolves (canis lupus)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weckworth, B.V.; Dawson, N.G.; Talbot, S.L.; Flamme, M.J.; Cook, J.A.

    2011-01-01

    Background: Many coastal species occupying the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest in North America comprise endemic populations genetically and ecologically distinct from interior continental conspecifics. Morphological variation previously identified among wolf populations resulted in recognition of multiple subspecies of wolves in the Pacific Northwest. Recently, separate genetic studies have identified diverged populations of wolves in coastal British Columbia and coastal Southeast Alaska, providing support for hypotheses of distinct coastal subspecies. These two regions are geographically and ecologically contiguous, however, there is no comprehensive analysis across all wolf populations in this coastal rainforest. Methodology/Principal Findings: By combining mitochondrial DNA datasets from throughout the Pacific Northwest, we examined the genetic relationship between coastal British Columbia and Southeast Alaska wolf populations and compared them with adjacent continental populations. Phylogenetic analysis indicates complete overlap in the genetic diversity of coastal British Columbia and Southeast Alaska wolves, but these populations are distinct from interior continental wolves. Analyses of molecular variation support the separation of all coastal wolves in a group divergent from continental populations, as predicted based on hypothesized subspecies designations. Two novel haplotypes also were uncovered in a newly assayed continental population of interior Alaska wolves. Conclusions/Significance: We found evidence that coastal wolves endemic to these temperate rainforests are diverged from neighbouring, interior continental wolves; a finding that necessitates new international strategies associated with the management of this species. ?? 2011 This is an open-access article.

  2. 78 FR 24731 - Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to an...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-04-26

    ... Drilling Program in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National... conducting offshore exploration drilling on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leases in the Chukchi Sea, Alaska... incidental to COP's offshore exploration drilling in the Chukchi Sea during the 2014 open- [[Page 24732...

  3. Oil-Spill Analysis: Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Sales, Eastern Planning Area, 2003-2007 and Gulfwide OCS Program, 2003-2042

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    2002-09-01

    The Federal Government plans to offer U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands in the Eastern Planning Area of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) for oil and gas leasing. This report summarizes results of that analysis, the objective of which was to estimate the risk of oil-spill contact to sensitive offshore and onshore environmental resources and socioeconomic features from oil spills accidentally occurring from the OCS activities.

  4. The Subject of Data in Submissions to the CLCS: Documenting the outer limits of the Northern Continental Shelf of the Faroe Islands

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vang Heinesen, Martin; Mørk, Finn

    2017-04-01

    documentation to the CLCS of the outer limits of the continental shelf to the north of the Faroe Islands.

  5. Impacts of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development on recreation and tourism. Volume 1. Executive summary

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

    Not Available

    The study was intended to provide the Mineral Management Service (MMS) with an analytical tool to evaluate possible economic impacts from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) development. In particular, the study was designed to provide MMS staff who work on lease sale Energy Impact Statements with an objective technique for estimating the impacts to coastal communities from events that might occur as a result of lease sales: oil spills, onshore construction, and construction of platforms offshore. The project had several specific objectives: (1) provide profiles of 1982 socio-economic conditions in coastal communities, including an analysis of the relative importance of themore » tourist industry in each coastal county; (2) develop a methodology for determining the effects of OCS development on coastal recreation; and recommend mitigation measure that may reduce the negative effect of OCS development on coastal recreation using gravity and economic effects models.« less

  6. Bathymetry and acoustic backscatter of the mid and outer continental shelf, head of De Soto Canyon, northeastern Gulf of Mexico

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gardner, James V.; Hughes-Clarke, John E.; Meyer, Larry A.

    2002-01-01

    The mid to outer continental shelf off Mississippi-Alabama and off northwest Florida were the focus of US Geological Survey (USGS) multibeam echosounder (MBES) mapping cruises in 2000 and 2001, respectively. These areas were mapped to investigate the extent of "deep-water reefs" first suggested by Ludwick and Walton (1957). The reefs off Mississippi and Alabama were initially described in water depths of 60 to 120 m (Ludwick and Walton, 1957) but the 2000 mapping found reef and hardgrounds to be much more extensive than previously thought (Gardner et al., 2001). The persistent trend of reef-like features along the outer shelf of Mississippi-Alabama suggested the trend might continue along the northwest Florida mid and outer shelf so a MBES-mapping effort was mounted in 2001 to test this suggestion. It is critical to determine the accurate location, geomorphology, and types of the ridges and reefs that occur in this region to understand the Quaternary history of the area and to assess their importance as benthic habitats for fisheries. The 2001 survey found a series of shelf-depth platforms with ridges (possibly reefs) constructed on their surfaces (Gardner et al., 2002). The area known as the "head of De Soto Canyon" is the large unmapped region between the 2000 and 2001 mapped areas. The head of De Soto Canyon is an outer shelf zone with a relatively steep western wall and a much gentler eastern wall. It was unknown prior to this cruise whether the reefs of the Mississippi-Alabama shelf continue eastward into the head of De Soto Canyon and connect with the ridges and reefs mapped on the northwest Florida outer shelf. The existence of carbonate-cemented latest Quaternary to Holocene sandstones along the western wall of the head of De Soto Canyon (Shipp and Hopkins, 1978; Benson et al., 1997; W.W. Schroeder, personnel comm., 2002) is of interest because of the potential benthic habitats they may represent. Precisely georeferenced high-resolution mapping of

  7. Summary of environmental geologic studies in the Mid-Atlantic outer continental shelf area; results of 1978-1979 field seasons

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Robb, James M.

    1983-01-01

    Because of the need for knowledge of an offshore area that is undergoing exploration for oil and gas resources, since 1975 the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has funded studies of the environmental characteristics of the Mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. This volume briefly summarizes a final report to the BLM on the results of U.S. Geological Survey investigations stemming from data acquired during 1978 and 1979. The parent final report contains complete accounts of those investigations. The subjects of the studies range from the geologic effects of water currents and their capabilities of erosion and transportation, to delineation of potentially hazardous geologic characteristics of the area. Nine specific studies address the complexities of water currents, the nature of materials suspended in the sea waters, rates of mixing-in of material deposited on the bottom, and the sites of probable deposition of such materials, as well as sites and mechanisms of possible submarine landsliding or unstable bottom (engineering characteristics) of the Continental Slope and shelf.

  8. An oilspill risk analysis for the eastern Gulf of Mexico (proposed sale 65) Outer Continental Shelf lease area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wyant, Timothy; Slack, James R.

    1978-01-01

    An oilspill risk analysis was conducted to determine the relative environmental hazards of developing oil in different regions of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf lease area. The study analyzed the probability of spill occurrence, likely paths of the spills, and locations in space and time of such objects as recreational and biological resources likely to be vulnerable. These results combined to yield estimates of the overall oilspill risk associated with development of the proposed lease area. This risk is compared to the existing oilspill risk from existing leases in the area. The analysis implicitly includes estimates of weathering rates and slick dispersion and an indication of the possible mitigating effects of cleanups.

  9. From hyperextended rift to convergent margin types: mapping the outer limit of the extended Continental Shelf of Spain in the Galicia area according UNCLOS Art. 76

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Somoza, Luis; Medialdea, Teresa; Vázquez, Juan T.; González, Francisco J.; León, Ricardo; Palomino, Desiree; Fernández-Salas, Luis M.; Rengel, Juan

    2017-04-01

    Spain presented on 11 May 2009 a partial submission for delimiting the extended Continental Shelf in respect to the area of Galicia to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS). The Galicia margin represents an example of the transition between two different types of continental margins (CM): a western hyperpextended margin and a northern convergent margin in the Bay of Biscay. The western Galicia Margin (wGM 41° to 43° N) corresponds to a hyper-extended rifted margin as result of the poly-phase development of the Iberian-Newfoundland conjugate margin during the Mesozoic. Otherwise, the north Galicia Margin (nGM) is the western end of the Cenozoic subduction of the Bay of Biscay along the north Iberian Margin (NIM) linked to the Pyrenean-Mediterranean collisional belt Following the procedure established by the CLCS Scientific and Technical Guidelines (CLCS/11), the points of the Foot of Slope (FoS) has to be determined as the points of maximum change in gradient in the region defined as the Base of the continental Slope (BoS). Moreover, the CLCS guidelines specify that the BoS should be contained within the continental margin (CM). In this way, a full-coverage multibeam bathymetry and an extensive dataset of up 4,736 km of multichannel seismic profiles were expressly obtained during two oceanographic surveys (Breogham-2005 and Espor-2008), aboard the Spanish research vessel Hespérides, to map the outer limit of the CM.In order to follow the criteria of the CLCS guidelines, two types of models reported in the CLCS Guidelines were applied to the Galicia Margin. In passive margins, the Commission's guidelines establish that the natural prolongation is based on that "the natural process by which a continent breaks up prior to the separation by seafloor spreading involves thinning, extension and rifting of the continental crust…" (para. 7.3, CLCS/11). The seaward extension of the wGM should include crustal continental blocks and the so

  10. Large sand waves on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf around Wilmington Canyon, off Eastern United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Knebel, H.J.; Folger, D.W.

    1976-01-01

    New seismic-reflection data show that large sand waves near the head of Wilmington Canyon on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf have a spacing of 100-650 m and a relief of 2-9 m. The bedforms trend northwest and are asymmetrical, the steeper slopes being toward the south or west. Vibracore sediments indicate that the waves apparently have formed on a substrate of relict nearshore sediments. Although the age of the original bedforms is unknown, the asymmetry is consistent with the dominant westerly to southerly drift in this area which has been determined by other methods; the asymmetry, therefore, is probably modern. Observations in the sand-wave area from a submersible during August 1975, revealed weak bottom currents, sediment bioturbation, unrippled microtopography, and lack of scour. Thus, the asymmetry may be maintained by periodic water motion, possibly associated with storms or perhaps with flow in the canyon head. ?? 1976.

  11. An evaluation of petrogenic hydrocarbons in northern Gulf of Alaska continental shelf sediments - The role of coastal oil seep inputs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Short, J.W.; Kolak, J.J.; Payne, J.R.; Van Kooten, G. K.

    2007-01-01

    We compared hydrocarbons in water, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and riparian sediment collected from coastal watersheds along the Yakataga foreland with corresponding hydrocarbons in Gulf of Alaska benthic sediments. This comparison allows an evaluation of hydrocarbon contributions to marine sediments from natural oil seeps, coal and organic matter (e.g., kerogen) associated with eroding siliciclastic rocks. The samples from oil seeps show extensive loss of low-molecular weight n-alkanes (Alaska, but overall seep inputs are largely attenuated by the (non-seep) petrogenic hydrocarbon content of the high SPM loads. In contrast to the geochemical signature of seep oil, Gulf of Alaska benthic sediments are characterized by abundant alkylated naphthalene homologues, relatively smooth n-alkane envelopes (n-C9 through n-C34, but with elevated levels of n-C27, n-C29, and n-C31), and small UCMs. Further, hydrocarbons in benthic sediments are highly intercorrelated. Taken together, these characteristics indicate that seep oil is a negligible petrogenic hydrocarbon source to the Gulf of Alaska continental shelf. Coaly material separated from the benthic sediment samples using a dense liquid (???2.00 g cm-3) also accounted for a minor portion of the total PAH (1-6%) and total n-alkanes (0.4-2%) in the benthic samples. Most of the hydrocarbon burden in the sediments is found in the denser sediment fraction and likely derives from organic matter contributed by denudation of siliciclastic formations in

  12. Alaska OCS socioeconomic studies program. Technical report number 30. Northern and western Gulf of Alaska petroleum development scenarios: commercial fishing industry analysis. Final report

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

    Terry, J.M.; Gorham, A.H.; Larson, D.M.

    1980-02-01

    The objective of the report is to increase our understanding of the potential relationships between the commercial fishing and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) petroleum industries and to project the potential impacts on the commercial fishing industry of the Gulf of Alaska that may occur as a result of the proposed OCS lease sales No. 46 and No. 55. To meet this objective, the report consists of: (1) the documentation and examination of the history and current trends of the Gulf of Alaska commercial fishing industry as necessary to develop a basis for projecting fishery development and potential interactions with themore » OCS petroleum industry, (2) the development of models used to forecast the level of commercial fishing industry activity through the year 2000 in the absence of OCS development pursuant to lease sales No. 46 and No. 55, and (3) an analysis of the potential impacts of lease sales No. 46 and No. 55 based on the hypothesized nature and magnitude of the activities of the commercial fishing and OCS petroleum industries. The study concentrates on the commercial fishing industry activities centered in Kodiak, Seward, Cordova, and Yakutat. Both the harvesting and processing sectors of the fishing industry are considered. The sources of impacts considered are the competition for labor, ocean space use, and the infrastructure.« less

  13. User's guide: Minerals management service outer continental shelf activity database (moad). Final report

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

    Steiner, C.K.; Causley, M.C.; Yocke, M.A.

    1994-04-01

    The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments require the Minerals Management Service (MMS) to conduct a research study to assess the potential onshore air quality impact from the development of outer continental shelf (OCS) petroleum resources in the Gulf of Mexico. The need for this study arises from concern about the cumulative impacts of current and future OCS emissions on ozone concentrations on nonattainment areas, particularly in Texas and Louisiana. To make quantitative assessments of these impacts, MMS has commissioned an air quality study which includes as a major component the development of a comprehensive emission inventory for photochemical grid modeling.more » The emission inventories prepared in this study include both onshore and offshore emissions. All relevant emissions from anthropogenic and biogenic sources are considered, with special attention focused on offshore anthropogenic sources, including OCS oil and gas production facilities, crew and supply vessels and helicopters serving OCS facilities, commercial shipping and fishing, recreational boating, intercoastal barge traffic and other sources located in the adjacent state waters. This document describes the database created during this study that contains the activity information collected for the development of the OCS platform, and crew/supply vessel and helicopter emission inventories.« less

  14. Alaska OCS socioeconomic studies program: St. George basin and North Aleutian Shelf commercial fishing industry analysis. Final report

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

    Tobolski, J.; Guluka, L.; Trefethen, D.

    1981-10-01

    This report consists of an update of the data base and analysis of the potential impacts to commercial fishing of proposed Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease sales in the St. George Basin and North Aleutian Shelf, situated in the Bering Sea off Alaska. Impacts on the Bristol Bay fishery are also discussed. Competition for labor between the fishing and oil industries is examined, as well as an analysis of risk of collision among vessels in the OCS areas. A description of the fisheries resources of the area is followed by an analysis of loss of access to fishingmore » grounds, and loss of or damage to gear. Impacts on the recreational fishery are also discussed.« less

  15. 50 CFR 18.122 - In what specified geographic region does this subpart apply?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ..., Alaska, and includes all Alaska coastal areas, State waters, and Outer Continental Shelf waters east of that line to the Canadian border and an area 25 miles inland from Barrow on the west to the Canning River on the east. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is not included in the area covered by this...

  16. An oilspill risk analysis of the Mid-Atlantic (Proposed Sale 49) outer continental shelf lease area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Slack, James Richard; Wyant, Timothy

    1978-01-01

    An oilspill risk analysis was conducted to determine the relative environmental hazards of developing oil in different regions of the mid-Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf lease area. The study analyzed the probability of spill occurrence, likely paths of the spilled oil, and locations in space and time of recreational and biological resources that are likely to be vulnerable. These results are combined to yield estimates of the overall oilspill risk associated with development of the proposed lease area. The analysis implicitly includes estimates of weathering rates and slick dispersion and an indication of the possible mitigating effects of cleanups. Assuming that economically recoverable amounts of petroleum are found in the area, the leasing of the tracts proposed for sale 49 will increase the expected number of spills by about 20-25 percent over the number expected from the existing (sale 40) leases. The probability that an object such as land will be contacted by a spill is increased by at most five percentage points. (Woodard-USGS)

  17. Earthquake locations determined by the Southern Alaska seismograph network for October 1971 through May 1989

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fogleman, Kent A.; Lahr, John C.; Stephens, Christopher D.; Page, Robert A.

    1993-01-01

    This report describes the instrumentation and evolution of the U.S. Geological Survey’s regional seismograph network in southern Alaska, provides phase and hypocenter data for seismic events from October 1971 through May 1989, reviews the location methods used, and discusses the completeness of the catalog and the accuracy of the computed hypocenters. Included are arrival time data for explosions detonated under the Trans-Alaska Crustal Transect (TACT) in 1984 and 1985.The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operated a regional network of seismographs in southern Alaska from 1971 to the mid 1990s. The principal purpose of this network was to record seismic data to be used to precisely locate earthquakes in the seismic zones of southern Alaska, delineate seismically active faults, assess seismic risks, document potential premonitory earthquake phenomena, investigate current tectonic deformation, and study the structure and physical properties of the crust and upper mantle. A task fundamental to all of these goals was the routine cataloging of parameters for earthquakes located within and adjacent to the seismograph network.The initial network of 10 stations, 7 around Cook Inlet and 3 near Valdez, was installed in 1971. In subsequent summers additions or modifications to the network were made. By the fall of 1973, 26 stations extended from western Cook Inlet to eastern Prince William Sound, and 4 stations were located to the east between Cordova and Yakutat. A year later 20 additional stations were installed. Thirteen of these were placed along the eastern Gulf of Alaska with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program to investigate the seismicity of the outer continental shelf, a region of interest for oil exploration. Since then the region covered by the network remained relatively fixed while efforts were made to make the stations more reliable through improved electronic

  18. Origin of narrow terranes and adjacent major terranes occurring along the denali fault in the eastern and central alaska range, alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nokleberg, W.J.; Richter, D.H.

    2007-01-01

    Several narrow terranes occur along the Denali fault in the Eastern and Central Alaska Range in Southern Alaska. These terranes are the Aurora Peak, Cottonwood Creek, Maclaren, Pingston, and Windy terranes, and a terrane of ultramafic and associated rocks. Exterior to the narrow terranes to the south is the majorWrangellia island arc composite terrane, and to the north is the major Yukon Tanana metamorphosed continental margin terrane. Overlying mainly the northern margin of the Wrangellia composite terrane are the Kahiltna overlap assemblage to the west, and the Gravina- Nutzotin-Gambier volcanic-plutonic- sedimentary belt to the east and southeast. The various narrow terranes are interpreted as the result of translation of fragments of larger terranes during two major tectonic events: (1) Late Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous accretion of the Wrangellia island arc composite terrane (or superterrane composed of the Wrangellia, Peninsular, and Alexander terranes) and associated subduction zone complexes; and (2) starting in about the Late Cretaceous, dextral transport of the Wrangellia composite terrane along the Denali fault. These two major tectonic events caused: (1) entrapment of a lens of oceanic lithosphere along the suture belt between the Wrangellia composite terrane and the North American Craton Margin and outboard accreted terranes to form the ultramafic and mafic part of the terrane of ultramafic and associated rocks, (2) subsequent dextral translation along the Denali fault of the terrane of ultramafic and associated rocks, (3) dextral translation along the Denali fault of the Aurora Peak, Cottonwood Creek, and Maclaren and continental margin arc terranes from part of the Coast plutonic-metamorphic complex (Coast-North Cascade plutonic belt) in the southwest Yukon Territory or Southeastern Alaska, (4) dextral translation along the Denali fault of the Pingston passive continental margin from a locus along the North American Continental Margin, and (5

  19. History of earthquakes and tsunamis along the eastern Aleutian-Alaska megathrust, with implications for tsunami hazards in the California Continental Borderland

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ryan, Holly F.; von Huene, Roland E.; Wells, Ray E.; Scholl, David W.; Kirby, Stephen; Draut, Amy E.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Dusel-Bacon, C.

    2012-01-01

    During the past several years, devastating tsunamis were generated along subduction zones in Indonesia, Chile, and most recently Japan. Both the Chile and Japan tsunamis traveled across the Pacific Ocean and caused localized damage at several coastal areas in California. The question remains as to whether coastal California, in particular the California Continental Borderland, is vulnerable to more extensive damage from a far-field tsunami sourced along a Pacific subduction zone. Assuming that the coast of California is at risk from a far-field tsunami, its coastline is most exposed to a trans-Pacific tsunami generated along the eastern Aleutian-Alaska subduction zone. We present the background geologic constraints that could control a possible giant (Mw ~9) earthquake sourced along the eastern Aleutian-Alaska megathrust. Previous great earthquakes (Mw ~8) in 1788, 1938, and 1946 ruptured single segments of the eastern Aleutian-Alaska megathrust. However, in order to generate a giant earthquake, it is necessary to rupture through multiple segments of the megathrust. Potential barriers to a throughgoing rupture, such as high-relief fracture zones or ridges, are absent on the subducting Pacific Plate between the Fox and Semidi Islands. Possible asperities (areas on the megathrust that are locked and therefore subject to infrequent but large slip) are identified by patches of high moment release observed in the historical earthquake record, geodetic studies, and the location of forearc basin gravity lows. Global Positioning System (GPS) data indicate that some areas of the eastern Aleutian-Alaska megathrust, such as that beneath Sanak Island, are weakly coupled. We suggest that although these areas will have reduced slip during a giant earthquake, they are not really large enough to form a barrier to rupture. A key aspect in defining an earthquake source for tsunami generation is determining the possibility of significant slip on the updip end of the megathrust near

  20. Volatile components and continental material of planets

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Florenskiy, K. P.; Nikolayeva, O. V.

    1986-01-01

    It is shown that the continental material of the terrestrial planets varies in composition from planet to planet according to the abundances and composition of true volatiles (H20, CO2, etc.) in the outer shells of the planets. The formation of these shells occurs very early in a planet's evolution when the role of endogenous processes is indistinct and continental materials are subject to melting and vaporizing in the absence of an atmosphere. As a result, the chemical properties of continental materials are related not only to fractionation processes but also to meltability and volatility. For planets retaining a certain quantity of true volatile components, the chemical transformation of continental material is characterized by a close interaction between impact melting vaporization and endogeneous geological processes.

  1. Movement and effects of spilled oil over the outer continental shelf; inadequacy of existent data for the Baltimore Canyon Trough area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Knebel, Harley J.

    1974-01-01

    A deductive approach to the problem of determining the movement and effects of spilled oil over the Outer Continental Shelf requires that the potential paths of oil be determined first, in order that critical subareas may be defined for later studies. The paths of spilled oil, in turn, depend primarily on the temporal and spatial variability of four factors: the thermohaline structure of the waters, the circulation of the water, the winds, and the distribution of suspended matter. A review of the existent data concerning these factors for the Baltimore Canyon Trough area (a relatively well studied segment of the Continental Shelf) reveals that the movement and dispersal of potential oil spills cannot be reliably predicted. Variations in the thermohaline structure of waters and in the distribution of suspended matter are adequately known; the uncertainty is due to insufficient wind and storm statistics and to the lack of quantitative understanding of the relationship between the nontidal drift and its basic driving mechanisms. Similar inadequacies should be anticipated for other potentially leasable areas of the shelf because an understanding of the movement of spilled oil has not been the underlying aim of most previous studies.

  2. Metallogenesis and tectonics of the Russian Far East, Alaska, and the Canadian Cordillera

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nokleberg, Warren J.; Bundtzen, Thomas K.; Eremin, Roman A.; Ratkin, Vladimir V.; Dawson, Kenneth M.; Shpikerman, Vladimir I.; Goryachev, Nikolai A.; Byalobzhesky, Stanislav G.; Frolov, Yuri F.; Khanchuk, Alexander I.; Koch, Richard D.; Monger, James W.H.; Pozdeev, Anany I.; Rozenblum, Ilya S.; Rodionov, Sergey M.; Parfenov, Leonid M.; Scotese, Christopher R.; Sidorov, Anatoly A.

    2005-01-01

    The Proterozoic and Phanerozoic metallogenic and tectonic evolution of the Russian Far East, Alaska, and the Canadian Cordillera is recorded in the cratons, craton margins, and orogenic collages of the Circum-North Pacific mountain belts that separate the North Pacific from the eastern North Asian and western North American Cratons. The collages consist of tectonostratigraphic terranes and contained metallogenic belts, which are composed of fragments of igneous arcs, accretionary-wedge and subduction-zone complexes, passive continental margins, and cratons. The terranes are overlapped by continental-margin-arc and sedimentary-basin assemblages and contained metallogenic belts. The metallogenic and geologic history of terranes, overlap assemblages, cratons, and craton margins has been complicated by postaccretion dismemberment and translation during strike-slip faulting that occurred subparallel to continental margins. Seven processes overlapping in time were responsible for most of metallogenic and geologic complexities of the region (1) In the Early and Middle Proterozoic, marine sedimentary basins developed on major cratons and were the loci for ironstone (Superior Fe) deposits and sediment-hosted Cu deposits that occur along both the North Asia Craton and North American Craton Margin. (2) In the Late Proterozoic, Late Devonian, and Early Carboniferous, major periods of rifting occurred along the ancestral margins of present-day Northeast Asia and northwestern North America. The rifting resulted in fragmentation of each continent, and formation of cratonal and passive continental-margin terranes that eventually migrated and accreted to other sites along the evolving margins of the original or adjacent continents. The rifting also resulted in formation of various massive-sulfide metallogenic belts. (3) From about the late Paleozoic through the mid-Cretaceous, a succession of island arcs and contained igneous-arc-related metallogenic belts and tectonically paired

  3. High-pressure amphibolite facies dynamic metamorphism and the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of an ancient continental margin, east- central Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dusel-Bacon, C.; Hansen, V.L.; Scala, J.A.

    1995-01-01

    Ductilely deformed amphibolite facies tectonites comprise two adjacent terranes in east-central Alaska: the northern, structurally higher Taylor Mountain terrane and the southern, structurally lower Lake George subterrane of the Yukon-Tanana terrane. The pressure, temperature, kinematic and age data are interpreted to indicate that the metamorphism of the Taylor Mountain terrane and Lake George subterrane took place during different phases of a latest Palaeozoic through early Mesozoic shortening episode resulting from closure of an ocean basin now represented by klippen of the Seventymile-Slide Mountain terrane. High- to intermediate-pressure metamorphism of the Taylor Mountain terrane took place within a SW-dipping (present-day coordinates) subduction system. High- to intermediate-pressure metamorphism of the Lake George subterrane and the structural contact zone occurred during NW-directed overthrusting of the Taylor Mountain, Seventymile-Slide Mountain and Nisutlin terranes, and imbrication of the continental margin in Jurassic time. -from Authors

  4. The geophysical character of southern Alaska - Implications for crustal evolution

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Saltus, R.W.; Hudson, T.L.; Wilson, Frederic H.

    2007-01-01

    The southern Alaska continental margin has undergone a long and complicated history of plate convergence, subduction, accretion, and margin-parallel displacements. The crustal character of this continental margin is discernible through combined analysis of aeromagnetic and gravity data with key constraints from previous seismic interpretation. Regional magnetic data are particularly useful in defining broad geophysical domains. One of these domains, the south Alaska magnetic high, is the focus of this study. It is an intense and continuous magnetic high up to 200 km wide and ∼1500 km long extending from the Canadian border in the Wrangell Mountains west and southwest through Cook Inlet to the Bering Sea shelf. Crustal thickness beneath the south Alaska magnetic high is commonly 40–50 km. Gravity analysis indicates that the south Alaska magnetic high crust is dense. The south Alaska magnetic high spatially coincides with the Peninsular and Wrangellia terranes. The thick, dense, and magnetic character of this domain requires significant amounts of mafic rocks at intermediate to deep crustal levels. In Wrangellia these mafic rocks are likely to have been emplaced during Middle and (or) Late Triassic Nikolai Greenstone volcanism. In the Peninsular terrane, the most extensive period of mafic magmatism now known was associated with the Early Jurassic Talkeetna Formation volcanic arc. Thus the thick, dense, and magnetic character of the south Alaska magnetic high crust apparently developed as the response to mafic magmatism in both extensional (Wrangellia) and subduction-related arc (Peninsular terrane) settings. The south Alaska magnetic high is therefore a composite crustal feature. At least in Wrangellia, the crust was probably of average thickness (30 km) or greater prior to Triassic mafic magmatism. Up to 20 km (40%) of its present thickness may be due to the addition of Triassic mafic magmas. Throughout the south Alaska magnetic high, significant crustal growth

  5. Impact of coastal processes on resource development with an example from Icy Bay, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Molnia, Bruce F.

    1978-01-01

    The coastline of Alaska is dynamic and continually readjusting to changes in the many processes that operate in the coastal zone. Because of this dynamic nature, special consideration must be made in planning for development, and. caution must be exercised in site selection for facilities to be emplaced in the coastal zone. All types of coastal processes from continuously active normal processes to the low frequency-high intensity rare event must be considered. Site-specific evaluation-s considering the broad range of possible processes must precede initiation of development. An example of the relation between coastal processes and a proposed resource treatment facility is presented for Icy Bay, Alaska. Icy Bay is the only sheltered bay near many of the offshore tracts leased for petroleum exploration in the 1976 northern Gulf of Alaska OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) lease sale. Consequently, it has been selected as a primary onshore staging site for the support of offshore exploration and development. The environment of Icy Bay has many potentially hazardous features, including a submarine moraine at the bay mouth and actively calving glaciers at the bay's head which produce many icebergs. But most significant from the point of view of locating onshore facilities and pipeline corridors are the high rates of shoreline erosion and sediment deposition. If pipelines or any onshore staging facilities are to be placed in the coastal areas of Icy Bay, then the dynamic changes in shoreline position must be considered so that man-made structures will not be eroded away or be silted in before the completion of development.

  6. Geologic framework of the Aleutian arc, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Vallier, Tracy L.; Scholl, David W.; Fisher, Michael A.; Bruns, Terry R.; Wilson, Frederic H.; von Huene, Roland E.; Stevenson, Andrew J.

    1994-01-01

    The Aleutian arc is the arcuate arrangement of mountain ranges and flanking submerged margins that forms the northern rim of the Pacific Basin from the Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia) eastward more than 3,000 km to Cooke Inlet (Fig. 1). It consists of two very different segments that meet near Unimak Pass: the Aleutian Ridge segment to the west and the Alaska Peninsula-the Kodiak Island segment to the east. The Aleutian Ridge segment is a massive, mostly submerged cordillera that includes both the islands and the submerged pedestal from which they protrude. The Alaska Peninsula-Kodiak Island segment is composed of the Alaska Peninsula, its adjacent islands, and their continental and insular margins. The Bering Sea margin north of the Alaska Peninsula consists mostly of a wide continental shelf, some of which is underlain by rocks correlative with those on the Alaska Peninsula.There is no pre-Eocene record in rocks of the Aleutian Ridge segment, whereas rare fragments of Paleozoic rocks and extensive outcrops of Mesozoic rocks occur on the Alaska Peninsula. Since the late Eocene, and possibly since the early Eocene, the two segments have evolved somewhat similarly. Major plutonic and volcanic episodes, however, are not synchronous. Furthermore, uplift of the Alaska Peninsula-Kodiak Island segment in late Cenozoic time was more extensive than uplift of the Aleutian Ridge segment. It is probable that tectonic regimes along the Aleutian arc varied during the Tertiary in response to such factors as the directions and rates of convergence, to bathymetry and age of the subducting Pacific Plate, and to the volume of sediment in the Aleutian Trench.The Pacific and North American lithospheric plates converge along the inner wall of the Aleutian trench at about 85 to 90 mm/yr. Convergence is nearly at right angles along the Alaska Peninsula, but because of the arcuate shape of the Aleutian Ridge relative to the location of the plates' poles of rotation, the angle of convergence

  7. Geochronology, geochemistry, and tectonic environment of porphyry mineralization in the central Alaska Peninsula

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Frederic H.; Cox, Dennis P.

    1983-01-01

    Porphyry type sulfide systems on the central Alaska Peninsula occupy a transition zone between the Aleutian island magmatic arc and the continental magmatic arc of southern Alaska. Mineralization occurs associated with early and late Tertiary magmatic centers emplaced through a thick section of Mesozoic continental margin clastic sedimentary rocks. The systems are of the molybdenum-rich as opposed to gold-rich type and have anomalous tungsten, bismuth, and tin, attributes of continental-margin deposits, yet gravity data suggest that at least part of the study area is underlain by oceanic or transitional crust. Potassium-argon age determinations indicate a variable time span of up to 2 million years between emplacement and mineralization in a sulfide system with mineralization usually followed by postmineral intrusive events. Finally, mineralization in the study area occurred at many times during the time span of igneous activity and should be an expected stage in the history of a subduction related magmatic center.

  8. Outer Continental Shelf environmental assessment program. Final reports of principal investigators. Volume 43

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

    Not Available

    1986-06-01

    Contents include: Assessment of gray whale feeding grounds and sea floor interaction in the northeastern Bering Sea; Feeding ecology of the gray whale in the northern Bering Sea; Feeding ecology of the gray whale in the Chirikof Basin, summer 1982; Project rationale, design, summary; Distribution, production, and ecology of gray whale prey species; Distribution and abundance of gray whales in the Chirikof Basin, summer 1982; Assessment of gray whale feeding grounds and sea floor interaction in the northeastern Bering Sea; Feeding ecology of gray whales in the Chirikof Basin; Investigations of belukha whales in coastal waters of western and northernmore » Alaska, 1982-1983: marking and tracking of whales in Bristol Bay; Belukha whale responses to industrial noise in Nushagak Bay, Alaska.« less

  9. Geological and technological assessment of artificial reef sites, Louisiana outer continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pope, D.L.; Moslow, T.F.; Wagner, J.B.

    1993-01-01

    This paper describes the general procedures used to select sites for obsolete oil and gas platforms as artificial reefs on the Louisiana outer continental shelf (OCS). The methods employed incorporate six basic steps designed to resolve multiple-use conflicts that might otherwise arise with daily industry and commercial fishery operations, and to identify and assess both geological and technological constraints that could affect placement of the structures. These steps include: (1) exclusion mapping; (2) establishment of artificial reef planning areas; (3) database compilation; (4) assessment and interpretation of database; (5) mapping of geological and man-made features within each proposed reef site; and (6) site selection. Nautical charts, bathymetric maps, and offshore oil and gas maps were used for exclusion mapping, and to select nine regional planning areas. Pipeline maps were acquired from federal agencies and private industry to determine their general locations within each planning area, and to establish exclusion fairways along each pipeline route. Approximately 1600 line kilometers of high-resolution geophysical data collected by federal agencies and private industry was acquired for the nine planning areas. These data were interpreted to determine the nature and extent of near-surface geologic features that could affect placement of the structures. Seismic reflection patterns were also characterized to evaluate near-bottom sedimentation processes in the vicinity of each reef site. Geotechnical borings were used to determine the lithological and physical properties of the sediment, and for correlation with the geophysical data. Since 1987, five sites containing 10 obsolete production platforms have been selected on the Louisiana OCS using these procedures. Industry participants have realized a total savings of approximately US $1 500 000 in salvaging costs by converting these structures into artificial reefs. ?? 1993.

  10. Geology along the Fairweather-Queen Charlotte fault system off southeast Alaska and British Columbia from GLORIA images and seismic-reflection data

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

    Bruns, T.R.; Carlson, P.R.; Stevenson, A.J.

    1990-06-01

    GLORIA images collected in 1989 along southeast Alaska and British Columbia strikingly show the active trace of the Fairweather-Queen Charlotte transform fault system beneath the outer shelf and slope; seismic-reflection data are used to track the fault system across the continental shelf where GLORIA data are not available. From Cross Sound to Chatham Strait, the fault system is comprised of two sets of subparallel fault traces separated by 3 to 6 km. The fault system crosses the shelf from Icy Point to south of Yakobi Valley, then follows the shelf edge to Chatham Strait. Between Chatham Strait and Dixon Entrance,more » a single, sharply defined active fault trace underlies the upper and middle slope. This fault segment is bounded on the seaward side by a high, midslope ridge and by lower slope Quaternary( ) anticlines up to 35 km wide. Southeast of Dixon Entrance, the active fault trace trends back onto the outer shelf until midway along the Queen Charlotte Islands, then cuts back to and stays at midslope to the Tuzo Wilson Knolls south of the Queen Charlotte Islands. The fault steps westward at Tuzo Wilson Knolls, which are likely part of a spreading ridge segment. Major deep-sea fans along southeast Alaska show a southeastward age progression from older to younger and record both point source deposition at Chatham Strait and Dixon Entrance and subsequent (Quaternary ) offset along the fault system. Subsidence of ocean plate now adjacent to the Chatham Strait-Dixon Entrance fault segment initiated development of both Mukluk and Horizon Channels.« less

  11. The Continental Margins of the Western North Atlantic.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schlee, John S.; And Others

    1979-01-01

    Presents an interpretation of geological and geophysical data, which provides a summary of the structural and sedimentary history of the United States Atlantic Margin. The importance of an understanding of the development of the outer continental shelf to future hydrocarbon exploration is detailed. (BT)

  12. 77 FR 61633 - Information Collection: Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-10

    ...] Information Collection: Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental... requirements in the regulations under ``Renewable Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer..., transportation, or transmission of energy from sources other than oil and gas (renewable energy). Specifically...

  13. Oil spills, 1971-75, Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Danenberger, Elmer P.

    1976-01-01

    Oil spillage connected with federally supervised drilling and production activities has been a matter of wide public concern. In its supervision of mineral-resource development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the U.S. Geological Survey is responsible for the day-to-day inspection and monitoring of OCS oil and gas operations. During these activities, the U.S. Geological Survey records and investigates hydrocarbon discharges resulting from such operations. Beginning in 1971, all spills have been recorded, and a computer file has been maintained on all spills of 1 barrel or more. The total Gulf of Mexico OCS oil spillage recorded during January 1, 1971-December 31, 1975, amounted to 51,421 barrels. Production during that period amounted to 35,219 barrels per barrel spilled. In all, 5,857 spills were recorded, but 85.5 percent of the total spill volume was contributed by just 5 incidents. The environmental effect of these incidents apparently was minimal and of short duration. No spills of more than 50 barrels resulted from drilling operations during the period. The only spillage resulting from blowouts was caused by nondrilling incidents, including completion, production, and workover. The amount of oil discharged from spills of less than 50 barrels decreased by more than half between 1971 and 1975. The improvement reflects changes in the operating philosophy of the offshore industry, tightening of U.S. Geological Survey operating orders, and substantial increases in the inspection force. Most production-platform spills involve failures in the sump system, the separator system, or other hydrocarbon-handling equipment; improved sump-system designs and better high-low-level controls have reduced both the number and the volume of spills. Pipeline and pump spills also declined significantly, although the decline appears less attributable to revisions in OCS operating requirements. No operator consistently contributed a disproportionate amount of spillage. Most of

  14. Domestic market opportunities for Alaska lumber-species preferences by secondary wood products manufacturers in the continental United States.

    Treesearch

    Joseph Roos; David L. Nicholls

    2006-01-01

    New equipment, technology, and marketing efforts have allowed Alaska’s wood products producers to consider opportunities previously unavailable to them. Until recently, the primary product produced by Alaska firms was rough, unseasoned lumber sold primarily within local markets. Given the purchase and installation of new drying and planing equipment, Alaska producers...

  15. Oil-spill risk analysis: Cook inlet outer continental shelf lease sale 149. Volume 1. The analysis. Final report

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

    Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.; Anderson, C.M.

    1994-08-01

    This report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis (OSRA) conducted for the proposed lower Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lease Sale 149. The objective of this analysis was to estimate relative oil-spill risks associated with oil and gas production from the leasing alternatives proposed for the lease sale. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) will consider the analysis in the environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared for the lease sale. The analysis for proposed OCS Lease Sale 149 was conducted in three parts corresponding to different aspects of the overall problem. The first part dealt with the probability of oil-spillmore » occurrence. The second dealt with trajectories of oil spills from potential spill sites to various environmental resources or land segments. The third part combined the results of the first two parts to give estimates of the overall oil-spill risk if there is oil production as a result of the lease sale. To aid the analysis, conditional risk contour maps of seasonal conditional probabilities of spill contact were generated for each environmental resource or land segment in the study area (see vol. 2).« less

  16. 77 FR 2979 - Environmental Impacts Statements; Notice of Availability

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-01-20

    ... Stand Alone Gas Pipeline, Construction and Operation of a 737 mile Pipeline to Transport Supply of Natural Gas and Natural Gas Liquids from Alaska's North Slope to Fairbanks, Anchorage and the Cook Inlet..., Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2012 Central Planning Area Lease Sales...

