United 

States

Geological

Survey

Yearbook,

Fiscal

Year

1979

Cover: Thin-section photomicrograph of basalt rock with sedimentary material and chemical 

precipitate lining a void in the rock. The sample was taken from the unsaturated zone of the 

Snake River Group basalt in the Snake River Plain, Idaho. Layers of clay particles (medium to dark 

brown) were deposited on altered basalt (yellow to light brown) by infiltrating sediment-charged 

waters during recharge. Crystalline carbonate (continuous white) lining precipitated from waters 

of later recharge. The dark area, generally to the left of the white crystalline lining, is the void.

Of special interest are chemical reactions in the unsaturated zone which might affect migration 

of waste radionuclides buried at the Department of Energy's Idaho National Engineering 

Laboratory. The picture was used in the study of hydrogeologic and geochemical conditions made 

by the U.S. Geological Survey at the laboratory. Magnification is approximately 400 times. 

(Photograph by Ruth Deike, USGS.)
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

H. William Menard, Director

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents 

U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, DC 20402

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 

Washington, B.C. 20402
Table of Contents

iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

v PREFACE 

1 THE YEAR IN REVIEW 

8 PERSPECTIVES

8« THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AT 100 LEGACIES AND CHALLENGES 

14 APPRAISAL OF FRONTIER OFFSHORE U.S. UNDISCOVERED OIL AND GAS RESOURCES 

24 THE QUIET REVOLUTION IN MAPPING

32 MISSIONS, ORGANIZATION, AND BUDGET

38 TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEYS AND MAPPING

56 GEOLOGIC AND MINERAL RESOURCE SURVEYS

AND MAPPING

76 WATER RESOURCES INVESTIGATIONS 

96 CONSERVATION OF LANDS AND MINERALS 

114 LAND INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OFFICE 

128 NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA 

134 PROGRAM SUPPORT DIVISIONS 

140 ORGANIZATIONAL AND STATISTICAL DATA

140« CHART OF ORGANIZATION

142« U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OFFICES

149« COOPERATORS AND OTHER FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTORS

158» BUDGETARY AND STATISTICAL DATA

166* INDEX

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments

We express our appreciation to the following persons who contributed to and 

assisted in the preparation of the fiscal year 1979 Yearbook: Paul Beauchemin; Bruce 

L Beaudin; Charles W. Bennett, Jr.; Gordon Bennett; Granville Billingsley; Matilda G. 

Boccabella; Nancy C. Born; Winifred J. Bowcock; Paula Bowman; Arthur Bowsher; 

Brinton Brown; Henry Brown; Conni Bryan; Thomas Buchanan; Joseph R Cain; 

James L. Caldwell; John R. Caracciolo; Robert Carter; Edith Chase; Paul Clarke; 

Charles Clifford; William A. Coe; Gary G. Collins; Stella Collins; Michele Connolly; 

Clarke H. Cramer; Ann Csonka; Larry R. Cullumber; Susan L Cupertino; Spencer J. 

Dean; Catherine M. D'Agastino; George DeBuchananne; Beulah DiCarlantonio; Carl E. 

Diesen; Dona B. Dolan; Julia Doyle; Shelby Dreyer; Wendell A. Duffield; George 

Edelen; Terence N. Edgar; Melvin Edwards; John Elder; Jacky Eutize; John Ferris; 

Melissa Fox; Doyle G. Frederick; Lowell W. Goodman; Bette Goodrich; Mary E. 

Graziani; George Gryc; Kathryn Gunderson; Norman E. Gunderson; Nancy Hardin; 

George F. Hargrove, Jr.; Leonard D. Harris; Arthur K. Hiltbrand; Harold Hubbard; 

Carolyn S. Hulett; Joyce Humphrey; Norma Janke; Patty Jewell; James R. Jones; 

John Jones; Donald Jordan; John Kammerer; F. Paul Kapinos; Carl Koteff; Tom 

Kugel; Ken Lanfear; Robert Lantz; Dorothy Lathrop; Florence Lee; Susan Lee; Teri 

Leff; John J. Lenart; Anna Lenox; Karen Letke; Scotty Livingston; Stephen G. Lynch; 

David Lystrom; Richard MacDonald; Price McDonald; Bruce McFarlane; H. Lindy 

Mann; Faye W. Marshall; Jane H. Mastin; John D. Mayberry II; Keith L. Meekins; 

Gerald Meyer; John Moore; Harold Moritz; Roy R. Mullen; Beverly Myers; Janis C. 

Nash; Gary W. North; James T. O'Kelley; Office of Plans and Program Development, 

Topographic Division; William B. Overstreet; Alvin Pendleton; Charles M. Perrott; Sue 

Phillips; Wanda Jo Preece; Ronald E. Prehoda; William Price; William C. Prinz; Jerry 

Purdy; Martha Quigley; Gerald D. Rhodes; David Rickert; Charles D. Ritter; James 

Rollo; Lawrence C. Rowson; Frederick Ruggles; Kathleen B. Rutledge; Bob Ryder; 

Janet S. Sachs; Lynne Schlaaff; Robert Schneider; Robert Schrott; Loren Setlow; Clement F. Shearer; William Shope; G. I. Smith; Larry A. Soderbloom; R. B. Southard; 

Geoffrey Steele; Jerry Stephens; Roger M. Stewart; Theresa Swift; Paul G. Teleki; 

Donald Thomas; Lewis V. Thompson; Ralph J. Thompson; Jerry Tull; Buford Walling; 

David W. Weber; George Williams; Richard Witmer; Roger Wolff; Jim Wray; Russell L. 

Wylie; Valentine Zadnik; Earl T. Zeh; and Charles D. Zeigler.

iv I Yearbook 1979
The fiscal year 1979 Yearbook summarizes the activities of the U.S. Geological Survey in response to 

its scientific and regulatory missions and its responsibility for exploration of the National Petroleum 

Reserve in Alaska.

The main sections of this Yearbook are:

 The Year in Review a brief overview of the significant events of the Geological Survey during fiscal 

year 1979.

 Perspectives essays focusing on specific events 

(rather than scientific topics) and programs involving multi-Division participation.

 Missions, Organization, and Budget a description 

of the Geological Survey's major duties and 

assignments and of the organizational structure 

that supports its missions.

 Division Chapters a description of the significant 

accomplishments (rather than a comprehensive 

program by program discussion) of each of the 

nine operating Divisions and Offices.

 Appendices provide supplementary information 

regarding key personnel, cooperators, and selected summary budgetary tables and an index. 

Professional Paper, 1150, Geological Survey 

Research 1979, the latest in a series of annual reviews 

of technical results of the Geological Survey's 

research programs, supplements the Yearbook.

Preface
The Year in Review

In March 1979, the U.S. Geological Survey celebrated 

its 100th year of service to the Nation and 10 decades of 

stewardship of the land and its resources. During this 

year, as in the previous 99, the Survey discharged its national trust by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating 

earth science information and by continuing its somewhat more recent responsibilities of supervising the 

development of energy and mineral resources on Federal 

lands.

The basic mission of the Survey has changed over the 

years, and the scope of its activities and the power of 

analytic tools have also increased by several orders of 

magnitude from the early surveys of then "remote" 

western areas of the United States to surveying and 

mapping the mountains of the Moon and the polar caps 

of Mars and from the use of surveyor's transits, picks, 

the travelling chemistry kits to interpretation of Earth imagery. These representative advances illustrate important and continuing trends for at no previous time have 

our earth resources been so precious or our consciousness of their finiteness so acute.

The Yearbook reports a broad range of the Survey's 

accomplishments during the past fiscal year and offers 

an overview of its future. Many of the topics touched on 

below will continue to be important resource issues in 

the coming decade.

ENERGY

Providing the earth science knowledge needed to 

satisfy the Nation's growing demands upon a declining 

energy resource base and addressing the environmental 

implications of satisfying those demands will continue 

to be a major responsibility for the Geological Survey in 

the foreseeable future.

During fiscal year 1979, the Department of the Interior, 

which manages the development of energy resources on 

Federal lands, proposed a new leasing program that 

would accelerate Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and 

gas exploration and announced the resumption of coal 

leasing on Federal lands. Several recent legislative initiatives including the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

Amendments of 1978, the Surface Mining Control and 

Reclamation Act of 1977, and the Natural Gas Policy Act 

of 1978 directly affected the programs and activities of 

the Geological Survey.

OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF OIL 

AND GAS

The need to identify frontier offshore areas that have 

the potential to increase the Nation's oil and gas 

reserves and, consequently, would be favorable target 

areas for the accelerated Federal OCS leasing program 

continued to be a critical part of the Survey's mission

during fiscal year 1979. These frontier areas are located 

in deep waters that have more hostile environments for 

development than the current oil- and gas-producing 

leased areas. The Survey's investigation will supply industry with the necessary knowledge to develop techniques and to design the equipment required to safely 

and successfully recover the oil and gas discovered in 

these frontier offshore areas.

During fiscal year 1979, 678 offshore oil and gas 

leases were offered for sale by the Department of the Interior. Based on evaluations made by the Geological 

Survey, 290 of those tracts were leased for exploration 

by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The revenue 

from the sale of these leases brought $2.8 billion into 

the Federal treasury. To comply with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments, the Survey devised 

new regulations governing industry operations on the 

OCS and began compilation of indexes and summary 

reports of OCS-related research and activities to better 

communicate scientific findings to the public.

In addition to assessments of oil- and gas-resource 

potential, the Survey also continued to provide analyses 

of geologic hazards in potential OCS leasing areas. An 

oilspill trajectory analysis computer model was developed that determines the probability or risk of an oilspill 

occurring in a proposed leasing area and the potential 

path that it may follow. This modeling technique was included in 10 environmental impact statements, which 

were used by BLM in their administration of the OCS 

leasing process during 1979.

COAL

The Secretary of the Interior announced an accelerated Federal coal leasing program on June 1, 1979. The 

Survey's role in the program is to provide geologic- and 

water-resources information and evaluations that can aid 

in the coal lease decisionmaking process. To respond to 

this need, the Survey completed the first of a series of 

coal folios covering three 1°x2° quadrangles, and the 

necessary field work was begun in many other 

quadrangles. These folios integrate information on the 

occurrence of coal on Federal lands with various environmental factors, such as geochemistry and ground 

stability, to assist Federal officials in the design of coal 

development plans that are in the best public interest. 

The Survey also expanded the program of water-data collection and analysis to meet requirements of the Surface 

Mining Control and Reclamation Act. To comply with 

other responsibilities in the coal leasing program, the 

Survey classified over 1.2 million acres of Federal land 

into Known Recoverable Coal Resource Areas, completed 146 map quadrangles under the Coal Resource 

Occurrence/Coal Development Potential Mapping Program, and developed 26 coal economic evaluations to 

support coal leasing decisionmaking.

The Grand Tetons. (Photograph by National Park Service.)
9yi JBOX Uj M3JA3U 

 «.* *** 
OIL AND GAS ONSHORE

Updated resource assessments of the Nation's onshore oil and gas are a vital part of the Nation's overall 

energy plan. The Survey responded to this need by conducting detailed reevaluations of the resources remaining in the Permian, Gulf of Mexico, and other significant 

petroleum basins. A revised overall assessment of onshore and offshore oil and gas resources will be forthcoming in the latter half of fiscal year 1980.

The Survey's long history of basic scientific research 

paid a dividend in fiscal year 1979. Continuing basic 

research studies resulted in the discovery of a concealed 

belt of sedimentary rock in the Appalachian region that 

has the potential of doubling the area favorable for oil 

and gas exploration.

The Survey provides substantial support in the development of oil and gas on Federal and Indian lands. In 

fiscal year 1979, roughly 6.4 percent of all oil and 5.9 percent of all natural gas produced domestically came from 

leases on these lands.

Total domestic production of oil and gas is on the 

decline because of diminishing existing reserves, and 

new reserves are replaced at about 50 percent of production. Private companies have expanded exploration activities into promising frontier areas on Federal lands in 

the overthrust belt of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. During fiscal year 1979, 3,550 new exploration and 

development wells were approved by the Survey following the completion of 3,660 environmental analyses.

While monitoring this exploration and development activity, the Survey began implementing procedures in the 

Natural Gas Policy Act which allow lessees or operators 

to charge higher prices for natural gas produced from 

certain categories of wells. From December 1978 to 

September 1979, the Survey processed 7,598 applications 

and made 4,469 determinations of various well categories described under the provisions of the Act which 

allow prices to be increased. At this time, approximately 

300 applications for well reclassification are received 

each month.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey also continued the 

exploration of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

(NPRA) through Husky Oil NPR Operations, Inc. Nine exploration wells were active during the year; five were 

completed, including one well that was reentered and 

completed to target depth and one well that was left for 

reentry in fiscal year 1980. Three wells were still drilling 

at the end of fiscal year 1979. The 16 wells drilled to 

date, including the 7 drilled by the Navy prior to the 

transfer of the Reserve to the Geological Survey, have 

been dry or, at best, had only slight indications of oil 

and gas. The primary aim of the drilling program was accomplished to assess the petroleum resources of NPRA 

and to support completion of the study mandated by 

Public Law 94-258, which called for "the best overall 

procedure to be used in the development and production, 

transportation, and distribution to the petroleum 

resources in the reserve." The Survey provided support 

to the Department of the Interior's Office of Minerals 

Policy and Research Analysis, which is charged with the 

responsibility of preparing the economic analysis. This

report is due to be presented to the Congress by January 

1, 1980. All data and results from drilling, geophysical 

surveys, and special studies continued to be released to 

the public during fiscal year 1979.

GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Geothermal energy is coming of age and will play an 

important role in solving the Nation's energy shortages 

in the next decade. During fiscal year 1979, the Survey 

updated its assessment of geothermal resources and attempted a first evaluation of low-temperature geothermal 

waters, which have the potential of adding to the resource base.

The Survey continued its support for the development 

of geothermal resources on Federal lands. In fiscal year 

1979, the Survey supported the lease of 268 geothermal 

tracts consisting of 541 acres, a 30-percent increase over 

fiscal year 1978. During fiscal year 1979, the number of 

geothermal wells drilled on Federal, State, and private 

lands increased about 60 percent over the preceding 

fiscal year. Fewer wells (11 instead of 13) were drilled on 

Federal leases last year, but approvals to drill 336 wells 

have been issued.

NUCLEAR ENERGY

The Geological Survey accelerated a research program 

to assist the Department of Energy in the selection and 

design of high-level nuclear-waste repository sites. During fiscal year 1979, studies were underway of the Waste 

Isolation Pilot Plant site in southeastern New Mexico; 

the shale and granite bodies in the Nevada Test Site 

area; the salt anticlines in the Paradox Basin, Utah; the 

Gulf Coast salt domes in Mississippi, Louisiana, and 

Texas; the bedded salt deposits in the Salina Basin, 

N.Y.; and the basalt formations in the Hanford Reservation area of Washington.

The Survey continued its efforts in support of the 

Department of Energy's National Uranium Resource 

Evaluation Program. These efforts are concentrated on 

conducting studies in 23 selected 1 °x2° quadrangles in 

the conterminous United States to assess the uranium 

potential in each quadrangle and to develop uraniumresource assessment methodologies. Maps showing the 

results of these studies will be compiled and published.

MINERALS

There is increasing evidence that the Nation will soon 

experience shortages of critical mineral commodities in 

the same manner that it now experiences shortages in 

energy commodities. The mineral availability issue is 

closely entwined with the equally difficult issues addressed by the Wilderness Act of 1964 (Public Law 

88-577). This act guarantees that increasing population 

and industrial expansion would not occupy and modify 

all of the Nation's lands and, thus, leave no areas 

preserved and protected in their natural unspoiled condi2 I Yearbook 1979
 ^Hydrologist analyzing a water sample.

tion. During fiscal year 1979, the Survey responded to the 

implementation of the Wilderness Act by completing 

assessments of 3.5 million acres of land being investigated for potential withdrawal and designation 

under the National Wilderness Preservation System. 

Meanwhile, in response to the growing demand for a 

systematic appraisal of the Nation's mineral resources, 

the Survey continued its Alaska Mineral Resource Appraisal Program and Conterminous United States Mineral 

Appraisal Program (CUSMAP). These programs are committed to conducting geological, geophysical, and 

geochemical studies to determine the mineral resources 

in Alaska and selected 1 ° x 2° quadrangles in the conterminous United States. Maps showing the results of 

these studies will be compiled and published in 19 

folios. To date, seven folios covering quadrangles in 

Alaska have been published, seven are in preparation, and 

field work is now in progress on five. CUSMAP will have 

three folios in press during fiscal year 1980, and field 

work and compilation are now in progress on 12 additional quadrangles. These efforts have already provided 

the Administration and Congress with useful information 

to aid in deciding the status of Alaskan lands and in 

assessing numerous other national mineral resources. 

The Survey expects to continue this effort in anticipation 

of the forthcoming BLM Wilderness Review, which is 

required by the Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976.

Fertilizer and seed followed by compaction gives better results 

than drilling without compaction. Big Sky mine, Rosebud County, Mont.

Reclaiming old spoils at the Rosebud mine, Colstrip, Mont.
WATER RESOURCES

The Survey amplified several of its programs that 

evaluate the Nation's.water resources and continued to 

provide basic hydrologic data on surface and ground 

water in support of the numerous Federal agencies, 

State and local governments, and other groups charged 

with managing and developing water resources.

The National Water-Use Program, which is a joint 

Federal-State cooperative effort begun in 1977, made 

great strides in accomplishing its aim of being operational in all 50 States and Puerto Rico by fiscal year 

1982. The objective of this Program is to enable Federal 

and State agencies to account for present water use 

and, thus, to project future water requirements.

Under the Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program, 

28 aquifer systems have been identified for study. In 

fiscal year 1979, studies began in three of these aquifer 

systems the Southeastern Carbonate aquifers (Florida, 

eastern Georgia, and small areas in Alabama and South 

Carolina), the Northern Midwest Sandstone aquifers 

(Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and a 

small area in Indiana), and the Southwest Alluvial valleys 

(parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas). For these 

three areas, significant accomplishments were the 

development of maps showing water quality, potentiometric surface, aquifer characteristics, and the confirmation of fresh ground water in the Continental Shelf 

sediments off the Florida coast.

River-quality assessments presently underway include 

those on the Potomac River Estuary, Md., the Truckee 

and Carson River basins, Nevada-California, the 

Schuylkill River, Pa., and the Apalochicola River, Fla. The 

purpose of these assessments is to define the character, 

interrelationships, and causes of existing river-quality 

conditions and to provide a basis for evaluation of different alternatives for river-quality management. Findings from the completed assessment of the Chattahoochee River indicating that storm-water runoff from Atlanta, Ga., contributed significantly to pollution of the river 

further underscored the need for development of techniques for managing urban storm-water runoff. To assist 

local agencies in addressing the problem of storm-water 

runoff, the Survey has begun studies that will provide the 

agencies with data and interpretive reports.

Over the years, new methods have been developed for 

recording and distributing the information collected at 

stream-gaging stations to improve the reliability of the 

data and the timeliness of distribution. A technique now 

being tested is the use of Earth satellites to relay measurements from 140 remote data-collection stations to a 

central processing and distribution facility.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey published 3,546 

new and revised maps at scales ranging from 1:24,000 to 

1:500,000. This effort brought the completion of the

1:24,000-scale map series to 64.6 percent of the Nation. 

To meet high-priority and urgent needs, the Survey also 

produced 3,995 orthophotoquads as an interim mapping 

product.

The Geological Survey published maps at several other 

scales with significant national coverage and use. More 

than one-half the conterminous United States has been 

mapped at the 1:100,000 scale; this scale is of particular 

benefit to those involved in resource planning, inventorying, and conservation activities because information is 

portrayed on a regional basis. This coverage is up from 

about one-third at the end of fiscal year 1978.

The Survey initiated a digital mapping program as the 

first step toward use of the computer to collect and to 

integrate various types of data regarding the Earth's surface into specialized mapping products and information. 

Digital cartographic technology is revolutionizing the 

way map information is produced and used by an increasingly sophisticated scientific and land use planning 

community. Alaskan mapping programs were strengthened during the year when the decision was made to increase map coverage of the State's lands and resources. 

The Survey is using a variety of techniques, including 

aerial, Earth, and experimental radar imagery.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey published a new 

1:100,000-scale map for the XIII Olympic Winter Games 

in Lake Placid, N.Y., in cooperation with the Lake Placid 

Olympic Organizing Committee. The map is printed on 

both sides; one side shows the topographic map, and 

the other highlights the areas where key events will 

occur.

The Geography Program continued its effort to complete land use and land cover maps for the entire Nation 

by fiscal year 1982. During fiscal year 1979, an additional 

260,000 square miles were mapped bringing the total 

square miles completed to 1.25 million since the beginning of the Program in fiscal year 1975. Of special note 

was the use of the Survey's land use maps in the 

analysis of population densities in the vicinity of Three 

Mile Island, Pa.

The Earth Resources Observation Satellite Data Center 

(EDC) began using a domestic communications satellite 

to relay Landsat image data from the Goddard Space 

Flight Center near Washington, D.C., to EDC in Sioux 

Falls, S. Dak. Used with the new EDC Image Processing 

System, the relay has made possible an all-digital process that greatly speeded the transfer of Landsat data 

from Goddard to EDC. This process will allow Landsat 

data to be used in applications that require quick access 

to such data. These applications include detecting and 

tracking oilspills and monitoring agricultural and range 

land through the seasons, forest fires, and floods.

The Survey published two new books on mapping during the year, the Coastal Mapping Handbook, prepared 

jointly by the Geological Survey and the National Ocean 

Survey of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Maps for America.

Dr. Oskar Adam (left), Head of the Department of and Coor- ^ 

dinator of the Central Office of Geology/USGS, and Dr. H. 

William Menard, Director, U.S. Geological Survey, signing a 

memorandum of the visit of the Hungarian earth science 

delegation, April 30, 1979.

Yearbook 1979
NATURAL HAZARDS

Significant progress has been made in recent years in 

the development of techniques and systems to provide 

warnings of the possibility of impending natural disasters such as floods, landslides, and earthquakes. The 

Disaster Relief Act of 1974 gave the Geological Survey 

the responsibility for warning State and local officials of 

impending geologic hazards in their areas. To help meet 

this responsibility, a communications network for the 

transmission of technical information has been 

established in a majority of States.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey made considerable 

progress in implementing the Earthquake Hazards 

Reduction Program. Seismicity studies of earthquakeprone regions were underway for much of the Nation; intensified studies were begun in San Francisco, Los 

Angeles, and San Diego, and research investigations 

have been focused on the central and southern California regions as well as several other areas of high 

seismicity around the world.

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey prepared floodprone-area maps in 236 areas subject to urban flooding. 

In response to the Flood Insurance Act of 1968, 222 

Housing and Urban Development flood-insurance studies 

were completed.

INTERNATIONAL 

ACTIVITIES

As an extension of the Survey's domestic program and 

in support of national foreign policy, the Survey undertook a wide variety of cooperative research, assistance, 

and (or) training programs with other governments or on 

behalf of other U.S. or international agencies.

Among the foreign countries with which the Survey 

dealt were Saudi Arabia, Botswana, Diego Garcia 

(Charges Archipelago), Hungary, Mexico, Portugal, 

Somalia, Tunesia, Indonesia, the Philippine Islands, and 

Bolivia. The Survey assisted with such projects as 

surveying and cartographic support; hydrology planning; 

digital modeling of ground water; geothermal studies; 

identifying, evaluating, and planning for development of 

energy and energy-related resources; and geologic 

studies.

MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES

During fiscal year 1979, the Survey made several 

substantial improvements in the manner in which it conducts its business. Among these were the establishment

The Year in Review 5
of the Office of the Data Base Administrator and several 

improvements in the areas of administrative and technical support and in the Equal Employment Opportunity 

Program.

DATA BASE ADMINISTRATION

The Survey is computerizing data, such as tables, text, 

maps, analog charts, and photographs, that were formerly available only in document form. With the long-term 

trend toward a more complete and unified representation 

of all earth science data components, coordination of 

data activities is of major concern. The Office of the 

Data Base Administrator was created to coordinate and 

to increase the compatibility of Geological Survey scientific and technical data bases and systems, both internally and externally. Recent efforts have involved the initiation of projects for the development of a Surveywide 

data-base inventory and a dictionary-directory of data 

elements and their attributes.

Creation of the Senior Executive Service under the 

Civil Service Reform Act changed the roles and responsibilities of the Federal executive manager. The executive staff of the Survey welcomed this change and envisioned this new approach to top-level management as an 

opportunity to develop a more effective managerial 

framework for the conduct of the Survey's programs.

In a continuing effort to streamline administrative 

operations, the Survey implemented the computer-based 

Advance Procurement Planning System in fiscal year 

1979. This system should reduce the time involved in processing contracts by increasing the coordination between the procurement officer and the project officer.

In searching for a more effective communications link 

between the computer user and his or her data, the 

Survey has increased its data communications services 

by expanding the TYMNET facility, a nationwide network 

that allows users to access distant computers at minimal cost. This expansion adds additional TYMNET lines 

into all sites and provides the capability to transmit at a 

higher speed. Research and planning are currently underway for access to ARPANET, a resource-sharing intercomputer network linking a variety of computers.

To improve the dissemination of the Geological 

Survey's technical and scientific information to the 

public, a new Public Inquiries Office was established in 

Menlo Park, Calif., at the Survey's Western Region 

Center. In fiscal year 1979, the Survey produced 10,147 

topographic, hydrologic, and geologic maps of which 

over 9.3 million copies were sold to other Federal agencies, States, and the public by the distribution centers.

Sales of open-file reports increased from 27,804 in fiscal 

year 1978 to 35,527 in fiscal year 1979.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE

Fiscal year 1979 constituted a period of major change 

in operation, organization and extent of responsibility for 

the Geological Survey's Equal Opportunity (EO) Program. 

During this period, the Survey's EO policy and program 

have been dominated by two major objectives: enlarging 

the EO staff and reorganizing the organizational structure of the EO Office. These actions were prompted by 

increased program requirements brought about by new 

Departmental guidelines and the Civil Service Reform 

Act of 1978.

On October 16, 1978, the newly structured organization 

and staffing plan in the format specified by Departmental EO Memorandum No. 78-11 was submitted to the 

Director, Office for Equal Opportunity, Department of the 

Interior, and subsequently approved. The staffing plan 

called for an immediate overall increase of nine positions including seven additional full-time personnel (an 

increase of 75 percent) and two additional less than fulltime positions to provide essential support; this resulted 

in a total staffing of 25 (21 full-time and 4 part-time).

The organizational plan called for incorporating 

regional program responsibility of Mid-Continent States 

and Headquarters with Central Region and Eastern 

Region, respectively, to avoid duplication of efforts and 

to promote the efficient utilization of personnel.

The staffing and reorganization plans were accomplished in June 1979 to include the transfer of overall 

responsibility of the Minority Participation in Earth 

Science Program from the EO Office to the Regional 

Director's Offices.

The goal of the Equal Opportunity Office is to broaden 

and strengthen the Survey's effort to carry out a program 

designed to promote equal opportunity in every aspect of 

personnel policy and practice through increased monitoring guidance and technical assistance to all directorates. Fiscal year 1979 provided the personnel resources 

and a newly structured EO Office to meet such a goal. 

The long-range goal of ensuring equality of opportunity 

in employment for all Survey employees and applicants 

is no longer perceived by many as compliance of EO 

laws but a current program of operation.

CONCLUSION

As fiscal year 1980 begins, we expect to continue 

delivering the much-needed scientific support upon 

which so many of the Nation's goals rely. Although the 

Survey is a product of its distinguished past, we cannot 

allow ourselves to let the past dictate our future.

6 I Yearbook 1979
Navajo uranium mine and tailings piles, Wyoming.

The Year in Review 7
THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AT 100 

LEGACIES AND CHALLENGES

1879 CRISIS IN THE 

MINERAL INDUSTRY

When the U.S. Geological Survey 

was founded in 1879, the United 

States had just completed its 

Reconstruction era and the Nation 

was recovering from a major economic depression following the financial panic of 1873. Within the next 

two decades, the once isolated, rural, 

and agrarian Nation was well on its 

way to becoming a world, urban.and 

industrial power. In this development, 

mineral resources played a vital role 

as the value of the Nation's mineral 

products tripled between 1880 and 

1890. In 1879, two outstanding problems of practical importance faced 

the mineral industry, one involving the 

great industrial metal, iron, and the 

other, the precious metals gold and 

silver. The use of steel in construction had increased rapidly during the 

1870's. Although the United States 

possessed large reserves of iron, 

steelmaking processes then commonly used required a low-phosphorous 

low-sulfur pig iron, and there was a 

shortage of ores of suitable composition to meet the growing demands of 

industry.

The crisis in the production of 

precious metals and their use in currency involved complex political as 

well as business concerns. The 

Specie Resumption Act of 1875 provided for a return to the gold standard 

in 1879 by equating the "greenback" 

paper currency, first issued during the 

Civil War, with gold. The legislation 

also reduced by $82 million the 

amount of greenbacks in circulation 

as a response to Eastern requests for 

a sounder fiscal policy, rather than 

continuing the inflation of currency 

favored by agricultural interests in 

the South and West that sought 

cheaper money to repay debts and 

mortgages. Here, agricultural concerns merged with those of the mining industry in the West where new

discoveries in the Comstock (Nevada) 

and other mining districts in 1876 had 

dramatically increased silver production. In response to political pressure 

for the free and unlimited coinage of 

silver, Congress passed the BlandAllison Act in February 1878 over the 

veto of President Rutherford B. Hayes. 

As the Act required Secretary of the 

Treasury John Sherman to buy from 

$2 million to $4 million in silver each 

month for coinage, 1878 was a year of 

great monetary uncertainty.

On January 1, 1879, the Treasury 

Department resumed specie payments as required by the Act of 1875. 

Although Secretary Sherman confidently expected the Treasury's gold 

reserve of $200 million to cover any 

rush to convert paper to metallic currency, the amount of gold mined each 

year in the United States had been 

declining steadily through most of the 

decade as the production of silver 

steadily increased. Gold was the second major metallic ore in short supply 

in the United States.

1879 THE FEDERAL 

RESPONSE TO THE 

CRISIS

The U.S. Geological Survey was 

founded, 2 months after specie 

payments resumed, on March 3, 1879, 

when President Hayes signed an appropriations bill that contained an 

item giving the Director of the 

Geological Survey responsibility for 

administering a new organization 

charged with

the classification of the public 

lands and the examination of 

the geological structure, mineral 

resources, and products of the 

national domain.

Congress established the Geological 

Survey to promote greater economy, 

efficiency, and utility in the conduct 

of geologic investigations by merging 

many of the functions of the three remaining Federal geological and geographical surveys of the Nation's territories in the West organizations 

discontinued by the same legislation. 

More realistically, however, 

Representative Abram Hewitt of New 

York, one of the chief proponents of a 

national geological survey, had emphasized in the House debate on the 

bill that

The need of a thorough survey 

for the wise organization and 

distribution of American industry is in the future as imperative as a constitution on 

which to found our laws. 

Founded as a bureau in the Department of the Interior, the Geological 

Survey joined the small number of 

Federal scientific and mapping agencies, both civilian and military, that 

had been established for practical 

purposes, although some of these 

organizations had extended their 

work into basic science.

THE SURVEY'S 

TRADITION OF 

APPLIED SCIENCE

Congress had authorized mineralresources surveys of specific areas in 

the United States as early as the 

1830's. In establishing subsequent 

reconnaissances and the territorial 

surveys that preceded the U.S. Geological Survey, Congress demonstrated 

its recognition of the growing importance of these natural resources to 

the Nation's development. Clarence 

King, the Geological Survey's first 

Director (1879-81), responded to the 

intent of the legislation and the Nation's critical need for precious 

metals, iron, and coal by organizing 

the new agency's work to produce immediate information of practical value 

on mineral resources.

In selecting his program, King 

established a unique role for the Geological Survey, one that ensured it

8 I Yearbook 1979
Triangulation station at the summit of Garfield Peak, Rattlesnake Mountains. Natrona County Wyo circa 1913 (Photograph by C J 

Hares.)

Perspectives 9
would be in competition with no other 

agency. His program also gained for 

the Survey a natural ally in the 

mineral industry, which, unlike 

agriculture, had a long and close relationship with science. The mineral industry, at least in the Eastern United 

States, had come so to appreciate the 

value of scientifically based exploration and development that the 

American Institute of Mining Engineers was established in 1871 

because, as one of its first members 

observed, scientists were as essential 

to the industry's success as the furnaces and labor that ran it.

King's program responded to the 

Nation's needs for information on its 

mineral resources. With his personal 

participation, the Survey gathered 

statistics on nationwide mineral production and geological, geographical, 

and chemical data and analyses of 

mineral deposits in cooperation with 

the Tenth Census of 1880. Some of 

the Survey's foremost geologists conducted geological and technical 

studies of silver mining districts, 

especially the Comstock and Eureka 

in Nevada and Leadville in Colorado, 

and of the iron and copper ores of 

Michigan. With this work, King established two long-term principles that 

guided the Geological Survey's subsequent investigations in economic 

geology. First, research in mining 

geology was directed toward the immediate solution of specific problems, 

rather than the immediate advancement of basic science. Second, the 

field relations of ore deposits were 

examined systematically in their 

geologic context by accurate detailed 

mapping assisted by paleontological 

investigations and chemical and 

microscopical studies in the 

laboratory.

These studies yielded information 

on why these mining districts had 

been eminently successful so that the 

practical data could be applied in exploration and development elsewhere. 

By the mid-1880's, the Geological 

Survey's report on the Leadville 

district had taught the entire mining 

industry the value of geology in developing a district, demonstrated the 

structural control of ore deposits, and 

contributed ideas on the origin and 

genetic classification of these 

resources. Studies of gold ores and 

districts in the Sierra Nevada and the

I. C. Russell leading a U.S. Geological Survey party across the moraines of the 

Malaspina Glacier, southeast Alaska, circa 1890. (Photographer unknown.)

Rocky Mountains by Survey scientists 

in the 1880's and 1890's facilitated 

successful exploration and development in these areas that met the mining industry's needs arising from a 

renewed monetary crisis in 1890. The 

Survey's activities in Alaska 

originated with its initial investigations of the State's gold and coal 

resources in the 1890's to aid in 

meeting these needs. By 1900, the 

value of gold produced annually in 

the United States had more than 

doubled what it was in 1890, and the 

Nation adopted the gold standard as 

its monetary base.

In the late 1890's, as the Geological 

Survey's work in economic geology 

won increasing recognition, the mining industry called for larger appropriations for the Survey and the 

establishment of a Cabinet-level 

Department of Mines, with the Survey 

as its nucleus. While Congress 

debated establishing such an organization, Survey geologists presented 

their ideas on the origin of ore 

deposits at a meeting of the 

American Institute of Mining Engineers that were described decades 

later as having established a benchmark in the investigation of ore 

deposits. The results of their work 

stunningly demonstrated that science 

could be advanced in the solution of

practical problems and highlighted 

the advantages of directed research. 

When Congress failed to pass a bill 

for a Department or Bureau of Mines, 

Charles D. Walcott, the Survey's third 

Director (1894-1907), responded by 

organizing a Division of Mines and 

Mineral Resources within the Survey 

in 1900. Congress established a 

Bureau of Mines within the Department of the Interior in 1910, with a 

part of the Survey's Technologic 

Branch as the nucleus of the new 

agency.

THE SURVEY'S 

TRADITION OF BASIC 

SCIENCE

In establishing his mission-oriented 

goals and program of applied investigations for the Geological 

Survey, Director King did not neglect 

basic research. He intended the 

Survey information on mineral 

resources to aid the formulation of a 

genetic classification of ores, based 

on the origin and relations of mineral 

deposits, and thus to assist the mining industry and foster an increased 

understanding of the Earth and its 

history. Several pioneering studies in 

geophysics and microscopic petrography, which were undertaken by the

10 Yearbook 1979
Geological Survey to support its mining geology program, eventually led 

to other advances in the earth 

sciences. By 1900, the petrographic 

microscope and new tools had familiarized geologists with quantitative 

measurement and stimulated demands 

for more exact methods of geologic 

investigation. Comprehending the 

mechanical, chemical, and thermal 

processes involved in the formation 

and distribution of ore deposits required the solution of problems of extraordinary difficulty. Work begun by 

the Geological Survey to analyze 

these processes led to the establishment in 1907 of the Geophysical 

Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution 

of Washington for fundamental 

studies of the properties and origins 

of rocks.

Deciphering the structural control 

of ore deposits led the Geological 

Survey to broad-scale regional interpretations to determine favorable 

structures and ultimately to interpretations of the geologic structure and 

history of the United States. Exploration required the development of new 

'tools for the rapid evaluation of large 

areas. After World War I, the Geological Survey adopted aerial photography 

for mapping, first for planimetry, 

followed by topography, and then for 

geology. After World War II, geophysicists took to the air to delineate 

subsurface ore bodies and structures 

by their magnetic properties. These 

and other investigations involved the 

progressive use of newer and increasingly more complex technical 

methods of directly and indirectly acquiring data by vehicle, ship, aircraft, 

and then satellite-borne instruments. 

However, improved instrumentation 

and techniques of gathering data did 

not obscure the principal goal of investigations in geology, topography, 

water resources, and the regulation of 

mineral and energy resources on 

public lands. These investigations are 

still designed to secure as accurate 

and detailed an interpretation of the 

area analyzed as possible, within the 

time allotted for the work, and by 

whatever means the results are 

displayed.

The economic and mission orientation of the Survey's work as planned 

by King was revised and expanded in 

scope by Walcott when he became 

Director in 1894. Under Walcott and

succeeding Directors, the Survey's investigations aided not only the mineral industry but many other practical 

objectives that could be advanced by 

a greater knowledge of the Earth and 

its natural resources. Basic and applied geology, Walcott affirmed, could 

not be separated; the Survey would 

undertake basic research not so 

much for its own sake but to meet 

specific needs for knowledge to solve 

specific problems. In 1894, the Survey 

obtained an appropriation for gaging 

streams and determining the water 

supply of the United States and, later, 

funds for studies of water quality. 

Walcott indicated the importance of 

investigating the geologic aspects of 

water by assigning some of the Survey's most experienced geologists, including G. K. Gilbert, to waterresources studies.

Mining the lode, Virginia City, Nev. 

(Photographer unknown.)

Much of the Geological Survey's 

work during this time reflected the increasing emphasis on the utility of 

Federal science that marked the turn 

of the century. However, Walcott and 

subsequent Directors did not neglect 

basic research. Walter C. Mendenhall, 

the fifth Director (1931-43), who had 

been Chief Geologist, reemphasized 

the continuing need for basic studies 

by stressing that without science to 

apply there could be no applied 

science. During the Survey's first 100 

years, results of basic research were 

often applied in different ways to 

solve new problems. Gilbert's studies 

of the shorelines of Quaternary lakes 

in the Western United States during 

the late 19th century, for example, 

were originally completed to aid 

regional mapping and interpretations 

of climates and environment in the 

geologically recent past in those 

areas. However, Gilbert's work later 

formed the basis for several early investigations in engineering geology.

THE SURVEY'S 

TRADITION OF 

COOPERATIVE AND 

MULTIDISCIPLINARY 

SCIENCE

In addition to the Geological 

Survey's long-standing commitment 

to applied and basic studies in the 

earth sciences, its work during the 

past 100 years has been marked by

Placer mining Gibbonsville, Lemhi County, 

Idaho, circa 1899. (Photograph by Bailey 

Willis.)
Cable-suspended stream-gaging car used in measuring the velocity of streams with a 

current meter, Arkansas River near Canon City, Fremont County, Colo., 1890. 

(Photographer unknown.)

an increasing emphasis on cooperative and multidisciplinary studies. 

John Wesley Powell, the Survey's second Director (1881-94), extended 

shared programs originated by Director King to include cooperative mapping projects with several States. 

Powell called geology the most comprehensive of all sciences, though he 

held that its most fundamental connection was with topography. He 

authorized independent topographic 

mapping within the Geological Survey 

as a basis for the geological map of 

the United States authorized by Congress in 1882. Although Powell 

directed the Survey's geological work 

largely toward the preparation of the 

national geologic map by way of the 

geologic folios project, topographic 

mapping remained the largest single 

element in the Survey's program during his administration. During the 

1880's, Powell arranged cooperative 

mapping projects with the surveys of 

several northeastern States; work was 

continued and was expanded by 

subsequent Directors. In 1902 and 

1903, as an example, Director Walcott 

authorized a cooperative investigation 

by Geological Survey and Kentucky 

earth scientists of the areal and 

economic geology of the western 

Kentucky portion of the IllinoisKentucky lead-zinc district. This por12 I Yearbook 1979

tion of the Survey's tradition of 

cooperative studies culminated in the 

recently completed project (1960-78) 

by the U.S. and Kentucky Geological 

Surveys that mapped geologically all 

of the State's 7.5-minute quadrangles 

using topographic maps completed in 

the previous decade. The results of 

that work have already doubled the 

State's inventory of mineral commodities and advanced its investigations of engineering and environmental geology and planning for effective 

use of its land.

Some of the Geological Survey's 

earliest investigations involved the 

application of expertise in several 

scientific disciplines. Today, the 

Survey continues to participate in 

many cooperative multidisciplinary 

programs with local, State, and 

Federal agencies. In fact, the Survey 

has agreements for cooperative work 

with all of the States, numerous local 

and regional municipal government 

organizations, and many Federal 

agencies. The Survey derives a significant portion of its operating funds 

from these organizations for work in 

their behalf. Among the most visible 

of these investigations are the 

Survey's contributions to the scientific exploration of space, directed 

primarily by the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration, by mapping the Moon and other astronomical bodies, training astronauts in the 

earth sciences, conducting investigations with data from Earth-orbiting 

satellites, and contributing to interplanetary studies by unmanned 

probes. Since World War II, the Geological Survey has also cooperated 

with the developing countries in 

assessing their mineral and energy 

resources. The advent of worldwide 

data from satellites enabled the 

Survey to join the cooperative global 

monitoring of seismic events and the 

mitigation of natural disasters and to 

conduct special studies based on 

satellite technology as well as 

technology transfer and training.

THE SURVEY'S

EXPANDED

RESPONSIBILITIES

After giving the Geological Survey 

authority to expand its operations nationwide in 1882, Congress subsequently assigned responsibilities to 

the Survey for evaluating the Nation's 

water resources, classifying and mapping its forest reserves, conducting 

subdivision and boundary surveys, 

classifying the public lands, supervising the exploration for and development of mineral and energy resources 

under Federal lease both on land and 

on the Outer Continental Shelf, and 

surveying U.S. possessions abroad. 

Between 1907 and 1934, the Geological Survey transferred some of these 

functions to newly established 

bureaus Reclamation, Mines, Forest 

Service, and Grazing Service (now 

part of the Bureau of Land Management). In the years following World 

War II, the Geological Survey's commitment to research broadened and 

deepened as the Agency's investigations occupied new dimensions polar 

regions, the sea floor, and space. In 

1962, Congress authorized formal investigations by the Survey in areas 

outside the national domain. Since 

then, planetary studies, the use of 

Landsat imagery in mapping and 

geologic investigations, and added 

responsibilities for earthquake prediction, the reduction of the effects of 

earthquakes and other geologic 

hazards, and problems related to 

siting nuclear reactors and the 

disposal of hazardous wastes have 

provided even wider and newer fields 

to challenge the scientific spirit of 

the Survey.
1979 THE 

CHALLENGES AHEAD

As it begins its second century of 

public service, the Geological Survey 

faces many of the same critical and 

difficult challenges that beset the Nation and the world at large. Solutions 

to problems that relate to the adequacy of future supplies of energy, 

minerals, and water resources; the 

wise and efficient use of our land; the 

reduction of damage to life and property from geologically related natural 

disasters; and the preservation of environmental quality require extensive 

knowledge of the Earth and its 

natural resources. The acquisition 

and dissemination of such knowledge 

to the persons responsible for the 

formulation and execution of governmental policies in the United States 

and to the general public remain 

basic responsibilities of the Survey. 

The challenges to the Survey in 

meeting these responsibilities increase as the Nation's growing 

population with its expanding needs 

press the limits of our finite land, 

resource base, and delicately balanced ecosystem. In many areas, the

knowledge and tools at hand are insufficient for these tasks and must be 

refined and expanded to make it 

possible to find and appraise mineral 

deposits that have no surface indications of their existence; to predict the 

location, time, and magnitude of 

earthquakes; or to define geologically 

safe environments for the disposal of 

hazardous wastes.

In view of the rising costs of its 

operations and the growing public 

pressure for immediate solutions to 

problems, the Survey must increase 

the efficiency and cost effectiveness 

of its operations. These requirements 

pose challenges to develop and to 

adapt sophisticated technology to the 

acquisition and analysis of data, including the storage, analysis, and 

display of data by computer; the use 

of remote sensing; digitization of map 

information; and the automation of 

water-data collection. Another 

challenge to the Survey, and to other 

scientific and technical organizations 

as well, is to improve its communications with the users of its information, not only to provide data and 

analyses rapidly, but to supply them 

in forms that are readily understandable and usable.

No less challenging are the problems involved in the Survey's regulatory responsibilities as mineral leasing 

and associated exploration, development, and production activities on the 

public land expand to new environments, such as the deeper waters 

of the Outer Continental Shelf, and to 

areas where mining can significantly 

affect the ecosystem if it is allowed to 

proceed without regard to land reclamation and the protection of other 

natural resources.

Fortunately, the Survey's first century of operations generated experience and traditions that will help it 

meet the challenges ahead, not only 

those characteristics already named, 

but also legacies of excellence and 

objectivity in its work, flexibility in its 

approach, and a readiness to respond 

to increasing public needs for sound 

information about the Nation's natural 

resources and physical environment.

,, -MS
APPRAISAL OF FRONTIER OFFSHORE U.S. 

UNDISCOVERED OIL AND GAS RESOURCES

By RICHARD F. MAST and ROBERT J. LANTZ; ROGER A. KAHLER and GARY L LORE 

Geologic Division; Conservation Division

The decade of the 1970's was marked by a sharply increased dependence by the United States on foreign 

energy sources, particularly crude oil. Although this 

dependence has been growing for the last 20 years, it 

was made clearly visible to the American public by the 

Arab oil embargo of 1973. In the years since 1973, 

petroleum prices have continually risen, but, in 1979, a 

reduction in the availability of foreign oil supplies, caused 

principally by the civil revolution in Iran, accelerated the 

increase in the world price of crude oil and again 

underscored the need for the United States to reduce its 

dependence on foreign energy supplies.

Many petroleum geoscientists believe that significant 

quantities of conventional oil and gas may be developed 

offshore on the continental shelves, slopes, and rises 

surrounding the United States. Large offshore sedimenWASHINGTONOREGON

NORTHERN 

CALIFORNIA

tary basins are known to exist adjacent to both the conterminous 48 States and the State of Alaska. The location of these potential exploration areas are shown in 

figure 1.

Although the United States long ago began to produce 

oil and gas from offshore areas, major exploration efforts prior to 1973 focused on the southern California 

coast, the western Gulf of Mexico, and the Upper Cook 

Inlet of Alaska. Exploration in some frontier (essentially 

unexplored) offshore U.S. basins did not move forward 

because of technological and operational problems 

associated with the exploration, drilling, and development of oil and gas, especially in the Arctic regions. 

Other offshore basins were considered to be poor places 

in which to explore because their potential for major 

petroleum discoveries was considered to be too small.

Figure 1. The 17 frontier Outer Continental Shelf areas (excluding the Gulf of Mexico) of the United States. (From Edgar 

and Bayer, 1979.)

NORTH 

ATLANTIC

GEORGES 

BANK

MID ATLANTIC

SANTA 

BARBARA 

CHANNEL

CALIFORNIA \ X

CHUKCHI

SEA 

HOPE BASIN /

NORTON BASIN

CENTRAL

GULF

WESTERN EASTERNS 

GULF

ST. GEORGE 

BASIN

SOUTH 

ATLANTIC

BLAKE PLATEAU

SOUTHEAST GEORGIA 

EMBAY ME NT

*t

^

Continental shelf

to 200 meters (600 feet)

Areas of leasing potential

LOWER 

COOK INLET

14 I Yearbook 1979
After the 1973 embargo, Government and industry 

refocused attention on the frontier offshore areas 

because resource specialists believed that the potential 

for finding large accumulations was better offshore than 

onshore. They believed that the long history of exploration, especially in the lower 48 States, had found most of 

the major onshore oil fields. Furthermore, the technology 

in drilling and development of offshore fields was improving, making exploration and development possible or 

potentially feasible in previously inaccessible areas and 

especially in deep water.

ESTIMATED POTENTIAL FOR 

OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS 

DEVELOPMENT

Estimates of the offshore undiscovered recoverable 

resources for oil and gas were published by the U.S. 

Geological Survey in Circular 725 (Miller and others, 

1975). These estimates of the undiscovered producible 

oil and gas indicated that all of the U.S. offshore basin 

areas to 600 feet of water depth might contain, based on 

a low estimate at a 95-percent probability of occurrence, 

at least 10 billion barrels of oil and, based on a high 

estimate at a 5-percent probability of occurrence, at 

least 49 billion barrels of oil. Comparison of even the 

high resource estimate to all the domestic oil and gas 

which had been previously discovered, both onshore and 

offshore of approximately 145 billion barrels, indicated 

that this was not the large supply of oil which would 

completely solve our energy problems and eliminate our 

dependence on foreign sources. However, in comparison 

to our 1978 proven oil reserves of 28 billion barrels 

(American Petroleum Institute and others, 1979), offshore 

discoveries might make a significant contribution to our 

future energy supplies, especially if major accumulation 

could be found and developed quickly.

Offshore undiscovered recoverable gas resources were 

also estimated in Circular 725. It was estimated that all 

offshore basins to a water depth of 600 feet might contain, based on a low estimate at a 95-percent probability 

of occurrence, at least 42 trillion cubic feet of gas, and, 

based on a high estimate at a 5-percent probability of 

occurrence, at least 181 trillion cubic feet of gas. In 

terms of heating value, these gas estimates are approximately the equivalent of 7 billion to 30 billion barrels of 

oil. Taken together, the undiscovered recoverable oil- and 

gas-resource estimates indicate that there are significant targets for future offshore exploration. Large new 

offshore fields, if they could be discovered and 

developed quickly, would have significant impact on our 

near-term oil and gas supply problem because, in 

general, large fields have high rates of production in the 

years immediately subsequent to discovery and development. Additionally, estimated volumes of recoverable oil 

and gas resources offshore could increase in magnitude 

as technological advancements are made which make 

exploration and development in deeper waters or in 

hostile arctic environments feasible and as increased

world crude oil prices allow exploration to proceed into 

areas of high cost, high risk, or low potential. Thus, one 

of the Survey's most important functions is to inform the 

Government to the best of its collective abilities about 

the future oil and gas resources that are likely to be 

discovered offshore. Therefore, in the process of assessing frontier areas, the Survey aggressively supports the 

search for future oil and gas resources and collects data 

from areas that may not be considered as exploration 

targets today but are possible exploration targets tomorrow. In this regard the Survey's programs support the 

development of appraisal methodologies and the appraisal of the Nation's offshore oil and gas resources. 

Petroleum-related geologic studies play a vital role in 

this program. These studies have as a common objective 

the gathering and analysis of geologic, geophysical, and 

geochemical data to develop information and concepts 

concerning petroleum occurrence and genesis needed to 

support the Survey's resource-appraisal efforts.

Throughout the entire history of oil and gas development, there has been serious disagreement among 

qualified resource experts about how much oil and gas 

remains to be discovered and which forecasting techniques give the most reliable estimates. In recent years, 

estimates of oil and gas resources for the Nation as a 

whole seem to be converging; however, there is still considerable controversy about how much oil and gas remains to be discovered and especially in which offshore 

areas it will be found. Although some of these differences of opinion can be explained on the basis of 

data input and the methods and assumptions used in 

making the appraisals, many cannot. There is honest 

disagreement about the magnitude of our undiscovered 

oil and gas resources.

Because of these disagreements and because of the 

significance of the numbers, resource appraisal must be 

a continuing effort. New data must be gathered and new 

appraisal techniques must be developed to improve our 

ability to estimate undiscovered recoverable resources 

and to update previous estimates. The methods employed by geoscientists to estimate recoverable undiscovered resources in frontier offshore basins are based, 

in general, on analogs from other basins or areas which 

have been heavily explored. The knowledge and concepts 

developed about the occurrence and distribution of 

hydrocarbons in these analog areas are then applied in a 

variety of ways to frontier areas. The reliability of 

resource estimates in frontier areas depends in large 

measure on the prediction of the modes of occurrence 

for petroleum in the area and the selection of appropriate analogs to be used in making resource 

assessments on the basis of geologic knowledge. The 

whole process is iterative; as new data are collected by 

the Survey in the area of interest, new concepts about 

hydrocarbon occurrence are developed, and new analogs 

must be selected and applied. In general terms, the better our knowledge of the modes of occurrence and the 

better our understanding of the geologic factors that 

control how rich the known petroleum producing areas 

are, the better our ability to assess the magnitude of undiscovered resources in frontier or developing regions.

Perspectives 115
One of the objectives of this article is to explain the 

responsibilities of the Survey for appraising and 

evaluating the undiscovered recoverable oil and gas 

resources of the U.S. offshore areas as related to the offshore leasing process and also to explain how different 

units within the organization interact cooperatively to 

produce estimates of the quantities of oil and gas that 

may be discovered in the future.

The Survey essentially produces two types of resource 

appraisals or evaluations which contribute to the Department of the Interior's offshore leasing programs. Regional or basin resource appraisals based on broad 

geologic studies are produced to help determine the 

Federal offshore 5-year leasing schedules as well as to 

input regional geologic understanding into the early 

phases of a lease sale. Although there are other factors 

involved, regional oil and gas appraisals help the Department of the Interior prioritize where and when a lease 

sale will be held. The Survey also produces detailed tract 

appraisals and resource economic evaluations. The tract 

evaluations, which are the result of detailed geologic 

engineering and economic studies, are used by the 

Department of the Interior to determine the lowest acceptable bid for leasing particular tracts to industry in a 

lease sale in the Federal offshore leasing program. Both 

kinds of appraisals, regional and tract, require 

understanding of the petroleum geology of the basin as 

well as detailed knowledge of the geology of smaller 

areas within the basins.

These resource evaluations and appraisals are the 

responsibility of the Survey's Geologic Division and Conservation Division. The Conservation Division has the 

responsibility for making the detailed tract evaluations, 

and the Geologic Division has the responsibility for 

assessing entire basin areas. Figure 2 shows the

organizational structure within the Survey and the 

various units within each of the Divisions which carry 

out the underlying geologic studies and produce the 

needed appraisals and evaluations.

The individual organizations shown in figure 2 are 

quite similar in title, although some of these unit functions may vary considerably between Divisions in the 

details of their work. This similarity in structure results 

because resource-appraisal and resource-evaluation programs require the following essential kinds of activities:

 Regional activities designed to collect basic geologic 

data and to carry out studies needed to support 

petroleum appraisals at both the basin and the tract 

level.

 Topical studies designed to develop new understanding about the geologic factors that control the 

generation and accumulation of oil and gas and the 

economics of oil and gas exploration and production.

 Assessment methodology studies that develop techniques for the application of petroleum data to the 

resource-appraisal process and statistical methods 

to manage and to produce the desired output.

As shown in the figure, there is an important overlap 

in both Divisions between the regional and topical activities and the resource-appraisal and evaluation activities. Important interactions also occur between Divisions that help to integrate the results of regional 

geologic and topical studies done for basin appraisals 

which are principally carried out in the Geologic Division 

and the detailed geologic engineering and economic 

studies done for tract evaluation which are carried out in 

the Conservation Division.

oc<

Figure 2. Organizational units within the U.S. Geological Survey concerned with the appraisal of offshore oil and gas resources.

16 I Yearbook 1979
OIL AND GAS 

ASSESSMENT PROCESS

Estimates of undiscovered oil and gas resources are 

developed by studying the basic elements of the geology 

of offshore areas to determine the geologic history and 

the likelihood that oil and gas has been generated from 

organic materials in the basin sediments and then migrated into geologic structures or traps to form local accumulations, which are the targets for exploration. Using 

the results of these geologic studies, the quantities of 

oil and gas that may be contained in a province or a 

basin or in smaller areas within a basin, are numerically 

appraised by comparing the geology and geologic history of the area being appraised with similar areas in 

which the quantities are essentially known because 

these so-called/analog areas have been heavily explored.

Resource appraisal is a very complex procedure 

because the reliability of the results depends upon 

knowledge of the geologic factors that control the process of oil and gas generation, accumulations, and entrapment; the specific geologic processes which have 

operated in the past; their effectiveness in the area being appraised; and the ability of the appraisers to apply 

meaningful analogs based on an understanding of 

geologic similarity between unexplored and explored 

regions. The geology and geologic history of the offshore 

frontier areas of the United States are not known in sufficient detail to allow exact appraisals of the quantities 

of oil and gas which will occur. Consequently, the appraisers indicate the uncertainty about the petroleum 

geology of an area or tract by appraising not only the 

quantities of oil and gas that may be contained there but 

also the probability at which these quantities may actually occur. Results of the resource appraisals are often 

reported in the form of graphs or distributions which 

reflect the uncertainty of the appraisers regarding the 

quantities of oil or gas that may occur (see fig. 3A).

