Unified Interior Regions

Region 10: California-Great Basin

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The California-Great Basin includes California, Nevada, and part of Oregon. The Regional Office, headquartered in Sacramento, provides Center oversight and support, facilitates internal and external collaborations, and works to further USGS strategic science directions. Our scientists do a broad array of research and technical assistance throughout the U.S. and across the globe.

News

Date published: January 14, 2021

Federal Agencies Partner to Strengthen ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning Capacity Along the West Coast

A lone solar panel in the middle of California’s largest national forest is powering a seismometer able to detect Earth’s vibrations, a piece of the puzzle necessary to help protect life and property by providing critical seconds of warning that an earthquake is occurring and shaking is imminent.  

Date published: September 29, 2020

ICYMI Bulletin: Community Voices: New Volcano Monitors Increase Safety

Originally Published by: The Daily News
By: U.S. Geological Survey Director James Reilly

This article has been reprinted or reproduced with the permission of the The Daily News in Longview WA.

Date published: September 28, 2020

Surface-water nutrient and sediment mappers are now available

SPARROW mappers are interactive tools that allow users to evaluate streamflow and nutrient and sediment conditions as well as the importance of different sources of contaminants in a selected river basin. Data can be visualized at different scales using maps and interactive graphs and tables.

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Date published: June 16, 2020
Status: Active

Coastal Change Hazards

Natural processes such as waves, tides, and weather, continually change coastal landscapes. The integrity of coastal homes, businesses, and infrastructure can be threatened by hazards associated with event-driven changes, such as extreme storms and their impacts on beach and dune erosion, or longer-term, cumulative...

Date published: March 6, 2020
Status: Active

Fourth Federal UAS Workshop

November 17 - 19, 2020 Virtual Workshop

Contacts: Jonathan Stock, Bruce Quirk, Matthew Fladeland
Date published: March 26, 2019
Status: Active

Defining Native Ranges of U.S. Inland Fishes

Understanding the native versus non-native range of a species can provide useful information about dispersal, population distribution patterns, and human mediated movement across hydrologic barriers. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program is working with partners to define native ranges of inland fishes in the United States to help identify which species should be included in the...

Date published: March 5, 2019
Status: Active

The Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Flood and Storm Tracker (FaST)

Storm-related flooding can lead to the potential spread of nonindigenous (or non-native) aquatic species into waterways they have not been seen in before. The USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species program has developed an innovative mapping tool to help natural resource managers with post-storm nonindigenous aquatic species detection and assessment efforts. 

Date published: August 28, 2018
Status: Active

Microbial Biogeochemistry Laboratory

Microbiologists at the Microbial Biogeochemistry Laboratory develop and apply innovative methods to measure key microbial processes. These methods are used to better understand how major biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and iron) interact with and control the speciation and fate of metals like mercury and selenium which can impact the health of humans and other organisms.

Date published: April 11, 2016
Status: Active

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) Program

Welcome to the Nonindigenous Aquatic Species (NAS) information resource for the United States Geological Survey. Located at Gainesville, Florida, this site has been established as a central repository for spatially referenced biogeographic accounts of introduced aquatic species. The program provides scientific reports, online/realtime queries, spatial data sets, distribution maps, and general...

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Date published: June 9, 2020

SPARROW Mappers for the 2012 SPARROW Models for the Pacific region

SPARROW mappers are interactive tools that allow users to explore river streamflow and nutrient and sediment loads and yields and the importance of different sources of contaminants in a particular river basin. Data can be visualized using maps and interactive graphs and tables, and rankings can be shown by state, major watershed, hydrologic unit (HUC), and catchment.

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Publication Thumbnail
Year Published: 2019

Slough evolution and legacy mercury remobilization induced by wetland restoration in South San Francisco Bay

Coastal wetlands have a long history of degradation and destruction due to human development. Now recognized as one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, substantial efforts are being made to restore this critical habitat. While wetland restoration efforts are generally viewed as beneficial in terms of providing wildlife habitat and...

Foxgrover, Amy C.; Marvin-DiPasquale, Mark C.; Jaffe, Bruce E.; Fregoso, Theresa A.

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a solar panel powering a seismometer peeks out of trees in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest
January 14, 2021

A lone solar panel in the middle of California’s largest national forest is powering a seismometer able to detect Earth’s vibrations, a piece of the puzzle necessary to help protect life and property by providing critical seconds of warning that an earthquake is occurring and shaking is imminent.  

Hells Canyon on the Snake River
September 28, 2020

SPARROW mappers are interactive tools that allow users to evaluate streamflow and nutrient and sediment conditions as well as the importance of different sources of contaminants in a selected river basin. Data can be visualized at different scales using maps and interactive graphs and tables.

Image shows a photograph of Walker Lane, a region in Western Nevada
September 17, 2020

A multiagency partnership led by the USGS and the Department of Energy seeks to shed light on lithium and other critical mineral resource potential as well as geothermal energy potential in western Nevada

Image shows a geologic map of Nevada
September 16, 2020

In a joint blog post hosted by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Rewenable Energy, DOE EERE Assistant Secretary Dan Simmons and Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tim Petty announce a new partnership for geothermal energy and critical mineral research in western Nevada.

Shallow Structure and Geomorphology along the Offshore Northern San Andreas Fault, Tomales Point to Fort Ross, California
August 3, 2020

Study of New Offshore Fault Mapping Related to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake:  In 2019, for the first time ever, scientists comprehensively mapped a previously overlooked offshore section of the San Andreas Fault system which may provide insight on how the fault could rupture in the future.

Very crusty rock with tan outer layer, gray core, and bright yellow center. Man's booted foot is in background.
June 5, 2020

For centuries, people have crossed oceans in search of valuable minerals. In recent times, though, increasing attention has been paid to the oceans themselves for their mineral potential, especially rock formations on the seafloor. 

M6.5 Nevada Graphic
May 15, 2020

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck near Tonopah, Nevada, near the California-Nevada border and about 120 miles southeast of Carson City, early this morning on May 15, 2020, at 4:03 am local time (11:03:27 UTC).