  17. Identification of Geostructures of the Continental Crust Particularly as They Relate to Mineral Resource Evaluation. [Alaska

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lathram, E. H. (Principal Investigator)

    1974-01-01

    The author has identified the following significant results. A pattern of very old geostructures was recognized, reflecting structures in the crust. This pattern is not peculiar to Alaska, but can be recognized throughout the northern cordillera. A new metallogenic hypothesis for Alaska was developed, based on the relationship of space image linears to known mineral deposits. Using image linear analysis, regional geologic features were also recognized; these features may be used to guide in the location of undiscovered oil and/or gas accumulations in northern Alaska. The effectiveness of ERTS data in enhancing medium and small scale mapping was demonstrated. ERTS data were also used to recognize and monitor the state of large scale vehicular scars on Arctic tundra.

  18. 75 FR 51968 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Massachusetts

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-24

    ... comments to: Ida McDonnell, Air Permits, Toxics and Indoor Air Unit, Office of Ecosystem Protection, U.S... INFORMATION CONTACT: Ida E. McDonnell, Air Permits, Toxics and Indoor Air Unit, U.S. Environmental Protection... Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Massachusetts AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency...

  19. Quaternary seismic stratigraphy and paleoenvironments on the continental shelf of the East China Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Zhen-Xia; Berne, Serge; Saito, Yoshiki; Lericolais, G.; Marsset, T.

    2000-08-01

    Paleoenvironments and stratigraphy have been interpreted from 4380 km of seismic profiling collected during a geological and geophysical cruise on the continental shelf of the East China Sea (ECS) undertaken in 1996. The geophysical data are correlated with a borehole situated on the outer shelf obtained by Shanghai Marine Geology Bureau, indicating that six seismic units have been preserved since oxygen-isotope stage 6, including four regressive-transgressive cycles. Seismic units U2, U3+U4+U5, U6, and U7 are interpreted to correspond respectively to oxygen-isotope stages 1, 3, 5, and 6, implying that sediment partitioning and sequence architecture in the ECS have been controlled by glacio-eustasy and global climate changes. Alternating continental and marine strata corresponding to glaciation and interglaciation are well preserved on the outer shelf of the ECS. Most of the cold environment strata, which formed on the outer shelf during oxygen-isotope stages 2 and 4, are too thin to be recognized on SIG 600J because of resolution, but corresponding erosion surfaces exist. Seismic unit U7 is widespread over the shelf, extending to the continental edge and showing little variation in thickness, as the regression was pronounced and lasted a long time. Thus, U7 can be used as a marker layer for correlation of Quaternary strata on the shelf of the ECS. Post-glacial transgression is obvious in the ECS. Marine strata with varied thickness were developed in the shallow sea of the inner shelf, thinning toward the outer shelf. The continental shelf of the ECS has been influenced by Pacific tide-wave systems for a long time, forming tidal sand-ridge sequences, developed during transgressions, corresponding to oxygen-isotope stages 7 (or 9), 5, 3 and 1.

  20. Productivity and sedimentary δ15N variability for the last 17,000 years along the northern Gulf of Alaska continental slope

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Addison, Jason A.; Finney, Bruce P.; Dean, Walter E.; Davies, Maureen H.; Mix, Alan C.; Jaeger, John M.

    2012-01-01

    Biogenic opal, organic carbon, organic matter stable isotope, and trace metal data from a well-dated, high-resolution jumbo piston core (EW0408–85JC; 59° 33.3′N, 144° 9.21′W, 682 m water depth) recovered from the northern Gulf of Alaska continental slope reveal changes in productivity and nutrient utilization over the last 17,000 years. Maximum values of opal concentration (∼10%) occur during the deglacial Bølling-Allerød (B-A) interval and earliest Holocene (11.2 to 10.8 cal ka BP), moderate values (∼6%) occur during the Younger Dryas (13.0 to 11.2 cal ka BP) and Holocene, and minimum values (∼3.5%) occur during the Late Glacial Interval (LGI). When converted to opal mass accumulation rates, the highest values (∼5000 g cm−2 kyr−1) occur during the LGI prior to 16.7 cal ka BP, which points to a strong influence by LGI glacimarine sedimentation regimes. Similar patterns are also observed in total organic carbon and cadmium paleoproductivity proxies. Mid-Holocene peaks in the terrestrial organic matter fraction at 5.5, 4.7, 3.5, and 1.2 cal ka BP indicate periods of enhanced delivery of glaciomarine sediments by the Alaska Coastal Current. The B-A and earliest Holocene intervals are laminated, and enrichments of redox-sensitive elements suggest dysoxic-to-anoxic conditions in the water column. The laminations are also associated with mildly enriched sedimentary δ15N ratios, indicating a link between productivity, nitrogen cycle dynamics, and sedimentary anoxia. After applying a correction for terrestrial δ15N contributions based on end-member mixing models of terrestrial and marine organic matter, the resulting B-A marine δ15N (6.3 ± 0.4 ‰) ratios are consistent with either mild denitrification, or increased nitrate utilization. These findings can be explained by increased micronutrient (Fe) availability during episodes of rapid rising sea level that released iron from the previously subaerial coastal plain; iron input from enhanced

  1. Productivity and sedimentary δ15N variability for the last 17,000 years along the northern Gulf of Alaska continental slope

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Addison, Jason A.; Finney, Bruce P.; Dean, Walter E.; Davies, Maureen H.; Mix, Alan C.; Stoner, Joseph S.; Jaeger, John M.

    2012-01-01

    Biogenic opal, organic carbon, organic matter stable isotope, and trace metal data from a well-dated, high-resolution jumbo piston core (EW0408–85JC; 59° 33.3′N, 144° 9.21′W, 682 m water depth) recovered from the northern Gulf of Alaska continental slope reveal changes in productivity and nutrient utilization over the last 17,000 years. Maximum values of opal concentration (∼10%) occur during the deglacial Bølling-Allerød (B-A) interval and earliest Holocene (11.2 to 10.8 cal ka BP), moderate values (∼6%) occur during the Younger Dryas (13.0 to 11.2 cal ka BP) and Holocene, and minimum values (∼3.5%) occur during the Late Glacial Interval (LGI). When converted to opal mass accumulation rates, the highest values (∼5000 g cm−2 kyr−1) occur during the LGI prior to 16.7 cal ka BP, which points to a strong influence by LGI glacimarine sedimentation regimes. Similar patterns are also observed in total organic carbon and cadmium paleoproductivity proxies. Mid-Holocene peaks in the terrestrial organic matter fraction at 5.5, 4.7, 3.5, and 1.2 cal ka BP indicate periods of enhanced delivery of glaciomarine sediments by the Alaska Coastal Current. The B-A and earliest Holocene intervals are laminated, and enrichments of redox-sensitive elements suggest dysoxic-to-anoxic conditions in the water column. The laminations are also associated with mildly enriched sedimentary δ15N ratios, indicating a link between productivity, nitrogen cycle dynamics, and sedimentary anoxia. After applying a correction for terrestrial δ15N contributions based on end-member mixing models of terrestrial and marine organic matter, the resulting B-A marine δ15N (6.3 ± 0.4 ‰) ratios are consistent with either mild denitrification, or increased nitrate utilization. These findings can be explained by increased micronutrient (Fe) availability during episodes of rapid rising sea level that released iron from the previously subaerial coastal plain; iron input from enhanced

  2. 30 CFR 250.468 - What well records am I required to submit?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... OIL AND GAS AND SULPHUR OPERATIONS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Oil and Gas Drilling Operations... drilling operations in the GOM OCS Region, you must submit form MMS-133, Well Activity Report, to the District Manager on a weekly basis. (c) For drilling operations in the Pacific or Alaska OCS Regions, you...

  3. Regional biomass stores and dynamics in forests of coastal Alaska

    Treesearch

    Mikhaill A. Yatskov; Mark E. Harmon; Olga N. Krankina; Tara M. Barrett; Kevin R. Dobelbower; Andrew N. Gray; Becky Fasth; Lori Trummer; Toni L. Hoyman; Chana M. Dudoit

    2015-01-01

    Coastal Alaska is a vast forested region (6.2 million ha) with the potential to store large amounts of carbon in live and dead biomass thus influencing continental and global carbon dynamics. The main objectives of this study were to assess regional biomass stores, examine the biomass partitioning between live and dead pools, and evaluate the effect of disturbance on...

  4. Applicability of NASA contract quality management and failure mode effect analysis procedures to the USGS Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease management program

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dyer, M. K.; Little, D. G.; Hoard, E. G.; Taylor, A. C.; Campbell, R.

    1972-01-01

    An approach that might be used for determining the applicability of NASA management techniques to benefit almost any type of down-to-earth enterprise is presented. A study was made to determine the following: (1) the practicality of adopting NASA contractual quality management techniques to the U.S. Geological Survey Outer Continental Shelf lease management function; (2) the applicability of failure mode effects analysis to the drilling, production, and delivery systems in use offshore; (3) the impact on industrial offshore operations and onshore management operations required to apply recommended NASA techniques; and (4) the probable changes required in laws or regulations in order to implement recommendations. Several management activities that have been applied to space programs are identified, and their institution for improved management of offshore and onshore oil and gas operations is recommended.

  5. Assessment of resource selection models to predict occurrence of five juvenile flatfish species (Pleuronectidae) over the continental shelf in the western Gulf of Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wilson, Matthew T.; Mier, Kathryn L.; Cooper, Dan W.

    2016-05-01

    According to the nursery size hypothesis, flatfish recruitment is constrained by nursery area. Thus, if resource selection models can be shown to accurately predict the location and geographic extent of flatfish nursery areas, they will become important tools in the management and study of flatfish population dynamics. We demonstrate that some resource selection models derived previously to predict the presence and absence of juvenile flatfishes near shore were applicable to the broader continental shelf. For other age-species groups, derivation of new models for the continental shelf was necessary. Our study was conducted in the western Gulf of Alaska (GoA) during October 2011 on four groups of age-0 juvenile flatfishes: Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), arrowtooth flounder (Atheresthes stomias), northern rock sole (Lepidopsetta polyxystra), and flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon); and three groups of age-1 juvenile flatfishes: northern rock sole, flathead sole, and yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera). Sampling occurred at 33 sites across the continental shelf. Fish were collected using a 3-m beam trawl, and a midwater trawl. Environmental data were collected on sediment composition and water temperature and depth. Many of the age-species groups co-occurred in the Shumagin and Barnabus sea valleys; however, age-0 arrowtooth flounder occurred at more locations than other juveniles, perhaps due to a relatively broad tolerance of environmental conditions and to the utilization of midwater habitat. Thus, the large nursery area of arrowtooth flounder may be one reason why they are currently the most abundant GoA flatfish. In fact, among all species, mean recruitment at age 3 increased with the percent occurrence of age-0 juveniles at the 33 sites, a proxy for relative nursery area, in accordance with the nursery size hypothesis, suggesting that mean recruitment among GoA flatfishes is structured by nursery size.

  6. Alaska: A twenty-first-century petroleum province

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bird, K.J.

    2001-01-01

    Alaska, the least explored of all United States regions, is estimated to contain approximately 40% of total U.S. undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and natural-gas resources, based on the most recent U.S. Department of the Interior (U.S. Geological Survey and Minerals Management Service) estimates. Northern Alaska, including the North Slope and adjacent Beaufort and Chukchi continental shelves, holds the lion's share of the total Alaskan endowment of more than 30 billion barrels (4.8 billion m3) of oil and natural-gas liquids plus nearly 200 trillion cubic feet (5.7 trillion m3) of natural gas. This geologically complex region includes prospective strata within passive-margin, rift, and foreland-basin sequences. Multiple source-rock zones have charged several regionally extensive petroleum systems. Extensional and compressional structures provide ample structural objectives. In addition, recent emphasis on stratigraphic traps has demonstrated significant resource potential in shelf and turbidite systems in Jurassic to Tertiary strata. Despite robust potential, northern Alaska remains a risky exploration frontier - a nexus of geologic complexity, harsh economic conditions, and volatile policy issues. Its role as a major petroleum province in this century will depend on continued technological innovations, not only in exploration and drilling operations, but also in development of huge, currently unmarketable natural-gas resources. Ultimately, policy decisions will determine whether exploration of arctic Alaska will proceed.

  7. Applications of ERTS data to resource surveys of Alaska

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Belon, A. E.; Miller, J. M.

    1974-01-01

    ERTS data affords a unique opportunity to perform urgently needed resource surveys and land use planning at a critical juncture in the history of Alaska's social and economic development. The available facilities for photographic, optical and digital processing of ERTS data are described, along with the interpretive techniques which have been developed. Examples of the applications of these facilities and techniques are given for three environmental disciplines: vegetation mapping for potential archeological sites; marine and sea ice surveys on the Alaskan continental shelf for the determination of surface circulation and sedimentation patterns and their effects on navigation, pollution assessment, fisheries, location of habors and construction of off-shore structures; snow surveys for inventories of water resources and flood potential in Alaska watersheds.

  8. Facts About Alaska, Alaska Kids' Corner, State of Alaska

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees State of Alaska Search Home Quick Links Departments Commissioners Employee Whitepages State Government Jobs Federal Jobs Starting a Small Business Living Get a Driver License Get a Hunting

  9. Physical oceanography of continental shelves

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

    Allen, J.S.; Beardlsey, R.C.; Blanton, J.O.

    Knowledge of the physical oceanography of continental shelves has increased tremendously in recent years, primarily as a result of new current and hydrographic measurements made in locations where no comparable measurements existed previously. In general, observations from geographically distinct continental shelves have shown that the nature of the flow may vary considerably from region to region. Although some characteristics, such as the response of currents to wind forcing, are common to many shelves, the relative importance of various physical processes in influencing the shelf flow field frequently is different. In the last several years, the scientific literature on shelf studiesmore » has expanded rapidly, with that for separate regions, to some extent, developing independently because of the variable role played by different physical effects. Consequently, it seems that a simultaneous review of progress in physical oceanographic research in different shelf regions would be especially useful at this time in order to help assess the overall progress in the field. This multi-author report has been compiled as a result. Included are sections on the physical oceanography of continental shelves, in or off of, the eastern Bering Sea, northern Gulf of Alaska, Pacific Northwest, southern California, west Florida, southeastern US, Middle Atlantic Bight, Georges Bank and Peru. These discussions clearly point to the diverse nature of the dominant physics in several of the regions, as well as to some of the dynamical features they share in common. 390 references, 23 figures.« less

  10. Bathymetry and acoustic backscatter of the mid and outer continental shelf, head of De Soto Canyon, northeastern Gulf of Mexico: data, images, and GIS

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gardner, James V.; Hughes-Clarke, John E.; Mayer, Larry A.; Dartnell, Peter

    2003-01-01

    The mid to outer continental shelf off Mississippi-Alabama and off northwest Florida were the focus of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) multibeam echosounder (MBES) mapping cruises in 2000 and 2001, respectively. These areas were mapped to investigate the extent of "deep-water reefs" first suggested by Ludwig and Walton (1957). The reefs off Mississippi and Alabama were initially described in water depths of 60 to 120 m (Ludwig and Walton, 1957) but the 2000 mapping found reef and hardgrounds to be much more extensive than previously thought (Gardner et al., 2001). The persistent trend of reef-like features along the outer shelf of Mississippi-Alabama suggested the trend might continue along the northwest Florida mid and outer shelf so a MBES-mapping effort was mounted in 2001 to test this suggestion. It is critical to determine the accurate location, geomorphology, and types of the ridges and reefs that occur in this region to understand the Quaternary history of the area and to assess their importance as benthic habitats for fisheries. The area known as the "Head of De Soto Canyon" is the large unmapped region between the 2000 and 2001 mapped areas. It was unknown whether the reefs of the Mississippi-Alabama shelf continue eastward into the head of De Soto Canyon and connect with the ridges and reefs mapped on the northwest Florida outer shelf. The existence of carbonate-cemented Quaternary to Holocene sandstones along the western wall of the head of De Soto Canyon (Shipp and Hopkins, 1978; Benson et al., 1997; W.W. Schroeder, personal commun., 2002) is of interest because of the potential benthic habitats they may represent. In the summer of 2002, the USGS, in cooperation with Minerals Management Service (MMS), the University of New Hampshire, and the University of New Brunswick, conducted a MBES survey of the Head of De Soto Canyon Region connecting the 2000 and 2001 mapped regions.

  11. Seasonal variability of living benthic foraminifera from the outer continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duchemin, Gérald; Jorissen, Frans J.; Le Loc'h, François; Andrieux-Loyer, Françoise; Hily, Christian; Thouzeau, Gérard

    2008-08-01

    Living benthic foraminiferal faunas of six stations from the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay have been investigated during three successive seasons (spring, summer and autumn 2002). For the three investigated stations, bottom water oxygen concentration, oxygen penetration into the sediment and sediment organic carbon contents are all relatively similar. Therefore, we think that the density and the composition of the foraminiferal faunas is mainly controlled by the quantity and quality of organic input resulting from a succession of phytoplankton bloom events, occurring from late February to early September. The earliest blooms are positioned at the shelf break, late spring and early summer blooms occur off Brittany, whereas in late summer and early autumn, only coastal blooms appear, often in the vicinity of river outlets. In spring, the benthic foraminiferal faunas of central (B, C and D) and outer (E) continental shelf stations are characterised by strong dominance in the first area and strong presence in the second area of Nonionella iridea. In fact, station E does not serve as a major depocenter for the remains of phytoplankton blooms. If station E is not considered, the densities of this taxon show a clear gradient from the shelf-break, where the species dominates the assemblages, to the coast, where it attains very low densities. We explain this gradient as a response to the presence, in early spring, of an important phytoplankton bloom, mainly composed of coccolithophorids, over the shelf break. This observation is supported by the maximum particles flux values at stations close to the shelf break (18.5 g m - 2 h - 1 ) and lower values in a station closer to the coast (6.8 g m - 2 h - 1 ). In summer, the faunal density is maximum at station A, relatively close to more varied phytoplancton blooms that occur off Brittany until early June. We suggest that the dominant species, Nonion fabum, Cassidulina carinata and Bolivina ex. gr. dilatata respond to

  12. Source to sink evaluation of sediment routing in the Gulf of Alaska and Southeast Alaska: A thermochronometric perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dunn, Catherine A.; Enkelmann, Eva; Ridgway, Kenneth D.; Allen, Wai K.

    2017-03-01

    In this study, we present a source to sink evaluation of sediment routing at the glaciated convergent margin in Southeast Alaska. We investigate the efficacy of thermochronology to record spatial and temporal exhumation patterns in synorogenic sediment using Neogene strata drilled by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 341 in the Gulf of Alaska. We present 1641 and 529 new detrital zircon and apatite fission track ages, respectively, from strata deposited on the continental shelf, slope, and deep-sea fans. These data are compared to results from the proposed source terrains, including the St. Elias Mountains and new data from the Alsek River. We find that the offshore Bagley-Bering sediment contains grains recording cooling ages much older (80-35 Ma) than those reported from the St. Elias syntaxis (3-2 Ma), indicating that extreme rapid exhumation does not extend west of the Seward-Bagley divide. Data from the sediment on the continental shelf, slope, and proximal deep sea all yield similar results, suggesting the same general source region since 1.2 Ma and limited sediment mixing along this glaciated margin. Data from sediment in the distal deep sea show that extreme, rapid, and deep-seated exhumation was ongoing at 11-8 Ma. Overall, this study demonstrates the strengths and limitations of using detrital fission track thermochronology to understand sediment routing on a glaciated convergent margin and to record changes in exhumation rates over geologic time scales.

  13. Review: groundwater in Alaska (USA)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Callegary, J.B.; Kikuchi, C.P.; Koch, Joshua C.; Lilly, M.R.; Leake, S.A.

    2013-01-01

    Groundwater in the US state of Alaska is critical to both humans and ecosystems. Interactions among physiography, ecology, geology, and current and past climate have largely determined the location and properties of aquifers as well as the timing and magnitude of fluxes to, from, and within the groundwater system. The climate ranges from maritime in the southern portion of the state to continental in the Interior, and arctic on the North Slope. During the Quaternary period, topography and rock type have combined with glacial and periglacial processes to develop the unconsolidated alluvial aquifers of Alaska and have resulted in highly heterogeneous hydrofacies. In addition, the long persistence of frozen ground, whether seasonal or permanent, greatly affects the distribution of aquifer recharge and discharge. Because of high runoff, a high proportion of groundwater use, and highly variable permeability controlled in part by permafrost and seasonally frozen ground, understanding groundwater/surface-water interactions and the effects of climate change is critical for understanding groundwater availability and the movement of natural and anthropogenic contaminants.

  14. Assessment of undiscovered petroleum resources of the Arctic Alaska Petroleum Province

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Houseknecht, David W.; Bird, Kenneth J.; Garrity, Christopher P.

    2012-01-01

    The Arctic Alaska Petroleum Province encompasses all lands and adjacent continental shelf areas north of the Brooks Range-Herald arch tectonic belts and south of the northern (outboard) margin of the Alaska rift shoulder. Even though only a small part is thoroughly explored, it is one of the most prolific petroleum provinces in North America, with total known resources (cumulative production plus proved reserves) of about 28 billion barrels of oil equivalent. For assessment purposes, the province is divided into a platform assessment unit, comprising the Alaska rift shoulder and its relatively undeformed flanks, and a fold-and-thrust belt assessment unit, comprising the deformed area north of the Brooks Range and Herald arch tectonic belts. Mean estimates of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources include nearly 28 billion barrels of oil and 122 trillion cubic feet of nonassociated gas in the platform assessment unit and 2 billion barrels of oil and 59 trillion cubic feet of nonassociated gas in the fold-and-thrust belt assessment unit.

  15. Geomorphic characterization of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brothers, Daniel S.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Andrews, Brian D.; Chaytor, Jason D.

    2013-01-01

    The increasing volume of multibeam bathymetry data collected along continental margins is providing new opportunities to study the feedbacks between sedimentary and oceanographic processes and seafloor morphology. Attempts to develop simple guidelines that describe the relationships between form and process often overlook the importance of inherited physiography in slope depositional systems. Here, we use multibeam bathymetry data and seismic reflection profiles spanning the U.S. Atlantic outer continental shelf, slope and rise from Cape Hatteras to New England to quantify the broad-scale, across-margin morphological variation. Morphometric analyses suggest the margin can be divided into four basic categories that roughly align with Quaternary sedimentary provinces. Within each category, Quaternary sedimentary processes exerted heavy modification of submarine canyons, landslide complexes and the broad-scale morphology of the continental rise, but they appear to have preserved much of the pre-Quaternary, across-margin shape of the continental slope. Without detailed constraints on the substrate structure, first-order morphological categorization the U.S. Atlantic margin does not provide a reliable framework for predicting relationships between form and process.

  16. Atlantic continental margin of the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grow, John A.; Sheridan, Robert E.; Palmer, A.R.

    1982-01-01

    The objective of this Decade of North American Geology (D-NAG) volume will be to focus on the Mesozoic and Cenozoic evolution of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin, including the onshore coastal plain, related onshore Triassic-Jurassic rift grabens, and the offshore basins and platforms. Following multiple compressional tectonic episodes between Africa and North America during the Paleozoic Era that formed the Appalachian Mountains, the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras were dominated by tensional tectonic processes that separated Africa and North America. Extensional rifting during Triassic and Early Jurassic times resulted in numerous tensional grabens both onshore and offshore, which filled with nonmarine continental red beds, lacustrine deposits, and volcanic flows and debris. The final stage of this breakup between Africa and North America occurred beneath the present outer continental shelf and continental slope during Early or Middle Jurassic time when sea-floor spreading began to form new oceanic crust and lithosophere between the two continents as they drifted apart. Postrift subsidence of the marginal basins continued in response to cooling of the lithosphere and sedimentary loading.Geophysical surveys and oil-exploration drilling along the U.S. Atlantic continental margin during the past 5 years are beginning to answer many questions concerning its deep structure and stratigraphy and how it evolved during the rifting and early sea-floor-spreading stages of the separation of this region from Africa. Earlier geophysical studies of the U.S. continental margin used marine refraction and submarine gravity measurements. Single-channel seismic-reflection, marine magnetic, aeromagnetic, and continuous gravity measurements became available during the 1960s.

  17. Multi-interferogram method for measuring interseismic deformation: Denali Fault, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Biggs, Juliet; Wright, Tim; Lu, Zhong; Parsons, Barry

    2007-01-01

    Studies of interseismic strain accumulation are crucial to our understanding of continental deformation, the earthquake cycle and seismic hazard. By mapping small amounts of ground deformation over large spatial areas, InSAR has the potential to produce continental-scale maps of strain accumulation on active faults. However, most InSAR studies to date have focused on areas where the coherence is relatively good (e.g. California, Tibet and Turkey) and most analysis techniques (stacking, small baseline subset algorithm, permanent scatterers, etc.) only include information from pixels which are coherent throughout the time-span of the study. In some areas, such as Alaska, where the deformation rate is small and coherence very variable, it is necessary to include information from pixels which are coherent in some but not all interferograms. We use a three-stage iterative algorithm based on distributed scatterer interferometry. We validate our method using synthetic data created using realistic parameters from a test site on the Denali Fault, Alaska, and present a preliminary result of 10.5 ?? 5.0 mm yr-1 for the slip rate on the Denali Fault based on a single track of radar data from ERS1/2. ?? 2007 The Authors Journal compilation ?? 2007 RAS.

  18. Subducting plate geology in three great earthquake ruptures of the western Alaska margin, Kodiak to Unimak

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    von Huene, Roland E.; Miller, John J.; Weinrebe, Wilhelm

    2012-01-01

    Three destructive earthquakes along the Alaska subduction zone sourced transoceanic tsunamis during the past 70 years. Since it is reasoned that past rupture areas might again source tsunamis in the future, we studied potential asperities and barriers in the subduction zone by examining Quaternary Gulf of Alaska plate history, geophysical data, and morphology. We relate the aftershock areas to subducting lower plate relief and dissimilar materials in the seismogenic zone in the 1964 Kodiak and adjacent 1938 Semidi Islands earthquake segments. In the 1946 Unimak earthquake segment, the exposed lower plate seafloor lacks major relief that might organize great earthquake rupture. However, the upper plate contains a deep transverse-trending basin and basement ridges associated with the Eocene continental Alaska convergent margin transition to the Aleutian island arc. These upper plate features are sufficiently large to have affected rupture propagation. In addition, massive slope failure in the Unimak area may explain the local 42-m-high 1946 tsunami runup. Although Quaternary geologic and tectonic processes included accretion to form a frontal prism, the study of seismic images, samples, and continental slope physiography shows a previous history of tectonic erosion. Implied asperities and barriers in the seismogenic zone could organize future great earthquake rupture.

  19. A statistical overview of mass movement characteristics on the North American Atlantic outer continental margin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Booth, James S.; O'Leary, Dennis W.

    1992-01-01

    An analysis of 179 mass movements on the North American Atlantic continental slope and upper rise shows that slope failures have occurred throughout the geographic extent of the outer margin. Although the slope failures show no striking affinity for a particular depth as an origination level, there is a broad, primary mode centered at about 900 m. The resulting slides terminate at almost all depths and have a primary mode at 1100 m, but the slope/rise boundary (at 2200 m) also is an important mode. Slope failures have occurred at declivities ranging from 1° to 30° (typically, 4°); the resultant mass movement deposits vary in width from 0.2 to 50 km (typically, 1-2 km) and in length from 0.3 to 380 km (typically, 2–4 km), and they have been reported to be as thick as 650 m. On a numeric basis, mass movements are slightly more prevalent on open slopes than in other physiographic settings, and both translational and rotational failure surfaces are common. The typical mass movement is disintegrative in nature. Open slope slides tend to occur at lower slope angles and are larger than canyon slides. Further, large‐scale slides rather than small‐scale slides tend to originate on gentle slopes (≍ 3-4°). Rotational slope failures appear to have a slightly greater chance of occurring in canyons, but there is no analogous bias associated with translational failures. Similarly, disintegrative slides seem more likely to be associated with rotational slope failures than translational ones and are longer than their nondisintegrative counterparts. The occurrence of such a variety of mass movements at low declivities implies that a regional failure mechanism has prevailed. We suggest that earthquakes or, perhaps in some areas, gas hydrates are the most likely cause of the slope failures.

  20. Surface sedimentary units of the Gulf of Alaska continental shelf: Montague Island to Yakutat Bay

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Molnia, Bruce F.

    1977-01-01

    Four major sedimentary units occur on the sea floor of the continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Alaska. These units, defined on the basis of seismic and sedimentologic data, are: (1) Holocene sediments, (2) Holocene mind moraines, C3) Quaternary glacial marine sediments, and (4) Tertiary and Pleistocene lithified deposits. A wedge of Holocene fine sand to clayey silt covers most of the inner shelf, reaching maximum thicknesses of about 350 m seaward of the Copper River and about 200 m seaward of Icy Bay. Holocene end moraines are found at the mouth of Icy Bay, south of Bering Glacier, and at the mouth of Yakutat Bay. Quaternary glacial marine sediments are found in a narrow arc that borders, on the north and west side of Tart Bank and in a large arc 20 km or more offshore that parallels the shoreline between Kayak Island and Yakutat Bay. Tertiary or Pleistocene stratified sedimentary rocks, which in profile commonly are folded, faulted, and truncated, crop out on Tarr Bank, offshore of Montague Island, and in several localities southeast and southwest of Cape Yakataga. The lack of Holocene cover on Tarr Bank and Middleton, Kayak and Montague Island platforms may be due to the scouring action of swift bottom currents and large storm waves. West of Kayak Island the Copper River is the primary source of Holocene sediment. East of Kayak Island the major sediment sources are streams draining the larger ice fields, notably, the Malaspina and Bering Glaciers. Transport of bottom and suspended sediment is predominantly to the west. If deglaciation of the shelf was completed by 10,000 years B.P., maximum rates of accumulation of Holocene sediment on the inner shelf may be as high as 10-35 m per 1,000 years.

  1. Shear-wave splitting observations of mantle anisotropy beneath Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bellesiles, A. K.; Christensen, D. H.; Entwistle, E.; Litherland, M.; Abers, G. A.; Song, X.

    2009-12-01

    Observations of seismic anisotropy were obtained from three different PASSCAL broadband experiments throughout Alaska, using shear-wave splitting from teleseismic SKS phases. The MOOS (Multidisciplinary Observations Of Subduction), BEAAR (Broadband Experiment Across the Alaska Range), and ARCTIC (Alaska Receiving Cross-Transects for the Inner Core) networks were used along with selected permanent broadband stations operated by AEIC (Alaska Earthquake Information Center) to produce seismic anisotropy results for the state of Alaska along a north south transect from the active subduction zone in the south, through continental Alaska, to the passive margin in the north. The BEAAR network is in-between the ARCTIC and MOOS networks above the subducting Pacific Plate and mantle wedge and shows a tight ~90 degree rotation of anisotropy above the 70km contour of the subducting plate. The southern stations in BEAAR yield anisotropy results that are subparallel to the Pacific Plate motion as it subducts under North America. These stations have an average fast direction of -45 degrees and 1.03 seconds of delay on average. The MOOS network in south central Alaska yielded similar results with an average fast direction of -30 degrees and delay times of .9 seconds. In the north portion of the BEAAR network the anisotropy is along strike of the subduction zone and has an average fast direction of 27 degrees with an average delay time of 1.4 seconds, although the delay times above the mantle wedge range from 1 to 2.5 seconds and are directly correlated to the length of ray path in the mantle wedge. This general trend NE/SW is seen in the ARCTIC stations to the north although the furthest north stations are oriented more NNE compared to those in BEAAR. The average fast direction for the ARCTIC network is 40 degrees with an average delay time of 1.05 seconds. These results show two distinct orientations of anisotropy in Alaska separated by the subducting Pacific Plate.

  2. Structure and petroleum potential of the continental margin between Cross Sound and Icy Bay, northern Gulf of Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bruns, T.R.

    1982-01-01

    Major structural features of the Yakutat segment, the segment of the continental margin between Cross Sound and Icy Bay, northern Gulf of Alaska, are delineated by multichannel seismic reflection data. A large structural high is centered on Fairweather Ground and lies generally at the edge of the shelf from Cross Sound to west of the Alsek Valley. A basement uplift, the Dangerous River zone, along which the seismic acoustic basement shallows by up to two kilometers, extends north from the western edge of Fairweather Ground towards the mouth of the Dangerous River. The Dangerous River zone separates the Yakutat segment into two distinct subbasins. The eastern subbasin has a maximum sediment thickness of about 4 km, and the axis of the basin is near and parallel to the coast. Strata in this basin are largely of late Cenozoic age (Neogene and Quaternary) and approximately correlate with the onshore Yakataga Formation. The western subbasin has a maximum of at least 9 km of sediment, comprised of a thick (greater than 4.5 km) Paleogene section overlain by late Cenozoic strata. The Paleogene section is truncated along the Dangerous River zone by a combination of erosion, faulting, and onlap onto the acoustic basement. Within the western subbasin, the late Cenozoic basin axis is near and parallel to the coast, but the Paleogene basin axis appears to trend in a northwest direction diagonally across the shelf. Sedimentary strata throughout the Yakutat shelf show regional subsidence and only minor deformation except in the vicinity of the Fairweather Ground structural high, near and along the Dangerous River zone, and at the shoreline near Lituya Bay. Seismic data across the continental slope and adjacent deep ocean show truncation at the continental slope of Paleogene strata, the presence of a thick (to 6 km) undeformed or mildly deformed abyssal sedimentary section at the base of the slope that in part onlaps the slope, and a relatively narrow zone along the slope or at

  3. 75 FR 3387 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Alaska

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-21

    ... Explanation of Proposed Changes'' identifies changes and rational for each change made in the rules. These... change made to part 55, with a rational for each change. Response: The changes to the regulations are explained above. This comment requesting that the rational for each change be explained is beyond the scope...

  4. 75 FR 3392 - Outer Continental Shelf Air Regulations Consistency Update for Alaska

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-21

    ... 40 CFR part 55,\\1\\ which established requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources in order... air pollution from OCS sources located within 25 miles of States' seaward boundaries that are the same... the Act requires that EPA establish requirements to control air pollution from OCS sources located...

  5. Alaska Department of Revenue - Alaska Film Office

    Science.gov Websites

    State Employees Alaska Film Office Alaska Film Office State of Alaska HOME CREDIT PROGRAM PUBLIC REPORTING CPA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONTACT US State of Alaska > Department of Revenue > Alaska Film Office > Text Size: A+ | A- | A Text Only Effective July 1, 2015, the film production incentive

  6. Oil-spill risk analysis: Cook inlet outer continental shelf lease sale 149. Volume 2: Conditional risk contour maps of seasonal conditional probabilities. Final report

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

    Johnson, W.R.; Marshall, C.F.; Anderson, C.M.

    1994-08-01

    The Federal Government has proposed to offer Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands in Cook Inlet for oil and gas leasing. Because oil spills may occur from activities associated with offshore oil production, the Minerals Management Service conducts a formal risk assessment. In evaluating the significance of accidental oil spills, it is important to remember that the occurrence of such spills is fundamentally probabilistic. The effects of oil spills that could occur during oil and gas production must be considered. This report summarizes results of an oil-spill risk analysis conducted for the proposed Cook Inlet OCS Lease Sale 149. The objectivemore » of this analysis was to estimate relative risks associated with oil and gas production for the proposed lease sale. To aid the analysis, conditional risk contour maps of seasonal conditional probabilities of spill contact were generated for each environmental resource or land segment in the study area. This aspect is discussed in this volume of the two volume report.« less

  7. A preliminary assessment of geologic framework and sediment thickness studies relevant to prospective US submission on extended continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hutchinson, Deborah R.; Childs, Jonathan R.; Hammar-Klose, Erika; Dadisman, Shawn; Edgar, N. Terrence; Barth, Ginger A.

    2004-01-01

    Under the provisions of Articles 76 and 77 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), coastal States have sovereign rights over the continental shelf territory beyond 200-nautical mile (nm) from the baseline from which the territorial sea is measured if certain conditions are met regarding the geologic and physiographic character of the legal continental shelf as defined in those articles. These claims to an extended continental shelf must be supported by relevant bathymetric, geophysical and geological data according to guidelines established by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS, 1999). In anticipation of the United States becoming party to UNCLOS, Congress in 2001 directed the Joint Hydrographic Center/Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping at the University of New Hampshire to conduct a study to evaluate data relevant to establishing the outer limit of the juridical continental shelf beyond 200 nm and to recommend what additional data might be needed to substantiate such an outer limit (Mayer and others, 2002). The resulting report produced an impressive and sophisticated GIS database of data sources. Because of the short time allowed to complete the report, all seismic reflection data were classified together; the authors therefore recommended that USGS perform additional analysis on seismic and related data holdings. The results of this additional analysis are the substance of this report, including the status of geologic framework, sediment isopach research, and resource potential in the eight regions1 identified by Mayer and others (2002) where analysis of seismic data might be crucial for establishing an outer limit . Seismic reflection and refraction data are essential in determining sediment thickness, one of the criteria used in establishing the outer limits of the juridical continental shelf. Accordingly, the initial task has been to inventory public-domain seismic data sources, primarily those regionally

  8. An oilspill risk analysis for the Mid-Atlantic (proposed sale 76) outer continental shelf lease area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Samuels, W.B.; Hopkins, Dorothy

    1982-01-01

    An oilspill risk analysis was conducted for the mid-Atlantic (proposed sale 76) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease area. The analysis considered: the probability of spill occurrences based on historical trends; likely movement of oil slicks based on a climatological model; and locations of environmental resources which could be vulnerable to spilled oil. The times between spill occurrence and contact with resources were estimated to aid analysts in estimating slick characteristics. Critical assumptions made for this particular analysis were (1) that oil exists in the lease area, and (2) that 0.879 billion barrels of oil will be found and produced from tracts sold in sale 76. On the basis of this resource estimate, it was calculated that 3 to 4 oilspills of 1,000 barrels or greater will occur over the 30-year production life of the proposed sale 76 lease tracts. The results also depend upon the routes and methods chosen to transport oil from 0CS platforms to shore. Given the above assumptions, the estimated probability that one or more oilspills of 1,000 barrels or larger will occur and contact land after being at sea less than 30 days is 0.36; for spills 10,000 barrels or larger, the probability is 0.22. These probabilities also reflect the following assumptions: oilspills remain intact for up to 30 days, do not weather, and are not cleaned up. It is noteworthy that over 90 percent of the risk from proposed sale 76 is due to transportation rather than production of oil. In addition, the risks from proposed sale 76 are about 1/10 to 1/15 those of existing tanker transportation of crude oil imports and refined products in the mid-Atlantic area.

  9. Impact of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation on summertime surface temperatures of inland water bodies in Alaska (USA) and northwest Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Healey, N.; Hook, S. J.

    2016-12-01

    Due to water's high heat capacity, temperature fluctuations in lacustrine systems are a reflection of long-term ambient climate conditions rather than short-term meteorological forcing. There are many atmospheric phenomena (i.e. teleconnections) that influence the regional climatology of the Pacific basin, and one of the most influential is the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). This study examines spaceborne observations by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) from 2000-2015 of 15 inland water bodies in Alaska and Canada using the Inland Waterbody Surface Temperature (IWbST) version 1.0 algorithm. We analyze surface temperature trends in comparison to the variation of the PDO, and our findings suggest that the PDO is influencing summertime (July-September) inland water bodies in southern Alaska and northwestern Canada. The strongest influence is prevalent in the water bodies experiencing a maritime climate and situated closest to the Aleutian Peninsula/Gulf of Alaska. The second largest influence occurs in the northwestern Canadian water bodies that experience a weakened maritime climate, or a transitional regime between maritime and continental classifications. The weakest relationship with the PDO are water bodies located in the western, northwestern, and interior Alaska regions that experience more of a continental climate regime which are likely controlled by other large-scale teleconnections such as the Arctic Oscillation, the Pacific North American Index, or the North Pacific Index.