At any specific probability level, these quantities are 

described as the least quantities that will occur at that 

level of probability; larger quantities are appraised at 

lower probability levels. In the analysis of frontier or 

essentially unexplored provinces or basins, the resource 

appraisals are made in two steps. First, the area is appraised under the condition that oil and gas occurs in 

commercial quantities. These estimates are called conditional estimates. This assumption cannot be made with 

certainty in frontier areas in which no petroleum has 

been discovered to date. Therefore, in the second step, 

the conditional estimates are modified by assigning a 

marginal probability or basinwide risk to the event "commercial oil found" and "commerical gas found" (Spur 

and Bonini, 1973). These marginal probabilities are then 

applied statistically to the conditional estimates to produce unconditional assessments (Miller and others, 

1975) of the oil and gas that may occur in a basin (see 

fig. 38).

Having normalized the assessments in all basins to 

the event "commercial petroleum found," it is now possible to aggregate, using statistical probability techniques, 

those assessments for a measure of the future petroleum expected to be discovered in the offshore. The 

assumption is made that the individual basins are independent of one another in terms of their oil and gas 

potential. As a result, probability-based resource appraisals of several areas or for the entire United States 

offshore can be aggregated and presented as a single 

probability distribution representing the amounts of oil 

and gas thought to be discoverable in very large areas.

Similar methods are used to estimate resources and to 

evaluate specific tracts within the basin. The major difference between basinwide appraisals and tract appraisals or evaluations is the level of detail that is applied 

to the geologic engineering and economic analyses. In 

tract evaluation where small areas are evaluated, the 

geology must be analyzed in much greater detail to

u

ui 

cc 

cc

D 

O 

O O 

u- S 

O o

CQ 

< 

DO 

O

cc

CLICK)

0123

UNDISCOVERED RECOVERABLE OIL 

(billions of barrels) 

A

LLJ 

O

100

cc 

cc 

D

O _ 

O ^

o

CO

<

00

o

cc

0.

Marginal probability

0123

UNDISCOVERED RECOVERABLE OIL

(billions of barrels) 

B

Figure 3. Probability distributions of undiscovered oil. A, Unconditional estimates. 6, Conditional estimates (marginal probability applied).

Perspectives |17
estimate such things as the apparent size of the trap and 

the quality of the reservoirs at that site. These parameter 

estimates are combined, using statistical probability 

techniques, to estimate the quantities of the oil and gas 

that may be discoverable at a specific site. Also, during 

the evaluation of tracts, emphasis is placed on tractspecific engineering and economic studies to determine 

the value of the resource thought to be contained under 

the tract being evaluated. Even at this scale of geologic 

investigation there still remains much uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the oil and (or) gas resources that 

may occur beneath the tract(s). The initial tract evalua- . 

tions, made under the assumption that oil and gas does 

occur, are reported in terms of conditional probability 

distributions similar to those shown in figure 3/4. In a 

manner similar to basin appraisal, tracts must be risked 

for the event that oil and gas does not occur in the 

specific structures or, more correctly, in the apparent 

traps being assessed; the concepts and procedure are the 

same as for determining marginal probability in basin appraisal. Through experience, we know that all structures 

are not traps, and, therefore, a specific tract may not contain oil and gas. In tract analysis, the geologic evidence at 

the specific site or analog data are employed to estimate 

the risk that oil and gas will not be found. The tractspecific risks that are estimated are similar to the basin 

marginal probability and, therefore, are applied to the conditional assessment to derive the unconditional assessment for each tract. Parallel to basin aggregation procedures, tracts are aggregated using statistical probability 

techniques to derive conditional probability-based 

resource estimates for a number of tracts together; for example all of the tracts that might be for sale in a forthcoming lease sale. In tract aggregation, different tracts 

may be geologically related; for example, tracts might 

have a common source for the generation of oil and gas, 

or they might be located over the same trap. Consequently, the interdependence between the occurrence of oil and 

gas on different tracts must also be assessed before the 

results can be aggregated statistically.

Ideally, if all of the potential traps could be identified 

for the entire basin and then analyzed using tract 

analysis and aggregated together, the resulting appraisals should approximately equate to the resource 

numbers derived from basin appraisal. The fact is that 

these two approaches sometimes yield what are, or what 

appear to be, inconsistent results. In part, it is this process that stimulates both the basin appraisers and the 

tract evaluators within the Survey to reevaluate the 

underlying geologic data and assumptions and to seek 

new data to develop new concepts about oil and gas occurrence in individual basins or basin areas.

The ultimate amount of oil and gas to be discovered in 

a petroleum province will never be known with complete 

certainty until all of the oil has been discovered. As the 

exploration process continues, new geologic and 

petroleum-resource data developed from drilling and 

other exploration methods are used to develop new 

hypotheses regarding sites or basins in which petroleum 

is likely to occur. In the exploration of a basin, geologists hold different opinions or concepts as to where 

and how much oil and gas may be found. It is these

multiple hypotheses that cause explorationists to look in 

a variety of places for oil and gas. Because of the exploration activity that ensues from pursuing current exploration concepts, new data are acquired, new concepts 

are developed, and old ones are sometimes discarded. 

Also, the multiple exploration hypotheses give rise to apparent differences between basin appraisals and tract 

evaluations within a basin.

How does the Survey deal with the problem of geologists holding different perceptions, concepts, and opinions about the amounts of oil and gas that will be 

discovered in frontier offshore areas? This problem is approached in different ways in basin and tract assessment. In basin assessment, regional or area geological 

experts are asked to present details about the petroleum 

geology and the results of specific studies designed to 

appraise the geologic factors that control accumulations 

of oil and gas in the area to be appraised. Multiple 

hypotheses are usually expressed in these discussions, 

and the relationships between known analog areas are 

also discussed. The geologists on the appraisal team are 

resource experts who have a variety of professional 

backgrounds so that they can contribute their petroleum 

experience to these discussions. Each geologist on the 

appraisal team formulates his own judgments and is 

asked to develop his own resource estimates. These individual estimates are then reviewed and discussed. In 

some cases, new estimates are made, especially if new 

information is brought forward in these discussions. In 

this way, multiple hypotheses and varying opinions are 

brought together through individual assessments. These 

assessments are then either averaged or statistically aggregated to develop the basin or tract assessments.

In tract evaluation, groups of tracts are assigned to 

different teams of geologists. The differences of opinion 

within a team is one of the factors that influences the 

ranges given the distributions for the various geologic 

parameters. Statistical probability techniques are then 

applied to the distributions to arrive at a distribution of 

resources for the tract. A committee of experts conducts 

a review to insure consistency between teams regarding 

the methodologies employed and the use of analog data.

Geologists from the Conservation Division usually 

meet with Geologic Division geologists before an updated basin appraisal is made. At these meetings, 

geologic data for the area are reviewed and differing exploration concepts are discussed. In this way, economic 

information and geologic concepts from Conservation 

Division tract-evaluation studies feed back into the 

Geologic Division basin-appraisal programs. These 

meetings also are useful in identifying new data that is 

critically needed to improve the resource appraisals of 

the area.

The data collected by the Geologic Divison's programs 

and the results of their geologic studies are published. 

Because of the scale of the basinwide programs, regionally spaced seismic data are collected as input to 

the basin-appraisal program. Public data collected in the 

basin-appraisal programs are used to develop public 

documents in support of the Department of the Interior's 

leasing program and nationwide assessments of oil and 

gas resources.

18 I Yearbook 1979
The Conservation Division, for the most part, collects 

the proprietary data developed by industry. Because of 

the very large volumes of data needed to make the 

specific tract evaluations, seismic data is collected by 

groups of companies to reduce the costs of data acquisition in the exploration process. This data can be acquired from industry by the Conservation Division but by 

law cannot be published or made public to protect the 

companies' investments in collecting the data. In addition, offshore Federal regulations require that exploratory development and production-well data on Federal 

leases be held confidential by the Government for 2 

years after the well is drilled and completed or abandoned or until the lease expires, whichever occurs first.

Industry is also permitted to drill continental offshore 

stratigraphic test wells before a lease sale is held. Often 

this is the only rock sample data available to both industry and Government in frontier offshore areas. Rock 

samples from these wells can be used to investigate 

properties of potential reservoir rocks and to make 

assessments of the source rocks and the oil and gas 

generated in frontier basins. These data can be publicly 

released 60 days after the issuance of a lease within a 

50-geographical-mile radius of the well. The Conservation 

Division has the responsibility to release this data. Because of the critical need for this kind of data in both 

the basin- and tract-assessment programs, the Conservation and the Geologic Divisions sometimes carry out 

cooperative studies of these wells and publish their data 

and interpretations together.

The scope of the Geologic Divison's basin-appraisal 

program also requires investigation of areas that are not 

now of current interest for offshore oil and gas exploration. These are principally areas in deep water along the 

continental slope and rise. Valuable data in these programs are collected and interpreted years before a lease 

sale is scheduled for some areas. This information may

Bottom sediment grab sampler.

be available in published form before the Conservation 

Division begins its acquisition of the proprietary data.

THE SURVEY ROLE IN 

THE LEASING PROCESS

The procedure established by the Federal Government 

for issuing oil and gas leases on the offshore public 

lands include 14 major procedural components.

Component Responsibility

1. Proposed leasing schedule

2. Call for tract nominations

3. Tract selection

4. Draft environmental impact 

statement (EIS).

5. Hearings

6. Final EIS

7. Secretarial Issue Document

8. Proposed Notice of Sale

9. States' comments

10. Department of Energy review

11. Final Notice of Sale

12. Presale evaluation completed

13. Sale

14. Postsale analysis

Department of 

the Interior.

Bureau of Land 

Management 

(BLM).

BLM-Survey

BLM

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do.

BLM

Survey

BLM

BLM-Survey

Figure 4 shows the flow of information into the 

various decision points built into the offshore leasing 

process. It is important to note that a large amount of information is generated for, and taken into consideration 

during, the offshore leasing process, especially in frontier areas.

The Department of the Interior has the following major 

clear-cut objectives which guide its leasing program:

1. Orderly and timely resource development.

2. Protection of the environment.

3. Receipt of fair market value.

These obligations constitute policy guidelines that 

control governmental schedules, decisions, and goals of 

leasing the offshore public lands. These objectives are 

all influenced by the resource-appraisal and evaluation 

activities of the Survey.

The initial step in the leasing process is the selection 

of general areas that are thought to be desirable for oil 

and gas leasing and that do not possess overwhelming 

environmental problems. Information on the geology, 

petroleum potential, and geological hazards of the 

various frontier areas is furnished by the Area Selection 

Program carried out within the Survey. The areas are arranged in sequence by priorities determined by weighing 

and balancing a number of sometimes conflicting considerations. Even though the leasing schedule is the first 

step in the leasing process, it must be based on a large 

amount of preexisting information, as indicated in figure

4. To make a 5-year schedule that is logical, data must 

be gathered and interpreted by the Area Selection Program well in advance of the scheduled sale dates. The

Perspectives |19
leasing schedule is used to determine the timing and initiation of individual sales procedures. The environmental appraisal is constantly updated as additional data 

are gathered and analyzed. It is the responsibility of the 

Survey to input any new resource or geologic hazards 

data it has which might influence changes in the 

schedule. Changing conditions in the domestic energy 

supply and distribution situation are also considered 

when publishing or revising proposed leasing schedules. 

Prior to the call for nominations, the Survey submits the 

Resource Report on the general call area to BLM. It is 

the purpose of this report to discuss the petroleum 

geology of the area as a basis for oil and gas appraisal 

and to emphasize geologic features of the basin used to 

predict occurrence in a general area where tracts might 

be nominated by industry. In frontier areas, this is a difficult task because the data available may not be sufficient to make these kinds of predictions. This portion of 

the Resource Report is prepared by either the Branch of 

Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Geology or the Branch of 

Pacific-Arctic Geology, depending upon the location of 

the offshore area. Simultaneously, the Resource Appraisal Group of the Oil and G'as Branch begins to 

gather data to prepare estimates of the undiscovered 

recoverable resources. Although estimates were 

prepared for the Area Selection Program, they may have 

to be updated based on new information acquired since 

the leasing schedule was prepared. The Conservation

Division Regional Office involved is also contacted to 

determine the input on which they have based their work 

in the general call area. The appropriate Branch of 

Marine Geology also prepares a section on environmental and geologic hazards for the Resource Report. All of 

this input is taken into consideration in recommending 

modification to the general call area. After all of the 

geologic data is assembled, the Resource Appraisal 

Group makes an oil and gas assessment of the call 

areas proposed in the Resource Report. This assessment 

data is transmitted to the Conservation Division Branch 

of Offshore Evaluation so they can prepare a section for 

the Resource Report on the infrastructure requirements 

for oil and gas development. The completed Resource 

Report is transmitted to BLM, which issues the call for 

nominations.

The call for tract nominations constitutes official 

notice to the public and the oil and gas industry of 

Government's intention to hold a lease sale in a given 

area. An additional purpose of the call for tract nominations is to obtain an indication of the amount of interest 

that exists for leasing or deleting each of the individual 

offshore leasing tracts included in the proposed sale 

area. The calls for tract nominations are usually issued 

for large contiguous areas that may include several 

million acres and numerous lease tracts which usually 

contain about 9 square miles or about 5,760 acres.

REGIONAL RESOURCE

POTENTIAL EVALUATION

(SURVEY)

REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL

ASSESSMENT AND HAZARD

EVALUATION

(SURVEY)

FEDERAL AREA

SELECTION 

(SURVEY AND BLM)

FEDERAL TRACT

SELECTION 

(SURVEY AND BLM)

FINAL EIS 

(BLM)

SECRETARIAL 

DECISION DOCUMENT 

(BLM)

Figure 4. Information flow into decision points Outer Continental Shelf leasing process.

201 Yearbook 1979
The call for nominations results in the identification of 

tracts which industry believes have economically attractive resource potential. It may also result in some of the 

tracts being considered for deletion from the sale on environmental grounds. Comments are requested both for 

and against the sale from any interested person or 

group. Thus, information may be gained about tracts that 

warrant additional study because they are desirable for 

leasing, or other specific tracts may require additional 

environmental appraisal or be eliminated from consider 

tion for leasing because of particular environmental 

value or unusual environmental conditions. The majority 

of individual tracts within any proposed sale area 

generally do not have particularly high value for resource 

potential or unusual geologic hazard potential or do not 

warrant unique or special environmental consideration.

After receiving lists of tracts nominated for oil and gas 

leasing from interested oil companies as well as information on tracts submitted by the public and other 

Federal, State, or local agencies, specific tracts are 

selected for possible leasing. The tracts thus selected 

are judged by BLM and the Conservation Division not 

only on the basis of internally generated resource potential, environmental, technological, and economic information but also utilizing knowledge gained from replies 

to the call for nominations.

The selection process is complex and includes consideration of an evaluation of the number of nominations 

per tract; the need to initiate leasing in wildcat areas in 

terms of industry development capability, competition, 

and timely future availability of resources to consumers; 

tract leasing history; nomination patterns; consideration 

of the proper mix of tracts by water depth and distance 

from shore; the need to develop prospective geologic 

structures and trends; the need to protect tracts in imminent danger of drainage; consideration of which tracts 

are most promising for establishing production; and 

possible environmental impacts or possible conflicts 

with other uses of offshore areas which could result 

from the development of specific tracts under consideration. Some tracts may be deleted during the tract selection process because of overriding environmental considerations. The list of tracts selected for leasing is 

published so it is publicly available prior to the issuance 

of the draft environmental impact statement (EIS).

This next component of the leasing procedure involves 

the preparation of the EIS for each lease sale under the 

provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969. The statement actually comes in two 

steps; a draft EIS is prepared, which is then subject to 

open public hearings on its validity, factuality, and objectivity. Following the public hearings, a final EIS is 

prepared that includes consideration of all pertinent subjects and comments brought up in the hearings that 

were not addressed in the draft statement.

The Survey input for petroleum geology to the draft 

EIS is very similar to that in the Resource Report. There 

are sometimes long time delays in the preparation of the 

Resource Report; consequently, modification at this time 

may be necessary as new data or interpretations are 

available. Because the draft EIS identifies specific tracts 

to be offered for sale, the oil- and gas-resource

estimates, geologic hazards, and environmental considerations portions of the Survey input to the draft EIS 

must be redone to focus on the sale area. The Conservation Division Regional Offices prepare the resource 

estimates for the sale area and provide tract specific 

hazards recommendations for inclusion in the final EIS. 

All of the considerations used in the basin-resource appraisal are available to them through the Resource 

Report, other published reports, and unpublished 

data of the Geologic Division.

The draft EIS is prepared by BLM as lead agency 

because they are responsible for the sale. During the 

preparation of the statement, BLM receives scientific 

guidance and assistance from the Geological Survey, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency, and many 

other Federal agencies with specialized knowledge; as 

indicated in figure 4, it is an interagency document. During the construction of the draft statement, numerous 

contacts are usually made with State and local officials 

and agencies, the academic community, environmental 

organizations, and private research groups. The contacts 

help BLM reach a maximum understanding of the environmental and economic concerns of the local citizens 

and to gain an understanding of how they view the 

issues involved.

The draft EIS, when completed, is submitted to the 

Council on Environmental Quality and made available to 

the public for consideration. Not less than 60 days after 

publication of the draft EIS, a public hearing is held, 

usually at a city in the vicinity of the proposed sale. 

Notice of the date and place of the hearing is published 

in the Federal Register, and a press release containing 

the pertinent information is also sent out. Comments 

submitted to the hearing are considered in the preparation of the final EIS.

Following consultation and coordination with other 

concerned Federal agencies, the draft statement is submitted to a review process. Comments and contributions 

received during the public hearings as well as any recent 

information not previously studied are considered, then 

incorporated in the final EIS. The final statement is submitted to the Council on Environmental Quality and is 

made available to the public.

After the final EIS is completed, a Secretarial Issue 

Document, which summarizes the factors associated 

with the proposed sale for the use of the Secretary of 

the Interior in making a final decision regarding the sale, 

is prepared. The decision is made not less than 30 days 

after the final statement is submitted to the Council on 

Environmental Quality. The Secretary considers the environmental, resource, economic, technical, and socioeconomic information available from the draft statement, 

public hearings, final statement, and the Secretarial 

Issue Document. He weighs all of the suggested alternatives and may seek any additional information he 

deems pertinent to arrive at the decision. If the decision 

is made to hold the sale, tracts to be offered for lease 

are selected, and leasing terms determined. Tracts may 

be withdrawn from leasing at any time up to the time of 

the sale, should previously unknown environmental data 

warrant. Just prior to a lease sale, teams of geologists,

Perspectives | 21
geophysicists, and petroleum engineers from Conservation Division Regional Offices prepare range estimates 

or point estimates on a number of geologic and 

economic factors that are needed to estimate the potential value of each tract. These values are then analyzed 

by computer program. In the evaluation of tracts, just as 

in basin appraisal, the estimation of each factor involves 

some degree of subjectivity. The evaluation results are 

presented as probability distributions, and a determination is made of the most probable or statistical mean 

value. These tract evaluation results are used by BLM to 

determine if industry bids are acceptable for a lease on 

a given tract. These estimates, for obvious reasons, are 

not made public prior to the sale.

The terms and conditions of each lease sale are published in the Federal Register as a final notice of sale 

not less than 30 days prior to the date of the sale. 

Leases are usually sold on the basis of a cash bonus 

with a fixed one-sixth royalty or a cash bonus with a 

fixed sliding scale royalty determined by the amount of 

production. A small yearly rental of $3.00 per acre or a 

fraction thereof is assessed on nonproducing leases. At 

the lease sale, all sealed bids are opened and publicly 

read. Following the public opening, all bids are checked 

for technical and legal adequacy, qualification of bidders, sufficient advance bonus (20 percent at the time of 

bidding), powers of attorney, compliance certificates, 

and bonds. Acceptance or rejection of bids is not made 

until after the postsale analysis and a Department of 

Justice review.

Leases are issued or rejected based on an analysis of 

how the action on each individual tract relates to the 

Department of the Interior's policy on receipt of fair 

market value. Timely resource development is a prime 

consideration in scheduling the sale in the first place as 

are concerns for the environment. The environmental 

aspects of each tract, including opinions expressed at 

the public hearings, are discussed individually in the EIS. 

Orderly development is also discussed in the EIS and at 

public hearings. Estimates of resource economic value 

are made independently prior to the sale and express the 

Department's own opinion of lease value. All of the information described above, plus an analysis of conditions 

at the time of the sale and indications of competition expressed during the sale, are used in determining if a 

lease should be issued to the highest bidder.

If the high bid on a lease tract is found to be acceptable, BLM issues a lease to the successful bidder. Upon 

issuance of the lease, the remaining 80 percent of the 

bid price and the first year's rental becomes due.

sale schedule, and 78 exploratory wells have been 

drilled. Although additional wells are now being or will 

be drilled to further test some of these leases, the 

results of the first 78 wells in terms of the discovery of 

oil and gas have been discouraging.

Much of the drilling in frontier areas to date has been 

focused in the Baltimore Canyon trough, the Gulf of 

Alaska, southern California, the southeast Georgia embayment, and the Lower Cook Inlet where major structures were the principal targets. The results in the Gulf 

of Alaska were particularly discouraging, but only a 

small portion of that area was actually tested. Texaco 

and Tenneco announced some positive results in which 

gas in two wells and oil and gas in one well near the 

shelf break in Baltimore Canyon were encountered. It is 

not known at this time if these wells represent commercial discoveries. In addition, some of the data from the 

drilling in the Baltimore Canyon area indicate that deep 

water areas on the continental slope may be attractive 

for future oil and gas exploration (Edgar and Bayer, 

1979).

On the shelf, the most promising frontier areas for 

future exploration that should be tested during the next 

5 years are the Bering Sea, the Chuckchi Sea, and the 

Beaufort Sea surrounding northern Alaska. Current 

resource appraisals indicate that these areas may well 

contain in excess of 50 percent of the total oil assessed 

on the continental shelves in frontier areas of the United 

States. Thus, though the initial drilling results have been 

somewhat discouraging, new prospects have emerged, 

and many of the best areas still remain to be tested by 

drilling.

REFERENCES CITED

American Petroleum Institute, American Gas Association, and 

Canadian Petroleum Association, 1979, Reserves of crude oil, 

natural gas liquids and natural gas in the United States and 

Canada as of December 31, 1978, volume 33, 253 p.

Edgar, N. Terence, and Bayer, Kenneth C., 1979, Assessing oil 

and gas resources on the U.S. Continental Margin: Oceanus, 

v. 22, no. 3, p. 13-22.

Miller, B. M., Thomsen, H. L., Dolton, G. L., Coury, A. B., 

Hendricks, T. A., Lennartz, F. E., Powers, R. B., Sable, E. G., 

and Barnes, K. L., 1975, Geological estimates of undiscovered 

recoverable oil and gas resources: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 725, 78 p.

Spurr, W. A., and Bonini, C. P., 1973, Statistical analysis 

for business decisions: Homewood, Illinois, Richard D. Irwin, 

Inc. p. 97-98, 114, 376,378.

FUTURE DIRECTION

The Department of the Interior is developing a new 

5-year lease schedule for 1980 through 1985. Sales in six 

frontier areas occurred during the 1975 to 1980 lease

22 I Yearbook 1979

THE QUIET REVOLUTION IN MAPPING

or

;, ; 

(as cou nt riesy ciliesV £

tiiri^

The definition of a map from the 

most recent edition of Webster's 

Dictionary, while not inaccurate, is 

hopelessly out of date. It is true that 

maps are usually "made on a flat 

surface" and show "the whole or part 

of an area" and "indicate the nature 

and relative position and size" of 

"cities, bodies of water, mountains, 

deserts" and "according to a chosen 

scale or projection."

However, a map is much more, 

especially today. Maps portray more 

than "selected features." Maps also 

record the way these same features 

change. As floods and landslides, 

bulldozers, and steam shovels work 

their will, a series of maps over time 

builds a dynamic picture of the 

effects of nature and man upon the 

face of the Earth.

However, there is a major revolution underway which is bringing 

about profound changes in the nature 

of maps and mapping. This revolution 

results from several forces, such as 

public policies relating to resources 

and the environment, technology, and 

rapid and far-reaching changes in the 

requirements of the users of maps. 

And it confronts the cartographic 

community in general, and the 

Geological Survey in particular, with 

serious technical and management 

challenges and enormous opportunities to be of service. The extent of the 

changes as well as the opportunities 

can perhaps be better appreciated in 

light of mapping tradition.

THE MAPPING 

TRADITION

Maps, and the cartographers who 

make them, have been with us 

throughout recorded history. Two 

thousand years ago, the Roman 

geographer Strabo proclaimed Homer 

to be the first geographer and 

Anaximander to be the first Greek to 

make maps, some six centuries 

before Strabo's own time.

Yet, in some respects, it might be 

said that maps predate even the 

written word. Primitive people made 

maps of the location of water, food, 

and shelter by scratching with 

pointed sticks on the ground. 

Mapping has evolved as much from a 

primal need to express spatially the 

location and size of the things of the 

Earth as it did from rational 

calculation.

The use of maps has also reflected 

man's age-old pursuit of power and 

wealth. Kings and generals long used 

maps and charts to guide their armies 

and navies to conquer and to rule 

their neighbors or to defend themselves and to show routes of 

commerce and communications and 

sources of wealth.

These interrelated needs of commerce, communication, and defense 

guided much of mapping's history in 

the United States. It is well known 

that George Washington, as a 

surveyor, traveled across the eastern 

mountains and into the valley of the 

Ohio. Less well known is the fact 

that, after his selection as Commander of the Continental Army, one 

of the first men he appointed was a 

geographer to prepare maps for the 

Continental Army. President Thomas 

Jefferson established an agency in 

the Treasury Department to chart 

coastal waterways and harbors 

because of their importance to the 

Nation's commerce and engaged 

Lewis and Clark to explore and chart 

the Louisiana Purchase.

This effort continued and accelerated during the rest of the 19th 

century. With the impetus provided by 

the continued expansion of the frontier and the military and defense

needs of a growing Nation, the 

Federal Government, shortly after the 

Civil War, sent civilian scientific and 

engineering, and military expeditions 

into the West to assess natural 

resources and to find railroad and 

other transportation routes to the 

Pacific. Two of these expeditions 

were led by men who would become 

the first two Directors of the 

Geological Survey Clarence King 

and John Wesley Powell. Both of 

these men brought back information 

in the form of maps, and, when the 

Geological Survey was established by 

Congress in 1879, it was only natural 

that a mapping program was an integral part of the new agency's activities.

The Geological Survey's mapping 

tradition, however, stemmed primarily 

from the resource interests of the 

Government and a desire for commercial exploitation of the Nation's vast 

treasures of land, water, and minerals. For much of the agency's century of service, deciding where to map 

and which maps to make has been 

related largely to the development of 

known resources and to the finding of 

new resources. It has been a distinctively utilitarian work. Indeed, when 

public policy demands began to 

change after World War II and led to 

the Survey's program to map the entire Nation in the standard 7.5-minute 

topographic series at 1:24,000 scale, 

there were some who complained that 

public funds were being spent for 

nothing more than surveying and 

mapping vast areas of uninhabited 

terrain. Yet uninhabited has never 

meant unimportant where things of 

the Earth are concerned; even the 

Antarctic Continent teaches much 

about the planet and the effects of 

people upon it.

The Geological Survey has 

endeavored to build toward complete 

cartographic coverage of the Nation, 

and this effort has been recognized 

through a series of directives giving 

the agency wide coordinating and 

leadership responsibilities for Federal 

mapping.

As it has from its inception, the 

Federal mapping program rests on 

three fundamental assumptions:

24 I Yearbook 1979
FflYETTEVILLE 

UTM ZONE 17

N. Vfl-Vfl SE COR LONG -81 

X-RES = Y-RES - '50 METERS

00 00 LRT 

Z-RES =

38 00 00 

FOOT

PLOT SCflLE X:

PLOT SCflLE Y:

PLOT SCflLE ! 

50000

50000

10000

Digital elevation values derived by computer processing of stereo pairs of aerial photographs show topography of the land in new 

ways. The same digital data aids computer programs for volumetric analyses, such as mineral overburdens, transportation route planning, slope computations, and calculations for preserving or reclaiming land.

 Mapping the Nation is crucial to 

its economic development and 

environmental protection.

 Maps must contain many types 

of information built on a base 

of scientific validity and 

technical accuracy.

 Maps must communicate across 

a wide spectrum of customers 

and uses.

Accordingly, the National Mapping 

Program has evolved through a process of consultation with an everincreasing number of Federal and 

State agencies, representing the 

widest possible range of users and 

uses. As their needs for maps and 

cartographic information were 

assessed, some products were 

changed, new ones developed, and 

completely new services added.

The effort has considerably affected the Geological Survey's mapping products and services. In the 

1950's and 1960's, the Geological 

Survey published one basic series

which was aimed at providing 

detailed national coverage the 

1:24,000-scale topographic 

quadrangle.

Extensive national map coverage is 

also available at other scales. More 

than one-half of the Nation is portrayed in maps at a scale of 

1:100,000. The Nation is entirely 

covered in maps at a scale of 

1:250,000. National coverage is also 

available at other smaller scales.

Perhaps more significant than the 

multiple scales of national coverage 

is the growth and expansion of subjects and themes treated by the maps 

themselves. Until the 1970's, maps by 

the Geological Survey dealt primarily 

with topographic mapping.

Today, the National Mapping Program publishes a variety of thematic 

and interpretive maps, from those 

showing energy sources, distribution, 

and uses to others that combine the 

topography of the land with the 

bathymetry (ocean floor contours) of

sea charts to provide a single 

"family" of maps aimed at improving 

the capability to manage the Nation's 

coastal resources. The Survey also 

publishes a national series at the 

1:2,500,000 scale showing land use 

and land cover.

What was for most of the 

Geological Survey's history primarily 

a topographic mapping service 

emerged in the 1970's as a comprehensive mapping organization with 

a full line of products and services, 

each developed and produced in 

response to specific public policies 

and national needs.

A TIME OF 

TRANSITION

The old truism "change begets 

change" appears to be at work in the 

Survey's mapping program, for it 

would seem that the establishment of 

the comprehensive National Mapping

Perspectives | 25
Program has been less a culmination 

of this tradition than a prelude to still 

more innovations and program 

changes. What, in fact, confronts the 

Geological Survey is nothing less 

than a cartographic revolution that is 

fundamentally changing the nature of 

the National Mapping Program. The 

challenge of the next decade will be 

to manage this change in ways that 

strengthen the Geological Survey's 

cartographic services to public policy 

and to customer needs.

To understand the wide scope of 

the challenge, one might begin with 

public policy: the American people's 

views regarding the national treasures of land, water, and minerals 

the things that maps clarify, 

portray, and communicate.

If much of earlier public policy was 

devoted to resource development, it 

has now shifted to a greater emphasis on protection or conservation 

of natural resources. Environmental 

concerns, the effects of careless exploitation, and resource limits have

shaped a very different public policy 

emphasis.

Public officials at all levels of 

government are now called upon to 

balance conservation and development. For every consideration of 

resource development, there are many 

of resource conservation. And neither 

set of issues may be resolved independently of the other. It is a public 

policy that allows resource development but also demands its conservation, asking government to reclaim, to 

protect, to give back to the Earth in 

some measure what has been taken.

Two consequences of this public 

policy change have been an increase 

in the number of government agencies that depend on maps and an increase in the complexity of their requirements. It is a substantial change 

from the Geological Survey's older 

mapping tradition, which largely supported the advance of geological investigations in exploring and classifying the national domain to speed 

development of its resources. For a

CO

=> c

U_ CD 

o

10-YEAR NATIONAL MAPPING PROGRAM OUTLOOK, PERCENT OF TOTAL FUNDS

High-altitude aerial 

photo data base 

National Atlas

Airborn terrain profiling 

system

National Cartographic 

Information Center

Small-scale and 

special mapping

; Modernization 

Orthophotoquads

Intermediate-scale 

mapping

0

1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989

FISCAL YEAR

By fiscal year 1979, the Survey was undertaking a variety of programs to develop cartographic information in formats suitable for 

computer analyses by many Federal land and resource management agencies. Included was transfer to digital computer storage of 

cartographic information contained in the Survey's 1:2,000,000-scale base map series of the Nation.

26 I Yearbook 1979
long time, the Geological Survey was 

one of the best customers for its 

topographic maps, as it remains today. Now, however, there are many 

more Federal, State, local, and private 

customers who make a wide variety 

of uses of Geological Survey maps. 

Maps are their tools for making important decisions regarding vital and 

diverse public issues, such as management, coastal wetlands inventories, transportation, energy, conservation, resource estimates, flood insurance, civil defense and emergency 

preparedness, agricultural lands conservation, environmental protection, 

and many others. Just deciding what 

to map and how to map has become 

a complex process of widespread 

consultation and tough priority 

assessment.

At the same time, public policy and 

customer needs have expanded the 

scope of mapping; technology has 

similarly affected the nature of information people need and the methods 

for providing and using it. It is a 

highly interactive process. Public 

policy places demands on agencies, 

and they attempt to respond more 

quickly and fully by applying advanced technology. In turn, the Survey 

responds with different and innovative ways of surveying, collecting 

map data, compiling it, and providing 

it. New methods are also applied internally to speed and to improve the 

mapping process. Automated equipment delineates information on compilation sheets, aerial photographs 

are processed in new ways to derive 

terrain contours, and the new information produced by these processes 

is itself applied by customers to their 

own needs.

These are the forces of the cartographic revolution public policy, 

changes in customer usage, and 

technology coming together in a 

time of transition to change fundamentally time-honored ways in 

which cartographers have clarified, 

portrayed, and communicated things 

that describe the Earth.

THE DIGITAL

CARTOGRAPHIC

REVOLUTION

In responding to public policy 

changes and customer demands for

cartographic information and products, the Geological Survey has 

evaluated its traditional methods of 

response. Out of this reevaluation has 

come a realization that increasingly 

sophisticated and technologically advanced customer demands require the 

Geological Survey to respond with a 

great deal more than traditional line 

maps. That "great deal more" is 

digital computer technology through 

which the Geological Survey can collect, organize, and disseminate cartographic information in ways suited 

to emerging uses of data in customers' own systems of analysis and 

management.

For much of the history of computer development since World War II 

the technology was too expensive 

and too limited to be economically 

applied to the enormous information 

content of cartographic products. 

This is no longer the case. Computer 

technology has become very inexpensive, as is exemplified by small calculators and electronic games in the 

home. One consequence of the widening influence of computer technology 

among map users is a rapid change 

in their need for cartographic information. At one time, a map, periodically 

revised, was enough, but this is no 

longer so. Major units of Federal and 

State Governments require information from maps that can be integrated 

into their own computer-based 

systems:

 The Forest Service uses terrain 

data in digital form for predicting likely paths of forest fires.

 The Federal Aviation Administration is using digital information on possible obstructions 

around airports (towers, mountains, tall buildings) for integration into obstacle-avoidance landing systems on board 

airliners.

 Energy agencies at Federal and 

State levels use many types of 

map information for integration into computer-based 

systems for assessing environmental and conservation 

issues.

 Federal land management

agencies, such as the Bureau 

of Land Management (BLM) 

and the Forest Service, are 

looking to the Geological 

Survey for critical categories

of map information for use in 

natural resource inventories.

 Terrain information expressed in 

digital form, boundaries, and 

land nets will help improve inventories of the Nation's 

natural resources, from important minerals to grasslands 

and from coal beds to important farmlands.

 To help protect wildlife, map 

data in computer form will help 

locate habitats so that they 

may be protected.

 Map information in digital form 

will also serve needs beyond 

the Nation's physical resources. To assist the Bureau 

of the Census to inventory 

America and Americans, the 

Geological Survey will be preparing boundary information 

from maps in digital form. 

These maps will help organize 

census information more 

quickly and accurately, which 

is of critical importance to a 

wide variety of social programs 

whose funding through political subdivisions is linked 

closely to census information. 

These are but a few of the new and 

sharply increasing customer needs 

for digital map information-information in forms that may be integrated 

into computer-based systems of 

management, control, inventory, and 

analysis.

For some customers, a printed map 

will remain the answer to their needs. 

For others, data from parts of the cartographic process will be the answer. 

Some products will be in the form of 

pure digital information, while others 

may be in the form of analytical services. Still others may be in graphic 

formats that can be manipulated.

This emphasis on information from 

the entire cartographic process, with 

each part taking on distinct uses for 

customers, will mean a major transition for the Geological Survey over 

the next decade. The Survey will 

move from the task of preparing 

maps as the one final product to the 

task of creating and maintaining a national digital cartographic data base 

from which many intermediate and 

final products, analyses, and services 

will flow to customers.

This digital cartographic data base 

eventually may allow some customers

Perspectives | 27
Data acquisition

 Image analysis

 Regular State and Federal 

updates of specific 

categories

Field surveys

Photogrammetric data 

digitizing

Graphic digitizing

 Existing maps

 Other layers

DATA BASE CENTER

Building for future cartographic needs, the Survey plans to establish a cartographic data base that will accept information in a variety 

of formats. Outputs may range from graphics, such as press plates for map printing, to analytical services for customers.

to design their own products by taking information from the Suvey's data 

base, combining it with information of 

their own, and portraying it their way. 

An example of how conventional 

maps and other information already 

are used in this fashion is illustrated 

by the coal folio program.

The coal folio combines a variety of 

different information with 1:100,000- 

scale map bases for showing coal 

beds, overburden thicknesses, and 

reports on geochemistry of soils, 

water, and rock. It includes data on 

surficial and bedrock geology, 

geologic hazards, and engineering 

criteria needed for soil and rock 

stabilization analyses in connection 

with construction and mining. 

Customers are able to combine compatible Geological Survey land use 

maps for areas covered by the coal 

folio. Survey's hydrologic maps may 

also be integrated with the folio data 

base. BLM is converting surface- and 

mineral-ownership data to the 

Geological Survey's 1:100,000-scale 

map base so that it, too, may be integrated with the system. The broad 

effort will enable the Department of 

the Interior to improve substantially 

its management of the Nation's 

Federal lands.

The future for applying digital data, 

on the other hand, is illustrated by

the National Coal Resource Data 

System. It is an interactive computer 

under development by the Survey that 

will quickly report the information 

about coal resources on either an 

area or a specific site basis and show 

it graphically on a base map or as an 

overlay. It has much of the information a manager needs for helping people develop the wise use of this important resource, including, for example, longitude and latitude (positions), 

political boundaries (ownership), terrain data, and point-source (specific 

site) information on coal, outcrops, 

mine workings, drill holes, and 

chemical and physical parameters of 

the coal. Much of the system's cartographic data is used in digital form 

to help analyses, as well as display of 

information.

These two systems illustrate the 

more responsive ways in which Earth 

resources information may be provided and how digital cartographic 

data will work in the future on an integrated and compatible basis with 

other kinds of information.

Interchangeability and compatibility 

of different data present the Geological Survey with a difficult challenge. 

In the past, cartographic information 

was viewed primarily for use in compiling a particular series of maps. But 

now and tomorrow, the information

must be applied to a wide variety of 

other products and services.

Consider the benefits that might 

accrue from the ability to integrate 

such diverse data as weather, terrain, 

and rivers from satellites and other 

sources which could combine both 

fixed and rapidly changing information. Civil and emergency preparedness is an obvious example of a 

critical area that can benefit. Digital 

cartography will allow information 

from a natural or manmade disaster 

to be combined, as it occurs, with 

fixed cartographic and other data. 

Were a nuclear plant to leak radiation 

or a hazardous cargo to be accidentally dumped, weather and 

topographic information could be 

combined with site data to predict the 

spread of danger. This kind of prediction is already being done by the 

Geological Survey. Similar calculations are made to project the trajectory of oilspills as a part of analyzing 

potential environmental hazards 

associated with spills at proposed 

offshore leasing sites.

By combining stored cartographic 

data with other information, public officials could portray events in ways 

that would allow people to act more 

quickly and more wisely to save lives 

and property. The opportunity will be 

rich for the production of maps that

28 I Yearbook 1979
would be dynamic, reflecting temporal phenomena, and from them 

allow people to predict future 

phenomena. Such dynamic maps 

could even be transmitted directly into people's homes and offices as is 

now done with satellite weather data.

The prospect for using such diverse 

information focuses attention on the 

entire process of interagency and intergovernmental coordination and 

cooperation in collecting and maintaining digital cartographic information. In the past, the Geological 

Survey, as coordinating agency for 

Federal mapping, has met with other 

Federal agencies to assess their mapping needs so that priorities for new 

mapping and map revisions could be 

set. The process has grown in importance, and, today, a large number of 

Federal, State, and local units of 

government are canvassed in setting 

priorities.

The future, though, will require far 

more than setting priorities for map 

production. It will mean coordinating 

the development and acquisition of 

cartographic information, setting 

standards for its accuracy and use, 

and seeing to its widest possible 

compatibility with diverse public 

needs.

THE MANAGEMENT 

CHALLENGE

The cartographic revolution poses 

two management challenges to the 

Geological Survey. One is to mobilize 

information resources from within the 

Survey and from other Federal, State, 

and local agencies of government. 

The other challenge is to create a 

comprehensive data base for cartographic information with procedures for its widespread and 

multipurpose use.

Mobilizing information resources 

primarily challenges the Geological 

Survey's ability to foster a willingness 

to cooperate and to share throughout 

all levels of government. Many public 

agencies, particularly those responsible for land and resource management, produce large quantities of information, some of which is cartographic and may be well suited for 

inclusion in the cartographic data 

base. Much other information can be

made far more useful if it can be 

combined with standard digital cartographic data.

Both cases require that information 

be in some ways compatible and that 

it be in forms or formats which encourage its multipurpose use. Achieving compatibility and standardization 

to some degree across organization 

lines and among many Federal and 

State agencies is a formidable task.

In creating a comprehensive data 

base, the Survey will emphasize 

organization and content that encourage widespread and multipurpose 

use a data base that is also a service network. Its successful creation 

will depend on (1) data acquisition, (2) 

digitizing of graphics, (3) data-base 

management, (4) development of new 

computer-generated graphic products, 

and (5) customer services, including 

technical assistance to help people 

apply advanced technologies effectively.

Data acquisition will include 

collecting and updating various 

categories of information in the data 

base. It will have an interesting influence on the Geological Survey's 

historic view of map revision, which 

has meant revising all necessary data 

categories within a map quadrangle. 

But as the Survey moves into digital 

cartography, the focus of revision will 

shift from specific map quadrangles 

to sets of data on a geographic basis.

Acquiring data from sources other 

than the Survey's own field, scientific, 

and aerial surveys will contribute important classes of information, such 

as transportation and boundaries. 

Agreements will be established with 

other agencies so that data may be 

provided regularly and in proper formats. It will be a formidable task. The 

quality of data varies substantially 

from one place to another. Computers 

are unforgiving they do not gloss 

over errors. And while organizations 

may compromise their differences or 

leave some things to another time, 

computers do not.

Important categories of information 

will continue to be collected directly 

by the Geological Survey. It is likely 

that the agency will prepare themes 

and data extracted from images obtained from both aircraft and spacecraft. And, of course, contour and 

elevation data will continue to be produced.

The second area of activity will be 

translation of visual graphic information into digital data. During the 

1980's, the limited amount of graphics 

digitization now being performed will 

grow substantially as data is entered 

directly into the base from existing 

maps.

It is a necessary phase to build a 

data base from a valuable existing 

source of information, primarily the 

maps themselves. The ability to enter 

data directly from graphic sources is 

also important for another reason. 

Much cartographic information is 

graphic in its initial character aerial 

photographs or line networks of one 

kind or another.

Promise of computerized or digital 

cartography will depend on a third important area of activity new to the 

Geological Survey establishing and 

managing a massive national computer data base. It may contain in 

storage as much as several billion 

bits of data. Some scientists estimate 

the amount of data even higher. 

Which estimate one accepts depends 

on assumptions about the resolution 

or level of detail people will need. 

This data base is now being started 

at the Geological Survey by digitizing 

data from the 1:24,000-scale 7.5- 

minute topographic quadrangles.

The fourth area of activity, graphic 

products, opens new opportunities to 

apply cartographic information. One 

application might be automating 

preparation of plates used in printing 

maps. Computer-driven plotters 

already prepare some map overlays. 

In a few years, automation of other 

map compilation processes directly 

from the data base may enable the 

Survey to produce press plates 

automatically. Combined with other 

techniques, it could considerably 

shorten the 4 to 5 years it now takes 

from aerial photograph to printed 

map. The ability to automate the 

process of creating map graphics will 

also mean that more unusual or oneof-a-kind maps may be produced, 

bypassing what are now timeconsuming and expensive manual 

steps.

The fifth area of activity, customer 

service, represents yet another area 

of change for the Geological Survey. 

In the past, service was primarily 

linked to product availability, helping 

customers find the maps they need.

Perspectives | 29
DIGITAL MAPPING PROJECTS

United States 

Geological Survey

® 1:2,000,000 Base

maps

(nationwide)

Digital data base

of United States for

multipurpose needs

O Digital projects through

fiscal year 1979 

Fiscal years 1980 to 1981 

program users

A United States Forest Service

 Bureau of Land Management

 United States Geological Survey 

Department of Energy 

Department of State

Growing demands for cartographic information in digital formats are reflected in this projection of National Mapping Program 

elements and customer needs through fiscal year 1989.

In recent years, the activity has expanded to include creating a central 

resource through which people could 

identify not only the maps they need 

but also aerial photographs and 

satellite imagery, individual map 

feature overlays, and a variety of 

other items from the mapping process itself to indexes and catalogs of 

cartographic information.

In the future, customer service will 

include technical assistance to help 

people apply cartographic information. Geological Survey representatives not only will help people find 

the information they need, they also 

will be able to aid other government 

agencies in applying that information 

to their own needs.

Data acquisition, graphics digitization, data-base management, graphic

products, and customer service will 

be the major activities of the digital 

cartographic data base and network. 

They will be the key activities of the 

National Mapping Program by the 

21st century.

Yet with so much change taking 

place, with so many new and revolutionary technological innovations to 

be applied, some things will remain 

the same. The same three fundamental assumptions about mapping that 

have guided the Geological Survey for 

a century will remain as valid as in 

King's and Powell's time.

Mapping the Nation is crucial. 

Wherever a decision must be made 

regarding the public welfare and national treasures of land, water, and 

minerals, people wilt continue to turn 

to maps for guidance. People will

continue to demand maps and new 

cartographic data that meet the 

highest standards of scientific validity and technical accuracy. People will 

continue to expect maps to clarify as 

well as to portray and to communicate 

to a broad spectrum of customers 

and to cover a wide variety of uses.

The digital cartographic revolution 

does not change these old assumptions. It is a reassertion through 

renewal of their lasting importance. In 

a world of increasing complexity and 

technological sophistication, the cartographer's ability to clarify and to 

portray from myriads of data, to show 

the relationships among the things of 

the Earth and the effects of people 

upon them will help as never before 

to know the Nation better and to 

preserve and to protect its legacy of 

treasures for centuries to come.

30 I Yearbook 1979
Perspectives 31
Missions, Organization, and Budget

MISSION ORGANIZATION

On March 3, 1979, the U.S. Geological Survey 

celebrated the centennial anniversary of its establishment by Act of Congress. The Survey was originally 

charged with responsibility for the "classification of the 

public lands and examination of the geological structure, 

mineral resources, and products of the national domain." 

Over the years, the evolution of the earth sciences, the 

need to carefully manage the Nation's nonrenewable 

resources and to find new sources of scarce energy and 

mineral commodities, and mounting concern regarding 

the impact of man on the Nation's environment have 

added numerous other duties including topographic mapping, chemical and physical research, stream-gaging and 

water-resource assessments, and supervision of mineral 

exploration and development activities on Federal and 

Indian lands.

The most recently added responsibility is the exploration program of the National Petroleum Reserve in 

Alaska (NPRA), transferred from the Department of the 

Navy to the Department of the Interior in June 1977 

under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 

1976 (Public Law 94-258). Under the Act, Congress also 

charged the Department of the Interior with the responsibility for operating the South Barrow gas field as a 

source of energy for the village of Barrow and several 

Federal installations including the Naval Arctic Research 

Laboratory. This responsibility for the operation of the 

gas field was assigned by the Secretary to the Geological Survey.

In general, the Survey's activities are oriented toward 

two basic missions, scientific and regulatory. The first 

mission is to collect, to analyze, and to publish information about the Nation's energy, mineral, land, and water 

resources; to conduct research to determine the geologic 

structure of the United States; and to develop an understanding of Earth processes and history. The second is 

to classify Federal lands as to their water and mineral 

potential and to supervise the activities of lessees who 

explore for and develop the mineral resources of Federal 

and Indian lands and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). 

Both missions and their supporting activities are 

directed towards the goal of assuring that the Nation's 

mineral resources are identified, conserved, and 

developed in an orderly, timely, and diligent fashion; that 

the American people receive a fair return on the value of 

their leased resources; and that mineral exploration and 

production activities on Federal and Indian lands are 

conducted with due regard for the interests of the communities directly affected and with minimum damage to 

other resource and environmental values.

Detailed supplementary budget and statistical tables 

are available upon request from the Office of Program 

Analysis, U.S. Geological Survey, 105 National Center, 

Reston, VA 22092.

The Geological Survey is headquartered at Reston, 

Va., and maintains a nationwide organization consisting 

of three Regions and more than 160 offices located 

throughout the United States. The Survey is organized into four Program Divisions (Topographic, Geologic, Water 

Resources, and Conservation), two major Offices (Land 

Information and Analysis and the National Petroleum 

Reserve in Alaska), and three Support Divisions (Administrative, Computer Center, and Publications), each 

reporting to the Director of the Survey as shown in the 

diagram appearing on pages 140 and 141 in the section entitled "Organizational and Statistical Data."

A number of Assistant Directorships have been 

established to coordinate the activities and relations 

among the Divisions and the three Regional Offices and 

to render staff services to the Director and Associate 

Director in certain specified areas such as program 

analysis; land resources; energy, mineral, and water 

management; geologic engineering; and regulation.

The Geological Survey's field organization is made up 

of Regional Offices at Reston, Va., Denver, Colo., and 

Menlo Park, Calif., and a network of field and specialpurpose offices. These offices coordinate and administer 

the work of the Survey's widely dispersed activities. The 

Water Resources Division, for example, has District Offices in 45 of the 50 States and 1 in Puerto Rico. The Conservation Division maintains 70 Area, District, and Inspection Offices close to its areas of work on the public 

lands and adjacent to areas of petroleum development 

on the OCS. A directory of the Survey's National Center 

and selected field offices begins on page 142.

Angel Arch along tributary of Salt Canyon is one of numerous 

natural arches that were formed in the Canyonlands National 

Park in Utah by erosion over the past 50 million years.

32 I Yearbook 1979

BUDGET

Total obligations incurred by the 

Geological Survey in fiscal year 1979 

were $764.71 million, an increase of 

$66 million over the preceding year. 

Obligations for "Surveys, Investigations, and Research" were $418 

million, an increase of $44 million 

over fiscal year 1978. Included in this 

increase were new or expanded programs for nuclear hydrology, 

wilderness mineral surveys, digital 

mapping, coal hydrology, geothermal 

investigations, and oil and gas programs. Obligations for "Exploration 

of National Petroleum Reserve in 

Alaska" were $216.88 million in fiscal 

year 1979, an increase of $14.18 

million over the previous year.

Funds from other Federal agencies, 

States, and non-Federal sources 

amounted to $129.83 million, an increase of $17.95 million over fiscal 

year 1978. Included in this amount 

were $44.1 million from States, counties, and municipalities under the 

"Federal-State Cooperative Program," 

$3 million more than the fiscal year 

1978 amount.

-Direct Federal funds $634.9-

nmrr

A 10-year comparative analysis of 

obligations incurred under direct and 

reimbursable program activities is 

presented in figure 1.

Just as the Survey performs services within its own field of expertise 

for other agencies using reimbursable 

agreements, outside sources are 

relied upon by the Survey for the 

accomplishment of an increasing 

share of its workload. Funds 

obligated for grants and contractual 

services have risen from less than 

$25 million in fiscal year 1973 (11.5 

percent of total funds) to $120 million 

in fiscal year 1979 (21.8 percent of 

total funds, excluding NPRA). The 

$216.88 million obligated under "Exploration of National Petroleum 

Reserve in Alaska" was almost entirely for contractual services.

The table shows a comparison of 

obligations in fiscal year 1978 and 

1979 by major budget activity, and the figure depicts the annual obligations 

incurred by each activity for the 

period 1969 to 1979.

*~ Till-; I'MTKII STATES OFA.MKI{||('.\

Miscellaneous 

non-Federal

sources $15.8 

i

Other Federal 

agencies $69.9

U.S. Geological Survey obligations for fiscal years 1978 

and 1979, by activity

[Dollars in millions. Data may differ from that in statistical tables 

because of rounding]

Activity

Fiscal year 

1978

Fiscal year 

1979

Total __________ $698.27 $764.72

Direct program _______ 576.39 634.89 

Reimbursable program __ 121.88___129.83

Alaska Pipeline Related 

Investigations _______ 272

69.52

Topographic Surveys and 

Mapping __________

Direct program ___________

Reimbursable program ___

Geologic and Mineral Resource 

Surveys and Mapping ___ 163.19

74.56

61.36

8.16

65.58

8.98

178.56

Direct program _______ 123.83 134.85 

Reimbursable program __ 39.36____43.71

Water Resources Investigations 146.01___168.60

Direct program _______ 78.49 96.85 

Reimbursable program __ 67.52____71.75

Conservation of Lands and

Minerals___________ 77.40 85.48

Direct program ___________

Reimbursable program ___

Land Information and Analysis.

Direct program ___________

Reimbursable program ____

General administration ___ 

Facilities ____________

Miscellaneous services to 

other accounts ___________

77.29

.11

85.36

.12

23.22 23.96

18.13

5.09

19.96

4.00

3.65 3.66

10.77 11.74

1.51 1.26

National Petroleum 

Reserve in Alaska _

Direct program _ 

Allocation transfer

202.70 216.89

202.60

.10

216.89

Federal share $44.1 State Share $44.1 

Federal-State Cooperative Program

SOURCE OF FUNDS

TOTAL $764.7 MILLION

Topographic Surveys 

and Mapping $74.56

Geologic and

Mineral

Resource

Surveys and

Mapping

$178.56

E333Q;

Conservation of Lands 

and Minerals $85.48

Water 

Resources 

Investigations 

$168.60

n-:» STATES OF.'

 "35:

Land Information and 

Analysis $23.96

National Petroleum 

Reserve in Alaska 

$216.89

6?

USE OF FUNDS

E6760I45Q8 C

K . ..-. ,,.. f.

General administration facilities and 

miscellaneous services $16.66

34 I Yearbook 1979
OBLIGATIONS (dollars in millions)

-< rn

OBLIGATIONS (dollars in millions)

iCD

CD ,-. -Nj £>

CD ®

O_

cr o

 < CQ

< w

Q. 

<Q

CD

[/>'

~

-? g 

05 O O <Q

-* <

C CDZ> <

« C?

o.

CO 

CD

BL 

CD

CDo
PERSONNEL

Although the workload of the Survey has grown dramatically during the past 

6 years, its permanent employment has risen very little from 8,089 at the end 

of fiscal year 1973 to 9,470 at the end of fiscal year 1979, an increase of 17 

percent. The increased responsibilities pursuant to the scientific mission have 

been accomplished with an essentially level full-time personnel work force; virtually all of the increases in full-time personnel have been directed to the rapid 

increases in the regulatory mission as energy exploration and development expands on Federal lands. Although much of the program increases have been 

"contracted out" as described in the preceding section, a substantial share of 

the additional work is being performed by the Survey's other-than-permanent 

employees, the number of which has more than doubled since fiscal year 1973, 

as shown in figure 1. The Survey has profited greatly from its historic relationship with this group, which has given it access to eminent specialists in many 

fields and has afforded it great flexibility in meeting surges in the workload. 

The arrangement also has unique advantages in bringing the academic community into close and continuing contact with Government on a personal level.

Staff distribution among the several Divisions is shown in figure 2. Scientists, engineers, and other professional people comprise roughly one-half of 

the Survey's total permanent staff, and technical specialists account for an 

additional 34 percent. Hydrologists and geologists predominate among the 

professional corps, 9 percent of whom have doctoral degrees. These and other 

aspects of the Survey's permanent work force are presented graphically in 

figure 3.

36 I Yearbook 1979
13 

12-

Total employment

Permanent full-time employment

11-

10-

5

O

1969

Water Resources Division 

2,815

MM

END OF FISCAL YEAR

Land Information

and Analysis Office

164

Directors Office,

Administrative Division,

and Facilities

567 

Computer Center Division

138 

Publications Division

433

Office of National Petroleum

Reserve in Alaska

24

TOTAL PERMANENT FULL-TIME EMPLOYMENT 9470

1979

Figure 1. U.S. Geological Survey end-of-year employment for 

fiscal years 1969 to 1979.

Figure 2. Distribution of permanent full-time U.S. Geological 

Survey employees as of the end of fiscal year 1979, by organizational unit.