  10. Arctic continental shelf morphology related to sea-ice zonation, Beaufort Sea, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Reimnitz, E.; Toimil, L.; Barnes, P.

    1978-01-01

    Landsat-1 and NOAA satellite imagery for the winter 1972-1973, and a variety of ice and sea-floor data were used to study sea-ice zonation and dynamics and their relation to bottom morphology and geology on the Beaufort Sea continental shelf of arctic Alaska. In early winter the location of the boundary between undeformed fast ice and westward-drifting pack ice of the Pacific Gyre is controlled by major coastal promontories. Pronounced linear pressure- and shear-ridges, as well as hummock fields, form along this boundary and are stabilized by grounding, generally between the 10- and 20-m isobaths. Slippage along this boundary occurs intermittently at or seaward of the grounded ridges, forming new grounded ridges in a widening zone, the stamukhi zone, which by late winter extends out to the 40-m isobath. Between intermittent events along the stamukhi zone, pack-ice drift and slippage is continuous along the shelf edge, at average rates of 3-10 km/day. Whether slippage occurs along the stamukhi zone or along the shelf edge, it is restricted to a zone several hundred meters wide, and ice seaward of the slip face moves at uniform rates without discernible drag effects. A causal relationship is seen between the spatial distribution of major ice-ridge systems and offshore shoals downdrift of major coastal promontories. The shoals appear to have migrated shoreward under the influence of ice up to 400 m in the last 25 years. The sea floor seaward of these shoals within the stamukhi zone shows high ice-gouge density, large incision depths, and a high degree of disruption of internal sedimentary structures. The concentration of large ice ridges and our sea floor data in the stamukhi zone indicate that much of the available marine energy is expended here, while the inner shelf and coast, where the relatively undeformed fast ice grows, are sheltered. There is evidence that anomalies in the overall arctic shelf profile are related to sea-ice zonation, ice dynamics, and bottom

  11. 77 FR 24734 - Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy Program Leasing for Marine Hydrokinetic Technology...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-04-25

    ... Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy Program Leasing for Marine Hydrokinetic Technology Testing Offshore... found online at: http://www.boem.gov/Renewable-Energy-Program/State-Activities/Florida.aspx . [[Page.... FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Morin, BOEM Office of Renewable Energy Programs, 381 Elden...

  12. 75 FR 3915 - Environmental Documents Prepared in Support of Sand and Gravel Activities on the Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-25

    ... of Sand and Gravel Activities on the Outer Continental Shelf AGENCY: Minerals Management Service... Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and... Impact (FONSI) prepared and/or adopted by the MMS for three sand and gravel activities proposed on the...

  13. Observations on Gulf of Alaska seamount chains by multi-beam sonar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smoot, N. Christian

    1985-06-01

    Geomorphic and age data are presented for the Dellwood, Denson, Dickins, Giacomini, and Ely seamounts, the Tsimshian Seachannel, and the southern Juan de Fuca Ridge with Brown Bear, Bear Cub, Grizzly Bear, and Cobb seamounts. Formational speculations extrapolated to a regional scale allow the strikes and outer limits of the seamount chains to be interpreted. Six of these chains are shown in the Gulf of Alaska, none of which conform to the Pratt-Welker or Kodiak-Bowie in the literature. Different strikes show the chains/plate to have rotated 23° about 17 m.y. ago. Morphology also shows that there are four less guyots in the Gulf than previously thought, and that, at least in the Gulf of Alaska, guyot heights do not necessarily reflect sealevel during erosion.

  14. 77 FR 57581 - Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-09-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of the availability of environmental...

  15. 77 FR 34405 - Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-11

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of the availability of environmental...

  16. 77 FR 74213 - Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of the availability of environmental...

  17. Stability of Gas Hydrates on Continental Margins: Implications of Subsurface Fluid Flow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nunn, J. A.

    2008-12-01

    Gas hydrates are found at or just below the sediment-ocean interface in continental margins settings throughout the world. They are also found on land in high latitude regions such as the north slope of Alaska. While gas hydrate occurrence is common, gas hydrates are stable under a fairly restricted range of temperatures and pressures. In a purely conductive thermal regime, near surface temperatures depend on basal heat flow, thermal conductivity of sediments, and temperature at the sediment-water or sediment-air interface. Thermal conductivity depends on porosity and sediment composition. Gas hydrates are most stable in areas of low heat flow and high thermal conductivity which produce low temperature gradients. Older margins with thin continental crust and coarse grained sediments would tend to be colder. Another potentially important control on subsurface temperatures is advective heat transport by recharge/discharge of groundwater. Upward fluid flow depresses temperature gradients over a purely conductive regime with the same heat flow which would make gas hydrates more stable. Downward fluid flow would have the opposite effect. However, regional scale fluid flow may substantially increase heat flow in discharge areas which would destabilize gas hydrates. For example, discharge of topographically driven groundwater along the coast in the Central North Slope of Alaska has increased surface heat flow in some areas by more than 50% over a purely conductive thermal regime. Fluid flow also alters the pressure regime which can affect gas hydrate stability. Modeling results suggest a positive feedback between gas hydrate formation/disassociation and fluid flow. Disassociation of gas hydrates or permafrost due to global warming could increase permeability. This could enhance fluid flow and associated heat transport causing a more rapid and/or more spatially extensive gas hydrate disassociation than predicted solely from conductive propagation of temporal changes in

  18. 75 FR 54369 - BOEMRE Information Collection Activity: 1010-NEW, Upcoming Projects Considering the Use of Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-07

    ... shore protection and beach and coastal restoration, or for use in construction projects funded in whole... Considering the Use of Outer Continental Shelf Sand, Gravel, and Shell Resources for Coastal Restoration and... will submit to BOEMRE to obtain OCS sand, gravel, and shell resources for use in shore protection and...

  19. Offshore oil and gas activity impact. Hearings before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, US Senate, One Hundred Sixth Congress, First Session, January 27, 1999

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

    NONE

    1999-07-01

    The purpose of this hearing is hear of the impacts of offshore exploration and production activities on coastal states and communities as it relates to Senate Bill 25. This bill would remedy current inequities by redistributing 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) revenues to three programs: coastal impact assistance, local park and recreation, and wildlife programs. Statements were heard from representatives from three of the Gulf Coast States, as well as Alaska.

  20. Coastal Environment, Bathymetry and Physical Oceanography along the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering Seas.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-01-01

    Unit No. 347 , Vol. III, Chukchi-Beaufort Sea, 409 pp. 3. Hopkins, D.M. and R.W. Hartz, 1978, Coastal morphology, coastal erosion, and barrier islands of...U.S. Department of Commerce, Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program Final Report, Research Unit No. 347 , vol. III, Chukchi...Assessment Program Final Report, Research Univ No. 347 , vol. II, Bering Sea, 443 pp. 3. U.S. Department of Commerce, 1964, Pacific and Arctic Coasts

  1. Aerial Surveys of Endangered Whales in the Beaufort, Chukchi & Northern Bering Seas.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-03-01

    geophysical boats (in preparation). CGales, R.S., 1982. Effects of noise of offshore oil and gas operations on marine mammals - an introductory assessment...the bowheads through or near areas on the outer continental shelf of Alaska that are currently being assessed as potential sources of mineral and oil ...Federal and Joint State-Federal oil lease areas in the Beaufort Sea (Ljungblad et al, 1980; Ljungblad, 1981). This area is collectively called the Diapir

  2. An oilspill risk analysis for the South Atlantic (proposed sale 78) outer continental shelf lease area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Samuels, W.B.

    1982-01-01

    An oilspill risk analysis was conducted for the South Atlantic (proposed sale 78) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease area. The analysis considered the probability of spill occurrences based on historical trends; likely movement of oil slicks based on a climatological model ; and locations of environmental resources which could be vulnerable to spilled oil. The times between spill occurrence and contact with resources were estimated to aid analysts in estimating slick characteristics. Critical assumptions made for this particular analysis were: (1) that oil exists in the lease area, (2) that either 0.228 billion (mean case) or 1.14 billion (high case) barrels of oil will be found and produced from tracts sold in sale 78, and (3) that all the oil will be found either in the northern or the southern portion of the lease area. On the basis of these resource estimates, it was estimated that 1 to 5 oilspills of 1,000 barrels or greater will occur over the 25 to 30-year production life of the proposed sale 78 tracts. The results also depend upon the routes and methods chosen to transport oil from OCS platforms to shore. Given the above assumptions, the estimated probability that one or more oilspills of 1,000 barrels or larger will occur and contact land after being at sea less than 30 days is less than 15 percent for all cases considered; for spills 10,000 barrels or larger, the probability is less than 10 percent. These probabilities also reflect the following assumptions: oilspills remain intact for up to 30 days, do not weather, and are not cleaned up. It is noteworthy that over 80 percent of the risk of oilspill occurrence from proposed sale 78 is due to transportation rather than production of oil. In addition, the risks of oilspill occurrence from proposed sale 78 (mean resource estimate) are less than one-tenth of the risks of existing tanker transportation of crude oil imports and refined products in the South Atlantic area.

  3. Observed Oceanic Response over the Upper Continental Slope and Outer Shelf during Hurricane Ivan

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-09-01

    the slope and rise. In addition, they were presumed to be along-shelf and cross-shelf components of group veloci- generated by pulsations of the Loop ...hits. Fortunately, all of exchange of mass, momentum, heat , and water proper- the SEED moorings survived this powerful storm and ties across the shelf...15. SUBJECT TERMS SEED, continental shelf, Doppler, waves 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF RESPONSIBLE

  4. Glaciers of North America - Glaciers of Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Molnia, Bruce F.

    2008-01-01

    Glaciers cover about 75,000 km2 of Alaska, about 5 percent of the State. The glaciers are situated on 11 mountain ranges, 1 large island, an island chain, and 1 archipelago and range in elevation from more than 6,000 m to below sea level. Alaska's glaciers extend geographically from the far southeast at lat 55 deg 19'N., long 130 deg 05'W., about 100 kilometers east of Ketchikan, to the far southwest at Kiska Island at lat 52 deg 05'N., long 177 deg 35'E., in the Aleutian Islands, and as far north as lat 69 deg 20'N., long 143 deg 45'W., in the Brooks Range. During the 'Little Ice Age', Alaska's glaciers expanded significantly. The total area and volume of glaciers in Alaska continue to decrease, as they have been doing since the 18th century. Of the 153 1:250,000-scale topographic maps that cover the State of Alaska, 63 sheets show glaciers. Although the number of extant glaciers has never been systematically counted and is thus unknown, the total probably is greater than 100,000. Only about 600 glaciers (about 1 percent) have been officially named by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN). There are about 60 active and former tidewater glaciers in Alaska. Within the glacierized mountain ranges of southeastern Alaska and western Canada, 205 glaciers (75 percent in Alaska) have a history of surging. In the same region, at least 53 present and 7 former large ice-dammed lakes have produced jokulhlaups (glacier-outburst floods). Ice-capped volcanoes on mainland Alaska and in the Aleutian Islands have a potential for jokulhlaups caused by subglacier volcanic and geothermal activity. Because of the size of the area covered by glaciers and the lack of large-scale maps of the glacierized areas, satellite imagery and other satellite remote-sensing data are the only practical means of monitoring regional changes in the area and volume of Alaska's glaciers in response to short- and long-term changes in the maritime and continental climates of the State. A review of the

  5. Paleomagnetism of sedimentary cores from the Ross Sea outer shelf and continental slope (PNRA-ROSSLOPE II Project)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Macrì, Patrizia; Sagnotti, Leonardo; Caricchi, Chiara; Colizza, Ester

    2016-04-01

    We carried out a paleomagnetic and rock magnetic study of 4 gravity cores sampled in the Ross Sea continental slope of the area to the east of Pennell-Iselin banks. The cores (RS14-C1, C2, C3 and ANTA99-C20) consist of hemipelagic fine-grained (silty-clays) sediments with an IRD component. Rock magnetic and paleomagnetic measurements were carried out at 1-cm spacing on u-channel samples. The data indicate that the cored sediments carry a well-defined characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) and have a valuable potential to reconstruct dynamics and amplitude of the geomagnetic field variation at high southern latitudes (ca. 75°S) during the Holocene and the late Pleistocene. The paleomagnetic and rock magnetic data are integrated in a multidisciplinary context which includes previous geological, geophysical, oceanographic and morpho-bathimetric data obtained in the same area in the frame of the PNRA/ROSSLOPE (Past and present sedimentary dynamic in the ROSS Sea: a multidisciplinary approach to study the continental slope) Project. The main aim of the project is to investigate the relation between present and past water mass circulation and to provide a basis for paleoceanographic reconstructions and for the development of a depositional model of the modern processes active along the continental slope.

  6. Evidence of Emperor Geese breeding in Russia and staging in Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schmutz, Joel A.; Kondratyev, Alexander V.

    1995-01-01

    Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) breed primarily on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska (Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick 1977), but a small, poorly quantified proportion of the world's population is known to breed in the Russia Far East (Kistchinski 1976, 1988, Portenko 1981). Eisenhauer and Kirkpatrick (1977) stated that 80 to 90% of all Emperor Geese breed on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, and current estimates for numbers of breeding pairs in this area are 20,000 to 25,000 (R. A. Stehn, National Biological Service, Anchorage, Alaska, unpubl. data). In Russia, Emperor Geese are distributed primarily along the north coast of the Chukotka Peninsula between Kolyuchin Bay and Cape Shmidt, and in the Anadyr Lowlands along the coast of Anadyr Bay (Fig. 1; Kistchinski 1988, Kondratyev 1992, 1993), Kistchinski (1976) noted that up to 80% of these geese are nonbreeding birds. Recent aerial surveys of Emperor Goose habitats along the eastern coast of Russia indicated a minimum of 3,000 to 5,000 geese, although very few were on nests or with young, and only 127 total broods were seen during these surveys (J. I. Hodges, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Juneau, Alaska, unpubl. data) It is not known if these two continental distributions of breeding Emperor Geese commingle and use similar areas during migration and for winter. Aerial surveys of the Alaska Peninsula during spring and fall indicate that lagoons on the northern coast are the primary staging areas for this species, and it is presumed that virtually all Emperor Geese use the Alaska Peninsula during migration (Petersen and Gill 1982). Emperor Geese winter throughout the Aleutian and Kommandorsky islands (Byrd et al., 1974). In the late fall, geese arrive in the western and eastern Aleutian Islands before arriving in the central Aleutians, thus suggesting that geese may be coming to this wintering area from both continents (G. V. Byrd pers, comm.). Speculations of previous investigators that Emperor Geese breeding in

  7. 78 FR 72096 - Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-12-02

    ... environmental documents prepared for OCS mineral proposals by the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region. SUMMARY: BOEM, in... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [MMAA104000] Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region...

  8. 78 FR 47746 - Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-06

    ... Environmental Documents Prepared for OCS Mineral Proposals by the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region. SUMMARY: BOEM, in... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management [MMAA104000] Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region...

  9. 78 FR 27422 - Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-10

    ... Environmental Documents Prepared for OCS Mineral Proposals by the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region. SUMMARY: BOEM, in... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management MMAA104000 Environmental Documents Prepared for Oil, Gas, and Mineral Operations by the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region...

  10. 77 FR 65547 - Reissuance of the NPDES General Permits for Oil and Gas Exploration Facilities on the Outer...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-10-29

    ... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-9747-5] Reissuance of the NPDES General Permits for Oil and... Sea and on the Outer Continental Shelf in the Chukchi Sea, AK AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency... draft general permits were also published in the Anchorage Daily News, the Arctic Sounder, and Petroleum...

  11. Alaska Air National Guard

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska Symbol Visit 168th Wing Website State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska

  12. Pliocene terrace gravels of the ancestral Yukon River near Circle, Alaska: Palynology, paleobotany, paleoenvironmental reconstruction and regional correlation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ager, T.A.; Matthews, J.V.; Yeend, W.

    1994-01-01

    Gravels deposited by the ancestral Yukon River are preserved in terrace remnants on the margins of the Yukon River valley near the village of Circle in east-central Alaska. Plant fossils recovered from sandy silt lenses within these gravels include cones and needles of Picea and Larix and a variety of seeds. Seed types include several taxa which no longer grow in Alaska, such as Epipremnum, Prunus and Weigela. Pollen types recovered from these deposits represent tree and shrub taxa that grow in interior Alaska today, such as Picea, Larix, Betula and Alnus, as well as several taxa that no longer grow in interior Alaska today, such as Pinus, Tsuga, Abies and Corylus. Pollen of herb taxa identified include Gramineae, Cyperaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Compositae, Polemonium and Epilobium. The fossil flora from the gravels near Circle are similar and probably age-equivalent to the flora recovered from the Nenana Gravel in the Alaska Range 250 km to the south. Palynological and tectonic evidence summarized in this paper now suggests that the Nenana Gravel was deposited during the early and middle Pliocene. The presence of plant fossils of Tsuga, Abies, Pinus, Weigela and Prunus suggests that the mean annual temperature (MAT) of eastern interior Alaska during the early and middle Pliocene was perhaps 7-9??C warmer and less continental than today's MAT of -6.4??C. ?? 1994.

  13. Maps showing late Pleistocene and Holocene evolution of the South Texas continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pyle, Carroll A.; Berryhill, Henry L.; Trippet, Anita R.

    1979-01-01

    Interpretation of acoustical profiles has provided insight into the late Quaternary geologic history of the Continental Shelf off South Texas. (See the geographic index map on sheet 1 for location of the area studied.) The profiles reveal the interplay of tectonism, sedimentation, and cyclic fluctuations of sea level in the building and geologic evolution of the continental terrace. The sequence of sediments studied extends to about 200 meters (m) beneath the sea-floor surface. Four seismic-stratigraphic units underlain by four prominent sound reflectors were identified and mapped. This geologic synthesis, for which the research was funded by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is but one aspect of a coordinated, multidisciplinary environmental study of the South Texas Outer Continental Shelf sponsored by BLM (Berryhill, 1976, 1977). The environmental studies are keyed to the leasing of Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands for petroleum exploration and production. Their purpose is to provide the data development of petroleum resources on the OCS, as well as to provide the basis for predicting the impact of oil and gas exploration and production on the marine environment. Of primary concern is the recognition of geologic conditions that might be hazardous to structures placed on the sea floor. Geologic hazards relate directly to the potential for significant movement of the sea floor in the future. Judging sea-floor stability and recognizing geologic features that are potentially hazardous require an understanding of the recent geologic history of the area, which, in turn, entails determining the relative rates and interactions of sedimentation and tectonism through time. In addition to the primary objective, the synthesis provides knowledge about the magnitude and extent of sea-level fluctuations in the western Gulf of Mexico, and it provides a depositional facies model of possible use in appraising the resource potential of the more deeply buried

  14. State of Alaska

    Science.gov Websites

    Alaska Railroad Alaska Maps Alaska Travel Safety Information Alaska Fish and Game Alaska Facts & Month Services How Do I? Education Health Jobs Safety How Do I? Apply for a Permanent Fund Dividend File Information More Dept. of Commerce, Comm... More Dept. of Labor & Workforce Dev. Safety 511 - Traveler

  15. Deep-sea coral research and technology program: Alaska deep-sea coral and sponge initiative final report

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Rooper, Chris; Stone, Robert P.; Etnoyer, Peter; Conrath, Christina; Reynolds, Jennifer; Greene, H. Gary; Williams, Branwen; Salgado, Enrique; Morrison, Cheryl L.; Waller, Rhian G.; Demopoulos, Amanda W.J.

    2017-01-01

    Deep-sea coral and sponge ecosystems are widespread throughout most of Alaska’s marine waters. In some places, such as the central and western Aleutian Islands, deep-sea coral and sponge resources can be extremely diverse and may rank among the most abundant deep-sea coral and sponge communities in the world. Many different species of fishes and invertebrates are associated with deep-sea coral and sponge communities in Alaska. Because of their biology, these benthic invertebrates are potentially impacted by climate change and ocean acidification. Deepsea coral and sponge ecosystems are also vulnerable to the effects of commercial fishing activities. Because of the size and scope of Alaska’s continental shelf and slope, the vast majority of the area has not been visually surveyed for deep-sea corals and sponges. NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program (DSCRTP) sponsored a field research program in the Alaska region between 2012–2015, referred to hereafter as the Alaska Initiative. The priorities for Alaska were derived from ongoing data needs and objectives identified by the DSCRTP, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC), and Essential Fish Habitat-Environmental Impact Statement (EFH-EIS) process.This report presents the results of 15 projects conducted using DSCRTP funds from 2012-2015. Three of the projects conducted as part of the Alaska deep-sea coral and sponge initiative included dedicated at-sea cruises and fieldwork spread across multiple years. These projects were the eastern Gulf of Alaska Primnoa pacifica study, the Aleutian Islands mapping study, and the Gulf of Alaska fish productivity study. In all, there were nine separate research cruises carried out with a total of 109 at-sea days conducting research. The remaining projects either used data and samples collected by the three major fieldwork projects or were piggy-backed onto existing research programs at the Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC).

  16. 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.

  17. GeoFORCE Alaska, A Successful Summer Exploring Alaska's Geology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wartes, D.

    2012-12-01

    Thirty years old this summer, RAHI, the Rural Alaska Honors Institute is a statewide, six-week, summer college-preparatory bridge program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for Alaska Native and rural high school juniors and seniors. This summer, in collaboration with the University of Texas Austin, the Rural Alaska Honors Institute launched a new program, GeoFORCE Alaska. This outreach initiative is designed to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing STEM degree programs and entering the future high-tech workforce. It uses Earth science to entice kids to get excited about dinosaurs, volcanoes and earthquakes, and includes physics, chemistry, math, biology and other sciences. Students were recruited from the Alaska's Arctic North Slope schools, in 8th grade to begin the annual program of approximately 8 days, the summer before their 9th grade year and then remain in the program for all four years of high school. They must maintain a B or better grade average and participate in all GeoFORCE events. The culmination is an exciting field event each summer. Over the four-year period, events will include trips to Fairbanks and Anchorage, Arizona, Oregon and the Appalachians. All trips focus on Earth science and include a 100+ page guidebook, with tests every night culminating with a final exam. GeoFORCE Alaska was begun by the University of Alaska Fairbanks in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, which has had tremendous success with GeoFORCE Texas. GeoFORCE Alaska is managed by UAF's long-standing Rural Alaska Honors Institute, that has been successfully providing intense STEM educational opportunities for Alaskan high school students for over 30 years. The program will add a new cohort of 9th graders each year for the next four years. By the summer of 2015, GeoFORCE Alaska is targeting a capacity of 160 students in grades 9th through 12th. Join us to find out more about this exciting new initiative, which is enticing young Alaska Native

  18. Tectonic elements of the continental margin of East Antarctica, 38-164ºE

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    O'Brien, P.E.; Stagg, H.M.J.

    2007-01-01

    The East Antarctic continental margin from 38–164ºE is divided into western and eastern provinces that developed during the separation of India from Australia–Antarctica (Early Cretaceous) and Australia from Antarctica (Late Cretaceous). In the overlap between these provinces the geology is complex and bears the imprint of both extension/spreading episodes, with an overprinting of volcanism. The main rift-bounding faults appear to approximately coincide with the outer edge of the continental shelf. Inboard of these faults, the sedimentary cover thins above shallowing basement towards the coast where crystalline basement generally crops out. The continental slope and the landward flanks of the ocean basins, are blanketed by up to 9–10 km of mainly post-rift sediments in margin-parallel basins, except in the Bruce Rise area. Beneath this blanket, extensive rift basins are identified off Enderby and Wilkes Land/Terre Adélie; however, their extent and detailed structures are difficult to determine.

  19. Permafrost-associated natural gas hydrate occurrences on the Alaska North Slope

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Collett, T.S.; Lee, M.W.; Agena, W.F.; Miller, J.J.; Lewis, K.A.; Zyrianova, M.V.; Boswell, R.; Inks, T.L.

    2011-01-01

    In the 1960s Russian scientists made what was then a bold assertion that gas hydrates should occur in abundance in nature. Since this early start, the scientific foundation has been built for the realization that gas hydrates are a global phenomenon, occurring in permafrost regions of the arctic and in deep water portions of most continental margins worldwide. In 1995, the U.S. Geological Survey made the first systematic assessment of the in-place natural gas hydrate resources of the United States. That study suggested that the amount of gas in the gas hydrate accumulations of northern Alaska probably exceeds the volume of known conventional gas resources on the North Slope. Researchers have long speculated that gas hydrates could eventually become a producible energy resource, yet technical and economic hurdles have historically made gas hydrate development a distant goal. This view began to change in recent years with the realization that this unconventional resource could be developed with existing conventional oil and gas production technology. One of the most significant developments was the completion of the BPXA-DOE-USGS Mount Elbert Gas Hydrate Stratigraphic Test Well on the Alaska North Slope, which along with the Mallik project in Canada, have for the first time allowed the rational assessment of gas hydrate production technology and concepts. Almost 40 years of gas hydrate research in northern Alaska has confirmed the occurrence of at least two large gas hydrate accumulations on the North Slope. We have also seen in Alaska the first ever assessment of how much gas could be technically recovered from gas hydrates. However, significant technical concerns need to be further resolved in order to assess the ultimate impact of gas hydrate energy resource development in northern Alaska. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

  20. Spatial variation of slip behavior beneath the Alaska Peninsula along Alaska-Aleutian Subduction Zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, S.; Freymueller, J. T.

    2017-12-01

    The Alaska Peninsula, including the Shumagin and Semidi segments in the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone, is one of the best places in the world to study along-strike variations in the seismogenic zone. Understanding the cause of along-strike variations on the plate interface and seismic potential is significant for better understanding of the dynamic mechanical properties of faults and the rheology of the lower crust and lithospheric mantle in subduction zones. GPS measurements can be used to study these properties and estimate the slip deficit distribution on the plate interface. We re-surveyed pre-existing (1992-2001) campaign GPS sites in 2016 and estimated a new dense and highly precise GPS velocity field for the Alaska Peninsula. We find evidence for only minimal time variations in the slip distribution in the region. We used the TDEFNODE software package to invert for the slip deficit distribution from the new velocities. There are long-wavelength systematic misfits to the vertical velocities from the optimal model that fits the horizontal velocities well, which cannot be explained by altering the slip distribution on the subduction plate interface. Possible explanations for the systematic misfit are still under investigation since the plate geometry, GIA effect and reference frame errors do not explain the misfits. In this study, we use only the horizontal velocities. We divided the overall Alaska Peninsula area into three sub-areas, which have strong differences in the pattern of the observed deformation, and explored optimal models for each sub-area. The width of the locked region decreases step-wise from NE to SW along strike. Then we compared each of these models to all of the data to identify the locations of the along-strike boundaries that mark the transition from strongly to weakly coupled segments of the margin. We identified three sharp boundaries separating segments with different fault slip deficit rate distributions. Significant change in fault

  1. Climatic Atlas of the Outer Continental Shelf Waters and Coastal Regions of Alaska. Volume I. Gulf of Alaska.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1977-01-01

    extremes January 53 LaefdWave height/ direction Marine Area A Marine Area 8 Dog ~’~. 0 B0-0 ---O -, o .1 -o.- 1-o~~~ 0 00 CO 0000 C0 ....0 bo...F CLO’.0 PorN " :% t:o.H’ 4 C.- 0 ’O.NT IN ’ g: CLOU Ou JN’ :N EI GHo TS A’ o N’ IN r7G,𔃺 S 1oo 4o ’ b - , ,Z, - 9 0 bn0 1 -- 4 S9£~~~1 󈧶qS16

  2. Geological studies of the COST GE-1 well, United States South Atlantic outer continental shelf area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Scholle, Peter A.

    1979-01-01

    The COST No. GE-1 well is the first deep stratigraphic test to be drilled in the southern part of the U.S. Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (AOCS) area. The well was drilled within the Southeast Georgia Embayment to a total depth of 13,254 ft (4,040 m). It penetrated a section composed largely of chalky limestones to a depth of about 3,300 ft (1,000 m) below the drill platform. Limestones and calcareous shales with some dolomite predominate between 3,300 and 7,200 ft (1,000 and 2,200 m), whereas interbedded sandstones and shales are dominant from 7,200 to 11,000 ft (2,200 to 3,350 m). From 11,000 ft (3,350 m) to the bottom, the section consists of highly indurated to weakly metamorphosed pelitic sedimentary rocks and meta-igneous flows or intrusives. Biostratigraphic examination has shown that the section down to approximately 3,500 ft (1,060 m) is Tertiary, the interval from 3,500 to 5,900 ft (1,060 to 1,800 m) is Upper Cretaceous, and the section from 5,900 to 11,000 ft (1,800 to 3,350 m) is apparently Lower Cretaceous. The indurated to weakly metamorphosed section below 11,000 ft (3,350 m) is barren of fauna or flora but is presumed to be Paleozoic based on radiometric age determinations. Rocks deposited at upper-slope water depths were encountered in the Upper Cretaceous, Oligocene, and Miocene parts of the section. All other units were deposited in outer-shelf to terrestrial environments. Examination of cores, well cuttings, and electric logs shows that potential hydrocarbon-reservoir units are present within the chalks in the uppermost part of the section as well as in sandstone beds to a depth of at least 10,000 ft (3,000 m). Sandstones below that depth, and the metamorphic section between 11,000 and 13.250 ft (3,350 and 4,040 m) have extremely low permeabilities and are unlikely to contain potential reservoir rock. Studies of organic geochemistry, vitrinite reflectance, and color alteration of visible organic matter indicate that the chalk section down to

  3. Home - Gold mining in Alaska - Libraries, Archives, & Museums at Alaska

    Science.gov Websites

    State Library Skip to main content State of Alaska myAlaska Departments State Employees Statewide Links × Upcoming Holiday Closure for Memorial Day The Alaska State Libraries, Archives, & Tuesday, May 29. Department of Education and Early Development Alaska State Libraries, Archives, and

  4. Alaska Tidal Datum Portal - Alaska Tidal Datum Calculator | Alaska Division

    Science.gov Websites

    Coastal Hazards Program Guide to Geologic Hazards in Alaska MAPTEACH Tsunami Inundation Mapping Energy Portal main content Alaska Tidal Datum Portal Unambiguous vertical datums in the coastal environment are projects to ensure protection of human life, property, and the coastal environment. January 2017 - Update

  5. Catalog of the historically active volcanoes of Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Miller, T.P.; McGimsey, R.G.; Richter, D.H.; Riehle, J.R.; Nye, C.J.; Yount, M.E.; Dumoulin, Julie A.

    1998-01-01

    Alaska hosts within its borders over 80 major volcanic centers that have erupted during Holocene time (< 10,000 years). At least 29 of these volcanic centers (table 1) had historical eruptions and 12 additional volcanic centers may have had historical eruptions. Historical in Alaska generally means the period since 1760 when explorers, travelers, and inhabitants kept written records. These 41 volcanic centers have been the source for >265 eruptions reported from Alaska volcanoes. With the exception of Wrangell volcano, all the centers are in, or near, the Aleutian volcanic arc, which extends 2500 km from Hayes volcano 145 km west of Anchorage in the Alaska-Aleutian Range to Buldir Island in the western Aleutian Islands (fig. 1). The volcanic arc, a subduction-related feature associated with underthrusting of the Pacific plate beneath the North American plate is divided between oceanic island arc and continental margin segments, the boundary occurring at about 165° W longitude (fig. 1). An additional 7 volcanic centers in the Aleutian arc (table 2; fig. 1 A) have active fumarole fields but no reported historical eruptions.This report discusses the location, physiography and structure, eruptive history, and geology of those volcanoes in Alaska that have experienced one or more eruptions that have been recorded in the written history (i.e., in historical time). It is part of the group of catalogs entitled Catalogue of Active Volcanoes of the World published beginning in 1951 under the auspices of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI). A knowledge of the information contained in such catalogs aids in understanding the type and scale of activity that might be expected during a particular eruption, the hazards the eruption may pose, and even the prediction of eruptions. The catalog will thus be of value not only to the inhabitants of Alaska but to government agencies concerned with emergency response, air traffic

  6. 75 FR 803 - Safety Zone; FRONTIER DISCOVERER, Outer Continental Shelf Drillship, Chukchi and Beaufort Sea...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-01-06

    ... order to drill exploratory wells at various prospects located in the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Outer... reduce the threat of allisions, oil spills, and releases of natural gas, and thereby protect the safety... FRONTIER DISCOVERER while anchored on location in order to drill exploratory wells in several prospects...

  7. Home, Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, State of Alaska

    Science.gov Websites

    State logo Alaska Department of Administration Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Administration AOGCC Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Javascript is required to run this webpage

  8. Outer Continental Shelf Stratigraphic Development and Sand Resource Potential: Integration of New and Legacy Geologic Datasets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hughes, M.; Harris, S.; Luciano, K. E.; Alexander, C. R., Jr.

    2017-12-01

    Following the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the U.S. Atlantic coast in 2012 the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), in cooperation with state partners, instituted several regional offshore resource studies for the near outer continental shelf (OCS) on the US East Coast. This study focuses on a portion of this region, offshore of South Carolina and Georgia, with a primary goal of identifying beach renourishment sands and wind-tower placement locations, and creating a conceptual model of the evolution of the shelf in these areas. New and previously collected data are being used to identify sediment distribution patterns, paleolandscapes, sand resources for beach renourishment projects, and feasible locations for offshore wind installations. New chirp subbottom profiler data ( 1000 km), sidescan sonar data ( 7900km2), magnetometer data ( 1700 km), and multibeam bathymetry data ( 430km2) have been processed and interpreted at the University of Charleston using SonarWiz7, QPS-Qimera and QPS-Fledermaus software suites. Areas of focus for the Atlantic Sand Assessment Program (ASAP) data collection along the SC and GA coast are located within the 3 to 8 nautical mile (nm) OCS offshore of (North to South) Little River, Cape Romain, Folly Beach, Hilton Head, Wassaw, Ossabaw, Jekyll, St. Simons, and Cumberland islands. Ravinement, pre-Holocene, and other seismic surfaces, along with internal geometries, were mapped in these distinctly different tidal and wave regimes. Holocene sediment thickness gradually increases to the south with several sediment wedges in excess of 40 meters thickness. Where mapped, subsurface paleochannels/valleys were identified and analyzed for their orientation and complexity, as well as their size and distribution. These paleochannels are more numerous and increasingly complex in the southern survey areas. The channels are possibly related to transgressive channeling, Pleistocene low-stand river channeling, and braided stream formation during

  9. Earthquakes in Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Haeussler, Peter J.; Plafker, George

    1995-01-01

    Earthquake risk is high in much of the southern half of Alaska, but it is not the same everywhere. This map shows the overall geologic setting in Alaska that produces earthquakes. The Pacific plate (darker blue) is sliding northwestward past southeastern Alaska and then dives beneath the North American plate (light blue, green, and brown) in southern Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula, and the Aleutian Islands. Most earthquakes are produced where these two plates come into contact and slide past each other. Major earthquakes also occur throughout much of interior Alaska as a result of collision of a piece of crust with the southern margin.

  10. The Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program; background information to accompany geologic and mineral-resource maps of the Cordova and Middleton Island quadrangles, southern Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Winkler, Gary R.; Plafker, George; Goldfarb, R.J.; Case, J.E.

    1992-01-01

    report summarizes recent results of integrated geological, geochemical, and geophysical field and laboratory studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Cordova and Middleton Island 1?x3 ? quadrangles of coastal southern Alaska. Published open-file reports and maps accompanied by descriptive and interpretative texts, tables, diagrams, and pertinent references provide background information for a mineral-resource assessment of the two quadrangles. Mines in the Cordova and Middleton Island quadrangles produced copper and byproduct gold and silver in the first three decades of the 20th century. The quadrangles may contain potentially significant undiscovered resources of precious and base metals (gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead) in veins and massive sulfide deposits hosted by Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Resources of manganese also may be present in the Paleogene rocks; uranium resources may be present in Eocene granitic rocks; and placer gold may be present in beach sands near the mouth of the Copper River, in alluvial sands within the canyons of the Copper River, and in smaller alluvial deposits underlain by rocks of the Valdez Group. Significant coal resources are present in the Bering River area, but difficult access and structural complexities have discouraged development. Investigation of numerous oil and gas seeps near Katalla in the eastern part of the area led to the discovery of a small, shallow field from which oil was produced between 1902 and 1933. The field has been inactive since, and subsequent exploration and drilling onshore near Katalla in the 1960's and offshore near Middleton Island on the outer continental shelf in the 1970's and 1980's was not successful.

  11. Tectonics of the March 27, 1964, Alaska earthquake: Chapter I in The Alaska earthquake, March 27, 1964: regional effects

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Plafker, George

    1969-01-01

    The March 27, 1964, earthquake was accomp anied by crustal deformation-including warping, horizontal distortion, and faulting-over probably more than 110,000 square miles of land and sea bottom in south-central Alaska. Regional uplift and subsidence occurred mainly in two nearly parallel elongate zones, together about 600 miles long and as much as 250 miles wide, that lie along the continental margin. From the earthquake epicenter in northern Prince William Sound, the deformation extends eastward 190 miles almost to long 142° and southwestward slightly more than 400 miles to about long 155°. It extends across the two zones from the chain of active volcanoes in the Aleutian Range and Wrangell Mountains probably to the Aleutian Trench axis. Uplift that averages 6 feet over broad areas occurred mainly along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska, on the adjacent Continental Shelf, and probably on the continental slope. This uplift attained a measured maximum on land of 38 feet in a northwest-trending narrow belt less than 10 miles wide that is exposed on Montague Island in southwestern Prince William Sound. Two earthquake faults exposed on Montague Island are subsidiary northwest-dipping reverse faults along which the northwest blocks were relatively displaced a maximum of 26 feet, and both blocks were upthrown relative to sea level. From Montague Island, the faults and related belt of maximum uplift may extend southwestward on the Continental Shelf to the vicinity of the Kodiak group of islands. To the north and northwest of the zone of uplift, subsidence forms a broad asymmetrical downwarp centered over the Kodiak-Kenai-Chugach Mountains that averages 2½ feet and attains a measured maximum of 7½ feet along the southwest coast of the Kenai Peninsula. Maximum indicated uplift in the Alaska and Aleutian Ranges to the north of the zone of subsidence was l½ feet. Retriangulation over roughly 25,000 square miles of the deformed region in and around Prince William Sound

  12. Velocity and bottom-stress measurements in the bottom boundary layer, outer Norton Sound, Alaska.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cacchione, D.A.; Drake, D.E.; Wiberg, P.

    1982-01-01

    We have used long-term measurements of near-bottom velocities at four heights above the sea floor in Norton Sound, Alaska, to compute hourly values of shear velocity u., roughness and bottom-drag coefficient. Maximum sediment resuspension and transport, predicted for periods when the computed value of u. exceeds a critical level, occur during peak tidal currents associated with spring tides. The fortnightly variation in u. is correlated with a distinct nepheloid layer that intensifies and thickens during spring tides and diminishes and thins during neap tides. The passage of a storm near the end of the experiment caused significantly higher u. values than those found during fair weather.-from Authros

  13. Structural and kinematic evolution of the Yukon-Tanana upland tectonites, east-central Alaska: A record of late Paleozoic to Mesozoic crustal assembly

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hansen, V.L.; Dusel-Bacon, C.

    1998-01-01

    The Yukon-Tanana terrane, the largest tectonostratigraphic terrane in the northern North American Cordillera, is polygenetic and not a single terrane. Lineated and foliated (L-S) tectonites, which characterize the Yukon-Tanana terrane, record multiple deformations and formed at different times. We document the polyphase history recorded by L-S tectonites within the Yukon-Tanana upland, east-central Alaska. These upland tectonites compose a heterogeneous assemblage of deformed igneous and metamorphic rocks that form the Alaskan part of what has been called the Yukon-Tanana composite terrane. We build on previous kinematic data and establish the three-dimensional architecture of the upland tectonites through kinematic and structural analysis of more than 250 oriented samples, including quartz c-axis fabric analysis of 39 samples. Through this study we distinguish allochthonous tectonites from parautochthonous tectonites within the Yukon-Tanana upland. The upland tectonites define a regionally coherent stacking order: from bottom to top, they are lower plate North American parautochthonous attenuated continental margin; continentally derived marginal-basin strata; and upper plate ocean-basin and island-arc rocks, including some continental basement rocks. We delineate three major deformation events in time, space, and structural level across the upland from the United States-Canada border to Fairbanks, Alaska: (1) pre-Early Jurassic (>212 Ma) northeast-directed, apparent margin-normal contraction that affected oceanic rocks; (2) late Early to early Middle Jurassic (>188-185 Ma) northwest-directed, apparent margin-parallel contraction and imbrication that resulted in juxtaposition of the allochthonous tectonites with parautochthonous continental rocks; and (3) Early Cretaceous (135-110 Ma) southeast-directed crustal extension that resulted in exposure of the structurally deepest, parautochthonous continental rocks. The oldest event represents deformation within a west

  14. Basement Structure and Styles of Active Tectonic Deformation in Central Interior Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dixit, N.; Hanks, C.

    2017-12-01

    Central Interior Alaska is one of the most seismically active regions in North America, exhibiting a high concentration of intraplate earthquakes approximately 700 km away from the southern Alaska subduction zone. Based on increasing seismological evidence, intraplate seismicity in the region does not appear to be uniformly distributed, but concentrated in several discrete seismic zones, including the Nenana basin and the adjacent Tanana basin. Recent seismological and neotectonics data further suggests that these seismic zones operate within a field of predominantly pure shear driven primarily by north-south crustal shortening. Although the location and magnitude of the seismic activity in both basins are well defined by a network of seismic stations in the region, the tectonic controls on intraplate earthquakes and the heterogeneous nature of Alaska's continental interior remain poorly understood. We investigated the current crustal architecture and styles of tectonic deformation of the Nenana and Tanana basins using existing geological, geophysical and geochronological datasets. The results of our study demonstrate that the basements of the basins show strong crustal heterogeneity. The Tanana basin is a relatively shallow (up to 2 km) asymmetrical foreland basin with its southern, deeper side controlled by the northern foothills of the central Alaska Range. Northeast-trending strike-slip faults within the Tanana basin are interpreted as a zone of clockwise crustal block rotation. The Nenana basin has a fundamentally different geometry; it is a deep (up to 8 km), narrow transtensional pull-apart basin that is deforming along the left-lateral Minto Fault. This study identifies two distinct modes of tectonic deformation in central Interior Alaska at present, and provides a basis for modeling the interplay between intraplate stress fields and major structural features that potentially influence the generation of intraplate earthquakes in the region.

  15. 77 FR 27054 - Notice of Approval of Clean Air Act Outer Continental Shelf Permits Issued to Shell Offshore, Inc...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-05-08

    ... Shelf Permits Issued to Shell Offshore, Inc. for the Kulluk Conical Drilling Unit AGENCY: United States... (OCS) permit to construct and Title V air quality operating permit to Shell Offshore, Inc. (``Shell'') for operation of the Kulluk conical drilling unit in the Beaufort Sea off the north coast of Alaska...

  16. Alaska and the Alaska Federal Health Care Partnership

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-08-01

    SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES The original document contains color images. 14. ABSTRACT The intent of the Alaska Federal Healthcare Partnership is to expand clinical and... intent of the Alaska Federal Healthcare Partnership is to expand clinical and support capabilities of the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC), Third...the formation of the Partnership. Although lengthy, the information is essential to appreciate the magnitude of the Partnership and the intent behind

  17. 78 FR 4167 - Commercial Wind Lease Issuance on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Delaware

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-18

    ... issued a commercial wind energy lease to Bluewater Wind Delaware LLC (Bluewater) for an area of the Outer... availability of the executed lease. The total acreage of the lease area is approximately 96,430 acres. The lease area comprises 11 full OCS blocks and 95 sub-blocks and lies within Official Protraction Diagram...

  18. Cenozoic tectono-thermal history of the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska: Paleocene-Eocene ridge subduction, decreasing relief, and late Neogene faulting

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Benowitz, Jeff A.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Layer, Paul W.; O'Sullivan, Paul B.; Wallace, Wes K.; Gillis, Robert J.

    2012-01-01

    Topographic development inboard of the continental margin is a predicted response to ridge subduction. New thermochronology results from the western Alaska Range document ridge subduction related orogenesis. K-feldspar thermochronology (KFAT) of bedrock samples from the Tordrillo Mountains in the western Alaska Range complement existing U-Pb, 40Ar/39Ar and AFT (apatite fission track) data to provide constraints on Paleocene pluton emplacement, and cooling as well as Late Eocene to Miocene vertical movements and exhumation along fault-bounded blocks. Based on the KFAT analysis we infer rapid exhumation-related cooling during the Eocene in the Tordrillo Mountains. Our KFAT cooling ages are coeval with deposition of clastic sediments in the Cook Inlet, Matanuska Valley and Tanana basins, which reflect high-energy depositional environments. The Tordrillo Mountains KFAT cooling ages are also the same as cooling ages in the Iliamna Lake region, the Kichatna Mountains of the western Alaska Range, and Mt. Logan in the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, thus rapid cooling at this time encompasses a broad region inboard of, and parallel to, the continental margin extending for several hundred kilometers. We infer these cooling events and deposition of clastic rocks are related to thermal effects that track the eastward passage of a slab window in Paleocene-Eocene time related to the subduction of the proposed Resurrection-Kula spreading ridge. In addition, we conclude that the reconstructed KFATmax negative age-elevation relationship is likely related to a long period of decreasing relief in the Tordrillo Mountains.

  19. Alaska Volcano Observatory

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Venezky, Dina Y.; Murray, Tom; Read, Cyrus

    2008-01-01

    Steam plume from the 2006 eruption of Augustine volcano in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Explosive ash-producing eruptions from Alaska's 40+ historically active volcanoes pose hazards to aviation, including commercial aircraft flying the busy North Pacific routes between North America and Asia. The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) monitors these volcanoes to provide forecasts of eruptive activity. AVO is a joint program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAFGI), and the State of Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys (ADGGS). AVO is one of five USGS Volcano Hazards Program observatories that monitor U.S. volcanoes for science and public safety. Learn more about Augustine volcano and AVO at http://www.avo.alaska.edu.

  20. Early retreat of the Alaska Peninsula Glacier Complex and the implications for coastal migrations of First Americans

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Misarti, Nicole; Finney, Bruce P.; Jordan, James W.; Maschner, Herbert D. G.; Addison, Jason A.; Shapley, Mark D.; Krumhardt, Andrea P.; Beget, James E.

    2012-01-01

    The debate over a coastal migration route for the First Americans revolves around two major points: seafaring technology, and a viable landscape and resource base. Three lake cores from Sanak Island in the western Gulf of Alaska yield the first radiocarbon ages from the continental shelf of the Northeast Pacific and record deglaciation nearly 17 ka BP (thousands of calendar years ago), much earlier than previous estimates based on extrapolated data from other sites outside the coastal corridor in the Gulf of Alaska. Pollen data suggest an arid, terrestrial ecosystem by 16.3 ka BP. Therefore glaciers would not have hindered the movement of humans along the southern edge of the Bering Land Bridge for two millennia before the first well-recognized “New World” archaeological sites were inhabited.

  1. Resident, State of Alaska

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees State of Alaska Search Home Quick Links Departments Commissioners Employee Whitepages State Government Jobs Federal Jobs Starting a Small Business Living Get a Driver License Get a Hunting

  2. Visitor, State of Alaska

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees State of Alaska Search Home Quick Links Departments Commissioners Employee Whitepages State Government Jobs Federal Jobs Starting a Small Business Living Get a Driver License Get a Hunting

  3. Structural and Depositional Evolution of the Stevenson Basin, a Gulf of Alaska Forearc Basin: Insights from Legacy Seismic and Borehole Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhattacharya, R.; Liberty, L. M.; Almeida, R. V.; Hubbard, J.

    2016-12-01

    We explore the structural and depositional evolution of the Stevenson Basin, Gulf of Alaska from a dense network of 2-D marine seismic profiles that span the Gulf of Alaska continental margin. The grid of 71 seismic profiles was acquired as part of a 1975 Mineral Management Services (MMS) exploration project to assess basin architecture along the Alaska continental shelf. We obtained unmigrated and stacked seismic profiles in TIFF format. We converted the data to SEGY format and migrated each profile. Within the Stevenson Basin, we identify key seismic horizons, including the regional Eocene-Miocene unconformity, that provide insights into its depositional and structural history. Using these observations combined with stacking velocities, sonic logs from wells, and refraction velocities from the Edge profile of Ye et al. (1997), we develop a local 3D velocity model that we use to depth-convert the seismic reflection profiles. By using ties to >2.5 km deep exploration wells, we note the Stevenson Basin is one of many Eocene and younger depocenters that span the forearc between Kodiak and Prince William Sound. Well logs and seismic data suggest basal strata consist of Eocene sediments than are unconformably overlain by Neogene and younger strata. Faults that breach the sea floor suggest active deformation within and at the bounds of this basin, including on new faults that do not follow any pre-existing structural trends. This assessment is consistent with slip models that place tsunamigenic faults that ruptured during the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake in the vicinity of the basin. The catalog of faults, their slip history and the depositional evolution of the Stevenson Basin, all suggest that the basin evolution may be controlled by heterogeneities along the incoming plate.

  4. Reconnaissance engineering geology of the Petersburg area, southeastern Alaska, with emphasis on geologic hazards

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Yehle, Lynn A.

    1978-01-01

    A program to study the engineering geology of most larger Alaska coastal communities and to evaluate their earthquake and other geologic hazards was started following the 1964 Alaska earthquake; this report about the Petersburg area is a product of that program. Field-study methods were of a reconnaissance nature, and thus, interpretations in the report are tentative. Landscape of the northern end of Mitkof Island on which Petersburg is situated is characterized by a gently sloping, muskeg-covered terrain, with altitudes mostly less than 30 m. In contrast, much of the rest of the island is composed of mountainous terrain with many steep valleys. During the Pleistocene Epoch, the Petersburg area presumably was covered by ice several times; glaciers deeply eroded many valleys on Mitkof Island and adjacent areas. The last major deglaciation probably was largely completed by 12,000 years ago. Delayed rebound of the earth's crust, after the melting of large amounts of ice, permitted extensive inundation of land in the Petersburg area. Subsequently, emergence has elevated marine deposits to a present-day altitude of at least 65 m and probably to 75 m. Bedrock in the Petersburg map area is composed of relatively hard metamorphic rocks, chiefly phyllite and probably some graywacke. Rocks are of Middle(?) Jurassic to Early Cretaceous age. Five types of surficial geologic material of Quaternary age were recognized: (1) mixed deposits consisting of diamicton, silt-clay, and sand or sandy pebble gravel, (2) alluvial deposits, (3) shore and delta deposits, (4) organic deposits, and (5) artificial fill. Geologic structure in southeastern Alaska is complex because several cycles of tectonic deformation since at least early Paelozoic time have affected different parts of the region. The latest of the major tectonic events in southeastern Alaska occurred in Tertiary time, with some minor activity continuing into the Quaternary Period. Along the outer coast of southeastern Alaska

  5. Kilbuck terrane: Oldest known rocks in Alaska

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

    Box, S.E.; Moll-Stalcup, E.J.; Wooden, J.L.

    1990-12-01

    The Kilbuck terrane in southwestern Alaska is a narrow, thin crustal sliver or flake of amphibolite facies orthogneiss. The igneous protolith of this gneiss was a suite of subduction-related plutonic rocks. U-Pb data on zircons from trondhjemitic and granitic samples yield upper-intercept (igneous) ages of 2,070 {plus minus}16 and 2,040 {plus minus}74 Ma, respectively. Nd isotope data from these rocks suggest that a diorite-tonalite-trondhjemite suite ({epsilon}{sub Nd}(T) = +2.1 to +2.7; T is time of crystallization) evolved from partial melts of depleted mantle with no discernible contamination by older crust, whereas a coeval granitic pluton ({epsilon}{sub Nd}(T) = {minus}5.7) containsmore » a significant component derived from Archean crust. Orthogneisses with similar age and Nd isotope characteristics are found in the Idono complex 250 km to the north. Early Proterozoic rocks are unknown elsewhere in Alaska. However, Phanerozoic plutons cutting several continental terranes in Alaska (southern Brooks Range and Ruby, Seward, and Yukon-Tanana terranes) have Nd isotope compositions indicative of Early Proterozoic (or older) crustal components that could be correlative with rocks of the Kilbuck terrane. Rocks with similar igneous ages in cratonal North America are rare, and those few that are known have Nd isotope compositions distinct from those of the Kilbuck terrane. Conversely, provinces with Nd model ages of 2.0-2.1 Ga are characterized by extensive 1.8 Ga or younger plutonism, which is unknown in the Kilbuck terrane. At present the case for a North American parentage of the Kilbuck terrane is not compelling. The possibility that the Kilbuck terrane was displaced from provinces of similar age in other cratons (e.g., Australian, Baltic, Guiana, and west African shields), or from the poorly dated Siberian craton, cannot be excluded.« less

  6. 77 FR 41448 - Notice of Availability of the Proposed Final Five Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-07-13

    ... President and Congress. After a period of at least 60 days from the date it was submitted to the President... (3 areas off Alaska and 3 areas in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM)). Maps A and B show the areas proposed... not under congressional moratorium pursuant to the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA...

  7. Ocean Drilling Program Leg 178 (Antarctic Peninsula): Sedimentology of glacially influenced continental margin topsets and foresets

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eyles, N.; Daniels, J.; Osterman, L.E.; Januszczak, N.

    2001-01-01

    Ocean Drilling Program Leg 178 (February-April 1998) drilled two sites (Sites 1097 and 1103) on the outer Antarctic Peninsula Pacific continental shelf. Recovered strata are no older than late Miocene or early Pliocene (<4.6 Ma). Recovery at shallow depths in loosely consolidated and iceberg-turbated bouldery sediment was poor but improved with increasing depth and consolidation to allow description of lithofacies and biofacies and interpretation of depositional environment. Site 1097 lies on the outer shelf within Marguerite Trough which is a major outlet for ice expanding seaward from the Antarctic Peninsula and reached a maximum depth drilled of 436.6 m below the sea floor (mbsf). Seismic stratigraphic data show flat-lying upper strata resting on strata that dip gently seaward. Uppermost strata, to a depth of 150 mbsf, were poorly recovered, but data suggest they consist of diamictites containing reworked and abraded marine microfauna. This interval is interpreted as having been deposited largely as till produced by subglacial cannibalization of marine sediments (deformation till) recording ice sheet expansion across the shelf. Underlying gently dipping strata show massive, stratified and graded diamictite facies with common bioturbation and slump stuctures that are interbedded with laminated and massive mudstones with dropstones. The succession contains a well-preserved in situ marine microfauna typical of open marine and proglacial marine environments. The lower gently dipping succession at Site 1097 is interpreted as a complex of sediment gravity flows formed of poorly sorted glacial debris. Site 1103 was drilled in that part of the continental margin that shows uppermost flat-lying continental shelf topsets overlying steeper dipping slope foresets seaward of a structural mid-shelf high. Drilling reached a depth of 363 mbsf with good recovery in steeply dipping continental slope foreset strata. Foreset strata are dominated by massive and chaotically

  8. Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission

    Science.gov Websites

    State Employees ASHSC State of Alaska search Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission View of Anchorage and Commissions Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission (ASHSC) main contant Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission logo Alaska Seismic Hazards Safety Commission (ASHSC) - Mission The Alaska Seismic

  9. Influence of submarine morphology on bottom water flow across the western Ross Sea continental margin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Davey, F.J.; Jacobs, S.S.

    2007-01-01

    Multibeam sonar bathymetry documents a lack of significant channels crossing outer continental shelf and slope of the western Ross Sea. This indicates that movement of bottom water across the shelf break into the deep ocean in this area is mainly by laminar or sheet flow. Subtle, ~20 m deep and up to 1000 m wide channels extend down the continental slope, into tributary drainage patterns on the upper rise, and then major erosional submarine canyons. These down-slope channels may have been formed by episodic pulses of rapid down slope water flow, some recorded on bottom current meters, or by sub-ice melt water erosion from an icesheet grounded at the margin. Narrow, mostly linear furrows on the continental shelf thought to be caused by iceberg scouring are randomly oriented, have widths generally less than 400 m and depths less than 30m, and extend to water depths in excess of 600 m.

  10. Alaska exceptionality hypothesis: Is Alaska wilderness really different?

    Treesearch

    Gregory Brown

    2002-01-01

    The common idiom of Alaska as “The Last Frontier” suggests that the relative remoteness and unsettled character of Alaska create a unique Alaskan identity, one that is both a “frontier” and the “last” of its kind. The frontier idiom portrays the place and people of Alaska as exceptional or different from the places and people who reside in the Lower Forty- Eight States...

  11. Alaska telemedicine: growth through collaboration.

    PubMed

    Patricoski, Chris

    2004-12-01

    The last thirty years have brought the introduction and expansion of telecommunications to rural and remote Alaska. The intellectual and financial investment of earlier projects, the more recent AFHCAN Project and the Universal Service Administrative Company Rural Health Care Division (RHCD) has sparked a new era in telemedicine and telecommunication across Alaska. This spark has been flamed by the dedication and collaboration of leaders at he highest levels of organizations such as: AFHCAN member organizations, AFHCAN Office, Alaska Clinical Engineering Services, Alaska Federal Health Care Partnership, Alaska Federal Health Care Partnership Office, Alaska Native health Board, Alaska Native Tribal health Consortium, Alaska Telehealth Advisory Council, AT&T Alascom, GCI Inc., Health care providers throughout the state of Alaska, Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of U.S. Senator Ted Steens, State of Alaska, U.S. Department of Homeland Security--United States Coast Guard, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Defense--Air Force and Army, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, University of Alaska, and University of Alaska Anchorage. Alaska now has one of the largest telemedicine programs in the world. As Alaska moves system now in place become self-sustaining, and 2) collaborating with all stakeholders in promoting the growth of an integrated, state-wide telemedicine network.

  12. Smoke from Alaska and Canada Fires Dives into the Continental U.S.

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-07-01

    The InciWeb Incident Information System is following 18 fires in Alaska that are contributing, along with 49 uncontrolled fires under surveillance by the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, to vast areas of visible smoke throughout Canadian provinces and stretching into northern U.S. states. This image from the Suomi NPP satellite's VIIRS instrument was taken from NOAA View on June 28, 2015. The smoke from these fires can also be seen in NOAA View as Aerosol Optical Thickness, a measure of how aerosols, such as smoke from wildfires, scatter and absorb sunlight. Credit: NOAA/NASA GOES Project 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

  13. 76 FR 82319 - Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA) and Central...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-30

    ... Continental Shelf (OCS), Western Planning Area (WPA) and Central Planning Area (CPA), Oil and Gas Lease Sales... prepared a Draft EIS on oil and gas lease sales tentatively scheduled in 2012-2017 in the WPA and CPA... scheduled for the WPA and five annual areawide lease sales are scheduled for the CPA. The proposed WPA lease...

  14. Assssment and Mapping of the Riverine Hydrokinetic Resource in the Continental United States

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

    Jacobson, Paul T.; Ravens, Thomas M.; Cunningham, Keith W.

    2012-12-14

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded the Electric Power Research Institute and its collaborative partners, University of Alaska ? Anchorage, University of Alaska ? Fairbanks, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to provide an assessment of the riverine hydrokinetic resource in the continental United States. The assessment benefited from input obtained during two workshops attended by individuals with relevant expertise and from a National Research Council panel commissioned by DOE to provide guidance to this and other concurrent, DOE-funded assessments of water based renewable energy. These sources of expertise provided valuable advice regarding data sources and assessment methodology. Themore » assessment of the hydrokinetic resource in the 48 contiguous states is derived from spatially-explicit data contained in NHDPlus ?a GIS-based database containing river segment-specific information on discharge characteristics and channel slope. 71,398 river segments with mean annual flow greater than 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) mean discharge were included in the assessment. Segments with discharge less than 1,000 cfs were dropped from the assessment, as were river segments with hydroelectric dams. The results for the theoretical and technical resource in the 48 contiguous states were found to be relatively insensitive to the cutoff chosen. Raising the cutoff to 1,500 cfs had no effect on estimate of the technically recoverable resource, and the theoretical resource was reduced by 5.3%. The segment-specific theoretical resource was estimated from these data using the standard hydrological engineering equation that relates theoretical hydraulic power (Pth, Watts) to discharge (Q, m3 s-1) and hydraulic head or change in elevation (??, m) over the length of the segment, where ? is the specific weight of water (9800 N m-3): ??? = ? ? ?? For Alaska, which is not encompassed by NPDPlus, hydraulic head and discharge data were manually obtained from Idaho

  15. 78 FR 53137 - Flint Hills Resources Alaska, LLC, BP Pipelines (Alaska) Inc., ConocoPhillips Transportation...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-28

    ... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket Nos. OR13-31-000] Flint Hills Resources Alaska, LLC, BP Pipelines (Alaska) Inc., ConocoPhillips Transportation Alaska, Inc., ExxonMobil... (Alaska) Inc., ConocoPhillips Transportation Alaska, Inc., and ExxonMobil Pipeline Company (collectively...

  16. Stratiform zinc-lead mineralization in Nasina assemblage rocks of the Yukon-Tanana Upland in east-central Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dusel-Bacon, Cynthia; Bressler, Jason R.; Takaoka, Hidetoshi; Mortensen, James K.; Oliver, Douglas H.; Leventhal, Joel S.; Newberry, Rainer J.; Bundtzen, Thomas K.

    1998-01-01

    The Yukon-Tanana Upland of east-central Alaska and Yukon comprises thrust sheets of ductilely deformed metasedimentary and metaigneous rocks of uncertain age and origin that are overlain by klippen of weakly metamorphosed oceanic rocks of the Seventymile-Slide Mountain terrane, and intruded by post-kinematic Early Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary granitoids. Metamorphosed continental margin strata in the Yukon-Tanana Upland of east-central Alaska are thought to be correlative, on the basis of stratigraphic similarities and sparse Mississippian U-Pb zircon and fossil ages (Mortensen, 1992), with middle Paleozoic metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks in the eastern Alaska Range and in western and southeastern Yukon. Furthermore, rocks in the northern Yukon-Tanana Upland may correlate across the Tintina fault with unmetamorphosed counterparts in the Selwyn Basin (Murphy and Abbott, 1995). Volcanic-hosted (VMS) and sedimentary exhalative (sedex) massive sulfide occurrences are widely reported for these other areas (green-colored unit of fig. 1) but, as yet, have not been documented in the Alaskan part of the Yukon-Tanana Upland. Recent discoveries of VMS deposits in Devono-Mississippian metavolcanic rocks in the Finlayson Lake area of southeastern Yukon (Hunt, 1997) have increased the potential for finding VMS deposits in rocks of similar lithology and age in the Yukon-Tanana Upland of Alaska. Restoration of 450 km of early Tertiary dextral movement along the Tintina fault juxtaposes these two areas.

  17. Alaska Energy Inventory Project: Consolidating Alaska's Energy Resources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Papp, K.; Clough, J.; Swenson, R.; Crimp, P.; Hanson, D.; Parker, P.

    2007-12-01

    Alaska has considerable energy resources distributed throughout the state including conventional oil, gas, and coal, and unconventional coalbed and shalebed methane, gas hydrates, geothermal, wind, hydro, and biomass. While much of the known large oil and gas resources are concentrated on the North Slope and in the Cook Inlet regions, the other potential sources of energy are dispersed across a varied landscape from frozen tundra to coastal settings. Despite the presence of these potential energy sources, rural Alaska is mostly dependent upon diesel fuel for both electrical power generation and space heating needs. At considerable cost, large quantities of diesel fuel are transported to more than 150 roadless communities by barge or airplane and stored in large bulk fuel tank farms for winter months when electricity and heat are at peak demands. Recent increases in the price of oil have severely impacted the price of energy throughout Alaska, and especially hard hit are rural communities and remote mines that are off the road system and isolated from integrated electrical power grids. Even though the state has significant conventional gas resources in restricted areas, few communities are located near enough to these resources to directly use natural gas to meet their energy needs. To address this problem, the Alaska Energy Inventory project will (1) inventory and compile all available Alaska energy resource data suitable for electrical power generation and space heating needs including natural gas, coal, coalbed and shalebed methane, gas hydrates, geothermal, wind, hydro, and biomass and (2) identify locations or regions where the most economic energy resource or combination of energy resources can be developed to meet local needs. This data will be accessible through a user-friendly web-based interactive map, based on the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Land Records Information Section's (LRIS) Alaska Mapper, Google Earth, and Terrago Technologies' Geo

  18. Antarctic glacial history from numerical models and continental margin sediments

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Barker, P.F.; Barrett, P.J.; Cooper, A. K.; Huybrechts, P.

    1999-01-01

    The climate record of glacially transported sediments in prograded wedges around the Antarctic outer continental shelf, and their derivatives in continental rise drifts, may be combined to produce an Antarctic ice sheet history, using numerical models of ice sheet response to temperature and sea-level change. Examination of published models suggests several preliminary conclusions about ice sheet history. The ice sheet's present high sensitivity to sea-level change at short (orbital) periods was developed gradually as its size increased, replacing a declining sensitivity to temperature. Models suggest that the ice sheet grew abruptly to 40% (or possibly more) of its present size at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, mainly as a result of its own temperature sensitivity. A large but more gradual middle Miocene change was externally driven, probably by development of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) and Polar Front, provided that a few million years' delay can be explained. The Oligocene ice sheet varied considerably in size and areal extent, but the late Miocene ice sheet was more stable, though significantly warmer than today's. This difference probably relates to the confining effect of the Antarctic continental margin. Present-day numerical models of ice sheet development are sufficient to guide current sampling plans, but sea-ice formation, polar wander, basal topography and ice streaming can be identified as factors meriting additional modelling effort in the future.

  19. Upper triassic continental margin strata of the central alaska range: Implications for paleogeographic reconstruction

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Till, A.B.; Harris, A.G.; Wardlaw, B.R.; Mullen, M.

    2007-01-01

    Reexamination of existing conodont collections from the central Alaska Range indicates that Upper Triassic marine slope and basin rocks range in age from at least as old as the late Carnian to the early middle Norian. The conodont assemblages typical of these rocks are generally cosmopolitan and do not define a distinct paleogeographic faunal realm. One collection, however, containsEpigondolella multidentata sensu Orchard 1991c, which appears to be restricted to western North American autochthonous rocks. Although paleogeographic relations cannot be determined with specificity, the present distribution of biofaces within the Upper Triassic sequence could not have been the result of simple accordion-style collapse of the Late Triassic margin.

  20. Hypsometric control on glacier mass balance sensitivity in Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McGrath, D.; Sass, L.; Arendt, A. A.; O'Neel, S.; Kienholz, C.; Larsen, C.; Burgess, E. W.

    2015-12-01

    Mass loss from glaciers in Alaska is dominated by strongly negative surface balances, particularly on small, continental glaciers but can be highly variable from glacier to glacier. Glacier hypsometry can exert significant control on mass balance sensitivity, particularly if the equilibrium line altitude (ELA) is in a broad area of low surface slope. In this study, we explore the spatial variability in glacier response to future climate forcings on the basis of hypsometry. We first derive mass balance sensitivities (30-70 m ELA / 1° C and 40-90 m ELA / 50% decrease in snow accumulation) from the ~50-year USGS Benchmark glaciers mass balance record. We subsequently assess mean climate fields in 2090-2100 derived from the IPCC AR5/CMIP5 RCP 6.0 5-model mean. Over glaciers in Alaska, we find 2-4° C warming and 10-20% increase in precipitation relative to 2006-2015, but a corresponding 0-50% decrease in snow accumulation due to rising temperatures. We assess changes in accumulation area ratios (AAR) to a rising ELA using binned individual glacier hypsometries. For an ELA increase of 150 m, the mean statewide AAR drops by 0.45, representing a 70% reduction in accumulation area on an individual glacier basis. Small, interior glaciers are the primary drivers of this reduction and for nearly 25% of all glaciers, the new ELA exceeds the glacier's maximum elevation, portending eventual loss. The loss of small glaciers, particularly in the drier interior of Alaska will significantly modify streamflow properties (flashy hydrographs, earlier and reduced peak flows, increased interannual variability, warmer temperatures) with poorly understood downstream ecosystem and oceanographic impacts.

  1. Geologic framework of the Alaska Peninsula, southwest Alaska, and the Alaska Peninsula terrane

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Frederic H.; Detterman, Robert L.; DuBois, Gregory D.

    2015-01-01

    The boundaries separating the Alaska Peninsula terrane from other terranes are commonly indistinct or poorly defined. A few boundaries have been defined at major faults, although the extensions of these faults are speculative through some areas. The west side of the Alaska Peninsula terrane is overlapped by Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic rocks and Quaternary deposits.

  2. Alaska GeoFORCE, A New Geologic Adventure in Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wartes, D.

    2011-12-01

    RAHI, the Rural Alaska Honors Institute is a statewide, six-week, summer college-preparatory bridge program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for Alaska Native and rural high school juniors and seniors. A program of rigorous academic activity combines with social, cultural, and recreational activities. Students are purposely stretched beyond their comfort levels academically and socially to prepare for the big step from home or village to a large culturally western urban campus. This summer RAHI is launching a new program, GeoFORCE Alaska. This outreach initiative is designed to increase the number and diversity of students pursuing STEM degree programs and entering the future high-tech workforce. It uses Earth science as the hook because most kids get excited about dinosaurs, volcanoes and earthquakes, but it includes physics, chemistry, math, biology and other sciences. Students will be recruited, initially from the Arctic North Slope schools, in the 8th grade to begin the annual program of approximately 8 days, the summer before their 9th grade year and then remain in the program for all four years of high school. They must maintain a B or better grade average and participate in all GeoFORCE events. The carrot on the end of the stick is an exciting field event each summer. Over the four-year period, events will include trips to Fairbanks, Arizona, Oregon and the Appalachians. All trips are focused on Earth science and include a 100+ page guidebook, with tests every night culminating with a final exam. GeoFORCE Alaska is being launched by UAF in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin, which has had tremendous success with GeoFORCE Texas. GeoFORCE Alaska will be managed by UAF's long-standing Rural Alaska Honors Insitute (RAHI) that has been successfully providing intense STEM educational opportunities for Alaskan high school students for almost 30 years. The Texas program, with adjustments for differences in culture and environment, will be

  3. Potential links between onshore tectonics and terrestrial organic carbon delivery to distal submarine fan environments: IODP Site U1417, Surveyor Fan, Gulf of Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Childress, L. B.; Ridgway, K. D.; Blair, N. E.; Bahlburg, H.; Berbel, G.; Cowan, E. A.; Forwick, M.; Gulick, S. P.; Jaeger, J. M.; Maerz, C.; McClymont, E.; Moy, C. M.; Müller, J.; Nakamura, A.; Ribeiro, F.

    2013-12-01

    The sedimentary record at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site U1417 is particularly well preserved and permits delineation of Neogene tectonic, climatic, and terrestrial organic carbon signals. Lithofacies in the 708 m-long, cored interval can be divided into 3 sedimentary packages that we interpret as linked to the tectonic convergence of the Yakutat Terrane with, and onset of tidewater glaciation along, the continental margin of northwestern Canada and southern Alaska. Previous studies have shown that development of the Surveyor Fan system was closely linked to transport of the Yakutat Terrane and development of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. Initial shipboard measurements of total organic carbon and observed plant and coal fragments imply good preservation of terrestrial organic matter. Furthermore, documented preservation of terrestrial organic matter in modern sediment along the southern Alaskan continental margin and sediment routing through the Surveyor Channel from the Pleistocene to modern time implies a long-term conduit for this organic material to reach the distal portion of the Surveyor Fan system. We interpret the lower units of U1417 (late Miocene) to have been deposited when the Yakutat Terrane was located offshore of northern British Columbia and/or southeastern Alaska. Northward transport of the Yakutat Terrane during the late Miocene is interpreted to have resulted in uplift and erosion of the Eocene coal-bearing Kulthieth Formation. We infer that eroded rock carbon from this formation was transported from the shelf to the earliest, or precursor to, the Surveyor Fan with depocenters infilling between seamounts. Detailed geochemical/biomarker analysis of Kulthieth Formation coals will provide a chemical fingerprint by which to identify this source of late Miocene sediment at U1417. Continued Pliocene - early Pleistocene northward convergence resulted in recycling of organic carbon from the onshore Neogene thrust belt of the Yakutat Terrane

  4. Collisional Tectonics of the Saint Elias Orogen, Alaska, Observed by GPS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Elliott, J. L.; Freymueller, J. T.; Larsen, C. F.

    2005-12-01

    The Saint Elias orogen of south central Alaska and the adjacent area of Canada is the highest coastal mountain range on earth, with peaks that exceed 6000 meters in elevation. It is located in the complex transition zone between transform motion along the Queen Charlotte-Fairweather fault system and subduction along the Aleutian Megathrust. The Yakutat terrane lies in the gap between the end of the Megathrust and the end of the transform system. Roughly 4 cm/yr of convergence is accommodated within the continental crust, onshore and possibly offshore, as the Yakutat terrane collides with southern Alaska. This collision provides the driving force behind the stunning topographic relief of the orogen. As part of the STEEP project designed to unravel the tectonic complexities of this region, we made GPS measurements at 47 sites in south central Alaska during the summer of 2005. Here we present results from 13 campaign GPS sites that had prior measurements. The span of measurements at these campaign sites range from one to twelve years. All of the sites show northwestward motion and uplift. The highest amounts of uplift occur at several coastal sites near Icy Bay where average rates surpass 24 mm/yr. Further north, sites along the Bagley Icefield display an average uplift rate of about 20 mm/yr. A significant portion of this uplift is caused by the melting of regional icefields and the redistribution of mass in large glacier systems such as the Bering Glacier. We also examine the impact of the Denali Fault earthquake on the rates of motion in this area.

  5. 77 FR 74204 - Commercial Leasing for Wind Power on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore North Carolina-Call for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-12-13

    ...BOEM invites the submission of nominations for commercial wind leases that would allow a lessee to propose the construction of a wind energy project on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore North Carolina, and to develop the project if approved after further environmental review. Although this announcement is not itself a leasing announcement, the Call Areas described herein, or portions thereof, may be available for future leasing. BOEM will use responses to this Call to gauge specific interest in acquiring commercial wind leases in some or all of the Call Areas, as required by 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3). Parties wishing to submit a nomination in response to this Call should submit detailed and specific information in response to the requirements described in the section entitled, ``Required Nomination Information.'' This announcement also requests comments and information from interested and affected parties about site conditions, resources, and multiple uses in close proximity to, or within, the Call Areas that would be relevant to BOEM's review of any nominations submitted and/or to BOEM's subsequent decision to offer all or part of the Call Areas for commercial wind leasing. The information that BOEM is requesting is described in the section of this Call entitled, ``Requested Information from Interested or Affected Parties.'' This Call is published pursuant to subsection 8(p)(3) of the OCS Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1337(p)(3), which was added by section 388 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), as well as the implementing regulations at 30 CFR part 585. The Call Areas described in this notice are located on the OCS offshore North Carolina and are delineated as Wilmington-West, Wilmington-East and Kitty Hawk (formerly referred to as North Carolina Planning Areas 1, 2, and 5, respectively, during BOEM's North Carolina offshore wind planning efforts). The three Call Areas include 195 whole OCS blocks and 60 partial blocks in total and comprise approximately 1

  6. Retaining Quality Teachers for Alaska.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McDiarmid, G. Williamson; Larson, Eric; Hill, Alexandra

    This report examines the demand for teachers, teacher turnover, and teacher education in Alaska. Surveys were conducted with school district personnel directors, directors of Alaska teacher education programs, teachers who exited Alaska schools in 2001, and rural and urban instructional aides. Alaska is facing teacher shortages, but these are…

  7. Fisheries Education in Alaska. Conference Report. Alaska Sea Grant Report 82-4.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smoker, William W., Ed.

    This conference was an attempt to have the fishing industry join the state of Alaska in building fisheries education programs. Topics addressed in papers presented at the conference include: (1) fisheries as a part of life in Alaska, addressing participation of Alaska natives in commercial fisheries and national efforts; (2) the international…

  8. 75 FR 7515 - Environmental Documents Prepared for Proposed Mineral Exploration on the Alaska Outer Continental...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-02-19

    ...), Interior. ACTION: Notice of the availability of Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant... that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), announces the availability of two... 2010 open-water period. Shell's proposal includes suspending all operations and removal of the drill...

  9. Time-slice maps showing age, distribution, and style of deformation in Alaska north of 60° N.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moore, Thomas E.; Box, Stephen E.

    2016-08-29

    The structural architecture of Alaska is the product of a complex history of tectonism that occurred along the Cordilleran and Arctic margins of North America through interactions with ancient and modern ocean plates and with continental elements derived from Laurentia, Siberia, and Baltica. To unravel the tectonic history of Alaska, we constructed maps showing the age, distribution, structural style, and kinematics of contractional and penetrative extensional deformation in Alaska north of latitude 60° N. at a scale of 1:5,000,000. These maps use the Geologic Map of the Arctic (Harrison and others, 2011) as a base map and follow the guidelines in the Tectonic Map of the Arctic project (Petrov and others, 2013) for construction, including use of the International Commission on Stratigraphy time scale (Cohen and others, 2013) divided into 20 time intervals. We find evidence for deformation in 14 of the 20 time intervals and present maps showing the known or probable extent of deformation for each time interval. Maps and descriptions of deformational style, age constraints, kinematics, and information sources for each deformational episode are discussed in the text and are reported in tabular form. This report also contains maps showing the lithologies and structural geology of Alaska, a terrane map, and the distribution of tectonically important units including post-tectonic sedimentary basins, accretionary complexes, ophiolites, metamorphic rocks.These new maps show that most deformational belts in Alaska are relatively young features, having developed during the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The oldest episode of deformation recognized anywhere in Alaska is found in the basement of the Farewell terrane (~1.75 Ga). Paleozoic and early Mesozoic deformational events, including Devonian deformation in the Arctic Alaska terrane, Pennsylvanian deformation in the Alexander terrane, Permian deformation in the Yukon Composite (Klondike orogeny) and Farewell terranes (Browns

  10. Post-breeding season distribution of black-footed and Laysan albatrosses satellite-tagged in Alaska: Inter-specific differences in spatial overlap with North Pacific fisheries

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fischer, K.N.; Suryan, R.M.; Roby, D.D.; Balogh, G.R.