Wage board 2o8- 

Professional 4,987

Geophysicists 326 

Engineers 368

Cartographers 558

ALL EMPLOYEES 

BY EDUCATION

Chemists 209 

Other professionals 889

PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES 

BY OCCUPATION

Figure 3. Permanent full-time U.S. Geological Survey employees, by type.

Missions, Organization, and Budget | 37
Topographic Surveys and Mapping

MISSION

The U.S. Geological Survey's Topographic Division 

conducts the National Mapping Program, which produces maps and cartographic data delineating the 

physical features of land areas in the United States, in 

its territories and possessions, and in Antarctica. Under 

the National Mapping Program, the U.S. Geological 

Survey's Topographic Division assesses Federal and 

State requirements, sets priorities, and provides needed 

map products and cartographic services. Through its National Cartographic Information Center network, the Division also collects, catalogs, and distributes a wide variety of cartographic data produced by many Federal, State, 

local, and private organizations. Included are 

photographs and space images, maps and charts, 

geodetic data, and cartographic information in digital 

form. In addition, the Topographic Division provides 

technical assistance in the use of cartographic products 

and information to many public agencies.

ORGANIZATION

The Topographic Division is headquartered at the 

Geological Survey's National Center, Reston, Va. The 

Division staff consists of two offices, one for Research 

and Technical Standards and a second for Plans and 

Program Development. Mapping activities are carried out 

by four mapping centers, the Eastern Mapping Center, 

Reston, Va., the Mid-Continent Mapping Center, Rolla, 

Mo., the Rocky Mountain Mapping Center, Denver, Colo., 

and the Western Mapping Center, Menlo Park, Calif. A 

fifth, the Special Mapping Center, also in Reston, is 

scheduled for consolidation with the Eastern Mapping 

Center in early fiscal year 1980.

MAJOR ACTIVITIES

The National Mapping Program encompasses the 

following major activities:

 Quadrangle mapping and revision, which involves the 

production and revision of 7.5-minute maps at 

1:24,000 scale in Inch-Pound System units and 

1:25,000 scale in metric units for the conterminous 

United States, Hawaii, and developing areas in 

Alaska, and maps at 1:63,360 scale (Inch-Pound 

System units) and 1:50,000 scale (metric units) for 

Alaska.

 Digital mapping, a recent addition to the National 

Mapping Program involving the preparation of digital 

cartographic data in standard formats suitable for 

computer analysis and the provision of services to 

other Federal agencies for digitizing, editing, analyzing, and displaying digital cartographic data.

 Small-scale and special mapping, including preparation of maps and map products from the intermediate-scale (1:50,000 and 1:100,000) series to the 

small-scale U.S. base maps (1:2,500,000).

 The National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC), 

which acquires and disseminates information about 

the Nation's maps, charts, aerial and space photographs, geodetic control, digital cartographic information, and other related cartographic data.

 Research, development, and modernization of mapping 

to improve the quality of standard map products; to 

provide new products, such as digital cartographic 

data that make maps and map-related information 

more useful to people; to reduce costs and increase 

productivity of Government mapping activities; to acquire innovative and;more useful equipment and to 

design and to develop new techniques and systems; 

and to build and to test components for an advanced 

airborne system designed to speed surveying important areas of the Nation.

38 I Yearbook 1979
BUDGET AND PERSONNEL

For fiscal year 1979, National Mapping Program 

obligations amounted to almost $74.57 million, an increase of 8.94 percent over fiscal year 1978. Included are 

funds from 40 States, which, when matched by Federal 

funds, amounted to over $6.7 million for cooperative 

mapping. The cooperative projects mutually benefit the 

State and national program by ensuring completion of 

map coverage sooner than would otherwise be possible.

The National Mapping Program of the Geological 

Survey is carried out through a combination of in-house 

efforts and contracts. The in-house effort involves about 

1,551 career employees, many with special training in 

cartography, data processing, engineering, photographic 

technology, and the physical sciences. About 249 additional employees, many on work-study programs, serve 

as temporary aids.

SOURCE OF FUNDS

TOTAL $74.57 MILLION

Direct Federal funds $65.59

t-fc.Vi V

* THE I'MTKI) STATES OKAMEltH-A |

E676014508

Miscellaneous

non-Federal

S0.86

Other Federal 

agencies $4.75

/ I

Federal share State share

$3.37 $3.37 

Federal-State Cooperative program

Topographic Surveys and Mapping activity obligations 

for fiscal years 1978 and 1979, by subactivity 

[Dollars in millions. Data may differ from that in statistical tables 

because of rounding]

Program

Fiscal year Fiscal year 

1978 1979

Total __________ $69.52

Quadrangle Mapping and 

Revision _____________ 56.47

Direct programs 2.83

$74.57

60.53

Direct programs ______ 50.65 54.52 

Reimbursable programs ___5.81_____6.01

States, counties, and

municipalities _____ 2.80 2.83 

Miscellaneous non-Federal

sources _________ 1.67 .24 

Other Federal agencies 1.34_____2.94

Small-Scale and Special

Mapping __________ 10.22____11.02

Direct program _______ 7.86 8.05 

Reimbursable program __ 2.36_____2.97

State, counties, and

municipalities _____ .52 .54 

Miscellaneous non-Federal

sources ________ .32 .36 

Other Federal agencies 1.52_____2.07

National Cartographic 

Information Center _____ 2.83 3.02

3.02

USE OF FUNDS

Quadrangle Mapping and Revision $60.53 

Direct $54.52

TIIK I'MTKl) STATES OFAMEI

. " ,' . I '"tf*m~~" I

_._

-, t K^if

National 

Cartographic

nformation 

Center 

Direct $3.02

|l

Topographic Surveys and Mapping [ 39
DIGITAL CARTOGRAPHY

Public and private organizations involved in land and resource planning 

and management are making increased use of computer-based 

analyses. These agencies require cartographic data in formats that are 

directly usable in their computer 

systems.

At the same time, advanced mapping systems use digital instruments 

to record and computers to process 

and to store information as streams 

of digital codes from which maps 

subsequently can be produced. The 

Geological Survey has undertaken a 

program to exploit these advanced 

production systems in response to 

specific identified requirements. This 

digital data service will be able to collect, to process, to store, and to distribute cartographic and geographic 

data in digital formats. Categories of 

cartographic data being digitized include line graphics, land nets, boundaries, transportation, hydrography, 

culture, and elevations.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY 

DEVELOPMENT

Geological Survey cartographers 

are taking advantage of computer 

technology to enhance many production procedures. With the modern 

digital cartographic equipment, it is 

possible to reorganize many phases 

of map production to allow greater 

flexibility in mapping techniques and 

products.

Digital data can be derived directly 

from stereoaerial photographs 

(stereomodels). Interactive editing and 

cartographic machine-plotting techniques are used for production of 

conventional map color separates. 

Data collected from the stereomodels 

can be used not only for producing 

final map separates, but also for 

establishing digital topographic data 

bases for map revision and data dissemination. The process involves 

online acquisition, formatting, filtering, and interactive editing of the 

topographic map data. The edited 

data can be plotted in final scribe 

copy, along with enhancements 

needed to produce color-separated 

bases.

DIGITAL DATA EDITING 

SYSTEM

Many interactive editing functions, 

such as line clipping, line extending, 

and stereomodel joining, can be performed on the digital map data. Internal editing can include any separateto-separate feature for correlation 

needed for color composite register, 

such as registering contour reentrants with drains, offsetting 

buildings from roads to avoid conflict 

of symbology, and registering 

multifeature intersections. Other 

types of data editing include line 

smoothing, feature redigitizing, and 

placement of names and other text. 

The amount of editing required for 

each separate depends upon the 

amount of map detail that is required 

for the final scribing process. Many of 

the separates, such as transportation, 

drainage, and culture, require little 

smoothing of the data and are interactively edited to essentially a 

finished manuscript. In contrast, the 

contour separate requires so much interactive editing that it must be processed differently. The contour data 

are first edited to remove gross 

blunders and then machine scribed 

on a Mylar manuscript that is returned to the compiler for a final 

manual edit.

Edited Mylar plots can be generated by a digital map production 

system and given to a final scriber for 

touchup without the need of the initial map compiler rescribing. Plots of 

edited digitized separates have shown 

that content and register were identical for all color separates except the 

contour sheets. It was found also 

that, as a result of the interactive 

data acquisition process, a digital 

representation of the cartographic 

features in a 7.5-minute quadrangle 

can be stored on a magnetic tape or 

disk for future processing in map revision, data structuring, and map database construction.

The cost of digital interactive compilation over manual scribing has not 

been established. Research is continuing to evaluate these aspects and to 

establish and to develop a digital 

data base that will provide additional 

products and greater flexibility.

The Geological Survey is evaluating 

a multiple microcomputer data processor to transform sets of digital cartographic data from one map coordinate system to another. Currently, 

time-consuming transformation programs are run on expensive mainframe computers.

Preliminary design of the Coordinate Transformation System has 

been completed as a high-speed 

direct-memory-access interconnection 

scheme between a front-end processor minicomputer and remote 

microcomputer modules. After the 

network interconnect details are 

resolved, hardware will be assembled 

and performance measured and 

optimized.

MAP SCANNING AND 

DIGITIZING SYSTEM

Digital cartographic data collected 

during the map compilation may be 

stored in digital files for later use. 

However, the Geological Survey has 

about 35,000 map bases in its files 

for which the corresponding digital 

data have yet to be stored.

To produce digital data from these 

maps, the Geological Survey has 

designed a map scanning and digitizing system. The, new system consists 

of the following subsystems: (1) raster 

scanning and editing, (2) raster 

recording and printing, and (3) data 

conversion and formatting. Maps 

measuring up to 36 inches by 36 

inches and printed in 10 colors can 

be scanned and encoded during a 

single pass, creating digital data sets 

from standard map products. The 

interactive raster editing station uses 

a 19-inch color video tube for color 

analysis and reassignment, varying 

lines and fills, and generation of symbols, register marks, numbers, and 

text. The recorder and printer use a 

laser to record raster-formatted 

digital data on positive or negative 

photographic film.

40 I Yearbook 1979
S At 1TT A R M.-A N'-D

i'JLMi.WGTO

JNTEWVAiE SKf JUMP AREA N D A C

N O R T H

MT VAN MOSVENBEKC 

KKCftFA.ft(W.-\l rr-M rr«

Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 41
QUADRANGLE MAPPING AND REVISION

By the end of the fiscal year, virtually the entire conterminous United 

States had been mapped at 1:24,000 

scale, either as a finished topographic map, a topographic map in 

advance state of compilation, or an 

orthophotoquad. The achievement 

culminates a three-decade effort by 

the Geological Survey to gain comprehensive cartographic coverage of the 

conterminous United States.

AERIAL 

PHOTOGRAPHY

Under Geological Survey sponsorship, 10 Federal agencies signed 

agreements that will lead to a highaltitude aerial photograph data base, 

which, when completed, will give the 

Nation a single continuously updated 

source of aerial photographs for a 

variety of land-management and 

resource-analysis purposes.

Aerial photographs of the land surface are essential to the mapping 

process. In fiscal year 1979, the 

Survey contracted for 163,908 square 

miles of aerial photography. Photographs of about three-fourths of the 

area were taken from altitudes higher 

than 39,000 feet; the photographs 

were for use primarily in photoinspection and photorevision of 

published maps.

FIELD SURVEYS

Field surveys are needed to 

establish control points so that map 

features can be delineated in correct 

relationship to each other and to the 

Earth's reference systems. Horizontal 

ground control points are used to 

maintain correct scale, position, and 

orientation of the map, and vertical 

control points are used to govern the 

contours and spot elevations that 

show the shape and highlights of the 

terrain.

PRODUCTION AND 

REVISIONS

During the fiscal year, 948 new 

standard topographic maps were 

published, covering 54,036 square

miles. Most of the maps were in the 

7.5-minute 1:24,000-scale series 

(1:63,360-scale series in Alaska). 

There are 15 States with complete 

published topographic map coverage 

at 1:24,000 scale. In addition to being 

used directly at the published scales, 

these map series are also used to 

prepare small-scale and special 

maps.

As national coverage in the 

7.5-minute series increases, the revision mapping workload increases. 

The need for revision of individual 

maps is determined by the amount of 

change detected in comparing the 

published maps with current aerial 

photographs. Maps are reviewed 

cyclically with emphasis on urban 

areas, coastal zones, airports, major 

transportation corridors, and other 

areas of high national interest. During 

fiscal year 1979, 3,329 7.5-minute 

maps were reviewed, and 2,024 revised maps were published.

Orthophotographs.are produced by 

processing aerial photographs to correct image displacement caused by 

camera tilt and terrain variations. In a 

standard quadrangle format with grid 

and name information superimposed, 

the orthophotograph is called an 

orthophotoquad. It has many applications as a map substitute or as a 

companion product to a published 

line map. In fiscal year 1979, 3,884 orthophotoquads were prepared. Copies 

produced by printing presses are 

available for a small percentage of

these, with the majority available in 

nonlithographic form (diazo print) on 

request to regional mapping centers.

METRICATION

In continued cooperation between 

Federal and State programs on 

metrication, the Geological Survey 

and the Commonwealth of 

Massachusetts completed the first 

part of a long-term effort transforming 

the State's Inch-Pound System unit 

1:24,000-scale base maps to metric 

unit 1:25,000-scale maps.

Two important books on mapping 

were published during the year. Maps 

for America summarizes the history, 

work, and products of Federal mapping organizations. The volume has 

received critical acclaim from the 

international cartographic community. 

It describes products of several 

Federal agencies, including the 

Survey and the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration. The 

Coastal Mapping Handbook was 

prepared jointly by the Geological 

Survey and the National Ocean 

Survey to provide technical mapping 

assistance to Federal, State, and 

local government agencies involved in 

coastal management, conservation, 

and development activities. It was the 

text for a series of workshops and 

seminars on coastal mapping conducted by the Geological Survey in 

conjunction with several local host 

agencies.

ALASKAN ACTIVITIES

The Survey accelerated its program 

to map Alaska's lands and natural 

resources during the year, using 

aerial, satellite, and experimental 

radar imagery. A primary aim of the 

accelerated program is to shorten 

response times to State and other 

Federal agency requests for cartographic assistance. The effort also 

aims to improve coordination of growing State and Federal mapping activites in Alaska, for which the 

Geological Survey is lead agency.

42 I Yearbook 1979
Mapping production for fiscal year 1979 (in square miles)

State

1:24,000-scale 

topographic

1:24,000-scale 

orthoprtotoquads

1:24,000-scale 

revisions

Intermediate 

scale

Alabama ____________________________ 1,120

Alaska _____________________________ 

Arizona ______________________________ 2,400

Arkansas _____________________________ 248

California ____________________________ 1,412

Colorado _____________________________ 4,962

Connecticut __________________________.._ 

Delaware ____________________________ 

District of Columbia _______________________ 

Florida ______________________________ 

Georgia _____________________________ 

Hawaii ______________________________ 

Idaho _______________________________ 2,350

Illinois _______________________________ 516

Indiana _____________________________ 

Iowa ________________________________ 3,157

Kansas ______________________________ 3,304

Kentucky ______________________________ 

Louisiana ____________________________ 

Maine ________________________________ 160

Maryland _____________________________ 

Massachusetts ________________________ 

Michigan _____________________________ 823

Minnesota ____________________________ 202

Mississippi _____________________________ 262

Missouri _______________________________ 1,862

Montana _____________________________ 2,399

Nebraska _____________________________ 1,076

Nevada ______________________________ 856

New Hampshire ________________________ 

New Jersey ____________________________ 

New Mexico ____________________________ 4,107

New York _____________________________ 

North Carolina __________________________ 1,512

North Dakota __________________________ 3,038

Ohio ________________________________ 

Oklahoma ____________________________ 2,040

Oregon ______________________________ 558

Pennsylvania _______^___________________ 

Rhode Island __________________________ 

South Carolina ________________________ 251

South Dakota __________________________ 4,752

Tennessee ___________________________ 

Texas _______________________________ 4,343

Utah _________________________________ 798

Vermont ______________________________ 54

Virginia ______________________________ 

Washington ____________________________ 498

West Virginia __________________________ 

Wisconsin ____________________________ 3,008

Wyoming ______________________________ 677

Guam _______________________________ 

Puerto Rico ____________________________ 

Samoa _____________________________ 

Virgin Islands _________________________ 

2,933

25,924

3,053

1,123

6,219

9,063

3,688

18,181

11,491

5,024

1,805

7,908

844

8,958

2,953

307

20,989

6,999

1,264

14,636

9,287

2,441

6,940

838

20,043

400

13,221

5,620

8,819

1,197

1,178

1,342

3,101

2,320

116

780

504

2,052

2,736

1,083

278

7,137

8,614

448

159

928

2,145

486

52

376

6,084

2,550

1,848

522

2,760

5,665

2,844

152

3,249

847

54

2,204

558

3,745

2,904

11,968

3,944

54

7,906

1,616

986

212

7,249

5,431

9,246

1,418

19,903

37,415

2,135

22,082

15,495

16,778

3,841

2,903

4,035

2,035

3,747

724

3,963

937

674

3,136

6,253

1,733

2,489

4,559

5,785

28,235

1,139

226

15,609

5,950

2,281

12,180

5,387

6,430

17,373

11,152

5,389

7,142

4,308

9,869

28,301

788

7,134

13,425

3,377

11,700

11,664

2,348

Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 43
EXPLANATION

15' Mapping 

7.5 Mapping 

Revision in progress

\ 

Status of standard topographic mapping and revision.

44 I Yearbook 1979
NATIONAL CARTOGRAPHIC INFORMATION CENTER

The earliest maps were relatively simple portrayals of 

boundaries, distances, and routes from one place to 

another. Today, however, maps not only show more, they 

also are used for a multitude of additional purposes, 

from earth science investigations to recreation.

Map production has also become much more complex. 

The talents of many specialists are used, and data from 

many sources are brought together. Some of the information that goes into mapmaking is in the form of aerial 

or space photographs. Other information may come from 

reels of computer-based digital data.

Cartographic information, therefore, has come to 

mean a wide variety of products and services, virtually 

the entire range of items that either go into or are produced by the process of compiling and publishing maps. 

It is the purpose of NCIC to make this cartographic data 

available to the public.

In fiscal year 1979, NCIC initiated a map and chart information system (MCIS), the most recent of four cartographic data reference systems. Eventually, MCIS will

contain descriptions on nearly 800,000 of the Nation's 

maps and charts. The system is organized so that one 

may request descriptions of maps and charts by map 

name or by geographic coordinates.

The three other computer systems cover aerial 

photographs and descriptive records of any cartographic 

products in NCIC information systems.

NCIC also has many sets of maps stored on 35-mm 

roll microfilm. Considerable information is also stored on 

microfiche. Millions of aerial and space photographs 

may also be viewed from 16-mm cartridge copies.

To aid public access to the information, NCIC has offices at mapping centers in Menlo Park, Calif., Denver, 

Colo., Rolla, Mo., and Reston, Va. Additionally, the public 

can contact other Federal affiliates at the National 

Space Technology Laboratories at Bay St. Louis, Miss., 

and the Tennessee Valley Authority in Chattanooga, 

Tenn. There are also affiliated offices operated by agencies of State governments. Agreements with the States 

were signed for 10 new NCIC offices during the year, 

bringing the total to 21.

EXPLANATION 

Orthophotoquads available

In program

Status of orthophotoquad production.

Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 45
INTERMEDIATE-SCALE, 

SMALL-SCALE, AND SPECIAL MAPS

INTERMEDIATE-SCALE MAPPING

The Geological Survey publishes an intermediate-scale series of maps at 

scales of 1:50,000 and 1:100,000 to meet a variety of customer requirements 

for formats and detail that cannot be met with the older 1:24,000- and 

1:250,000-scale series.

These intermediates have a number of innovative features, including 

multiple feature-separation drawings that can be combined in various ways 

to produce special maps with varying levels of content. Feature symbolization has been designed for data capture, computer storage, and output. By 

the end of the fiscal year, intermediate-scale maps for approximately onehalf of the conterminous United States were completed, up from about onethird in fiscal year 1978.

Under a joint agreement with the Defense Mapping Agency (DMA), the 

Geological Survey produced an additional 87 15-minute 1:50,000-scale 

metric topographic maps, compared to 86 the prior year. Total program goal 

is completion of about 2,100 maps, prepared in accordance with jointly 

developed specifications and yielding map materials that are being used 

directly in preparation of other intermediate-scale maps.

SMALL-SCALE MAPPING

The 1:250,000-scale map series provides the smallest scale of complete 

topographic coverage available for the United States. These are widely used 

by Federal and State agencies as well as by the Survey for preparing State 

base maps, various geologic maps, and special-purpose maps, such as 

those showing land use and land cover information. During the fiscal year, 

48 revisions were published, compared to 50 the previous year. Terrain data 

digitized from the contours on the 1:250,000-scale maps are available on 

magnetic tape from NCIC.

TOPOGRAPHIC AND BATHYMETRIC MAPPING

The joint Geological Survey-National Ocean Survey program for producing coastal area maps combining topography of the land and bathymetry of 

the ocean floor continued to make progress during the year. The series includes maps at 1:24,000, 1:100,000, and 1:250,000 scales; by fiscal year's end, 

3, 1, and 16 maps, respectively, had been published with 100 planned for 

production in fiscal year 1980. The maps, used by State as well as Federal 

agencies, are a valuable tool for coastal area planning.

46 I Yearbook 1979
Status of the Intermediate-Scale Mapping Program

Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 47
EXPLANATION 

1:250,000-scale products

Status of the 1:250,000-scale mapping production.

48 I Yearbook 1979
MAPS FOR RECREATION

Of the millions of Geological 

Survey maps purchased each year by 

the public, many are for recreation. 

They are often a constant companion 

for campers, hikers, canoeists, and 

others who enjoy the outdoors. 

Special National Park maps and 

regular topographic quadrangles 

covering other Federal and State 

recreation areas are particularly 

popular.

During fiscal year 1979, two maps 

of special interest to the public were 

published.

In anticipation of the XIII Olympic 

Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., 

the Survey prepared a special-edition 

map in cooperation with the Lake 

Placid Olympic Organizing Committee. It is a full-color product printed 

on both sides, with one side featuring 

a 1:100,000-scale topographic map of 

the general area and the other side 

highlighting key event areas in more 

detail.

The 1:100,000-scale map was 

prepared in shaded relief by computer 

techniques instead of the traditional 

artistic rendering. It shows the shape 

and elevation of the land with contour 

lines at 20-meter intervals, primary 

and secondary highways, water 

bodies, campgrounds, hospitals, 

ranger stations, jeep trails, scenic 

lookouts, and other surface features.

The reverse side of the map 

features six detailed venues or insets 

of key areas involved in the XIII Olympic Winter Games. The six insets 

depict the Olympic Village and other 

event areas at various large scales, 

such as 1:5,000 and 1:10,000.

To assure widespread availability 

of the map, a special program was 

undertaken with the Geological 

Survey's map dealers.

An intermediate-scale map of 

Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota was published during the year. 

The park, which lies along the Canadian-U.S. border, is a popular water 

recreation area. The new map, 

prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service, combines both 

traditional cartographic symbology 

with recreation symbols matching 

those in the park itself. The map is at 

a scale of 1:50,000.

LAKE PLACID VILLAGE CENTER Hub of activity for 

the 1980 Olympic Games, figure skating, ice hockey, 

and speed skating events. Site erf the closing ceremony.

Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 49
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

SURVEYS

AERIAL PROFILING OF TERRAIN

Since 1974, the Geological Survey has been developing technology that 

would enable surveyors to measure terrain profiles very accurately from lowflying aircraft. The system under development makes use of a laser 

altimeter for scanning the terrain and an inertial guidance system that very 

precisely records the position of the terrain profile for all three axes (x and 

y in horizontal and z for vertical) as it is gathered. The project has progressed from a developmental phase to present activity of fabricating a prototype system.

Aerial Profiling of Terrain (APT) represents a significant technological advance well beyond its intended use for profiling low-relief terrain, such as 

stream beds. It is a mobile precise three-coordinate reference platform that 

could guide many types of remote sensors. APT aircraft could carry aerial 

cameras, radars, magnetometers, or infrared scanners whose data would be 

precisely referenced to x, y, and z coordinates as it was gathered. Reference data of such precision increases usefulness of sensors, simplifies 

data reduction, and suggests new economies that would allow for 

many new types of aerial surveys.

The APT airborne instruments include a laser profiler, a TV camera, an inertial measuring unit, a laser tracker, an onboard computer, and a magnetic 

tape recorder. The airborne computer interacts continuously with the sensors, directing their actions and calculating initial alinement and calibration 

for navigation to the survey site and for the profile surveys. The laser tracking instrument updates data by measuring distances and directions to 

ground reflectors. In addition, the computer feeds data to the onboard 

magnetic tape recorder which is used later for computations that "smooth" 

the contour, eliminating effects of trees, buildings, and other objects along 

the terrain path.

The Survey plans to continue with APT until the operational prototype is 

completed and flight tested. Further activities will be based on the results 

of actual field tests of the prototype system. The fabrication and assembly 

phase began in October 1978 and is scheduled for completion in 1981.

INERTIAL SURVEYING WITH SPAN MARK

The Geological Survey selected the Camden, Tex., area for testing a new 

inertial surveying system (SPAN MARK) for horizontal and vertical mapping 

control along paved highways. It promises faster and more economical field 

surveys. The system, mounted in a four-wheel-drive van, surveyed 638 control points during a 15-day period; this involved measuring nearly 700 miles 

of double-run survey lines. The initial trunk lines, running between established geodetic triangulation stations, averaged 21 miles in length (the 

longest line was 38 miles). The largest error found was 2.5 feet and is well 

within the maximum allowed. The vertical accuracy of the system was 

carefully monitored, and 39 test points were established. The standard error 

of the 39 test points was 5.5 inches.

The largest vertical error, about 14 inches, was located where the net 

appeared weak because of greater spread than normal in the SPAN MARK 

elevations. This area of less-accurate elevations was caused by a greater 

spacing between vertical ties than the normal 9 miles. The vertical accuracy 

was sufficient for the production of 10-foot contour-interval maps.

50 I Yearbook 1979
Advanced digital computer technology transforms aerial photographs into image bases for mapping

Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 51
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

PHOTOGRAMMETRY

ARBITRARY PHOTOCOORDINATE 

PASS POINTS

Pass points used to orient stereomodels in map compilation are usually selected as discrete objects or 

points on the ground that appear in each image. The 

Geological Survey is testing the feasibility of using arbitrary photocoordinate positions as pass points rather 

than discrete points marked on the photographs. The 

most recent test has used the TA3/P1 stereocomparator, 

but the procedure is designed for use with three 

analytical stereoplotters now on order.

For testing the procedure, pass points on 50 unmarked 

photographs were measured in four strips. Previous data 

using marked points were available for comparison. The 

triangulation results of the two methods were not 

significantly different, indicating that the elimination of 

the point-marking phase prior to point measurement is a 

main advantage of the procedure.

MAPPING FROM HIGH-RESOLUTION 

HIGH-ALTITUDE PANCHROMATIC

PHOTOGRAPHS

The relative imagery characteristics of Kodak 2402 and 

high-resolution SO-022 panchromatic films, exposed in a 

standard mapping camera at high altitudes, have been 

investigated. Results indicate that the resolution on 

Kodak SO-022 film was only slightly higher than on 2402 

film using photographs taken at 40,000 feet above mean 

terrain with a 6-inch focal-length camera.

The anticipated image motion at a 40,000-foot altitude 

with an airspeed of 400 knots is 7 feet ground scale during an exposure of 0.01 second. No appreciable difference in resolution could be observed between a target 

oriented along the flight line and one oriented across the 

flight line. This would indicate that for high-altitude 

photographs image motion is not a predominate factor 

in resolution problems.

Both geometric accuracy and the ability to photoidentify and to plot required map detail fell slightly short of 

meeting map accuracy standards. Enough promise does 

exist, however, to continue the search for a highresolution film-camera combination that will satisfy 

mapping requirements using high-altitude photographs.

FORMATION OF DIGITAL FILES 

DIRECTLY FROM STEREOMODELS

Techniques were developed for collecting digital data 

during stereocompilation using an analog stereoplotter 

equipped with digital data collection hardware and filebuilding strategy for Digital Line Graph-2 (DLG-2) data 

files. The DLG-2 files consist of line map information 

edited to add attribute codes and to remove visible errors and inconsistencies. The procedure is divided into 

data collection, data processing, and interactive editing.

The project has shown that stereomodel digitization 

and the subsequent editing of these data are within the 

state-of-the-art and appear to be feasible in areas of low 

relief, such as the plains area of the Midwest. As a 

result of this work, flexible procedures for digitizing and 

editing stereomodel data have been adopted, and these 

procedures are being tested.

PLANIMETRIC COMPILATION 

FROM ORTHOPHOTOGRAPHS

The Survey has developed and put into operation an 

economical method for using orthophotographs in the 

topographic mapping process. For each new mapping 

project at 1:24,000 or 1:25,000 scale, two levels of 

photography are exposed, high altitude for producing an 

orthophotograph base and low altitude for compiling 

contours. Aerotriangulation with the high-altitude 

photographs requires much less horizontal ground control than is needed for lower altitude photographs.

Using photogrammetric instruments, high-altitude 

photographs are transformed into orthophotographs, 

each covering a 7.5-minute quadrangle area. The orthophotoimage is registered to a base sheet and is then 

printed on material allowing for direct scribing of 

features.

By reference to field-annotated photographs, all 

planimetric features that can be seen clearly on the image base are scribed in final form directly on the image. 

Several image bases are used so that the features can 

be color separated for printing. Each color separation is 

overprinted on the other bases in a prescribed sequence 

so that precise register of the separations is maintained 

throughout the process.

The stereomodels formed from the lower altitude 

photographs are scaled to discrete image points on the 

orthophotobase. Contours and other map features not 

clearly visible on the image base are compiled from the 

stereomodels. The contours are scribed in final form on 

a separate base, and the other stereocompiled features 

are transferred and scribed on the appropriate base. The 

completed scribed drawings are used to prepare color 

composites for the editing and subsequent final copy for 

preparation of pressplates.

The photobase mapping process reduces the cost and 

time to produce a standard topographic map by 

eliminating aerotriangulation of the many low-altitude 

photographs and by avoiding the preparation of 

manuscript copy prior to color-separation scribing. A 

companion orthophotoquad may be prepared as a 

byproduct of the process.

52 I Yearbook 1979
Application of advanced digital computer 

technology now enables the U.S. Geological 

Survey to transform aerial photographs into 

image bases for mapping, simultaneously 

deriving elevation information in digital 

form for use in a wide variety of earth 

science analyses.

Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 53
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTSPACE APPLICATIONS

MAPSAT AN AUTOMATED 

MAPPING SATELLITE

The Geological Survey has been investigating the concept for a satellite that, by continuous imaging with very 

high geometric fidelity in epipolar planes, will permit 

three-dimensional automated mapping of the Earth from 

space. Such a satellite, Mapsat, would use linear arrays 

of detectors to view a ground swath across the ground 

track of the satellite. Multiple arrays would provide both 

stereoscopic and multispectral imaging.

LANDSAT 3 RETURN BEAM 

VIDICON IMAGES

Landsat 3, launched on March 5, 1978, carries longer 

focal length return beam vidicon (RBV) cameras that provide substantially improved resolution and geometric 

fidelity as compared with the RBV's of earlier Landsats. 

Preliminary evaluation of the RBV images found that, 

while the normally produced images were lacking in image quality, specially processed images were excellent. 

When the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) digital Image Processing Facility 

and the Earth Resource Observation Satellite Digital Image Processing System become fully operational, normal 

image quality is expected to be much better.

In an investigation on Landsat 3 RBV images, four 

RBV scenes of the Upper Chesapeake Bay were analyzed 

for geometric quality. (The RBV images are central 

perspective images with a narrow field of view.) Control 

points were identified on 1:24,000-scale topographic 

maps, and the RBV images of these points were 

measured on a comparator. A direct similarity transformation from image coordinates to Universal Transverse 

Mercator ground coordinates yielded a root-mean-square 

error of approximately 300 feet.

SATELLITE IMAGE MAPS

Lunar and planetary mapping

A project is underway to produce 1:250,000-scale lunar 

orthophotographs from high-oblique Apollo mapping 

camera photographs. The NASA Lunar and Planetary 

Photography and Cartography Committee has requested 

Survey support in extending orthophotocoverage into additional lunar areas covered by oblique photographs to 

complement the maps produced by DMA from vertically 

oriented Apollo photographs.

The use of high-oblique photographs required an inhouse capability to rectify photographs with a 40-degree 

tilt and scales ranging from approximately 1:370,000 at 

1:530,000 at X2 enlargement. All control data for the project were furnished by DMA. Attempts to rectify the 

photographs on the T-64 orthophotoscope, following initial rectification to a lunar control base on the E-4 rectifier, were unsuccessful due to the excessive tilt. Rectification on the Gestalt Photo Mapper (GPM-2) was also 

unsuccessful due to the amount of tilt involved and lack 

of sufficient contrast on the photographs necessary for 

automatic correlation between models. The problem of 

tilt may be overcome in the future when new software 

being formulated for the GPM-2 becomes operational, 

but the lack of contrast inherent in the original Apollo 

photographs might continue to present difficulties in 

electronic correlation.

Further rectification experiments are being conducted 

on the Wild OR-1 orthophotograph system using digital 

profile data provided by DMA as input. Results obtained 

on the OR-1 will be instrumental in determining current 

capabilities for rectifying high-oblique Apollo 

photographs to produce 1:250,000-scale lunar orthophotomaps.

Stereocombination of Landsat and 

aeromagnetic data

Many earth scientists use stereopairs of aerial 

photographs to study landforms by interpreting the third 

dimension of terrain relief. During fiscal year 1979, the 

Geological Survey took two-dimensional digital Landsat 

data and stereocombined it with digital topographic data 

to generate a Landsat stereopair. The topographic data 

was used to alter the horizontal location of image points 

across one Landsat image so that when viewed in conjunction with an unaltered Landsat image, the viewer 

could interpret could "see" the terrain relief.

A new concept is being investigated by the Survey, 

whereby a parameter other than topography is displayed 

stereoscopically as the third dimension. Vertical aerial 

photographs and aeromagnetic data were recorded 

simultaneously over an area of New Mexico. The spatial 

variations in the magnetic field were correlated to the 

Landsat image of the area and used to generate a Landsat stereopair in which the strength of the magnetic field 

is shown continuously in place of natural terrain elevations.

With the development of digital data bases, 

stereocombined graphics can be produced based on a 

variety of data sets. Further research is needed to determine what types of data would warrant display in 

stereocombined forms as opposed to conventional contour graphics.

54 I Yearbook 1979
Topographic Surveys and Mapping | 55
Geologic and Mineral Resource 

Surveys and Mapping

MISSION

The Geologic Division conducts programs to assess 

energy and mineral resources, to identify and to predict 

geologic hazards, and to investigate the effects of 

climate. The assessments resulting from these programs 

are vital to planning for the wise use and management 

of our natural resources and to mitigating the disastrous 

effects from geologic hazards.

In the last several years, the Survey's responsibility in 

assessing the Nation's resources has increased markedly, especially in the areas of energy oil and gas, coal, 

geothermal, and uranium. Large areas designated by 

Congress for inclusion as Wilderness Areas have required mineral assessments, and additional areas are 

likely to be designated in the future. Studies are being 

done to evaluate the energy-resource potential of offshore areas and the environmental hazards that pose 

problems to the development of that energy. In addition, 

a major program for earthquake hazard mitigation and 

prediction is now well underway. Geologic hazards 

related to nuclear reactor siting are being investigated.

In support of these extremely important mission programs, extensive basic research is done continually on 

geologic processes and events. Basic research continues to be an important and strong part of the 

Division's programs and provides the capability needed 

to respond to emerging national problems.

The Geologic Division budget is presented to Congress under four subactivities that fulfill the above programs. A brief description of these subactivities is given 

below.

Land Resource Surveys supply basic data in the form 

of geologic, geophysical, and geochemical maps and 

reports. Research is conducted to predict and to 

delineate earthquake and volcano hazards, to identify environmental problems related to coal development and 

nuclear reactor siting, and to identify, to map, to report 

on, and to date geologic processes and historical natural 

events, including climatic changes.

Mineral Resource Surveys provide an assessment of 

the distribution, quantity, and quality of the mineral 

resources of the United States. During fiscal year 1979, 

these surveys were concentrated in Alaska, Wilderness 

Areas, and other public and Indian lands. Research is 

also conducted on the fundamental geologic processes 

that result in mineral formation.

Energy Resource Surveys provide assessments of the 

distribution, quantity, and quality of the Nation's coal, oil 

and gas, oil shale, uranium and thorium, and geothermal 

resources. Assessments of these resources are continually updated so that information is kept current.

Offshore Geologic Surveys investigate the continental 

margins of the United States and its territories to assess 

the potential mineral and energy resources and to identify environmental hazards that must be considered 

when siting offshore drilling platforms and pipelines.

The following 10 articles describe some of the 

research and assessments done by the Geologic Division 

in fiscal year 1979. Although they reflect only a small 

portion of the current programs, these articles represent 

typical ongoing activities of the Division.

Northern Cascade Primitive Area, Wash. Malachite Lake in foreground; Monument Peak on skyline.

56 Yearbook 1979
ry«*

*»«f'

:f 

3S"
BUDGET AND PERSONNEL

In fiscal year 1979, obligations of the Geologic and Mineral Resources 

Surveys and Mapping activity were $178.55 million. This amount was supplemented by approximately $584 thousand from 11 States and $43 million 

from other Federal agencies and non-Federal sources.

At the end of fiscal year 1979, the Geologic Division had 2,050 permanent 

full-time employees and 944 temporary or part-time employees.

Miscellaneous

non Federal sources

$10.92

-Direct Federal funds $134.85 Other Federal 

agencies $32.20

IIK r.MTKl) STATES OF AMKllj

C c *"? r A s, sr n G r*

E 6 '? 6 0

State share $0.58 Federal share $0.58 

Federal-State Cooperative Program

SOURCE OF FUNDS

TOTAL $178.55 MILLION

Land Resource Surveys $69.50

Reimbursable $12.00 

-Direct $57.50

Mineral Resource 

Surveys $54.32

Reimbursable $22.51 

Direct $31.81

Energy Resource 

Surveys $36.57

Reimbursable $6.39 

Direct $30.18

TIIK IGNITE|> STATES

Offshore 

Geologic 

Surveys $18.16

Reimbursable 

$2.80,

Direct \ 

$15.36

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping

activity obligations for fiscal years 1978 and 1979, by

subactivity

[Dollars in millions. Data may differ from that in statistical tables

because of founding]

Program

Total

Land Resource Surveys _

Direct programs

Reimbursable programs _

States, counties, and 

municipalities

Miscellaneous non-Federal 

sources _ _

Other Federal agencies _

Mineral Resource Surveys ____

Direct programs

Reimbursable programs _

States, counties, and 

municipalities

Miscellaneous non-Federal 

sources

Other Federal agencies __

Energy Resource Surveys ____

Direct programs

Reimbursable programs

States, counties, and 

municipalities

Miscellaneous non-Federal 

sources _

Other Federal agencies _

Offshore Geologic Surveys _

Direct programs

Reimbursable programs _

States, counties, and 

municipalities

Miscellaneous non-Federal 

sources _

Other Federal agencies __

Fiscal year 

1978

$163.19

69.02

54.32

14.70

.48

.09

14.13

39.01

26.39

12.62

.30

8.42

3.90

34.55

27.83

6.72

.02

6.70

20.61

15.29

5.32

.15

5.17

Fiscal year 

1979

$178.55

69.50

57.50

12.00

.22

.10

11.68

54.32

31.81

22.51

.20

10.71

11.60

36.57

30.18

6.39

.02

.02

6.35

18.16

15.36

2.80

.14

.09

2.57

USE OF FUNDS

58 I Yearbook 1979
WILDERNESS MINERAL SURVEYS

The Wilderness Act of 1964 (Public 

Law 88-577) established a National 

Wilderness Preservation System to 

"assure that an increasing population 

accompanied by expanding settlement and growing mechanization 

does not occupy and modify all areas 

within the United States and its 

possessions, leaving no lands 

designated for preservation and protection in their natural condition." 

The Act also specified that areas 

designated as wilderness "shall be 

administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such 

a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment 

as wilderness, and so as to provide 

for the protection of these areas, the 

preservation of their wilderness 

character, and for the gathering and 

dissemination of information regarding their use and enjoyment as 

wilderness." The Act designated 9 

million acres of Forest Service 

wilderness, wild, and canoe areas for 

inclusion in the National Wilderness 

Preservation System and 5.5 million 

acres of Primitive Areas for review to 

determine their suitability for inclusion in the system. The U.S. Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines

were directed by the Act to conduct 

recurring mineral surveys of these 

areas to determine their contained 

mineral values.

Each Wilderness Area being investigated by the Geological Survey 

is assigned to a project chief who is 

responsible for coordinating all 

aspects of the study. These aspects 

include traversing the area for the 

purpose of identifying rock types and 

their geologic settings, collecting 

samples from rock units and stream 

sediments, aeromagnetic and gravity 

surveying, conducting analyses, interpreting all data, and preparing maps 

and reports that describe the potential mineral and energy resources of 

the area. These studies are conducted in areas that have extremely 

diverse geographic and climatic settings, ranging from cold craggy 

precipitous mountains to low humid 

semitropical swamps. The only access to some of the areas is by 

helicopter and even this mode of 

transportation requires expert

maneuvering of the vehicle. Some of 

the other hazards encountered are 

wild animals and reptiles, as well as 

poisonous vegetation.

The mineral-resource data resulting 

from these surveys are presented to 

the President and the Congress and 

enable them to make wise decisions 

regarding the use of any economic 

mineral deposits found in potential 

Wilderness Areas. The data also 

assist the President and the Congress in determining the suitability of 

an area for inclusion in the National 

Wilderness Preservation System. Surveys of the Primitive Areas were to be 

completed by 1972, and those of the 

Wilderness Areas, by 1983.

The Geological Survey began a 

modest program in fiscal year 1965 to 

complete mineral surveys of the 

designated Wilderness and Primitive 

Areas as scheduled. Related legislation subsequent to the Wilderness 

Act and Forest Service reviews, including the comprehensive Roadless 

Area Review and Evaluation (RARE II) 

completed last year, added significantly to the number and size of 

areas requiring mineral surveys. By 

the end of fiscal year 1979, mineral 

surveys had been completed on 23 

million acres (8.5 million more than

specified in the original Act); 

however, surveys of 16 million acres 

of Forest Service lands still remained 

to be completed by fiscal year 1983. 

Also requiring mineral surveys, but 

with no set deadline, are 15.5 million 

acres identified by RARE II for instant 

wilderness, 4 million acres of game 

ranges and wildlife refuges, and an 

undetermined amount of Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) lands that 

are being evaluated for their suitability for wilderness classification. The 

review by BLM will be completed in 

the last half of fiscal year 1980.

To cope with the increasing 

demands for resource information on 

Wilderness Areas, the Geological 

Survey has expanded the areas in 

which they are conducting wilderness 

mineral surveys from 700,000 acres 

per year in fiscal year 1977 to almost 

6 million acres per year in fiscal year 

1980. This expansion will be 

increased even further as BLM completes its RARE II later this year. The 

reservoir of geoscience knowledge 

and the expertise of individual Survey 

scientists, acquired over the years 

through basic research programs, 

have enabled the Survey to complete 

these mineral surveys within the 

specified deadlines.

Flat Tops Primitive Area, Colo. Trappers Lake in foreground.
APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING TO 

MINERAL- RESOURCE APPRAISAL

One of the most striking results of 

analysis of Landsat images has been 

the discovery of numerous regional 

structurally controlled features that 

were not shown on maps compiled 

for previously studied areas. The images are especially useful for areas 

where little, if any, work has been 

done. These features, referred to as 

lineaments, are alinements of surface 

color tones and land forms, such as 

streams, escarpments, and mountain 

ranges, which , in many cases, are the 

surface expressions of fracture or 

fault zones (breaks or displacements 

caused by failure or movement of 

subsurface materials). Because of the 

importance of fractures and faults for 

localizing many ore deposits, lineaments are important to nearly all regional geologic studies and especially to mineral-resource evaluation.

In Nevada, for example, where the 

location of mineral belts has been 

debated for many years, seven major 

lineament systems identified in Landsat images appear to represent four 

broad structural zones that influenced 

the distribution of metallic minerals 

(figs. 1 and 2). Most of the metalproducing districts in Nevada are 

located within two of these zones, the 

Walker Lane Structural Zone (figs. 1 

and 2) in southern Nevada and the 

Humboldt Structural Zone (figs. 1 and 

2) in northern Nevada. Prior to 

analysis of Landsat images, the 

Walker Lane Structural Zone was 

documented as being a major fault 

zone, but the Humboldt Structural 

Zone was first identified in Landsat 

images as several very long 

northeast-trending lineaments 

transecting northern Nevada. The 

deformed nature of this 60- to 

120-mile-wide zone is strongly indicated by the concentration of northeasterly oriented faults. The easttrending lineaments (B, C, D, figs. 1 

and 2) appear to represent a broad 

structural zone in southern Nevada 

that influenced the distribution of 

metal deposits associated with 

volcanic rocks. On the other hand, 

metal deposits are notably lacking

60 I Yearbook 1979

along one of these zones in southern 

Nevada (E, fig. 2) and the northern 

Nevada Rift (G, fig. 2), emphasizing 

the importance of other factors in ore 

deposition and the need for integrating lineament analysis from 

Landsat images with conventional 

field mapping and geophysical and 

regional geochemical studies.

ROCK TYPE 

INFORMATION

Many rock units can be distinguished by remote sensing techniques. In Landsat images, concentrations of iron oxide minerals, referred 

to as limonite, can be detected by 

employing computer-processing 

techniques. Concentrations of 

limonite are especially important in 

mineral-resource studies because 

they are commonly associated with 

rocks that were altered by the influx 

of potentially ore-bearing fluids. Maps 

showing the distribution of altered 

and unaltered limonitic rocks are 

compiled routinely and are evaluated 

using conventional field techniques. 

The resulting map showing altered 

rocks constitutes one of the important elements of the data set used for 

regional mineral-resource assessment.

In large areas where limonite is 

associated nearly everywhere with 

altered rocks, regional maps of 

altered rock can be compiled by 

remote sensing techniques for less 

than 25 percent of the cost of conventional methods. However, the benefit 

declines rapidly where unaltered 

limonitic rocks are widespread and 

where altered rocks that are deficient 

in iron oxide minerals are present. 

These two limitations can be largely 

overcome by acquiring images in two 

longer wavelength regions (1.6 and 2.2 

micrometers). These two bands are to 

be included in the Landsat D 

Thematic Mapper imaging system 

planned for launch in 1982.

Mineral evaluations are significantly enhanced by using lineament and 

altered rock distributions that were 

located by remote sensing in combination with geophysical and 

geochemical data gathered by standard techniques. This approach was 

developed by conducting a jointly 

funded U.S.-Mexico experimental 

project in northern Sonora, Mexico, 

and was applied to mineral evaluation 

studies in the Western United States 

during fiscal year 1979. When this 

project began, only reconnaissance 

geologic maps were available. Therefore, analyses of lineaments and 

limonitic occurrences as seen in 

Landsat images were used to pinpoint promising mineral-resource 

areas for more detailed geologic mapping and geochemical surveys.

Analyses of lineaments mapped 

from Landsat images indicated the 

presence of prominent zones of 

numerous northeast-trending 

lineaments and of numerous, but 

widely distributed, northwest-trending 

lineaments. At least four northeasttrending lineament zones have been 

defined (fig. 3) and are interpreted to 

be systematic structural zones that 

influenced the formation of porphyry 

copper deposits in northern Sonora. 

Abnormally high lead content in 

stream sediment and major copper 

deposits located at Nogales, 

Cananea, and Nacozari, Mexico, are 

found along these zones (fig. 3). 

These data, along with other geochemical and geophysical data, have 

resulted in the identification of 

several specific areas that appear to 

have exceptional economic potential.

The method described above for 

mapping altered rocks with Landsat 

data is limited to areas that are 

covered by less than approximately 

40 percent vegetation. However, in 

some cases, vegetational associations can be used to deduce information about the mineralogical content 

and texture of the underlying rocks. 

Prior to the availability of Landsat images, only relatively small areas 

characterized by anomalous vegetation were mapped using aerial 

photographs and field studies.

Research is being conducted to 

develop other remote sensing techniques that are especially applicable 

to mineral-resource studies. The 

results of these studies will provide 

guidance for designing future satellite 

systems which are specifically beneficial to mineral-resource evaluation.
120° 119

200 MILES

Figure 1. Sketch map showing broad structural zones 

represented by major lineament systems in Nevada. Northeastoriented ruled lines represent the Humboldt Structural Zone in 

northern Nevada and the Fahranagat Structural Zone. 

Northwest-oriented ruled lines represent the Walker Lane Structural Zone. The stippled pattern represents the Southern 

Nevada Structural Zone. Letters designate major lineament 

systems: A, Walker Lane; B, Pancake Range; C, Warm Springs; 

D, Timpahute; E, Fahranagat; F, Midas Trench; G, Northern 

Nevada Rift; and H, Rye Patch. Arrows indicate sense of movement.

EXPLANATION

Percent 

mining districts

O o

I7771 >0-0.3

E3 >0.3-0.6

H >0.6-0.9

HI >0.9-1.2

m >i.2-i.5

iH >1.5-1.8 

§ -1.8-2.1

100 MILES 

I

Figure 2. Contour map of the aerial density of metal mining 

districts in Nevada and the major lineament systems delineated 

in figure 1.

Agua Prieta

UNITED STATES 

"MEXICO

EXPLANATION 

A

Limonitic areas, mostly 

hydrothermally altered

1,500-50,000 parts per million of lead

200-1,000 parts per million of lead

20-100 parts per million of lead

Area of nondata or outside 

area of coverage

Lineament zones

Figure 3. Map of northern Sonora, Mexico, area showing regional correlation among northeast-trending lineament zones (heavy 

lines), limonitic hydrothermally altered rocks (A), and distribution of lead in stream sediments.

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping |61
VOYAGER MISSION RESULTS

The arrival of the Voyager spacecraft at the Jupiter 

system marked an explosive expansion in the field of 

planetary geology. The Geological Survey provided scientific expertise in planning the mission, in designing the 

instruments, and in interpreting the mission results. 

The imaging cameras aboard Voyager 1 and 2 provided 

the world with the first closeup images and measurements of not only Jupiter and its newly 

discovered rings, but also of four new worlds comparable in size and physical properties to the Moon, 

Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Earth. This new information 

doubled the number of planetary bodies with which the 

Earth's physical characteristics, geologic processes, 

and history can be compared. One of the most intriguing 

aspects of the mission proved to be the astounding complexity and diversity of the four large Galilean satellites, 

lo, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

The most exciting and geologically important finding 

was the discovery of active volcanism on lo. lo, innermost of the four large Galilean satellites, is very nearly 

the same size and density as our Moon. The complete 

absence of detectable impact craters on lo demonstrates 

that its surface is being continuously renewed by these 

active volcanic processes, which are believed to be sustained by tidal heating. Eight active volcanoes have been 

positively identified; many of these possess plumes that 

extend up to 150 miles above the surface, lo has the 

greatest surface relief of the Galilean satellites; this 

relief is in the form of calderas, scarps, and isolated 

mountains that rise above the landscape. A variety of 

studies are now underway, ranging from geologic mapping to thermodynamic studies of the volcanoes now 

thought to be erupting sulfur and sulfur dioxide.

Only limited images of Europa were obtained with 

resolutions of about 2.5 miles. Europa, also the size of 

our Moon, is slightly less dense and is thought to have a 

crust of ice, perhaps a frozen "ocean," that is 60 miles 

deep. Voyager 2 images revealed a highly reflective surface covered with numerous dark intersecting linear 

features that were visible at the limit of resolution. There 

are many theories as to the origin of the pattern, and it 

is generally believed that it is caused by crustal expansion due to freezing. Only three impact craters have been 

confidently identified, which suggests that the freezing

episode took place after the early postaccretional 

meteorite impact bombardment, which formed densely 

cratered highlands on the Moon, Mars, and Mercury, had 

tapered off.

Ganymede and Callisto, the largest Galilean moons, 

are about the diameter of Mercury but have low densities, suggesting these exteriors are about one-half 

water or water ice. Two major types of terrain on 

Ganymede, dark cratered and grooved, are evident and 

continuous over the entire surface of the satellite. The 

grooved terrain is younger and consists of a complex 

network of parallel ridges and troughs, which occur in 

various sized segments, that divides the older heavily 

dark cratered terrain into isolated polygons. It appears 

that the dark-cratered terrain was formed after the heavy 

bombardment. Crater densities on the grooved terrain 

are extremely variable, suggesting that the grooves 

formed early in Ganymede's history, lasted for a long 

period of time (perhaps several hundred million years), 

and have since been inactive. Voyager 2 revealed an additional surprise in the form of subparallel concentric 

ring structures in various parts of the ancient darkcratered terrain. These rings are thought to be the remnants of a huge ancient impact basin, most of which has 

subsequently been broken apart by tectonic activity.

Callisto, the outermost of the large Galilean satellites, 

is probably the most densely cratered object yet seen in 

the solar system. Three large concentric ring structures, 

vestiges of enormous impact basins, are the only prominent features that interrupt the sea of craters. The complete absence of any large craters or measurable relief is 

indicative of viscous flow of an icy crust. Callisto's surface probably corresponds to the dark terrain of 

neighboring Ganymede.

Information gained from the Voyager Missions has 

greatly compounded the sum of knowledge concerning 

the evolution of the solar system. Detailed observations 

of the Galilean satellites have provided a base for studying other planetary objects of similar size and geologic 

history, such as the Earth and other terrestrial planets of 

the inner solar system. Both spacecraft have since left 

the Jupiter system, and equally successful encounters 

with Saturn are anticipated in 1980 and 1981. The U.S. 

Geological Survey will also play a major role in the investigation of the large satellites of Saturn.

62 I Yearbook 1979
Voyager 2 image of lo. Two volcanic eruptions can be seen rising more than 60 

miles above the lit crescent.

Voyager 2 digital mosaic of Europa. This 

object is the smoothest of the satellites; 

relief on its soft icy crust is less than 0.6 

mile.

MTIS VGR-S FILTERED GANVMED £0638.53 0566J2-001

Voyager 2 digital mosaic of Ganymede. 

Ganymede, about the diameter of Mercury 

and less than one-half as dense, displays 

ancient dark-cratered terrain and younger 

brighter grooved terrains.

Voyager 1 image of Callisto, also about ^ 

the size of Mercury and the same density 

as Ganymede. Callisto has the oldest 

preserved surface of the satellites. Remnants of enormous impacts have left concentric rings on its early soft icy crust.
OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

The Geological Survey is responsible not only for assessing the potential 

oil and gas resources of the Outer Continenal Shelf (OCS), but also for providing information on the environmental and safety hazards associated with 

the development of Federal offshore oil and gas leases. As offshore oil and 

gas development moves into increasingly severe environments and deeper 

waters, knowledge of environmental conditions and processes becomes 

ever more crucial to ascertaining that future operations can be conducted 

safely. The variety of problems being encountered in new OCS oil and gas 

lease areas has clearly identified the limitations in our knowledge of the 

processes governing conditions in frontier offshore areas. Therefore, there 

is a need for a concerted drive to obtain additional basic data on the offshore environment.

The diversity of conditions range from problems of ice and frozen soils in 

the Acrtic lease areas, to seismic hazards along the technically active 

Pacific Coast, to soil instability in most of the Gulf of Mexico, and to severe 

wind-wave-current conditions along the Atlantic Coast.

The Survey is studying environmental hazards and is evaluating their 

engineering significance in OCS areas.

Arctic. In the Beaufort Sea, studies of ice gouging of the seafloor, offshore permafrost, and sea-ice movement are being conducted. In the Bering Sea and Norton Sound areas, ice gouging of sediments has been 

mapped, and investigations of gases emanating from seafloor craters 

formed by the gouging showed the gases to be thermogenic and biogenic 

(heat and organism generated) in origin.

Pacific. In the Gulf of Alaska, analyses of cores from areas of submarine 

slumps have shown sediments to have weak shear strength, and slumping 

may have been triggered by earthquake ground motion. Large submarine 

slumps, up to 500 feet thick, have been mapped in northern California's 

Eel River Basin.

Gulf of Mexico. Four years of data gathered on the Mississippi Delta offshore in the Gulf of Mexico show that storm waves can trigger submarine 

slumps. High gas and water contents in the sediments give rise to excess 

pore pressures that also weaken the sediment and make it susceptible to 

slumping. This will be further investigated by means of probes and cores 

that will obtain pressurized samples.

Atlantic. The slope of the Atlantic Continental Margin is being investigated for potentially unstable areas. This will be accomplished by study 

and analysis of data derived from geophysical surveys and ground truth 

samples and additional information on the sediments that have been obtained from manned submersibles. Because the area is susceptible to 

storms, bottom currents and resulting sediment transport are being 

studied by current meters installed on the seafloor.

Various projects are shown for the OCS in the figure.