    2009-01-01

    We integrated satellite-tracking data from black-footed albatrosses (Phoebastria nigripes; n = 7) and Laysan albatrosses captured in Alaska (Phoebastria immutabilis; n = 18) with data on fishing effort and distribution from commercial fisheries in the North Pacific in order to assess potential risk from bycatch. Albatrosses were satellite-tagged at-sea in the Central Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and tracked during the post-breeding season, July-October 2005 and 2006. In Alaskan waters, fishing effort occurred almost exclusively within continental shelf and slope waters. Potential fishery interaction for black-footed albatrosses, which most often frequented shelf-slope waters, was greatest with sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) longline and pot fisheries and with the Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepsis) longline fishery. In contrast, Laysan albatrosses spent as much time over oceanic waters beyond the continental shelf and slope, thereby overlapping less with fisheries in Alaska than black-footed albatrosses. Regionally, Laysan albatrosses had the greatest potential fishery interaction with the Atka mackerel (Pleurogrammus monopterygius) trawl fishery in the Western Aleutian Islands and the sablefish pot fishery in the Central Aleutian Islands. Black-footed albatrosses ranged further beyond Alaskan waters than Laysan albatrosses, overlapping west coast Canada fisheries and pelagic longline fisheries in the subarctic transition domain; Laysan albatrosses remained north of these pelagic fisheries. Due to inter-specific differences in oceanic distribution and habitat use, the overlap of fisheries with the post-breeding distribution of black-footed albatrosses is greater than that for Laysan albatrosses, highlighting inter-specific differences in potential vulnerability to bycatch and risk of population-level impacts from fisheries. ?? 2008 Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Alaska Mental Health Board

    Science.gov Websites

    State Employees Alaska Mental Health Board DHSS State of Alaska Home Divisions and Agencies Alaska Pioneer Homes Behavioral Health Office of Children's Services Office of the Commissioner Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention Finance & Management Services Health Care Services Juvenile

  12. Publications - STATEMAP Project | Alaska Division of Geological &

    Science.gov Websites

    ., 2008, Surficial-geologic map of the Salcha River-Pogo area, Big Delta Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska , Engineering - geologic map, Alaska Highway corridor, Delta Junction to Dot Lake, Alaska: Alaska Division of geologic map of the Salcha River-Pogo area, Big Delta Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological

  13. New ichnological, paleobotanical and detrital zircon data from an unnamed rock unit in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve (Cretaceous: Alaska): Stratigraphic implications for the region

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fiorillo, Anthony R.; Fanti, Federico; Hults, Chad; Hasiotis, Stephen T

    2014-01-01

    A paleontological reconnaissance survey on Cretaceous and Paleogene terrestrial units along the Yukon River drainage through much of east-central Alaska has provided new chronostratigraphic constraints, paleoclimatological data, and the first information on local biodiversity within an ancient, high-latitude ecosystem. The studied unnamed rock unit is most notable for its historic economic gold placer deposits, but our survey documents its relevance as a source rock for Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrates, invertebrates, and associated flora. Specifically, new U-Pb ages from detrital zircons combined with ichnological data are indicative of a Late Cretaceous age for at least the lower section of the studied rock unit, previously considered to be representative of nearly exclusively Paleogene deposition. Further, the results of our survey show that this sedimentary rock unit preserves the first record of dinosaurs in the vast east-central Alaska region. Lastly, paleobotanical data, when compared to correlative rock units, support previous interpretations that the Late Cretaceous continental ecosystem of Alaska was heterogeneous in nature and seasonal.

  14. The Kingak shale of northern Alaska-regional variations in organic geochemical properties and petroleum source rock quality

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Magoon, L.B.; Claypool, G.E.

    1984-01-01

    The Kingak Shale, a thick widespread rock unit in northern Alaska that ranges in age from Early Jurassic through Early Cretaceous, has adequate to good oil source rock potential. This lenticular-shaped rock unit is as much as 1200 m thick near the Jurassic shelf edge, where its present-day burial depth is about 5000 m. Kingak sediment, transported in a southerly direction, was deposited on the then marine continental shelf. The rock unit is predominantly dark gray Shale with some interbeds of thick sandstone and siltstone. The thermal maturity of organic matter in the Kingak Shale ranges from immature (2.0%R0) in the Colville basin toward the south. Its organic carbon and hydrogen contents are highest in the eastern part of northern Alaska south of and around the Kuparuk and Prudhoe Bay oil fields. Carbon isotope data of oils and rock extracts indicate that the Kingak Shale is a source of some North Slope oil, but is probably not the major source. ?? 1984.

  15. NRC Continental Margins Workshop

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Katsouros, Mary Hope

    The Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council is organizing a workshop, “Continental Margins: Evolution of Passive Continental Margins and Active Marginal Processes,” to stimulate discussion and longterm planning in the scientific community about the evolution of all types of continental margins. We want to coordinate academic, industry, and government agency efforts in this field, and to enhance communication between sea-based and land-based research programs.The continental margins constitute the only available record of the long-term dynamic interaction of oceanic and continental lithosphere. Of great interest are the unique structures and thick sedimentary sequences associated with this interaction. A major focus of the workshop will be to define strategies for exploring and understanding the continental margins in three dimensions and through geologic time. The workshop will be divided into 7 working groups, each concentrating on a major issue in continental margins research. A background document is being prepared summarizing recent research in specific continental margin fields and identifying key scientific and technical issues.

  16. 75 FR 16833 - Preliminary Revised 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007-2012

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-04-02

    ... Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007-2012 AGENCY: Minerals Management Service... (MMS) requests comments on the Preliminary Revised 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2007... Elden Street, MS-4010; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. Please reference ``Remand of the 2007-2012 OCS Oil...

  17. The complex Chukchi Borderland region as part of the Arctic Alaska extended margin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saltus, R.; Hutchinson, D. R.; Miller, E. L.

    2017-12-01

    The Chukchi Borderland region (CBR; includes the Chukchi Plateau and its surrounding component elevations) is a physiographically complex and somewhat enigmatic seafloor high adjacent to the broad Chukchi Shelf in the Alaska/Chukotka quadrant of the Amerasian Basin beneath the Arctic Ocean. The CBR includes several physiographic sub-components including the relatively high-standing Northwind Ridge and Northwind Plain as well as a lower-standing northern region (here called the North Chukchi Component Elevation or NCCE) that consists of several un-named knolls, ramps, and benches. The CBR shows numerous N-S physiographic features including ridges and escarpments related to extension. The CBR adjoins the Chukchi Shelf to the south, abuts the Canada Basin to the east, and is separated on the west and north from the Mendeleev and Alpha Ridges by the Chukchi Plain, the Mendeleev Plain, and the Nautilus Basin. Available geophysical data, comparative physiography/geomorphology, and geologic analysis show that the CBR is continuous with Arctic Alaska and the adjoining Chukchi Shelf. CBR, Arctic Alaska, and the Chukchi Shelf share common early Paleozoic basement elements as well as Ellesmerian and younger cover sequences. The CBR owes its complex physiographic and structural character to its central location relative to the multiple extensional domains associated with the multi-stage rift formation of the Amerasian Basin, large igneous province-influenced volcanism associated with the Alpha and Mendeleev regions on the north and west, and hyper-extension of continental crust to the east in the deep Canada Basin. The CBR is often portrayed as an independent tectonic element within Arctic tectonic reconstructions, but we argue that models for the formation of the Amerasian Basin should include the CBR as an integral component of the Arctic Alaska microplate.

  18. Alaska's Economy: What's Ahead?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alaska Review of Social and Economic Conditions, 1987

    1987-01-01

    This review describes Alaska's economic boom of the early 1980s, the current recession, and economic projections for the 1990s. Alaska's economy is largely influenced by oil prices, since petroleum revenues make up 80% of the state government's unrestricted general fund revenues. Expansive state spending was responsible for most of Alaska's…

  19. Cooperative Alaska Forest Inventory

    Treesearch

    Thomas Malone; Jingjing Liang; Edmond C. Packee

    2009-01-01

    The Cooperative Alaska Forest Inventory (CAFI) is a comprehensive database of boreal forest conditions and dynamics in Alaska. The CAFI consists of field-gathered information from numerous permanent sample plots distributed across interior and south-central Alaska including the Kenai Peninsula. The CAFI currently has 570 permanent sample plots on 190 sites...

  20. Appellate Courts - Alaska Court System

    Science.gov Websites

    Court Cases Appellate Case Management System Oral Argument Supreme Court Calendar, Court of Appeals , which contains the Alaska cases excerpted from P.2d and P.3d. The Pacific Reporter or the Alaska the Alaska cases excerpted from P.2d and P.3d. The Pacific Reporter or the Alaska Reporter is

  1. Alaska looks HOT!

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

    Belcher, J.

    Production in Alaska has been sluggish in recent years, with activity in the Prudhoe Bay region in the North Slope on a steady decline. Alaska North Slope (ANS) production topped out in 1988 at 2.037 MMbo/d, with 1.6 MMbo/d from Prudhoe Bay. This year operators expect to produce 788 Mbo/d from Prudhoe Bay, falling to 739 Mbo/d next year. ANS production as a whole should reach 1.3 MMbo/d this year, sliding to 1.29 MMbo/d in 1998. These declining numbers had industry officials and politicians talking about the early death of the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline System-the vital link between ANS crude andmore » markets. But enhanced drilling technology coupled with a vastly improved relationship between the state government and industry have made development in Alaska more economical and attractive. Alaska`s Democratic Gov. Tommy Knowles is fond of telling industry {open_quotes}we`re open for business.{close_quotes} New discoveries on the North Slope and in the Cook Inlet are bringing a renewed sense of optimism to the Alaska exploration and production industry. Attempts by Congress to lift a moratorium on exploration and production activity in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) have been thwarted thus far, but momentum appears to be with proponents of ANWR drilling.« less

  2. Alaska Tidal Datum Portal | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Engineering Geology Alaska Tidal Datum Portal Climate and Cryosphere Hazards Coastal Hazards Program Guide to Portal Unambiguous vertical datums in the coastal environment are critical to the evaluation of natural human life, property, and the coastal environment. January 2017 - Update Summary Alaska Tidal Datum

  3. 78 FR 14116 - Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), Eastern Planning Area (EPA) Lease Sale 225...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Outer...: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior. ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA) of the draft... experts surveyed scientific journals and available scientific data, gathered information, and interviewed...

  4. Alaska Job Center Network

    Science.gov Websites

    Job Centers Toll-free in Alaska (877)724-2539 *Workshop Schedules are linked under participating Job : midtown.jobcenter@alaska.gov Employers: anchorage.employers@alaska.gov Toll free Anchorage Employer Phone: 1-888-830 -1149 Phone: 842-5579 Fax: 842-5679, Toll Free: 1-800-478-5579 Job Seekers & Employers

  5. Widespread imaging of the lower crust, Moho, and upper mantle from Rayleigh waves: A comparison of the Cascadia and Aleutian-Alaska subduction zones

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haney, M. M.; Tsai, V. C.; Ward, K. M.

    2016-12-01

    Recently, Haney and Tsai (2015) developed a new approach to Rayleigh-wave inversion based on assumptions that are similar to those used in the formulation of the Dix equation in reflection seismology. Here we apply the Dix technique to Rayleigh-wave phase-velocity maps by Ekstrom (2013) and Ward (2015) of the contiguous US and Alaska, respectively, at periods between 12 and 45 s. We refine the initial Dix result with subsequent nonlinear inversion to estimate Moho depth together with shear-wave velocity of the lower crust and upper mantle. In the contiguous US, the Moho we image agrees well with recent receiver function studies. There is an apparent deepening of the Moho to the west of the Cascades volcanic chain that we interpret as the waveguide interface transitioning to the slab due to the continental Moho becoming transparent above the mantle forearc. This feature abruptly terminates at the southern extent of the Cascadia subduction zone. We compare the depths of this "apparent Moho" with published estimates of the depth to the Juan de Fuca Plate since, owing to the paucity of tectonic earthquakes, the Slab1.0 model is not defined in Cascadia. Our result in Alaska is the first regional Moho map derived explicitly from seismic waves. We find that crustal thickness is generally correlated with topography, with thicker crust beneath mountain ranges in southern Alaska. North of the Denali Fault, the Moho is smoother than to the south and located at typical depths of 30-35 km. There are also indications that the waveguide interface we solve for beneath Prince William Sound is actually the subducting slab instead of the continental Moho. The slab structure beneath Prince William Sound extends further east than the Pacific slab represented in the Slab1.0 model. Using the limited number of broadband seismometers in the Aleutian Islands, we obtain preliminary estimates for the crustal structure beneath the western portion of the Aleutian-Alaska subduction zone.

  6. Glacier Ice Mass Fluctuations and Fault Instability in Tectonically Active Southern Alaska

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    SauberRosenberg, Jeanne M.; Molnia, Bruce F.

    2003-01-01

    Across southern Alaska the northwest directed subduction of the Pacific plate is accompanied by accretion of the Yakutat terrane to continental Alaska. This has led to high tectonic strain rates and dramatic topographic relief of more than 5000 meters within 15 km of the Gulf of Alaska coast. The glaciers of this area are extensive and include large glaciers undergoing wastage (glacier retreat and thinning) and surges. The large glacier ice mass changes perturb the tectonic rate of deformation at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. We estimated surface displacements and stresses associated with ice mass fluctuations and tectonic loading by examining GPS geodetic observations and numerical model predictions. Although the glacial fluctuations perturb the tectonic stress field, especially at shallow depths, the largest contribution to ongoing crustal deformation is horizontal tectonic strain due to plate convergence. Tectonic forces are thus the primary force responsible for major earthquakes. However, for geodetic sites located < 10-20 km from major ice mass fluctuations, the changes of the solid Earth due to ice loading and unloading are an important aspect of interpreting geodetic results. The ice changes associated with Bering Glacier s most recent surge cycle are large enough to cause discernible surface displacements. Additionally, ice mass fluctuations associated with the surge cycle can modify the short-term seismicity rates in a local region. For the thrust faulting environment of the study region a large decrease in ice load may cause an increase in seismic rate in a region close to failure whereas ice loading may inhibit thrust faulting.

  7. Alaska Natives & the Land.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnold, Robert D.; And Others

    Pursuant to the Native land claims within Alaska, this compilation of background data and interpretive materials relevant to a fair resolution of the Alaska Native problem seeks to record data and information on the Native peoples; the land and resources of Alaska and their uses by the people in the past and present; land ownership; and future…

  8. Alaska Women: A Databook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Karen; Baker, Barbara

    This data book uses survey and census information to record social and economic changes of the past three decades and their effects upon the role of Alaska women in society. Results show Alaska women comprise 47% of the state population, an increase of 9% since 1950. Marriage continues as the predominant living arrangement for Alaska women,…

  9. Alaska Board of Forestry

    Science.gov Websites

    Natural Resources / Division of Forestry Alaska Board of Forestry The nine-member Alaska Board of Forestry advises the state on forest practices issues and provides a forum for discussion and resolution of forest management issues on state land. The board also reviews all proposed changes to the Alaska Forest Resources

  10. Sedimentological fingerprint of modern and ancient meltwater outbursts across Antarctic continental shelves and slopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, J. B.; Simkins, L. M.; Prothro, L. O.

    2016-12-01

    On formerly glaciated Antarctic continental shelves, the crystalline inner shelf is commonly dissected by linked subglacial lake and channel systems; however, signatures of meltwater are rare within subglacial and glacial-marine deposits on the middle to outer continental shelf. Recent observations of ice-marginal landforms incised by meltwater channels in the western Ross Sea indicate pulses of meltwater outbursts at marine-based grounding lines during deglaciation of the continental shelf. Here we present sedimentological evidence of meltwater outbursts and associated plumes from new and legacy cores collected on the continental shelf and slope within the Ross Sea, Amundsen Sea, and Marguerite Bay. Discrete fine-grained silt deposits are found overlying till and within proximal grounding line deposits and open-marine diatomaceous sediments. The deposits are massive to laminated, contain little to no coarser material, moderately sorted and dominated by a 10 μm grain-size mode. Grain-size measurements show no indication of winnowing; therefore, we interpret these deposits as meltwater deposits, transported by subglacial meltwater drainage systems to the grounding line and dispersed further seaward by meltwater plumes. The similarity of the deposits down-core and between shelf and slope sites within the Ross Sea, Amundsen Sea, and Marguerite Bay indicate that sorting and/or production of the fine silts occurs due to subglacial hydrodynamic processes. These distinctive meltwater deposits within the stratigraphic record provide an accessible proxy for identifying meltwater discharge from the Antarctic Ice Sheet and potentially be used to correlate cores on and off the continental shelf. Dating events on the continental shelf is notoriously difficult; therefore, deeper ocean records offer an easier means of bracketing the timing of meltwater discharge events. Longer records of ice dynamics from off the continental shelf are commonly used to reconstruct IRD records

  11. Alaska Interagency Ecosystem Health Work Group

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Shasby, Mark

    2009-01-01

    The Alaska Interagency Ecosystem Health Work Group is a community of practice that recognizes the interconnections between the health of ecosystems, wildlife, and humans and meets to facilitate the exchange of ideas, data, and research opportunities. Membership includes the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alaska Sea Life Center, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

  12. Possible refugia in the Alexander Archipelago of southeastern Alaska during the late Wisconsin glaciation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Carrara, P.E.; Ager, T.A.; Baichtal, J.F.

    2007-01-01

    The interpretation of the extent of late Wisconsin glaciation in southeastern Alaska has varied between geologists and biologists. Maps and reports of the region prepared by geologists commonly indicated that late Wisconsin ice extended as a large uniform front west to the edge of the continental shelf. However, the distribution of plants and animals in the region has led many biologists to suggest that there may have been ice-free areas that served as refugia during the late Wisconsin. Based on analyses of aerial photographs, topographic maps, and bathymetric charts, in conjunction with a review of previous literature and reconnaissance fieldwork throughout the region, this study presents data supporting a limited ice extent in the Alexander Archipelago during the late Wisconsin and identifies possible ice-free areas that may have served as refugia. These areas include (1) the Fairweather Ground, (2) the Herbert Graves Island area, (3) the western coast of southern Baranof Island and adjacent continental shelf, (4) Coronation Island and the adjacent continental shelf, (5) the Warren Island area, (6) the continental shelf from west of Heceta Island to Forrester Island in the south, (7) parts of the west coast of southern Dall Island, and (8) lowland areas in southern Prince of Wales Island. The identification of these possible refugia has bearing on the recolonization of the Alexander Archipelago, as they could have served as centers of biotic dispersal upon regional deglaciation and as stepping stones for early humans with a maritime tradition entering the western hemisphere from Asia. ?? 2007 NRC Canada.

  13. UNIT, ALASKA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Louisiana Arts and Science Center, Baton Rouge.

    THE UNIT DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOKLET DEALS WITH THE GEOGRAPHY OF ALASKA. THE UNIT IS PRESENTED IN OUTLINE FORM. THE FIRST SECTION DEALS PRINCIPALLY WITH THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ALASKA. DISCUSSED ARE (1) THE SIZE, (2) THE MAJOR LAND REGIONS, (3) THE MOUNTAINS, VOLCANOES, GLACIERS, AND RIVERS, (4) THE NATURAL RESOURCES, AND (5) THE CLIMATE. THE…

  14. Alaska's renewable energy potential.

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

    Not Available

    2009-02-01

    This paper delivers a brief survey of renewable energy technologies applicable to Alaska's climate, latitude, geography, and geology. We first identify Alaska's natural renewable energy resources and which renewable energy technologies would be most productive. e survey the current state of renewable energy technologies and research efforts within the U.S. and, where appropriate, internationally. We also present information on the current state of Alaska's renewable energy assets, incentives, and commercial enterprises. Finally, we escribe places where research efforts at Sandia National Laboratories could assist the state of Alaska with its renewable energy technology investment efforts.

  15. A possible source mechanism of the 1946 Unimak Alaska far-field tsunami, uplift of the mid-slope terrace above a splay fault zone

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    von Huene, Roland E.; Miller, John J.; Klaeschen, Dirk; Dartnell, Peter

    2016-01-01

    In 1946, megathrust seismicity along the Unimak segment of the Alaska subduction zone generated the largest ever recorded Alaska/Aleutian tsunami. The tsunami severely damaged Pacific islands and coastal areas from Alaska to Antarctica. It is the charter member of “tsunami” earthquakes that produce outsized far-field tsunamis for the recorded magnitude. Its source mechanisms were unconstrained by observations because geophysical data for the Unimak segment were sparse and of low resolution. Reprocessing of legacy geophysical data reveals a deep water, high-angle reverse or splay thrust fault zone that leads megathrust slip upward to the mid-slope terrace seafloor rather than along the plate boundary toward the trench axis. Splay fault uplift elevates the outer mid-slope terrace and its inner area subsides. Multibeam bathymetry along the splay fault zone shows recent but undated seafloor disruption. The structural configuration of the nearby Semidi segment is similar to that of the Unimak segment, portending generation of a future large tsunami directed toward the US West coast.

  16. A Possible Source Mechanism of the 1946 Unimak Alaska Far-Field Tsunami: Uplift of the Mid-Slope Terrace Above a Splay Fault Zone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    von Huene, Roland; Miller, John J.; Klaeschen, Dirk; Dartnell, Peter

    2016-12-01

    In 1946, megathrust seismicity along the Unimak segment of the Alaska subduction zone generated the largest ever recorded Alaska/Aleutian tsunami. The tsunami severely damaged Pacific islands and coastal areas from Alaska to Antarctica. It is the charter member of "tsunami" earthquakes that produce outsized far-field tsunamis for the recorded magnitude. Its source mechanisms were unconstrained by observations because geophysical data for the Unimak segment were sparse and of low resolution. Reprocessing of legacy geophysical data reveals a deep water, high-angle reverse or splay thrust fault zone that leads megathrust slip upward to the mid-slope terrace seafloor rather than along the plate boundary toward the trench axis. Splay fault uplift elevates the outer mid-slope terrace and its inner area subsides. Multibeam bathymetry along the splay fault zone shows recent but undated seafloor disruption. The structural configuration of the nearby Semidi segment is similar to that of the Unimak segment, portending generation of a future large tsunami directed toward the US West coast.

  17. College Persistence of Alaska Native Students: An Assessment of the Rural Alaska Honors Institute, 1983-88.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gaylord, Thomas A.; Kaul, Gitanjali

    Despite efforts by educators, full participation by Alaska native students in the state's colleges and universities has not yet been achieved. Alaska Natives are the state's only racial group that is underrepresented in enrollments at the University of Alaska (UA). This report examines the contribution of the Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI)…

  18. Combined analysis of roadside and off-road breeding bird survey data to assess population change in Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Handel, Colleen M.; Sauer, John

    2017-01-01

    Management interest in North American birds has increasingly focused on species that breed in Alaska, USA, and Canada, where habitats are changing rapidly in response to climatic and anthropogenic factors. We used a series of hierarchical models to estimate rates of population change in 2 forested Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) in Alaska based on data from the roadside North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey, which samples off-road areas on public resource lands. We estimated long-term (1993–2015) population trends for 84 bird species from the BBS and short-term (2003–2015) trends for 31 species from both surveys. Among the 84 species with long-term estimates, 11 had positive trends and 17 had negative trends in 1 or both BCRs; negative trends were primarily found among aerial insectivores and wetland-associated species, confirming range-wide negative continental trends for many of these birds. Three species with negative trends in the contiguous United States and southern Canada had positive trends in Alaska, suggesting different population dynamics at the northern edges of their ranges. Regional population trends within Alaska differed for several species, particularly those represented by different subspecies in the 2 BCRs, which are separated by rugged, glaciated mountain ranges. Analysis of the roadside and off-road data in a joint hierarchical model with shared parameters resulted in improved precision of trend estimates and suggested a roadside-related difference in underlying population trends for several species, particularly within the Northwestern Interior Forest BCR. The combined analysis highlights the importance of considering population structure, physiographic barriers, and spatial heterogeneity in habitat change when assessing patterns of population change across a landscape as broad as Alaska. Combined analysis of roadside and off-road survey data in a hierarchical framework may be particularly

  19. Trophic ecology of introduced populations of Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis) in the Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska.

    PubMed

    Eidam, Dona M; von Hippel, Frank A; Carlson, Matthew L; Lassuy, Dennis R; López, J Andrés

    2016-07-01

    Introduced non-native fishes have the potential to substantially alter aquatic ecology in the introduced range through competition and predation. The Alaska blackfish ( Dallia pectoralis ) is a freshwater fish endemic to Chukotka and Alaska north of the Alaska Range (Beringia); the species was introduced outside of its native range to the Cook Inlet Basin of Alaska in the 1950s, where it has since become widespread. Here we characterize the diet of Alaska blackfish at three Cook Inlet Basin sites, including a lake, a stream, and a wetland. We analyze stomach plus esophageal contents to assess potential impacts on native species via competition or predation. Alaska blackfish in the Cook Inlet Basin consume a wide range of prey, with major prey consisting of epiphytic/benthic dipteran larvae, gastropods, and ostracods. Diets of the introduced populations of Alaska blackfish are similar in composition to those of native juvenile salmonids and stickleback. Thus, Alaska blackfish may affect native fish populations via competition. Fish ranked third in prey importance for both lake and stream blackfish diets but were of minor importance for wetland blackfish.

  20. Trophic ecology of introduced populations of Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis) in the Cook Inlet Basin, Alaska

    PubMed Central

    Eidam, Dona M.; Carlson, Matthew L.; Lassuy, Dennis R.; López, J. Andrés

    2016-01-01

    Introduced non-native fishes have the potential to substantially alter aquatic ecology in the introduced range through competition and predation. The Alaska blackfish (Dallia pectoralis) is a freshwater fish endemic to Chukotka and Alaska north of the Alaska Range (Beringia); the species was introduced outside of its native range to the Cook Inlet Basin of Alaska in the 1950s, where it has since become widespread. Here we characterize the diet of Alaska blackfish at three Cook Inlet Basin sites, including a lake, a stream, and a wetland. We analyze stomach plus esophageal contents to assess potential impacts on native species via competition or predation. Alaska blackfish in the Cook Inlet Basin consume a wide range of prey, with major prey consisting of epiphytic/benthic dipteran larvae, gastropods, and ostracods. Diets of the introduced populations of Alaska blackfish are similar in composition to those of native juvenile salmonids and stickleback. Thus, Alaska blackfish may affect native fish populations via competition. Fish ranked third in prey importance for both lake and stream blackfish diets but were of minor importance for wetland blackfish. PMID:28082763

  1. Electrifying Alaska

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

    Reinemer, V.

    Alaska's diverse systems for electric power include only 4% by private utilities. Large distances and small markets make transmission impractical for the most part. Rates are variable, although the state average is low. Energy sources, except nuclear, are abundant: half the US coal reserves are in Alaska. In addition, it has geothermal, tidal, biomass, solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. Energy construction and study programs are centered in the Alaska Power Authority and include using waste heat from village diesel generators. Hydro potential is good, but access, distances, and environmental effects must be considered. The Terror Lake, Tyee Lake, Swan Lake,more » and Susitna projects are described and transmission construction, including the 345-kW Railbelt intertie, is discussed. 1 figure.« less

  2. Evidence From Detrital Zircon U-Pb Analysis for Suturing of Pre-Mississippian Terranes in Arctic Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, T. E.; Potter, C. J.; O'Sullivan, P. B.; Aleinikoff, J. N.

    2007-12-01

    900 Ma and 1200-1450 Ma that are not seen in the Neroukpuk sample, as well as a cluster of ages at 320-390 Ma. This sample indicates that the Neroukpuk is not the only source of zircons for Mississippian strata in the northeast Brooks Range. The samples from the northeastern Brooks Range contain zircon distributions similar to those reported from autochthonous North American strata in east-central Alaska and are strikingly different from those in western and southern parts of the Arctic Alaska terrane. Peaks at ~1.8 Ga are subdued or missing in the latter samples and 1.5-1.6 Ga grains, a magmatic gap in Laurentia, are present in the Lisburne Peninsula and North Slope samples. In view of these data, field and seismic evidence for significant Devonian deformation in northern Alaska, and likely plate configurations for that time, northern Alaska probably records early to mid-Paleozoic closing of the Iapatus Ocean and collisional suturing of non-Laurentian continental blocks with northwestern North America. This suggests that Devonian deformation in Arctic Alaska represents an important, northern element of the Caledonian deformational system that probably once linked up with Caledonian structures in the Canadian Arctic Islands and adjacent continental margin region.

  3. Monitoring seabird populations in areas of oil and gas development on the Alaskan Continental Shelf: A computerized pelagic seabird atlas for Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Piatt, John F.; Ford, R. Glenn

    2000-01-01

    Seabirds are the most visible and vulnerable victims of oil pollution in marine waters. As demonstrated by the "Exxon Valdez" spill (Piatt et al. 1990), we cannot predict when or where an accident leading to pollution might occur in Alaska, or where oil will eventually end up traveling from a point source of pollution. It is therefore prudent to document the abundance and distribution of seabirds throughout Alaska in order to: i) assist in the planning and development of future oil fields, ii) identify areas with significant and predictable aggregations of seabirds so that these areas might be avoided, if possible, in the extraction and shipment of oil, and, iii) mitigate and assess the impact of oil pollution if and when it occurs.

  4. 75 FR 51943 - Safety Zone; DEEPWATER HORIZON at Mississippi Canyon 252 Outer Continental Shelf MODU in the Gulf...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-08-24

    ... the DEEPWATER HORIZON, a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), at Mississippi Canyon 252, in the Outer... the DEEPWATER HORIZON, a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), which is currently set to expire on... response to the sinking of the DEEPWATER HORIZON, a Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit (MODU), near Mississippi...

  5. Publications - GMC 193 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical materials: Alaska State F #1, washed cuttings (13,980' - 13,990'); West Mikkelsen State #1, Canning River

  6. The Project for the Extension of the Continental Shelf - the Portuguese experience

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Madureira, Pedro; Ribeiro, Luísa P.; Roque, Cristina; Henriques, Guida; Brandão, Filipe; Dias, Frederico; Simões, Maria; Neves, Mariana; Conceição, Patricia; Botelho Leal, Isabel; Emepc, Equipa

    2017-04-01

    Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the continental shelf is a juridical term used to define a submarine area that extends throughout the natural prolongation of a land territory, where the coastal State exercises sovereign rights for the purpose of exploring it and exploiting its natural resources. Article 76 provides a methodology for determining the outer edge of the continental margin and to delineate the outer limits of the continental shelf. The task of preparing the Portuguese submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf was committed to the Task Group for the Extension of the Continental Shelf (EMEPC), which formally began its activity in January 2005. At that time, the existing national capacity to conduct such a task was very limited in its hydrographic, geological and geophysical components. A great effort has been made by Portugal to overcome these weaknesses and develop a strategy to submit the proposal for the extension of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles on 11th May of 2009. The execution of the project involved the implementation of several complementary strategies including: 1) intensive bathymetric, geophysical and, locally, geological data acquisition; 2) acquisition/development of new stand-alone and ship mounted equipment; 3) interactions with universities and research institutes, with emphasis in R&D initiatives; 4) creation of critical mass in deep-sea research by promoting advanced studies on: International Law, Geophysics, Geology, Hydrography, Biology, amongst others; 5) promotion of the sea as a major national goal, coupled with an outreach strategy. Until now, more than 1050 days of surveying have resulted in a large scale seafloor mapping using two EM120 and one EM710 multibeam echosounders from Kongsberg mounted on two hydrographic vessels. The surveys follow IHO Order 2 Standard (SP44, 5th Edition) and cover an area over 2.6 million km2. A multichannel reflection

  7. Soil carbon distribution in Alaska in relation to soil-forming factors

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnson, K.D.; Harden, J.; McGuire, A.D.; Bliss, N.B.; Bockheim, James G.; Clark, M.R.; Nettleton-Hollingsworth, T.; Jorgenson, M.T.; Kane, E.S.; Mack, M.; O'Donnell, J.; Ping, C.-L.; Schuur, E.A.G.; Turetsky, M.R.; Valentine, D.W.

    2011-01-01

    The direction and magnitude of soil organic carbon (SOC) changes in response to climate change remain unclear and depend on the spatial distribution of SOC across landscapes. Uncertainties regarding the fate of SOC are greater in high-latitude systems where data are sparse and the soils are affected by sub-zero temperatures. To address these issues in Alaska, a first-order assessment of data gaps and spatial distributions of SOC was conducted from a recently compiled soil carbon database. Temperature and landform type were the dominant controls on SOC distribution for selected ecoregions. Mean SOC pools (to a depth of 1-m) varied by three, seven and ten-fold across ecoregion, landform, and ecosystem types, respectively. Climate interactions with landform type and SOC were greatest in the uplands. For upland SOC there was a six-fold non-linear increase in SOC with latitude (i.e., temperature) where SOC was lowest in the Intermontane Boreal compared to the Arctic Tundra and Coastal Rainforest. Additionally, in upland systems mineral SOC pools decreased as climate became more continental, suggesting that the lower productivity, higher decomposition rates and fire activity, common in continental climates, interacted to reduce mineral SOC. For lowland systems, in contrast, these interactions and their impacts on SOC were muted or absent making SOC in these environments more comparable across latitudes. Thus, the magnitudes of SOC change across temperature gradients were non-uniform and depended on landform type. Additional factors that appeared to be related to SOC distribution within ecoregions included stand age, aspect, and permafrost presence or absence in black spruce stands. Overall, these results indicate the influence of major interactions between temperature-controlled decomposition and topography on SOC in high-latitude systems. However, there remains a need for more SOC data from wetlands and boreal-region permafrost soils, especially at depths > 1 m in

  8. Alaska's State Forests

    Science.gov Websites

    Conservation Education Timber Management Wildland Fire & Aviation Burn Permits Firewise Alaska Brochure (PDF) Fire Management Plans Fire Assignments Annual Fire Statistics Fire Terms Glossary Incident Business Management Grants Become an Alaska Firewise Community Community Wildland Fire Protection Plans

  9. 49 CFR 71.11 - Alaska zone.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Alaska zone. 71.11 Section 71.11 Transportation Office of the Secretary of Transportation STANDARD TIME ZONE BOUNDARIES § 71.11 Alaska zone. The sixth zone, the Alaska standard time zone, includes the entire State of Alaska, except as provided in § 71.12...

  10. The Relationships Between Earthquakes, Faults, and Recent Glacial Fluctuations in Southern Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wiest, K. R.; Sauber, J. M.; Doser, D. I.; Hurtado, J. M.; Velasco, A. A.

    2004-12-01

    In southern Alaska, northwestward-directed subduction of the Pacific plate is accompanied by accretion of the Yakutat terrane to continental Alaska. In the tectonically complex region between the transcurrent Fairweather fault and the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone, active crustal shortening and strike-slip faulting occurs. Since a series of large earthquakes in 1899 (Mw = 8.1, Yakataga; Mw=8.1 Yakutat), there has been only one large event (1979 St. Elias Mw = 7.4) in the Yakutat region between the aftershock zones of the 1964 Prince William Sound (Mw = 9.2) and 1958 Fairweather (Mw = 8.2) earthquakes. In this region, the glaciers are extensive and many of them have undergone significant retreat in the last 100 years. This study investigates the relationships between small to moderate magnitude events, ongoing crustal deformation, active geological structures in the region, and recent glacial fluctuations. To map earthquake locations with respect to current glacier positions, we will incorporate Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) data into an updated Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of key glaciated regions that has been created using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images in conjunction with Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) data. For the seismological investigation, we focused on relocating events that have occurred since the last large earthquake at St. Elias in 1979 using data obtained from the Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC). P-wave polarity first motion focal mechanisms were generated for the relocated events and evaluated. Our preliminary relocations suggest a dipping slab in cross-section and also show a number of shallow event clusters around local glaciers. The focal mechanisms are quite variable but, in general, indicate strike-slip and oblique-slip focal mechanisms. Some of our highest quality focal mechanisms show dip-slip faulting and are from shallow events located near glacial

  11. ARM - Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds (jensen-sonde)

    DOE Data Explorer

    Jensen, Mike; Comstock, Jennifer; Genio, Anthony Del; Giangrande, Scott; Kollias, Pavlos

    2012-01-19

    A major component of the Mid-latitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E) field campaign was the deployment of an enhanced radiosonde array designed to capture the vertical profile of atmospheric state variables (pressure, temperature, humidity wind speed and wind direction) for the purpose of deriving the large-scale forcing for use in modeling studies. The radiosonde array included six sites (enhanced Central Facility [CF-1] plus five new sites) launching radiosondes at 3-6 hour sampling intervals. The network will cover an area of approximately (300)2 km2 with five outer sounding launch sites and one central launch location. The five outer sounding launch sites are: S01 Pratt, KS [ 37.7oN, 98.75oW]; S02 Chanute, KS [37.674, 95.488]; S03 Vici, Oklahoma [36.071, -99.204]; S04 Morris, Oklahoma [35.687, -95.856]; and S05 Purcell, Oklahoma [34.985, -97.522]. Soundings from the SGP Central Facility during MC3E can be retrieved from the regular ARM archive. During routine MC3E operations 4 radiosondes were launched from each of these sites (approx. 0130, 0730, 1330 and 1930 UTC). On days that were forecast to be convective up to four additional launches were launched at each site (approx. 0430, 1030, 1630, 2230 UTC). There were a total of approximately 14 of these high frequency launch days over the course of the experiment.

  12. Age & reproduction in three reef - dwelling serranid fishes of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf: Pronotogrammus martinicensis, Hemanthias vivanus & Serranus phoebe (with preliminary observations on the Pomacentrid fish, Chromis enchrysurus)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thurman, Paul E.; McBride, Richard S.; Sulak, Kenneth J.; Dennis, George D.

    2004-01-01

    Specimens of the four study species were collected during cruises to outer-continental shelf reefs of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Age was estimated for all serranid species using whole otoliths and C. enchrysurus ages were determined from transverse sections of sagittal otoliths. Ring structure observed on otoliths was validated as having an annual periodicity for P. martinicensis using marginal increment analysis. Ring structure on remaining species was assumed to correspond to age (years). Pronotogrammus martinicensis, H. vivanus, S. phoebe, and C. enchrysurus exhibited maximum ages of 9, 8, 5, and 11, respectively. Spatial variations in size-at-age were observed in P. martinicensis populations. Individuals inhabiting reefs in the Madison-Swanson Reserve area on the West Florida Shelf edge exhibited the fastest growth rates, while the slowest growing P. martinicensis were collected from the Alabama Alps Reef, the farthest west study reef. Pronotogrammus martinicensis and H. vivanus are both protogynous hermaphrodites. Evidence of active spawning was observed in the months from February through July for P. martinicensis, and March and May for H. vivanus. Serranus phoebe was observed to be a simultaneous hermaphroditic capable of spawning year-round. Batch fecundity estimates for P. martinicensis ranged from 149-394 oocytes per fish. Size selectivity was evident in our primary sampling method, hook and line using small tandem bait hooks. Smaller size-classes of all species examined were under-represented in our samples, hindering accurate growth modeling. Due to the protogynous nature of P. martinicensis and H. vivanus, hook and line sampling also tended to select for males. Future descriptions of the reproductive biology of both protogynous species would be more complete if less selective sampling methods could be successfully employed. The data presented here contribute to a better assessment of the fish community of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Little

  13. Publications - RDF 2015-5 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska

  14. Publications - RI 2009-2 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska

  15. Publications - RDF 2016-3 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska

  16. Publications - RDF 2016-5 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska

  17. Publications - RDF 2014-22 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska

  18. Publications - RDF 2015-8 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    from the Tonsina area, Valdez Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  19. Publications - RDF 2015-16 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    rocks collected in 2015 in the Wrangellia mineral assessment area, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  20. Publications - RDF 2015-9 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    samples from the Zane Hills, Hughes and Shungnak quadrangles, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  1. Preliminary analysis of the Baranof Fan system, Gulf of Alaska, based on 2D seismic reflection and multibeam bathymetry data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LeVoir, M. A.; Gulick, S. P.; Reece, R.; Barth, G. A.; Childs, J. R.; Everson, E. D.; Hart, P. E.; Johnson, K. M.; Lester, W. R.; Sliter, R. W.

    2011-12-01

    The Baranof Fan is a large marine sedimentary system in the eastern Gulf of Alaska, straddling the border between the U.S. and Canada. The volume of the Fan is estimated to be > 200,000 km3. Little is known about the depositional timing, the tectonic and morphologic processes influencing its development, or the role of channel aggradation and avulsion in its progression. Both tectonic and climatic transitions likely influenced the formation and evolution of the Fan, with events including the onset of northern hemisphere glaciation, the Mid-Pleistocene transition, the transport of the Yakutat Terrane along the southeast Alaskan margin, and the uplift of the Coast Mountains. 2D seismic reflection and multibeam bathymetry data were collected in the Gulf of Alaska in June 2011 aboard the R/V Marcus G. Langseth as a part of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf (ECS) program assessing potential opportunities under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention. The purpose of the 2011 survey was to determine sediment thickness, velocity structure, stratigraphic architecture, and crustal structure on of the Gulf of Alaska seafloor in support of U.S. continental shelf maritime zone definition. The surveyed geologic features include the Surveyor and Baranof sedimentary systems, which control active sediment distribution in the Gulf of Alaska. Preliminary analysis of these data show four distinct buried channels throughout the mid to distal Baranof Fan, ranging in width from 5 - 9 km, which may have evolved into modern surface channels (ranging in width from 2 - 7 km) visible in both the seismic data and multibeam bathymetry. The location and trajectory of these buried channels, however, appears distinct from the modern Horizon and Mukluk Channels; the buried channels may have avulsed into the modern channel systems, or could possibly be older and now abandoned branches instrumental in building the westward part of the Fan. All of the imaged channels appear to be depositional

  2. Alaska geology revealed

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Frederic H.; Labay, Keith A.

    2016-11-09

    This map shows the generalized geology of Alaska, which helps us to understand where potential mineral deposits and energy resources might be found, define ecosystems, and ultimately, teach us about the earth history of the State. Rock units are grouped in very broad categories on the basis of age and general rock type. A much more detailed and fully referenced presentation of the geology of Alaska is available in the Geologic Map of Alaska (http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3340). This product represents the simplification of thousands of individual rock units into just 39 broad groups. Even with this generalization, the sheer complexity of Alaskan geology remains evident.

  3. Publications - PDF 96-17 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska the Fairbanks Mining District, Alaska, scale 1:63,360 (15.0 M) Digital Geospatial Data Digital © 2010 Webmaster State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State

  4. Publications - MP 156 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska /29446 Publication Products Report Report Information mp156.pdf (126.0 K) Digital Geospatial Data Digital State of Alaska © 2010 Webmaster State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska

  5. Alaska Administrative Manual

    Science.gov Websites

    Search the Division of Finance site DOF State of Alaska Finance Home Content Area Accounting Charge Cards Administrative Manual Table of Contents Contains State of Alaska accounting/payroll policies and information clarifying accounting and payroll procedures. Policies are carried out through standard statewide procedures

  6. Publications - GMC 410 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    ) Keywords Geochemistry; Rare Earth Elements Top of Page Department of Natural Resources, Division of Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  7. Publications - GMC 409 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    ) Keywords Geochemistry; Rare Earth Elements Top of Page Department of Natural Resources, Division of Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  8. Publications - GMC 183 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical materials: AK State C #1, Bush Federal #1, Echooka Unit #1, Fin Creek Unit #1, E. De K. Leffingwell #1, Nora

  9. Alaska Native Education: Issues in the Nineties. Alaska Native Policy Papers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleinfeld, Judith

    This booklet identifies several crucial problems in Alaska Native education, for example: (1) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) occur in Alaska Native populations at relatively high rates and can produce mental retardation, hyperactivity, attention deficits, and learning disabilities; (2) while many Native rural school…

  10. Alaska Public Offices Commission, Department of Administration, State of

    Science.gov Websites

    Visiting Alaska State Employees State of Alaska Department of Administration Alaska Public Offices Commission Alaska Department of Administration, Alaska Public Offices Commission APOC Home Commission Filer ; AO's Contact Us Administration > Alaska Public Offices Commission Alaska Public Offices Commission

  11. Prehistoric Alaska: The land

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Frederic H.; Weber, Florence R.; Rennick, Penny

    1994-01-01

    Many Alaskans know the dynamic nature of Alaska’s landscape firsthand. The 1964 earthquake, the 1989 eruption of Mount Redoubt volcano, the frequent earthquakes in the Aleutians and the ever-shifting meanders of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers remind them of constant changes to the land. These changes are part of the continuing story of the geologic growth and development of Alaska during hundreds of millions of years. By geologic time, Alaska has only recently come into existence and the dynamic processes that formed it continue to affect it. The landscape we see today has been shaped by glacier and stream erosion or their indirect effects, and to a lesser extent by volcanoes. Most prominently, if less obviously, Alaska has been built by slow movements of the Earth’s crust we call tectonic or mountain-building.During 5 billion years of geologic time, the Earth’s crust has repeatedly broken apart into plates. These plates have recombined, and have shifted positions relative to each other, to the Earth’s rotational axis and to the equator. Large parts of the Earth’s crust, including Alaska, have been built and destroyed by tectonic forces. Alaska is a collage of transported and locally formed fragments of crusts As erosion and deposition reshape the land surface, climatic changes, brought on partly by changing ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns, alter the location and extent of tropical, temperate and arctic environments. We need to understand the results of these processes as they acted upon Alaska to understand the formation of Alaska. Rocks can provide hints of previous environments because they contain traces of ocean floor and lost lands, bits and pieces of ancient history.

  12. Publications - GMC 370 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    (249.0 K) Keywords Rare Earth Elements Top of Page Department of Natural Resources, Division of Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  13. Publications - GMC 159 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical State #1, Kuparuk Unit #1, Mikkelsen Bay State 13-09-19, Ravik State #1, Pt. Thomson Unit #2, West

  14. LearnAlaska Portal

    Science.gov Websites

    ESS (Employee Self Service) E-Travel Online Login IRIS FIN/PROC Login IRIS HRM Login LearnAlaska SFOA SharePoint Site TRIPS (Traveler Integrated Profile System) Vendor Self Service (VSS) Resources Alaska & Resources Manuals Payment Detail Report Salary Schedules SFOA SharePoint Site (SOA Only) Training

  15. Examining mechanisms in the final stages of the elimination of boreal tree species on vulnerable sites in boreal Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Juday, G. P.; Jess, R.; Alix, C. M.; Verbyla, D.

    2015-12-01

    The boreal forest of Alaska and western Canada exist in a complex mosaic of environments determined by elevation, aspect of exposure, and longitudinal and latitudinal gradients of change from warm, dry continental to maritime-influenced conditions. This forest region is largely made up of trees with two growth responses to temperature increases. Trees that decrease in growth are termed negative responders, and occupy warm, dry sites at low elevations. Trees that increase in radial growth are termed positive responders, and are largely in western Alaska, and at high elevation of the Brooks and Alaska Ranges. Since the Pacific climate regime shift of the 1970s, mature trees at low elevation sites have experienced increasing climate stress in several quasi-decadal cycles of intensifying drought stress. NDVI trends and tree ring records demonstrating radial growth decline are coherent. Phenological monitoring of spruce height growth also indicates that depletion of spring soil moisture is a critical process driven by the interaction of early warm season temperatures and precipitation. Novel biotic disturbance agents including spruce budworm, outbreaks of which are triggered by warm temperature anomalies related to its biology, and aspen leaf miner are depressing realized growth below climatically predicted levels, suggesting a pathway by which tree death is likely to occur before absolute temperature limits. As a result, insect outbreaks are degrading the otherwise strong long-term climate signal in Alaska boreal trees. However, young tree (> 40 yrs.) regeneration generally does not yet display the symptoms of acute high temperature stress. Overall, on these vulnerable sites, if temperature increases similar to the past 40 years continue, long term survival prospects are questionable because the climate conditions would be outside the limits that have historically defined the species ranges of aspen, Alaska birch, and black and white spruce.

  16. A geologic guide to Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska; a tectonic collage of northbound terranes

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Winkler, Gary R.; with contributions by MacKevett, E. M.; Plafker, George; Richter, D.H.; Rosenkrans, D.S.; Schmoll, H.R.

    2000-01-01

    Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest unit in the U.S. National Park System, encompasses near 13.2 million acres of geological wonderments. This geologic guide presents history of exploration and Earth-science investigation; describes the complex geologic makeup; characterizes the vast college of accretion geologic terranes in this area of Alaska's continental margin; recapitulates the effects of earthquakes, volcanoes, and glaciers; characterizes the copper and gold resources of the parklands; and describes outstanding locales within the park and preserve area. A glossary of geologic terms and a categorized list of additional sources of information complete this report.

  17. Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations near the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, east-central Alaska Range, Alaska, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Newman, S. D.; Clague, J. J.; Rabus, B.; Stead, D.

    2013-12-01

    Multiple, active, deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSD) are present near the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and Richardson Highway in the east-central Alaska Range, Alaska, USA. We documented spatial and temporal variations in rates of surface movement of the DSGSDs between 2003 and 2011 using RADARSAT-1 and RADARSAT-2 D-InSAR images. Deformation rates exceed 10 cm/month over very large areas (>1 km2) of many rock slopes. Recent climatic change and strong seismic shaking, especially during the 2002 M 7.9 Denali Fault earthquake, appear to have exacerbated slope deformation. We also mapped DSGSD geological and morphological characteristics using field- and GIS-based methods, and constructed a conceptual 2D distinct-element numerical model of one of the DSGSDs. Preliminary results indicate that large-scale buckling or kink-band slumping may be occurring. The DSGSDs are capable of generating long-runout landslides that might impact the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and Richardson Highway. They could also block tributary valleys, thereby impounding lakes that might drain suddenly. Wrapped 24-day RADARSAT-2 descending spotlight interferogram showing deformation north of Fels Glacier. The interferogram is partially transparent and is overlaid on a 2009 WorldView-1 panchromatic image. Acquisition interval: August 2 - August 26, 2011. UTM Zone 6N.

  18. Literature and information related to the natural resources of the North Aleutian Basin of Alaska.

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

    Stull, E.A.; Hlohowskyj, I.; LaGory, K. E.

    The North Aleutian Basin Planning Area of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) is a large geographic area with significant natural resources. The Basin includes most of the southeastern part of the Bering Sea Outer Continental Shelf, including all of Bristol Bay. The area supports important habitat for a wide variety of species and globally significant habitat for birds and marine mammals, including several federally listed species. Villages and communities of the Alaska Peninsula and other areas bordering or near the Basin rely on its natural resources (especially commercial and subsistence fishing) for much of their sustenance and livelihood. The offshoremore » area of the North Aleutian Basin is considered to have important hydrocarbon reserves, especially natural gas. In 2006, the MMS released a draft proposed program, 'Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, 2007-2012' and an accompanying draft programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS). The draft proposed program identified two lease sales proposed in the North Aleutian Basin in 2010 and 2012, subject to restrictions. The area proposed for leasing in the Basin was restricted to the Sale 92 Area in the southwestern portion. Additional EISs will be needed to evaluate the potential effects of specific lease actions, exploration activities, and development and production plans in the Basin. A full range of updated multidisciplinary scientific information will be needed to address oceanography, fate and effects of oil spills, marine ecosystems, fish, fisheries, birds, marine mammals, socioeconomics, and subsistence in the Basin. Scientific staff at Argonne National Laboratory were contracted to assist MMS with identifying and prioritizing information needs related to potential future oil and gas leasing and development activities in the North Aleutian Basin. Argonne focused on three related tasks: (1) identify and gather relevant literature published since 1996, (2) synthesize and summarize

  19. Hydrates of nat­ural gas in continental margins

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kvenvolden, K.A.; Barnard, L.A.

    1982-01-01

    Natural gas hydrates in continental margin sediment can be inferred from the widespread occurrence of an anomalous seismic reflector which coincides with the predicted transition boundary at the base of the gas hydrate zone. Direct evidence of gas hydrates is provided by visual observations of sediments from the landward wall of the Mid-America Trench off Mexico and Guatemala, from the Blake Outer Ridge off the southeastern United States, and from the Black Sea in the U.S.S.R. Where solid gas hydrates have been sampled, the gas is composed mainly of methane accompanied by CO2 and low concentrations of ethane and hydrocarbons of higher molecular weight. The molecular and isotopic composition of hydrocarbons indicates that most of the methane is of biolog cal origin. The gas was probably produced by the bacterial alteration of organic matter buried in the sediment. Organic carbon contents of the sediment containing sampled gas hydrates are higher than the average organic carbon content of marine sediments. The main economic importance of gas hydrates may reside in their ability to serve as a cap under which free gas can collect. To be producible, however, such trapped gas must occur in porous and permeable reservoirs. Although gas hydrates are common along continental margins, the degree to which they are associated with significant reservoirs remains to be investigated.

  20. Evidence of post-Pleistocene faults on New Jersey Atlantic outer continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sheridan, R.E.; Knebel, H.J.

    1976-01-01

    Recently obtained high-resolution seismic profiles (400-4,000-Hz band) show evidence of faults in shallow sedimentary strata near the edge of the Atlantic continental shelf off New Jersey. Apparent normal faults having a throw of about 1.5 m displace sediments to within 7 m of the sea floor. The faults appear to be overlain by undeformed horizontal beds of relatively recent age. Several faults 1 to 2 km apart strike approximately N70°E and dip northwest. The data suggest that the faults are upthrown on the southeast.Projection of the faults on the high-resolution profiles to a nearby multichannel seismic-reflection profile indicates that these shallow faults might be the near-surface expression of a more fundamental deep-seated fault. Several prominent reflectors in the multichannel records are offset by a high-angle normal fault reaching depths of 4.0 to 5.0 sec (6.0 to 6.5 km). The deep fault on the multichannel line also is upthrown on the southeast. Throws of as much as 90 m are apparent at depth, but offsets of as much as 10 m could be present in the shallower parts of the section that may not be resolved in the multichannel data.The position and strike of these faults coincide with and parallel the East Coast magnetic anomaly interpreted as the fundamental seaward basement boundary of the Baltimore Canyon trough. Recurring movements along such boundary faults are expected theoretically if the marginal basins are subsiding in response to the plate rotation of North America and seafloor spreading in the Atlantic.

  1. Chapter 32: Geology and petroleum potential of the Arctic Alaska petroleum province

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bird, K.J.; Houseknecht, D.W.

    2011-01-01

    The Arctic Alaska petroleum province encompasses all lands and adjacent continental shelf areas north of the Brooks Range-Herald Arch orogenic belt and south of the northern (outboard) margin of the Beaufort Rift shoulder. Even though only a small part is thoroughly explored, it is one of the most prolific petroleum provinces in North America with total known resources (cumulative production plus proved reserves) of c. 28 BBOE. The province constitutes a significant part of a displaced continental fragment, the Arctic Alaska microplate, that was probably rifted from the Canadian Arctic margin during formation of the Canada Basin. Petroleum prospective rocks in the province, mostly Mississippian and younger, record a sequential geological evolution through passive margin, rift and foreland basin tectonic stages. Significant petroleum source and reservoir rocks were formed during each tectonic stage but it was the foreland basin stage that provided the necessary burial heating to generate petroleum from the source rocks. The lion's share of known petroleum resources in the province occur in combination structural-stratigraphic traps formed as a consequence of rifting and located along the rift shoulder. Since the discovery of the super-giant Prudhoe Bay accumulation in one of these traps in the late 1960s, exploration activity preferentially focused on these types of traps. More recent activity, however, has emphasized the potential for stratigraphic traps and the prospect of a natural gas pipeline in this region has spurred renewed interest in structural traps. For assessment purposes, the province is divided into a Platform assessment unit (AU), comprising the Beaufort Rift shoulder and its relatively undeformed flanks, and a Fold-and-Thrust Belt AU, comprising the deformed area north of the Brooks Range and Herald Arch tectonic belt. Mean estimates of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources include nearly 28 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 122 trillion

  2. Publications - MP 142 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Home Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Tidal Datum

  3. Publications - SR 70 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Home Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Tidal Datum

  4. Publications - MP 38 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Home Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Tidal Datum

  5. Publications - SR 45 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Home Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Tidal Datum

  6. Publications - MP 43 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Home Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Tidal Datum

  7. Publications - MP 149 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Home Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Tidal Datum

  8. Presentations - Wypych, Alicja and others, 2015 | Alaska Division of

    Science.gov Websites

    Geological & Geophysical Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of (AVO) Mineral Resources Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem

  9. Sections | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Communications Alaska Geologic Data Index (AGDI) Volcanology Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) Mineral Resources Alaska MAPTEACH Tsunami Inundation Mapping Energy Resources Gas Hydrates Sponsors' Proposals STATEMAP

  10. A new tectonic model for southern Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reeder, J. W.

    2013-12-01

    E linear feature also exists 20× km S, which trends into Mt. Spurr volcano. It could be another transform. If the MC transform is taking all the discrepancy between PAC and YAK, the S part of the fault would be moving relatively 9 mm/yr to S60°W. This transform has possibly been active for 12 million years. The Wrangell volcanoes with respect to YAK are associated with a spreading ridge. Yet, with respect to PAC, they are associated with a subduction zone (Stevens et al., 1984). The Totschunda and Fairweather faults are the new westward developing Denali transform. The Castle Mountain fault, located about 65 km to the SE of the MC transform, is oriented N65°E. It has had significant right-lateral offset of at least 30 km based on 7.8 km/sec Vp depth contours and of 26 km by magnetic offsets (Haeussler & Saltus, 2004). This older transform probably corresponds to Tertiary volcanics SW of the Mt Spurr/Hayes volcanic complex. Two active megathrust faults exist in south central Alaska; a 1964 type megathrust between PAC and YAK (Plafker, 1969), and a more continental megathrust between YAK and NA (Reeder, 2012). Based on Knik Arm subsidence events, these two types alternate and the next megathrust should occur in 350× years. This more continental megathrust would result in uplift of the N side of the Castle Mountain fault. It might even correspond to significant right-lateral movement on the seismically quiet MC transform.

  11. Metabolic syndrome: prevalence among American Indian and Alaska native people living in the southwestern United States and in Alaska.

    PubMed

    Schumacher, Catherine; Ferucci, Elizabeth D; Lanier, Anne P; Slattery, Martha L; Schraer, Cynthia D; Raymer, Terry W; Dillard, Denise; Murtaugh, Maureen A; Tom-Orme, Lillian

    2008-12-01

    Metabolic syndrome occurs commonly in the United States. The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among American Indian and Alaska Native people. We measured the prevalence rates of metabolic syndrome, as defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program, among four groups of American Indian and Alaska Native people aged 20 years and older. One group was from the southwestern United States (Navajo Nation), and three groups resided within Alaska. Prevalence rates were age-adjusted to the U.S. adult 2000 population and compared to rates for U.S. whites (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES] 1988-1994). Among participants from the southwestern United States, metabolic syndrome was found among 43.2% of men and 47.3% of women. Among Alaska Native people, metabolic syndrome was found among 26.5% of men and 31.2% of women. In Alaska, the prevalence rate varied by region, ranging among men from 18.9% (western Alaska) to 35.1% (southeast), and among women from 22.0% (western Alaska) to 38.4 % (southeast). Compared to U.S. whites, American Indian/Alaska Native men and women from all regions except western Alaska were more likely to have metabolic syndrome; men in western Alaska were less likely to have metabolic syndrome than U.S. whites, and the prevalence among women in western Alaska was similar to that of U.S. whites. The prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome varies widely among different American Indian and Alaska Native populations. Differences paralleled differences in the prevalence rates of diabetes.

  12. A new instrument system to investigate sediment dynamics on continental shelves

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cacchione, D.A.; Drake, D.E.

    1979-01-01

    A new instrumented tripod, the GEOPROBE system, has been constructed and used to collect time-series data on physical and geological parameters that are important in bottom sediment dynamics on continental shelves. Simultaneous in situ digital recording of pressure, temperature, light scattering, and light transmission, in combination with current velocity profiles measured with a near-bottom vertical array of electromagnetic current meters, is used to correlate bottom shear generated by a variety of oceanic processes (waves, tides, mean flow, etc.) with incipient movement and resuspension of bottom sediment. A bottom camera system that is activated when current speeds exceed preset threshold values provides a unique method to identify initial sediment motion and bed form development. Data from a twenty day deployment of the GEOPROBE system in Norton Sound, Alaska, during the period September 24 - October 14, 1976 show that threshold conditions for sediment movement are commonly exceeded, even in calm weather periods, due to the additive effects of tidal currents, mean circulation, and surface waves. ?? 1979.

  13. Publications - RDF 2015-7 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    , Geochemical reanalysis of historical U.S. Geological Survey sediment samples from the northeastern Alaska Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  14. Maestrichtian benthic foraminifers from Ocean Point, North Slope, Alaska ( USA).

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McDougall, K.

    1987-01-01

    Previous studies of fauna and flora from Ocean Point, Alaska, have suggested ages ranging from Campanian to early Eocene and that these assemblages are either highly endemic or commonplace. I demonstrate that the moderately abundant benthic foraminifers constitute early Maestrichtian boreal assemblages common to Canada and northern Europe. Paleoenvironmental analysis indicates that deposition took place in outer neritic settings (50 to 150m). The Ocean Point benthic foraminiferal assemblages contain species that migrated from the US Gulf Coast, North American Interior and Europe during the Campanian, and from Europe during the Maestrichtian. These faunal affinities suggest that seaways connected the Arctic to the North American Interior and Atlantic during the Campanian and that a shallow seaway connected the Arctic to the Atlantic during the early Maestrichtian. - from Author

  15. Presentations - Twelker, Evan and others, 2014 | Alaska Division of

    Science.gov Websites

    magmatic Ni-Cu-Co-PGE system in the Talkeetna Mountains, central Alaska (poster): Society of Economic Geological & Geophysical Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of

  16. Bedrock geologic map of the northern Alaska Peninsula area, southwestern Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Frederic H.; Blodgett, Robert B.; Blome, Charles D.; Mohadjer, Solmaz; Preller, Cindi C.; Klimasauskas, Edward P.; Gamble, Bruce M.; Coonrad, Warren L.

    2017-03-03

    The northern Alaska Peninsula is a region of transition from the classic magmatic arc geology of the Alaska Peninsula to a Proterozoic and early Paleozoic carbonate platform and then to the poorly understood, tectonically complex sedimentary basins of southwestern Alaska. Physiographically, the region ranges from the high glaciated mountains of the Alaska-Aleutian Range to the coastal lowlands of Cook Inlet on the east and Bristol Bay on the southwest. The lower Ahklun Mountains and finger lakes on the west side of the map area show strong effects from glaciation. Structurally, a number of major faults cut the map area. Most important of these are the Bruin Bay Fault that parallels the coast of Cook Inlet, the Lake Clark Fault that cuts diagonally northeast to southwest across the eastern part of the map area, and the presently active Holitna Fault to the northwest that cuts surficial deposits.Distinctive rock packages assigned to three provinces are overlain by younger sedimentary rocks and intruded by widely dispersed latest Cretaceous and (or) early Tertiary granitic rocks. Much of the east half of the map area lies in the Alaska-Aleutian Range province; the Jurassic to Tertiary Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith and derivative Jurassic sedimentary rocks form the core of this province, which is intruded and overlain by the Aleutian magmatic arc. The Lime Hills province, the carbonate platform, occurs in the north-central part of the map area. The Paleozoic and Mesozoic Ahklun Mountains province in the western part of the map area includes abundant chert, argillite, and graywacke and lesser limestone, basalt, and tectonic mélange. The Kuskokwim Group, an Upper Cretaceous turbidite sequence, is extensively exposed and bounds all three provinces in the west-central part of the map area.

  17. 76 FR 81247 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Amendment 88

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-12-27

    ... Atmospheric Administration 50 CFR Part 679 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish of... Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Groundfish of the Gulf of Alaska; Amendment 88 AGENCY: National Marine... conservation, management, safety, and economic gains realized under the Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Pilot...

  18. 78 FR 11988 - Migratory Bird Subsistence Harvest in Alaska; Harvest Regulations for Migratory Birds in Alaska...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-02-21

    ...-management process involving the Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and Alaska Native... developed under a co-management process involving the Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and... Fish and Game's request to expand the Fairbanks North Star Borough excluded area to include the Central...

  19. Wood and fish residuals composting in Alaska

    Treesearch

    David Nicholls; Thomas Richard; Jesse A. Micales

    2002-01-01

    The unique climates and industrial mix in southeast and south central Alaska are challenges being met by the region's organics recyclers. OMPOSTING wood residuals in Alaska has become increasingly important in recent years as wood processors and other industrial waste managers search for environmentally sound and profitable outlets. Traditionally, Alaska?s...

  20. Dental caries in rural Alaska Native children--Alaska, 2008.

    PubMed

    2011-09-23

    In April 2008, the Arctic Investigations Program (AIP) of CDC was informed by the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) of a large number of Alaska Native (AN) children living in a remote region of Alaska who required full mouth dental rehabilitations (FMDRs), including extractions and/or restorations of multiple carious teeth performed under general anesthesia. In this remote region, approximately 400 FMDRs were performed in AN children aged <6 years in 2007; the region has approximately 600 births per year. Dental caries can cause pain, which can affect children's normal growth and development. AIP and Alaska DHSS conducted an investigation of dental caries and associated risk factors among children in the remote region. A convenience sample of children aged 4-15 years in five villages (two with fluoridated water and three without) was examined to estimate dental caries prevalence and severity. Risk factor information was obtained by interviewing parents. Among children aged 4-5 years and 12-15 years who were evaluated, 87% and 91%, respectively, had dental caries, compared with 35% and 51% of U.S. children in those age groups. Among children from the Alaska villages, those aged 4-5 years had a mean of 7.3 dental caries, and those aged 12-15 years had a mean of 5.0, compared with 1.6 and 1.8 dental caries in same-aged U.S. children. Of the multiple factors assessed, lack of water fluoridation and soda pop consumption were significantly associated with dental caries severity. Collaborations between tribal, state, and federal agencies to provide effective preventive interventions, such as water fluoridation of villages with suitable water systems and provision of fluoride varnishes, should be encouraged.

  1. Extending Alaska's plate boundary: tectonic tremor generated by Yakutat subduction

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wech, Aaron G.

    2016-01-01

    The tectonics of the eastern end of the Alaska-Aleutian subduction zone are complicated by the inclusion of the Yakutat microplate, which is colliding into and subducting beneath continental North America at near-Pacific-plate rates. The interaction among these plates at depth is not well understood, and further east, even less is known about the plate boundary or the source of Wrangell volcanism. The drop-off in Wadati-Benioff zone (WBZ) seismicity could signal the end of the plate boundary, the start of aseismic subduction, or a tear in the downgoing plate. Further compounding the issue is the possible presence of the Wrangell slab, which is faintly outlined by an anemic, eastward-dipping WBZ beneath the Wrangell volcanoes. In this study, I performed a search for tectonic tremor to map slow, plate-boundary slip in south-central Alaska. I identified ∼11,000 tremor epicenters, which continue 85 km east of the inferred Pacific plate edge marked by WBZ seismicity. The tremor zone coincides with the edges of the downgoing Yakutat terrane, and tremors transition from periodic to continuous behavior as they near the aseismic Wrangell slab. I interpret tremor to mark slow, semicontinuous slip occurring at the interface between the Yakutat and North America plates. The slow slip region lengthens the megathrust interface beyond the WBZ and may provide evidence for a connection between the Yakutat slab and the aseismic Wrangell slab.

  2. Apparent episodicity of magmatic activity based on radiometric age determination: A section in The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 1980

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Frederic H.; Shew, Nora B.

    1982-01-01

    Results of recent potassium-argon age studies in the Chignik region, Alaska, (Wilson, 1980; Wilson and others, 1982) have suggested a distinct episodicity in igneous activity during Tertiary time. To date work on the Aleutian magmatic arc indicates that plutonic activity took place along the present outer Pacific margin and in the northern Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith (Reed and Lanphere, 1973; Kienle and Turner, 1976; DeLong and others, 1978) in latest Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary time (70-58 m.y.) and was followed by a hiatus lasting until late Eocene ( 45 m.y~) time. Late Eocene to earliest Miocene ( 45-20 m.y.) magmatic activity was followed by a middle Miocene hiatus (10 m.y.). Since that time, magmatic activity in the Aleutian arc has been continuous.

  3. Publications - GMC 53C | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska Paleozoic through Tertiary sandstones, North Slope, Alaska Authors: Alaska Research Associates Publication through Tertiary sandstones, North Slope, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

  4. Raising the continental crust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campbell, Ian H.; Davies, D. Rhodri

    2017-02-01

    The changes that occur at the boundary between the Archean and Proterozoic eons are arguably the most fundamental to affect the evolution of Earth's continental crust. The principal component of Archean continental crust is Granite-Greenstone Terranes (GGTs), with granites always dominant. The greenstones consist of a lower sequence of submarine komatiites and basalts, which erupted onto a pre-existing Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite (TTG) crust. These basaltic rocks pass upwards initially into evolved volcanic rocks, such as andesites and dacites and, subsequently, into reworked felsic pyroclastic material and immature sediments. This transition coincides with widespread emplacement of granitoids, which stabilised (cratonised) the continental crust. Proterozoic supra-crustal rocks, on the other hand, are dominated by extensive flat-lying platform sequences of mature sediments, which were deposited on stable cratonic basements, with basaltic rocks appreciably less abundant. The siliceous TTGs cannot be produced by direct melting of the mantle, with most hypotheses for their origin requiring them to be underlain by a complimentary dense amphibole-garnet-pyroxenite root, which we suggest acted as ballast to the early continents. Ubiquitous continental pillow basalts in Archean lower greenstone sequences require the early continental crust to have been sub-marine, whereas the appearance of abundant clastic sediments, at higher stratigraphic levels, shows that it had emerged above sea level by the time of sedimentation. We hypothesise that the production of komatiites and associated basalts, the rise of the continental crust, widespread melting of the continental crust, the onset of sedimentation and subsequent cratonisation form a continuum that is the direct result of removal of the continent's dense amphibole-garnet-pyroxenite roots, triggered at a regional scale by the arrival of a mantle plume at the base of the lithosphere. Our idealised calculations suggest

  5. An oilspill risk analysis for the Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf lease area; regional environmental impact statement

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    LaBelle, R.P.

    1982-01-01

    An oilspill risk analysis was conducted for the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)lease area region. Results of the analysis can be used to determine relative risks associated with oil production in different regions to be offered in OCS Lease Sales 72, 74, and 79. The analysis considered the probability of spill occurrences based on historical trends; likely movement of oil slicks based on a climatological model; and locations of major environmental resources which could be vulnerable to spilled oil. The times between spill occurrence and contact with resources were estimated to aid in estimating slick characteristics. Critical assumptions made for this particular analysis were (1) that oil exists in the lease area, and (2) that oil will be, found and produced from tracts sold in sales 72, 74, and 79. On the basis of a most likely resource estimate of 241 million barrels of oil to be produced over an 18-year production life from sales to be held in 1983 (sales 72, 74, 79), it was calculated that approximately one oilspill of 1,000 barrels or larger will occur. The estimated probability that one or more oilspills of 1,000 barrels or larger will occur and contact land after being at sea less than 30 days is 41-percent. For a high resource estimate case of sales to be held in 1983, 717 million barrels are estimated to be produced over an 18-year production life with an 83-percent chance of one or more spills of 1,000 barrels or larger occurring and contacting land within 30 days. These results depend upon the routes and methods chosen to transport oil from OCS platforms to shore. Given a total development scenario in which 5.6 billion barrels of oil are estimated to be present and produced, it was calculated that 18 oilspills of 1,000 barrels or larger will occur over the 40-year production life of the proposed lease area. The estimated probability that one or more oilspills of 1,000 barrels or larger will occur and contact land after being at sea less than

  6. Publications - MP 150 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska larger work. Please see DDS 3 for more information. Digital Geospatial Data Digital Geospatial Data Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees

  7. Publications - RI 2011-4 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska district, Circle Quadrangle, Alaska, scale 1:50,000 (16.0 M) Digital Geospatial Data Digital Geospatial Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees

  8. Publications - AR 2010 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical DGGS AR 2010 Publication Details Title: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Annual Report Authors: DGGS Staff Publication Date: Jan 2011 Publisher: Alaska Division of Geological &

  9. Publications - RI 2009-3 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska , northeastern Brooks Range, Alaska, scale 1:63,360 (129.0 M) Digital Geospatial Data Digital Geospatial Data Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees

  10. Dynamics of the outer radiation belts in relation to polar substorms and hot plasma injections at geostationary altitude

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sauvaud, J. A.; Winckler, J. R.

    1981-01-01

    Geostationary satellite and ground measurements of dynamic variations of the outer radiation belts and their relations with the development of auroral structures during magnetospheric substorms are analyzed. A comparison of measurements of the H or X geomagnetic field components made by seven auroral stations with ATS-6 low-energy and high-energy particle measurements during the multiple-onset substorm of Aug. 16, 1974 is presented which demonstrates that while the decrease in energetic particle fluxed ends only at the time of a strong substorm onset, rapid motions of the outer radiation belts may occur during the flux decrease. All-sky photographs of auroral phenomena taken at Fort Yukon and College, Alaska are then compared with ATS-1 energetic particle flux measurements in order to demonstrate the relation between flux decreases and increases and distinct substorm phases. Results support the hypothesis of a magnetospheric substorm precursor which appears to be an instability growing at the inner boundary of the plasma layer and approaching the earth, and underline the importance of current and magnetic field variations in charged particle dynamics.

  11. Alaska State Legislature

    Science.gov Websites

    The Alaska State Legislature search menu Home Senate Current Members Past Members By Session search Home Get Started About the Legislative Branch Legislative Branch The Legislative Branch is responsible for enacting the laws of the State of Alaska and appropriating the money necessary to operate the

  12. Alaska Workforce Investment Board

    Science.gov Websites

    ! Looking for a job? Click here. About Us Board Member Documents Phone: (907) 269-7485 Toll Free: (888) 412 : 907-269-7485 Toll Free: 888-412-4742 Fax: 907-269-7489 State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident

  13. The evolving Alaska mapping program.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brooks, P.D.; O'Brien, T. J.

    1986-01-01

    This paper describes the development of mapping in Alaska, the current status of the National Mapping Program, and future plans for expanding and improving the mapping coverage. Research projects with Landsat Multispectral Scanner and Return Vidicon imagery and real- and synthetic-aperture radar; image mapping programs; digital mapping; remote sensing projects; the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act; and the Alaska High-Altitude Aerial Photography Program are also discussed.-from Authors

  14. Publications - GMC 16 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska Geologic Data Index (AGDI) Volcanology Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) Mineral Resources Alaska's Mineral and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a

  15. Publications - RDF 2010-2 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Prospect; Trace Elements; Trace Metals; Triassic; Wrangellia Terrane; geoscientificInformation Top of Page Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  16. Publications - RDF 2015-6 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Sediments; Trace Elements; Trace Geochemical; Trace Metals; geoscientificInformation Top of Page Department Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  17. Interspecific exchange of avian influenza virus genes in Alaska: the influence of trans-hemispheric migratory tendency and breeding ground sympatry.

    PubMed

    Pearce, John M; Reeves, Andrew B; Ramey, Andrew M; Hupp, Jerry W; Ip, Hon S; Bertram, Mark; Petrula, Michael J; Scotton, Bradley D; Trust, Kimberly A; Meixell, Brandt W; Runstadler, Jonathan A

    2011-03-01

    The movement and transmission of avian influenza viral strains via wild migratory birds may vary by host species as a result of migratory tendency and sympatry with other infected individuals. To examine the roles of host migratory tendency and species sympatry on the movement of Eurasian low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) genes into North America, we characterized migratory patterns and LPAI viral genomic variation in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) of Alaska in comparison with LPAI diversity of northern pintails (Anas acuta). A 50-year band-recovery data set suggests that unlike northern pintails, mallards rarely make trans-hemispheric migrations between Alaska and Eurasia. Concordantly, fewer (14.5%) of 62 LPAI isolates from mallards contained Eurasian gene segments compared to those from 97 northern pintails (35%), a species with greater inter-continental migratory tendency. Aerial survey and banding data suggest that mallards and northern pintails are largely sympatric throughout Alaska during the breeding season, promoting opportunities for interspecific transmission. Comparisons of full-genome isolates confirmed near-complete genetic homology (>99.5%) of seven viruses between mallards and northern pintails. This study found viral segments of Eurasian lineage at a higher frequency in mallards than previous studies, suggesting transmission from other avian species migrating inter-hemispherically or the common occurrence of endemic Alaskan viruses containing segments of Eurasian origin. We conclude that mallards are unlikely to transfer Asian-origin viruses directly to North America via Alaska but that they are likely infected with Asian-origin viruses via interspecific transfer from species with regular migrations to the Eastern Hemisphere. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  18. Interspecific exchange of avian influenza virus genes in Alaska: The influence of trans-hemispheric migratory tendency and breeding ground sympatry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Pearce, John M.; Reeves, A.B.; Ramey, A.M.; Hupp, Jerry W.; Ip, Hon S.; Bertram, M.; Petrula, M.J.; Scotton, B.D.; Trust, K.A.; Meixell, Brandt W.; Runstadler, J.A.

    2011-01-01

    The movement and transmission of avian influenza viral strains via wild migratory birds may vary by host species as a result of migratory tendency and sympatry with other infected individuals. To examine the roles of host migratory tendency and species sympatry on the movement of Eurasian low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) genes into North America, we characterized migratory patterns and LPAI viral genomic variation in mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) of Alaska in comparison with LPAI diversity of northern pintails (Anas acuta). A 50-year band-recovery data set suggests that unlike northern pintails, mallards rarely make trans-hemispheric migrations between Alaska and Eurasia. Concordantly, fewer (14.5%) of 62 LPAI isolates from mallards contained Eurasian gene segments compared to those from 97 northern pintails (35%), a species with greater inter-continental migratory tendency. Aerial survey and banding data suggest that mallards and northern pintails are largely sympatric throughout Alaska during the breeding season, promoting opportunities for interspecific transmission. Comparisons of full-genome isolates confirmed near-complete genetic homology (>99.5%) of seven viruses between mallards and northern pintails. This study found viral segments of Eurasian lineage at a higher frequency in mallards than previous studies, suggesting transmission from other avian species migrating inter-hemispherically or the common occurrence of endemic Alaskan viruses containing segments of Eurasian origin. We conclude that mallards are unlikely to transfer Asian-origin viruses directly to North America via Alaska but that they are likely infected with Asian-origin viruses via interspecific transfer from species with regular migrations to the Eastern Hemisphere.

  19. 30 CFR 256.0 - Authority for information collection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... OF SULPHUR OR OIL AND GAS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Outer Continental Shelf Oil, Gas, and... part 256, Leasing of Sulphur or Oil and Gas in the Outer Continental Shelf.” (b) MMS collects this...

  20. Alaska Natives assessing the health of their environment.

    PubMed

    Garza, D

    2001-11-01

    The changes in Alaska's ecosystems caused by pollution, contaminants and global climate change are negatively impacting Alaska Natives and rural residents who rely on natural resources for food, culture and community identity. While Alaska commerce has contributed little to these global changes and impacts, Alaska and its resources are nonetheless affected by the changes. While Alaska Natives have historically relied on Alaska's land, water and animals for survival and cultural identity, today their faith in the safety and quality of these resources has decreased. Alaska Natives no longer believe that these wild resources are the best and many are turning to alternative store-bought foods. Such a change in diet and activity may be contributing to a decline in traditional activities and a decline in general health. Contaminants are showing up in the animals, fish and waters that Alaska Natives use. Efforts need to be expanded to empower Alaska Native Tribes to collect and analyze local wild foods for various contaminants. In addition existing information on contaminants and pollution should be made readily available to Alaska residents. Armed with this type of information Alaska Native residents will be better prepared to make informed decisions on using wild foods and materials.

  1. Provenance and detrital zircon geochronologic evolution of lower Brookian foreland basin deposits of the western Brooks Range, Alaska, and implications for early Brookian tectonism

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moore, Thomas; O'Sullivan, Paul B.; Potter, Christopher J.; Donelick, Raymond A.