64 I Yearbook 1979
So

. BWTOM CURR&ITS

^SEDIMENT TRANSP

CE/COVER ASiDCURRENtSJ

cn

.ENVI&jNMENTAL STUDIES / '^

^SEDIMENT TRANSPORT 

0TTOM CURRENTS / BEDFJ ECHANICS

MAPPING

umwu^L STUDIES (v .-> 

 EtffiWEERtNG^PRORERTIES qFJMAMNE SEDIMENTS

LOGIC HAZARDS

70-'

SELECTED U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

MARINE GEOLOGY ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES

1979

IDE-SCAN 'MAPPING (SLOR

.ENGINEERING PROPERTIES . 

x MARJWKSEDIMENTS

C HAZARDS WfAPPIN

J / \ f

* OJRRENT MEASjJflEMENTS/ 

I SEblMENT

\GEOLOGIC HAZARDS MAPPING

ImilOGIC HAZARDS MAPPING

STRONG EARTHQUAKES-^ ENGINEERING PROPERTIES OF MARINE SEDIMENTS ; ^^> 0

.___LJ vTJlGITAL SIDE-SCAN SONARxMApTlflG'b 'PORE'PR^SSURJE.-MEASUflEME_NTJj|l

V\ . A \» MASS MOVEIViENT IVpflfSl 

ENGINEERING PROPERTIES.OF MARINE SEDIMENTS f\ ~^^ \

 TR^CEELE^T \.\JS* ' X £?'.

. GEOLOjjKMIAZARDS MAPP^NI 

,5'E^MICITY (DBS') MEASUREMENTS

("Tl. '

'- J* GEo6trlHAZAR)S ^ MAPPING

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping 165
THE ATLANTIC REEF

A promising area for future oil and gas exploration has 

been identified seaward of the OCS off the Atlantic 

Coast. The prospective area is what appears to be an extensive ancient buried reef, similar to the Great Barrier 

Reef that parallels the coast of Australia for over a thousand miles.

Reefs are regarded as potentially good reservoirs for 

oil and gas because they may be very porous and normally form in proximity to deep basins containing 

organic rich sedimentary rocks suitable for the generation of oil and gas.

For nearly a decade, geologists in industry, academia, 

and government have speculated about the presence of 

a buried reef off the Atlantic Coast. Following the oil 

crisis of 1973, the U.S. Geological Survey undertook a 

systematic regional geophysical survey of the OCS as an 

initial step in an offshore resource-assessment program. 

The geophysical data were used to delineate the major 

sedimentary basins on the OCS. The data also show an 

anomalous structure that has the characteristics of a 

reef. However, evidence supporting this interpretation 

has become available only recently. This evidence was 

obtained by using deep submersibles to sample rock exposed on the seafloor of the Continental Margin and 

from the drilling of an off-structure stratigraphic test 

well (COST B-3 well) by industry.

It appears that the buried ancient reef can be traced 

intermittently through the northern Gulf of Mexico, to the 

great petroliferous reef complex of the Golden Lane, and 

possibly even to the Reforma (site of a recent oil and 

gas discovery) and Campeche shelf provinces of Mexico. 

The reef is almost continuous along the Atlantic Margin 

from Maine to Florida. It occurs in water depths ranging 

from about 2,000 to 6,000 feet and is covered by 6,000 

feet of sedimentary rocks. The reef is roughly 10,000 to 

20,000 feet thick and 15 miles wide. It is bordered by 

thick layers of potential source rocks and appears to 

have a suitable seal above it to trap accumulated oil and 

gas. It is developed best along the seaward edge of the 

Baltimore Canyon Trough and, in fact, forms the eastern 

edge of this basin.

The core of the reef is limestone, possibly formed by 

the skeletons of growing fauna and flora, or carbonate 

sands. The forereef area may be characterized by coarse 

reefal debris that has broken off the core and fallen into 

deeper water. The ends of the forereef interfinger with 

the basin rocks that may be the source rocks of

petroleum. The backreef rocks are probably limestones 

that grade into sands and muds derived from the land. 

Much of the Baltimore Canyon Trough is filled with these 

kinds of sands and muds.

The COST B-3 well drilled by industry encountered 

limestones with interbedded sands containing gas. 

These limestones are thought to be backreef rocks. The 

Survey has evaluated the petroleum potential of the reef 

complex. Estimates of resources in undrilled regions are 

made by comparing their geology and geologic history 

with those of similar regions that have been drilled not 

all reefs make good reservoirs. Those reefs that have 

been raised above sea level prior to final burial and exposed through the leaching action of fresh water exhibit 

greatly enhanced reservoir characteristics such as 

porosity and permeability. Estimation of the chances 

that porosity enhancement has taken place is critical in 

the resource assessment. For this purpose, we compared the Atlantic reef system with Texas backreef production, reflecting those limestones that had not 

undergone porosity enhancement, and also with the 

highly productive Mexican reefs and the reefs of the Permian Basin of west Texas, where the leaching action of 

the fresh water has suitably enhanced the porosity. By 

using such comparative techniques, the Survey has 

estimated that the reef complex in the mid-Atlantic lease 

area may contain 1 to 6 billion barrels of recoverable oil 

and the entire Atlantic reef trend may contain 2 to 15 

billion barrels of oil. In both cases, the assessment 

assumes that oil is present. However, if the amount of 

organic material in the source rocks is inadequate, or is 

of the wrong type, or was never exposed to sufficiently 

high temperatures, there may be no oil at all. There are 

many other factors that bear on whether or not oil will 

be preserved in the rocks.

Because of these assessments, BLM has extended the 

area boundary on the Call for Nominations in the forthcoming Sale 59 in the mid-Atlantic area to include the 

reef complex. The maximum water depth in this call area 

is about 8,000 feet. Industry has the capability to explore 

in about 6,000 feet of water, but current production is 

limited to a depth of about 1,000 feet. However, production systems capable of operating in much greater water 

depths have been built and tested in anticipation of 

economic discoveries in deep water.

The geologic investigations and studies described 

above contribute to the overall effort to discover new 

areas favorable for oil and gas exploration.

Jurassic-Cretaceous reef trend.

66 I Yearbook 1979
A T L A N T I C

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping [67
A 3-MILLION-YEAR RECORD OF CONTINENTAL CLIMATE

A 3,050-foot core was recovered in 1967 from an area near the center of 

Searles (dry) Lake in southeastern California. A study, completed last year, 

shows that the core represents a detailed history of climate-controlled sediment deposition in this desert basin starting more than 3 million years ago. 

A surprising discovery is that the lake's record of climate history differs so 

conspicuously from the marine record of global glaciation, in that periods 

of major change occur at different times and the lengths of time that particular climatic patterns persisted differ by factors as large as four. The one 

similarity is that a marked resurgence of large continental ice sheets, 

according to studies of the marine cores, and the first establishment of a 

lake in this valley both began about 3.2 million years ago.

The deepest and oldest sediments in the core, 728 feet of reddish-brown 

desert fan gravels, rest on granitic bedrock, and 2,275 feet of lake deposits 

(clay, silt, and salts) make up the remainder of the valley fill. Sedimentation 

rates in this lake averaged 117 years per inch of deposits. This rate is 10 to 

50 times faster than sedimentation rates of most deep-sea sediments that 

are widely used for studies of Quaternary climate, so this record provides 

much better resolution of short climatic events.

Regional climates are indicated by the sediment composition; salt beds 

and tan "dry" lake sediments indicate times of aridity when evaporation exceeded inflow of water into the lake; greenish silt and clay indicate times 

when perennial lakes occupied the valley, implying greater water accumulation as a result of increased regional precipitation. The upper 226 feet of 

lake sediments represent approximately the last 130,000 years. The underlying lake sediments have the following lithologies and ages and imply the indicated lake character and climate:

Depth 

(feet)

226-374

Lithology 

and color 

of sediments

Salts and muds, 

olive brown.

Age of base 

(thousands 

of years)

330

Lake character 

(implied climate)

Perennial, intermediate to 

shallow depths, fluctuating (humid to 

moderately humid).

374-546 

546-747

747-955 

955-1,323

Salts

Muds, olivebrown, some 

salts.

Mud, light to 

dark green.

Salts and muds, 

olive.

1,323-1,777 Mud, brown 

1,777-2,275 Mud, olive brown.

650 Dry salt flat, briefly 

perennial (arid).

1,020 Perennial, mostly shallow,

brief dry periods (humid to 

moderately humid).

1,400 Perennial, deep (very 

humid).

1,940 Perennial, deep, periodically 

dry for brief periods 

(humid with periodic 

episodes of aridity).

2,570 Dry playa, briefly perennial 

(arid).

3,170 Perennial, deep (very humid).

The shift from alluvial fan to lake basin deposition in Searles Valley took 

place about 3.2 million years ago. It could have been an indirect result of a 

volcanic eruption at that time which diverted a large river system to the 

north or a direct result of worldwide climate change.

Climatic reconstructions indicate a steady decrease over the 3.2-millionyear period in the regional precipitation that controlled the runoff that fed 

the lake. This was caused, in part, by the gradual uplift of the Sierra 

Nevada, which created an increasingly effective rain barrier, but climatically

68 I Yearbook 1979
controlled variations in precipitation caused shorter term fluctuations of inflow that exceeded the more gradual physiographic change. The perennial 

lake deposits in Searles Valley are probably of the same age as deposits 

formed by glaciers in the Sierra Nevada which lie in the headwaters of the 

region that drained into the lake. This suggests that extensive glaciers existed in these mountains between 10,000 and 24,000 years ago, 30,000 and 

130,000 years ago, 0.65 and 1.4 million years ago, and possibly between 2.6 

and 3.2 million years ago.

Map showing the continental ice sheet and location of Searles Lake, Calif.

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping 69
A POSSIBLE EXTENSION OF AN OIL AND GAS PROVINCE

The Appalachian Mountains form a linear geologic 

system in the Eastern United States that extends for 

over 1,000 miles southward from New York to Alabama. 

Continuous research by State, Federal, university, and industry scientists has been an ongoing process since the 

early 1800's. Although it would appear that this amount 

of long-term research would have been adequate to provide a good understanding of the geology of the area, 

this is far from the truth. Much of the previous work has 

concentrated on an intense study of surface relations 

that provided a two-dimensional framework. Subsurface 

data, which adds the third dimension to the framework, 

have been available only for the western part of the 

mountain system where deep drilling and seismic 

surveys have been used in the search for oil and gas. 

Only recently has enough subsurface data become 

available to augment the surface data in the eastern part 

of the Appalachians. These new data require a reevaluation of many long-held concepts, based entirely on surface studies, concerning the distribution of possible oil 

and gas source rocks within the Appalachian Mountain 

system.

In the past, geologists, basing their evidence on surface relations, believed that the Appalachian Mountain 

system could be divided into two main parallel parts, an 

eastern part, which includes the Blue Ridge and Piedmont and is composed of crystalline rocks (metamorphic 

and igneous), and a western folded and faulted part, 

which lately is called the Eastern overthrust belt and is 

composed of sedimentary rocks.

Sedimentary rocks in the Eastern overthrust belt have 

been a source of natural gas for more than 100 years. In 

comparison, the Piedmont has not received much attention from petroleum geologists because its crystalline 

rocks are considered to be the "basement" below which 

no sedimentary oil and gas source rocks were believed 

to exist.

Recent seismic surveys, utilizing refined geophysical 

methods for investigating deep in the Earth, have 

revealed that faulting has moved crystalline rocks of the

Blue Ridge and Piedmont westward more than 100 miles 

and buried a large section of sedimentary rocks of the 

Eastern overthrust belt. From central Virginia southward, 

the main area for which subsurface data is available, the 

buried part of the overthrust belt is from 10,000 to more 

than 20,000 feet thick. This hidden and unknown part of 

the overthrust extends in the subsurface eastward for at 

least 60 miles and may even extend further. In Georgia, 

150 miles southwest of the area covered by the Survey's 

data, seismic data acquired by others suggest that 

seismic reflections indicative of sedimentary rock extend 

in the subsurface perhaps completely across the Piedmont.

If these initial seismic data are representative, then a 

concealed belt of sedimentary rock is buried under the 

Blue Ridge and Piedmont from at least central Virginia 

to Alabama (see the figure). Because this buried belt is 

about as wide as that exposed in the southern part of 

the Eastern overthrust belt, the area for possible natural 

gas exploration is about doubled in size.

Of immediate interest to the petroleum geologist is 

the fact that the buried segment appears to be composed of sedimentary rocks similar to those currently being explored for natural gas in the exposed parts of the 

Eastern overthrust belt. However, like most unexplored 

frontier areas, data are not sufficient to assess the oil 

and gas potential of this hidden area. Because these 

sedimentary rocks occur beneath the Piedmont, where 

previous geologic concepts suggested such rocks would 

be unlikely, future exploration programs for oil and gas 

within the Appalachian region might well include this 

vast untested and unknown area.

Perhaps an even more far-reaching effect is that these 

new seismic data require a major rethinking of how the 

Appalachian regional framework was formed. Previous 

models of the overthrust belt have served as guides for 

petroleum exploration in overthrust belts around the 

world. Changes in our understanding of the Appalachian 

overthrust belt will have an important effect on the 

future search for oil and gas in other areas that have a 

similar structure.

70 I Yearbook 1979
i\S~"^

Exposed Eastern 

overthrust belt

\ Concealed part of 

\ Eastern overthrust

\

300 MILES 

_J

Sedimentary rocks of the 

Eastern overthrust belt .Crystalline rocks of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont

A'

^^>3<r.^r..^....':.^..^'r,. - ^-,^,£,1^ ~. ^.jn.L^,;-.^* ^,^^7 ,/( .1^^, ^= 

 ^,-JrA1 ^-Crystalline basement rocks ^^i^^:;:]^^-^^^^^^^^^^^'^^^?^^^

Map showing the inferred regional distribution of the concealed sedimentary rocks of the Eastern overthrust belt beneath the 

metamorphic and igneous rocks of the Blue Ridge and part of the Piedmont. The interpreted seismic reflection section A-A' shows 

the continuity of sedimentary rocks of the Eastern overthrust belt eastward beneath the crystalline rocks of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping \7~\
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Geothermal resources are defined as the natural thermal energy within the Earth that can be used in 

economic competition with other forms of energy within 

the next few years. All of the thermal energy above surface temperature within the upper 6 miles of the Earth's 

crust, without regard to the economics of its production 

and use, is estimated to be about 32,000 billion-billion 

British thermal units. Most of this immense resource 

base is too diffuse to be extracted and used, but about 

6.4 billion-billion British thermal units, the equivalent of 

1.2 trillion or more barrels of oil, is judged to be a 

resource.

The resource assessment presented in Circular 790, an 

updated assessment of U.S. geothermal energy 

resources which was published in fiscal year 1979, 

highlights two points. First, the total national geothermal 

resource is many times greater than the part that is 

being recovered and used today. Second, exploitation of 

geothermal energy is coming of age, as demonstrated by 

a recent increase from 7 to about 16 percent in the annual rate of growth of geothermal electrical capacity 

worldwide.

At present, the United States produces electricity from 

geothermal energy only at The Geysers in California, the 

world's fastest developing geothermal field. Installed 

electrical capacity there is now 660 megawatts, up from 

500 megawatts at the end of fiscal year 1977. The 

Geysers development taps a vapor-dominated hydrothermal convection system. Pilot plants for generating 

electricity from hot-water convection systems, which are 

more numerous, are now in the planning or construction . 

phase at Imperial Valley, Calif., Valles Caldera, N. Mex., 

Roosevelt Hot Springs, Utah, Raft River, Idaho, and 

Puna, Hawaii. The new national assessment notes that 

the total amount of energy contained in all hydrothermal 

convection systems that have temperatures hotter than 

194 °F is about 9 billion-billion British thermal units. The

assessment notes further that about 25 percent (2.2 

billion-billion British thermal units) of this, the equivalent 

of 430 billion barrels of oil, is recoverable.

The new assessment attempted a first evaluation of 

low-temperature geothermal waters (less than 90 °C) that 

are suitable for direct use in space heating, agriculture, 

and industry. Current knowledge does not allow a quantitative estimate of the low-temperature resource. 

However, areas of potential low-temperature resources 

are outlined in Circular 790, and an extensive list of lowtemperature thermal springs and wells is tabulated, 

along with available data on water temperature and 

chemistry. The Geological Survey, in conjunction with 

the Department of Energy, Division of Geothermal 

Energy, and several State agencies, is continuing to 

study low-temperature resources, with the aim of producing a quantitative estimate of their magnitude in the near 

future. Examples of direct use of geothermal waters exist at Klamath Falls, Ore., where a large and growing proportion of buildings is heated by thermal waters that 

underlie much of the city, and at Boise, Idaho, where 

about 300 homes have been similarly heated throughout 

the 20th century.

About 0.4 to 4.2 billion-billion British thermal units of 

energy, equivalent to 75 to 780 billion barrels of oil, may 

be recovered from geopressured geothermal resources. 

The geopressured resources consist of thermal water 

and dissolved methane contained in the high-pressure 

aquifers of deep sedimentary basins, primarily in the 

northern Gulf of Mexico Basin. Much of the data 

available on this resource is by a byproduct of drilling 

for petroleum. The water is thought to be saturated with 

methane, which accounts for about one-half of the total 

energy available from such systems. The geopressured 

resource is clearly large and is the subject of continuing 

studies.

72 Yearbook 1979
THE COYOTE LAKE

EARTHQUAKE

SEQUENCE

The largest earthquake in the San 

Francisco Bay area in 68 years occurred August 6, 1979, at Coyote Lake, 

in a rural area 65 miles southeast of 

San Francisco. The earthquake, which 

measured 5.9 on the Richter scale, 

was felt over a large area but caused 

only minor damage because of its 

location in a relatively unpopulated 

area. The event was caused by sudden slip on the Calaveras fault, one 

of several large faults that branch 

from and lie parallel to the San Andreas fault in the bay area. This complex fault system, which marks part 

of the boundary between two large 

crustal plates, has been under intensive study by the Survey for many 

years. Nearly 600 devices that 

monitor earthquakes, magnetic fields, 

crustal straining and tilting, and slow 

fault offset are in operation in the 

bay area. In addition, extensive mapping programs have been carried out 

to identify active traces of major 

faults. Because fault movement on 

the Calaveras and San Andreas faults 

was anticipated, the region near 

Coyote Lake was one of the most 

densely instrumented in the world. 

Immediately after the event, more instruments were rushed to the area to 

supplement the existing networks, 

and searches for ground cracking and 

fault offsets with movement were 

begun. Thus, Survey scientists had 

the rare opportunity to record much 

useful data in the immediate vicinity 

of a potentially damaging earthquake, 

in an area that had been mapped 

geologically. Because of the quantity 

and quality of the data recorded, the 

earthquake will undoubtedly become 

a textbook example.

Records made during the earthquake and aftershock sequence will 

be analyzed to obtain information 

about the faulting process itself and 

about the effects of the earthquake, 

including the response of structures 

and foundations to strong ground 

shaking. The mass of the data accumulated by Survey personnel in the 

years before the event will be carefully examined for precursory phenomena; that is, any unexpected changes 

in the properties of the Earth that 

were related to the impending earthquake and might have value in predicting future events. The complete 

analysis of the data will require years 

of study, but much useful information 

has already been obtained.

More than 50 seismometers of the 

Central California Network were 

within 30 miles of the earthquake. 

These sensitive instruments recorded 

more than 1,000 smaller events (aftershocks) in the 15 days following the 

main shock and showed that ground 

rupture occurred over a vertical zone 

12.5 miles long and from 2.5 to 7.5 

miles wide. The earthquake sequence 

was found to be unusual in that the 

largest aftershocks were smaller than 

expected, considering the size of the 

main shock. This anomaly may reflect 

that fact that some of the accumulated strain on the Calaveras fault is 

released by slow steady slip (fault 

creep), or it may indicate that some 

accumulated strain has yet to be 

released. Understanding why larger 

aftershocks were relatively rare is important because, when large aftershocks do occur, they may cause 

failure in structures already weakened 

by a main shock.

Field searches for ground cracking, 

slumping, and fault offsets, undertaken within a few hours after the 

earthquake, revealed a complicated 

pattern of small cracks over zones 

from 30 to 300 feet wide. The amount 

of offset measured in the field was 

0.5 inch or less, which was not as 

much as would be expected from an 

event as large as the Coyote Lake 

earthquake. The zone of disturbance 

generally coincided with the 

Calaveras fault, as it had been 

previously mapped, demonstrating 

that the criteria used to identify active faults were valid. The length of 

the disturbed zone was about 18 

miles, somewhat longer than the 

aftershock zone. It is not clear how 

much of the observed ground disturbance was due to rapid fault motion 

occurring during the earthquake and 

how much was due to shaking, 

slumping, and postearthquake slip.

The Calaveras fault, along with certain other faults in central California, 

displays fault creep, that is, the fault 

does not slip just during earthquakes, 

but rather it slips slowly at various 

points by a small amount from time 

to time. This more or less steady slip 

along the fault is responsible for 

releasing accumulated strain on 

some portions of the fault and may 

cause increased strain on portions 

that do not creep. The cumulative surface deformation caused by fault

creep is used to determine the locations of creeping sections of the 

fault, and measuring devices are 

placed across the fault in these areas 

to measure the effect of individual 

creep events. A device of this type 

had been in operation near the 

southeastern end of the Coyote Lake 

rupture for several years preceding 

the earthquake. The records show 

that creep events ceased at that site 

4 years before the earthquake. There 

is evidence of a similar decrease in 

creep rate before other earthquakes, 

and this sort of creep behavior will be 

carefully studied to see if it has 

predictive value.

The very strong shaking that occurs 

in the immediate vicinity of larger 

earthquakes usually overloads ordinary seismometers, and specially 

designed strong-motion instruments 

are required to obtain complete 

records of the shaking. Strong-motion 

records are of fundamental value in 

engineering design of buildings, 

dams, and other structures in 

seismically active areas. Because 

records of strong ground motion must 

be made near the source of an earthquake and because large earthquakes 

are relatively rare events, few strongmotion instruments have been in 

operation directly above sizable earthquakes. However, an entire array of 

such instruments, placed by the 

Geological Survey and the State of 

California, was recording during the 

Coyote Lake earthquake. Records of 

strong motion were obtained not only 

at the ends of the rupture zone but 

also along a line of instruments that 

started at the center of the rupture 

zone and extended 6 miles away from 

it. Forces as high as 40 percent of the 

force of gravity were recorded at sites 

near the rupture zone. These values 

fell to 25 percent a few miles away 

from the fault and decreased to 

negligible values at greater distances. 

The pattern of strength and frequency 

of shaking showed that the earthquake started at the northwest end of 

the rupture zone and that the break 

moved to the southeast. Because 80 

aftershocks were recorded at 3 or 

more strong-motion recording sites, a 

description of fault failure during the 

main event can probably be worked 

out in considerable detail. The 

knowledge gained will be of value in 

predicting the character of strong 

ground motion near other faults and 

is expected to have an impact on 

engineering practices in areas subject 

to seismic hazard.

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping |73
COAL FOLIOS

An important part of the Geological Survey's coal program is to organize, to compile, to evaluate, and to synthesize existing and new coal-resource-related information in the form of coal folios. This coal folio program 

provides information to BLM's land use planning activities and Resource Management Plan (RMP) for 

Federal land, and, therefore, it is closely tied to the 

Department of the Interior's Federal Coal Leasing Program. The Office of Surface Mining, Department of the 

Interior, requires folio-related information to fulfill its 

regulatory functions. State and local governments have 

become interested in the coal folio program because it 

provides the information they need to evaluate Federal 

plans and to plan for coal development within their 

jurisdictions.

A coal folio generally consists of maps (scale 

1:100,000), other graphics, and supplemental text 

material. These materials present information related to 

the quantity and quality of coal resources and environmental geologic factors needed to assess potential 

utilization and reclamation of disturbed land after the 

coal has been mined. Information usually is presented 

on a topographic base map and published in the Coal 

Map (C-) Series. Related maps are published as each is 

completed. The folio format will vary according to the information required and available in different coal-bearing 

areas. For example, a folio for one area may include a 

separate map for each of the following topics: bedrock 

geology, including principal coal beds; surficial geology, 

with notations on the composition and physical properties of surface materials; detailed interlocked cross sections that establish the stratigraphic framework of the 

coal-bearing rocks; structure contours on the top or base 

of principal coal beds; isopach maps displaying 

thickness of principal coal beds; isopach maps of the 

overburden for the principal coal beds; estimated coal 

resources categorized according to Geological Survey 

standards; potential and actual geologic hazards that 

should be considered during coal-development planning; 

patterns of land-surface and mineral-right ownership; 

hydrologic and climatologic data; and other available 

and necessary coal-related information. A folio for a different area might include additional or fewer information 

components. In addition to the component elements of 

the folios, a wide range of supporting and derivative 

reports consisting of information not suited for graphic 

portrayal is commonly prepared.

Regional coal-resource assessment studies are being 

conducted in areas covered by 24 1:100,000-scale

(0.5° x 1 °) quadrangles in the coal-bearing western part 

of the United States, and coal-related environmental 

geology studies are underway in areas covered by 73 

1:100,000-scale quadrangles. In most cases, the whole 

area of a quadrangle will be studied a 1:100,000-scale 

quadrangle covers more than 1,600 square miles, an area 

equal to 32 7.5-minute quadrangles; in other cases, only 

the coal-bearing part of the quadrangle has been or will 

be examined. The work presently planned, underway, and 

completed will result in a minimum of 60,000 square 

miles of mapping at 1:100,000 scale.

The evaluation of subsurface data is critical to the 

regional coal-resource-assessment program. This subsurface data is obtained by core-drilling in areas being considered for inclusion in the Federal Coal Leasing Program and where existing oil, gas, and water wells are 

either improperly located or were not adequately cored 

or logged. A total of about 90,000 feet of coal exploratory 

drilling was done in fiscal year 1979 to obtain samples 

for coal quality information, geotechnical testing for 

engineering data, establishment of local and regional 

geochemical baselines, determination of methane content of coals, study of rocks associated with coals, and 

many other purposes; about 3,000 feet of core samples 

were obtained.

Much information is obtained from geophysical logging of oil and gas test wells, water wells, and 

geophysical exploration drill holes. Some of the data 

derived from this logging are natural radioactivity 

measurements and density measurements. A total of 

more than 110,000 feet of various drill holes were logged 

geophysically in fiscal year 1979.

The results of this research are published as quickly 

as possible, so that they can be used by planners, mining and development industries, geoscientists, and all 

persons concerned with the safe and orderly development of the Nation's energy resources.

During fiscal year 1979, Survey geologists produced 23 

coal-related and 246 environmental geologic maps, 30 

coal reports and 24 environmental reports, and 12 coalrelated and 8 environmental abstracts for scientific talks. 

Coal folios covering three quadrangles, the Kaiparowits 

Plateau (Utah) and Recluse (Wyoming) areas, were completed in fiscal year 1979. Maps and reports that contribute to 20 other folios were completed. Three folio 

areas in the southern Wasatch Plateau, Utah, were completed prior to fiscal year 1979. The index map shows the 

locations of completed folios, those partly completed, 

and areas of work in progress in fiscal year 1980.

74 I Yearbook 1979
/

Coal-bearing areas

_________I

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping 75
Resources Investigations

MISSION AND ORGANIZATION

Effective management of water 

resources requires that up-to-date 

scientific hydrologic information be 

readily available for planners and 

managers. The Water Resources Division has the principal responsibility 

within the Federal Government for providing hydrologic data and appraising 

water resources to facilitate evaluation 

of water problems. The Division's program is designed to present impartial 

accurate data and scientific analyses. 

It supplies reports and maps to the 

public in Federal, State, and local 

publications; in technical journals; and 

through selected libraries.

The U.S. Geological Survey provides 

extensive support to the missions of 

other Federal agencies and, under the 

Federal-State Cooperative Program, to 

State and local agencies. In this way, 

the Survey keeps abreast of waterinformation needs at all levels of 

government and develops programs 

responsive to those needs. Through a 

network of offices (see page78) in all 

50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico 

and Guam, close communication is 

maintained with State and local 

agencies.

A major responsibility was assigned 

to the Survey in 1964 when it was 

designated the lead agency for coordinating water-data-acquisition activities of all Federal agencies, including information on streams, lakes, 

reservoirs, estuaries, and ground water. 

This coordination effort minimizes 

duplication of data collection among 

Federal agencies and strengthens the 

overall data base and its accessibility.

THE FEDERAL 

PROGRAM

The water-data collection, resource 

investigation, and research activities of 

this program are carried out in areas 

where the Federal interest is paramount. These include bodies of water 

in the public domain, river basins and 

aquifers that cross State boundaries, 

and other areas of international or 

inter-State concern. Activities include 

operation of surface- and ground-water 

quantity and quality measurement stations throughout the country, the 

Survey's Central Laboratories System, 

hydrologic research and analytical 

studies, and a variety of supporting 

services.

THE FEDERAL-STATE

COOPERATIVE

PROGRAM

Geological Survey programs have 

multiple objectives and serve the earth 

science and related information needs 

of a large number of government agencies and private groups. As major 

users of this information, State, 

regional, and local agencies have an 

important role in helping to define the 

scope of Survey programs. Accordingly, selected projects judged to be of 

mutual benefit to the Federal, State, 

and local governments are funded on a 

50-50 basis in the Federal-State 

Cooperative Program.

In fiscal year 1979, the Water 

Resources Division joined in 

cooperative programs with 590 State 

and local agencies; much of the work 

was done by the Survey, but State and 

local agencies provided half the funds. 

The current work on developing a 

water-use data base in the Cooperative 

Program is being done by the States.

Through contact with those involved 

in water conservation, development, 

management, and use, the Water 

Resources Division anticipates and 

responds to changing priorities. Planning the annual program in each State 

is a mutual decision, with the Survey 

representing national interests and the 

cooperating agencies representing 

State and local interests. As the need 

arises for additional and new kinds of 

water information, programs are adjusted within the framework of 

priorities and resources. As a result, 

the work is problem oriented and interdisciplinary. The diverse program activities include collection of long-term 

multipurpose data (surface water, 

ground water, water quality, and water 

use); special interpretive studies of the 

physical, chemical, and biological 

characteristics of water; and appraisals for environmental impact 

evaluation, energy development, 

coastal zone management, subsurface 

waste storage, waste utilization, land 

use planning, flood plain management, 

and flood-warning systems.

The strength of the Federal-State 

Cooperative Program lies in (1) coordinated programming for water information that responds to identified and 

developing needs of people at all levels 

and relates to the environmental 

aspects of water use, (2) the quality 

and acceptability of the water data accumulated through uniform programs 

in 50 States and several of the territories, and (3) the nonadvocacy position of the Geological Survey in carrying out and reporting on its work.

76 I Yearbook 1979

SUPPORT OF MISSIONS 

OF OTHER FEDERAL 

AGENCIES

With funds transferred from other 

Federal agencies, the Geological 

Survey performs work related to 

specific needs of each agency. Examples of work done in cooperation 

with several of these agencies are as 

follows:

Department of Agriculture 

Hydrologic studies on small watersheds, sediment studies, stream 

discharge and quality.

Department of Defense Corps of

Engineers

Tidal flows in estuaries, subsidence 

studies, streamflow data, groundwater studies, sedimentation and 

water-quality studies.

Department of Energy 

Hydrologic and water-supply exploration studies at nuclear-explosion sites and at both operating

and potential nuclear-waste sites; 

research in field of radiohydrology 

related to interaction between 

radioactive materials and various 

geohydrologic environments, both 

above and below ground; 

hydrologic modeling.

Department of Housing and Urban

Development

Flood plain delineation, flood 

profiles, flood-frequency 

studies related to floodinsurance programs.

Department of the Interior:

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

Hydrologic data collection, water 

resources appraisal studies, 

water-supply investigations on 

reservations.

Bureau of Land Management 

Collection of hydrologic data, 

water-supply studies on public 

lands, effects of coal mining on 

hydrology. 

Bureau of Mines 

Collection of hydrologic data, 

hydrologic studies of abandoned 

coal mines.

Bureau of Reclamation 

Collection of hydrologic data, 

ground-water-resources, reservoir, and land-subsidence 

studies.

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Collection of hydrologic data, 

ground-water recharge, water 

supply for fish hatcheries, instreamflow evaluations, 

relation of ground water to 

lakes.

National Park Service 

Collection of hydrologic data, 

water-resources appraisals of 

National Parks and Monuments, 

flood-hazard, forest geomorphology, and ground-water 

studies.

Environmental Protection Agency 

Studies related to energy research 

and development, municipal 

waste-disposal-site studies, 

relationship of ground water to 

lakes, collection of water-quality 

information.

NORTHEASTERN REGION

HEADQUARTERS

SOUTHEASTERN 

REGION

PUERTO RICO 

San Juan

Regional office 

District office 

O Subdistrict office

A Field office

G Gulf Coast Hydroscience Center

L National Water-Quality Laboratory

T USGS National Training Center 

Regional Boundary

Location of principal offices of the U.S. Geological Survey's Water Resources Division in the conterminous United States. Cities 

named are those where regional and district offices are located. Puerto Rico is included in the Southeastern Region, and Alaska, 

Guam, and Hawaii are included in the Western Region.

78 I Yearbook 1979
BUDGET AND PERSONNEL

In 1979, the Water Resources Division employed 2,815 

full-time personnel. They included scientists and 

engineers representing all fields of hydrology and related 

sciences, technical specialists, and administrative, 

secretarial, and clerical employees. An additional 1,369 

permanent part-time and intermittent employees assisted 

in the work of the Division.

The $168.6 million available in 1979 for the water 

resources investigations activities came from the following sources:

1. Direct congressional appropriations.

2. Congressional, State, and local appropriations for 

50-50 funding in the Federal-State Cooperative Program.

3. Funds transferred from other Federal agencies.

4. Funds transferred from State and local agencies.

Water Resources Investigations activity obligations for 

fiscal years 1978 and 1979, by subactivity 

[Dollars in millions. Data may differ from that in statistical tables 

because of rounding]

Subactivity

Fiscal year 

1978

Total ___________ $146.0

National Water Data System ___

Direct programs __________

Federal program ________

Federal share of

Federal-State Cooperative 

Program _______________

Reimbursable programs _

States, counties, and 

municipalities ________

Miscellaneous nonFederal sources ______

Other Federal agencies ___

Energy Hydrology.

Direct program .

137.8

70.3

35.3

35.0

67.5

36.5

1.4 

29.6

8.2

8.2

Fiscal year 

1979

$168.6

153.3

81.5

42.7

38.8

71.8

40.2

1.7 

29.9

15.3

15.3

Miscellaneous 

non-Federal 

sources $1.7

SOURCE OF FUNDS

TOTAL $168.6 MILLION

Direct Federal funds $96.8

r* Cooperative Program

T1 i K I-MTI.K) STATKS OPAMElt

Till: I'MTKl) ST.1

USE OF FUNDS

National Water Data System $153.3

TESOFAMKHir-A

Energy 

Hydrology 

Direct I 

$15.3

Water Resources Investigations 79
NATIONAL WATER-USE PROGRAM

Water-use data generally has been adequate to meet 

the needs of planners and managers. In recent years, 

however, water management has become increasingly 

complex, and the need for more accurate and complete 

qualitative and quantitative data on water use has 

become apparent. As a result, Federal and State agencies concerned with water-data acquisition have combined their efforts to implement a nationwide water-use 

data program.

The Geological Survey began the Federal-State Cooperative Water-Use Program in 1977. It is designed to collect, to store, and to disseminate water-use data. Many 

elements, covering a broad range of water uses, were 

selected to meet the needs of groups involved in the 

planning, management, and operation of water 

resources. The objectives of the Water-Use Program are 

(1) to account for the water used throughout the United 

States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, (2) to 

organize the data collected so that they may be retrieved 

and used readily, (3) to provide data which will be 

uniform in quality, and (4) to be able to update data and 

to make projections of future water requirements.

The Program is financed through the Federal-State 

Cooperative Program. Direction, management, and 

methods development to provide for a consistent and 

comprehensive national program are responsibilities of 

the Survey. Manpower intensive field activities for acquisition of data are responsibilities of the local agencies 

which already have direct communication with the waterusing community or can readily establish such communication.

As of July 1979, cooperative programs had been undertaken in 35 States, with field data collection activities 

underway in 15 States, and staffing activities underway 

in the remaining 20 States. The level of effort in each

State reflects the availability of cooperative funding both 

at the State and Federal level.

A major requirement of the program was to develop a 

storage and retrieval system for the vast amount of information submitted from the States to the Survey. The 

storage and retrieval system is now in place. It collects 

data about the location and amount of withdrawal, 

return, and use of water and edits and updates the data.

The storage and retrieval system is vital to make the 

water-use data available, but the ultimate strength of the 

program will be determined by the validity of the data 

obtained. Three major considerations must be taken into 

account. The first deals with the measurement of water 

use; the second, with techniques for extrapolating 

sampled information to all of the facilities of a given 

geographic area; and the third, with selection of wateruse measurements and extrapolation methods to provide 

the desired level of accuracy.

A water-use methods manual is being developed that 

addresses two topics. The first concerns methods that 

deal with the physical measurement of water use. This 

includes indirect methods such as the use of electric 

power consumption to estimate ground water pumped 

from wells. The second addresses methods that deal 

with the problems of extrapolating facility-site measurements to the population of facilities in a given 

geographical area. This includes descriptions of 

statistical sampling methods to be used in selecting 

sites or facilities for actual measurement or 

measurement verification.

The Water-Use Program is in its infancy, but 

mechanisms have been initiated to make it more responsive to the information needs of water managers 

throughout the Nation. The cooperative funding, the 

need for the data, and the efforts of State agencies 

should assure steady progress.

Examples of Some Types of Water-Use i Be Available

Domestic Data concefhing water used" by residences, i^

,. institYtiojialye^tabliSI^

Industrial Data concerning water used b^^

facilities.'1 .'. .. : '- ^^^^ ^'^^'' ^liSKM^^ . :

Agriculture-Irrigation J3ata

j

Power-Off stream Data for off stream 

geotherma^ 

' steam electric,.

Preservation Specialized data concerning Irie^s^Jof \wat6r for maihtaining

Recreation-lnstream-^- pata concerning i^

80 I Yearbook 1979

PARTICIPATION IN THE

PRESIDENT'S WATER POLICY REFORM

The President's "Water Message to Congress on 

Water Policy Reform," transmitted June 6, 1978, as well 

as subsequent implementing directives, instructs the 

departments and agencies of the Federal Government to 

carry out policy reforms. The purpose of these policy 

reforms is to develop a more comprehensive and integrated approach to national water-resources management in light of emerging significant problems. Initiatives set forth include improvement in water planning, 

environment quality, water-resources management, and 

water conservation.

Nineteen interagency task forces were formed to identify and recommend ways to implement the stated initiatives. Task force leadership for two of the concerns, 

ground-water supply and instream flows, was assigned 

to the Geological Survey.

The Ground-Water Supply Task Force focused its efforts on improved consideration of the ground-water 

resource in Federal water planning and on expanded 

Federal cooperation with the States in order to resolve 

ground-water problems. The Task Force concluded that 

the ground-water resource is only weakly represented in 

the Federal water-planning process, and the final report

offered specific recommendations, including institutional, planning, and other fundamental steps.

The Task Force also concluded that formal procedures should be established for collaboration and 

mutual technical and program assistance with the 

States to insure high levels of interchange and coordination, and it specified methods of accomplishment.

Finally, the Task Force proposed a National GroundWater Advisory Commission as an effective means for 

confronting the policy, management, and legal 

predicaments surrounding the Nation's ground-water 

resources; for addressing the role of ground water in 

land and water utilization and protection efforts; and for 

recommending the necessary fundamental steps for 

overall improvement of national ground-water utilization 

and protection.

"Instream-flow" needs relate to the various instream 

uses of water and the amount of water needed to satisfy 

those uses. In that context, the Instream Flows Task 

Force addressed six major areas defined by the 

President.

Public workshops were held throughout the Nation. 

Seven reports document the conclusions and recommendations of the Instream Flows Task Force and the 

Ground-Water Supply Task Force.

Technical assistance and 

to the States from Federal agencies'on^;gi:pJindV 

water supply and instream flows were identified 

a report provided to each State describiffgifhje 

of data, sources, and agency contacts.^n^fflf:

Major water-resources construction 

.. |heir p!a'nni-nfl: ,p?$c$g^ 

flows, are being: adequately 

planning. ' ' : : : " ' ; 

Guidelines were developed for determining^iristrelanniflow needs relative to minimum, maximunit and - 

optimum flow; velocity; depth; and water quali^yr:;; 

The quidelines also outlined situations inwhich« 

instream flow should be paramount^ 

process. These guidelines w(pr 

Task Force revising the Principles and' 

Water Resources Planning. " : \':::'l^-'

|^

^gjslatipri js necessary to ^provide for instream °

but a

rnad^ that Federal agencies 

and:; 

 ..'.. -

 ' . :" 

^^ ' i \. ." :v--:

82 I Yearbook 1979
COAL HYDROLOGY 

PROGRAM

The passage of the Surface Mining Control and 

Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) set national policy 

regarding the control of the surface effects of coal mining on the environment. The potential for adverse impacts on water resources and the need to assess and to 

mitigate these potential impacts received considerable 

attention in the Act. One section of the Act (507(b) (11)) 

requires the "appropriate Federal or State agency" to 

"provide hydrologic information on the general area" to 

the mining permit applicant. The Congress recognized 

that this requirement could not be met by existing 

hydrologic data systems and, therefore, authorized new 

funds to begin acquiring the necessary information.

To meet the responsibility imposed by this new program, the Survey first analyzed the existing water-data 

networks in the coal regions of the Nation by using the 

requirements of SMCRA to assess network adequacy. 

The following general areas of deficiency were identified: 

(1) the lack of data on smaller drainage areas, (2) the 

need for additional water-quality information, and (3) the 

need for sediment data.

The Program, which has been implemented to remedy 

these deficiencies, has several facets. First, additional 

water-quality and sediment data collection was initiated 

at existing continuous record surface-water stations. 

Some of these continuous record stations have been 

designed as trend or reference stations. Trend stations 

are those downstream from major mining activities and 

will be used to evaluate the long-term impacts of mining 

and reclamation on stream flow and water quality. 

Reference stations are also long-term stations, but they 

were selected in areas unlikely to be influenced by mining. These stations will provide background data on 

natural variability and the effects of changes other than 

mining on the stream system. New trend and reference 

sites will be chosen and gages installed as dictated by 

changing needs and analysis of the data now being collected. By far the most numerous stations are synoptic 

measurement sites at which seasonal flow-event-related 

measurements are made and water samples collected 

for analysis for selected constituents. This network of 

synoptic stations provides broad areal coverage while 

also providing data on relatively small watersheds. An 

example of the surface-water data station activity being 

used to support SMCRA is shown by the figure below.

This is the network now being operated in Tennessee.

, ; / NORTH

^l)

^(CAROLINA ~~','£>

A L A BAM GEORGIA

Continuous record surface-water station, 

partially or completely funded by Coal Program

 

Synoptic surface-water data site funded by Coal Program

EXPLANATION

Area underlain by 

coal-bearing rocks

Trend surface-water station, partially or 

completely funded by Coal Program

 

Existing surface-water station, not funded by Coal Program
RIVER-QUALITY 

ASSESSMENTS

The objectives of the Geological 

Survey's River-Quality Assessment 

Program are to define the character, 

interrelationships, and causes of existing river-quality conditions and to 

devise and to demonstrate the approaches needed for developing 

technically sound information that 

decisionmakers can use in evaluating 

alternatives for river-quality management.

River-quality problems basically 

stem from two factors the unique 

hydrology of a river basin and man's 

development and use of the land and 

water resources. In the broadest context, river-quality assessment is a 

problem-oriented approach for 

developing information that is appropriate and adequate for sound 

resource management.

Since initiation of the Survey's 

River-Quality Assessment Program in 

1973, assessments have been made 

of the Willamette River, Ore., the 

Yampa River basin, ColoradoWyoming, and the Upper Chattahoochee River basin, Georgia. 

Assessments presently underway include those on the Potomac River 

Estuary, Washington, D.C., the 

Truckee and Carson River basins, 

Nevada-California, the Schuylkill 

River, Pa., and the Apalachicola River, 

Fla.

The Potomac Estuary Study is a 

joint river-quality assessment and 

research project which began in fiscal 

year 1977 and will continue through 

fiscal year 1982. The purpose of the 

assessment is to develop the information required to evaluate alternatives 

for managing water quality in the 

tidal Potomac River and Potomac 

Estuary. The objective is to determine 

the relative impacts of municipal 

discharges, combined sewer overflows, urban runoff, and upstream 

runoff (upstream from the 

Washington, D.C., metropolitan area) 

on dissolved oxygen (DO) depletion 

and algal growth problems. A specific 

question is whether improvement in 

water quality can be achieved by advanced treatment of wastewaters, including denitrification, at the Blue 

Plains Treatment Plant. Such a 

measure would be operationally expensive. Therefore, an analysis of 

potential improvements in water 

quality is needed.

84 I Yearbook 1979

The Potomac River Quality Assessment is composed of three integrated 

elements: DO dynamics, algal growth 

dynamics, and materials transport. 

The DO element is designed to provide information on the source of all 

materials and on the processes which 

might affect DO levels in the tidal 

Potomac River. The work focuses on 

the five major processes affecting 

DO carbonaceous deoxygenation, 

nitrification, deoxygenation by 

materials in benthic deposits, algal 

production-respiration, and reaeration. The first four processes remove 

oxygen from water, and preliminary 

investigations indicate that each is 

occurring at rates significant to 

cause major influences on DO levels 

in the tidal Potomac River.

The algal dynamics element has a 

twofold thrust: to ascertain the impact on DO levels of algal production 

and respiration and to determine the 

relative roles of different major 

nutrients, particularly nitrogen and 

phosphorous, in controlling the 

amount and species of algae that 

grow in the Potomac Estuary. One 

specific objective is to determine how 

nitrogen and phosphorus levels affect 

the tinning and location of nuisance 

algal growths. A second specific objective is to collect information from 

all elements of the study to determine 

the sources of the nutrients that trigger undesirable algal growths. The 

important question is whether additional removal of major nutrients from 

municipal discharges, especially Blue 

Plains, would be sufficient to halt the 

undesirable growths.

The transport station element unifies the DO and algal elements of the 

assessment and also links the 

assessment and research components of the overall Potomac 

Estuary Study. In the transport station work, measurement cross sections have been established at Chain 

Bridge, Alexandria, Quantico, 301 

Bridge, and Piney Point. Water 

samples are collected at these sections two to four times weekly and 

analyzed for nutrients, oxygen-demanding substances, and suspended 

sediment. The data will be used as input to a flow model to follow the 

movement of these substances 

through the estuary.

The research component of the 

Potomac Estuary Study is designed 

to answer specific questions concerning estuarine dynamics and to contribute important data and information to the assessment component.

The research is comprised of six projects concerned with geochemistry, 

geomorphology, hydrodynamics, sediment transport, benthic ecology, and 

submerged vegetation. The geochemistry project is particularly important 

to the assessment component 

because it focuses on phosphorous 

cycling, especially the exchange of 

phosphorous between the water column and river-bed sediments.

Those working on the benthic 

ecology project made a discovery of 

major economic importance in fiscal 

year 1979 when surveys documented 

the first appearance in the estuary of 

the Asian hard-shelled clam, Corbicula. The Asian clam represents a 

potential nuisance because it is 

known to clog water-intake pipes.

The basins of the Truckee and Carson Rivers encompass 7,250 square 

miles spanning the California-Nevada 

State line in the Lake Tahoe area. 

Within the basins are the rapidly 

growing Reno-Carson City area 

(Nevada's second largest socioeconomic area), intense recreational 

development surrounding Lake Tahoe, 

and some of the most productive 

agricultural lands in Nevada. Both 

rivers traverse rapidly developing 

valleys between their headwaters in 

the Sierra Nevada Range and their 

termini in the deserts of Nevada. During the traverse, flow and quality are 

greatly diminished in each river by 

agricultural withdrawals coupled with 

agricultural wastewater returns and 

urban runoff.

The Truckee River ends in Pyramid 

Lake, a semisaline water body that is 

the habitat of two unique fish, the 

Lahontan cutthroat trout (Salmo Clark i 

Henshawaii) and the Cui-ui 

lakesucker (Chasmistes Cujus), on 

the endangered and threatened 

species list. The Carson River ends in 

agricultural return flows into a desert 

sink. The two basins are interconnected in the headwaters by diversion 

of treated municipal wastes from the 

Lake Tahoe basin and in their lower 

reaches by diversions from the lower 

Truckee River for irrigation of reclaimed lands in the Carson Desert. 

The long-term sustained water supply 

in the Truckee River basin will soon 

be insufficient to satisfy competing 

demands for agriculture, municipal 

supply, waste assimilation, fish maintenance, and recreation.

The major goal of the Truckee and 

Carson Rivers Study is development 

of methods for conducting river-
quality assessments in water-short 

areas. The program design treats the 

two interconnected basins as one 

hydrologic unit for the consideration 

of water-quality problems. The study 

has two major objectives: to document the existing hydrologic and institutional frameworks to provide the 

necessary basis for assessing river 

quality and to perform detailed 

evaluation of critical problems in 

specific reaches.

To meet the objectives, the Truckee 

and Carson Rivers Assessment has 

devised the following major elements: 

(1) development of a hydrologic atlas 

to fully describe, for the first time, the 

hydrologic characteristics of the 

basins, (2) detailing of the legal, institutional, and structural development of water resources in the basins 

and the current problems and conflicts, (3) development of a workshop 

approach to involve local management in the direction and results of 

the study, (4) development of a comprehensive streamflow model encompassing both basins to provide a 

quantitative hydrologic framework for 

water-quality analysis, (5) development of a water-quality transport 

model for dissolved oxygen and other 

constituents in selected reaches of 

the Truckee River, and (6) a detailed 

examination of selected fish habitats 

for specified reaches of the Truckee 

River.

The assessment is designed to provide a hydrologic overview of the twobasin system and to specially examine DO and fish-habitat-related 

problems in the Truckee River below 

Reno. The workshop will enable local 

water-quality managers to have input 

to the assessment and to have 

results described and discussed in 

great detail. The workshop will also 

point up other problems that will require future evaluation.

Waters of the Schuylkill River are 

used heavily for municipal and industrial water supply, recreation, and 

waste assimilation. Previous studies 

by the Pennsylvania Department of 

Environmental Resources (DER) have 

indicated numerous water-quality 

problems, of which DER considers 

the presence of trace metals and 

trace organic substances to be the 

most significant. The presence of 

trace substances is a concern from 

the standpoint of both the welfare of 

the general public and the protection 

of the aquatic ecosystem of the 

Schuylkill River and Delaware

Estuary. Post-DER studies and a recent survey of river-bed sediments by 

the project staff have found high concentrations of trace metals and 

organic compounds that are considered to be priority toxic pollutants 

by the Environmental Protection 

Agency. These include lead, chromium, cadmium, copper, zinc, nickel, 

PCB's, chlordane, DOT, DDE, and 

DDD.

The Schuylkill River-Quality Assessment has two major objectives: to 

determine the source areas, distribution, and transport mechanisms of 

trace metals and trace organic 

substances in the Schuylkill River 

basin and to generally devise and 

demonstrate approaches, strategies, 

and methods for sampling trace substances in a river for the purpose of 

providing information suitable for 

planning and management.

Results of the study are intended 

to provide basin planners with useful 

information for managing trace substances occurrence. Potential management options include controlling 

or eliminating the sources of such 

substances and controlling the 

distribution of trace substances that 

attach to sediment through a program 

of periodic dredging of pools in the 

lower Schuylkill River.

The Apalachicola River is part of a 

relatively undisturbed river-wetland 

system whose extensive flood plain is 

inundated several months each year.

The flood plain supports a great diversity and biomass of vegetation that 

provides an important source of 

nutrients and detritus (particulate 

organic matter) to the river system.

The Apalachicola Study has two 

major objectives: to devise and to 

evaluate approaches and methods for 

assessing the interrelations between 

hydrologic processes and the supply 

of nutrients and detritus transported 

from a wetland and to initiate the 

development of the data base required for eventual assessment of the 

impacts of river alterations on the 

Apalachicola system. The problemsolving orientation of other 

assessments cannot be followed 

because suitable field methodologies 

are presently lacking to assess the 

important wetland processes and 

their relationships.

The Apalachicola River basin is 

ideally suited for testing an array of 

general wetland assessment approaches and specific methods. The 

main processes addressed are (1) the 

relationship between flood plain 

hydrodynamics and flood plain tree 

communities, (2) the production and 

decomposition of leaf litter to produce nutrients and detritus, and (3) 

the transport of nutrients and organic 

matter from the flood plain. The net 

effect of these processes is the export of nutrients and detritus to 

Apalachicola Bay where these substances are utilized by abundant 

oyster, crab, and shrimp populations.

/'^Willamette River ^___, ^ _^^,^_.

? v-^~ -1. <, \ # J\ >^ ,*< / ( ^v^rrl-, ^y-

"T~ Yampa Hiver~~ 4 \ U_,-g/'^... '~^ 

f ~~A- _ l r Scnuylkill :;r ;

: Carson-Truckee

EXPLANATION

Completed studies Studies in progress

Water Resources Investigations | 85
URBAN HYDROLOGY STUDIES

In recent years, the pollution level of many streams 

has declined as a result of efforts to clean up the 

discharges from industrial and municipal watertreatment plants. This reduction in pollution from point 

sources has made more obvious the extent of pollution 

from nonpoint sources such as urban streets. Definition 

of the urban storm-water pollution component has 

become a critical need in the effort to clean up the Nation's waters.

Prior to the last decade, the principal involvement of 

the Geological Survey in the field of urban hydrology 

was related to the flood potential of urban storm runoff. 

More recently, with impetus from the Federal Water 

Pollution Control Act (Public Law 92-500, Section 208), 

significant concern has been directed toward the problem of water-quality degradation resulting from urban 

runoff. During the past 6 years, pilot studies of urban 

storm-water quality were conducted in Denver, Colo., 

Portland, Ore., Philadelphia, Pa., and in the Miami and 

south Florida area. Much was learned from these studies 

relating to the collection and analysis of storm-water 

data. A finding in the Portland study was that concentrations of settleable solids and coliform bacteria in storm 

runoff were at times higher than in discharge from 

secondary waste-treatment plants.

A new program of urban storm-water studies was 

begun in 1979. The studies are patterned after the four 

pilot projects recently completed, but the goals have

been broadened to meet the combined objectives of the 

Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency. An 

agreement between the two agencies specifies collaboration on a number of studies with the objective of 

establishing a nationwide data base and preparing interpretive reports that can assist local agencies in planning 

the management of urban storm water. Additional objectives are to develop methods of transferring study 

results to other areas and to test the effectiveness of 

management alternatives aimed at reducing pollutants 

washed into streams and lakes.

New studies were underway or were started in the 

following metropolitan areas during 1979: Bellevue, 

Wash., Denver, Colo., Long Island, N.Y., Rochester, N.Y., 

Milwaukee, Wise., Salt Lake City, Utah, Chicago, III., 

Topeka, Kan., Minneapolis, Minn., and Salem, Ore.

These studies entail a data collection program for 2 to 

3 years. Rainfall, runoff, and water-quality data are being 

collected on from 3 to 10 typical urban watersheds in 

each metropolitan area with the use of automatic recording and water-sampling equipment. The multiple water 

samples collected during each storm are analyzed for 20 

or more water-quality constituents. These data are interpreted by using statistical procedures and complex 

watershed models. The results will be used to assess 

the magnitude of pollution from urban storm water compared to that from point sources and to test the effectiveness of management alternatives.

Almost 5 pounds of litter per day are deposited along each 100 feet of curb in commercial urban areas. Of this, about one-third is dissolved by rainfall during storm periods. A 

2-week accumulation, if carried off in a 2-hour period, could have a peak pollution load 

of over 150 percent of that of treated sewage.

86 Yearbook 1979
DATA RELAY AND IMPROVED INSTRUMENTATION

The Water Resources Division currently operates 

about 16,000 data-collection stations on rivers and 

streams throughout the United States. Data from these 

stations provide information for a wide variety of uses 

such as managing reservoirs; issuing flood warnings; 

allocating water for irrigation and hydroelectric power; 

monitoring the flow of streams to insure that treaties, 

contracts, and other legal agreements are honored; and 

monitoring the quality and quantity of the water in the 

Nation's rivers and streams.

Over the years, new methods have been developed for 

recording and distributing the information collected at 

the stream-gaging stations to improve the reliability of 

the data and the timeliness of distribution. One technique now being tested is the use of Earth satellites for 

relaying measurements from the data-collection stations 

to central processing and distribution facilities.

At the present time, measurements taken at most 

data-collection stations are automatically punched on 

paper tapes that are retrieved during visits to each site 

at intervals of 4 to 6 weeks. The tapes are manually 

checked for errors and then entered into devices that 

transmit the data on the tapes through telephone lines 

to computers located at the Survey's National Headquarters in Reston, Va. After the data have been edited 

and processed in these computers, they are available for 

retrieval through the Survey's national network of remote 

computer terminals. Although the measurements are 

recorded on site in a timely manner, the collection and 

processing under this system takes at least 4 to 6 weeks 

because the data are manually retrieved from the stations.

Satellite data relay has been under way for the past 7 

years. During this period, data collected at selected 

remote stations (140 were operating in fiscal year 1979) 

have been transmitted through the satellite system to 

computers where they are received, processed, and 

distributed within minutes from the time they were 

recorded. Each station has been equipped with batteryoperated radios containing the small computers that 

control both the acquisition of data from records and the 

data transmission to satellites. At intervals of 15 

minutes to 3 hours, the radios transmit data to satellites 

orbiting 23,000 miles above the Earth's equator. The 

satellites relay the data to central receiving stations on 

Earth, and, from there, the data are transmitted over 

standard telephone lines to the Survey computers.

Two satellite data-collection systems are being 

evaluated: the Geostationary Operational Environmental 

Satellite Data Collection System operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National 

Environmental Satellite Service and a commercial 

satellite system used by the COMSAT General Corp. 

under contract to the Survey. These systems differ from 

each other in a variety of ways, having different 

technical and managerial requirements.

Evaluations have demonstrated that there are other 

benefits to satellite data-collection systems in addition 

to the more efficient use of manpower and the time

saved in collecting hydrologic data. Using satellite datacollection systems, technicians in the field offices have 

data available that are only hours old; this enables them 

to monitor the remote instrumentation daily and to identify sensor problems within hours, rather than weeks. 

Such monitoring activity significantly reduces the loss of 

data because of damaged or malfunctioning equipment. 

The availability of current data also makes it possible to 

sense critical hydrologic events at their outset. For example, a hydrologist in an office located at a distance 

from an actual data-collection site can monitor a rapidly 

rising river stage in time to warn of an impending flood.

Relaying data by means of satellites is proving successful on a small scale and may soon replace many 

time-consuming links in the chain of data collection and 

dissemination. The present network of 140 satellitesupported data-collection sites will grow in the next 10 

years, and the capability to collect many different kinds 

of data may also increase. When data are needed from a 

certain area, the selection of sites in that area will no 

longer depend on the proximity of telephone or powerlines because satellites have equal accessibility to 

almost any point on the Earth, and power can be provided on the site by batteries charged from solar panels. 

The use of satellite data-relay systems has proven costeffective and holds promise for contributing to more effective management of the Nation's water resources.
GEOHYDROLOGIC RESEARCH IN 

RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL

It is generally recognized that wastes from the generation of nuclear power must be isolated from the 

biosphere. The Geological Survey's involvement in the 

problem of radioactive waste disposal results from the 

fact that the primary agent in the transport of radionuclides to the biosphere is water.

Studies in this program include geologic and hydrologic research of general applicability to the identification and characterization of waste-disposal sites, investigations of specific sites where wastes have been 

stored, and studies of regions or environments where 

waste-disposal sites might be located. The research program may be divided into three categories, high-level 

radioactive waste 1 studies, low-level waste 2 studies, and 

cooperative studies on behalf of the Department of 

Energy (DOE) related to both high- and low-level wastes. 

The first two categories are funded by Congressional appropriations to the Geological Survey. The third category 

is supported by DOE. The high-level waste studies and 

those performed on behalf of DOE are a joint effort of 

the Water Resources and Geologic Divisions.

The Survey's studies of high-level waste disposal, first 

initiated in fiscal year 1979, are influenced significantly 

by the fact that the responsibility for selection and 

design of waste-repository sites rests with DOE. The 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Environmental Protection Agency are responsible for licensing the facility 

and establishing criteria for judging its environmental effects. The Geological Survey's research on high-level 

wastes is designed to complement and augment the 

DOE program. As a result of the close coordination required, the two agencies have prepared a plan for 

screening successively smaller land units on a national 

scale, based on geologic and hydrologic considerations. 

The ultimate objective is to identify several wastedisposal sites.

The essential feature of the Survey's high-level waste 

studies is the emphasis on locating sites with relatively 

independent multiple barriers to nuclide transport. This 

concept was adopted to overcome deficiencies in our 

ability to characterize adequately the volumes of rock 

around a repository and to predict waste-rock-water reactions, natural events, and nuclide transport. The phrase 

"multiple barriers" refers to both manmade and natural 

barriers in the form of hydrodynamic, geochemical, and 

geologic characteristics that would impede radionuclide 

transport. One objective is the identification of environments or systems of rocks where such multiple 

natural barriers occur. A second objective is the identification and understanding of critical geologic proper-

' Includes fission products that initially have a high level of beta and 

gamma radiation; also transuranic elements with a long toxic life. Transuranic waste contains long-lived alpha emitters at concentrations greater 

than 10 nanocuries per gram.

2 Waste that does not fit the definition of high-level waste and in which 

the concentration of transuranic elements is less than 10 nanocuries per 

gram.

ties and processes involved in radionuclide migration 

from a repository to the biosphere. In the context of 

identifying environments providing multiple natural barriers to radionuclide migration, investigations will be expanded for selected rocks that could serve as host media 

for emplacing the waste.

The principal purpose of the research in low-level 

waste disposal, which was started in the Survey in 1975, 

was to develop geohydrologic guidelines which can be 

used to establish technical criteria for selecting, 

evaluating, licensing, and operating new waste-disposal 

sites. The program was designed to be a 5-year endeavor, ending in fiscal year 1980. It includes detailed field 

studies of several commercially operated disposal sites, 

augmented and supported by research on hydrologic 

processes and the development of better methods for 

conducting field, laboratory, and modeling studies. The 

intent is to utilize these sites as field laboratories for 

long-term studies of the fate of buried wastes in relation 

to prevailing geohydrologic conditions. In view of the 

broad range and variety of geohydrologic conditions 

represented by the sites, this segment of the program is 

particularly useful for guidelines which the regulatory 

and operational agencies can use to establish technical 

criteria for licensing new sites.

In general these studies involve defining the following 

tasks:

 The geologic and hydrologic conditions at the site that 

are pertinent to the subsurface leaching and 

migration of waste radionuclides in ground water.

 Leach rates and source terms for modeling the 

transport of buried radionuclides.

 The extent, rate of movement, and concentration of

migratory radionuclides in ground water. 

The Geological Survey's cooperative studies on behalf 

of DOE include a variety of geologic and hydrologic 

studies of DOE low-level waste-disposal facilities and of 

areas or regions selected by DOE where high-level 

waste-disposal repositories might be located. The lowlevel waste-disposal facilities under study are at the Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee and the Idaho 

National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Mineralogical, 

geochemical, and stable isotope studies of sedimentary 

deposits beneath a waste burial site at INEL have helped 

to show how major climatic fluctuations in the past 

200,000 years have affected ground-water movement and 

the chemical alteration of minerals. This information is 

useful in assessing the potential effects of any future 

climatic changes on the subsurface mobility of waste 

radionuclides. (The cover picture of this volume relates 

to this study.) The areas under study where DOE is considering locating high-level repositories include bedded 

salt in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant site in southeastern New Mexico; shale and granite bodies in the 

Nevada Test Site area; salt anticlines in the Paradox 

Basin, Utah; Gulf Coast salt domes in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas; bedded salt in the Salina Basin, N.Y.;

88 I Yearbook 1979
and basalt in the Hanford Reservation area, Washington. 

The Eleana argillite in part of the Nevada Test Site was 

eliminated as a potential repository site when studies 

revealed the extreme complexity of structural conditions.

Some general observations of the characteristics of 

radionuclide transport have been made on the basis of 

studies of 10 shallow low-level waste-disposal sites in 

humid to arid locations. These observations resulted 

from the Survey's low-level waste studies and the 

cooperative studies of DOE facilities (both described 

above). Waste tritium, a radioisotope of hydrogen, apparently has migrated lateral distances ranging from a

\

few feet to more than 2,100 feet in ground water beneath 

8 of the 10 sites, including all 6 of the sites in humid 

areas. Other nuclides such as cobalt-60, cesium-137, 

strontium-90, and transuranic elements (plutonium and 

americium) have migrated laterally from a few feet to 

about 300 feet. Dissolved organic compounds in the 

ground water appear to enhance the mobility of certain 

radionuclides at some sites. Arid-zone sites appear to 

have the least potential for nuclide migration in ground 

water. Quantitative determination of ground-water flow 

has proved to be extremely difficult at sites in arid 

regions and where there are fractured rocks.

^Casks of low-level solid radioactive waste being buried 

I in trenches at a commercial disposal site near Barnwell, S. C. The Water Resources Division of the U.S. 

Geological Survey is investigating the geologic and 

hydrologic characteristics of this site and several 

others in an effort to establish better technical 

guidelines for size selection and operation. 

(Photograph by J. M. Cahill)

Part of the U.S. Geological Survey's hydrologic investigations of low-level radioactive waste sites entails highly sophisticated sampling of subsurface 

leachate solutions in the buried waste. Brookhaven 

National Laboratory personnel, shown here at the 

Barnwell, S. C. disposal site, work in cooperation with 

the Survey and Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the 

collection and analysis of these samples. (Photograph 

by J. B. Robertson)T

Water Resources Investigations | 89
RESEARCH PROGRAM

The goal of the Research Program in the Water 

Resources Division is to develop a sufficient understanding of hydrologic systems to permit quantitative prediction of the response of these systems to either natural or 

manmade stresses.

The approach to the research can be described as 

basic, which is exploration of the scientific principles 

controlling the quantity and quality of the Nation's water 

resources, and problem oriented, which involves support 

of the Survey's programs by providing operational and interpretative tools such as mathematical prediction 

models, sample collection, treatment, and analytical 

methods to provide meaningful data. The underlying principle of these efforts is that the information and 

understanding produced will be synthesized and made 

available to the scientific community and the general 

public as rapidly as possible. The products resulting 

from the research efforts are intended to provide the 

tools and basic understanding to facilitate the management and enjoyment of the Nation's water resources.

Some of the recent significant research results are 

summarized below.

 Using borehole geophysical tools, it was demonstrated 

that it is possible to describe the hydrothermal 

alteration, lithology, and fractures of igneous and 

metamorphic rocks. This is of importance in understanding the hydrology of geothermal areas.

 A branched-network flow model was completed that 

provides the capability to predict discharge data for 

streams. The model has been applied successfully to 

several river reaches including the Sacramento, Connecticut, Columbia, Hudson, and Detroit Rivers.

 Isotopic analyses of calcite precipitated on the 

bedrock beneath a modern temperate glacier show 

that this calcite records the oxygen isotope composition of the ice from that glacier. Extending this 

finding to calcite precipitated under Pleistocene ice 

sheets could improve the interpretation of ice-age 

temperatures.

 A three-dimensional ground-water model has been 

developed that includes consideration of the effect 

of exchange capacity or other solute retardation 

phenomena of porous media as well as the effects 

of radioactive decay on the composition of the 

water. This state-of-the-art model was designed for 

use on hydrological problems associated with radioactive waste disposal.

 A study of oil shale retort waste water interactions 

with soil showed that retort water dispersed soil colloids causing the soil to become impermeable. Soil 

humic and fulvic acids were extracted by retort 

water, and the soil-sorbed ammonia, from retort 

water.

 Methane-producing bacteria have been definitely identified in the native microbial population of the saline 

ground waters under Florida. The possibility of producing usable amounts of energy by feeding industrial wastes to these bacteria is being 

investigated.

High concentrations of iron and manganese in well 

water have been linked to the occurrence of ironand manganese-reducing bacteria. The bacteria appeared to be feeding on commercial organic drilling 

mud for their carbon and energy requirements.

The community structure of benthic invertebrates was 

changed in a reach of Little Lost Man Creek affected 

by experimental injection of soluble nutrients and 

some trace metals. A preliminary report shows that 

the population of the widespread stream-living caddisfly, Glossosoma, decreased significantly below 

the injection point. Other evidences of biological 

stress and their causes are being sought in this 

study.

Despite previously held concepts of some geomorphologists that blockfields (areas of very large 

boulders) are probably stable relects of the 

Pleistocene, studies in Virginia have shown that 

movements of blockfields can be correlated with 

high stream flows. :

Tree-ring analysis has been found useful for dating infrequent floods on ungaged streams and extending 

flood records on gaged streams. Using this technique on Passage Creek, Va., the flood record was 

extended back to 1851, compared to the gage record 

which extended only as far back as the 1930's.

Tree-ring estimations of drought index in northern 

Virginia indicated that the first one-half of the 20th 

century contained near-average number of dry years 

but a disproportionately small number of nearnormal years and a large number of wet years. By 

contrast, the last one-half of the 19th century included only about two-thirds as many wet years as 

expected from the average (1746-1975), with about 

one-fifth more near-normal years and one-seventh 

more dry years than average.

Sequential filtration studies on trench leachate 

samples from the Maxey Flats, Ky., radioactive 

waste-burial site indicate that the preponderance of 

the plutonium in these leachates is not in colloidal 

or particulate form but is in true solution because it 

can pass through a 0.05-micrometer porosity filter. 

Chemical evidence suggests that most of the 

plutonium is present in organic complexes (mostly 

anionic), and some is so tightly bound that it is not 

removed from solution by a ferric hydroxide carrier 

precipitation at pH 7.5. These results are significant 

to studies of the migration of actinide in ground 

water near radioactive waste-burial sites.

Evaluation of selected geomorphic features and 

hydrogeologic factors suggests that parts of the 

southern Great Basin, Nev., were marked by deepwater tables and long ground-water flow paths during the wet Pleistocene pluvial 1 periods, much as 

they are today. Water table rises due to future 

pluvials are not, therefore, likely to preclude use of 

the Nevada Test Site as a repository for radioactive 

wastes, provided other requisite conditions are met 

at this site.

1 Period of high rainfall associated with glacial activity.

90 I Yearbook 1979
Glacier mass balances now can be measured and 

computed far more accurately and completely. In addition to the usual snow, firn, and ice-balance components previously defined, methods have been 

developed for the determination of internal meltwater accumulation (melt water refrozen in fall below 

the summer surface plus melt water refrozen in 

spring during the thawing-out process), and the 

water produced due to the conversion of potential 

energy to heat of fusion as a glacier flows downhill.

The lighter colored material is calcite that 

recently precipitated beneath a modern 

mountain glacier (Glacier National Park, 

Mont.) when it overrode the dark-colored 

Precambrian calcareous bedrock. The 

rod points in the direction of the movement 

of the ice.

Water Resources Investigations | 91
GROUND-WATER STUDIES

In fiscal year 1979, the Water Resources Division completed a series of professional papers, Summary Appraisals of the Nation's Ground-Water Resources, covering 

21 regions in the United States. The appraisals address 

matters of urban area water management, land and 

water use planning, and the quantity and quality of 

ground-water supplies.

In some areas of the country, a great deal is known 

about the ground-water resources. However, integrated 

information on the aquifer systems for the entire country 

is inadequate for present needs. It is apparent that with 

the growing water demands for energy-producing industries, for irrigation, and to meet the needs of rapid urban 

growth, pumpage of ground water will increase dramatically in the coming decades. Information on ground-water 

resources must be upgraded if effective management of 

both surface- and ground-water resources is to be 

accomplished.

The Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program (RASA) 

was established to develop ground-water information 

from a regional perspective, thus providing a basis both 

for regional management and for more detailed 

hydrologic investigations at the secondary scale. Twentyeight aquifer systems have been identified for study 

under this Program. Some of these systems are interconnected aquifers and aquitards; others are simply groups 

of aquifers which are hydraulically independent but 

which are sufficiently similar to be studied in a single effort. Together, these 28 aquifer systems account for 

most of the ground-water reserves of the country.

Although each investigation is designed to fit the particular problems of its study area, all of the projects will 

use computer-based simulations to analyze the existing 

flow system and to provide predictive capabilities 

through which the effects of future pumpage, waste 

disposal, and other stresses can be evaluated. The 

simulations will be based upon a full assemblage of 

existing data and such new data as is required to fill 

critical gaps in the available information. In some cases, 

collection of this new data will require extensive field 

operations.

Information will be assembled on the quality of water 

throughout each aquifer system, again by bringing 

together all existing information and collecting any field 

data required to fill the gaps. An effort will be made to

interpret this water-quality information in terms of the 

original flow pattern and the changes that have occurred 

in response to development, as inferred from the 

hydraulic simulations. Using the water-quality data in 

conjunction with predicted flow patterns, as derived from 

the hydraulic models, some insight may be gained into 

future quality problems.

Products from each study will consist of a series of 

reports, beginning with summaries of data as it is 

assembled, and culminating in interpretative reports including the results of predictive simulations.

The program will continue for approximately 10 years 

and will utilize such advances in investigative technology as may occur during that period. The average 

length of study of each aquifer will be approximately 4 

years. Three studies were initiated in fiscal year 

1978 the High Plains, the northern Great Plains, and 

the Central Valley of California. Studies of the 

Southeastern Carbonate aquifers, the Northern Midwest 

sandstone aquifers, and the Southwest Alluvial basins 

were initiated in fiscal year 1979.

Significant accomplishments under the RASA Program 

to date include the development of maps showing water 

quality, water level, and aquifer characteristics in all of 

the projects started in fiscal year 1978. Work on similar 

maps is underway for studies initiated in fiscal year 

1979. Several test holes have been completed, and considerable data have been acquired from oil company 

sources. In the latter category, a drill stem test and a 

water sampling operation have been conducted on an exploratory well 50 miles off the coast of Florida confirming the existence of fresh water in the Continental Shelf 

sediments at that distance offshore.

The RASA studies are designed to complement the 

Geological Survey's continuing program of cooperative 

ground-water investigations. As a rule, investigations initiated under the Federal-State Cooperative Program are 

of subregional scope and frequently are oriented to the 

solution of specific problems. Because the RASA studies 

are designed to look at the regional picture, they will 

serve to tie together local investigations, whether past, 

present, or future; in terms of simulation, they will provide boundary flows for detailed local models. Thus, the 

RASA Program is expected to act as a stimulus for 

subregional and local hydrologic investigations.

92 I Yearbook 1979
OFFICE OF WATER DATA 

COORDINATION

NATIONAL WATER DATA 

EXCHANGE

In fiscal year 1979, the Office of Water Data Coordination (OWDC) continued its coordinating activities with 

Federal and other organizations and individuals. OWDC 

is counseled on these activities by two committees. The 

Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data (IACWD) 

is composed of representatives from more than 30 

Federal agencies. The Advisory Committee on Water 

Data for Public Use is composed of members from outside the Federal Government and includes representatives from professional and technical societies, State 

and regional water agencies, universities, and consultants. The OWDC activity involves the planning, 

designing, and documenting of water-data programs; 

development of standards for data acquisition and 

handling; and coordination of data activities of all 

Federal agencies.

At the 13th meeting of the IACWD, sponsorship of the 

Interagency Sedimentation Committee of the Water 

Resources Council was transferred to the IACWD. Now 

named the Sub-committee on Sedimentation, this working group published its annual report entitled Notes on 

Sedimentation Activities Calendar Year 1977.

The first volume, which relates to coal resources, of a 

special five-volume index to the Catalog of Information 

on Water Data was published. Prepared in cooperation 

with the Office of Surface Mining, this index will provide 

information on the availability of water-resources data 

for the major coal provinces of the United States. In addition to the volume published for the Eastern coal province, the remaining volumes will cover the Interior coal 

province, the northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountain 

coal provinces, the Pacific Coast and Alaska coal provinces, and the Gulf Coast coal province.

Developing standards for collecting and handling 

water data is an important continuing interagency activity sponsored by OWDC. In the past year, chapter 5, 

"Chemical and Physical Quality of Water and Sediment," 

was updated, and chapters on "Snow and Ice" and 

"Hydrometeorological Observations" were completed.

Two new working groups were established to prepare 

chapters for the National Handbook of Recommended 

Methods for Water-Data Acquisition. The chapters will 

cover "Water Use Data" and "Data Handling and Exchange."

The National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX), 

established in 1976, is a confederation of water-oriented 

organizations working together on a national basis to improve access to water information by assisting users in 

the identification, location, and acquisition of needed 

data. A central program office within the Water 

Resources Division coordinates this linkage and provides 

overall management of the program.

NAWDEX services are available through an expanded 

nationwide network of 60 Assistance Centers, located in 

45 States and Puerto Rico, which provide direct access 

to NAWDEX and make local-area expertise available to 

aid in locating needed data. This network includes the 

facilities of 52 Geological Survey District and Subdistrict 

Offices, the Texas Natural Resources Information 

System (TNRIS), the Water Resources Research Institute 

of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 

the Iowa Water Resources Data System, the Nebraska 

Natural Resources Information System, the Great Lakes 

Information Center, the Utah Division of Water Rights, 

the Utah State University Center for Water Resources 

Research, and the Colorado Water Resources Research 

Institute.

NAWDEX maintains two computerized data bases in 

the Geological Survey's computer system in Reston, Va., 

which are accessible by the Assistance Centers. The 

Water Data Sources Directory contains information compiled for more than 660 organizations. Information on 

other organizations will be added on a continuing basis. 

NAWDEX also maintains a nationwide indexing service 

through its Master Water Data Index. In 1979, this computerized index was expanded to identify more than 

310,000 sites for which water data are available. Additional sites are being added on a continuing basis.

NAWDEX also has direct access to and disseminates 

water data stored in the Environmental Protection Agency's Storage and Retrieval System (STORET) and in the 

Geological Survey's National Water Data Storage and 

Retrieval System (WATSTORE). STORET services are 

available through the NAWDEX program office and 

through TNRIS. Data from WATSTORE are available 

through most of the Assistance Centers. NAWDEX also 

has service-exchange arrangements with the Environmental Data and Information Service of the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Water 

Resources Scientific Information Center of the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, and the Water Document 

Reference Centre of the Canadian Department of the Environment. Various types of water data are available 

from data systems of other member organizations. 

NAWDEX can, therefore, readily assist users to locate 

data available for a specific geographic area.

Water Resources Investigations | 93
FLOODS

BACKWATER AT BRIDGES AND 

DENSELY WOODED FLOOD PLAINS

A series of 22 Hydrologic Investigations Atlases 

designed to improve methods of computing the 

backwater effects of bridges on floodflows in densely 

vegetated areas was published by the Geological Survey 

in 1978-79. The atlases covered 10 sites in Mississippi, 7 

sites in Louisiana, and 5 sites in Alabama. Thirty-five 

floods were measured.

The atlases provide flood data needed to develop improved computer models that can better predict the 

backwater effects where wide densely wooded flood 

plains are crossed by highway embankments and singleopening bridges. The reports and the methodology were 

developed by the Geological Survey in cooperation with 

the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Federal 

Highway Administration, the Alabama State Highway 

Department, the Louisiana Department of Transportation 

and Development, and the Mississippi State Highway 

Department.

Bridges and embankments can contribute significantly 

to the height of floodwaters and the amount of backwater that causes overland flooding. Improved accuracy 

in predicting these effects will not only result in more 

economical bridge designs but also can reduce substantially the potential damage from future floods.

Each atlas contains a descriptive text and shows flood 

measurements. Data are presented in metric units on 

enlarged topographic maps with scales ranging from 

1:2,000 to 1:8,000. Measurements include water depths, 

velocities, and discharges through bridge openings 

together with peak water-surface elevations along 

highway embankments and valley cross sections; 

roughness coefficient values; and flood-frequency relationships.

DOCUMENTATION OF 

MAJOR FLOODS

The Geological Survey and the National Weather Service have a long history of cooperation in monitoring and 

describing the Nation's hydrologic cycle the movement 

of water as atmospheric moisture, as precipitation, as 

runoff, as streamflow, and as ground water and, finally, 

its evaporation into the atmosphere to begin the cycle 

again. The National Weather Service is the Federal 

agency responsible for monitoring and predicting atmospheric moisture and precipitation, for forecasting 

riverflow, and for issuing warnings of destructive 

weather events. The Geological Survey is the primary 

agency for monitoring the quantity and quality of the 

Earth-bound water resources. Documentation of major 

floods in the United States is an example of the 

cooperative working arrangement between the two agencies. Such investigations of disastrous floods which 

cause loss of life and billions of dollars in property 

damage provide the technical information needed to 

cope with future floods of catastrophic magnitude.

In 1979, in cooperation with the National Weather 

Service, the Geological Survey published Professional 

Paper 1087, Maine Coastal Storm and Flood of February 

2, 1976. The report documents the meteorological and 

hydrological conditions associated with the flooding and 

contains a description of storm damage, including flood 

elevations at various locations.

Professional papers documenting the major floods 

which were under investigations in 1979 will be published. These are Mississippi and Alabama April 1979; 

central Texas August 1978; Powder River and Bighorn 

River basins, Montana and Wyoming May 1978; Greater 

Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas September 1977; 

Johnstown area, western Pennsylvania July 1977; Appalachian region of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and 

West Virginia April 1977; and Big Thompson River and 

Cache La Poudre River basins, Larimer and Weld Counties, Colorado July-August 1976.

Study sites in the Bridge Backwater Investigation Project in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

94 I Yearbook 1979
Looking downstream toward single-opening bridge and highway embankment, Yockanookany River near Thomastown, Miss. Overflow 

on densely wooded flood plain may be more than a mile wide during a major flood. The width of the bridge opening is about 600 feet.

90

35' 35°

94'

94'

0 25 50 75 MILES

EXPLANATION

Gaging station location

Water Resources Investigations | 95
Conservation of Lands and Minerals

MISSION

The Conservation Division performs several evaluation 

and regulatory functions concerning the leasing, 

classification, operations, and use of mineral and water 

resources on Federal and Indian lands. These functions 

were delegated to the U.S. Geological Survey by the 

Secretary of the Interior and are accomplished through 

two major missions:

 Evaluation of resources, which includes the classification of public lands to identify areas containing 

potentially valuable leasable minerals and areas 

valuable for waterpower and water-storage purposes 

and evaluation of mineral resources on tracts of 

public land that are made available for private 

development through a competitive leasing process, 

are exchanged or are sold.

 Supervision of operations, which is associated with 

the exploration, development, and production of 

minerals from leased Federal, Indian, and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands, including the collection of 

royalties for minerals produced and certain rentals.

The Geological Survey acquired data for the sound 

development of mineral resources, for protection of the 

environmental characteristics of public lands and also 

supported the missions of other Federal agencies. These 

agencies include the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 

the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Park Service, 

the Bureau of Reclamation within the Department of the 

Interior and the Department of Defense, the Forest Service, the General Services Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of 

Energy outside the Department.

Production and value of all minerals produced from 

Federal and Indian lands are provided on a calendar year 

basis to be compatible with statistics published by the 

Department of Energy, the State governments, and 

private industry and to facilitate comparison of data.

In 1979, Federal and Indian lands supplied a significant portion of the Nation's mineral production. More 

than 14.8 percent of the oil, 29.42 percent of all natural 

gas, and 10.4 percent of the Nation's coal were produced 

from leases on Indian and Federal lands onshore and 

offshore. This production clearly demonstrates the importance of the contribution from these lands to the Nation's supply of petroleum and other minerals and has 

had a significant impact on the Nation's economy. For 

example, in 1979, the value of all mineral commodities 

produced from leased Federal and Indian lands exceeded $12 billion. Lease rentals, royalties from production of minerals, and various bonus payments provided 

more than $6 billion in revenue for the Federal Government. Tables 22 to 27 containing detailed statistical information can be obtained upon request from the Survey.

The authority to classify public lands and to regulate 

mineral development on Federal and Indian lands, to protect the environment, and to collect a fair return from extracted resources lies in a complex body of mineral and 

land laws, some of which date back to the 1870's.

Congress stipulated in the Act of March 3, 1879, which 

created the U.S. Geological Survey, that the Director of 

the Survey should classify the public lands to identify 

features pertaining to land values for many purposes. In 

1906, the President directed the Secretary of the Interior 

to immediately withdraw from entry all valuable coal 

lands on the public domain. Coal lands in Alabama, 

Arkansas, and Wyoming were withdrawn and later 

classified under this directive. Subsequently, Congress 

passed the Withdrawal Act of 1910 which authorized the 

President to withdraw public lands from settlement, location, sale, or entry. This Act resulted in the immediate 

reservation of about 100 million acres of public lands for 

their potential coal reserves. Once withdrawn, the 

Geological Survey began to examine these lands and to 

classify them; the lands found to have no coal were 

restored to entry, and those found to contain workable 

coal beds were appraised and priced at varying amounts 

per acre. Because the lands withdrawn included some 

lands that were valuable for farming, Congress passed 

the Separation Acts of 1909 and 1910 which provided for 

the separation of the surface estate from the subsurface 

estate, thus permitting land claimants to obtain patents 

to the land surface while reserving to the United States 

the mineral deposits and the right to prospect and mine 

them.

The Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 ended the practice of 

disposing of coal lands at appraised values and provided 

for the leasing of coal and certain other mineral commodities. The leasable minerals on public lands now include oil, gas, coal, potash, sodium, phosphate, oil 

shale, asphaltic minerals, sulphur (only in New Mexico 

and Louisiana), and geothermal resources. Under the provisions of the 1920 Act as amended and supplemented, a 

permit to explore public lands for minerals other than oil, 

gas, oil shale, and geothermal resources may be obtained; however, if the land is determined by the 

Geological Survey to contain a known leasable mineral 

deposit, it is subject to competitive bidding for a lease. 

All minerals on acquired and Indian lands are leasable. A 

lessee is required to pay the Federal Government a 

stipulated royalty on production. Other laws authorize 

the leasing and management of metallic and nonmetallic 

minerals on Indian lands, railroad and other rights-of-way 

across public lands, acquired lands, and Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands.

Pursuant to these various statuatory authorities, the 

Secretary of the Interior has promulgated numerous 

rules and procedures pertaining to the development of 

minerals on the Federal and Indian lands in the Code of 

Federal Regulations. The principal codes governing 

operations on Federal mineral leases are as follows:

 Outer Continental Shelf Leasing Regulations Part 

3300 of Title 43.

 Outer Continental Shelf Operating Regulations Parts 

225a, 250, and 260 (Proposed) of Title 30.

96 I Yearbook 1979
Onshore Federal Lands Leasing Regulations Parts 

3100, 3200, and 3500 of Title 43.

Onshore Federal Lands Operating Regulations Parts 

211, 221, 223, 225, 226, 231, 270, and 271 of Title 30.

Indian Lands Leasing and Operating RegulationsParts 171, 172, 173, 174, 176, and 177 of Title 25 and 

the pertinent onshore Federal operating regulations 

contained in Title 30.

Leasing regulations are issued by the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but 

some provisions of leasing regulations and all provisions 

of operating regulations are implemented and enforced 

by the Geological Survey.

Cordero Mine, a surface coal mining operation located 20 miles 

southeast of Gillette, Wyo., produced an estimated 4 million 

tons from a 60-foot coal seam mined in two benches. The Sun 

Oil Co. initiated work on July 22, 1976.

Conservation of Lands and Minerals I 97
Production from Federal, OCS, and Indian lands as a percentage of total U.S. production in calendar year 1979 (estimated in part). 

Coal drilling and mining operations in Colorado.
BUDGET AND PERSONNEL

The source of funds for these programs is described 

under the Conservation of Lands and Minerals Budget 

Activity in the Geological Survey Budget. Funds for these 

activities have increased by 10.4 percent to almost $85.5 

million in fiscal year 1979. Program obligations for fiscal 

years 1978 and 1979 are shown in the table. The OCS 

lands subactivity was appropriated about $49.1 million 

an increase of 6.8 percent over the appropriation for 

fiscal year 1978. In fiscal year 1979, funding for the 

Federal and Indian lands subactivity increased to a total 

of approximately $36.2 million, which represents a 

15.7-percent increase.

In response to an increased workload, the Division has 

expanded its employment base in such areas as 

economics, automated data processing, and environmental sciences, in addition to the traditional disciplines of 

geophysics, geology, and petroleum and mining 

engineering.

Conservation of Lands and Minerals activity obligations 

for fiscal years 1978 and 1979, by subactivity 

[Dollars in millions. Data may differ from that in statistical tables 

because of roundingj

Subactivity

Fiscal year Fiscal year 

1978 1979

Total __________ $77.5

Outer Continental Shelf 

(OCS) lands ______ 46.0

Direct program _______

Reimbursable program

46.0

States, counties, and 

municipalities _______

Miscellaneous nonFederal ____________

Other Federal agencies _

Federal and Indian lands ____

Direct program __________

Reimbursable program ___

States, counties, and 

municipalities _______

Miscellaneous nonFederal ____________

Other Federal agencies _

31.5

31.3 

.2

.2

$85.5

49.1

49.1

36.4

36.3 

.2

.2

- Direct Federal funds $85.4

Other Federal agencies SO.K

:-»' * * * <*miJ»±±iL&3JUi3 

'"'* ' THE I'MTEI) STATES OF AMERICA

SOURCE OF FUNDS

TOTAL $85.5 MILLION

USE OF FUNDS

Outer Continental Shelf Lands 

- Direct program $49.1 

Federal and Indian Lands 

Reimbursable program $0.2\

-Direct program $36.3 

P THE I'MTEI) STATES OF AMERICA ^ * 

£67601*508 

5

E 6760U508C

Q i-j.x. -'^^^ ^itt-.

-

Conservation of Lands and Minerals 99
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY HELPS IMPLEMENT 

THE SECRETARY'S COAL POLICY

On June 1, 1979, Interior Secretary Cecil W. Andrus 

established a new program directed at the development 

of Federal coal reserves in ways acceptable to State and 

local governments, the coal industry, environmental 

groups, and the public. This program was established 

after 2 years of intensive study by the Department of the 

Interior. The program allows for the competitive leasing 

of Federal coal to be resumed forthe first time since an 

informal moratorium was imposed in 1971. Geological 

Survey personnel made major contributions in formulating the Secretary's Federal Coal Management Program by participating on task forces analyzing individual 

aspects of the Program; by assisting in the Secretary's 

Office of Coal Leasing, Planning, and Coordination; and 

by recommending various options for the Secretary's 

decisions.

The Federal Coal Management Program has two 

distinct elements, issuance of new leases and the 

management of new and existing leases. The major 

prelease activities in the competitive leasing phase support BLM in land use planning, activity planning, and 

lease sales; the major postlease activity is management 

of operations on leases. The Geological Survey provides 

geologic, engineering, and economic evaluation input 

primarily in the prelease program elements.

A critical portion of land use planning is the identification of areas with high and moderate potential for 

minable coal. Only areas of high or medium potential are 

considered for competitive leasing. By using established 

geologic and economic criteria, the Survey classifies 

lands with respect to their coal potential and land with 

minable coal into Known Recoverable Coal Resource 

Areas (KRCRA's). These areas are mapped to show their 

coal potential as part of the Coal Resource Occurrence/Coal Development Potential (CRO/CDP) Program. 

Data used in this analysis come from public, private, and 

industry sources. To date, this project has identified 

lands containing approximately 76.2 billion tons of 

Federal coal of high and medium development potential.

Initial tract delineation is proceeding in the Green 

River-Ham's Fork, Uinta SW Utah, and Alabama coal 

regions. Tract profile reports prepared by the Survey provide data on the geologic, engineering, environmental, 

social, and economic impacts of mining on each tract 

delineated. Tract selection, ranking, and regional environmental impact statements follow delineation.

After a sale is scheduled by the Secretary of the Interior, the Geological Survey must calculate the Coal 

Resource Economic Value (CREV) for each tract to be offered. CREV forms an integral part of the fair-market 

value or the minimum acceptable bid for each tract. The

concept of fair-market value assures that the people of 

the United States receive a fair price for potential 

resources to be leased.

Outstanding preference right lease applications will be 

examined to determine the existence of commercial 

quantities of coal. Modifications of lease boundaries, 

right-of-way cases, emergency lease sales, and proposed 

land exchanges are also being evaluated.

In fiscal year 1979, the Survey conducted 26 economic 

evaluations of coal, completed 146 quadrangles as a part 

of the CRO/CDP Mapping Program, classified over 1.25 

million additional acres in KRCRA's, completed administrative work on one comprehensive coal exchange and 

continued work on another, and conducted drilling operations (fig.1) and drilled 606 holes with a cumulative 

depth of approximately 300,000 feet.

The Geological Survey is responsible for the review 

and approval of exploration plans submitted by coal 

lessees on Federal and Indian lands and for the inspection and enforcement of regulatory requirements, including reclamation of areas disturbed by exploration activities. During fiscal year 1979, coal lessees drilled 2,791 

holes for a total footage of 610,088.

The Survey is also responsible for the review and approval of mining plans submitted by coal lessees on 

Federal and Indian lands and for the inspection and enforcement of regulatory requirements pertaining to coal 

mining operations based on the requirements mandated 

by the Mineral Leasing Acts. The regulations include 

rules concerning the formation of logical mining units, 

diligent development, maximum economic recovery, protection of other mineral resources from damage by coal 

mining operations, and the collection of royalties.

In addition to the supervision of exploration and mining operations by lessees on Federal lands, the Survey 

assists BLM in its responsibilities on coal leases by providing geologic, engineering, and economic evaluations 

when required in the periodic readjustment of the terms 

and conditions of coal leases, including changes in 

royalty rates and lease exchanges.

The production of coal was 55.6 million tons from 

Federal lands and 21.3 million tons from Indian lands 

during fiscal year 1979. Royalties derived from Federal 

and Indian leases amounted to $24 million.

The environmental protection and reclamation responsibilities of coal mining operations were transferred from 

the Geological Survey to the Office of Surface Mining 

(OSM) by the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation 

Act of 1977. The Survey, OSM, and BLM have finalized a 

memorandum of understanding for the purpose of coordinating their activities.

Figure 1. Coal drilling and mining operations in Colorado.

100 I Yearbook 1979
Conservation of Lands and Minerals I 101
OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF ACTIVITIES

Oil and gas leases on the OCS are issued by BLM, but 

the Geological Survey implements and .enforces the 

regulations concerning operations. The Geological 

Survey and BLM consult with each other on all the 

significant actions that precede each lease sale. The 

Survey provides BLM with the following information:

 Assessments of petroleum resources and other 

technical information used to identify areas to be 

leased and to schedule lease sales.

 Resource evaluations used to select tracts for each 

lease sale.

 Identification of geologic hazards.

 Mineral resource values for each tract to be used in 

determining the resource economic value.

The Survey's resource-evaluation activities on the OCS 

focus on identifying areas for future lease sales, advising BLM on the selection of tracts to be offered for each 

sale, estimating the value of oil and gas on each tract 

that is to be offered, and determining geologic hazards 

that affect specific tracts.

The Geological Survey supervises the activities of 

lessees who explore for, develop, and produce oil and 

gas on the OCS. The Survey ensures that operations are 

conducted in compliance with Federal laws and Department of the Interior regulations for the conservation of 

the mineral resources and the protection of the ocean 

environment and that the royalties collected for the 

Government are correct and current. (The supplementary 

tables are available upon request.)

Lease sales on the OCS conducted during fiscal year 

1979 resulted in leasing 290 of the 678 tracts offered by 

the Federal Government to private companies. The 

Government received $2.79 billion in bonus bids. The 

results of the individual sales were as follows:

Sale 

No.

65 

51 

49 

48 

58

Date

10-31-78 

12-19-78 

2-28-79 

6-29-79 

7-31-79

Region

Gulf of Mexico _ 

 do 

South Atlantic _ 

Southern California 

Gulf of Mexico _

Tracts 

offered

89 

128 

190 

148 

123

678

Tracts 

sold

35 

81 

39 

54 

81

290

Total 

bonus 

bids (in 

millions 

of 

dollars)

61 

872 

40 

573 

1,248

2,794

The production of hydrocarbons from the Cognac platform, located 12 miles southeast of the mouth of the 

Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico, began during 

fiscal year 1979. The platform is the heaviest, deepest

water, steel drilling production platform in the world. It 

was also the first platform jacket to be installed in three 

separate sections. The platform is installed in 1,025 feet 

of water and weighs about 59,000 tons. The platform has 

slots for 62 wells and is designed so that two drilling 

rigs can conduct operations simultaneously.

During fiscal year 1979, of the nine new wells spudded 

in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean, eight were plugged and abandoned, and drilling continues on the ninth. One gas 

discovery with a show of oil was announced by Tenneco 

in Hudson Canyon NJ 18-3 Block 642. In the South 

Atlantic, of the four wells spudded, three were plugged 

and abandoned with no discoveries announced; drilling 

continues on the fourth. Five wells were drilled in 

Alaska's Lower Cook Inlet; three were plugged and abandoned with no discoveries announced. Two wells were 

drilled off southern California; both were plugged and 

abandoned without encountering significant hydrocarbons.

Drilling and production activities can be measured in 

several ways such as the number of approved applications for permit to drill, the number of hole starts, the 

number of new oil and gas well completions, and the 

number of production platforms installed.

Before a well is drilled on a Federal lease, the lease 

operator must submit an application for a permit to drill. 

During calendar year 1978, 1,189 permits to drill were approved. It is estimated that by the end of calendar year 

1979, 1,150 permits will have been approved.

The number of new hole starts for calendar year 1979 

is not expected to be significantly more than 1,148, the 

number reported for calendar year 1978. It is estimated 

that 226 new oil zones and 465 new gas zones will be 

completed on the OCS by the end of the calendar year 

1979, as compared to 221 oil zones and 455 gas zones 

for calendar year 1978.

The number of production platforms on the OCS increased during the year. At the beginning of the year, 

2,332 platforms had been completed on the OCS (7 in the 

Santa Barbara Channel off the Southern California Coast 

and 2,325 in the Gulf of Mexico), and an additional 143 

platforms are likely to be installed by the end of 1979 (2 

in the Santa Barbara Channel).

The accompanying graphs show the total revenues, 

values, and production of oil, condensate, and natural 

gas for 1973 to 1979 (1979 estimated in part). The production of oil is expected to continue its downward trend, 

and gas production is expected to increase. Condensate 

production, which is tied to gas production, is also expected to increase.

102 I Yearbook 1979
9,000

8,000

7,000

01

§ 6,000

5,000

C/3 

DC

5

O 3,000 

Q

3,495

Total revenue 

Production value

5,599

2,487

3,925

3'570

2,967

a: 1,723

4,402

2,510

8,682

7,097

5,774 5,708

2,941

1,000

1973! 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 

PRODUCTION YEAR (calendar year)

1979

Revenue and Production Value, Outer Continental Shelf.

500

n

o>

400

o

c 

o

300

200 

LU

C/3

Z

O

Z 

O

o 

o

Z 100 

<£

Oil

Condensate

Gas

361

333

303

277 270 256

8 27

1

?2 

I

1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 

PRODUCTION YEAR (calendar year)

Oil, condensate, and gas production on the Outer Continental Shelf.

27

1

1979

Conservation of Lands and Minerals | 103
C/omar Pacific was the first 

rig to begin drilling on the 

Atlantic Outer Continental ^ 

Shelf.

Outer Continental Shelf platform 

in Gulf of Mexico.

104 I Yearbook 1979
<4 Moon pool as seen from rig.

Diver observing fish beneath 

_ platform structure.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 

LANDS ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1978

Enactment of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

Amendments on September 18, 1978, had a significant 

impact on the regulatory and resource-evaluation programs of the Geological Survey. The new law requires 

the compilation of new reports, the initiation of new 

studies, the development of new programs and the 

regulations to govern the implementation of those programs, and the revision of existing regulations to conform with the requirements of the new law.

A number of statutory provisions specify the reports to 

be submitted, their contents, and the deadlines for submission. The first of the required reports completed during fiscal year 1979 set forth recommendations for a program to assure proper training of any individual who is 

employed on any artificial island, installation, or other 

device located on the OCS and, as part of such employment, operates or supervises the operation of pollutionprevention equipment.

This report to Congress was prepared in consultation 

with the U.S. Coast Guard. Another report to Congress 

described the extent of delinquent lease royalty accounts during fiscal years 1977 and 1978. That report 

also included the new auditing, postauditing, and accounting procedures that have been adopted to assure 

accurate and timely payment of royalties and net profit 

shares. A report to the Comptroller General listed all 

shut-in oil and gas wells and wells flaring natural gas on 

leases issued under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands 

Act.

The new studies included one conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard. The study evaluated the 

adequacy of existing safety and health regulations and 

the adequacy of the technology, equipment, and techniques available for the exploration, development, and 

production of the minerals of the OCS.

With the help of the Marine Board of the National 

Research Council, the Geological Survey is evaluating 

the alternative procedures for implementing the new 

amendments requiring that all new drilling and production operations and, wherever practical, all existing 

operations use the best and safest technologies 

available whenever failure of equipment would have a 

significant effect on safety, health, or the environment.

During fiscal year 1979, new regulations were 

developed that implemented the Secretary's responsibility to assess, to collect, and to impose civil penalties 

for failure to comply with a provision of the Act, of a 

lease or permit issued under the Act, or of any regulation 

or order issued under the Act. The new regulations were 

formulated as a result of close cooperation between 

representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard and of the 

Geological Survey.

The Survey was assigned a new responsibility for 

establishing air-quality standards during fiscal year 1979. 

Regulations describing proposed guidelines for the program should be published in early calendar year 1980.

The new and revised regulations to implement the requirements of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

Amendments of 1978 were divided on the basis of subject matter. Revision of the new regulations governing 

the processing of exploration plans and development 

and production plans published January 27, 1978, 

received highest priority.

Revised OCS Oil and Gas Information Program regulations became effective October 9, 1979, and the regulations governing oil and gas and sulphur operations in the 

OCS will be effective December 13, 1979. The new program for assessing, collecting, and compromising civil 

penalties will require the development and putting into 

place of complex practices and procedures to protect 

the rights of the persons who are accused of violations 

of the Act, a lease, a regulation, or an order. This must 

be done while providing an effective and efficient means 

for administering the governing provisions of the Act. 

Because these provisions relate to violations of regulations of the Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, the offices of the Conservation Division must 

coordinate with the Coast Guard and the Corps of 

Engineers to enforce the regulations.
Implementation schedule for new and revised OCS regulations required by the OCS Lands Act Amendments.

CFR No. Subject matter

Advance 

notice Proposed rule Public hearing(s)

End of public Final rule and 

comment period implementation

250.34

252

Exploration plans, 

Development/Production 

plan, and so forth.

OCS Oil and Gas 

Information Program.

1-19-79 2-27-79 

Los Angeles

3- 1-79 

New Orleans

1-19-9

250.57 Air quality _____________ 12-27-78 5-10-79

Best Available and 

safest technology.

2- 8-79

3- 5-79 

Washington, D.C.

2-27-79 

Los Angeles

3- 1-79 

New Orleans

3- 5-79 

Washington, D.C.

6- 7-79 

Los Angeles

6-12-79 

New Orleans

6-14-79 

Washington, D.C.

3-16-79 9-14-79

Effective 12-13-79

3-16-79 Effective 10- 9-79 

8- 7-79

7-13-79 _____

250 Regulation of lessees

251 Geological and Geophysical

Exploration Regulations. 

250.50 Unitization

250.51

3-12-79 5- 8-79 5-18-79 10-26-79

Washington, D.C. Effective 12-13-79 

. __ 2- 9-79 5- 8-79 5-18-79

Washington, D.C. 

8 10 79 None 11 5 79

Fish in moon pool

1 \

Conservation of Lands and Minerals 107
ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER THE 

NATURAL GAS POLICY ACT OF 1978

The Geological Survey began developing procedures to implement the 

Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA) in late 1978. The NGPA allows lessees and 

operators to receive higher prices for natural gas produced from certain oil 

and gas wells requires that the Survey, as the jurisdictional agency for 

regulation of operations for OCS, Federal, and Indian lands,determine 

whether a given well is in a category that permits a higher price for gas. 

Once the determination is made, the Survey then forwards the application 

and determination to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for 

concurrence. In the same manner, respective State agencies make determinations on the applications submitted for State and private lands under 

their jurisdiction. Through this process, the pricing policy set forth in the 

NGPA becomes a reality.

To implement the NGPA and the associated FERC regulations, the 

Geological Survey issued a "Notice to Lessees" to provide lessees and 

operators with the format to apply to have a well classified in a category 

that would have a higher gas price.

Prices by category 

(Dollars per million BTU's)

Categories of natural gas subject to NGPA December October 

pricing if not otherwise bound by contract_________1978______1979_____

New OCS leases issued on or after April 20, 1979. 2.078 2.292

New onshore wells began drilling or began in- 2.078 2.292 

creasing depth on or after February 19, 1977, 

with marker well.

New onshore reservoirs not produced in 2.078 2.292 

commercial quantities before April 20, 1977, and 

so forth.

New reservoir, old OCS lease reservoir not dis- 2.078 2.292 

covered before July 27, 1976, and so forth.

New onshore production well began drilling on or 1.969 2.113 

after February 19, 1977, in compliance with 

spacing and proration unit rules, and so forth.

High-cost natural gas began drilling on or after 2.078 2.292 

February 19, 1977, and completed deeper than 

15,000 feet.

Stripper-well natural gas well produced at its 2.224 2.452 

MER1 over a 90-day period with average rate or

more than 60,000 cubic feet per day, and so forth____________________ 

1 Maximum efficiency rate.

From December 1978 through September 1979, the first 10 months under 

the NGPA, the Geological Survey processed 7,598 applications and made 

4,469 determinations. Operators of approximately one-ninth of the producing wells on OCS, Federal, and Indian lands have submitted requests for a 

determination decision. Currently, 300 additional applications are being submitted each month.

In addition to the determinations work, the NGPA makes necessary a 

change in traditional pricing for royalty purposes. Under the old Natural Gas 

Act, the price of gas was calculated for a producing area. Under the NGPA, 

pricing of gas is calculated for individual wells with an inflation factor that 

changes monthly. Thus, calculations for production royalty become more 

complex. A single lease may have many producing wells, with gas from 

each well being assigned a different price. Such a pricing method means 

that the Geological Survey must install a system whereby it can determine 

what the royalty price should be for a given lease under Title 30 CFR Part 

250.66 by considering every well on the lease and the respective prices being paid by the buyers as against what the NGPA provides. Such a system 

is being developed but will require several months for implementation.

108 I Yearbook 1979
Pipe-laying activity in the Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf.
OIL AND GAS

Oil and gas produced from onshore Federal and Indian lands comprised 

about 6.4 percent of the oil and 5.9 percent of the gas produced in the 

United States last year. Production of oil and condensate and gas from 

Federal onshore and Indian lands for 1973 to 1979 is shown in the graph. 

The Geological Survey conducted geological investigations, environmental 

analyses, and other studies related to safety requirements, legal matters, 

and socioeconomic aspects related to carrying out the regulatory responsibilities related to producing this oil and gas.

During fiscal year 1979, the Geological Survey approved 3,550 Applications for a Permit to Drill (APD) (fig. 1) for exploratory (fig. 2) and development wells on Federal leases. The Survey prepared 3,660 environmental 

analyses (fig. 3) to consider the potential environmental impacts that might 

result from operations on Federal lands. This level of activity was the same 

as the previous fiscal year.

During fiscal year 1979, 2,610 new wells on Federal leases were started. 

Of these wells, 1,810 were completed as usable holes either for the production of oil and gas or for the injection or disposal of fluids.

The number of wells on Federal and Indian lands, the number of Federal 

and Indian leases, and the royalties collected from oil and gas production 

on these leases have continued to increase, even though the total domestic 

production of oil and gas is declining. Private companies are attempting to 

offset this decline in production by exploring in frontier areas such as the 

overthrust belt of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. They are also conducting research and trying new or improved methods of increasing the 

amount of oil and gas recovered from depleted and depleting reservoirs.

Formerly unattractive source rocks for oil and gas, such as the "tight gas 

sands" that occur in northwestern Colorado, eastern Utah, and northern 

Montana, have become attractive prospects because the present prices of 

oil and gas have made drilling for and producing oil and gas from these 

reservoirs economically feasible. Some "shut-in" remote areas will become 

producible when processing facilities and pipelines are built in these areas.

The development and use of improved primary methods and secondary 

and tertiary enhanced recovery processes have restored production at 

many oil fields that were produced by using primary methods only. Secondary recovery methods include repressuring or flooding with gas or water. 

Tertiary methods include flooding with chemical solvents or stimulation 

with heat to continue production after secondary recovery becomes 

uneconomic. In addition, well completion techniques and formation stimulation processes constantly are being improved and will continue to add increments of production to the total amount of oil and gas produced. During 

this period of uncertainty about the continued uninterrupted supply of 

energy minerals, industry is using every means available to explore for and 

develop new sources of oil.

Steam injection. 

110 I Yearbook 1979
C/D

Z 

LU 

Q

Z

o 

o

Q

Z

250-

225-

200-

175-

150-

125-

100-

75-

50-

2b0-

| Oil and condensate 

I Gas

208 208 200

1 '187

1,400

1,300

CD

CD

1,200

1,100

o

c 

g

!5

1,000

900

1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 

PRODUCTION YEAR (calendar year)

1979

Oil,condensate, and gas production on Federal onshore and Indian lands.

REVIEW OF APD

1 Administrative 

Lease status 

Ownership 

Bond 

Location

2 Technical 

Casing 

Cement 

Blowout preventers 

Drilling mud 

Safety and health

3 Surface use 

Roads 

Facilities 

Water supply 

Construction materials 

Waste disposal 

Well-site layout 

Restoration plans 

Other pertinent information

Figure 1. Review of Application for a 

Permit to Drill.

'Figure 2. Exploratory wells.

89 wells in 100 are nonproductive

3 wells in 100 find a 

commercial oil field:

over 1 million barrels

of oil 

over 6 billion cubic feet of gas

11 wells in 100 

find oil and gas

CONTENT OF 

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

1 Description of the proposed action 

What, where, when, how

2 Environmental considerations related to the 

proposed action 

A Nonliving components 

B Living components 

C Ecological interrelationships 

D Human values

3 Alternatives to the proposed action

4 Unavoidable adverse environmental effects 

of the proposed action

5 Controversial issues and conservation 

division responses

6 Determination

AFigure 3. Content of environmental 

analysis.
GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES

Geothermal resources include the exploitable heat 

stored in the Earth's crust that can be utilized either by 

conversion of heat energy to electrical or mechanical 

energy or by direct utilization of the heat. Only a small 

fraction of the potentially exploitable geothermal energy 

is utilized commercially.

The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 provided that the 

Secretary of the Interior lease Federal lands to private industry for exploration, development, and utilization of 

geothermal resources. Under regulations published in 

1973, the Geological Survey supports the geothermal 

resources programs in several ways: evaluation and 

classification of the resources of Federal lands, 

assurance of compliance with applicable regulations 

before issuance of permits for exploration and development of resources on Federal lands, and supervision of 

the conduct of operations on leased Federal lands.

Beginning in fiscal year 1971, the Geological Survey 

started classifying Federal lands with geothermal 

resources adequate for commercial utilization or lands 

identified as having competitive interest of private companies as Known Geothermal Resource Areas (KGRA's). 

Lands within KGRA's are leased by competitive bidding. 

Other lands are leased noncompetitively to the first 

qualified applicant.

At the present time, the Geological Survey has 

established 108 KGRA's; these comprise 3.38 million 

acres and are within 11 Western States. At the end of 

1979, 268 tracts comprising 541,000 acres had 

been leased within the KGRA's, an increase of nearly 30 

percent over the preceding year. A total of 1,029 tracts 

comprising 1.75 million acres leased noncompetitively 

were active in fiscal year 1979, an increase in acres of 13 

percent. The number of geothermal wells drilled on 

Federal, State, and private lands increased about 60 percent over the preceding year. Fewer wells (11 instead of 

13) were drilled on Federal leases, but approvals to drill 

336 wells have been issued.

The United States is the world's leading producer of 

electricity from geothermal resources. Nearly all U.S. 

production occurs at The Geysers in California, where 13 

powerplants located on State and private lands, generate 

663 megawatts of electricity, which is sufficient to meet 

the total demands of a city the size of San Francisco. 

The company plans for future developments include increasing power production to 2,000 megawatts within 20 

to 25 years. Construction of a 110-megawatt plant on 

Federal land will commence in early 1980, and commercial production is scheduled for 1982.

The geothermal resource at The Geysers is the only 

one in the United States known to contain enough dry 

steam for commercial electrical power generation. At all 

other KGRA's with known commercial potential for electric power generation, the geothermal resources provide 

heated water rather than steam.

The power generation techniques needed to utilize hot 

water differ from those employed at The Geysers. 

Usually the geothermal water, which comprises approximately one-fourth of the fluid, is flashed to steam. The 

flashed steam drives turbogenerators, and the remaining 

liquid is injected back into the geothermal reservoir. 

Plants that will use flashed steam are in advanced 

stages of construction at East Mesa, Calif., a 

48-megawatt plant; at Heber, Calif., a 45-megawatt plant; 

at Baca Ranch, N.M., a 55-megawatt plant; and at 

Roosevelt Hot Springs, Utah, a 20-megawatt plant.

Another technique for generating electrical power using heat from geothermal water is the "binary process." 

In this process, heat from the water is transferred by a 

heat exchanger to a second fluid having a low boiling 

temperature to produce vapor to drive a turbogenerator. 

A 10-megawatt plant using this technique has been completed on a Federal geothermal lease at East Mesa, 

Calif., and is nearing start-up (fig. 1 ). Other powerplants 

that will use the binary process are in various early planning stages.

With present technology, electrical power generation 

is limited to geothermal water sources with temperatures 

above 150°C. Lower temperature waters offer a potential 

for numerous applications for direct use of heat energy 

in food and industrial processes, agriculture (fig. 2 ), 

space heating of buildings, and other uses.