    2015-01-01

    The Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous part of the Brookian sequence of northern Alaska consists of syntectonic deposits shed from the north-directed, early Brookian orogenic belt. We employ sandstone petrography, detrital zircon U-Pb age analysis, and zircon fission-track double-dating methods to investigate these deposits in a succession of thin regional thrust sheets in the western Brooks Range and in the adjacent Colville foreland basin to determine sediment provenance, sedimentary dispersal patterns, and to reconstruct the evolution of the Brookian orogen. The oldest and structurally highest deposits are allochthonous Upper Jurassic volcanic arc–derived sandstones that rest on accreted ophiolitic and/or subduction assemblage mafic igneous rocks. These strata contain a nearly unimodal Late Jurassic zircon population and are interpreted to be a fragment of a forearc basin that was emplaced onto the Brooks Range during arc-continent collision. Synorogenic deposits found at structurally lower levels contain decreasing amounts of ophiolite and arc debris, Jurassic zircons, and increasing amounts of continentally derived sedimentary detritus accompanied by broadly distributed late Paleozoic and Triassic (359–200 Ma), early Paleozoic (542–359 Ma), and Paleoproterozoic (2000–1750 Ma) zircon populations. The zircon populations display fission-track evidence of cooling during the Brookian event and evidence of an earlier episode of cooling in the late Paleozoic and Triassic. Surprisingly, there is little evidence for erosion of the continental basement of Arctic Alaska, its Paleozoic sedimentary cover, or its hinterland metamorphic rocks in early foreland basin strata at any structural and/or stratigraphic level in the western Brooks Range. Detritus from exhumation of these sources did not arrive in the foreland basin until the middle or late Albian in the central part of the Colville Basin.These observations indicate that two primary provenance areas provided

  2. Publications - GMC 171 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Arco Alaska Inc. Delta State #2 well Authors: Pawlewicz, Mark Publication Date: 1990 Publisher: Alaska , Vitrinite reflectance data of cuttings (3270'-10760') from the Arco Alaska Inc. Delta State #2 well: Alaska

  3. Publications - RDF 2012-3 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Assessment Project; Trace Elements; geoscientificInformation Top of Page Department of Natural Resources Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  4. Publications - RDF 2005-4 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    District; Trace Elements; Trace Metals; Tungsten; Uranium; Vanadium; Yttrium; Zinc; Zirconium Top of Page Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  5. Publications - RDF 2016-2 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    , Major-oxide and trace-element geochemistry of mafic rocks in the Carboniferous Lisburne Group, Ivishak Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  6. Publications - RDF 2000-4 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Oxides; Palladium; Platinum; Rare Earth Elements; STATEMAP Project; Trace Metals Top of Page Department Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  7. Trends in Alaska's People and Economy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leask, Linda; Killorin, Mary; Martin, Stephanie

    This booklet provides data on Alaska's population, economy, health, education, government, and natural resources, including specific information on Alaska Natives. Since 1960, Alaska's population has tripled and become more diverse, more stable, older, less likely to be male or married, and more concentrated. About 69 percent of the population…

  8. Alaska Native Participation in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Alaska Historical Commission Studies in History No. 206.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sorensen, Connor; And Others

    The report is a finding aid to the sources which document the 1937 federal policy decision mandating that 50% of the enrollees in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Alaska must be Alaska Natives and provides a list of the Native CCC projects in Alaska. The finding aid section is organized according to the location of the collections and…

  9. Sediment delivery to the Gulf of Alaska: source mechanisms along a glaciated transform margin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dobson, M.R.; O'Leary, D.; Veart, M.

    1998-01-01

    Sediment delivery to the Gulf of Alaska occurs via four areally extensive deep-water fans, sourced from grounded tidewater glaciers. During periods of climatic cooling, glaciers cross a narrow shelf and discharge sediment down the continental slope. Because the coastal terrain is dominated by fjords and a narrow, high-relief Pacific watershed, deposition is dominated by channellized point-source fan accumulations, the volumes of which are primarily a function of climate. The sediment distribution is modified by a long-term tectonic translation of the Pacific plate to the north along the transform margin. As a result, the deep-water fans are gradually moved away from the climatically controlled point sources. Sets of abandoned channels record the effect of translation during the Plio-Pleistocene.

  10. 78 FR 4435 - BLM Director's Response to the Alaska Governor's Appeal of the BLM Alaska State Director's...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-01-22

    ... Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is publishing this notice to explain why the BLM Director is rejecting... Director's Response to the Alaska Governor's Appeal of the BLM Alaska State Director's Governor's... the BLM Alaska State Director. The State Director determined the Governor's Finding was outside the...

  11. Publications - SR 37 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska Section; Resource Assessment; Tyonek Formation; Type Section Top of Page Department of Natural Resources State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Home

  12. Presentations - Twelker, Evan and others, 2014 | Alaska Division of

    Science.gov Websites

    Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Details Title: Preliminary results from 2014 geologic mapping in the Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska Lande, Lauren, 2014, Preliminary results from 2014 geologic mapping in the Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska

  13. Publications - RDF 2004-2 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    ; Trace Elements; Trace Metals; Tungsten; Vanadium; Yttrium; Zinc; Zirconium Top of Page Department of Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  14. Publications - SR 32 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    DGGS SR 32 Publication Details Title: Oil and gas basins map of Alaska Authors: Ehm, Arlen Publication ): Alaska Statewide Bibliographic Reference Ehm, Arlen, 1983, Oil and gas basins map of Alaska: Alaska Sheets Sheet 1 Oil and gas basins map of Alaska, scale 1:2,500,000 (21.0 M) Keywords Alaska Statewide

  15. Proceedings of the North Aleutian Basin information status and research planning meeting.

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

    LaGory, K. E.; Krummel, J. R.; Hayse, J. W.

    2007-10-26

    The North Aleutian Basin Planning Area of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) is a large geographic area with significant ecological and natural resources. The Basin includes most of the southeastern part of the Bering Sea continental shelf including all of Bristol Bay. The area supports important habitat for a wide variety of species and globally significant habitat for birds and marine mammals including federally listed species. Villages and communities of the Alaska Peninsula and other areas bordering or near the Basin rely on its natural resources (especially commercial and subsistence fishing) for much of their sustenance and livelihood. The offshoremore » area of the North Aleutian Basin is considered to have important hydrocarbon reserves, especially natural gas. In 2006, the MMS released a draft proposed program, Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program, 2007-2012 and an accompanying draft programmatic environmental impact statement (EIS). The draft proposed program identified two lease sales proposed in the North Aleutian Basin in 2010 and 2012, subject to restrictions. The area proposed for leasing in the Basin was restricted to the Sale 92 Area in the southwestern portion. Additional EISs will be needed to evaluate the potential effects of specific lease actions, exploration activities, and development and production plans in the Basin. A full range of updated multidisciplinary scientific information will be needed to address oceanography, fate and effects of oil spills, marine ecosystems, fish, fisheries, birds, marine mammals, socioeconomics, and subsistence in the Basin. Scientific staff at Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) were contracted to assist the MMS Alaska Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Region in identifying and prioritizing information needs related to the North Aleutian Basin and potential future oil and gas leasing and development activities. The overall approach focused on three related but separate tasks: (1

  16. Host and geographic structure of endophytic and endolichenic fungi at a continental scale.

    PubMed

    U'Ren, Jana M; Lutzoni, François; Miadlikowska, Jolanta; Laetsch, Alexander D; Arnold, A Elizabeth

    2012-05-01

    Endophytic and endolichenic fungi occur in healthy tissues of plants and lichens, respectively, playing potentially important roles in the ecology and evolution of their hosts. However, previous sampling has not comprehensively evaluated the biotic, biogeographic, and abiotic factors that structure their communities. Using molecular data we examined the diversity, composition, and distributions of 4154 endophytic and endolichenic Ascomycota cultured from replicate surveys of ca. 20 plant and lichen species in each of five North American sites (Madrean coniferous forest, Arizona; montane semideciduous forest, North Carolina; scrub forest, Florida; Beringian tundra and forest, western Alaska; subalpine tundra, eastern central Alaska). Endolichenic fungi were more abundant and diverse per host species than endophytes, but communities of endophytes were more diverse overall, reflecting high diversity in mosses and lycophytes. Endophytes of vascular plants were largely distinct from fungal communities that inhabit mosses and lichens. Fungi from closely related hosts from different regions were similar in higher taxonomy, but differed at shallow taxonomic levels. These differences reflected climate factors more strongly than geographic distance alone. Our study provides a first evaluation of endophytic and endolichenic fungal associations with their hosts at a continental scale. Both plants and lichens harbor abundant and diverse fungal communities whose incidence, diversity, and composition reflect the interplay of climatic patterns, geographic separation, host type, and host lineage. Although culture-free methods will inform future work, our study sets the stage for empirical assessments of ecological specificity, metabolic capability, and comparative genomics.

  17. Geologic map of Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Patton, William W.; Wilson, Frederic H.; Taylor, Theresa A.

    2011-01-01

    Saint Lawrence Island is located in the northern Bering Sea, 190 km southwest of the tip of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, and 75 km southeast of the Chukotsk Peninsula, Russia (see index map, map sheet). It lies on a broad, shallow-water continental shelf that extends from western Alaska to northeastern Russia. The island is situated on a northwest-trending structural uplift exposing rocks as old as Paleozoic above sea level. The submerged shelf between the Seward Peninsula and Saint Lawrence Island is covered mainly with Cenozoic deposits (Dundo and Egiazarov, 1982). Northeast of the island, the shelf is underlain by a large structural depression, the Norton Basin, which contains as much as 6.5 km of Cenozoic strata (Grim and McManus, 1970; Fisher and others, 1982). Sparse test-well data indicate that the Cenozoic strata are underlain by Paleozoic and Proterozoic rocks, similar to those exposed on the Seward Peninsula (Turner and others, 1983). Saint Lawrence Island is 160 km long in an east-west direction and from 15 km to 55 km wide in a north-south direction. The east end of the island consists largely of a wave-cut platform, which has been elevated as much as 30 m above sea level. Isolated upland areas composed largely of granitic plutons rise as much as 550 m above the wave-cut platform. The central part of the island is dominated by the Kookooligit Mountains, a large Quaternary shield volcano that extends over an area of 850 km2 and rises to an elevation of 630 m. The west end of the island is composed of the Poovoot Range, a group of barren, rubble-covered hills as high as 450 m that extend from Boxer Bay on the southwest coast to Taphook Mountain on the north coast. The Poovoot Range is flanked on the southeast by the Putgut Plateau, a nearly flat, lake-dotted plain that stands 30?60 m above sea level. The west end of the island is marked by uplands underlain by the Sevuokuk pluton (unit Kg), a long narrow granite body that extends from Gambell on the

  18. Publications - GMC 395 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    investigations of the diatom stratigraphy of Borehole TA8, Portage Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical DGGS GMC 395 Publication Details Title: Preliminary investigations of the diatom stratigraphy of

  19. 76 FR 45217 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-07-28

    ..., management, safety, and economic gains realized under the Rockfish Pilot Program and viability of the Gulf of...-BA97 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Central Gulf of Alaska Rockfish Program... available for public review and comment. The groundfish fisheries in the exclusive economic zone of Alaska...

  20. Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development

    Science.gov Websites

    Market Information Alaska Job Centers Hot Topics Get Paid to Learn a Trade! Apprenticeship Alaska Career USAJOBS - Federal Gov. Jobs Apprenticeship Alaska Career Information System Veterans' Services Youth

  1. Tourism in rural Alaska

    Treesearch

    Katrina Church-Chmielowski

    2007-01-01

    Tourism in rural Alaska is an education curriculum with worldwide relevance. Students have started small businesses, obtained employment in the tourism industry and gotten in touch with their people. The Developing Alaska Rural Tourism collaborative project has resulted in student scholarships, workshops on website development, marketing, small...

  2. 76 FR 270 - Alaska: Adequacy of Alaska Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Permit Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-04

    ...] Alaska: Adequacy of Alaska Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Permit Program AGENCY: Environmental Protection... approved Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (MSWLF) permit program. The approved modification allows the State..., EPA issued a final rule (69 FR 13242) amending the Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (MSWLF) criteria in...

  3. Presentations - Twelker, Evan and Lande, Lauren, 2015 | Alaska Division of

    Science.gov Websites

    Geological & Geophysical Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of (AVO) Mineral Resources Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem

  4. Deep sea sedimentation processes and geomorphology: Northwest Atlantic continental margin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mosher, David; Campbell, Calvin; Gardner, Jim; Chaytor, Jason; Piper, David; Rebesco, Michele

    2017-04-01

    Deep-sea sedimentation processes impart a fundamental control on the morphology of the western North Atlantic continental margin from Blake Spur to Hudson Strait. This fact is illustrated by the variable patterns of cross-margin gradients that are based on extensive new multibeam echo-sounder data informed by subbottom profiler and seismic reflection data. Erosion by off-shelf sediment transport in turbidity currents creates gullies, canyons and channels and a steep upper slope. Amalgamation of these conduits produces singular channels and turbidite fan complexes on the lower slope, flattening slope-profile gradients. The effect is an exponentially decaying "graded" slope profile. Comparatively, sediment mass failure produces steeper upper slopes due to head scarp development and a wedging architecture to the lower slope as deposits thin in the downslope direction. This process results in either a "stepped" slope, and/or a significant downslope gradient change where MTDs pinch out. Large drift deposits created by geostrophic currents are developed all along the margin. Blake Ridge, Sackville Spur, and Hamilton Spur are large detached drifts on disparate parts of the margin. They form a linear "above grade" profile along their crests from the shelf to abyssal plain. Deeper portions of the US continental margin are dominated by the Chesapeake Drift and Hatteras Outer Ridge; both plastered elongate mounded drifts. Farther north, particularly on the Grand Banks margin, are plastered and separated drifts. These drifts form "stepped" slope profiles, where they onlap the margin. Trough-mouth fan complexes become more common along the margin with increasing latitude. Sediment deposition and retention, particularly those dominated by glacigenic debris flows, characterize these segments producing an "above grade" slope profile. Understanding these geomorphological consequences of deep sea sedimentation processes is important to extended continental shelf mapping in which

  5. High-Resolution Holocene Records of Paleoceanographic and Paleoclimatic Variability from the Southern Alaskan Continental Margin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Finney, B. P.; Jaeger, J. M.; Mix, A. C.; Cowan, E. A.; Gulick, S. S.; Mayer, L. A.; Pisias, N. G.; Powell, R. D.; Prahl, F.; Stoner, J. S.

    2004-12-01

    We are investigating sediments from the fjords and continental margin of southern Alaska to develop high-resolution climatic and oceanographic records for the Late Quaternary. Our goal is to better understand linkages between climatic, terrestrial and oceanic systems in this tectonically active and biologically productive region. A field program was conducted aboard the R/V Maurice Ewing in August/September 2004 utilizing geophysical surveys (high-resolution swath bathymetric and backscatter imaging, shallow sub-bottom profiling, and where permitted, high-resolution seismic reflection profiling), piston and multi-coring, and CTD/water sampling at about 30 sites in this region. Cores are being analyzed for sedimentological, microfossil, geochemical and stable isotopic proxies, with chronologies constrained by Pb-210, AMS radiocarbon, tephrochronolgic and paleomagnetic dating. Our preliminary results demonstrate that these rapidly accumulating sedimentary archives can resolve environmental changes on annual to decadal timescales. Records of recent changes in lithogenic sediment accumulation and biological productivity on the Gulf of Alaska shelf track historical climatic data that extends to the early 20th century in this region. The records also correlate with multi-decadal climate regimes during the Little Ice Age as suggested by tree-ring, glacial advance and salmon abundance records from nearby coastal sites. Jack Dymond's enthusiasm for collaborative, interdisciplinary research will help guide us in unraveling the fingerprints of key processes in this relatively unexplored region.

  6. 76 FR 303 - Alaska: Adequacy of Alaska's Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Permit Program

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-04

    ...] Alaska: Adequacy of Alaska's Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Permit Program AGENCY: Environmental... modification of its approved Municipal Solid Waste Landfill (MSWLF) permit program. On March 22, 2004, EPA..., Waste, and Toxics, U.S. EPA, Region 10, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, Mailstop: AWT-122, Seattle, WA...

  7. Publications - Geospatial Data | Alaska Division of Geological &

    Science.gov Websites

    from rocks collected in the Richardson mining district, Big Delta Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division , 40Ar/39Ar data, Alaska Highway corridor from Delta Junction to Canada border, parts of Mount Hayes

  8. Publications - DDS 7 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Portal Climate and Cryosphere Hazards Coastal Hazards Program Guide to Geologic Hazards in Alaska DGGS DDS 7 Publication Details Title: Alaska Coastal Profile Tool (ACPT) Authors: DGGS Staff ): Alaska Statewide Bibliographic Reference DGGS Staff, 2014, Alaska Coastal Profile Tool (ACPT): Alaska

  9. Harvesting morels after wildfire in Alaska.

    Treesearch

    Tricia L. Wurtz; Amy L. Wiita; Nancy S. Weber; David Pilz

    2005-01-01

    Morels are edible, choice wild mushrooms that sometimes fruit prolifically in the years immediately after an area has been burned by wildfire. Wildfires are common in interior Alaska; an average of 708,700 acres burned each year in interior Alaska between 1961 and 2000, and in major fire years, over 2 million acres burned. We discuss Alaska's boreal forest...

  10. The State of Alaska Agency Directory

    Science.gov Websites

    State Government Jobs Federal Jobs Starting a Small Business Living Get a Driver License Get a Hunting /Fishing License Get a Birth Certificate, Marriage License, etc. Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend Statewide Highway Conditions Take a University Class Look up Alaska Laws Recreation Find a Recreational Area Alaska

  11. Publications - AR 2006 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2006 main content DGGS AR 2006 Publication Details Title: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Annual

  12. Publications - AR 2000 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2000 main content DGGS AR 2000 Publication Details Title: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Annual

  13. Publications - AR 2003 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2003 main content DGGS AR 2003 Publication Details Title: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Annual

  14. Publications - AR 2004 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2004 main content DGGS AR 2004 Publication Details Title: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Annual

  15. Petrology and age of volcanic-arc rocks from the continental margin of the Bering Sea: implications for Early Eocene relocation of plate boundaries

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Davis, A.S.; Pickthorn, L.-B.G.; Vallier, T.L.; Marlow, M. S.

    1989-01-01

    Eocene volcanic flow and dike rocks from the Beringian margin have arc characteristics, implying a convergent history for this region during the early Tertiary. Chemical and mineralogical compositions are similar to those of modern Aleutian-arc lavas. They also resemble volcanic-arc compositions from western mainland Alaska, although greater chemical diversity and a stronger continental influence are observed in the Alaskan mainland rocks. Early Eocene ages of 54.4-50.2 Ma for the Beringian samples are well constrained by conventional K-Ar ages of nine plagioclase separates and by concordant 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating and total-fusion experiments. A concordant U-Pb zircon age of 53 Ma for the quartz-diorite dike is in good agreement with the K-Ar data. Plate motion studies of the North Pacific Ocean indicate more northerly directed subduction prior to the Tertiary and a continuous belt of arc-type volcanism extending from Siberia, along the Beringian margin, into mainland Alaska. Around 56 Ma (chron 25-24), subduction changed to a more westerly direction and subduction-related volcanism ceased for most of mainland Alaska. The increasingly oblique angle of convergence should have ended subduction along the Beringian margin as well. However, consistent ages of 54-50 Ma indicate a final pulse in arc-type magmatism during this period of plate adjustment. -from Authors

  16. Munitions and Explosives of Concern Survey Methodology and In-field Testing for Wind Energy Areas on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    DuVal, C.; Carton, G.; Trembanis, A. C.; Edwards, M.; Miller, J. K.

    2017-12-01

    Munitions and explosives of concern (MEC) are present in U.S. waters as a result of past and ongoing live-fire testing and training, combat operations, and sea disposal. To identify MEC that may pose a risk to human safety during development of offshore wind facilities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is preparing to develop guidance on risk analysis and selection processes for methods and technologies to identify MEC in Wind Energy Areas (WEA). This study developed a process for selecting appropriate technologies and methodologies for MEC detection using a synthesis of historical research, physical site characterization, remote sensing technology review, and in-field trials. Personnel were tasked with seeding a portion of the Delaware WEA with munitions surrogates, while a second group of researchers not privy to the surrogate locations tested and optimized the selected methodology to find and identify the placed targets. This in-field trial, conducted in July 2016, emphasized the use of multiple sensors for MEC detection, and led to further guidance for future MEC detection efforts on the Atlantic OCS. An April 2017 follow on study determined the fate of the munitions surrogates after the Atlantic storm season had passed. Using regional hydrodynamic models and incorporating the recommendations from the 2016 field trial, the follow on study examined the fate of the MEC and compared the findings to existing research on munitions mobility, as well as models developed as part of the Office of Naval Research Mine-Burial Program. Focus was given to characterizing the influence of sediment type on surrogate munitions behavior and the influence of mophodynamics and object burial on MEC detection. Supporting Mine-Burial models, ripple bedforms were observed to impede surrogate scour and burial in coarse sediments, while surrogate burial was both predicted and observed in finer sediments. Further, incorporation of

  17. Alaska Community Forest Council

    Science.gov Websites

    Conservation Education Timber Management Wildland Fire & Aviation Burn Permits Firewise Alaska Brochure (PDF) Fire Management Plans Fire Assignments Annual Fire Statistics Fire Terms Glossary Incident Business Management Grants Become an Alaska Firewise Community Community Wildland Fire Protection Plans

  18. ALASKA MARINE VHF VOICE

    Science.gov Websites

    Tsunamis 406 EPIRB's National Weather Service Marine Forecasts ALASKA MARINE VHF VOICE Marine Forecast greater danger near shore or any shallow waters? NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PRODUCTS VIA ALASKA MARINE VHF VOICE NOAA broadcasts offshore forecasts, nearshore forecasts and storm warnings on marine VHF channels

  19. Modelling the bathymetry of the Antarctic continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ten Brink, Uri S.; Rogers, William P.; Kirkham, R.M.

    1992-01-01

    Continental shelves are typically covered by relatively shallow waters (<200 m) which deepen gradually from the coast to the shelf edge. The continental shelf around Antarctica is deeper than normal (400-700m) and is characterized in many areas by a nearshore trough (up to 1 km deep) that gradually shallows toward the shelf edge. We examine the cause for the unusual shelf bathymetry of Antarctica by 2-D numerical models that simulate the bathymetry along seismic line ODP-119 in Prydz Bay. Line ODP-119 was chosen because it is tied to to 5 ODP boreholes, and because the margin underwent little recent tectonic activity or changes in the glacial drainage pattern. The numerical models incorporate several factors that are likely to influence the bathymetry, such as the load of the ice cap, the isostatic response of the lithosphere, thermal and tectnoic subsidence of the margin, sea level changes, and the patterns of erosion and sedimentation across the margin. The models show that the observed bathymetry can be produced almost entirely by the sum of the outer-shelf sediment loading and inner-shelf unloading and by the load of the slope sediments. A simple statistical mdoel demonstrates that this distribution pattern of erosion and deposition can be generated by multiple cycles of ice sheet advances across the shelf, whereby in each cycle a thin (a few tens of meters) uniform layer of sediments is eroded from under the ice sheet and is redeposited seaward of the grounding line.

  20. Hyperspectral surveying for mineral resources in Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kokaly, Raymond F.; Graham, Garth E.; Hoefen, Todd M.; Kelley, Karen D.; Johnson, Michaela R.; Hubbard, Bernard E.

    2016-07-07

    Alaska is a major producer of base and precious metals and has a high potential for additional undiscovered mineral resources. However, discovery is hindered by Alaska’s vast size, remoteness, and rugged terrain. New methods are needed to overcome these obstacles in order to fully evaluate Alaska’s geology and mineral resource potential. Hyperspectral surveying is one method that can be used to rapidly acquire data about the distributions of surficial materials, including different types of bedrock and ground cover. In 2014, the U.S. Geological Survey began the Alaska Hyperspectral Project to assess the applicability of this method in Alaska. The primary study area is a remote part of the eastern Alaska Range where porphyry deposits are exposed. In collaboration with the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey is collecting and analyzing hyperspectral data with the goals of enhancing geologic mapping and developing methods to identify and characterize mineral deposits elsewhere in Alaska.

  1. Project report: Alaska Iways architecture

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-01-01

    The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) is continually looking at ways to improve the efficiency, safety, and reliability of Alaskas transportation system. This effort includes the application of advanced communicat...

  2. 25 CFR 243.12 - Are Alaska reindeer trust assets maintained by the U.S. Government for the benefit of Alaska...

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Are Alaska reindeer trust assets maintained by the U.S. Government for the benefit of Alaska Natives? 243.12 Section 243.12 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE REINDEER IN ALASKA § 243.12 Are Alaska reindeer trust assets maintained by the U.S. Government for the...

  3. Publications - GMC 222 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. Malguk #1 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1994 Publisher: Alaska reflectance data from cuttings (440-11,375') of the BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. Malguk #1 well: Alaska

  4. Law Library - Alaska Court System

    Science.gov Websites

    , Federal Info, US Supreme Court, State Links, 9th Circuit Links Library Databases & eBooks WestlawNext state agencies Alaska Supreme Court briefs (1960-current) Alaska Court of Appeals briefs (1980-current

  5. Sponge assemblages on the deep Mediterranean continental shelf and slope (Menorca Channel, Western Mediterranean Sea)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santín, Andreu; Grinyó, Jordi; Ambroso, Stefano; Uriz, Maria J.; Gori, Andrea; Dominguez-Carrió, Carlos; Gili, Josep-Maria

    2018-01-01

    Sponge assemblages on continental shelves and slopes around the world have been known about for centuries. However, due to limitations of the traditional sampling systems, data about individual sponge species rather than assemblages have been reported. This study characterizes sponge assemblages over a wide bathymetric range ( 50-350 m depth) and covering the entire continental shelf and the upper slope of the Menorca Channel, an area soon to be declared a Marine Protected Area (MPA) as part of the Natura 2000 Network. Quantitative analysis of 85 video-transects (a total linear distance of 75 km), together with representative collections to confirm species identifications, allowed us to discriminate six major assemblages. Differences in the assemblages mainly corresponded to differences in substrate type and depth. On the inner continental shelf, a semi-sciaphilous Axinellid assemblage dominated the rocky outcrops. Maërl beds on the inner continental shelf were dominated by Haliclona (Reniera) mediterranea, whereas the horny sponge Aplysina cavernicola and several other haliclonids mostly dominated maërl beds and rocky substrates of the outer shelf. Soft sediments on the shelf break hosted a monospecific Thenea muricata assemblage, whereas rocky substrates of the shelf break were characterized by a mixture of encrusting, columnar and fan-shaped sponges. Finally, the upper slope was dominated by Hamacantha (Vomerula) falcula and the hexactinellid Tretodictyum reiswigi. Overall, sponge diversity showed its highest values above the shelf break, plummeting severely on the upper slope. Despite this diversity decrease, we found very high densities (> 70 ind./m2) of sponges over vast areas of both the shelf break and the upper slope.

  6. Volcanic activity in Alaska: summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory 1993

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Neal, Christina A.; McGimsey, Robert G.; Doukas, Michael P.

    1996-01-01

    During 1993, the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to episodes of eruptive activity or false alarms at nine volcanic centers in the state of Alaska. Additionally, as part of a formal role in KVERT (the Kamchatkan Volcano Eruption Response Team), AVO staff also responded to eruptions on the Kamchatka Peninsula, details of which are summarized in Miller and Kurianov (1993). In 1993, AVO maintained seismic instrumentation networks on four volcanoes of the Cook Inlet region--Spurr, Redoubt, Iliamna, and Augustine--and two stations at Dutton Volcano near King Cove on the Alaska Peninsula. Other routine elements of AVO's volcano monitoring program in Alaska include periodic airborne measurement of volcanic SO2 and CO2 at Cook Inlet volcanoes (Doukas, 1995) and maintenance of a lightning detection system in Cook Inlet (Paskievitch and others, 1995).

  7. Generation of Continental Rifts, Basins and Swells by Lithosphere Instabilities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Milelli, L.; Fourel, L.; Jaupart, C. P.

    2012-12-01

    blocks of finite size that became unstable due to cooling from above and describe the peculiar horizontal planform that developed. Dynamical behaviour depends on three dimensionless numbers, a Rayleigh number for the unstable block, a buoyancy number that scales the intrinsic density contrast to the thermal one and the aspect ratio of the block. Within the block, instability develops in two different ways in an outer annulus and in an inner region. In the outer annulus, upwellings and downwellings take the form of radial rolls spaced regularly. In the interior region, the planform adopts the more familiar form of polygonal cells. Translated to geological conditions, such instabilities should manifest themselves as linear rifts striking at a right angle to the continent-ocean boundary and an array of domal uplifts, volcanic swells and basins in the continental interior. The laboratory data lead to simple scaling laws for the dimensions and spacings of the convective structures. For the sub-continental lithospheric mantle, these dimensions and distances take values in the 500-1000 km range, close to geological examples. The large intrinsic buoyancy of Archean lithospheric roots prevents this type of instability, which explains why the widespread volcanic activity that currently affects Western Africa is confined to post-Archean domains.

  8. Publications - NL 2002-1 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical 2002 Publisher: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Ordering Info: Download below Reference DGGS Staff, and Werdon, M.B., 2002, Alaska GeoSurvey News - Geologic Investigations in the Salcha

  9. Geologic Map of Central (Interior) Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Frederic H.; Dover, James H.; Bradley, Dwight C.; Weber, Florence R.; Bundtzen, Thomas K.; Haeussler, Peter J.

    1998-01-01

    Introduction: This map and associated digital databases are the result of a compilation and reinterpretation of published and unpublished 1:250,000- and limited 1:125,000- and 1:63,360-scale mapping. The map area covers approximately 416,000 sq km (134,000 sq mi) and encompasses 25 1:250,000-scale quadrangles in central Alaska. The compilation was done as part of the U.S. Geological Survey National Surveys and Analysis project, whose goal is nationwide assemble geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and other data. This map is an early product of an effort that will eventually encompass all of Alaska, and is the result of an agreement with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil And Gas, to provide data on interior basins in Alaska. A paper version of the three map sheets has been published as USGS Open-File Report 98-133. Two geophysical maps that cover the identical area have been published earlier: 'Bouguer gravity map of Interior Alaska' (Meyer and others, 1996); and 'Merged aeromagnetic map of Interior Alaska' (Meyer and Saltus, 1995). These two publications are supplied in the 'geophys' directory of this report.

  10. Publications - GMC 167 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a Arco Alaska W. Mikkelsen Unit #2 well Authors: Pawlewicz, Mark Publication Date: 1990 Publisher: Alaska , Vitrinite reflectance data of cuttings (6160'-11030') from the Arco Alaska W. Mikkelsen Unit #2 well: Alaska

  11. Publications - GMC 257 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a ARCO Alaska Inc. Colville River #1 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1995 Publisher: Alaska reflectance data from cuttings (1,470-7,300') of the ARCO Alaska Inc. Colville River #1 well: Alaska Division

  12. Publications - GMC 258 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a ARCO Alaska Inc. Kuukpik #3 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1995 Publisher: Alaska Division of from cuttings (3,220-6,570') of the ARCO Alaska Inc. Kuukpik #3 well: Alaska Division of Geological

  13. Publications - DDS 4 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    Datasets of Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Digital Data Series 4, http ; Alaska Statewide Maps; Alaska, State of; Digital Elevation Model; Digital Surface Model (DSM); Geologic

  14. Crustal Structure of the Yakutat Microplate: New Constraints for Understanding the Evolution of Subduction and Collision in southern Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Worthington, L. L.; van Avendonk, H. J.; Gulick, S. P.; Christeson, G. L.; Pavlis, T. L.

    2010-12-01

    Flat-slab subduction and accretion of the Yakutat (YAK) microplate in southern Alaska characterizes the most recent iteration in the process of terrane accretion that has built the tectonic assemblage of the Canada-Alaska Cordillera since the Mesozoic. Despite the potentially pivotal role of the Yakutat collision in the evolution and deformation of the North American Cordillera, major questions regarding locations of active faults and velocity structure and thickness of the Yakutat block itself have gone unanswered. We present results of a 2008 marine seismic reflection/refraction survey acquired as part of the St. Elias Erosion and Tectonics Project (STEEP), a multi-disciplinary NSF-Continental Dynamics project aimed at structural evolution and geodynamics related to the YAK collision. An onshore-offshore wide-angle refraction profile shows YAK crustal thickness ranging from ~15 km near the Bering Glacier to ~35 km east of the Dangerous River Zone (DRZ), with calculated lower crustal velocities potentially >7km/s. Crustal velocity and structure are continuous across the DRZ on the YAK shelf, which is historically described as a vertical boundary between continental crust on the east and oceanic basement on the west. Instead, we observe a gradual shallowing of elevated crustal velocities associated with a basement high observed on coincident marine reflection data near the DRZ. Crustal velocity and thicknesses are comparable to the Kerguelen oceanic plateau and the Siletz terrane, thus supporting the oceanic plateau theory for the origin of the YAK microplate. The observed variable crustal thickness indicates that the YAK slab may be slightly wedge-shaped, thinning in the direction of subduction. The thickest portion of the offshore YAK is entering the orogen near the eastern syntaxis, where the Fairweather fault system encounters a restraining bend as its orientation changes from north-south to east-west. It follows that observations of elevated exhumation rates

  15. 2014 volcanic activity in Alaska: Summary of events and response of the Alaska Volcano Observatory

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cameron, Cheryl E.; Dixon, James P.; Neal, Christina A.; Waythomas, Christopher F.; Schaefer, Janet R.; McGimsey, Robert G.

    2017-09-07

    The Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO) responded to eruptions, possible eruptions, volcanic unrest or suspected unrest, and seismic events at 18 volcanic centers in Alaska during 2014. The most notable volcanic activity consisted of intermittent ash eruptions from long-active Cleveland and Shishaldin Volcanoes in the Aleutian Islands, and two eruptive episodes at Pavlof Volcano on the Alaska Peninsula. Semisopochnoi and Akutan volcanoes had seismic swarms, both likely the result of magmatic intrusion. The AVO also installed seismometers and infrasound instruments at Mount Cleveland during 2014.

  16. Publications - GMC 254 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a ARCO Alaska Inc. Cirque #2 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1995 Publisher: Alaska Division of from cuttings (2,200-7,660') of the ARCO Alaska Inc. Cirque #2 well: Alaska Division of Geological &

  17. Publications - GMC 272 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a ') from the ARCO Alaska Inc. Till #1 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1996 Publisher: Alaska reflectance maceral data of cuttings (3,100-6,975') from the ARCO Alaska Inc. Till #1 well: Alaska Division of

  18. Publications - GMC 255 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a ARCO Alaska Inc. Rock Flour #1 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1995 Publisher: Alaska Division reflectance data from cuttings (1,600-7,170') of the ARCO Alaska Inc. Rock Flour #1 well: Alaska Division of

  19. Publications - GMC 238 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    and Facilities Staff Seismic and Well Data Data Reports Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Ask a ARCO Alaska Inc. Fiord #1 well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1994 Publisher: Alaska Division of from cuttings (1,250-10,250') of the ARCO Alaska Inc. Fiord #1 well: Alaska Division of Geological &

  20. Publications - GMC 388 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    DGGS GMC 388 Publication Details Title: Core photographs of the Cominco DDH-1 through DDH-4 boreholes the Cominco DDH-1 through DDH-4 boreholes, NAP Cu-Zn Prospect, Dillingham Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska

  1. Publications - GMC 336 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Oil Company OCS Y-0197-1 (Tern Island #3) at the Alaska GMC Authors: Shell Oil Company, and Alaska information. Quadrangle(s): Alaska Statewide Bibliographic Reference Shell Oil Company, and Alaska Geological Materials Center, 2006, Core Photographs (12915'-13361.5') dated June 2003 of the Shell Oil Company OCS Y

  2. 30 CFR 256.4 - Authority.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... OFFSHORE LEASING OF SULPHUR OR OIL AND GAS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Outer Continental Shelf Oil, Gas... for oil and gas, and sulphur, in submerged lands of the outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Act... major oil and gas producers. [64 FR 72795, Dec. 28, 1999] ...

  3. Publications - PDF 98-36A | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Oxides; Rocks; STATEMAP Project; Trace Elements Top of Page Department of Natural Resources, Division of Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

  4. Publications - RI 2015-7 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska content DGGS RI 2015-7 Publication Details Title: Surficial geology of the Tyonek area, south-central of the Tyonek area, south-central Tyonek Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological &

  5. Alaska Plant Materials Center | Division of Agriculture

    Science.gov Websites

    Alaska Plant Materials Center Serving Alaska's needs in the production of native plants and traditional Division of Agriculture Grants Alaska Agriculture Statistics Annual Overview Invasive Plants Invasive Plants Program Invasives News Plant Profiles Canada thistle Elodea European Bird Cherry Giant hogweed

  6. Publications - GMC 417 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    the Sun Prospect, Ambler Mining District, Survey Pass Quadrangle, Alaska Authors: ALS Minerals Sun Prospect, Ambler Mining District, Survey Pass Quadrangle, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological

  7. Molecular and isotopic analyses of the hydrocarbon gases within gas hydrate-bearing rock units of the Prudhoe Bay-Kuparuk River area in northern Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Valin, Zenon C.; Collett, Timothy S.

    1992-01-01

    Gas hydrates, which are crystalline substances of water molecules that encase gas molecules, have the potential for being a significant source of natural gas. World-wide estimates for the amount of gas contained in hydrates range from 1.1 x 105 to 2.7 x 108 trillion cubic feet. Gas hydrates exist in many Arctic regions, including the North Slope of Alaska. The two primary objectives of the U.S. Geological Survey Gas Hydrate Research Project are (1) to map the distribution of in-situ gas hydrates on the North Slope of Alaska, and (2) to evaluate the geologic parameters that control the distribution of these gas hydrates. To aid in this study, British Petroleum Exploration, ARCO Alaska, Exxon Company USA, and the Continental Oil Company allowed the U.S. Geological Survey to collect geochemical samples from drilling North Slope production wells. Molecular analysis of gaseous drill cutting and free-flowing gas samples from 10 production wells drilled in the Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk River, and Milne Point oil fields indicates that methane is the primary hydrocarbon gas in the gas hydrate-bearing stratigraphic units. Isotopic data for several of these rock units indicate that the methane within the inferred gas hydrate occurences originated from both microbial and thermogenic processes.

  8. Flat-slab subduction, whole crustal faulting, and geohazards in Alaska: Targets for Earthscope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gulick, S. P.; Pavlis, T. L.; Bruhn, R. L.; Christeson, G. L.; Freymueller, J. T.; Hansen, R. A.; Koons, P. O.; Pavlis, G. L.; Roeske, S.; Reece, R.; van Avendonk, H. J.; Worthington, L. L.

    2010-12-01

    Crustal structure and evolution illuminated by the Continental Dynamics ST. Elias Erosion and tectonics Project (STEEP) highlights some fundamental questions about active tectonics processes in Alaska including: 1) what are the controls on far field deformation and lithospheric stabilization, 2) do strike slip faults extend through the entire crust and upper mantle and how does this influence mantle flow, and 3) how does the transition from “normal” subduction of the Pacific along the Aleutians to flat slab subduction of the Yakutat Terrane beneath southeast and central Alaska to translation of the Yakutat Terrane past North American in eastern Alaska affect geohazard assessment for the north Pacific? Active and passive seismic studies and geologic fieldwork focusing on the Yakutat Terrane show that the Terrane ranges from 15-35 km thick and is underthrusting the North American plate from the St. Elias Mountains to the Alaska Range (~500 km). Deformation of the upper plate occurs within the offshore Pamplona Zone fold and thrust belt, and onshore throughout the Robinson Mountains. Deformation patterns, structural evolution, and the sedimentary products of orogenesis are fundamentally influenced by feedbacks with glacial erosion. The Yakutat megathrust extends beneath Prince William Sound such that the 1964 Mw 9.2 great earthquake epicenter was on this plate boundary and jumped to the adjacent Aleutian megathrust coseismically; this event illuminates the potential for transitional tectonic systems to enhance geohazards. The northern, southern, and eastern limits of the Yakutat microplate are strike-slip faults that, where imaged, appear to cut the entire crustal section and may allow for crustal extrusion towards the Bering Sea. Yakutat Terrane effects on mantle flow, however, have been suggested to cross these crustal features to allow for far-field deformation in the Yukon, Brooks Range, and Amerasia Basin. From the STEEP results it is clear that the Yakutat

  9. Turbine airfoil with outer wall thickness indicators

    DOEpatents

    Marra, John J; James, Allister W; Merrill, Gary B

    2013-08-06

    A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine and including a depth indicator for determining outer wall blade thickness. The airfoil may include an outer wall having a plurality of grooves in the outer surface of the outer wall. The grooves may have a depth that represents a desired outer surface and wall thickness of the outer wall. The material forming an outer surface of the outer wall may be removed to be flush with an innermost point in each groove, thereby reducing the wall thickness and increasing efficiency. The plurality of grooves may be positioned in a radially outer region of the airfoil proximate to the tip.