Prior to 1979, direct use of geothermal water heat was 

limited to heating of buildings in Klamath Falls and a 

few other locations in Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. In addition, hot water was utilized at an onion drying plant at 

Brady Hot Springs, Nev., a milk pasteurization facility in 

Oregon, and greenhouses in Lordsberg, N. Mex., and 

Marysville, Calif. At the end of fiscal year 1979, 21 projects are in advanced stages of planning and development in Texas and in eight Western States under Department of Energy sponsorship. Sixteen of these projects 

involve space and water heating of hospitals, schools, 

and other public buildings, and five will provide heat for 

food processing. Other applications include a rose 

greenhouse in Utah, a prawn farm in Coachella Valley, 

Calif., a sugar beet refinery at Brawley, Calif., and a cattle warming facility in South Dakota.

A variety of proposed applications for "cascading," 

whereby geothermal energy can be utilized more effectively by using the cooler spent water from one process 

for one or more separate subsequent processes, are in 

the early stages of planning and evaluation. For example, the use of waste water from electrical power generation can be used for industrial processes, and the waste 

from the industrial processes can be used for space 

heating of buildings.

112 I Yearbook 1979
Figure 1. Final stages of Magma Power Co.'s 10-megawatt binary geothermal powerplant at East Mesa, Calif. Heat exchangers are 

at right. (August 1979.)

Injection 

Well

Flow diagram of a greenhouse using lowtemperature geothermal resources.

Figure 2. Greenhouse using low-temperature geothermal 

resources.

COOLING 

TOWERS

TO

INJECTION

WELLS

TO TRANSMISSION 

TOWERSs

H 2S TREATMENT/ 

PLANT

SIMPLIFIED VIEW OF TYPICAL POWERPLANT SITE

Conservation of Lands and Minerals | 113
Land Information and Analysis 

Office

MISSION

During the 1970's, the general public became acutely 

aware of the energy crisis as reflected in long gasoline 

lines and escalating gasoline and fuel oil prices. The 

growing shortage of nonreplenishable energy resources 

such as petroleum poses but one of the critical environmental problems being addressed by the U.S. 

Geological Survey. Traditionally, the Survey has 

responded to environmental information needs on a 

case-by-case basis, utilizing one of its core disciplines geology, hydrology, or cartography. However, 

during the last decade, it has become obvious that environmental studies must be a cooperative effort between the scientists in these diverse fields and 

specialists in other disciplines such as urban planning, 

economics, geography, and remote sensing. In addition, 

the information gap between these scientists and the 

potential users of these data land-resource planners 

and decisionmakers has widened because of advancing technology and increased specialization.

These two specific problems, the need for an integration of scientific disciplines and the requirement for information transfer from the earth scientist to the policy 

and decision makers, led to the creation of the Land Information and Analysis Office in 1975. The goals and 

efforts of the Land Information and Analysis Office illustrate the diversity of scientific work currently being 

done on these environmental problems.

The objectives of this Office are:

 Development and application of multidisciplinary earth 

sciences, other natural sciences, and geographic 

technology in support of land-resources decisionmaking and planning.

 Mapping current land use and land cover.

 Meeting Geological Survey obligations as required by 

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

 Collecting, processing, and distributing remotely 

sensed data and applying other aspects of space

technology in support of land-resources planning 

and management and environmental impact 

analysis.

The task of achieving these objectives is carried on by 

the following multidisciplinary programs:

 Earth Sciences Applications (ESA).

 Resource and Land Investigations (RALI).

(The combination of ESA and RALI is also known as 

the Land Resources Data Applications Program for 

budget purposes.)

 Geography.

 Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS).

 Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA).

SELECTED 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

During 1979, the Land Information and Analysis Office 

initiated and concluded a variety of multidisciplinary projects. A representative selection demonstrating the diversity of this effort is shown by the following short reports 

presented in this volume:

Tracking the Ixtoc 1 Oilspill Across the Gulf of Mexico. 

Earthquake Prediction for a Seismic Gap in Alaska. 

Interpretive Reports To Aid Regional Planners. 

A Computer Model That Helps Protect the Environment.

Protecting the Environment in Alaska. 

Land Use Maps and Data Application Three Mile

Island Powerplant Site.

Land Use and Land Cover Maps and Data for Our Nation. 

Helping Planners and Decisionmakers Use Earth

Science Information.

New Advances in Satellite Image Data Handling and 

Application.

1141 Yearbook 1979
BUDGET AND PERSONNEL

Obligations for Land Information and Analysis Office 

activities in fiscal year 1979 amounted to $23.96 million, 

an increase of 3 percent over fiscal year 1978 (see table)-

The work of the Land Information and Analysis Office 

is partly accomplished through contracts to private industry and research grants. During fiscal year 1979, 

$8.51 million (36 percent) was expended on contracts. 

Contract services were the major source of operational 

support at EDC. Cooperative programs with State agencies were carried on by the Geography Program for land 

use and land cover mapping. The programs of the Land 

Information and Analysis Office employed 228 full-time 

career employees in 1979, of which 164 positions were 

assigned to the Office's programs and 64 were assigned 

to other Survey Divisions to support work of the Land Information and Analysis Office. There were also 74 temporary or part-time employees. In addition, contract support services at EDC amounted to 306 person years. Personnel of the Topographic Division assigned to EDC are 

included in the above numbers.

 " w :*»>M:7t * *!«'*;-» : * : \ V ^OLij^SL- 1 0!P"'*'tS^r

non-Federal 

sources $2.35

1.

;I£JI.^ML .-SI

Other Federal 

agencies $1.64

I '

THE I'MTKI) STATES OFAME

£676045080

Federal share $0.01 State share $0.01 

Federal-State Cooperative program

SOURCE OF FUNDS

TOTAL $23.96 MILLION

Land Information and Analysis Office obligations for 

fiscal years 1978 and 1979, by subactivity 

[Dollars in millions. Data may differ from that in statistical tables 

because of rounding]

Program

Total

Earth Resources Observation 

Systems Program

Direct program

Reimbursable program ____

Miscellaneous non-Federal 

sources

Other Federal agencies __

Environmental Impact Analysis 

Program

Direct program

Reimbursable program _ _

Other Federal agencies __

Geography Program

Direct program

Reimbursable program ____

States, counties, and 

municipalities

Other Federal agencies __

Land Resource Data Applications Program (ESA and 

RALI)

Direct program

Reimbursable program ____

Other Federal agencies _

Fiscal year 

1978

$23.22

12.56

9.72

2.84

2.15

.69

5.21

3.26

1.95

1.95

2.65

2.60

.05

.05

2.80

2.55

.25

.25

Fiscal year 

1979

$23.96

12.87

9.91

2.96

2.36

.60

5.21

4.29

.92

.92

3.47

3.40

.07

.01

.06

2.41

2.36

.05

.05

USE OF FUNDS

-Earth Resources Observation Systems - 

Program $12.87

Environmental 

Impact Analysis 

-Program $5.21 -

Geography 

Program -= 

$3.47

Reimbursable 

$.05 |

Reimbursable $.07 +- .. 

Land Resource Data Applications Program /

Land Information and Analysis | 115
TRACKING THE IXTOC 1 OILSPILL ACROSS 

THE GULF OF MEXICO

On June 3, 1979, the Ixtoc 1 oil well, 50 miles off the 

coast of Mexico, blew out and caught fire. Totally out of 

control, the well poured as much as 100,000 barrels of oil 

per day into the Bay of Campeche. The oil flooded out into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening beaches in Mexico 

and the United States. It become imperative to determine 

the extent of the oilspill, to follow its movement across 

the Gulf of Mexico, and to obtain this information as 

quickly and economically as possible.

The Geological Survey investigated the use of 

multispectral scanner data from the Landsat 2 and 3 

satellites to monitor the movement of the oil. Each Landsat image can inexpensively portray 13,225 square miles 

of the Earth's surface. Each satellite is able to scan a 

strip of images of the Gulf on one day and the adjacent 

strip on the west the next day. The entire Gulf of Mexico 

can be imaged in about a week.

Each of the two Landsat satellites now in orbit returns 

to nearly the same spot above the surface of the Earth 

every 18 days. Because their orbits are similar but 9 days 

apart, the two satellites can monitor a given feature, 

such as an oil slick, every 9 days for as long as both 

operate.

The illustrations show how Landsat data can be used 

to track the movement of a large marine oil slick.

Flames from the burning gas and oil leaking from the 

damaged Ixtoc 1 well are shown in figure 1. The gray 

fluid surrounding the flames is oil. A boom constructed 

later did not keep the oil from moving farther out into the 

Gulf of Mexico.

Oil and smoke streaming westward from Ixtoc 1 are 

shown in figure 2 in a digitally enhanced Landsat image. 

A thin coat of oil on the water appears black. The gray 

area represents thicker oil, and the whitish stringers are 

thick ropy heavy oil. Smoke from the burning gas and oil 

and clouds formed by superheating of the atmosphere 

appear white. The puffy white spots in the image are 

natural clouds.

Oil approaching the Mexican coast is shown in a 

photo-optically enhanced Landsat image in figure 3. The 

land is different shades of gray, and the clouds are 

white. The sea is light gray, and the oil is dark gray.

Some of the oil eventually reached the Texas beaches 

such as the one near Corpus Christi (fig. 4).

Important factors in the use of Landsat images to 

detect and monitor marine oil slicks are enhancement 

techniques, sun angle, and sea state. Special image 

enhancement is needed because differences in the 

reflectance of oil and water are subtle. Two common 

types of enchancement are photo-optical and digital. In 

photo-optical enhancement, the negative of the image is 

processed to increase film contrast in the same manner 

as for an ordinary photograph. To increase the contrast 

even more, the process is repeated.

When digital enhancement techniques are used, the 

brightness values of the innumerable tiny picture 

elements that make up a Landsat image are recorded on 

a computer-compatible tape and multiplied by a digital 

computer to increase the contrast of the image. The 

multiplication may be repeated several times to further 

increase the contrast. Enhancement can be observed 

and controlled through the use of specialized image 

analysis equipment.

Sun angle and sea state are also important in determining whether an oil slick can be detected by Landsat. 

Slicks are more easily spotted when winds are low to 

moderate and the sun is less than 50 degrees above the 

horizon because sun glitter is greatest under these conditions. The glitter results from the reflection of sunlight 

from extremely small waves. Because oil has a calming 

effect on the waves and removes the glitter, an oil slick 

commonly appears dark on Landsat images.

The use of Landsat to detect and track marine slicks 

has important environmental and exploration applications. Landsat data can assist in the following:

 Locating oil slicks that originated from manmade

sources such as leaking wells, broken pipelines, and 

discharges from ships.

 Finding the origin of spills.

 Exploring for oil by detecting natural marine seeps

from undersea sources of petroleum. 

Development of oil resources on the Outer Continental 

Shelf of the United States is being monitored by the 

Geological Survey using geological, geophysical, 

engineering, and remote-sensing techniques. The use of 

satellites to monitor oil on the surface of the sea is an 

example of a new technique that may assist in safeguarding valuable offshore environments and at the 

same time help in developing a needed resource.

116 I Yearbook 1979
Figure 1. Oil and gas from Ixtoc 1 burning in the Bay of Campeche on July 19, 1979. 

Photograph by Norm Tindell.

Figure 2. Digitally enhanced enlargement 

of part of Landsat 3 image 30502-15532 

showing oil and smoke from Ixtoc 1 on 

July 20, 1979.

Figure 3. Photo-optically enhanced part of Landsat 3 image 

30505-16101 showing oil from Ixtoc 1 moving toward the 

Mexican shore north of Vera Cruz on July 23, 1979.

Figure 4. Oil from Ixtoc 1 on the beach near Corpus Christ!, 

Tex., on August 19, 1979. Photograph by Norm Tindell.

Land Information and Analysis 117
| February 28, 1979 '

^^Mainshock, Mag. 7.5-8.0

EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION FOR A 

SEISMIC GAP IN ALASKA

During the past decade, the U.S. 

Geological Survey has acquired more 

responsibility and developed a greater 

capability for earthquake prediction 

and warning and hazard reduction.

The Geological Survey's responsibility in these areas was established by the Disaster Relief Act of 

1974 and Executive orders in 1975 

and 1976 which required the Survey to 

provide warnings of geologic-related 

hazards volcanic eruptions, landslides, subsidence, glacier surges, 

and earthquakes. To meet this 

responsibility, the Survey established 

a program to:

 Increase awareness of geologicrelated hazards among government officials, the private sector, 

and the general public.

 Identify geologic hazards, evaluate 

them, and disseminate information on the hazards in Notices 

of Potential Hazard, Hazard 

Watches, or Hazard Warnings 

(predictions).

 Assist public officials in evaluating 

possible mitigation measures.

The Geological Survey's capability 

for aiding in mitigating earthquake 

damage was enhanced by passage of 

the Earthquake Hazard Reduction Act 

of 1977 that led to the establishment 

of the Earthquake Hazard Reduction 

Program within the Survey. Under the 

Program, research is carried out on 

earthquake prediction and the identification of geologic hazards related 

to earthquakes.

While no formal earthquake prediction has been issued in the United 

States, the Nation's first earthquake 

Hazard Watch was issued for the 

area of Cape Yakataga, Alaska.

YAKATAGA SEISMIC 

GAP

On February 29, 1979, a strong 

earthquake shook a sparsely inhabited region of Alaska near Cape

Yakataga, halfway between Juneau 

and Anchorage. The event, which had 

a magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter 

scale, was not as large as some other 

recent earthquakes in Alaska nor was 

there significant damage. Nevertheless, the earthquake commanded 

much attention because data 

gathered by a Geological Survey 

seismometer network showed that the 

movement was at the southeastern 

edge of a large seismic gap an area 

that has not had a major earthquake 

in recent years but which lies between areas where great earthquakes 

have recently occurred. Seismic gaps 

are often subject to future great 

earthquakes.

The existence of seismic gaps was 

pointed out in 1965, and, since then, 

much work has been devoted to 

estimating the earthquake potential 

of seismic gaps and to understanding 

what causes gaps. Gaps may be explained by the theory of plate tectonics, which states that the Earth's 

crust is composed of large areas, 

called plates, that move as independent units. As the plates slowly slide 

against or over each other, a tremendous amount of stress builds up. This 

stress must be released, either by 

slow movement or by the sudden slippage of one plate past the other, 

thereby producing an earthquake. A 

seismic gap may then be interpreted 

as a segment of a plate margin that 

has not slipped recently while its 

neighboring segments have. Under 

these circumstances, the gap is 

thought to have a higher potential for 

an earthquake than the adjacent 

segments.

The plate margin segment near 

Cape Yakataga was identified by 

scientists from the Lamont-Doherty 

Geological Observatory at Columbia 

University as a seismic gap a decade 

ago. Movement in the gap occurred 

last during two great earthquakes

A large earthquake with a Richter scale 

magnitude of 8 or more is likely in the 

Yakataga seismic gap area of southcentral Alaska during the next several 

decades, according to scientists from the 

U.S. Geological Survey and the LamontDoherty Geological Observatory. The 

Survey has issued a Hazard Watch for the 

area.

that occurred in 1899. Movement occurred in the region southeast of the 

gap in 1958 and to the northwest in 

1964. Stimulated by the February 29 

earthquake, Lament researchers 

restudied seismic data. They noted 

that seven large events, with 

magnitudes between 5.9 and 7.7, had 

occurred adjacent to the Yakataga 

gap since 1958, while no earthquakes 

of comparable magnitude occurred in 

those areas between 1933 and 1958. 

The interior of the gap has been free 

from comparable earthquakes since 

1908. Similar situations have been 

observed elsewhere and have been 

followed by major earthquakes 

centered within the seismic gaps 

within a few decades. The amount of 

fault slip expected during an earthquake in the Yakataga area could be 

as much as 10 feet. If this amount of 

movement were to occur along the 

entire Yakataga seismic gap today, 

an earthquake larger than magnitude 

8 on the Richter scale would be 

generated. Such an earthquake could 

produce damaging ground motion 

over an area as large as 30,000 

square miles.

Based on these observations and 

interpretations, the Lamont group, 

working as part of the Survey's Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, 

proposed that the Yakataga gap was 

likely to be the site of a great earthquake in the future and should be 

monitored intensively to detect any 

warning signs. In response to these 

suggestions, the Survey convened a 

committee to evaluate the probability 

of an impending earthquake in the 

Yakataga gap and to make recommendations for any necessary additions to the Survey program in 

Alaska. Although alternative interpretations of the available data on 

the gap seemed plausible, the committee generally agreed that a large 

earthquake was likely to occur within 

100 years, that it might occur very 

soon, and that it probably would occur within a few decades. The committee also agreed that the area 

should be intensively monitored.
INTERPRETIVE REPORTS

TO AID REGIONAL PLANNERS

Since 1970, experimental 

multidisciplinary urban-area studies 

designed to aid local and regional 

planners have been completed in five 

areas of the country; projects are currently active in four additional areas. 

These studies were made to promote 

the use of earth science information 

in regional planning and decisionmaking. The first study program, the San 

Francisco Bay Region Environment 

and Resources Planning Study, was 

cosponsored by the Earth Sciences 

Applications (ESA) Program of the 

Geological Survey and the Office of 

Policy Development and Research of 

the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development. It produced 71 basic 

data maps and reports and several 

technical reports that have been widely used by local and regional planners. A final series of interpretive 

reports for nonscientists is now being 

produced. The other urban area 

studies will result in similar reports.

Five interpretive reports have been 

published to date:

 Professional Paper 941-A, Studies 

for Seismic Zonation of the San 

Francisco Bay Region, 102 p.

 Professional Paper 942, FloodProne Areas and Land-Use Planning, 75 p.

 Professional Paper 943, Flatland 

Deposits Their Geology and 

Engineering Properties and Their 

Importance to Comprehensive 

Planning, 88 p.

 Professional Paper 944, Relative 

Slope Stability and Land-Use 

Planning, 96 p.

 Professional Paper 945, Quantitative Land-Capability Analysis, 

115 p.

The last three publications were

published during 1979 and are

described briefly below.

FLATLAND DEPOSITS

Professional Paper 943 and its accompanying maps describe 13 

geologic units, including estuarine 

muds and marsh, alluvial-fan, channel, floodbasin, dune, and beach 

deposits. The units have different 

ages and engineering characteristics; 

decisions on the use of these lands 

must be based on the hazard and

Potential seismic hazards on the alluvial 

plain and near the bay in the San FranCisco, Calif., area.

resource potential of each individual 

unit. In the report, each geologic unit 

is described in detail, and the potentials for geologic hazards such as 

subsidence, flooding, and liquefaction 

are evaluated, and resources possibly including sand and gravel, peat, 

shells, and salts are identified. In 

addition, each unit is rated on its 

relative capability to support 

agriculture, urban residential development, ground-water recharge, and 

sand and gravel extraction.

SLOPE STABILITY

In the San Francisco Bay region, 

landslides caused damage amounting 

to more than $25 million during the 

rainy season of 1968-69 and to more 

than $10 million during the 1972-73 

rainy season. The possibility of 

damage has been increasing steadily 

as more development takes place on 

hillsides. These losses can be greatly 

reduced by using geologic information to recognize, to evaluate, and to 

map those areas and slopes that are 

potentially unstable and by applying 

this information in planning, designing, and managing the use of hillside 

areas. Professional Paper 944 

presents the first standardized 

relative slope-stability maps of the entire San Francisco Bay region and 

discusses the implications and uses

of the maps in the regional land use 

planning process. The relative slopestability maps have a variety of uses 

for planning the location of nuclearreactor sites, transportation and communication networks, and open space 

and recreational areas, and the control of urban growth.

QUANTITATIVE LAND 

CAPABILITY ANALYSIS

Professional Paper 945 describes a 

method of evaluating land use proposals by estimating the development 

costs related to various geologic and 

hydrologic characteristics and processes when the existing use of the 

land is converted to housing, commerce, or transportation. Costs can 

include potential damage from 

natural hazards such as floods, landslides, or earthquakes; fees for 

special investigations, designs, or 

construction practices; and the loss 

of potentially valuable resources such 

as sand and gravel. The total costs 

associated with all geologic problems 

for a specific use and a given area indicate the relative capability of that 

land to accomodate that use. Thus, 

capability maps can be produced for 

each proposed land use by displaying 

the sums of these development costs 

by area on a map. Such landcapability maps are a convenient 

means of graphically presenting the 

data needed to evaluate alternatives 

and to make better decisions on land 

use.
A COMPUTER MODEL THAT HELPS PROTECT 

THE ENVIRONMENT

The Oilspill Trajectory Analysis (OSTA) model is one of 

the many tools scientists and public decisionmakers use 

in an effort to ensure that the development of our 

domestic energy resources does not endanger our environment. The model is a sophisticated computer program that defines both the probability of an oilspill occurring and its potential paths. The OSTA model was 

developed by a Geological Survey team currently composed of a physical scientist, an oceanographer, a 

mathematician, and a computer technican. The model 

became fully operational during fiscal year 1979 and provides information for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease 

sales and for development and production environmental 

impact statements.

The OSTA model determines the likelihood of an 

oilspill occurring within a given area and, through oilspill 

simulation, the possible movement of the oilspill and 

whether it will contact any environmentally sensitive 

resources. Because some resources, such as migrating 

birds, may be present in the study area for only part of 

the year, the model incorporates monthly vulnerability 

for each resource. The probability of oilspill occurrence

is estimated from the volume of oil expected to be produced, the anticipated method of production, and the 

distance of transportation to shore. Movement of as 

many as 500 simulated oilspills per season is modeled 

based upon historic wind records and monthly ocean 

currents.

Output of the model includes tables of conditional 

probabilities of oilspills contacting any of 31 categories 

of vulnerable resources for 100 segments of the coast 

within 3,10, and 30 days and the percentage of oilspills 

contacting a specific environmentally sensitive resource 

within the same periods. These periods reflect stages in 

the natural degradation of the oil and resulting decrease 

in its toxicity. The model calculates oilspill probabilities 

for each of the places where an oilspill could occur and 

combines these to determine the overall risks. The model 

provides the Department of the Interior with a method of 

realistically assessing oilspill risks associated with OCS 

development. To date, it has been used for analyzing 

oilspill risks for 10 OCS environmental impact 

statements. In addition, the OSTA model will be used to 

analyze the summer 1979 Ixtoc 1 oilspill in the Gulf of 

Mexico.

PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT IN ALASKA

The environmental consequences of potential 

petroleum development in the National Petroleum 

Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) dictated the preparation of a 

special environmental "draft" study completed during 

1979. Section 105(b) of the Naval Petroleum Reserves 

Production Act of 1976 directed the President to conduct 

a study to determine the best procedures for developing, 

producing, transporting, and distributing petroleum 

resources of the Reserve.

The NPRA study includes analyses of the environmental impacts of development and production of petroleum 

resources in the Reserve and of transportation of those 

resources to the conterminous United States. The 

outstanding environmental concerns stemming from 

development and production are (1) impacts on wildlife, 

especially caribou and waterfowl, (2) depletion of gravel 

and water resources which are in limited supply, and (3) 

impacts on the culture and lifestyle of the Inupiat 

Eskimo communities, which rely on the hunting of 

Bowhead whales. Significant concerns for transportation 

of the petroleum resources from NPRA are (1) impacts 

upon the Inupiat culture and lifestyle through increased 

contact with modern society, (2) increased pressures on

government and service organizations, (3) impacts on 

wildlife, particularly on caribou migration and habitat 

from pipelines and roads, and (4) potential oilspills along 

new pipeline or marine transportation routes.

In the analysis of impacts, the development and experience at Prudhoe Bay and the construction and operation of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) were 

used as general models. Together they represent the current level of technology and experience in the arctic environment. Because wellfield facilities vary widely with 

petroleum reservoir characteristics, no specific model 

was used. For the transportation of petroleum from 

NPRA to the terminals, the following general corridors 

were assumed for illustrative purposes: (1) from eastern 

NPRA to TAPS at Prudhoe Bay, (2) from eastern NPRA to 

TAPS south of Prudhoe Bay, and (3) from southwestern 

NPRA to the Bering coast at alternate sites north or 

south of the Bering Strait. A marine terminal at Barrow 

for submersible tankers was also considered briefly.

Environmental studies of this type are a critical element in the decisionmaking process, assuring both 

public officials and private citizens that environmental 

issues are addressed during the development of natural 

resources.

120 I Yearbook 1979
OILSPILL RISK ANALYSIS

Spill paths simulated from wind and current data are used to predict 

the probabilities of biological and recreational resources being 

impacted by oilspills.

Probability of number 

of spills greater than 

1,000 barrels

Production life of proposed lease 

area is typically 2O-25 years

567

NUMBER OF SPILLS

PmbftWBIfy of oilspills from platforms 

nnd tankers during production life

Path of 

pollutants

.spring 

conditions

..winter 

I conditions

beaches and 

recreation areas y"*

' " 4

representative 

biological resources

reso

= impa

.on the shore.. ..on

biological _J^

resources '** *

Examples from a North Atlantic feasa area

W/BIA-O3

Land Information and Analysis 121
LAND USE MAPS AND DATA APPLICATIONSTHREE MILE ISLAND POWERPLANT SITE

In March 1979, a nuclear accident 

at the Three Mile Island powerplant 

on the Susquehanna River, 10 miles 

southeast of the State capital of 

Harrisburg, Pa., raised the question of 

how plant locations might affect nearby areas in the event of such accidents. To aid in evaluating and 

developing alternative solutions for 

control of hazards by decisionmakers, 

a special land use and land cover 

map, keyed to political units and Census statistical areas, was produced 

from existing data by a computerdriven mapping plotter. Plotted at a 

scale of 1:100,000, the computerdrawn map can also be rendered as 

an overlay for a standard Geological 

Survey topographic map at a scale of 

1:250,000. The map identifies 19 land 

use categories in the area by colors 

and patterns (a full-color reproduction

at 1:100,000 in this publication was 

not possible because of printing 

limitations). Concentric circles 

centered on the powerplant and place 

names were added for ease in evaluation of potential hazards and for use 

in future site planning. The digital 

data used in constructing the land 

use and land cover map are from a 

1978 cooperative effort between the 

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources and the U.S. 

Geological Survey.

Shortly before the accident at 

Three Mile Island, the Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission (NRC) inquired about land use information 

available from the Survey for use in 

selecting plant sites and powerline 

rights of way. The Survey provided a 

description of information products, 

some samples, and a status report.

Computer-drawn map showing the Three Mile Island powerplant site.

NRC ordered sets of the black-andwhite land use and associated maps 

of the Harrisburg and Baltimore map 

quadrangles. When the accident occurred, the Survey volunteered to 

show how the land use data could be 

used, not only for site planning, but 

also in assessment of damage and 

planning of emergency relief 

measures. The map shows settlement 

patterns and also relates Census 

statistical areas to land use centered 

on the island. The NRC is referring to 

this map in its report of the accident. 

In addition, the Survey is currently exploring the possibility of making 

similar maps for approximately 70 

other plant sites. The Survey is also 

helping NRC to provide a wide range 

of nationwide thematic maps showing 

earth science data and State base 

maps for use in site planning, environmental impact assessment, and 

emergency planning.

One square r 

H 640 acre:
LAND USE AND LAND COVER 

MAPS AND DATA FOR OUR NATION

Land use and land cover maps for 

more than 1.25 million square miles 

of the United States were completed 

by the end of the fiscal year 1979. By 

1982, maps will be completed for the 

entire Nation, except Alaska (for 

which maps will be completed in 

1984). Such maps were not available 

in a current, reliable, and standardized format before the Geography Program's establishment in 1975. Compiled from high-altitude aerial 

photographs as primary source 

materials and a land use and land 

cover classification system developed

for use with high-altitude and satellite 

data, these maps are being placed on 

open file for public use at a scale of 

1:250,000; some selected areas are 

being compiled at 1:100,000. Also, a 

new Land Use Map Series was begun 

in fiscal year 1979 with the publication of 83 two-color land use and land 

cover maps at the same scales as the 

open-file maps. As shown on the index map below, these maps are now 

available for many areas of the country.

The land use and land cover map 

data are also being digitized and

placed in the Geographic Information 

Retrieval and Analysis System. Digital 

data products include statistical summaries by counties, hydrologic units, 

Census county subdivisions, and for 

federally owned land and variable 

scale, black-and-white, or colorshaded computer plots. Analysis of 

such data to determine land use 

trends and patterns and to contribute 

to the solution of land-resource problems is facilitated by having the map 

information in a digital format.

^Status of land use and land cover mapping.

EXPLANATION

1 Maps on open file

Published maps

Planned production fiscal

l:100,000-scale (heavier outline) a 

l:250,000-scale quadrangles show
HELPING PLANNERS AND DECISIONMAKERS 

USE EARTH SCIENCE INFORMATION

The current multi-Divisional and 

multi-Bureau efforts of the Survey illustrate the trend of this organization 

toward nontraditional roles. Decisionmakers and planners at all levels of 

government and the private sector 

have a vital need for the expertise 

available in the Survey. Five selected 

examples of this effort are cited 

below.

OUTER CONTINENTAL 

SHELF OIL AND GAS 

INFORMATION 

PROGRAM

During the past year, seven 

regional meetings were held to identify State and local information needs 

and issues as part of the initial 

development of Indexes and Summary 

Reports required by the Geological 

Survey Regulations and the Outer 

Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Information Program mandates.

Indexes were prepared for the 

Atlantic, Gulf, Pacific, and Alaska 

coasts. They list reports and 

documents used by the Federal 

Government in the decisionmaking 

process for leasing, exploration, 

development, and production of oil 

and gas from the OCS. Work has 

begun on the Mid-Atlantic and Pacific 

Summary Reports; these will include 

(1) geologic and geophysical data and 

updated oil- and gas-resource and 

reserve estimates, (2) projections of 

the magnitude and timing of any 

development, (3) methods of transportation to be employed, and (4) the 

general location and nature of nearshore and onshore facilities. Copies 

of the Indexes are available from the 

U.S. Geological Survey, 750 National 

Center, Reston, VA 22092.

The program's first direct technical 

assistance effort began with the signing of a cooperative agreement with 

the State of Alaska to prepare an 

issue analysis of information, planning, and programming needs for 

future Bering Sea OCS area activities.

COASTAL ZONE 

MANAGEMENT ACT 

COORDINATION

The Geological Survey established 

the office of the Coastal Zone 

Management Act (CZMA) Coordinator 

to handle the Survey's responsibilities 

under CZMA. These responsibilities 

include review of State CZM programs before their approval by the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA) and development of working contacts with State 

CZM agencies to coordinate activities 

of mutual interest and concern.

During the year, the CZMA Coordinator has:

 Coordinated Survey review of the 

draft and final CZM programs of 

Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, 

Guam, South Carolina, and the 

Virgin Islands.

 Prepared and distributed to the 

coastal States a document 

describing the Survey's licensing 

and permit activities in the 

coastal zone.

 Developed procedures to facilitate 

the review of State CZM program 

documents and materials by the 

Survey's regional offices.

 Represented the Survey in the formulation of Departmental policy 

on estuarine and marine sanctuaries proposed by NOAA.

 Entered into a cooperative project 

with the University of Rhode 

Island to study the future role of 

the Survey in the coastal zone, 

particularly in the acquisition 

and dissemination of earth 

science information.

APPLICATION OF

CONFLICT

RESOLUTION

TECHNIQUES TO

ENVIRONMENTAL

PROBLEMS

An experimental project was begun 

by the Geological Survey and the 

Council on Environmental Quality to 

test the ways in which conflict resolution processes could be used to improve the decisionmaking process for 

natural-resources management. 

Several approaches have been taken. 

Two training workshops in mediation 

were held for the National Park Service, and workshops are scheduled 

for other organizations. A number of 

conflict situations, both projected 

and present, have been studied, and 

discussions are underway about their 

use as case studies. One such case 

study for the Bureau of Land Management involves the use of off-road 

vehicles for special events on public 

lands in California. Other cases under 

consideration include conflicts about 

land use, outdoor recreation, timber 

management, and water resources. 

Techniques to be tested include 

mediation, facilitation, fact finding, 

and education.

URBAN WATER

CONSERVATION

PROJECT

The Geological Survey, in cooperation with the New England River 

Basins Commission, is evaluating 

water-conservation methods for use 

in urban areas. The first phase of the 

project included a comprehensive 

review of water-conservation literature, a survey of 218 urban New 

England water suppliers, and a 

methodology for evaluating urban 

water-conservation strategies. A summary and evaluation of a wide range 

of water-conservation measures used 

in urban areas across the Nation is 

being prepared.

A methodology for selecting the 

most effective conservation 

strategies is being developed to aid 

urban water managers. The 

methodology is being tested in two 

similar New England communities 

that have two different types of waterconservation programs. The two tests 

will assess the effectiveness of the 

methodology in predicting the impact 

of the conservation measures 

employed by the two communities 

and in developing alternative 

strategies for reducing the demand 

for water.

124 I Yearbook 1979
WORKSHOP 

ON MEDIATION

WESTERN COAL 

PLANNING 

ASSISTANCE PROJECT

The Western Coal Planning 

Assistance Project, a joint effort of 

the Missouri River Basin Commission 

and the Survey, is designed to assist 

State and local governments in dealing with problems associated with 

coal/energy development. The project 

consists of two phases.

Phase I of the project culminated in 

meetings in Montana, North Dakota, 

and Wyoming at which the products 

of Phase I were described and 

discussed. These products are:

 Factbook for Western Coal/Energy 

Development

 Source Book for Western 

Coal/Energy Development.

 A Guide to Methods for Impact 

Assessment of Western 

Coal/Energy Development.

 Forecasts for Western Coal/Energy 

Development.

 4 Selected publications demonstrating 

the involvement of 

the U.S. Geological 

Survey in new roles 

by providing earth 

science data needed 

for managing our Nation's natural 

resources.

Copies of the reports are available 

from the U.S. Geological Survey, 750 

National Center, Reston VA 22092.

Phase II will include updating and 

revising the Phase I products, expanding the information on the transportation of coal and coal products and 

the possible impacts on communities, 

and holding experiential workshops 

using the Phase I products and other 

natural resource, social, economic, 

and fiscal information.

Land Information and Analysis 125
NEW ADVANCES IN SATELLITE IMAGE 

DATA HANDLING AND APPLICATIONS

During the past year, a domestic communications satellite (Domsat) began to relay Landsat satellite image data from 

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to EROS Data 

Center (EDC). With the new EDC image processing system (EDIPS), this relay has made possible an "all-digital" format 

and greatly speeded data handling between the two facilities. EDIPS has both accelerated the processing of images 

and made possible the production of higher quality images. Faster processing of enhanced Landsat imagery is essential because new applications of these data to resource and environmental problems are increasing rapidly. An example 

of a new application of digital analysis techniques of Landsat images is the mapping and monitoring of changes in the 

terrain of arid regions.

DOMSAT RELAYS 

LANDSAT DATA

In May 1979, EDC began using a 

domestic communications satellite to 

relay Landsat image data to EDC 

from GSFC. The new link ensures 

timely availability of Landsat data 

and rapid access that makes possible 

more effective use of earth-resources 

imagery. Previous methods of 

transferring Landsat data involved 

shipping magnetic tapes and 

photographic film by a common carrier such as air freight, and a shipment could take as long as 4 weeks 

to arrive at EDC.

Two events made it possible to 

eliminate this delay. In 1976, commercial communications satellites 

became available. About the same 

time, new image processing systems 

were being developed at GSFC and at 

EDC for an "all-digital" format; with 

phasing out of the photographic film 

interface expected, it was feasible to 

look at the Domsat system as a 

viable data-transfer tool.

In 1978, NASA began using Domsat 

to relay unprocessed Landsat data to 

GSFC from its distant reception 

facilities in Alaska and California. In 

February 1979, both EDC and GSFC 

implemented the new digital-image 

processing capabilities, and a 

receiver antenna was installed at 

EDC. After the antenna was checked 

out, transmissions from GSFC 

through Domsat began.

Standing 46 feet high in front of the 

main building at EDC, the antenna 

consists primarily of a parabolic dish 

33.8 feet in diameter. For 1 or 2 hours 

every morning, digital data transmitted from GSFC are received and 

recorded on high-density tapes. 

Typical turnaround time for the data 

for a Landsat image from original acquisition to arrival at EDC is now 

about 10 days less than half the 

time once required.

LANDSAT IMAGES 

USED TO MAP AND 

MONITOR THE 

TERRAIN OF ARID 

REGIONS

The Geological Survey has undertaken projects based on the analysis 

of Landsat images to assess and 

monitor the land as a resource, beginning with the characteristics of arid 

regions. The method being evaluated 

for assessment of the ability of an 

arid area to support various uses is 

the Australian land systems approach. This method of land-resource 

mapping contrasts sharply with the 

usual U.S. methods that rely heavily 

on the mapping of geologic features, 

soils, and vegetation as single map 

units, followed by combinations of 

the data as a means of assessing 

land use capability. In the Australian 

method, each parcel of land is considered to be unique and is described 

in an integrated manner. Australian 

land systems maps integrate the data 

by showing areas where specific combinations of geology, soils, and 

vegetation occur.

Digital analysis of Landsat images 

has been found to be a useful method 

of classifying arid lands by the 

Australian approach. The Geological 

Survey has examined the technique 

and has concluded that it is a highly 

desirable first step in arid-region terrain evaluation. These methods of integrated terrain mapping and Landsat 

digital analysis also have potential 

use in the arid lands of the Western 

United States.

EDIPS IMPLEMENTED

The past year has brought about increased reliance on digital computers 

to process satellite imagery at EDC. 

Since February 1979, an integrated 

data-processing system, known as 

EDIPS, has been fulfilling two objectives incorporation of greater 

geometric fidelity in Landsat image 

products and improved interpretability 

of Landsat products. The new system 

came about as part of a cooperative 

effort by EDC and NASA's GSFC.

Special processing procedures using optional EDIPS capabilities are requested frequently. To magnify subtle 

variations in image brightness values, 

the brightness levels are "stretched" 

over the entire dynamic range of the 

film base to separate pixel radiances 

as much as possible. Another option, 

edge enhancement, employs a technique that can exaggerate the dif- : 

ference between a pixel's radiance 

and that of surrounding pixels. Detail 

along features such as shorelines [ 

and vegetation boundaries in the final 

image is thus sharpened. Although 

not every user of Landsat data requires enhanced images, these optional processing steps have proven 

valuable.

The new system has had an immense effect on EDC, strikingly evident in newer, faster, and better ways 

of doing things. Clearly, the computer 

will play an important role in the 

manipulation and interpretation of 

earth-resources data. As additional 

advances in image processing are 

made, increased usefulness and interpretability of data products will be 

assured.
The Domsat antenna linking EDC in Sioux 

Falls, S. Dak., with the Goddard Space 

Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Oblique aerial photograph of Western Queensiai;J, Ausua.ia, OHGV. iiig eurveJ sand 

dunes with small clay depressions which may contain water. These constitute a 

"land system" which has a limited capacity for use but which is subject to erosion 

and deposition depending on the density of the protective vegetation on the dunes. 

Mapping such features and monitoring their changes with time provides guides to 

proper utilization of the land.

Enlarged part of Landsat image 1700-17422 showing an area near Needles, Calif., June 23, 1974. A, Standard product, photographically processed. 8,Digitally enhanced product, processed by EDIPS.

Land Information and Analysis | 127
National

Petroleum Reserve 

in Alaska

MISSION

During fiscal year 1979, the U.S. Geological Survey continued petroleum exploration activities on the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA), which 

was transferred from the Department of the Navy to the Department of the Interior on June 1, 1977, under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 

1976 (90 Stat. 305; 42 U.S.C. 6504(d)(3)). In accordance with the Act, the Survey 

was assigned the responsibility to explore and to evaluate the petroleum 

resources by drilling and geological and geophysical investigations and to 

build an information base to assist Congress in determining the best use of 

the land within the Reserve; to continue to develop and to produce natural gas 

from the South Barrow gas field or other fields as may be necessary and to 

supply gas at reasonable and equitable rates to the Native village of Barrow 

and other communities and installations of the Federal Government in the 

vicinity of Barrow; and to continue environmental rehabilitation of parts of the 

Reserve disturbed by previous exploration and construction activities.

During fiscal year 1979, five exploration wells were completed, including one 

at which drilling had been suspended the previous spring. One well begun during fiscal year 1979 was temporarily suspended during the summer months. 

Three geophysical parties acquired 1,872 line miles of seismic data. In addition, the Geological Survey continued to operate and to maintain the South 

Barrow gas field which supplies natural gas to the village of Barrow and 

Federal installations in the vicinity of Barrow. An access road to the South 

Barrow gas field and a pipeline connecting the East Barrow gas field to the 

South Barrow gas field were constructed. A pressure-reducing station is being 

constructed at the East Barrow gas field to allow two previously drilled East 

Barrow wells to begin production during the winter of 1979-80. Husky Oil NPR 

Operations, Inc., continued as the principal contractor for all phases of the exploration program.

V ____ ' ».
BUDGET AND PERSONNEL

During fiscal year 1979, $216.9 million was appropriated for drilling and related activities within NPRA. 

Of this amount, $194.1 million was allocated to continue 

the ongoing evaluation and assessment of the Reserve; 

$20.2 million, to operate the South Barrow gas field and 

to explore for and to develop additional gas reserves in 

the Barrow area; and $2.6 million, for the Environmental 

Rehabilitation Program which consists of the normal 

cleanup of current exploration drilling sites and 

rehabilitation of areas of the Reserve disturbed during 

previous petroleum exploration and construction 

activities.

The Office of National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

was allocated 24 permanent full-time positions and 6 

part-time positions for the fiscal year. Of the 30 permanent full-time positions, 3 have been staffed elsewhere in 

the Geological Survey to provide dedicated contract support to the program and to upgrade NPRA petroleum 

resource data as new information is acquired from the 

ongoing exploration program. The remaining 27 positions 

comprise the Operations, Exploration Strategy, and 

Liaison elements of the Office.

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska activity obligations for fiscal years 1978 and 1979, by subactivity 

[Dollars in millions. Data may differ from that in statistical tables 

because of rounding]

Subactivity

Fiscal year Fiscal year 

1978 1979

Total __________ $202.7 $216.9

Evaluation and Assessment of 

NPRA ___________________ 185.9 194.1

Direct programs ______ 185.9 194.1 

Reimbursable programs _ __ ____

Barrow Area Gas Exploration 

and Development _____ 14.8 20.2

Direct programs ______ 14.8 

Reimbursable programs _ ____

20.2

Environmental Restoration _ 2.0 2.6

Direct programs ______ 2.0 2.6

Reimbursable programs _ __ __

SOURCE OF FUNDS

TOTAL $216.9 MILLION

Direct Federal Funds $216.9

Barrow area gas exploration 

and development 

Direct 

 Evaluation and Assessment of NPRA $194.1 $20.2

 >«'**"

TIIK. IMTEl) STATKS OF AMKHH A

E676Q4508

1 5

E67604508C ^

'- -'.:- »j?

-Environmental 

restoration 

Direct $2.6

USE OF FUNDS

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska | 129
STATUS OF EXPLORATION DRILLING

South Meade Test Well No. 1, 

located 45 miles south of Barrow, 

spudded in February 1978 and drilled 

to a depth of 8,516 feet before spring 

breakup conditions required suspension of drilling. In December 1978, the 

well was reentered and completed to 

the "argillite" basement at 9,945 feet. 

The well was drilled to test for possible oil and gas accumulation in truncated onlap strata on the southern 

flank of the Barrow Arch. Minor gas 

shows were observed from many 

zones, but none was judged to be 

commercially significant. The well 

was plugged and abandoned in 

January 1979.

Inigok Test Well No. 1, located 60 

miles south of Lonely, began drilling 

in June 1978 and continued drilling 

throughout the summer because an 

all-season drilling pad, roads, and 

airstrip had been constructed. The 

well was drilled to test a deeply 

buried east-trending faulted anticlinal 

feature separating the Umiat and 

Ikpikpuk Basins. Drilling was routine 

to 17,570 feet when native sulfur and 

high concentrations of hydrogen 

sulfide gas were encountered. After 

the sulfur and the gas were controlled, drilling continued. Only minor 

gas shows were noted in several 

zones, but no good reservoirs were 

found. Although "argillite" was not 

encountered due to early termination 

of drilling caused by excessive 

borehole drift, the well reached a 

depth of 20,102 feet, a new record for 

an Alaskan well. The well was 

plugged and abandoned in May 1979.

Tunalik Test Well No. 1, located 22 

miles southeast of Icy Cape, was 

planned as a second deep test for 

fiscal year 1978, but drilling did not 

begin until November 1978 because 

the drilling rig could not be moved 

from the Kugrua well site before 

spring breakup. Numerous minor gas 

shows were encountered at both 

shallow and moderate depths in thin 

sandstones which had low porosity. 

High-pressure gas, which was encountered at about 12,550 and 14,725 

feet, created severe drilling problems. 

Attempts to test the upper unit before 

drilling ahead failed. Further testing 

will be delayed until drilling has been 

completed. Target depth of the well is 

21,000 feet; however, as of the end of 

September 1979, drilling was below 

17.000 feet.

Ikpikpuk Test Well No. 1, located 42 

miles southwest of Lonely, spudded 

in November 1978 on a drilling pad 

constructed during the previous 

winter. The well was drilled to test for 

possible oil and gas accumulations 

on the northern wedge of the Ikpikpuk 

Basin. The well was programmed to 

drill to "argillite" at 15,200 feet. 

Although drilling progressed approximately on schedule, the well did not 

reach target depth before spring 

breakup. The well was suspended at 

14,210 feet in April 1979. When 

suspended, the well had penetrated 

no significant reservoir zones or oil 

shows. The borehole was prepared for 

reentry in fiscal year 1980.

Peard Test Well No. 1, located 70 

miles southeast of Barrow, was 

drilled to test for possible oil and gas 

accumulations along the northern 

flank of the Meade Basin. Minor gas 

shows were noted in several zones, 

but no attractive reservoirs were 

found. The well spudded in January 

1979 and was plugged and abandoned in April 1979.

East Simpson Test Well No. 1, 

located 55 miles southeast of Barrow, 

was a test of possible stratigraphic 

traps. Shows of oil and gas and 

residual oil were noted in several 

zones, but no significant reservoirs 

were found. Potential reservoir zones 

had low to moderate porosity and 

permeability. Structural and stratigraphic relations at the well indicate 

that the location is structurally too 

low in the trap, and a followup well is 

planned for fiscal year 1980 updip 

from the East Simpson Test Well No. 

1 location to test for oil structurally 

higher in the trap. The well spudded 

in February 1979 and was plugged 

and abandoned in April 1979.

J. W. Dalton Test Well No.1, 

located 3 miles east of Lonely, was 

drilled to test for oil or das accumulations on the southern fll&k of the 

Barrow-Prudhoe high. Significant oil 

shows had been encountered in a 

nearby well located farther down the 

structure. At the Dalton location, 

significant amounts of heavy residual 

oil or tar were encountered, and tests 

of several zones recovered minor 

amounts of gas and heavy asphaltic 

oil. The occurrence of heavy oil and 

salt water may indicate that the well 

penetrated a reservoir just below the 

oil-water contact. If gas or oil is

present in the reservoir, it may lie offshore. The well spudded in May 1978 

and was drilled to "argillite" basement at 9,367 feet. It was plugged 

and abandoned in August 1979.

Lisburne Test Well No. 1, located 

110 miles southwest of Umiat, was 

drilled in the southern part of the 

Reserve along the northern front of 

the Brooks Range to test a large 

deeply buried anticline identified from 

seismic data. This was the first exploration well in the Disturbed Belt of 

the Southern Foothills of NPRA. Drilling began in June 1979 but was temporarily suspended at a depth of 

6,773 feet on August 15, 1979, due to 

a labor dispute at the rig. The drilling 

rig, support camp, and airstrip were 

being maintained with minimum staff 

pending resolution of the dispute. 

Target depth of the well is 15,000 

feet.

Seabee Test Well No. 1, located 1 

mile northwest of Umiat, was drilled 

in the southern part of the Umiat oil 

field to test deeper zones not 

previously tested in this area. Good 

oil and gas shows were noted in the 

Umiat Oil Zone, but no testing was 

performed because of the largediameter borehole and of earlier tests 

made in shallow wells. Drilling was 

temporarily suspended at a depth of 

6,651 feet on August 15, 1979, due to 

a labor dispute at the rig. The drilling 

rig, support camp, and airstrip were 

being maintained with minimum staff 

pending resolution of the dispute. 

Target depth is 15,000 feet.

Geophysical studies on NPRA continued during fiscal year 1979 with 

the acquisition, processing, and interpretation of 1,872 line miles of reconnaissance and detailed seismic 

surveys in various parts of the 

Reserve using three field geophysical 

crews, two in the Southern Foothills 

area and one in the northern coastal 

area. Approximately 500 miles of 

previously acquired seismic data were 

processed for special stratigraphic 

evaluation. To date, 11,407 line miles 

of seismic data have been collected 

and processed. In addition, various 

geologic studies are underway by the 

Geological Survey and by contractors 

to support oil exploration activities, 

which include structural and stratigraphic studies, geochemical investigations, and hydrologic and 

engineering studies.

130 I Yearbook 1979
The petroleum exploration activities 

on NPRA are coordinated with two 

related studies mandated by Public 

Law 94-258. One study, due January 

1, 1980, relates to "the best overall 

procedure to be used in the development, production, transportation, and 

distribution of the petroleum resources in the reserve." This study is 

referred to as the Presidential Study 

or the 105(b) Study. It consists of an 

economic analysis by the Office of 

Minerals Policy and Research 

Analysis in the Department of the Interior and an environmental analysis

by the Geological Survey. The second 

study, conducted by the Bureau of 

Land Management, is "to determine 

the values of, and best uses for, the 

lands contained in the reserve, taking 

into consideration (A) the natives who 

live or depend upon such lands, (B) 

the scenic, historical, recreational, 

fish and wildlife, and wilderness 

values, (C) mineral potential, and (D) 

other values of such lands." This 

study, referred to as the 105(c) Study, 

was compiled by the Bureau of Land 

Management and was submitted to 

Congress in April 1979. However,

because land use designations and 

petroleum development decisions are 

so closely related, the Department of 

the Interior postponed making recommendations until submission of the 

Presidential Study on approaches for 

petroleum development.

Table 1 lists wells drilled by the 

Navy between 1975 and 1977, wells 

drilled in fiscal years 1978 and 1979, 

exploration wells planned for fiscal 

year 1980 by the Geological Survey, 

and development wells drilled in the 

Barrow gas fields in 1977 and 1978.

Table 1. Summary of exploration drilling by the Department of the Navy and the U.S. Geological Survey

Name

Cape Halkett

No. 1.

East Teshekpuk

No. 1

South Harrison Bay

No. 1.

Atigaru Point

No. 1.

West Fish Creek

No. 1.

South Simpson

No. 1.

W. T. Foran

No. 1.

Drew Point Test

Well No. 1.

North Kilikpuk Test

Well No. 1.

South Meade Test

Wells No. 1.

Kugrua Test Well

No. 1.

Inigok Test Well

No. 1.

Tunalik Test Well

No. 1.

Peard Test Well

No. 1.

Ikpikpuk Test

Well No. 1-

East Simpson

Test Well No. 1.

J. W. Dalton Test

Well No. 1.

Lisburne Test

Well No. 1.

Seabee Test Well

No.-l. '

Walakpa Test

Well No. 1.

West Dease Test

Well No. 1.

East Simpson Test

Well No. 2.

Koluktak Test

Well No. 1.

Awuna Test

Well No. 1.

Location

18 miles ESE of

Lonely.

25 miles of

Lonely.

50 miles of

Barrow.

44 miles SE of

Lonely.

51 miles SE of

Lonely.

41 miles WSW of

Lonely.

23 miles ESE of

Lonely.

14 miles W of

Lonely.

37 miles SE of

Lonely.

45 miles S of

Barrow.

67 miles SW of

Barrow.

60 miles S of

Lonely.

22 miles SE of

Icy Cape.

25 miles NE of

Wainwright.

42 miles SW of

Lonely.

55 miles SE of

Barrow.

3 miles E of

Lonely.

110 miles S. of

Umiat.

1 mile NWof

Umiat.

15 miles S of

Barrow.

28 miles SE of

Barrow.

50 miles SE of

Barrow.

75 miles S of

Smith Bay.

150 miles S of

Barrow.

Date 

spudded

3-24-75

3-12-76

11-21-76

1-12-77

2-14-77

3-9-77

3-7-77

1-13-78

2-27-78

2-8-78

(Reentered)

2-13-78

6-7-78

11-10-78

1-27-79

11-29-78

2-19-79

5-7-79

6-11-79

7-1-79

Being planned.

...do...

...do...

...do...

...do.. .

Date 

completed

5-23-75

5-11-76

1-27-77

3-10-77

4-21-77

4-18-77

4-16-77

3-13-78

4-14-78

1-22-79

5-30-78

5-22-79

4-13-79

4-10-79

8-2-79

Total depth 

in feet

9,900

10,664

11,290

11,535

11,427

8,805

8,864

7,946

7,395

9,945

12,588

20,102

2 21 ,000

10,225

2 15,200

7,739

9,367

2 15,000

2 15,000

2 3,500

2 4,000

2 7,600

2 4,500

2 15,000

Deepest horizon 

attained

"Argillite" basement

(Devonian or older).

Granite basement

Lisburne Group

(Misissippian).

"Argillite basement

(Devonian or older).

Kayk Shale

(Mississippian).

"Argillite basement

(Devonian or older).

...do...

...do...

Kingak Shale

(Jurassic).

"Argillite" basement

(Devonian or older).

Lisburne Group

(Mississippian).

Kekiktuk Formation

(Mississippian).

2 "Argillite" basement

"Argillite" basement

2 "Argillite" basement

"Argillite" basement

...do.. .

2 Lisburne-Endicott

Group.

2 Basal Cretaceous

"Argillite" basement

(Devonian or older).

...do...

...do...

Torok Formation

(Cretaceous).

Lisburne Group

(Mississippian).

Remarks

Dry, plugged and

abandoned.

Do.

Poor oil shows; plugged

and abandoned.

Do.

Do.

Dry; plugged and

abandoned.

Oil and gas shows;

plugged and abandoned.

Poor oil and gas shows;

plugged and abandoned.

Do.

Poor gas shows;

plugged and abandoned.

Dry; plugged and

abandoned.

Encountered hydrogen sulfide

and sulfur at 17,570 feet;

poor gas shows; plugged

and abandoned

Drilling at 18,156 feet as

of 9-30-79.

Poor gas shows;

plugged and abandoned.

Suspended at 14,210 feet; to

be reentered and completed

early in fiscal year 1980.

Oil and gas shows;

plugged and abandoned.

Oil and gas shows; some

heavy oil recovered during

testing; plugged and

abandoned.

Suspended at 6,773 feet on

8-15-79, due to labor

dispute.

Suspended at 6,551 feet on

8-15-79 due to labor

dispute.

Drilling began. Projected.

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska I 131
ACTIVITIES IN THE BARROW AREA

The Geological Survey continued to operate and maintain the South Barrow gas field (table 1) which supplies 

natural gas to the village of Barrow and Federal installations in the Barrow area. In compliance with congressional direction, no new wells were drilled pending completion of studies of possible alternative fuel sources for 

Barrow. The studies established that the continued 

development of local gas reserves is the most costeffective manner of providing energy to the Barrow area. 

During fiscal year 1979, an access road was constructed

Table 1 . Summary of drilling in Barrow area by the Department of the Navy and the U.S. Geological Survey

to the South Barrow gas field and a pipeline was built 

connecting it to the East Barrow gas field; this allows 

both fields to be produced simultaneously. A pressurereducing station is being constructed which will allow 

two previously drilled East Barrow wells to begin producing gas during the winter of 1979-80. One problem well 

(Barrow Well No. 6, drilled in 1964) in the South Barrow 

gas field was worked over and provided with more 

modern surface equipment.

Name

South Barrow 

No. 13. 

South Barrow 

No. 14. 

South Barrow 

No. 16. 

South Barrow

No. 17. 

South Barrow 

No. 19.

Location

5 miles SE of 

Barrow. 

12 miles ESE of 

Barrow. 

6 miles E of 

Barrow. 

13 miles ESE of

Barrow. 

11 miles ESE of 

Barrow.

Date 

spudded

12-17-76 

1-28-77 

1-28-78 

3-2-78

4-17-78

Date 1 

completed

1-16-77 

3-3-77 

2-18-78 

4-13-78

5-17-78

Fotal depth 

in feet

2,355 

2,257 

2,400 

2,382

2,300

Deepest horizon 

attained

"Argillite" basement 

(Devonian or Older). 

Sag River sandstone 

(Triassic). 

"Argillite" Basement 

(Devonian or Older). 

...do...

. . .do. . .

Remarks

Shows of gas, suspended 

as marginal gas well. 

Completed as a gas well.

Dry; plugged and 

abandoned. 

Suspended; edge well;

produces water with gas. 

Completed as a gas well.

ENVIRONMENTAL REHABILITATION ON NPRA

The Geological Survey environmental rehabilitation 

program on NPRA consists of two parts, the collection 

and consolidation of litter and debris left from previous 

construction and oil exploration activities and the 

cleanup and revegetation of current drilling sites.

Early oil exploration and construction activities were 

accomplished with little consideration for environmental 

protection or effects of drilling operations on the tundra 

environment. Fuel drums, abandoned equipment and 

supplies, and other litter of exploration and construction 

were left in place at many sites. During fiscal year 1979, 

the Geological Survey collected over 2,800 tons of debris

and waste materials from 36 old sites on and adjacent to 

the Reserve. These materials were consolidated and 

stockpiled at several collection points on the Reserve.

Current program site rehabilitation consists of an initial recontouring and revegetation of drilling sites with a 

second reseeding during the following year. During fiscal 

year 1979, initial rehabilitation work was performed at 10 

sites and followup reseeding and refertilizing was completed at 4 sites. Seed and fertilizer were set out for next 

year's use at nine sites. Both cleanup and rehabilitation 

activities are accomplished by contract personnel.

Waste materials and abandoned oilfield 

equipment and supplies at old drilling site 

on NPRA. (Photograph by Roger Witmer, 

August 1979.)

Seabee drilling location near Umiat. (Photograph by Roger Witmer, August 1979.)
BARROW/

Peard 

Kugrua* South Meade

ICY CAPE

NPRA

West 

Dease

Walakpa ^ /^i

.JSimpsoTi

East Simpson No. 2

LONELY J. W. Dalton "^"~~v-\

Drew Point *>W. T. Foran

Awuna

EXPLANATION

 Wells completed (Navy and Survey)

o Wells drilled or suspended 

(to be completed in fiscal year 1980)

® Wells to be drilled in fiscal year 1980

 Prudhoe Bay field

LisburneO

South Simpson "/Cape Halkett

East Teshekpuk . c^^-^Atigaru Point

North Kalikpik*

IkpikpukO South Harrison 

West Fish Creek*

PRUDHOE BAY

® Koluktak

Inigok

Seabee 

50 MILES

NPRA

Location map of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

Tunalik drilling site, near the Arctic Ocean, in the western part of the Reserve 

(Photograph by Roger Witmer, August 1979.)

Lisburne drilling location in Southern 

Foothills of the Brooks Range. Access road 

connects drilling pad to all-season airstrip. 

(Photograph by Roger Witmer, August 

1979.)
Program Support Divisions

ADMINISTRATIVE 

DIVISION

GENERAL 

ADMINISTRATION

The cost of executive direction and 

coordination of U.S. Geological 

Survey programs and administrative 

services provided by the Administrative Division is funded by General Administrative Expenses. During fiscal 

year 1979, these expenses amounted 

to 3.3 percent of the Survey's budget. 

Funding was derived from the following sources: the General Administration budget activity, $3.66 million; 

assessments on the directly appropriated activities, $10.60 million; 

and, assessments on the reimbursable programs, $4 million. No 

assessments are made on 

cooperative funds from State and 

local governments.

ADMINISTRATIVE 

MANAGEMENT

The activities of the Administrative 

Division are carried on at Survey 

Headquarters in Reston, Va., and at 

the three major Regional 

Centers Eastern Region, also headquartered at Reston; Central Region, 

headquartered in Denver, Colo.; and 

Western Region, headquartered in 

Menlo Park, Calif. There are also 

satellite offices in Atlanta, Ga., Rolla, 

Mo., Metairie, La., Flagstaff, Ariz., and 

Anchorage, Alaska, which primarily 

provide personnel and facilities or supply management service functions to 

Survey installations in the immediate 

or nearby areas.

During fiscal year 1979, the Administrative Division implemented 

and coordinated a number of personnel management, procurement, and 

facilities improvements. Highlights 

associated with these management 

improvements are described in the 

following text.

IMPLEMENTING THE 

CIVIL SERVICE 

REFORM ACT

On October 13, 1978, President 

Carter signed the Civil Service Reform 

Act, which is designed to improve the 

Government's personnel management 

practices involved with hiring, training, rewarding, and removing Federal 

employees. Two of the key elements 

of the Act deal with executive personnel management and employee performance evaluation.

Senior Executive Service

The Senior Executive Service (SES) 

is a modern approach to executive 

management designed to make maximum use of top-level management 

resources. The objective of the SES is 

to attract and to keep top managers, 

to utilize their abilities in the most 

productive fashion, to increase their 

job mobility, and to pay them according to their performance. The Survey's 

executive corps has overwhelmingly 

embraced the SES concept. The flexibility afforded by the SES is expected to add an extra management 

dimension to the Survey's ability to 

meet the challenging demands it 

faces in the areas of diverse research 

and scientific and regulatory programs.

Performance Evaluation

The Civil Service Reform Act also 

gives special attention to the importance a well-designed and well-implemented performance evaluation 

system can have in motivating 

employees and increasing productivity. Representatives from all major 

Survey Divisions and Offices have 

formed a Performance Appraisal Task 

Force to work on plans for Bureau 

performance appraisal systems.

These efforts are being aided by a 

contractor study of the Survey's job 

families and recommendations for 

performance appraisal systems which 

will provide meaningful and usable information about employee performance necessary for supervisors to 

make job assignments as well as 

reward and disciplinary decisions.

MINORITY BUSINESS

ENTERPRISE

PROGRAM

Reacting to a Presidential directive 

for all Government departments to 

triple their Minority Business Enterprise Program efforts above fiscal 

year 1977 levels, the Geological 

Survey established a $3.8 million goal 

for its fiscal year 1979 program. This 

target was over five times greater 

than the fiscal year 1977 level. Working closely with the Departmental Office of Small and Disadvantaged 

Business Utilization, the Survey 

awarded contracts amounting to over 

$9 million to minority businesses. 

This was accomplished through a 

concerted nationwide effort by scientific and research program managers 

and procurement offices to locate 

and to utilize minority firms.

ADVANCE

PROCUREMENT

PLANNING

During the fiscal year, an advance 

procurement planning system was initiated to establish communication and 

coordination milestones for project 

managers to use in providing procurement offices leadtime for all contracts 

totaling $10,000 or more. The objectives of this new approach are aimed at 

simplifying the entire procurement activity start to finish. It is expected to 

improve the scheduling and subsequent timely award of contracts re134 Yearbook 1979
quired to support many of the Survey's 

scientific and research programs.

ENERGY 

CONSERVATION

In building operations for fiscal year 

1979, the Survey achieved a reduction 

of approximately 21 percent in energy 

use when compared with fiscal year 

1975 base-year data. This reduction exceeds the fiscal year 1985 20-percent 

reduction target established by the 

President. Also, for fiscal year 1975 

through fiscal year 1979, the Survey 

validated energy use and squarefootage information for buildings 

within the scope of the energy conservation program. At the Earth 

Resources Observation Systems Data 

Center located at Sioux Falls, approximately 75 percent of the solar energy 

construction work, begun in fiscal year 

1978, was completed. When operational, this project will result in an 

estimated annual utility cost savings 

of $35,000.

FLEXITIME

EXPERIMENTS

BROADENED

In late fiscal year 1979, the Survey 

completed plans to expand its flexitime program by selecting four fieldoffice installations and one headquarters operation involving about 

1,000 Survey employees for 18-month 

experiments with new types of alternative work schedules. These experiments are permissible under the 

Federal Employees Flexible and Compressed Work Schedules Act (Public 

Law 95-390), which was signed into 

law in September 1978. This Act mandates that the Office of Personnel 

Management (OPM) monitor the experiments to determine if alternative

work schedules can be used successfully by Federal agencies.

During the experiments, OPM will be 

collecting and evaluating data to determine the impact of the experiments on 

the efficiency of Government operations; public transportation and traffic; 

levels of energy consumption; service 

to the public; and opportunities for fulltime and part-time employment, individuals, and families generally.

At the end of the experiments, participating Survey organizations will 

revert to the Survey's current flexitime 

system while OPM prepares a report on 

the results of the experiment for the 

President and Congress. If the experiments prove successful, the laws 

that regulate administrative workweeks, tours of duty, and certain pay 

provisions may be modified to permit 

Federal agencies to permanently use 

flexible and compressed work 

schedules.

Program Support Divisions 135
COMPUTER CENTER DIVISION

Scientific research within the U.S. Geological Survey is 

supported by both batch and time-sharing computer 

facilities across the Nation. The primary batch processing installation consists of two IBM 370/155 computers, 

which are located in the National Center, Reston, Va. 

These computers are interconnected and can be thought 

of as one system. In addition to the 370's at the National 

Center, a contract with American Management Systems 

(AMS) was extended into fiscal year 1979 to continue 

provision of additional batch computing services. 

Through a telecommunications facility, users can now 

access the AMS computer as though it were part of the 

Survey's own computer system, ensuring the user identical procedures, regardless of which computer processes the data. During fiscal year 1979, more than 1,350 

users from over 120 remote Survey locations, as well as 

the National Center, submitted approximately 450,000 

jobs to these computers. This is an 18.5-percent increase 

in users and a 16.4-percent increase in jobs over fiscal 

year 1978.

The time-sharing needs of the Survey are largely supported by three Honeywell Multics systems located in 

Denver, Colo., Menlo Park, Calif., and Reston, Va. On the 

Multics system, many users can carry on a conversation 

with the computer at the same time. On Multics, users 

may be registered at one, two, or all three sites and are 

associated with at least one project at each site. At the 

close of fiscal year 1979, there were approximately 4,580 

users registered on the three Multics systems, an 18- 

percent increase in users from fiscal year 1978. There 

was a 20-percent increase in the number of projects 

registered on the three Multics systems, bringing the 

figure to over 1,200. The average number of interactive 

sessions per month is currently 35,000, which represents 

an increase of 30-percent over last year.

The Survey also operates Digital Equipment Corp. 

computer systems in Flagstaff, Ariz. During fiscal year 

1979, a selection was made on a Floating Point Systems 

array processor for Flagstaff, and an evaluation was 

made of interactive color image display systems, one of 

which is about to be selected. These enhancements increase the ability of earth scientists to process and to 

study digital imagery./The major objective in acquiring 

this new equipment is that it will provide the capability 

of correlating digital Landsat photography with other 

types of earth science data and new ways of looking at 

the Earth and its natural resources.

The demand for more effective communications between earth scientists and their data has become a vital

requirement for the mission of the Geological Survey. 

For that reason, the Computer Center Division has increased its data communications services significantly 

during fiscal year 1979. Of major importance was the approval for expansion of the TYMNET facility. TYMNET, a 

nationwide communications network, allows Survey 

scientists to access computers in other metropolitan 

areas for the cost of a local telephone call. This expansion brings additional TYMNET lines into all sites and 

adds the capability of transmitting at a higher speed. 

Also, with this upgrade, the IBM systems will be added 

to TYMNET.

However, the most significant event in the area of 

communications was the research and planning for the 

installation of ARPANET. ARPANET is a resourcesharing inter-computer network linking a wide variety of 

computers. The network was designed to provide efficient communications between heterogenous computers 

so that hardware, software, and data resources could be 

conveniently and economically shared by a wide community of users. Functionally, what this means is that 

the several Survey computer systems can be connected; 

data files and programs can be instantaneously transferred across the systems. Also inherent in such a communications network is the possibility of load leveling; 

that is, data processing can be passed from an overloaded system to an unsaturated one more conveniently. It 

should also be noted that, through ARPANET, it is possible to communicate with other members of ARPANET. 

This creates unique opportunities for Survey scientists 

to communicate with non-Survey data bases at sites that 

are also ARPANET members.

Other significant computer support activities during 

fiscal year 1979 include:

 Replacement of single density disks with dual density 

disks on both the IBM and Honeywell systems, 

which increased storage space by 25 percent and 

served as an energy saver as well as a space saver.

 Procurement of a Front-end Network Processor for 

the IBM's, which takes many routine input/output 

functions out of the central processing unit.

 Development of the specifications for the procurement 

of Uninterruptible Power Supply, which assures that 

local power outages do not affect the availability of 

the computer.

 Installation of a data migration system on Multics, 

which takes data that is using online storage, but 

has not been used recently, and transfers it to easily 

retrievable tape storage.

136 I Yearbook 1979
. : j .'3333 .333331333333 ,!3

< j 4 i! U!4 i 4 4 4 4 I 4 « 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 «< 4 4 4 .4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 .44 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 . * 4 44 4 4 4 4 .4 4 4 4 

SSSbbbbbS.bSbbbbb.SSSSSSbbr-' '. : ' ; ."< " <Sb555b5SbS55b55555Sb5b 

6 6 6 * 6 S 6 6 E 5 C 6 6 6 6 S $ 8 6 8 i t S S 6 s l j £ S S S 6 C 6 f 6 . 5 5 S 6 B 5 6 8 S 6 6

nnnii m m mnnmnn m mi in 111 mnmmnnnum nimmn

t S 8 1 8 8 1 1 i £ . .«« s r ' ! " :«« ;i ' " ' ' s'»'" ; ! *»S S S S 8! 8 .8 8 I 8 8 8 8 8 8 J I J 8 8 8 . 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 6 8! 

8 9 9 3 9 9 9 9 S 3 9 3 ) 3 S 9 9 S " 9 9 9 9 8 9 3 9 9 9 9 9 3 9 9 9 9 9 3 9 9 9 9 9' 9 9 9 3 9 9 9 5 £

USGS MAJOR COMPUTER SITES AND REMOTE LOCATIONS 

THIS MAP WAS COMPUTER GENERATED ON LINE USING DISSPLA

120°W

LEGEND 

* REMOTE LOCATIONS 

8 MAJOR CCD SITES

80°W

110°W

100°W

90°W

Program Support Divisions 1137
PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

Results of research and investigations conducted by the U.S. 

Geological Survey are made available 

to the public through increasingly 

diverse information services and 

publications.

The Publications Division edits the 

Survey's scientific and technical 

publications, including professional 

papers, bulletins, water-supply 

papers, and circulars. The Division 

also prepares nontechnical booklets 

designed to communicate many of 

the Survey programs to the public. In 

addition to preparing reproduction 

manuscripts for geologic, hydrologic, 

and other thematic maps, the Division 

prints topographic and thematic 

maps and warehouses and distributes 

all Survey maps and books.

Major efforts were directed toward 

improvement of publications activities 

in fiscal year 1979. A multiyear program to modernize the system for 

distributing published products, 

which was initiated in fiscal year 

1978, continued. The current manual 

system of order processing and inventory control is deficient in producing 

management information for efficient 

operations. The overall objective of 

this program, through automation and 

computerization, is to modernize and 

streamline all distribution operations 

to maximize responsiveness to 

customer demand and to do so in the 

most cost-effective manner. To date, 

a comprehensive in-house review of 

the existing distribution system, the 

development of alternative systems, 

and the selection of a new system to 

meet requirements have been completed. Design specifications for the 

new system are being developed.

In conjunction with this program, a 

map and book stock reduction 

activity is being carried out to 

eliminate surpluses above projected 

demands and to minimize growth in 

inventory.

Also in association with this program and as a conservation-type project, a contract to test the feasibility 

of recycling obsolete maps and converting them into mailing envelopes 

has been awarded. It is anticipated 

that the envelopes from this pilot project will be delivered by the contractor in early 1980.

The Survey designates interested 

local retail stores and other public 

facilities as dealers in Geological Survey maps. The designated dealers 

purchase the maps they wish to handle, establish their own resale prices, 

and resell the maps to the general 

public over-the-counter at their business establishments. In fiscal year 

1979, a program was initiated to increase the map dealer program to 

make topographic and other maps 

available to the users as readily and 

economically as possible while minimizing Government involvement and 

encouraging private enterprise. In 

fiscal year 1979, there were 1,792 

commercial dealers throughout the 

United States. Map sales to dealers 

were about 36 percent of the total 

copies of Survey maps sold.

A new Public Inquiries Office was 

established in Menlo Park, Calif., to 

improve dissemination of Geological 

Survey technical and scientific information to the general public at the 

Survey's Western Region Center.

During this fiscal year, considerable research effort was devoted to 

solving problems of reproducing highquality imagery map products. Computerized satellite electromagnetic 

imagery and side-looking airborne 

radar photography both produce pictures comprised of picture elements 

(pixels) or scan lines. These pictures 

are difficult to reproduce by conventional halftoning methods without color aberration, moire, and the loss of 

detail. Results from the research 

showed that use of screenless printing techniques substantially reduced 

reproduction problems. Several printing production jobs were completed 

using the screenless techniques, and 

excellent customer comments were 

received.

The number of reports approved for 

publication by the Geological Survey 

continues to increase. About 60 percent of the 4,496 reports prepared in 

fiscal year 1979 were designated for 

publication in professional journals 

and monographs outside the Survey, 

about 28 percent were placed in the 

open file, and the remainder were 

scheduled for publication by the 

Survey. The Survey also produced 

over 10,147 topographic, hydrologic,

and geologic maps in fiscal year 

1979. Most of these maps were 

scheduled for publication. The openfile activity continued to grow during 

its second year of operation. The 

number of copies of open-file reports 

sold increased from 27,804 in fiscal 

year 1978 to 37,527 in fiscal year 

1979, an increase of 35 percent.

Production highlights include the 

printing of 16,920,264 copies 

of 5,783 different maps, the distribution of 9,291,181 copies of 

maps of which 6,571,131 

copies were sold for $6,297,769, 

the transmittal of 169 technical 

manuscripts to the Government 

Printing Office for printing, the 

distribution of 351,872 copies of 

technical reports of which 53,360 

copies were sold for $173,102 and the 

release of 1,304 open-file reports of 

which 37,527 copies were sold for 

$279,311.

Guide to 

Information and 

Publications

Throughout this report, reference 

has been made to information services and publications of the Geological Survey. This section describes 

how and where the public may acquire information and obtain products.

To buy Survey book publications and 

maps of areas east of the Mississippi 

River or to request Survey circulars, 

catalogs, pamphlets, and leaflets (limited 

quantities free), write or visit:

U.S. Geological Survey 

Branch of Distribution 

1200 S. Eads St. 

Arlington, VA 22202

To buy maps of areas west of the 

Mississippi River and to request Survey 

catalogs, pamphlets, and leaflets (limited 

quantities free), write or visit:

U.S. Geological Survey

Branch of Distribution

Box 25286, Bldg. 41, Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

To buy Alaskan maps, residents of 

Alaska may write or visit:

138 I Yearbook 1979
U.S. Geological Survey 

Distribution Section 

101 12th Avenue, Box 12 

Fairbanks, AK 99701

To obtain information on the availability 

of microfiche or paper-duplicate copies of 

open-file reports, write:

U.S. Geological Survey 

Open-File Services Section 

Box 25425, Federal Center 

Denver, CO 80225

To get on the mailing list for the monthly list of New Publications of the 

Geological Survey (free), write:

U.S. Geological Survey 

Branch of Data Systems 

329 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 

Reston, VA 22092

To subscribe to the Earthquake Information Bulletin, write:

Superintendent of Documents 

Government Printing Office 

Washington, DC 20402

To buy books and maps of local areas 

and general interest, visit the U.S. 

Geological Survey Public Inquiries Offices 

in the following States:

Alaska:

108 Skyline Bldg. 

508 2nd Avenue 

Anchorage, AK 99501

California: 

7638 Federal Bldg. 

300 No. Los Angeles St. 

Los Angeles, CA 90012

122 Bldg. 3

345 Middlefield Rd.

Menlo Park, CA 94025

504 Customhouse

555 Battery St.

San Francisco, CA 94111

Colorado:

169 Federal Bldg. 

1961 Stout St. 

Denver, CO 80294

Texas:

1C45 Federal Bldg. 

1100 Commerce St. 

Dallas, TX 75242

Utah:

8105 Federal Bldg. 

125 S. State St. 

Salt Lake City, UT84138

Virginia:

1C402 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. 

Reston, VA 22092

Washington: 

678 U.S. Courthouse 

W. 920 Riverside Ave. 

Spokane, WA 99201

Washington, DC:

1028 General Services Bldg. 

19th and F Sts., N.W. 

Washington, DC 20244

To obtain information on cartographic 

data, write or visit the U.S. Geological 

Survey, National Cartographic Information 

Centers (NCIC), in the following States:

California: 

NCIC West 

345 Middlefield Rd. 

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Colorado:

NCIC Rocky Mountain 

Box 25046, Stop 501 

Bldg. 25, Federal Center 

Denver, CO 80225

Missouri:

NCIC Midcontinent 

1400 Independence Rd. 

Rolla, MO 65401

Virginia:

NCIC Headquarters 

507 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. 

Reston, VA 22092

NCIC East 

536 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. 

Reston, VA 22092

To obtain information on satellite and 

space photography, write or visit:

U.S. Geological Survey 

EROS Data Center 

Sioux Falls, SD 57198

To obtain assistance in locating 

sources of water data, identifying sites at 

which data have been collected, and 

specific data, write:

U.S. Geological Survey 

National Water Data Exchange 

421 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. 

Reston, VA 22092

To obtain information on ongoing and 

planned water-data acquisition activities 

of all Federal Agencies and many nonFederal organizations, write:

U.S. Geological Survey

Office of Water Data Coordination

417 National Center

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr.

Reston, VA 22092

To obtain information on water 

resources in general and about the water 

resources of specific areas of the United 

States, write:

U.S. Geological Survey 

Water Information Group 

420 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. 

Reston, VA 22092

To obtain information on geology topics 

such as earthquakes, energy and mineral 

resources, the geology of specific areas, 

and geologic maps and mapping, write:

U.S. Geological Survey 

Geologic Inquiries Group 

907 National Center 

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr. 

Reston, VA 22092

William B. Overstreet, Chief, Publications 

Division, inspects skids of printed maps 

ready for shipment to distribution centers.

Program Support Divisions j 139
DIRECTOR

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

ASSISTANT DIRECTORS

LAND RESOURCES

MINERAL AND WATER RESOURCES

ENGINEERING GEOLOGY

ADMINISTRATION

PROGRAM ANALYSIS

EASTERN REGION

CENTRAL REGION

WESTERN REGION

TOPOGRAPHIC DIVISION

CHIEF TOPOGRAPHIC DIVISION 

ASSOCIATE CHIEF

OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND 

TECHNICAL STANDARDS

Branches

Research and Design 

Field Surveys 

Photogrammetry 

Cartography 

Aerial Photography 

and Image Technology

OFFICE OF PLANS AND 

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Branches 

Planning 

Programing 

National Cartographic 

Information Center 

International Activities

MAPPING CENTERS

Eastern-Reston. VA 

Mid-Continent-Rolla, MO 

Rocky Mountain-Denver, CO 

Western-Menlo Park. CA

STAFF OFFICES

WASHINGTON LIAISON OFFICE 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY OFFICE 

CONGRESSIONAL LIAISON OFFICE 

INFORMATION OFFICE

LAND INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OFFICE

CHIEF. LAND INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OFFICE 

ASSOCIATE CHIEF. RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL COORDINATION

EARTH RESOURCES OBSERVATION 

SYSTEMS PROGRAM

RESOURCE AND LAND 

INVESTIGATIONS PROGRAM

GEOGRAPHY PROGRAM

EARTH SCIENCES 

APPLICATIONS PROGRAM

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT 

ANALYSIS PROGRAM

GEOLOGIC DIVISION

CHIEF GEOLOGIST 

ASSOCIATE CHIEF GEOLOGIST

OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL 

GEOLOGY

Branches

Eastern

Central

Western

Engineering Geology

Special Projects

Astrogeologic Studies

Paleontology and Stratigraphy

OFFICE OF EARTHQUAKE 

_____STUDIES_____

Branches

Seismic Engineering

Global Seismology

Seismology

Ground Motion and Faulting

Earthquake Tectonics and Risk

Tectonophysics

Network Operations

OFFICE OF ENERGY RESOURCES

Branches

Oil and Gas Resources

Coal Resources

Chemical Resources

Uranium and Thorium Resources

OFFICE OF MARINE GEOLOGY

Branches

Pacific-Arctic Geology 

Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Geology

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

CHIEF HYDROLOGIST 

ASSOCIATE CHIEF HYDROLOGIST

OFFICE OF MINERAL RESOURCES

Branches

Eastern

Central

Western

Alaskan Geology

Exploration Research

Office of Resource Anai sis

OFFICE OF GEOCHEMISTRY 

AND GEOPHYSICS

Branches

Experimental Geochemistry

and Mineralogy 

Field Geochemistry

and Petrology 

Isotope Geology 

Regional Geochemistry 

Analytical Laboratories 

Petrophysics and Remote

Sensing 

Electromagnetism and

Geomagnetism 

Regional Geophysics

OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL 

_____GEOLOGY______

 Branches

Latin American and African Geology 

Middle Eastern and Asian Geology

REGIONAL OFFICES

Eastern-Reston. VA 

Central-Denver. CO 

Western-Menlo Park.CA

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CHIEF

FOR RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL

COORDINATION

DEPUTY ASSISTANT CHIEF 

FOR RESEARCH

Branches 

Surface Water 

Ground Water 

Quality of Water

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CHIEF

FOR SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

AND DATA MANAGEMENT

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT CHIEF 

FOR OPERATIONS

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

REGIONAL OFFICES

Northeastern Reston. VA 

Southeastern Atlanta. GA 

Central-Denver. CO 

Western-Menlo Park.CA

DISTRICT OFFICES
OFFICE OF NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA

A1ASKA

ORGANIZATIONAL AND 

STATISTICAL DATA

U.S. Geological Survey 

Chart of Organization

n As of September 30, 1979

CONSERVATION DIVISION COMPUTER CENTER DIVISION PUBLICATIONS DIVISION ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

financial Management 

(ienfiral Service,'; 

Management Analysis 

Personnel 

Procurement and Contracts

Atlantic DCS- Washington, DC 

Gulf of Mexico DCS* Metaine, LA 

'acific OCS-Los Angeles, CA 

Alaska OCS Anchorage, AK

Denver, CO 

Menlo Park, CA 

Flagstaff, AR

(astern Reston. VA

Central- Denver. CO

Western Menlo Park. CA

PUBLIC INQUIRIES OFFICES

Eastern Reston. VA

Central Denver. CO

Western Menln Park. t'A

FIEtD OFFICES
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OFFICES 

HEADQUARTERS OFFICES

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive 

National Center, Reston, VA 22092

[As of September 30, 1979. Update of this list is found on pageiw]

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

Official Name Telephone number Address

Director ___________________________ H.William Menard (703)860-7411 National Center, STOP 101 

Associate Director _____________________ Joseph S.Cragwall (703)860-7412 National Center, STOP 102 

Special Assistant (Washington Liaison)_________ Jane H.Wallace (202)343-3888 Rm. 7343, Interior Bldg.,

Washington, DC 20240

Assistant Director Land Resources __________ James R. Balsley (703)860-7488 National Center, STOP 104 

Assistant Director Mineral and Waster Resources _ George H. Davis (703)860-7481 National Center, STOP 171 

Assistant Director Geologic Engineering _______ Henry W. Coulter (703)860-7491 National Center, STOP 106 

Assistant Director Administration ___________ Edmund J. Grant (703)860-7201 National Center, STOP 201 

Assistant Director Program Analysis._________ Dale Bajema (703)860-7435 National Center, STOP 105 

Assistant Director Eastern Region ___________ [Vacant] (703)860-7414 National Center, STOP 109 

Assistant Director Central Region ___________ Robert E. Evans (303)234-4630 Box 25046, STOP 101,

Denver Federal Center,

Denver, CO 80225 

Assistant Director Western Region __________ George E. Robinson (415)323-8111 345 Middlefield Road,

Menlo Park, CA 94025

Congressional Liaison Officer _____________ Talmadge W. Reed (703)860-6438 National Center, STOP 112 

Information Officer ____________________ Frank H. Forrester (703)860-7444 National Center, STOP 119

TOPOGRAPHIC DIVISION

Chief ____________________________ Rupert B. Southard (703)860-6231 National Center, STOP 516

Associate Chief ______________________ [Vacant] (703)860-6232 National Center, STOP 516

Office of Research and Technical Standards, Chief __ Roy R. Mullen (703) 860-6291 National Center, STOP 519

Office of Plans and Program Development, Chief ___ Doyle G. Frederick (703) 860-6281 National Center, STOP 514

National Cartographic Information Center, Chief ___ Gary W. North, Jr. (703) 860-6187 National Center, STOP 507

GEOLOGIC DIVISION

Chief Geologist ______________________ Dallas L. Peck (703)860-6531 National Center, STOP 910

Associate Chief Geologist ________________ Gordon P. Eaton (703)860-6532 National Center, STOP 910

Deputy Chief Geologist, Operations __________ Penelope M. Hanshaw (703) 860-6532 National Center, STOP 910

Deputy Chief Geologist, Program and Budget _.___ David A. Seyler (703) 860-6544 National Center, STOP 910

Office of Scientific Publications, Chief _________ Robert E. Davis (703) 860-6575 National Center, STOP 904

Office of Environmental Geology, Chief ________ John C. Reed, Jr. (703) 860-6411 National Center, STOP 908

Office of Earthquake Studies, Chief ___________ Robert L. Wesson (703) 860-6471 National Center, STOP 905

Office of Energy Resources, Chief ____________ Charles D. Masters (703) 860-6431 National Center, STOP 915

Office of Marine Geology, Chief _____________ Charles D. Masters, (703) 860-6431 National Center, STOP 915

	Acting

Office of Mineral Resources, Chief ___________ George E. Becraft (703) 860-6562 National Center, STOP 913

Office of Geochemistry and Geophysics, Chief _____ Robert I. Tilling (703) 860-6584 National Center, STOP 906

Office of International Geology, Chief _________ John A. Reinemund (703) 860-6418 National Center, STOP 917

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

Chief Hydrologist _____________________ Philip Cohen, (703)860-6921 National Center, STOP 409

Acting

Associate Chief Hydrologist _______________ O. Milton Hackett (703)860-6921 National Center, STOP 408 

Assistant Chief Hydrologist, Scientific Publications and

Data Management ___________________ Solomon M. Lang, (703)860-6877 National Center, STOP 440

Acting 

Assistant Chief Hydrologist, Operations __ _ Thomas J. Buchanan (703)860-6801 National Center, STOP 441

142 I Yearbook 1979
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION Continued

Official Name Telephone number Address

Assistant Chief Hydrologist, Reseach and Technical

Coordination ______________________ Leslie B. Laird (703)860-6971 

Office of Water Data Coordination, Chief ________ R. H. Langford (703) 860-6931 

Office of International Activities, Chief _________ James R.Jones (703)860-6548

CONSERVATION DIVISION

Chief _____________________________ DonE. Kash (703)860-7524

Associate Chief ______________________ Hillary A. Oden (703)860-7524

Assistant Chief, Resources Evaluation _________ Robert L. Rioux (703)860-7571

Assistant Chief, Operations _______________ John Duletsky (703)860-7515

Assistant Chief, Programs ________________ Harold L. Pumphrey (703)860-7581

LAND INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OFFICE

Chief _____________________________ James R. Balsley (703)860-7488 

Associate Chief ______________________ Gene A. Thorley, (703)860-7471

Acting 

Earth Resources Observation Systems Program, Chief _ Frederick J. Doyle, (703) 860-7881

Acting

Geography Program, Chief ________________ James R. Anderson (703) 860-6344 

Resource and Land Investigations Program, Chief ___ J. Ronald Jones (703) 860-6717 

Environmental Impact Analysis Program, Chief ____ Daniel B. Krinsley (703)860-7455 

Earth Sciences Applications Program, Chief ______ Donald R. Nichols (703) 860-6961

National Center, STOP 414 

National Center, STOP 417 

National Center, STOP 470

National Center, 

National Center, 

National Center, 

National Center, 

National Center,

STOP 600 

STOP 600 

STOP 640 

STOP 620 

STOP 630

National Center, STOP 104 

National Center, STOP 703

National Center, STOP 730

National Center, 

National Center, 

National Center, 

National Center,

STOP 710 

STOP 750 

STOP 760 

STOP 720

OFFICE OF NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA

Chief ____________________________ George Gryc (907)276-7422

Technical Officer _____________________ Valentine Zadnik (703)860-6208

Program Officer ______________________ Keith M. Beardsley (703)860-6208

*2525 "C" St., Suite 400, 

Anchorage, AK 99503 

National Center, STOP 151 

National Center, STOP 151

COMPUTER CENTER DIVISION

Chief _________________

Assistant Chief ________

Office of Teleprocessing

Carl E. Diesen 

Charles H.Tyler 

Ralph N. Eicher

(703)860-7106 

(703)860-7109 

(703)860-7119

National Center, STOP 801 

National Center, STOP 801 

National Center, STOP 805

PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

Chief __________________________________________

Associate Chief _________________________________

Assistant Chief, Management and Administration ____

Assistant Chief, Research and Technical Coordination 

Office of Public Inquiries _________________________

Printing Liaison Office ___________________________

International Activities ___________________________

William B. Overstreet 

Melvin E. Hanes 

Van M. Rayburn 

Bernard J.Thien 

RobbieS. Ritchey 

Jesse R. Upperco 

A. L. Dilonardo

(703)860-7181 

(703)860-7181 

(703)860-7186 

(703)860-7189 

(703)860-7184 

(703)860-7189 

(703)860-7186

National 

National 

National 

National 

National 

National 

National

Center, 

Center, 

Center, 

Center, 

Center, 

Center, 

Center,

STOP 341 

STOP 341 

STOP 341 

STOP 341 

STOP 341 

STOP 341 

STOP 341

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

Chief _____ Edmund J. Grant (703)860-7201

Deputy Chief ______ Lewis Menen (703)860-7203

Personnel Officer _________ Maxine C. Millard (703) 860-6127

Contracts Officer _____________ William Burk (703) 860-7261

National Center, STOP 201 

National Center, STOP 202 

National Center, STOP 215 

National Center, STOP 205

Office of Natural Petroleum Reserve in Alaska is headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska.

Organizational and Statistical Data I 143
SELECTED FIELD OFFICES

TOPOGRAPHIC DIVISION

REGIONAL MAPPING CENTER 

Office

Eastern __________________.

Mid-Continent ______________________

Name

Peter F. Bermel 

Lawrence H. Borgerding

Rocky Mountain _____________________ Albert E. Letey

Western _________________________ John R. Swinnerton

Telephone 

number

(703) 860-6352 

(314) 364-3680,

ext. 111 

(303) 234-2351

(415)323-8111, 

ext. 2411

Address

National Center, STOP 567 

1400 Independence Rd.,

Rolla, MO 65401 

Box 25046, STOP 510,

Denver Federal Center,

Denver, CO 80225 

345 Middlefield Rd.,

Menlo Park, CA 94025

GEOLOGIC DIVISION

REGIONAL OFFICES

Eastern 

Central

Eugene G. Roseboom, Jr. (703) 860-6631 National Center, STOP 953

William R. Keefer

Western __________________________ Joseph I. Ziony

(303) 234-3625

(415)323-8111

Box25046, STOP 911, 

Denver Federal Center, 

Denver, CO 80225

345 Middlefield Rd., 

Menlo Park, CA 94025

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

REGIONAL OFFICES

Northeastern _______________________ James E. Biesecker (703) 860-6985 (National Center, STOP 433

Southeastern _______________________ Robert J. Dingman (404)861-4395 H"459 Peachtree St., N.E.,

Suite 200, 

Atlanta, GA 30392

Central ___________________________ Alfred Clebsch, Jr. (303) 234-3661 Box 25046, STOP 406,

Denver Federal Center, 

Denver, CO 80225

Western _________________________ William H. Robinson (415)323-8111, 345 Middlefield Rd.,

ext. 2337 Menlo Park, CA 94025

DISTRICT OFFICES

Alabama __________________________ William J. Powell (205) 752-8104 P.O. Box V, 202 Oil and

Gas Board Bldg., 

University of Alabama, 

University, AL 35486

Alaska ____________________________ Harry Hulsing (907) 277-5526 218 E. St.,

Anchorage, AK 99501

Arizona ___________________________ Robert D. Mac-Nish (602) 792-6671 Federal Bldg.,

301 W. Congress St., 

Tucson, AZ 85701

Arkansas ________________________ Richard T. Sniegocki (501) 378-5246 2301 Federal Office Bldg.,

700 W. Capital Ave., 

Little Rock, AR 72201

California _________________________ Richard M. Bloyd (415)323-8111, 855 Oak Grove Ave.,

ext. 2326 Menlo Park, CA 94025

Colorado __________________________ James F. Blakey (303) 234-5029 Box 25046, STOP 415,

Denver Federal Center, 

Denver, CO 80225

Connecticut _____________ __________ David McCartney (203) 244-2528 135 High St.,

Room 235, 

Hartford, CT 06103

144 I Yearbook 1979
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION/DISTRICT OFFICES-Continued

Office Name

Delaware ________________________ Walter F. White, Jr.

District of Columbia ___________________ Walter F. White, Jr.

Florida _________________________ Clyde S. Conover

Georgia __________________________ John R. George

Hawaii ___________________________ Benjamin L Jones

Idaho __________________________ Ernest F. Hubbard, Jr.

Illinois ___________________________ Larry G. Toler

Indiana __________________________ _ Dennis K. Stewart

Iowa ____________________________ Donald K. Leifeste

Kansas _______________________.___ Joseph S. Rosenshein

Kentucky _______________________ Philip A. Emery

Louisiana _________________________ Albert N. Cameron

Maine ___________________________ John A. Baker

Maryland __________________________ Walter F. White, Jr.

Massachusetts ______________________ John A. Baker

Michigan __________________________ T. Ray Cummings

Minnesota ________________________ Donald R. Albin

Mississippi ________________________ Lamar E. Carroon

Missouri __________________________ Donald L. Coffin

Montana __________________________ George M. Pike

Nebraska _________________________ William M. Kastner

Nevada _________________________ Frank T. Hidaka

Telephone 

number

(301) 828-1535 

(301)828-1535 

(904)386-1118

(404)221-4858 

(808)546-8331 

(208)384-1750

(217)359-3918

(317)269-7101

(319)338-0581, 

ext. 521

(913)864-4321 

(502)582-5241 

(504)389-0281

(617)223-2822 

(301) 828-1535

(617)223-2822

(517)372-1910, 

ext. 561

(612)725-7841 

(601)969-4600

(314) 364-3680, 

ext.185

(406)449-5263 

(402)471-5082

(702)882-1388

Address

See Maryland District

Office 

See Maryland District

Office 

325 John Knox Rd.,

Suite F-240,

Tallahassee, FL 32303 

6481 Peachtree Industrial

Blvd., Suite B, 

. Doraville, GA 30360 

P.O. Box 50166,

300 Ala Moana Blvd.,

Honolulu, HI 96850 

Box 036 Federal Bldg.,

Room 365,

550 W. Fort St.,

Boise, ID 83724 

P.O. Box 1026,

605 N. Neil St.,

Champaign, IL 61820 

1819 N. Meridian St.,

Indianapolis, IN 46202 

P.O. Box 1230,

400 S. Clinton St.,

Iowa City, IA 52240, 

1950 Ave. A, Campus West,

University of Kansas,

Lawrence, KS 66045 

572 Federal Bldg.,

600 Federal PL,

Louisville, KY 40202 

P.O. Box 66492,

6554 Florida Blvd.,

Baton Rouge, LA 70896 

See Massachusetts District

Office 

208 Carrol Bldg.,

8600 La Salle Rd., <£-

Towson, MD 21204 

150 Causeway St.,

Suite 1001,

Boston, MA 02114 

6520 Mercantile Way,

Suite 5,

Lansing, Ml 48910 

1033 Post Office Bldg.,

St. Paul, MN 55101'

430 Bounds St.,

Jackson, MS 39206 

1400 Independence Rd.,

M.S. 200,

Rolla, MO 65401 

Federal Bldg., Room 428,

301 S. Park Ave.,

Drawer 10076,

Helena, MT 59601 

406 Federal Bldg. and U.S. 

Courthouse,

100 Centennial Mall 

North,

Lincoln, NE 68508

227 Federal Bldg., 

705 N. Plaza St., 

Carson City, NV 89701

Organizational and Statistical Data I 145
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION/DISTRICT OFFICES-Continued

Office Name

New Hampshire ______________________ John A. Baker

New Jersey ______________________ Donald E. Vaupel

New Mexico _______________________ James F. Daniel

New York ________________________ Laurance A. Martens

North Carolina _____________________ Ralph C. Heath

North Dakota _______________________ Grady Moore

Ohio ____________________________ [Vacant]

Oklahoma ________________________ James H. Irwin

Oregon _________________________ Stanley F. Kapustka

Pennsylvania ________________________ David E. Click

Puerto Rico ________________________ Craig B. Bentley

Rhode Island _______________________ John A. Baker

South Carolina _______________________ Rodney N. Cherry

South Dakota ______________________ Richard E. Fidler

Tennessee _______________________ Stanley P. Sauer

Texas. I. Dale Yost

Utah _____________________________ Theodore Arnow

Vermont __________________________ John A. Baker

Virginia ___________________________ William E. Forrest

Washington _______________________ Charles R. Collier

Telephone 

number

(617)223-2822 

(609)989-2162

(505)766-2246

(518) 472-3107 

(919) 755-4510

(701)255-4011, 

ext. 601

(614) 469-5553 

(405)231-4256

(503)234-3361, 

ext. 4776

(717) 782-3468

(809) 783-4660 

(617)223-2822 

(803) 765-5966

(605)352-8651, 

ext. 258

(615)251-5424 

(512)397-5766 

(801)524-5663

(617) 223-2822 

(804)782-2427 

(206) 593-6510

Address

See Massachusetts District

Office 

P.O. Box 1238,

436 Federal Bldg.,

402 E. State St.,

Trenton, NJ 08607

P.O. Box 26659,

Western Bank Bldg.,

Rm. 809,

505 Marquette, N.W.,

Albuquerque, NM 87125 

P.O.Box 1350,

343 U.S. Post Office and 

Courthouse Bldg.,

Albany, NY 12201

P.O. Box 2857,

Rm. 432,

Century Postal Station,

Raleigh, NC 27602 

821 East Interstate Ave.,

Rm. 332,

New Federal Bldg.,

3d St. and Rosser Ave.,

Bismark, ND 58501 

975 West Third Ave.,

Columbus, OH 43212 

201 N.W. 3d St., Rm. 621,

Oklahoma City, OK

73102 

P.O.Box 3202,

830 N.E. Holladay St.,

Portland, OR 97232

P.O. Box 1107, 4th Floor,

Federal Bldg.,

228 Walnut St.,

Harrisburg, PA 17108 

P.O. Box 34168, Bldg. 652,

Ft. Buchanan, PR 00934 

See Massachusetts District

Office 

2001 Assembly St.,

Suite 200,

Columbia, SC 29201 

P.O. Box 1412,

200 4th St., S.W,

Rm. 308,

Huron, SD 57350 

A-413 Federal Bldg.,

U.S. Courthouse,

Nashville, TN 37203 

649 Federal Bldg.,

300 E. 8th St., ^

Austin, TX 78701 

8002 Federal Bldg.,

125 S. State St.,

Salt Lake City, UT84138 

See Massachusetts District

Office 

200 W. Grace St., Rm. 304,

Richmond, VA 23220 

1201 Pacific Ave.,

Suite 600,

Tacoma, WA 98402

146 I Yearbook 1979
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION/DISTRICT OFFICES-Continued

Office Name

West Virginia ______________________ David H. Appel

Wisconsin _________________________ William B. Mann 

Wyoming __________________________ William Dudley

CONSERVATION DIVISION

REGIONAL OFFICES

Eastern _______________________

Telephone 

number

(304)343-6181, 

ext. 310

(608)262-2488

(307) 778-2220, 

ext. 2153

Address

3017 Federal Bldg.

and U.S. Courthouse 

500 Quarrier St. E., 

Charleston, WV 25301

1815 University Ave.,

Madison, Wl 53706 

P.O. Box 1125, 

2120 Capitol Ave., 

Rm. 5017, 

Cheyenne, WY 82001

George Brown

Central __________________________ George H. Horn

Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Operations __ A. Dewey Acuff

Western ________________________ [Vacant]

(202)254-3137

(303) 234-2855

(504) 837-4720, 

ext. 9381

(415)323-8111, 

ext. 2093

1725 K. St., N.W.,

Suite 204,

Washington, DC 20006 

Box 25046, STOP 609,

Denver Federal Center,

Denver, CO 80225 

P.O. Box 7944,

,434 Imperial Office Bldg.

3301 N. Causeway Blvd.,

Metairie, LA 70010 

345 Middlefield Rd.,

Menlo Park, CA 94025

LAND INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OFFICE

EARTH RESOURCES OBSERVATION SYSTEMS DATA CENTER

South Dakota _______________________ Alien H. Watkins (605) 594-6123 EROS Data Center,

Sioux Falls, SD 57198

NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA

DISTRICT OFFICES

NPRA Operations Office _________________ Max Brewer (907) 276-7422 2525 "C" St.,"Suite 400,

Anchorage, AK 99503

Exploration Strategy Office _______________ Arthur Bowsher (415) 323-2917 345 Middlefield Rd.,

Menlo Park, CA 94025

PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

REGIONAL OFFICES

Eastern __________________________ Lewis D. Brown (703) 860-6761 National Center, STOP 328 

Central __________________________ John L Heller (303) 234-4974 Box 25046, STOP 303,

Denver Federal Center, 

Denver, CO 80225

Western __________________________ Fred Kunkel (415) 323-2537 345 Middlefield Rd.,

STOP 61, 

Menlo Park, CA 94025

PUBLIC INQUIRIES OFFICES

Alaska ___________________________ Margaret I. Erwin . (907)277-0577 108 Skyline Bldg.,

508 2d Ave., 

Anchorage, AK 99501

Organizational and Statistical Data 1147
PUBLICATIONS DIVISION/PUBLIC INQUIRIES OFFICES-Continued

Office Name

Utah _ __ Wendy R. Hassibe

Washington Eula M. Thune

Telephone 

number

California:

Los Angeles _______________________ Lucy E. Birdsall (213)688-2850

Menlo Park _____ __________________ Bruce S. Dean (415) 323-2817

San Francisco _____________________ Jean V. Molleskog (415) 556-5627

Colorado __ _ ___ _________ Alice M. Coleman (303) 837-4169

District of Columbia ____ _ _ __ Bruce A. Hubbard (202) 343-8073

Texas Jimmie L Wilkinson (214)767-0198

(801)524-5652

Virginia A. Ernestine Jones (703) 860-6167

(509) 456-2524

Address

7638 Federal Bldg., 

300 N. Los Angeles St., 

Los Angeles, CA 90012

345 Middlefield Rd., 

STOP 33,

Bldg. 3, Room 122, 

Menlo Park, CA 94025

504 Customhouse, 

555 Battery St., 

San Francisco, CA 94111

169 Federal Bldg.,

1961 Stout St.,

Denver, CO 80294 

1028 GSA Bldg.,

19th and F. Sts., N.W.,

Washington, DC 20244 

1C45 Federal Bldg.,

1100 Commerce St.,

Dallas, TX 75242 

8105 Federal Bldg.,

125 S. State St.,

Salt Lake City, UT 84138 

1C402 National Center,

STOP 302,

12201 Sunrise Valley Dr.,

Reston, VA 22092 

678 U.S. Courthouse,

W. 920 Riverside Ave.,

Spokane, WA 99201

BRANCH OF DISTRIBUTION OFFICES

Alaska ____________________________ Natalie Cornforth (907) 452-1951

Colorado __________________________ Dwight F. Canfield (303) 234-3832

Virginia ___________________________ George V. DeMeglio (703) 557-2781

101 12th Ave., Box 12, 

Fairbanks, AK 99701

Box 25286, STOP 306, 

Denver Federal Center, 

Denver, CO 80225

1200 S. Eads St., 

Arlington, VA 22202

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

REGIONAL MANAGEMENT OFFICES

Eastern ___________________________ Roy Heinbuch 

Central _________________________ Jack J. Stassi

Western __________________________ Avery W. Rogers

(703)860-7691 

(303) 234-3736

(415)323-2211

National Center, STOP 290 

Box 25046, STOP 202,

Denver Federal Center,

Denver, CO 80225 

345 Middlefield Rd.,

STOP 11,

Menlo Park, CA 94025

148 I Yearbook 1979
Cooperators and Other Financial Contributors

[Cooperators listed are those with whom the U.S. Geological Survey had a written agreement cosigned by Survey officials and the 

cooperating agency for financial cooperation in fiscal year 1978. Parent agencies are listed separately from their subdivisions 

whenever there are separate cooperative agreements for different projects with a parent agency and with a subdivision of it. 

Agencies with whom the Geological Survey had research contracts and to whom it supplied research funds are not listed.]

FEDERAL COOPERATORS

Department of Agriculture:

Economics, Statistics, and Cooperatives Service

Foreign Agriculture Service

Forest Service

Graduate School

Rural Electrification Administration

Science and Education Administration

Soil Conservation Service

Statistical Reporting Service

Department of the Air Force:

AFWL/PRP Kirtland AFB 

Air Force Academy 

Hanscom Air Force Base 

Headquarters (AFTAC/AC) 

Vandenberg Air Force Base 

Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Ml

Department of the Army:

Army Research Office

Corps of Engineers

Electronic Proving Ground

Fort Belvoir

Fort Carson Military Reservation

Rocky Mountain Arsenal

White Sands Missile Range

Department of Commerce:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

National Ocean Survey 

National Weather Service 

Pacific Northwest Regional Commission

Department of Defense Agencies and Joint Service Schools:

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency 

Defense Intelligence Agency 

Defense Mapping Agency 

Defense Nuclear Agency

Department of Energy:

Alaska Power Administration 

Albuquerque Operations Office 

Bonneville Power Administration 

Division of Geothermal Energy 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 

Grand Junction Office 

Idaho Operations Office 

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory 

Los Alamos Science Laboratory 

Morgantown Energy Technology Center

Department of Energy Continued

National Center for Thermodynamic Data

Nevada Operations Office

Oak Ridge Operations Office

Office of Energy Research

Office of International Affairs

Richland Operations Office

San Francisco Operations Office

Department of Health, Education and Welfare 

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Department of the Interior:

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Bureau of Land Management

Bureau of Mines

Bureau of Reclamation

Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service

National Park Service

Office of the Secretary

Trans-Alaska Pipeline

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Water Resources Council

Department of the Navy:

Naval Oceanographic Office 

Naval Weapons Center, China Lake 

U.S. Marine Corps, Camp Pendleton

Department of State:

Agency for International Development 

International Boundary and Water Commission,

United States and Mexico 

International Joint Commission, United States

and Canada 

Office of External Research

Department of Transportation:

Coast Guard

Federal Highway Administration

St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Environmental Protection Agency:

Corvallis Environmental Research Laboratory 

Office of Energy, Minerals, and Industry 

Office of Monitoring and Technical Support 

Office of Research and Development 

Region I, Boston, Massachusetts 

Region V, Chicago, Illinois

Organizational and Statistical Data | 149
FEDERAL COOPERATORS Continued

Environmental Protection Agency Continued

Region VIII, Denver, Colorado

Region X, Seattle, Washington

Upper Mississippi River Basin Commission

General Services Administration

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

National Science Foundation

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Tennessee Valley Authority

United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

Upper Mississippi River Basin Commission

STATE, COUNTY, AND LOCAL COOPERATORS

Alabama:

Alabama Development Office 

Alabama Highway Department 

Geological Survey of Alabama 

Jefferson County Commission

Alaska:

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Department of Natural Resources: 

Division of Lands and Water Management 

Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys 

Division of Policy Development and Planning

Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities

Alaska Power Authority

City and Borough of Juneau

City of Craig

Department of Environmental Conservation

Fairbanks North Star Borough

Kenai Peninsula Borough

Municipality of Anchorage

North Slope Borough

Thomas Bay Power Commission

University of Alaska

Arizona:

Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology

Arizona Department of Health Services

Arizona Game and Fish Department

Arizona Water Commission

City of Flagstaff

City of Safford

City of Tucson

Flood Control District of Maricopa County

Gila Valley Irrigation District

Maricopa County Municipal Water Conservation District No. 1

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

Pima County Board of Supervisors

Salt River Valley Water Users' Association

San Carlos Irrigation and Drainage District

Show Low Irrigation Company

University of Arizona

Arkansas:

Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology 

Arkansas Division of Soil and Water Resources 

Arkansas Geological Commission 

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department

California:

Alameda County Flood Control and Water

Conservation District, Zone 7 

Alameda County Water District 

Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency 

California Department of Conservation:

Division of Mines and Geology

California Continued

California Department of Fish and Game

California Department of Navigation and Ocean Development

California Department of Water Resources

California Regional Water Quality Control Board:

Colorado River Basin Region

Lahontan Region

North Coast Region

Santa Ana Region

California Water Resources Control Board 

Carpinteria County Water District 

Casitas Municipal Water District 

City and County of San Francisco:

Hetch Hetchy Water and Power 

City of Barstow 

City of Merced 

City of Modesto:

Public Works Department 

City of San Diego 

City of Santa Barbara:

Public Works Department 

City of Thousand Oaks 

Coachella Valley County Water District 

Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water

Conservation District 

County of Modoc:

Public Works Department 

County of San Diego:

Department of Sanitation and Flood Control 

County of San Mateo:

Department of Public Works 

Crestline Lake Arrowhead Water Agency 

Desert Water Agency 

East Bay Municipal Utility District 

East Bay Regional Park District 

Fresno County

Georgetown Divide Public Utility District 

Goleta County Water District 

Imperial County Department of Public Works 

Imperial Irrigation District 

Indian Planning Consortium Central California 

Indian Wells Valley County Water District 

Kern County Water Agency 

Kings River Conservation District

Lake County Flood Control and Water Conservation District 

Livermore Amador Valley Water Management Agency 

Los Angeles County Flood Control District 

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power 

Madera County Flood Control and Water Conservation

Agency

Madera Irrigation District 

Marin County Department of Public Works 

Marin Municipal Water District 

Merced Irrigaiton District 

Mojave Water Agency 

Montecito County Water District

150 I Yearbook 1979
California Continued Colorado Continued

Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation

District

Monterey Peninsula Water Management District 

Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District 

Orange County Environmental Management Agency 

Orange County Water District 

Oroville-Wyandotte Irrigation District 

Pacheco Pass Water District 

Paradise Irrigation District 

Placer County Water Agency 

Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation

District 

Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District,

Department of Public Works 

San Benito County Water Conservation and Flood Control

District

San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District 

San Francisco Water Department 

San Luis Obispo County:

Engineering Department 

Santa Barbara County Flood Control and Water

Conservation District 

Santa Barbara County Water Agency 

Santa Clara Valley Water District 

Santa Cruz City:

Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Zone 4 

Santa Cruz County:

Flood Control and Water Conservation District 

Santa Maria Valley Water Conservation District 

Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District 

Siskiyou County Flood Control and Water Conservation

District

Soquel Creek County Water District 

Terra Bella Irrigation District 

Tulare County Flood Control District 

Turlock Irrigation District 

United Water Conservation District 

University of California:

Division of Environmental Studies (Davis)

Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory

School of Forestry and Conservation (Berkeley) 

Ventura County Flood Control District 

Western Municipal Water District 

Woodbridge Irrigation District 

Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District

Colorado:

Adams County Board of Commissioners

Arapahoe County

Arkansas River Compact Administration

Cherokee Water District

City of Aspen

City of Aurora

City of Colorado Springs:

Department of Public Utilities

Office of the City Manager 

City of Fort Collins 

City of Glenwood Springs 

City of Northglenn

Colorado City Water and Sanitation District 

Colorado Department of Health:

Water Pollution Control Division 

Colorado Department of Highways 

Colorado Department of Local Affairs 

Colorado Division of Water Resources:

Office of the State Engineer 

Colorado Division of Wildlife 

Colorado Geological Survey 

Colorado River Water Conservation District 

Colorado Water Conservation Board 

Colorado West Area Council of Governments 

County of Jackson

Denver Regional Council of Governments 

Douglas County

Eagle County Commissioners 

Elbert County 

El Paso County:

Board of Commissioners

Water Association 

Kiowa County

Larimer-Wild Regional Council of Governments 

Metropolitan Denver Sewage Disposal District No. 1 

Northern Colorado Water Conservation District 

Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments 

Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners 

Pueblo Area Council of Governments 

Purgatoire River Water Conservancy District 

Rio Grande Water Conservation District 

St. Vrain and Left Hand Water Conservancy District 

Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District 

Southwestern Water Conservation District 

University of Colorado 

Urban Drainage and Flood Control District 

White River Soil Conservation District

Connecticut:

City of New Britain

City of Torrington

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Midstate Regional Planning Agency

Northwest Regional Planning Agency

Town of Fairfield

Town of Manchester

Town of Southbury

Town of South Windsor

Town of Woodbury

Delaware:

Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control 

New Castle County, Public Works Department 

University of Delaware: s 

Delaware Geological Survey

District of Columbia:

Department of Environmental Services

Florida:

Brevard County:

Board of County Commissioners 

Broward County:

Department of Utilities

Division of Water and Waste Water

Environmental Quality Control Board

Water Resources 

City of Boca Raton 

City of Bradenton 

City of Cape Coral 

City of Clearwater 

City of Cocoa 

City of Deerfield Beach 

City of Fort Lauderdale 

City of Fort Walton Beach 

City of Gainesville

City of Hallandale ' 

City of Hollywood 

City of Pensacola 

City of Perry 

City of Pompano Beach 

City of Quincy 

City of St. Petersburg 

City of Sarasota 

City of Tallahassee 

City of Tampa 

City of West Palm Beach 

Collier County

Consolidated City of Jacksonville 

Coordinating Council on the Restoration of Kissimmee

River Valley and Taylor Creek-Nubbins Slough Basin

Organizational and Statistical Data | 151
STATE, COUNTY, AND LOCAL COOPERATORS Continued