  10. Alaska volcanoes guidebook for teachers

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Adleman, Jennifer N.

    2011-01-01

    Alaska’s volcanoes, like its abundant glaciers, charismatic wildlife, and wild expanses inspire and ignite scientific curiosity and generate an ever-growing source of questions for students in Alaska and throughout the world. Alaska is home to more than 140 volcanoes, which have been active over the last 2 million years. About 90 of these volcanoes have been active within the last 10,000 years and more than 50 of these have been active since about 1700. The volcanoes in Alaska make up well over three-quarters of volcanoes in the United States that have erupted in the last 200 years. In fact, Alaska’s volcanoes erupt so frequently that it is almost guaranteed that an Alaskan will experience a volcanic eruption in his or her lifetime, and it is likely they will experience more than one. It is hard to imagine a better place for students to explore active volcanism and to understand volcanic hazards, phenomena, and global impacts. Previously developed teachers’ guidebooks with an emphasis on the volcanoes in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (Mattox, 1994) and Mount Rainier National Park in the Cascade Range (Driedger and others, 2005) provide place-based resources and activities for use in other volcanic regions in the United States. Along the lines of this tradition, this guidebook serves to provide locally relevant and useful resources and activities for the exploration of numerous and truly unique volcanic landscapes in Alaska. This guidebook provides supplemental teaching materials to be used by Alaskan students who will be inspired to become educated and prepared for inevitable future volcanic activity in Alaska. The lessons and activities in this guidebook are meant to supplement and enhance existing science content already being taught in grade levels 6–12. Correlations with Alaska State Science Standards and Grade Level Expectations adopted by the Alaska State Department of Education and Early Development (2006) for grades six through eleven are listed at

  11. Chronobiology of deep-water decapod crustaceans on continental margins.

    PubMed

    Aguzzi, Jacopo; Company, Joan B

    2010-01-01

    Species have evolved biological rhythms in behaviour and physiology with a 24-h periodicity in order to increase their fitness, anticipating the onset of unfavourable habitat conditions. In marine organisms inhabiting deep-water continental margins (i.e. the submerged outer edges of continents), day-night activity rhythms are often referred to in three ways: vertical water column migrations (i.e. pelagic), horizontal displacements within benthic boundary layer of the continental margin, along bathymetric gradients (i.e. nektobenthic), and endobenthic movements (i.e. rhythmic emergence from the substrate). Many studies have been conducted on crustacean decapods that migrate vertically in the water column, but much less information is available for other endobenthic and nektobenthic species. Also, the types of displacement and major life habits of most marine species are still largely unknown, especially in deep-water continental margins, where steep clines in habitat factors (i.e. light intensity and its spectral quality, sediment characteristics, and hydrography) take place. This is the result of technical difficulties in performing temporally scheduled sampling and laboratory testing on living specimens. According to this scenario, there are several major issues that still need extensive research in deep-water crustacean decapods. First, the regulation of their behaviour and physiology by a biological clock is almost unknown compared to data for coastal species that are easily accessible to direct observation and sampling. Second, biological rhythms may change at different life stages (i.e. size-related variations) or at different moments of the reproductive cycle (e.g. at egg-bearing) based on different intra- and interspecific interactions. Third, there is still a major lack of knowledge on the links that exist among the observed bathymetric distributions of species and selected autoecological traits that are controlled by their biological clock, such as the

  12. Building Alaska's Science and Engineering Pipeline: Evaluation of the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bernstein, Hamutal; Martin, Carlos; Eyster, Lauren; Anderson, Theresa; Owen, Stephanie; Martin-Caughey, Amanda

    2015-01-01

    The Urban Institute conducted an implementation and participant-outcomes evaluation of the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program (ANSEP). ANSEP is a multi-stage initiative designed to prepare and support Alaska Native students from middle school through graduate school to succeed in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)…

  13. Alaska IPASS database preparation manual.

    Treesearch

    P. McHugh; D. Olson; C. Schallau

    1989-01-01

    Describes the data, their sources, and the calibration procedures used in compiling a database for the Alaska IPASS (interactive policy analysis simulation system) model. Although this manual is for Alaska, it provides generic instructions for analysts preparing databases for other geographical areas.

  14. Long-term observations of Alaska Coastal Current in the northern Gulf of Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stabeno, Phyllis J.; Bell, Shaun; Cheng, Wei; Danielson, Seth; Kachel, Nancy B.; Mordy, Calvin W.

    2016-10-01

    The Alaska Coastal Current is a continuous, well-defined system extending for 1700 km along the coast of Alaska from Seward, Alaska to Samalga Pass in the Aleutian Islands. The currents in this region are examined using data collected at >20 mooring sites and from >400 satellite-tracked drifters. While not continuous, the mooring data span a 30 year period (1984-2014). Using current meter data collected at a dozen mooring sites spread over four lines (Seward, Gore Point, Kennedy and Stevenson Entrances, and the exit to Shelikof Strait) total transport was calculated. Transport was significantly correlated with alongshore winds, although the correlation at the Seward Line was weak. The largest mean transport in the Alaska Coastal Current occurred at Gore Point (1.4×106 m3 s-1 in winter and 0.6×106 m3 s-1 in summer), with the transport at the exit to Shelikof Strait (1.3×106 m3 s-1 in winter and 0.6×106 m3 s-1 in summer) only slightly less. The transport was modified at the Seward Line in late summer and fall by frontal undulations associated with strong river discharge that enters onto the shelf at that time of year. The interaction of the Alaska Coastal Current and tidal currents with shallow banks in the vicinity of Kodiak Archipeligo and in Kennedy-Stevenson Entrance results in mixing and prolonged primary production throughout the summer.

  15. Alaska | State, Local, and Tribal Governments | NREL

    Science.gov Websites

    Alaska Advancing Energy Solutions in Alaska NREL provides objective, data-driven support to aid decision makers in Alaska as they take actions to deploy sustainable energy technologies, prepare for a clean-energy-driven economic transition, and reduce energy burdens in their jurisdictions. NREL's

  16. 78 FR 29248 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Alaska Plaice in the Bering Sea and Aleutian...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-20

    .... 121018563-3418-02] RIN 0648-XC687 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Alaska Plaice in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS...: NMFS is prohibiting retention of Alaska plaice in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area...

  17. 76 FR 33171 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Alaska Plaice in the Bering Sea and Aleutian...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-06-08

    .... 101126521-0640-02] RIN 0648-XA482 Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Alaska Plaice in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS... management area (BSAI). This action is necessary to prevent exceeding the 2011 Alaska plaice total allowable...

  18. Publications - PIR 2008-1 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    investigations in the Brooks Range Foothills and North Slope, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & interpretations of the Nanushuk Formation exposed along the Colville River near the confluences with the Awuna and Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska

  19. Alaska Developmental Profile, 2001-2002. Summary Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenton, Ray

    This document presents a profile of the development of Alaska kindergarten and first grade students in fall 2001. Alaska teachers completed reports for 13,688 kindergarten and first grade students at that time. Most were found to exhibit important behaviors associated with school successes on the Alaska Developmental Profile Recording Form.…

  20. Alaska Timber Jobs Task Force

    Science.gov Websites

    Conservation Education Timber Management Wildland Fire & Aviation Burn Permits Firewise Alaska Brochure (PDF) Fire Management Plans Fire Assignments Annual Fire Statistics Fire Terms Glossary Incident Business Management Grants Become an Alaska Firewise Community Community Wildland Fire Protection Plans

  1. EarthScope's Transportable Array in Alaska and Western Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Enders, M.; Miner, J.; Bierma, R. M.; Busby, R.

    2015-12-01

    EarthScope's Transportable Array (TA) in Alaska and Canada is an ongoing deployment of 261 high quality broadband seismographs. The Alaska TA is the continuation of the rolling TA/USArray deployment of 400 broadband seismographs in the lower 48 contiguous states and builds on the success of the TA project there. The TA in Alaska and Canada is operated by the IRIS Consortium on behalf of the National Science Foundation as part of the EarthScope program. By Sept 2015, it is anticipated that the TA network in Alaska and Canada will be operating 105 stations. During the summer 2015, TA field crews comprised of IRIS and HTSI station specialists, as well as representatives from our partner agencies the Alaska Earthquake Center and the Alaska Volcano Observatory and engineers from the UNAVCO Plate Boundary Observatory will have completed a total of 36 new station installations. Additionally, we will have completed upgrades at 9 existing Alaska Earthquake Center stations with borehole seismometers and the adoption of an additional 35 existing stations. As the array doubles in Alaska, IRIS continues to collaborate closely with other network operators, universities and research consortia in Alaska and Canada including the Alaska Earthquake Center (AEC), the Alaska Volcano Observatory (AVO), the UNAVCO Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO), the National Tsunami Warning Center (NTWC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN), Canadian Hazard Information Service (CHIS), the Yukon Geologic Survey (YGS), the Pacific Geoscience Center of the Geologic Survey, Yukon College and others. During FY14 and FY15 the TA has completed upgrade work at 20 Alaska Earthquake Center stations and 2 AVO stations, TA has co-located borehole seismometers at 5 existing PBO GPS stations to augment the EarthScope observatory. We present an overview of deployment plan and the status through 2015. The performance of new Alaska TA stations including improvements to existing stations is described.

  2. Alaska Glaciers and Rivers

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2007-01-01

    The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image on October 7, 2007, showing the Alaska Mountains of south-central Alaska already coated with snow. Purple shadows hang in the lee of the peaks, giving the snow-clad land a crumpled appearance. White gives way to brown on the right side of the image where the mountains yield to the lower-elevation Susitna River Valley. The river itself cuts a silver, winding path through deep green forests and brown wetlands and tundra. Extending from the river valley, are smaller rivers that originated in the Alaska Mountains. The source of these rivers is evident in the image. Smooth white tongues of ice extend into the river valleys, the remnants of the glaciers that carved the valleys into the land. Most of the water flowing into the Gulf of Alaska from the Susitna River comes from these mountain glaciers. Glacier melt also feeds glacier lakes, only one of which is large enough to be visible in this image. Immediately left of the Kahiltna River, the aquamarine waters of Chelatna Lake stand out starkly against the brown and white landscape.

  3. Seismology Outreach in Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gardine, L.; Tape, C.; West, M. E.

    2014-12-01

    Despite residing in a state with 75% of North American earthquakes and three of the top 15 ever recorded, most Alaskans have limited knowledge about the science of earthquakes. To many, earthquakes are just part of everyday life, and to others, they are barely noticed until a large event happens, and often ignored even then. Alaskans are rugged, resilient people with both strong independence and tight community bonds. Rural villages in Alaska, most of which are inaccessible by road, are underrepresented in outreach efforts. Their remote locations and difficulty of access make outreach fiscally challenging. Teacher retention and small student bodies limit exposure to science and hinder student success in college. The arrival of EarthScope's Transportable Array, the 50th anniversary of the Great Alaska Earthquake, targeted projects with large outreach components, and increased community interest in earthquake knowledge have provided opportunities to spread information across Alaska. We have found that performing hands-on demonstrations, identifying seismological relevance toward career opportunities in Alaska (such as natural resource exploration), and engaging residents through place-based experience have increased the public's interest and awareness of our active home.

  4. Publications - IC 17 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    DGGS IC 17 Publication Details Title: Coal resources of Alaska Authors: Alaska Division of Geological Statewide Bibliographic Reference Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, 1983, Coal Alaska Statewide Maps; Coal; Healy; Resource Assessment; Usibelli Mine Top of Page Department of Natural

  5. Strategy for outer planets exploration

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1975-01-01

    NASA's Planetary Programs Office formed a number of scientific working groups to study in depth the potential scientific return from the various candidate missions to the outer solar system. The results of these working group studies were brought together in a series of symposia to evaluate the potential outer planet missions and to discuss strategies for exploration of the outer solar system that were consistent with fiscal constraints and with anticipated spacecraft and launch vehicle capabilities. A logical, scientifically sound, and cost effective approach to exploration of the outer solar system is presented.

  6. Seabed fluid expulsion along the upper slope and outer shelf of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Brothers, D.S.; Ruppel, C.; Kluesner, J.W.; ten Brink, Uri S.; Chaytor, J.D.; Hill, J.C.; Andrews, B.D.; Flores, C.

    2014-01-01

    Identifying the spatial distribution of seabed fluid expulsion features is crucial for understanding the substrate plumbing system of any continental margin. A 1100 km stretch of the U.S. Atlantic margin contains more than 5000 pockmarks at water depths of 120 m (shelf edge) to 700 m (upper slope), mostly updip of the contemporary gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Advanced attribute analyses of high-resolution multichannel seismic reflection data reveal gas-charged sediment and probable fluid chimneys beneath pockmark fields. A series of enhanced reflectors, inferred to represent hydrate-bearing sediments, occur within the GHSZ. Differential sediment loading at the shelf edge and warming-induced gas hydrate dissociation along the upper slope are the proposed mechanisms that led to transient changes in substrate pore fluid overpressure, vertical fluid/gas migration, and pockmark formation.

  7. Turbine airfoil with a compliant outer wall

    DOEpatents

    Campbell, Christian X [Oviedo, FL; Morrison, Jay A [Oviedo, FL

    2012-04-03

    A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine with a cooling system and a compliant dual wall configuration configured to enable thermal expansion between inner and outer layers while eliminating stress formation in the outer layer is disclosed. The compliant dual wall configuration may be formed a dual wall formed from inner and outer layers separated by a support structure. The outer layer may be a compliant layer configured such that the outer layer may thermally expand and thereby reduce the stress within the outer layer. The outer layer may be formed from a nonplanar surface configured to thermally expand. In another embodiment, the outer layer may be planar and include a plurality of slots enabling unrestricted thermal expansion in a direction aligned with the outer layer.

  8. Reconnaissance for radioactive deposits in Alaska, 1953

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Matzko, John J.; Bates, Robert G.

    1955-01-01

    During the summer of 1953 the areas investigated for radioactive deposits in Alaska were on Nikolai Creek near Tyonek and on Likes Creek near Seward in south-central Alaska where carnotite-type minerals had been reported; in the headwaters of the Peace River in the eastern part of the Seward Peninsula and at Gold Bench on the South Fork of the Koyukuk River in east-central Alaska, where uranothorianite occurs in places associated with base metal sulfides and hematite; in the vicinity of Port Malmesbury in southeastern Alaska to check a reported occurrence of pitchblende; and, in the Miller House-Circle Hot Springs area of east-central Alaska where geochemical studies were made. No significant lode deposits of radioactive materials were found. However, the placer uranothorianite in the headwaters of the Peace River yet remains as an important lead to bedrock radioactive source materials in Alaska. Tundra cover prevents satisfactory radiometric reconnaissance of the area, and methods of geochemical prospecting such as soil and vegetation sampling may ultimately prove more fruitful in the search for the uranothorianite-sulfide lode source than geophysical methods.

  9. Submarine Landslide Hazards Offshore Southern Alaska: Seismic Strengthening Versus Rapid Sedimentation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sawyer, D.; Reece, R.; Gulick, S. P. S.; Lenz, B. L.

    2017-12-01

    The southern Alaskan offshore margin is prone to submarine landslides and tsunami hazards due to seismically active plate boundaries and extreme sedimentation rates from glacially enhanced mountain erosion. We examine the submarine landslide potential with new shear strength measurements acquired by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 341 on the continental slope and Surveyor Fan. These data reveal lower than expected sediment strength. Contrary to other active margins where seismic strengthening enhances slope stability, the high-sedimentation margin offshore southern Alaska behaves like a passive margin from a shear strength perspective. We interpret that seismic strengthening occurs but is offset by high sedimentation rates and overpressure within the slope and Surveyor Fan. This conclusion is supported because shear strength follows an expected active margin profile outside of the fan, where background sedimentation rates occur. More broadly, seismically active margins with wet-based glaciers are susceptible to submarine landslide hazards because of the combination of high sedimentation rates and earthquake shaking

  10. Isoscapes of δ18O and δ2H reveal climatic forcings on Alaska and Yukon precipitation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lachniet, Matthew S.; Lawson, Daniel E.; Stephen, Haroon; Sloat, Alison R.; Patterson, William P.

    2016-08-01

    Spatially extensive Arctic stable isotope data are sparse, inhibiting the climatic understanding required to interpret paleoclimate proxy records. To fill this need, we constrained the climatic and physiographic controls on δ18O and δD values of stream waters across Alaska and the Yukon to derive interpolated isoscape maps. δ18O is strongly correlated to winter temperature parameters and similarity of the surface water line (δ2H = 8.0 × δ18O + 6.4) to the Global Meteoric Water Line suggests stream waters are a proxy for meteoric precipitation. We observe extreme orographic δ18O decreases and a trans-Alaskan continental gradient of -8.3‰ 1000 km-1. Continental gradients are high in coastal zones and low in the interior. Localized δ18O increases indicate inland air mass penetration via topographic lows. Using observed δ18O/temperature gradients, we show that δ18O decreases in a ˜24 ka permafrost ice wedge relative to the late Holocene indicate mean annual and coldest quarter temperature reductions of 8.9 ± 1.7°C and 17.2 ± 3.2°C, respectively.

  11. Geology of the head of Lydonia Canyon, U.S. Atlantic outer continental shelf

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Twichell, David C.

    1983-01-01

    The geology of the part of Lydonia Canyon shoreward of the continental shelf edge on the southern side of Georges Bank was mapped using high-resolution seismic-reflection and side-scan sonar techniques and surface sediment grab samples. The head of the canyon incises Pleistocene deltaic deposits and Miocene shallow marine strata. Medium sand containing some coarse sand and gravel covers the shelf except for a belt of very fine sand containing no gravel on either side of the canyon in water depths of 125–140 m. Gravel and boulders, presumably ice-rafted debris, cover the rim of the canyon. The canyon floor and canyon wall gullies are covered by coarse silt of Holocene age which is as much as 25 m thick, and Miocene and Pleistocene strata are exposed on the spurs between gullies. The Holocene sediment is restricted to the canyon shoreward of the shelf edge and has been winnowed from the shelf. Furrows cut in the shelf sands and ripples on the shelf and in the canyon suggest that sediment continues to be moved in this area. Sediment distribution, however, is inconsistent with that expected from the inferred westward sediment transport on the shelf. Either the fine-grained deposits on the shelf to either side of the canyon head are relict or there is a significant component of offshore transport around the canyon head.In the head of Oceanographer Canyon, only 40 km west of Lydonia Canyon, present conditions are strikingly different. The floor of Oceanographer Canyon is covered by sand waves, and their presence indicates active reworking of the bottom sediments by strong currents. The close proximity of the two canyons suggests that the relative importance of processes acting in canyons can be variable over short distances.

  12. Tephrochronolgical Studies of Late Neogene Sediments in Interior Alaska and the Yukon Territory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Westgate, J. A.; Preece, S. J.; Froese, D. G.; Schweger, C. E.

    2004-12-01

    regions. Tephra beds related to large-magnitude explosive eruptions with inferred widespread distributions, given their location, thickness, and presumed source, respectively, include, from the WVF: White River Ash (1-2 ka), Sheep Creek tephra in Alaska (190 ka), Gold Run (700 ka), SP (870 ka), WP (1.0 Ma), Paradise Hill (1.5 Ma), Fort Selkirk (1.5 Ma), Little Timber (2.3 Ma), Lost Chicken (2.8 Ma), and Quartz Creek (3.0 Ma). Corresponding units from the AAPA include: Dawson tephra (24 ka), VT (80 ka), Old Crow (140 ka), Ester (800 ka), Mosquito Gulch (1.5 Ma), PA (2.0 Ma), and Dago Hill (3.2 Ma). Application of the tephrochronological method to the Late Neogene sediments of eastern Beringia has placed several important palaeoenvironmental events into a precise chronologic context. (1) Preglacial vegetation of Pinus and Picea, with rare Abies, Larix, Alnus, Betula, and Corylus existed in eastern Beringia as late as 2.8 Ma; (2) loess deposition in interior Alaska began ˜ 3.0 Ma; (3) permafrost was established in the area by 3.0 Ma; (4) the first continental glacier invaded Yukon between 3.0 to 2.6 Ma; and (5) the characteristic interglacial boreal forest, dominated by Picea, Abies, Betula, and Alnus, was established by 2.3 Ma.

  13. Investigating the source of anomalous PKP travel-times on south-Sandwich to Alaska paths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frost, D. A.; Romanowicz, B. A.

    2017-12-01

    Inner core anisotropy was proposed thirty years ago to explain differences in travel times of inner core phases (PKIKP) on polar and equatorial paths (Morelli et al., 1986). Over time, models of inner core anisotropy have become very complex, with evidence for depth dependence, hemispherical variations, and other localised features. Some models propose the strength of anisotropy to be in excess of 4% in the western hemisphere of the inner core. This is difficult to reconcile with predictions from mineral physics and dynamical models of inner core growth. The strong anisotropy is confined to anomalous paths between earthquakes in the south Sandwich Islands and stations in Alaska. In contrast, the strength of inner core anisotropy obtained from measurements of PKPPKP travel times on polar paths does not exceed 1-2% (Bréger et al., 2000; Frost and Romanowicz, 2017). We re-examine the trends of PKIKP travel times on polar paths, in order to reconcile the different measurements and to determine whether discrepancies can be explained by structure in the mantle, the outer core, or localized strong anisotropy in the inner core. For this, we combine existing and new measurements, taking advantage of recent deployments of broadband arrays in Alaska and Antarctica.

  14. Alaska Science Center: Providing Timely, Relevant, and Impartial Study of the Landscape, Natural Resources, and Natural Hazards for Alaska and Our Nation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    ,

    2007-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Nation's largest water, earth, and biological science and civilian mapping agency, has studied the natural features of Alaska since its earliest geologic expeditions in the 1800s. The USGS Alaska Science Center (ASC), with headquarters in Anchorage, Alaska, studies the complex natural science phenomena of Alaska to provide scientific products and results to a wide variety of partners. The complexity of Alaska's unique landscapes and ecosystems requires USGS expertise from many science disciplines to conduct thorough, integrated research.

  15. Publications - GMC 314 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    , and 01-TN1474 of the True North Gold Mine of the Fairbanks mining district, Alaska Authors: Unknown True North Gold Mine of the Fairbanks mining district, Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological &

  16. Publications - RDF 2008-2 v. 1.0.1 | Alaska Division of Geological &

    Science.gov Websites

    Geophysical Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska

  17. Publications - AR 2011-F | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    project descriptions, in DGGS Staff, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Annual Report Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2011-F main

  18. Publications - AR 2011-E | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    , Geologic Communications FY12 project descriptions, in DGGS Staff, Alaska Division of Geological & Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2011-E main

  19. Publications - AR 2010-E | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Communications FY11 project descriptions, in DGGS Staff, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2010-E main

  20. Publications - AR 2010-A | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    FY11 project descriptions, in DGGS Staff, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2010-A main

  1. Publications - AR 2010-F | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    project descriptions, in DGGS Staff, Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys Annual Report Visiting Alaska State Employees DGGS State of Alaska search Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Facebook DGGS News Natural Resources Geological & Geophysical Surveys Publications AR 2010-F main

  2. Publications - DDS 8 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

    Science.gov Websites

    DGGS DDS 8 Publication Details Title: Alaska Volcano Observatory geochemical database Authors: Cameron ., Snedigar, S.F., and Nye, C.J., 2014, Alaska Volcano Observatory geochemical database: Alaska Division of ://doi.org/10.14509/29120 Publication Products Interactive Interactive Database Alaska Volcano Observatory

  3. The Outer Space Treaty

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, Christopher Daniel

    2018-01-01

    Negotiated at the United Nations and in force since 1967, the Outer Space Treaty has been ratified by over 100 countries and is the most important and foundational source of space law. The treaty, whose full title is "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies," governs all of humankind's activities in outer space, including activities on other celestial bodies and many activities on Earth related to outer space. All space exploration and human spaceflight, planetary sciences, and commercial uses of space—such as the global telecommunications industry and the use of space technologies such as position, navigation, and timing (PNT), take place against the backdrop of the general regulatory framework established in the Outer Space Treaty. A treaty is an international legal instrument which balances rights and obligations between states, and exists as a kind of mutual contract of shared understandings, rights, and responsibilities between them. Negotiated and drafted during the Cold War era of heightened political tensions, the Outer Space Treaty is largely the product of efforts by the United States and the USSR to agree on certain minimum standards and obligations to govern their competition in "conquering" space. Additionally, the Outer Space Treaty is similar to other treaties, including treaties governing the high seas, international airspace, and the Antarctic, all of which govern the behavior of states outside of their national borders. The treaty is brief in nature and only contains 17 articles, and is not comprehensive in addressing and regulating every possible scenario. The negotiating states knew that the Outer Space Treaty could only establish certain foundational concepts such as freedom of access, state responsibility and liability, non-weaponization of space, the treatment of astronauts in distress, and the prohibition of non-appropriation of

  4. 30 CFR 256.0 - Authority for information collection.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... OF THE INTERIOR OFFSHORE LEASING OF SULPHUR OR OIL AND GAS IN THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF Outer Continental Shelf Oil, Gas, and Sulphur Management, General § 256.0 Authority for information collection. (a... information collection is “30 CFR part 256, Leasing of Sulphur or Oil and Gas in the Outer Continental Shelf...

  5. RV Ocean Surveyor cruise O1-02-GM: bathymetry and acoustic backscatter of selected areas of the outer continental shelf, northwestern Gulf of Mexico; June 8, through June 28, 2002; Iberia, LA to Iberia, LA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Beaudoin, Jonathan D.; Gardner, James V.; Clarke, John E. Hughes

    2002-01-01

    Following the publication of high-resolution multibeam echosounder (MBES) images and data of the Flower Gardens area of the northwest Gulf of Mexico outer continental shelf (Gardner et al., 1998), the Flower Gardens Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS) and the Minerals Management Service (MMS) have been interested in additional MBES data in the area. A coalition of FGBNMS, MMS, and the US Geological Survey (USGS) was formed to map additional areas of interest in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico in 2002. The areas were chosen by personnel of the FGBNMS and the choice of MBES was made by the USGS. MMS and FGBNMS funded the mapping and the USGS organized the ship and multibeam systems through a Cooperative Agreement between the USGS and the University of New Brunswick. The University of New Brunswick (UNB) contracted the RV Ocean Surveyor and the EM1000 MBES system from C&C Technologies, Inc., Lafayette, LA. C&C personnel oversaw data collection whereas UNB personnel conducted the cruise and processed all the data. USGS personnel were responsible for the overall cruise including the final data processing and digital map products.

  6. Publications - GMC 138 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    . OCS Y-0211-1 (Yakutat #1) well Authors: Unknown Publication Date: 1989 Publisher: Alaska Division of of cuttings from the Arco Alaska Inc. OCS Y-0211-1 (Yakutat #1) well: Alaska Division of Geological

  7. Strain accumulation across the Prince William Sound asperity, Southcentral Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Savage, J. C.; Svarc, J. L.; Lisowski, M.

    2015-03-01

    The surface velocities predicted by the conventional subduction model are compared to velocities measured in a GPS array (surveyed in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, and 2004) spanning the Prince William Sound asperity. The observed velocities in the comparison have been corrected to remove the contributions from postseismic (1964 Alaska earthquake) mantle relaxation. Except at the most seaward monument (located on Middleton Island at the seaward edge of the continental shelf, just 50 km landward of the deformation front in the Aleutian Trench), the corrected velocities qualitatively agree with those predicted by an improved, two-dimensional, back slip, subduction model in which the locked megathrust coincides with the plate interface identified by seismic refraction surveys, and the back slip rate is equal to the plate convergence rate. A better fit to the corrected velocities is furnished by either a back slip rate 20% greater than the plate convergence rate or a 30% shallower megathrust. The shallow megathrust in the latter fit may be an artifact of the uniform half-space Earth model used in the inversion. Backslip at the plate convergence rate on the megathrust mapped by refraction surveys would fit the data as well if the rigidity of the underthrust plate was twice that of the overlying plate, a rigidity contrast higher than expected. The anomalous motion at Middleton Island is attributed to continuous slip at near the plate convergence rate on a postulated, listric fault that splays off the megathrust at depth of about 12 km and outcrops on the continental slope south-southeast of Middleton Island.

  8. Strain accumulation across the Prince William Sound asperity, Southcentral Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Savage, James C.; Svarc, Jerry L.; Lisowski, Michael

    2015-01-01

    The surface velocities predicted by the conventional subduction model are compared to velocities measured in a GPS array (surveyed in 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, and 2004) spanning the Prince William Sound asperity. The observed velocities in the comparison have been corrected to remove the contributions from postseismic (1964 Alaska earthquake) mantle relaxation. Except at the most seaward monument (located on Middleton Island at the seaward edge of the continental shelf, just 50 km landward of the deformation front in the Aleutian Trench), the corrected velocities qualitatively agree with those predicted by an improved, two-dimensional, back slip, subduction model in which the locked megathrust coincides with the plate interface identified by seismic refraction surveys, and the back slip rate is equal to the plate convergence rate. A better fit to the corrected velocities is furnished by either a back slip rate 20% greater than the plate convergence rate or a 30% shallower megathrust. The shallow megathrust in the latter fit may be an artifact of the uniform half-space Earth model used in the inversion. Backslip at the plate convergence rate on the megathrust mapped by refraction surveys would fit the data as well if the rigidity of the underthrust plate was twice that of the overlying plate, a rigidity contrast higher than expected. The anomalous motion at Middleton Island is attributed to continuous slip at near the plate convergence rate on a postulated, listric fault that splays off the megathrust at depth of about 12 km and outcrops on the continental slope south-southeast of Middleton Island.

  9. Atlas of Relations Between Climatic Parameters and Distributions of Important Trees and Shrubs in North America - Alaska Species and Ecoregions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Thompson, Robert S.; Anderson, Katherine H.; Strickland, Laura E.; Shafer, Sarah L.; Pelltier, Richard T.; Bartlein, Patrick J.

    2006-01-01

    Climate is the primary factor in controlling the continental-scale distribution of plant species, although the relations between climatic parameters and species' ranges is only now beginning to be quantified. Preceding volumes of this atlas explored the continental-scale relations between climatic parameters and the distributions of woody plant species across all of the continent of North America. This volume presents similar information for important woody species, groups of species, and ecoregions in more detail for the State of Alaska. For these analyses, we constructed a 25-kilometer equal-area grid of modern climatic and bioclimatic parameters for North America from instrumental weather records. We obtained a digital representation of the geographic distribution of each species or ecoregion, either from a published source or by digitizing the published distributions ourselves. The presence or absence of each species or ecoregion was then determined for each point on the 25-kilometer grid, thus providing a basis for comparison of the climatic data with the geographic distribution of each species or ecoregion. The relations between climate and these distributions are presented in graphical and tabular form.

  10. Alaska Native Land Claims. [Textbook].

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnold, Robert D.; And Others

    Written for students at the secondary level, this textbook on Alaska Native land claims includes nine chapters, eight appendices, photographs, maps, graphs, bibliography, and an index. Chapters are titled as follows: (1) Earliest Times (Alaska's first settlers, eighteenth century territories, and other claimants); (2) American Indians and Their…

  11. Accretion in the wake of terrane collision: The Neogene accretionary wedge off Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fruehn, J.; von Huene, Roland E.; Fisher, M.A.

    1999-01-01

    Subduction accretion and repeated terrane collision shaped the Alaskan convergent margin. The Yakutat Terrane is currently colliding with the continental margin below the central Gulf of Alaska. During the Neogene the terrane's western part was subducted after which a sediment wedge accreted along the northeast Aleutian Trench. This wedge incorporates sediment eroded from the continental margin and marine sediments carried into the subduction zone on the Pacific plate. Prestack depth migration was performed on six seismic reflection lines to resolve the structure within this accretionary wedge and its backstop. The lateral extent of the structures is constrained by high-resolution swath bathymetry and seismic lines collected along strike. Accretionary structure consists of variably sized thrust slices that were deformed against a backstop during frontal accretion and underplating. Toward the northeast the lower slope steepens, the wedge narrows, and the accreted volume decreases notwith-standing a doubling of sediments thickness in the trench. In the northeasternmost transect, near the area where the terrane's trailing edge subducts, no frontal accretion is observed and the slope is eroded. The structures imaged along the seismic lines discussed here most likely result from progressive evolution from erosion to accretion, as the trailing edge of the Yakutat Terrane is subducting.

  12. Performance Characteristics of the Electronic Snow Water Equivalent (SWE) Sensor in Arctic, Marine, and Humid Continental Climates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Johnson, J.; Gelvin, A. B.; Duvoy, P.; Schaefer, G. L.; Poole, G.; Horton, G. D.

    2011-12-01

    The USA ERDC CRREL and the USDA NRCS developed a 3-m square electronic SWE sensor (e-SWE sensor) consisting of nine perforated panels (a center panel to measure SWE and eight outer panels to buffer edge stress concentrations). Seven e-SWE sensors were installed in five different climate zones including north central and north coastal Alaska, Oregon, Newfoundland, and New York State. With the exception of New York State, the e-SWE sensors accurately measured SWE. The e-SWE sensor at Hogg Pass, OR, accurately measured SWE during five years of observations even when edge stress concentrations occurred. In windy conditions of northern Alaska, the sensor measured losses and gains in SWE with more reliability and higher accuracy than other standard methods. The sensor also detected snowdrift migration (comparing video and sensor measurements). In the thin, icy snow of New York the electronic SWE sensors over-measured SWE during midwinter. Over-measurement errors were caused by edge stress concentrations associated with strong icy layers, a shallow snow cover and possibly using a backfill material with different thermal properties and a large freeboard compared to the surrounding soil . Measurement accuracy improved in spring due to increased snow creep, associated with warming snow temperatures, which reduced edge stress concentrations.

  13. Publications - RI 94-28 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    Fault, southcentral Alaska Authors: Combellick, R.A., Cruse, G.R., and Hammond, W.R. Publication Date profiles across the Castle Mountain Fault, southcentral Alaska: Alaska Division of Geological & Fault, southcentral Alaska, scale 1:40,000 (715.0 M) Keywords Castle Mountain Fault; Faults; Geophysical

  14. Publications - PIR 2008-1A | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    of recent geologic field investigations in the Brooks Range Foothills and North Slope, Alaska: Alaska Surveys Skip to content State of Alaska myAlaska My Government Resident Business in Alaska ; Tectonics; Thermal History; Thrust; Toolik River; Torok Formation; Turbidites; Turonian; Valanginian Top of

  15. Staff - David L. LePain | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    geothermal energy sources for local use in Alaska: Summary of available information: Alaska Division of fuel and geothermal energy sources for local use in Alaska: Summary of available information: Alaska , J.G., Fossil fuel and geothermal energy sources for local use in Alaska: Summary of available

  16. Margin Architecture and Sediment Flux as Controls on Submarine Fan Development: Tectonic-Climate Interactions in the Gulf of Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gulick, S. P. S.; Montelli, A.; Swartz, J. M.; Morey, S.; Jaeger, J. M.; Mix, A. C.; Reece, R.; Somchat, K.; Wagner, P. F.; Worthington, L. L.

    2015-12-01

    The oblique collision of the Yakutat microplate into southeast Alaska generates the St. Elias Mountains, a coastal orogen with significant moisture from the Gulf of Alaska resulting in large, temperate glacial systems that expand to and eventually cross the continental shelf during glacial maxima. We present an overview of the evolution of sediment routing on this margin from integration of seismic images, updated age models and core-log-seismic correlations from IODP Expedition 341 drilling sites, and mapping efforts from shelf, slope, and fan. We focus on the three dominant glacial systems during the climatically important intensification of Northern Hemisphere glaciation at the Plio-Pleistocene transition and the further intensification of glaciation since the mid-Pleistocene transition. Along strike, sediment delivery to deepwater from the three glacial systems varied according to Pleistocene shelf accommodation space. The Alsek crossed a narrower shelf with a bedrock high near the shelf edge; the Malaspina-Hubbard system crossed an undeformed, ~1 km deep shelf; the Bering-Bagley system crossed a several km deep shelf deforming as an active fold and thrust belt. The Malaspina and Bering catchments exhibit high exhumation rates onshore due to the Yakutat collision and upon reaching the shelf edge these glaciers generate trough mouth fans (TMFs) on the adjacent continental slope but only after first filling the available accommodation with glacigenic sediment and lowering the slope gradient through progradation. The Alsek crosses the shelf earliest but never with sufficient sediment flux to generate a TMF. An east-west transition in adjacent deepwater submarine channels that feed and generate the Surveyor Fan suggests that shelf accommodation and sediment flux are primary controls on sediment routing from orogen to submarine fan. Both of these parameters are in turn a function of initial tectonic architecture and ongoing orogen dynamics.

  17. Home Page, Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development

    Science.gov Websites

    Analysis Return on Investment 0.jpg 1 1 1 1 1 Play 0.jpg Alaska Gasline Workforce Plan 1.jpg Alaska Hire 2 Protection Program May 14, 2018 Alaska Workforce Investment Board Endorses Gasline Workforce Plan Subscribe Administrative Services Alaska Workforce Investment Board Workers' Compensation Appeals Commission AVTEC

  18. Firewood on Alaska State Lands

    Science.gov Websites

    Conservation Education Timber Management Wildland Fire & Aviation Burn Permits Firewise Alaska Brochure (PDF) Fire Management Plans Fire Assignments Annual Fire Statistics Fire Terms Glossary Incident Business Management Grants Become an Alaska Firewise Community Community Wildland Fire Protection Plans

  19. Publications - GMC 246 | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical

    Science.gov Websites

    -13,652') and from core (12,310-12,332') of the Exxon Corporation Alaska State J #1 well Authors: Unknown (12,310-12,332') of the Exxon Corporation Alaska State J #1 well: Alaska Division of Geological &

  20. Morphology and sediment dynamics of the northern Catalan continental shelf, northwestern Mediterranean Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Durán, Ruth; Canals, Miquel; Sanz, José Luis; Lastras, Galderic; Amblas, David; Micallef, Aaron

    2014-01-01

    The northern Catalan continental shelf, in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, extends along 200 km from the Cap de Creus submarine canyon to the Llobregat Delta, in the vicinity of the city of Barcelona. In this paper we present the results of a systematic investigation of this area by means of very high-resolution multibeam bathymetry to fully assess its morphological variability. The causative factors and processes determining such variability are subsequently interpreted. The shelf is divided in three segments by two prominent submarine canyons: the northernmost Roses Shelf is separated from the intermediate La Planassa Shelf by the La Fonera Canyon, while the boundary between the La Planassa Shelf and the southernmost Barcelona Shelf is marked by the Blanes Canyon. These two canyons are deeply incised in the continental margin, with their heads located at only 0.8 and 5 km from the shore, respectively. The seafloor character reflects the influence of external controlling factors on the geomorphology and sediment dynamics of the northern continental shelf of Catalonia. These factors are the geological setting, the volume and nature of sediment input, and the type and characteristics of processes leading to sediment redistribution, such as dense shelf water cascading (DSWC) and eastern storms. The interaction of all these factors determines sediment dynamics and allows subdividing the northern Catalan continental shelf into three segments: the erosional-depositional Roses Shelf to the north, the non-depositional La Planassa Shelf in the middle, and the depositional Barcelona Shelf to the south. Erosional features off the Cap de Creus Peninsula and an along-shelf subdued channel in the outer shelf illustrate prevailing sediment dynamics in the Roses segment, which is dominated by erosional processes, local sediment accumulations and the southward bypass of sediment. The rocky character of the seafloor immediately north of the Blanes Canyon head demonstrates that