Florida Continued

Englewood Water District 

Escambia County 

Flagler County 

Florida Atlantic University:

Department of Geography 

Florida Bureau of Water Resources Management:

Florida Department of Environmental Regulation 

Florida Department of Natural Resources 

Florida Department of Transportation 

Florida Division of Recreation and Parks 

Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority 

Florida State University:

Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center 

Hillsborough County 

Jupiter Inlet District 

Lake County

Lake Worth Utilities Authority 

Lee County 

Leon County

Loxahatchee River Environmental Control District 

Manatee County 

Marion County 

Metropolitan Dade County 

Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Authority 

Monroe County 

Nassau County:

Ocean Highway and Port Authority 

Northwest Florida Water Management District 

Old Plantation Water Control District 

Orange County 

Palm Beach County 

Pinellas County 

Polk County

Reedy Creek Improvement District 

St. Johns County

St. Johns River Water Management District 

Sarasota County 

Seminole County

South Florida Water Management District 

Southwest Florida Water Management District 

Sumter County Recreation and Water Conservation and

Control Authority 

Suwannee River Authority 

Suwannee River Water Management District 

Town of Highland Beach 

Town of Juno Beach 

Village of Tequesta 

Volusia County 

Walton County

Windermere Water and Navigational Control District 

Winter Haven Lake Region

Georgia:

Bibb County Board of Commissioners

Chatham County

City of Albany

City of Brunswick

City of Covington

City of Valdosta

Clayton County

Consolidated Government of Columbus

Dekalb County

Department of Natural Resources:

Environmental Protection Division

Geologic Survey 

Department of Transportation 

Macon-Bibb County Water and Sewage Authority

Hawaii:

City and County of Honolulu:

Board of Water Supply

Department of Public Works 

State Department of Health 

State Department of Land and Natural Resources:

Division of Water and Land Development 

State Department of Planning and Economic Development 

State Department of Transportation

Idaho:

Idaho Department of Fish and Game 

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare 

Idaho Department of Transportation 

Idaho Department of Water Resources

Illinois:

Bloomington and Normal Sanitary District 

City of Springfield 

Cook County:

Forest Preserve District 

DuPage County Highway Department 

Fountain Head Drainage District 

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 

Illinois Institute of Natural Resources 

Kane County Highway Department 

McHenry County Regional Planning Commission 

Metropolitan Sanitary District of Greater Chicago 

Northern Illinois University:

Laboratory for Cartographic and Spatial Analysis 

Sanitary District of Bloom Township 

State Department of Registration and Education:

State Water Survey 

State Department of Transportation:

Division of Highways

Division of Water Resources

Indiana:

City of Bloomington

City of Chicago

City of Columbus

City of Fort Wayne

City of Hammond

City of Indianapolis

City of Richmond

Elkhart Water Works

Indiana Board of Health

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

Indiana Highway Commission

Town of Carmel

Vincennes Water Department

Iowa:

City of Ames

City of Cedar Rapids

City of Charles City

City of Clear Lake

City of Des Moines

City of Fort Dodge

City of Iowa City

City of Harlan

City of Marshalltown

City of Sioux City

City of Waterloo

Des Moines Water Works

Iowa Department of Environmental Quality

Iowa Department of Transportation:

Highway Research Board

Highway Division

152 I Yearbook 1979
Iowa Continued Maryland Continued

Iowa Geological Survey

Iowa Natural Resources Council

Iowa State University:

Department of Agricultural Engineering

Engineering and Mineral Resources Research

Iowa Agricultural Experiment Station 

Ottumwa Water Works 

Sewage Disposal Plant 

University of Iowa:

Institute of Hydraulic Research

University Physical Plant 

West-Central Iowa Rural Water Association

Kansas:

City of Wichita

Kansas Department of Transportation

Kansas Geological Survey

Kansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Commission

Kansas State Board of Agriculture:

Division of Water Resources 

Kansas Department of Health and Environment 

Kansas Water Resources Board

Northwest Kansas Ground Water Management District No.4 

Southwest Kansas Ground Water Management District No.3 

Western Kansas Ground Water Management District No.1

Kentucky:

City of Louisville

Kentucky Department of Commerce:

Division of Research and Planning 

Kentucky Department for Natural Resources and 

Environmental Protection:

Division of Conservation

Division of Water Quality

Division of Water Resources 

Kentucky Department of Transportation:

Division of Design 

Kentucky Geological Survey, University of Kentucky

Louisiana:

Capital Area Ground Water Conservation Commission 

City of Parish Government 

Louisiana Office of Highways:

Department of Transportation and Development 

Louisiana Office of Public Works:

Department of Transportation and Development 

Louisiana State Planning Office 

Sabine River Compact Administration (see also Texas)

Maine:

Androscoggin Valley Reginal Planning Commission 

Cobbossee Watershed District 

Greater Portland Council of Governments 

Maine Department of Conservation:

Geological Survey

Maine Department of Environmental Protection 

Maine Public Utilities Commission 

Southern Kennebec Valley Regional Planning Commission 

Town of Wilton

Maryland:

Anne Arundel County 

Baltimore County 

Calvert County 

Caroline County 

Carroll County 

City of Poolesville 

Garrett County 

Howard County

Maryland Department of Health and Metal Hygiene 

Maryland Department of Transportation: 

The State Highway Administration

Maryland Energy and Coastal Zone Administration 

Maryland Geological Survey 

Maryland Water Resources Administration 

Montgomery County:

Office of Environmental Planning 

St. Mary's County

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission 

Upper Potomac River Commission

Massachusetts:

Barnstable County 

Department of Public Works:

Division of Highways

Division of Research and Materials

Division of Waterways

Lower Pioneer Valley Regional Planning Commission 

Massachusetts Science and Technology Foundation 

Metropolitan District Commission:

New England Interstate Water Pollution Control 

Commission

Water Division 

State Water Resources Commission:

Division of Water Pollution Control

Division of Water Resources

Michigan:

Branch County

City of Ann Arbor

City of Battle Creek

City of Clare

City of Coldwater

City of Flint

City of Jackson

City of Lansing

City of Mason

City of St. Johns

City of St. Louis

City of Ypsilanti

Department of Agriculture:

Soil and Water Conservation Division 

Department of Natural Resources:

Bureau of Management Services

Geological Survey Division 

Department of State Highways and Transportation 

Dickinson County Board of Road Commissioners 

East-Central Michigan Planning and Development 

Genesee County Drain Commission 

Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority 

Imlay City 

Kalamazoo County Metropolitan Planning Commission

Kent County Airport 

Macomb County

Oakland County Drain Commission 

Otsego County Road Commission 

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission 

University of Michigan 

Van Buren County Road Commission 

Village of Clarkston 

Washtenaw County

Minnesota:

City of Apple Valley

City of Eagan

City of Lakeville

Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities

Metropolitan Waste Control Commission

Minnesota Department of Health:

Division of Environmental Health 

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 

Minnesota Department of Transportation 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 

Minnesota State Planning Agency 

Red Clay Project

Organizational and Statistical Data | 153
STATE, COUNTY, AND LOCAL COOPERATORS Continued

Mississippi:

City of Jackson

Department of Natural Resources:

Bureau of Geology and Energy Resources

Bureau of Land and Water Resources

Bureau of Pollution Control 

Harrison County Board of Supervisors 

Harrison County Development Commission 

Jackson County Board of Supervisors 

Jackson County Port Authority

Mississippi Air and Water Pollution Control Commission 

Mississippi Board of Water Commissioners 

Mississippi Geological Survey 

Mississippi Research and Development Center 

Mississippi State Highway Department 

Pat Harrison Waterway District 

Pearl River Valley Water Supply District

Missouri:

City of Springfield:

Sanitary Services Department 

Department of Natural Resources:

Division of Environmental Quality, Laboratory 

Services Program

Division of Geology and Land Survey 

Little River Drainage District 

Missouri Department of Conservation 

Missouri State Highway Commission 

St. Louis County:

Department of Highways and Traffic 

University of Missouri:

Department of Geography

Montana:

Department of Natural Resources and Conservation 

Lewis and Clark County:

Board of Commissioners 

Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology 

Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences 

Montana Department of Highways 

Montana Department of State Lands 

Montana Fish and Game Department 

Montana State University 

University of Montana 

Wyoming State Engineer (see a/so Wyoming)

Nebraska:

Blue River Association of Ground Water Conservation

Districts

Central Platte Natural Resources District 

Kansas-Nebraska Big Blue River Compact Administration 

Lower Loup Natural Resources District 

Nebraska Department of Roads 

Nebraska Department of Water Resources 

Nebraska Natural Resources Commission 

Nehama Natural Resources District 

University of Nebraska:

Conservation and Survey Division

Water Resources Center

Nevada:

Carson City Department of Public Works

Carson Valley Conservation District

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology

Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources:

Division of Environmental Protection

Division of Water Resources 

Nevada Department of Highways

New Hampshire:

New Hampshire Water Resources Board 

New Hampshire Water Supply and Pollution Control 

Commission

New Jersey:

Bergen County 

Camden County:

Board of Chosen Freeholders 

Delaware River Basin Commission 

Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority 

New Jersey Department of Agriculture:

State Soil Conservation Committee 

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection:

Bureau of Fisheries Management

Division of Fish, Game and Shell Fisheries

Division of Water Resources 

North Jersey District Water Supply Commission 

Passaic Valley Water Commission 

Somerset County:

Board of Chosen Freeholders 

Township of Cranford 

West Windsor Township

New Mexico:

Albuquerque Metropolitan Arroyo Flood Control Authority

City of Albuquerque

City of Las Cruces

Costilla Creek Compact Commission

Elephant Butte Irrigation District

New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources

New Mexico Environmental Improvement Division

New Mexico Natural Resources Department

New Mexico State Engineer and Interstate Stream

Commission ,:

New Mexico State Highway Department 

Pecos River Commission 

Rio Grande Compact Commission

New York:

Central New York State Park and Recreation Commission 

City of Albany:

Department of Water and Water Supply 

City of Auburn 

City of New York:

Board of Water Supply

Department of Environmental Protection 

City of Rochester:

Department of Public Works 

County of Chautauqua:

Department of Planning and Development 

County of Cortland:

Planning Department 

County of Duchess:

Civil Defense 

County of Monroe:

Water Authority 

County of Nassau:

Department of Public Works 

County of Onondaga:

Department of Public Works

Water Authority

County of Oswegb Planning Board 

County of Putnam 

County of Rockland:

Drainage Agency 

County of Suffolk:

Department of Health Sciences

Water Authority 

County of Ulster:

Ulster County Legislature 

County of Westchester:

Department of Public Works 

Hudson River-Black River Regulating District 

Irondequoit Bay Pure Waters District 

New York State Department of Education:

Museum and Science Service

154 I Yearbook 1979
New York Continued

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation 

(see a/so Pennsylvania):

Division of Pure Waters

Land Resources and Forest Management Division 

New York State Department of Health:

Division of Sanitary Engineering 

New York State Department of Transportation,

Planning and Railroads Bureau 

Oswegatchie River-Cranberry Reservior Commission 

Power Authority of the State of New York 

State University of New York at Buffalo 

Town of Clarkstown 

Town of Warwick 

Town of Waterford 

University of the State of New York 

University of Virginia (see a/so Virginia) 

Village of New Paltz 

Village of Nyack

North Carolina:

Agricultural Experiment Station 

City of Burlington 

City of Charlotte 

City of Durham:

Department of Water Resources 

City of Greensboro 

City of Raleigh 

City of Rocky Mount 

City of Winston-Salem 

State Board of Transportation 

State Department of Natural Resources and Community

Development

North Dakota:

North Dakota Geological Survey 

Oliver County Board of Commissioners 

State Department of Health 

State Water Commission

Ohio:

City of Canton:

Water Department 

City of Columbus:

Department of Public Service

Division of Water 

Geauga County 

Miami Conservancy District 

Ohio Department of Natural Resources:

Division of Water

Division of Geological Survey

Division of Reclamation 

Ohio Department of Transportation:

Division of Highways 

Ohio Environmental Protection Agency 

Three Rivers Watershed District

Oklahoma:

Central Master Conservancy District

City of Ada

City of Altus

City of Edmond

City of Guthrie

City of Lawton

City of Oklahoma City

City of Tulsa

Fort Cobb Reservoir Master Conservancy District

Foss Reservoir Master Conservancy District

Lugert-Altus Irrigation District

Oklahoma Department of Highways

Oklahoma Geological Survey

Oklahoma Pollution Control Coordination Board

Oklahoma State Health Department

Oklahoma Water Resources Board

Oregon:

Burnt River Irrigation District 

City of Corvallis 

City of Eugene:

Water and Electric Board 

City of Lakeside:

Lakeside Water District 

City of McMinnville:

Water and Light Department 

City of Medford:

Public Works Department 

City of Portland:

Department of Public Utilities

Department of Public Works 

City of Reedsport

Clark County, Wash., Department of Public Works 

Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian Reservation 

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Indian Reservation 

Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board 

Coos County:

Board of Commissioners 

Douglas County:

Department of Public Works 

Lane Council of Governments 

Lane County:

Office of the Chief Administrator 

Mid-Williamette Valley Council of Governments 

Multnomah County:

Board of Commissioners 

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 

Oregon State Highway Division 

Oregon Water Resources Department 

Rogue Valley Council of Governments 

Wasco County

Pennsylvania:

Allegheny County:

Department of Planning and Development 

Chester County:

Board of Commissioners

Health Department

Water Resources Authority 

City of Bethlehem 

City of Easton 

City of Harrisburg:

Department of Public Works 

City of Philadelphia:

Water Department 

Delaware River Basin Commission 

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission 

Letort Regional Authority 

New York State Department of Environmental

Conservation (see a/so New York) 

Ohio River Basin Commission 

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources:

Bureau of Surface Mine Reclamation

Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey

Bureau of Water Quality Management

Office of Resource Management 

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation 

Slippery Rock State College 

Susquehanna River Basin Commission 

Warminster Township

Rhode Island:

City of Providence

State Department of Environmental Management:

Division of Land Resources

Division of Water Resources 

State Water Resources Board 

University of Rhode Island Center for Ocean Management

Studies

Organizational and Statistical Data 155
1

STATE, COUNTY, AND LOCAL COOPERATORS Continued

South Carolina:

City of Lancaster 

Commissioners of Public Works:

Spartanburg Water Works 

Division of Research and Statistical Services 

State Department of Highways and Public Transportation 

State Health and Environmental Control 

State Public Service Authority 

State Water Resources Commission

South Dakota:

Black Hills Conservancy Subdistrict

City of Sioux Falls

City of Watertown

East Dakota Conservancy Subdistrict

South Dakota Department of Transportation

South Dakota Department of Water and Natural Resources:

Division of Geological Survey

Division of Water Rights 

South Dakota School of Mines 

South Dakota State University

Tennessee:

City of Franklin 

City of Lawrenceburg 

City of Memphis:

Light, Gas and Water Division

Public Works Division

Water Division

Lincoln County Utilities Board 

Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County:

Department of Public Works 

Murfreesboro Water and Sewer Department 

Shelby County 

Tennessee Department of Conservation:

Division of Geology

Division of Water Resources 

Tennessee Department of Public Health:

Division of Water Quality Control 

Tennessee Department of Transportation:

Bureau of Planning and Programming

Office of Research and Planning

Bureau of Highways 

University of Tennessee

Texas:

City of Austin

City of Dallas

City of Fort Worth

City of Garland

City of Houston

City of Mesquite

Pecos River Commission

Sabine River Compact Administration

(see also Louisiana) 

Texas A & M 

Texas Department of Water Resources

Utah:

Bear River Commission 

Department of Transportation 

Division of Parks and Recreation 

Salt Lake County:

Board of County Commissioners

Department of Water Quality and Water Pollution Control 

State Department of Natural Resources:

Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining

Division of Water Resources

Division of Water Rights

Division of Wildlife Resources

Utah Geological and Mineral Survey

Vermont:

Agency of Environmental Conservation 

State Department of Water Resources 

Town of Springfield

Virginia:

City of Alexandria:

Department of Transportation and Environmental

Services 

City of Newport News:

Department of Public Utilities 

City of Roanoke:

Utilities and Operations 

City of Staunton 

Fairfax County Water Authority:

Engineering and Construction Division 

James City County

Southeastern Public Service Authority of Virginia 

University of Virginia:

Department of Environmental Sciences 

Virginia Department of Conservation and Economic 

Development:

Division of Mineral Resources 

Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation 

Virginia State Water Control Board

Washington:

Chelan County Public Utility District No. 1 

City of Bellevue Public Works Department 

City of Everett 

City of Seattle:

Department of Lighting

Water Department 

City of Tacoma:

Department of Public Utilities

Department of Public Works 

Clallam County Board of Commissioners 

Hoh Indian Tribe

Lewis County Board of Commissioners 

Makah Tribal Council 

Muckleshoot Indian Tribe 

Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle 

Nisqually Indian Community Council 

Pierce County Board of Commissioners 

Quileute Tribal Council 

Quinault Indian Business Council 

Shoalwater Bay Tribal Council 

South Columbia Basin Irrigation District 

State of Washington:

Department of Ecology 

Washington State Department of Fisheries 

Washington State Department of Game 

Washington State Department of Natural Resources 

Washington State Department of Transportation 

Washington State University:

Department of Agricultural Engineering 

Yakima Tribal Council

West Virginia:

City of Clarksburg/Water Board 

City of Morgantown:

Water Commission 

Randolph County Commission 

West Virginia Department of Highways 

West Virginia Department of Natural Resources:

Division of Forestry

Division of Water Resources 

West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey

156 I Yearbook 1979
Wisconsin:

City of Middleton

Dane County Regional Planning Commission

Douglas County Soil and Water Conservation District

Madison Metropolitan Sewage District

Madison Water Utility

Sokaogon Chippewa (Mole Lake) Community of

Wisconsin

Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission 

State Board of Soil and Water Conservation Districts 

State Department of Justice 

State Department of Natural Resources 

State Department of Transportation:

Bridge Section

Division of Highways 

Town of Schleswig 

University of Wisconsin:

Department of Geography

Wisconsin Continued

University of Wisconsin Extension:

Geological and Natural History Survey 

Village of Oregon

Wyoming:

Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities 

University of Wyoming:

Water Resources Research Institute 

Wyoming Department of Agriculture:

Wyoming Conservation Commission 

Wyoming Department of Economic Planning and

Development

Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality 

Wyoming Highway Department 

Wyoming State Engineer (see also Montana)

OTHER COOPERATORS AND CONTRIBUTORS

Coastal Plains Regional Action Planning Commission

Four Corners Regional Commission

Government of American Samoa

Government of Botswana

Government of Brazil

Government of Costa Rica

Government of Guam

Government of Hungary

Government of Iraq

Government of Kuwait

Government of the Northern Mariana Islands

Government of Saudi Arabia

Government of Trinidad and Tobago

Missouri River Basin Commission 

Pan-American Health Organization

Puerto Rico:

Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority

Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture

Puerto Rico Department of Health

Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources

Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board

Puerto Rico Land Authority

Puerto Rico Surgar Corp.

Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority

Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

United Nations:

United Nations Development Program 

United Nations Education, Science and 

Culture Organization

Virgin Islands:

College of the Virgin Islands

Virgin Islands Department of Public Works

Virgin Islands Planning Office

Organizational and Statistical Data | 157
Budgetary and Statistical Data

[Data in these tables may differ slightly from data in the individual division chapters because of rounding; and totals may sometimes 

not add because of rounding.]

TABLE 1. Geological Survey budget for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by activity and sources of funds

[in thousands of dollars]

Budget activity

Total _____________ ___ _

Direct program ____________ __

Reimbursable program _____ __ ____

States, counties, and municipalities _______

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources __ _

Other Federal agencies __ __ ___ _

Alaska Pipeline Related Investigations _ ____

Direct program ________ ___ ____

Reimbursable program ________ ____

Other Federal agencies ____ _ ___

Topographic Surveys and Mapping __________

Direct program __ ___ ___ __ _

Reimbursable program ________ _ _

States, counties, and municipalities ____

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources _____ 

Other Federal agencies ___ ___ _

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys 

and Mapping ' ___ ___ ____________

Direct program ____ ___ _________

Reimbursable program __ ____ ___

States, counties, and municipalities _ _

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources _ ___

Other Federal agencies _ _ __ _ _

Water Resources Investigations 2 _____ ____

Direct program __ _ __ ___________

Reimbursable program ___ ____ _

States, counties, and municipalities _____

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources ____

Other Federal agencies _______________

Conservation of Lands and Minerals 4 _ ______

Direct program ___ __ ___ ______

Reimbursable program __ _ __________

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources _____

Other Federal agencies __ _ __________

Land Information and Analysis * ____ ___ 

Direct program _ _ ____ _ __ __

Reimbursable program ____ ___ _

States, counties, and municipalities- _ _

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources _____

Other Federal agencies _______ _

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska _ _

Direct program __ ______ ____ _

Allocation transfer ___ _______________

Reimbursable program (Federal) __________

General Administration 6 _ _ __ _ ______

Direct program _ _ ___________________

Facilities ____________ __ _ __

Direct program __ __ ______ __ ___

1974

$249,437

171,983

77,454

32,443

4,695

40,316

890

890

43,664

37,161

6,503

4,942

643 

918

73,563

49,877

23,686

1,681

2,684

19,321

88,352

45,433

42,919

25,820

721

16,378

18,213

18,172

41

41

13,003

11,458

1,545

593

952

3,517

3,517

5,475

5,475

1975

$338,764

253,605

85,159

35,124

6,399

43,636

344

344

52,597

45,350

7,247

4,995

594 

1,658

114,477

89,018

25,459

1,550

3,751

20,158

101,437

53,420

48,017

28,546

901

18,570

36,082

36,032

50

4

46

16,994

15,461

1,533

33

1,093

407

3,671

3,671

10,309

10,309

1976

$353,970

264,434

89,536

35,006

7,923

46,607

287

287

52,220

43,354

6,866

3,675

501 

2,690

115,554

92,322

23,232

1,467

4,936

16,829

112,480

57,176

55,304

29,735

940

24,629

41,677

41,489

188

1

187

17,278

14,908

2,370

130

1,496

744

3,398

3,398

9,500

9,500

Transition 

quarter

$102,858

77,570

25,288

8,956

1,991

14,341

85

85

13,289

11,548

1,741

882

133 

726

32,194

24,829

7,365

383

1,120

5,862

30,716

15,916

14,800

7,672

260

6,868

13,386

13,375

6

6

13,919

7,795

6,124

19

469

636

1,491

1,491

2,530

2,530

1977

$433,403

319,460

113,943

39,621

10,229

64,093

317

317

57,073

50,311

6,762

3,268

601 

2,893

130,269

100,007

30,262

1,403

6,439

22,420

131,509

68,555

62,954

34,761

1,331

26,862

67,427

67,239

188

16

172

23,476

17,698

5,778

189

1,741

3,848

9,154

2,079

7,063

12

3,760

3,760

9,494

9,494

1978

$698,272

576,393

121,879

40,784

12,825

68,270

272

272

69,520

61,356

8,164

3,320

499 

4,345

163,193

123,830

39,363

956

8,510

29,897

146,014

3 78,487

67,527

36,457

1,429

29,641

77,409

77,299

110

9

101

23,226

18,132

5,094

51

2,153

2,890

202,704

202,598

106

3,650

3,650

10,769

10,769

1979

$764,718

634,886

129,832

44,124

15,789

69,919

74,566

65,584

8,982

3,371

597 

5,014

178,556

134,846

43,710

584

10,914

32,212

168,598

96,847

71,751

40,156

1,673

29,922

85,484

85,362

122

122

23,965

19,959

4,006

13

2,333

1,660

216,886

216,886

3,661

3,661

11,741

11,741

See footnotes at end of table.

158 Yearbook 1979
TABLE 1. Geological Survey budget for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by activity and sources of funds Continued

Budget activity

Miscellaneous services to other accounts __

Reimbursable program _ __ _ _______

Miscellaneous non-Federal sources _ __ 

Other Federal agencies _ _____________

1974

$2,760

2,760

54 

2,706

1975

$2,853

2,853

56 

2,797

1976

$1,576

1,576

49 

1,527

Transition 

quarter

$253

253

10 

243

1977

$924

924

102 

822

1978

$1,515

1,515

225 

1,290

1979

$1,261

1,261

272 

989

1 Includes Mineral Discovery Loan Program activity for fiscal years 1974 to1975; 

and parts of Geothermal Investigations, Minerals Policy, and Arctic Environmental 

Studies components of the Special Resource and Environmental Projects activity for 

fiscal years 1974 to 1975. Funds exclude the Land Resource Analysis Program for 

fiscal years 1974 to 1976.

4 Excludes Employee Compensation Payments subactivity for fiscal years 1974 to 

1976.

s Funds for the Airborne Positioning System, appropriated to Water Resources Investigations are included as obligations of Topographic Surveys and Mapping ($2,172 

thousand).

' Includes parts of Geothermal Investigations component of the Special Resource 

and Environmental Projects activity for fiscal years 1974 to 1975.

» Budget activity funds are reconstructed for fiscal years 1974 to 1975 and include 

Earth Resources Observation System activity for fiscal years 1974 to 1975; Urban 

Area Studies and Energy Impact Evaluation components of the Special Resource and 

Environmental Projects activity for fiscal years 1974 to 1975; Land Resources 

Analysis Program of the Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping activity for fiscal years 1974 to 1975 and the Land Use Data and Analysis activity for fiscal 

year 1975.

6 Funds include Employee Compensation Payments subactivity of the Water 

Resources Investigations activity for 1974 to 1976.

TABLE 2. Geological Survey Federal-State Cooperative Program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by State

[In thousands of dollars]

State

Total ' _____________________

Total State share 2 ________

Alabama _ ______ ___ _____

State share ______ _________

Alaska _____________ ______

State share ___ ______ _

Arizona _______ _____________

State share ______________________

Arkansas _________________________

State share __________ ____

California _ _____________________

State share ______________________

Colorado __________________________

State share ______ _________

Connecticut ________ ________

State share ______ __________

Delaware __ ____________________

State share ___________ _

District of Columbia _ _____________

State share ______ ______ .

Florida ____ _________ __ . State share ______ ______ . Georgia ________________ . State share ________ ____ . Hawaii _________________ . State share _____________ .

Idaho _________________ . State share ____ ________ .

Illinois __ ______________ .

State share ___________ _.

Indiana ________________ .

State share ________ ____ .

Iowa __________________ .

State share _____________ .

Kansas ________________ .

State share _____________ .

Kentucky _______________ .

State share _____________ .

Louisiana _______________ .

State share _____________ .

See footnotes at end of table.

1974

____ $65,256

____ 32,443

_ __ 1,094

____ 554

___ 897

___ 410

____ 1,144

576

____ 857

___ 455

____ 4,789

____ 2,280

___ 1,484

___ 837

___ 814

____ 374

___ 130

____ 74

_ ___ 3

___ 1

_ ___ 5,083

_ ___ 2,552

. ___ 3,239

_ ___ 1,611

. ___ 691

_ ___ 339

. ___ 718

. ___ 353

. ___ 544

. ___ 277

. ___ 1,363

. ___ 678

. ___ 608

. ___ 299

. ___ 1,402

. ___ 686

. ___ 2,451

. ___ 1,122

. ___ 1,900

. ___ 980

1975

$70,151

35,124

1,212

623

1,162

410

1,248

646

887

410

4,690

2,337

2,445

1,324

1,069

523

194

106

3

1

5,575

2,781

3,083

1,531

697

341

749

366

645

323

1,288

632

617

302

1,424

716

2,728

1,229

1,740

902

1976

$69,252

35,019

1,124

550

782

407

1,255

639

811

371

4,825

2,473

2,199

1,196

858

415

213

116

3

2

5,763

2,851

2,510

1,243

896

501

852

417

848

459

1,519

779

822

405

1,525

752

2,828

1,300

1,694

862

Transition

$17,482

8,986

171

87

202

101

335

177

190

94

1,271

675

662

349

241

108

54

30

1

1,481

735

552

275

191

101

223

111

208

120

366

182

241

121

442

220

717

327

440

227

1977

$79,163

40,617

1,234

607

1,141

561

1,393

700

1,033

481

5,336

2,714

3,052

1,564

871

421

225

121

4

2

6,428

3,202

2,452

1,209

897

460

952

465

1,109

592

1,987

981

1,004

494

1,721

849

3,015

1,433

2,628

1,319

1978

$80,598

40,784

1,074

532

1,275

654

1,552

783

1,118

543

6,079

3,091

3,036

1,561

864

411

192

109

4

2

7,219

3,667

1,706

866

1,000

518

1,131

611

1,092

575

2,006

1,078

1,031

521

2,237

1,113

2,407

1,018

1,856

929

1979

$86,962

44,123

1,075

537

1,421

753

1,721

878

1,315

695

6,003

3,135

3,581

1,784

1,242

576

157

92

4

2

7,415

3,819

1,919

942

1,294

646

1,024

480

1,324

718

2,210

1,107

1,060

531

2,378

1,163

1,425

709

2,027

1,015

Organizational and Statistical Data 159
TABLE 2. Geological Survey Federal-State Cooperative Program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by StateContinued

State

Maine _____________ _ _.

State share _ __ ___ _

Maryland ________ ______ .

State share __ _________ .

Massachusetts _________ _ .

State share _______ ____ .

Michigan __ _ ________ _ .

State share ________ __ .

Minnesota ___________ _ .

State share ______ ___ .

Mississippi __ _ _ ___ ___ _ .

State share ____ ____ _ .

Missouri ___ _________ __.

State share ___ __ __ _ .

Montana ___ ___ _ __ _ .

State share __ __ _________ .

Nebraska ___ ____ _____ .

State share ______ __ __ __ .

Nevada __ __________ : __ _.

State share _ ____ __ __

New Hampshire _ _____ __ .

State share ___ __ ___ .

New Jersey _________ _ _ .

State share __ ____ _____ .

New Mexico ___ ____ ___ .

State share _____________________

New York ___ ______ ___ .

State share ______ ___ _ .

North Carolina __ _ __ _ ___ .

State share ______ ____ .

North Dakota _____________ .

State share _ ____ __ ___ .

Ohio _________________ .

State share ________ ___ .

Oklahoma __________ _______

State share ____ ______________

Oregon _ ____ _ _ __ __

State share ___________ .

Pennsylvania ___ ___________

State share _ _ _____ _ _ .

Rhode Island _____ ________

State share _ ________ _ __

South Carolina __ __ ____ .

State share ___ ____ _______

South Dakota ____ ___ ____

State share ___ ________________

Tennessee ____ _____________

State share _____ ________

Texas _______ ____ __ _

State share ________________

Utah __ _________________

State share ______ : _ ___ .

Vermont ___ _______________

State share ______________________

Virginia ____________ _ _.

State share ________________

Washington _ ________________

State share ________________

West Virginia __ _ _____ .

State share ________ ______

Wisconsin _____________ .

State share _ _ ___________

Wyoming ___________ ___.

State share __ _ __________

American Samoa _______ _ ___.

State share _______ ___ .

1974

. ____ $ 175

. ____ 96

. ____ 851

435

._ __ 1,346

. ___ 656

. __ _ 930

. _ _ 436

1,903

. ____ 966

._ __ 645

. ___ 325

. __ 657

322

._ __ 505

. ____ 255

._ __ 705

._ __ 344

._ __ 689

. __ 304

. ____ 177

. ____ 97

._ __ 1,051

. ___ 530

. __ 1,332

. ____ 662

. __ _ 2,796

. ____ 1,415

. ____ 1,586

. ____ 771

. ___ 763

. ____ 369

. ___ 978

._ _ 481

._ __ 702

344

896

. __ 439

._ __ 2,357

. ____ 1,195

. ____ 97

. __ _ 52

. ____ 546

._ __ 279

471

227

851

. ____ 422

. ___ 4,046

. ___ 2,027

._ __ 1,068

. ___ 534

._ __ 144

. ____ 73

. ____ 905

. ___ 466

._ _ 2,121

. ___ 1,037

. ____ 946

. ____ 521

. __ 1,563

775

. ____ 698

. __ 328

. ____ 63

. ____ 31

1975

$ 248

127

1,011

530

1,618

810

1,054

505

1,639

817

743

415

678

337

587

287

731

358

846

332

172

73

977

501

1,439

714

2,977

1,585

1,885

942

998

489

1,093

563

748

368

902

443

2,415

1,209

110

54

574

284

515

251

952

470

4,261

2,100

1,361

838

130

64

858

442

2,208

1,104

775

448

1,706

883

853

514

70

32

1976

$ 313

181

1,016

517

1,627

779

1,078

521

1,191

625

646

316

642

316

596

301

785

396

922

367

230

99

1,090

565

1,510

768

2,822

1,615

1,462

724

990

489

1,255

671

786

386

899

449

2,510

1,269

124

60

557

272

528

259

1,035

508

4,351

2,148

1,314

745

138

68

737

378

2,115

1,066

716

418

1,874

999

754

397

40

20

Transition 

quarter

$ 89

50

243

125

368

191

252

123

320

198

170

85

207

105

146

76

187

95

244

103

63

28

276

143

338

175

727

407

379

197

246

125

336

175

196

98

287

163

554

284

31

16

142

71

146

73

280

139

1,102

550

334

186

28

14

142

78

509

265

175

105

552

297

167

86

9

4

1977

$ 333

179

1,176

602

1,402

684

1,101

541

1,082

566

713

349

827

420

1,330

673

957

469

1,063

415

248

103

1,269

642

1,537

778

3,008

2,568

1,805

894

834

408

1,598

838

846

414

1,230

639

2,718

1,365

145

72

603

296

562

275

1,255

615

4,621

2,354

1,631

810

134

70

768

393

3,271

1,653

830

472

1,703

935

903

391

60

30

1978

$ 382

191

1,174

605

1,593

801

1,203

596

1,759

949

754

407

635

316

676

338

1,048

522

1,440

456

187

92

1,437

851

1,621

838

3,363

1,893

1,713

858

1,023

505

1,799

973

936

462

1,214

610

2,688

1,366

160

80

625

329

662

331

1,383

686

4,525

2,244

1,451

726

142

70

778

397

2,537

1,243

688

388

1,883

1,026

901

381

64

32

1979

$ 566

290

1,393

706

1,837

847

1,497

761

2,330

1,249

747

374

713

341

734

402

1,175

579

1,488

535

150

68

1,427

800

1,841

942

3,871

2,377

1,633

817

1,029

498

1,962

1,075

1,131

577

1,391

674

2,847

1,301

233

117

832

363

761

382

1,509

729

4,588

2,299

1,657

842

166

81

897

548

2,859

1,378

752

402

1,969

1,022

819

412

47

23

See footnotes at end of table.

160 I Yearbook 1979
TABLE 2. Geological Survey Federal-State Cooperative Program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by State 

Continued

State

Guam _ _ .

State share. ______ ________

Northern Marianas ____ ________

State share __ _____ ____

Puerto Rico __________ _____

State share ___ ____ _____

Trust Territories ____ __________

State share ____ ______________

Virgin Islands __ _________________

State share ______ ___________

1974

$ 62

._ __ 31

1,303

. __ _ 682

. ____ 117

. __ 58 ( 3 )

( 3 )

1975

$ 65

32

1,293

585

170

84

33

31

1976

$ 68

33

1,016

463

170

84

18

9

Transition 

quarter

$ 18

9

185

84

44

22

2

1

1977

$ 70

33

843

396

173

84

32

16

1978

$ 85

47

18

9

922

459

180

90

70

35

1979

$ 104

56

40

21

1,083

518

184

92

94

43

1 Includes Federal funds from direct program.

2 Includes reimbursable program funds from States, counties, and municipalities.

1 Included with Puerto Rico funds.

TABLE 3. Geological Survey reimbursable program funds from other Federal agencies for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by 

agency

[In thousands of dollars]

Agency

Total ______ _ ______ __

Appalachian Regional Commission ________

Department of Agriculture _ ________

Department of Commerce __ _____ __

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration _______ _________

Ozarks Regional Commission ___ ____

Department of Defense _____ ________

Department of Energy 2 ____________________

Bonneville Power Administration ___

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development ___________ _____

Department of the Interior _ ________

Bureau of Indian Affairs ____ _______

Bureau of Land Management _ ________

Bureau of Mines ____________ ___

Bureau of Reclamation _____________

National Park Service _____ _ ___

Office of the Secretary __________________

Office of Surface Mining _ ____________

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service __ ___

Department of State ___ ___________

Department of Transportation _ _ _____

Environmental Protection Agency __________

National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration ___ _ ____ '. _ _

National Science Foundation ________

Nuclear Regulatory Commission _________

Tennessee Valley Authority ________________

Miscellaneous Federal agencies ____ __

Miscellaneous services to other accounts ____

1974

$40,316

189

356 (')

2,001

60

13,351

4,029

(136)

3,581

2,312

340

251

676

529

380

2,177

1,127

5,672

1,375

212

1,168

2,706

1975

$43,636

179

891

154

434

49

11,247

3,854

(105)

3,069

9,361

697

5,114

1,735

721

617

426

372

1,698

4

1,389

3,449

1,928

1,195

252

1,686

2,797

1976

$46,607

2,008

2,205

1,513

11,965

4,704

(130)

4,624

6,290

759

3,682

148

790

576

205

949

470

1,921

3,584

1,650

1,439

216

1,542

1,527

Transition 

quarter

$14,347

605

36

772

3,195

1,926

/<30\

1,873

2,362

277

1,467

267

230

44

45

221

240

777

1,051

40

427

70

499

253

1977

$56,195

2,130

334

1,947

12,308

8,573

(141)

6,003

12,186

915

9,011

200

1,199

542

178

1,075

313

2,137

2,648

2,712

1,758

297

1,774

822

1978

$68,164

2,727

183

1,708

15,655

14,980

(138)

3,789

16,528

2,385

10,791

108

1,871

791

135

447

1,010

193

3,074

2,763

848

1,318

216

1,882

1,290

1979

$69,919

2,619

141

1,464

16,760

15,338

(48)

1,967

17,746

4,345

9,712

240

1,975

771

82

21

600

1,455

149

2,873

4,033

896

1,583

261

1,645

989

' Included in miscellaneous Federal agencies.

2 Shown as Energy Research and Development and Federal Energy Administration

prior to October 1,1977; includes Atomic Energy Commission funds for fiscal year 1974. 

See also funds from Nuclear Regulatory Commission in fiscal year 1975.

Organizational and Statistical Data | 161
The following tables, which have previously been a part of this section, are available upon request from the Office of Program 

Analysis, USGS Mail Stop 105, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 22090.

Table 4. Topographic Surveys and Mapping direct program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by subactivity

Table 5. Topographic Surveys and Mapping Federal-State Cooperative Program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by State

Table 6. Topographic Surveys and Mapping reimbursable program funds from other Federal agencies for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, 

by agency

Table 7. Geologic and Mineral Resource-Surveys and Mapping direct program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by subactivity

Table 8. Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping Federal-State Cooperative funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by 

State

Table 9. Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping reimbursable program funds from other Federal agencies for fiscal 

years 1974 to 1979, by agency

Table 10. Water Resources Investigations direct program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by subactivity

Table 11. Water Resources Investigations Federal-State Cooperative Program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by State

Table 12. Water Resources Investigations reimbursable program funds from other Federal agencies for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by 

agency

Table 13. Conservation of Lands and Minerals direct program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by subactivity

Table 14. Conservation of Lands and Minerals reimbursable program funds from other Federal agencies for fiscal years 1974 to 1979

Table 15. Land Information and Analysis direct program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by subactivity

Table 16. Land Information and Analysis reimbursable program funds from other Federal agencies for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by 

agency

Table 17. Land Information and Analysis Federal-State Cooperative Program funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by State

Table 18. Program support funds for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by activity

Table 19. Geological Survey end-of-year employment for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by organizational unit

Table 20. Number of Geological Survey reports approved for publication for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by organizational unit

Table 21. Number of maps produced by the Geological Survey for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by organizational unit

Table 22. Oil and gas operations on Outer Continental Shelf lands for calendar years 1974 to 1979

Table 23. Revenues from leases on Outer Continental Shelf lands for calendar years 1974 to 1979

Table 24. Oil, gas, and geothermal operations on Federal and Indian lands for calendar years 1974 to 1979

Table 25. Royalties from oil and gas leases on Federal and Indian lands for calendar years 1974 to 1979

Table 26. Mining operations on Federal and Indian lands for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by activity and by commodity

Table 27. Revenues from mining leases on Federal and Indian lands for fiscal years 1974 to 1979, by commodity

Table 28. Information products ordered from the EROS Data Center for fiscal years 1976 to 1979

Table 29. U.S. Geological Survey Library operating statistics for fiscal years 1974 to 1979

Table 30. Number and type of measurement sites (stations) of the U.S. Geological Survey, fiscal year 1979

162 Yearbook 1979
o

»«. 1*4

1 8 79 FEET

Organizational and Statistical Data 163
UPDATE FOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OFFICES

HEADQUARTERS OFFICES 

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

Official Name Telephone number Address

Assistant Director Land Resources __________ Linn Hoover, (703)860-7488 National Center, STOP 104

Acting

WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

Chief Hydrologist _____________________ Philip Cohen (703)860-6921 National Center, STOP 409

CONSERVATION DIVISION

Deputy Chief for Onshore Minerals Regulation ____ John Duletsky, (703) 860-7515 National Center, STOP 620

Acting 

Deputy Chief for Offshore Minerals Regulation _____ Robert L. Rioux, (703) 860-7571 National Center, STOP 640

Acting

LAND INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS OFFICE

Chief __________________________._ GeneD.Thorley, (703)860-7488 National Center, STOP 104

Acting 

Associate Chief ______________________ [Vacant] (703)860-7471 National Center, STOP 703

PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

Chief ___________________i_______ Gary W. North, (703)860-7181 National Center, STOP 341

Acting

SELECTED FIELD OFFICES

GEOLOGIC DIVISION

Regional Offices

Office Name Telephone number Address

Eastern ___________________________ Avery A. Drake, Jr. (703)860-6631 National Center, STOP 953

164 Yearbook 1979
WATER RESOURCES DIVISION

Regional Offices

Southeastern __ - Robert J. Dingman (404)221-5174

District Offices

Arkansas ________

Montana _____

Nevada ______

South Carolina

Richard T.Sniegocki 

George M. Pike

[Vacant] 

Rodney N. Cherry

Utah ____________________________ Theodore Arnow

CONSERVATION DIVISION

Regional Offices

Central _______________________

(501)740-6391 

(406) 449-5263

(702)882-1388 

(803)765-5966

(801)524-5663

Gulf of Mexico Outer Continental Shelf Operations __

Western ________________________________________

PUBLICATIONS DIVISION

Public Inquiries Office

California: 

San Francisco _________________________________

[Vacant]

Lowell Mammon, 

Acting

John J. Dragonetti

(303)234-2855

(504)837-4720 

ext. 9381

.(415)323-8111 

ext. 2093

Colorado

[Vacant] 

[Vacant]

(415)556-5627 

(303)837-4169

Richard B. Russell

Federal Building, 

75 Spring St., S.W., 

Rm. 772, 

Atlanta, GA 30303

2301 Federal Office Bldg., 

700 W. Capital Ave., 

Little Rock, AR 72201

Federal Bldg., Room 428, 

301 South Park Ave., 

Drawer 10076, 

Helena, MT 59601

227 Federal Bldg., 

705 N. Plaza St., 

Carson City, NV 89701

Strom Thurmond Fed. Bldg., 

Suite 658, 

1835 Assembly St., 

Columbia, SC 29201

Room 1016, Administrative

Bldg.,

1745 W. 1700 St., 

Salt Lake City, UT 84104

Box 25046, STOP 609, 

Denver Federal Center, 

Denver, CO 80225

P.O. Box 7944, 

434 Imperial Office Bldg., 

3301 N. Causeway Blvd., 

Metarie, LA 70010

345 Middlefield Rd., 

Menlo Park, CA 94025

504 Customhouse,

555 Battery St.,

San Francisco, CA 94111 

169 Federal Bldg.,

1961 Stout St.,

Denver, Co 80294

Organizational and Statistical Data | 165
1

 

Index

Act of March 3, 1879 96

Aerial photography. See Remote sensing.

Aerial Profiling of Terrain (APT) 50

Alaska

Alaska Mineral Resource Appraisal Program 3

cartographic surveys and mapping 42

earthquakes 118

environmental draft study 120

environmental rehabilitation, National Petroleum Reserve 

in Alaska (NPRA) 120, 132

exploration drilling, status 130-131

geophysical studies 130

mapping program 4

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) 2; 128-133

South Barrow gas field 132

Yakataga seismic gap 118 

Alaska Mineral Resource Appraisal Program 3 

Apalachicola River 85 

Astrogeology

satellite image maps 62

Voyager mission results 62 

See a/so Remote sensing.

Budget of the Geological Survey 34 

Budget by source and use

Conservation of Lands and Minerals 99

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping 58

Geological Survey 34

Land Information and Analysis Office 115

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) 129

Topographic Surveys and Mapping 39

Water Resources Investigations 79

Calaveras fault 73 

California

natural resources management 119

San Francisco Bay Region Environment and Resources 

Planning Study 119

urban-area study 119 

Climate 68 

Coal

coal folios 1, 28, 74

Coal Hydrology Program 83

coal leases, Federal and Indian lands 1,100

Coal Resource Economic Value (CREV) 100

Coal Resource Occurrence/Coal Development Potential 

(CRO/CDP) Program 100

digital data mapping system 27

Federal and Indian lands 100

Federal Coal Management Program 100

Known Recoverable Coal Resources Areas (KRCRA's) 1, 100

leases 1,100

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 96

National Coal Resource Data System 28

resource assessment 74

supervision of operations 100

Western Coal Planning Assistance Project 127 

Coal folio program 1, 28, 74 

Coal Resource Occurrence/Coal Development Potential

(CRO/CDP) Program 1,100 

Coastal Mapping Handbook 4, 42 

Coastal Zone Management 126

Conservation of Lands and Minerals

authority 96

budget 99

coal policy implementation 100

geothermal-resources activities 112

Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 112

land classification responsibilities 96, 100, 112

lease regulation responsibilities 100, 112

mission 96

Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 implementation 108

natural gas pricing procedures 108

oil and gas activities 102, 110

Outer Continental Shelf lands 102-106

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendment 

implementation 106

personnel 99

resource evaluation 100, 106, 112

royalty collection 96, 102, 108

supervision of operations 100 

Cooperators, Federal, list of 149-150 

Cooperators, State, County, and local, list of 150-157 

Cooperators and contributors, other, list of 157

Digital map data

Coordinate Transformation System 40

creation of comprehensive data base 29-30

data editing system 40

management challenges 29-30

map scanning and digitizing system 40

need for cooperative programs 29-30

technology development 126 

Disaster Relief Act of 1974 5, 118 

Domsat 126

Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Program 4, 116,

126

See a/so Digital map data, Landsat, Remote sensing. 

Earth sciences, Geological Survey role 8-10 

Earth Sciences Applications (ESA) Program

applications and programs 118, 119

geologic related hazards information 118, 119

responsibilities under Disaster Relief Act of 1974 118

urban-area studies 119 

Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program 118 

Earthquakes

Alaska 118

California 73

fault creep 73

Hazard Watch 118

monitoring 73

prediction 118

seismic gaps 118 

Endangered species 84 

Energy 1-2

See a/so Coal, Gas, Geothermal resources, Mineral 

resources, Mineral resource surveys, Minerals, Oil and 

gas, Outer Continental Shelf. 

Energy Resource Surveys

Appalachian Mountains, oil and gas potential 70

coal 74

geothermal energy 72

oil and gas 66, 70 

Engineering geology 73

166 Yearbook 1979
Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) Program 110, 120 

Environmental impact statements (EIS's) 21-22 

Environmental protection

Alaska 120

coal mining operations 100

Coastal Zone Management 126

conflict resolution techniques application 124

environmental impact statements (EIS's) 21-22, 114

environmental rehabilitation, National Petroleum Reserve 

in Alaska (NPRA) 118, 132

environmental studies 118

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) 118

National Wilderness Preservation System 3

Oilspill Trajectory Analysis (OSTA) model 120

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 106

Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Information 

Program 124

public policy changes 25-27

radioactive waste disposal 88

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 1, 83

urban water conservation project 86, 124

water quality 84-86

Western Coal Planning Assistance Project 126

Wilderness Act of 1964 2, 59 

Environmental studies, Alaska 120 

EROS. See Earth Resources Observation System. 

EROS Data Center 126 

EROS Digital Image Processing System (EDIPS) 126

Federal and Indian lands

coal 100

Federal regulations 96

geothermal resources 72, 112

mineral leasing 96, 100, 110, 112

oil and gas 110

Federal Coal Management Program 100 

Federal cooperators, list of 149-150

Field offices, U.S. Geological Survey, selected, list of 144-148 

Floods 94 

Flood-prone areas, mapping 5

Gas

Federal and Indian lands 2, 96, 108

Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 2, 108

pricing procedures 108

South Barrow gas field, Alaska 132

Geographic Information Retrieval and Analysis System 123 

Geography Program 4, 114, 122, 123 

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping

astrogeology 62

budget 58

Energy Resource Surveys 70, 72, 74

Land Resource Surveys 68, 73

mission 56

offshore geologic surveys 64, 66

personnel 58

resource evaluations, basin appraisals 16 

Geologic hazards

Disaster Relief Act of 1974 5, 118

Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program 5, 118

Earth Sciences Applications (ESA) Program 114, 118, 119

earthquakes 73, 118

flood-prone area maps 5

floods 94

Geological Survey responsibilities 5

identification 100

landslides 126

Outer Continental Shelf areas 1

prediction 28 

Geological Survey

applied science role 8-10

budget 34

Geological Survey Continued

cartographic revolution 25-27

challenges 13

cooperative and multidisciplinary studies 11-12, 27, 29, 

76-78, 80, 82, 83, 84-85, 86, 87

foundation 8

management initiatives 5-6

mapping role 24-31

mission 32

organization 32

personnel 36

research role 10-11

responsibilities 8-12 

Geophysical studies, National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

(NPRA) 130 

Geothermal resources

assessment 72

electrical power generation 112

Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 112

Known Geothermal Resource Areas (KGRA's) 112

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 96

The Geysers 112

Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 112 

Gold 8-10 

Gulf of Mexico, oilspill 16

Headquarters offices, U.S. Geological Survey 142-143

Intermediate-scale, small-scale, and special mapping 46 

International cooperation 5

Jupiter 62

Known Geothermal Resource Areas (KGRA's) 112 

Known Recoverable Coal Resource Areas (KRCRA's) 100

Land Information and Analysis Office

accomplishments, selected 114

budget 115

Earth Resources Observation Systems (EROS) Program 116, 

126

Earth Sciences Applications (ESA) Program 114, 118, 119

Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA) Program 120

EROS Data Center 126

EROS Digital Image Processing System (EDIPS) 126

Geography Program 114, 122, 123

mission 114

objectives 114

personnel 115

Resources and Land Investigations (RALI) Program 114,

124-125 

Land Resource Surveys

continental climate history 68

earthquake monitoring 73 

Land use and land cover maps

applications 4, 122, 123

national land use and land cover classification system 123

Three Mile Island powerplant site 122 

Landsat

Domsat, data transfer tool 126

Earth Resources Observation Satellite Data Center (EDC) 4, 

126

EROS Digital Image Processing System (EDIPS) 126

Landsat stereopair 54

return beam vidicon (RBV) images 50

satellites 

Landsat satellites

applications 116

arid regions terrain, monitoring 126

mineral-resource appraisal 60

oilspills, monitoring 116

regional structural information 60

rock type information 60 

Landslides 119

Index 167
] Leases

Area Selection Program 19

coal 2, 100

Federal and Indian lands 2, 96, 108

Federal regulations 96

Geological Survey role 16, 19-22

geothermal resources 2

leasing process 19-22

Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 100

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands 1, 19-22, 102, 106 

See also Conservation of Lands and Minerals, Geologic

and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping. 

Lunar and planetary mapping 62

See a/so Astrogeology, Mapping, Jupiter. 

Management initiatives of the Geological Survey

administrative and technical support 6

data base administration 6

Equal Opportunity Office 6 

Mapping

Alaska 4

Coal Resource Occurrence/Coal Development Potential 

(CRO/CDP) Mapping Program 4, 100

cooperative programs 11-12, 27, 29

digital map data 4, 27-30, 40

flood-prone areas 5

historical background 24-25

intermediate-scale, small-scale, and special mapping 46

land use and land cover maps 4, 122, 123

National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC) 45

National Mapping Program 24-25, 30

new methods 25-27, 40, 50

orthophotoquads 4, 42

recreation maps 4, 49

revolution in mapping 25-31

special publications 4, 42 

See a/so Astrogeology, Landsat satellites, Remote

sensing, Topographic mapping. 

Maps for America 4, 42 

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 96 

Mineral resource appraisal

Alaska Mineral Resource Appraisal Program 3

Conterminous United States Mineral Appraisal Program 

(CUSMAP) 3

Geological Survey responsibilities 16

oil and gas, offshore 1, 15

remote sensing techniques 126-127 

See a/so Conservation of Lands and Minerals, Geologic

and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping. 

Mineral Resource Surveys

Geological Survey/Kentucky cooperative mapping 

program 12

Geological Survey role 8-10

oil and gas, onshore 2

remote sensing applications 60

Wilderness Mineral Surveys 59 

Mineral resources

conservation 25-26

Federal lands classification 96

Federal regulations governing 96, 106, 108

leasing process 96-112

offshore oil and gas resources, appraisal 14-15, 22

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act 2 

Minerals

coal 100

geothermal resources 112

historic crises 8

leasing and regulations 96-112

Outer Continental Shelf lands 102, 106

resources assessment 60, 102, 110

resources recovery techniques 110

shortages 3 

Mining geology 10 

Missions of the Geological Survey 32

National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC) 45 

National Mapping Program 24-25, 29 

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA)

budget 129

environmental rehabilitation 120, 132

environmental study 120, 132

exploration drilling, status 130-31, 133

geophysical studies 130

mission 128

personnel 129

South Barrow gas field activities 132 

National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX) 93 

National Water Data Storage and Retrieval System

(WATSTORE) 93 

Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 2 

Natural resources management

conflict resolution techniques 124

Landsat images, monitoring use 124

Western Coal Planning Assistance Project 125 

New England, urban water conservation project 124 

Nuclear energy 2 

Nuclear waste, disposal 2, 88-89

Office of Water Data Coordination (OWDC) 88 

Offshore geologic surveys

Atlantic reef exploration 66

Outer Continental Shelf, environmental problems 64 

Oil and gas, offshore

assessment process 1, 19-22

Atlantic reef exploration 64

leases 1, 100, 112

Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 108

offshore resources, appraisal 15-16, 22

oilspill tracking 1, 116

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 

1, 106

Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Information 

Program 124

supervision of operations 102, 106 

Oil and gas, onshore

Alaska 1, 132

Appalachian Mountains, potential 70

environmental rehabilitation, National-Petroleum Reserve in 

Alaska (NPRA) 132

exploration drilling in Alaska 128, 130-131, 132

Federal and Indian lands 1, 106

leasing process 1, 96, 110

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 96

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) 1, 132

Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 1, 108

resource assessment 1

Oilspill Trajectory Analysis (OSTA) model 1, 29, 120 

Oilspills

Gulf of Mexico 116

monitoring 1, 28, 116

Oilspill Trajectory Analysis (OSTA) model 1, 29, 120 

Organization of the Geological Survey 32 

Orthophotoquads 4, 42 

Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lands

environmental problems 64

Federal regulations 96, 106

geologic hazards analyses 1

oil and gas leases 1, 16, 19-22, 96, 102, 108

oil and gas resources, appraisal 1, 14-16, 30

oilspill monitoring 1, 28, 116

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 

1, 106

Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Information 

Program 124

supervision of oil and gas operations 102, 106 

Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 1, 106 

Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Information Program 124

168 I Yearbook 1979
Personnel

Conservation of Lands and Minerals 99

Geologic and Mineral Resource Surveys and Mapping 58

Geological Survey 36

Land Information and Analysis Office 115

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) 129

Topographic Surveys and Mapping 39

Water Resources Investigations 79 

Potomac River and Estuary 84

Quadrangle mapping and revision 

Alaska activities 42 

aerial photography 42 

field surveys 42 

metrication 42 

new publications 42 

production and revision 42

Radioactive waste disposal 88-89

RALI. See Resource and Land Investigations Program.

Recreation maps 4, 49

Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) Program 92

Remote sensing

aerial photography 42

Aerial Profiling of Terrain (APT) 50

Domsat 126

Landsat stereopair 54

mapping from high-resolution high-altitude photographs 52

mineral-resource appraisal 60

orthophotoquads 42

planimetric compilation from orthophotographs 52

regional structural information 60

returr beam vidicon (RBV) images 54

rock type information 60 

See a/so Astrogeology, Jupiter, Land Information and

Analysis Office, Landsat satellites. 

Research and development

Aerial Profiling of Terrain (APT) 50

arbitrary photocoordinate pass points 52

Geological Survey role 8

inertial surveying, SPAN MARK 50

mapping from high-resolution high-altitude photographs 52

Mapsat 54

photogrammetry 52

planimetric compilation 52

return beam vidicon (RBV) images 54

satellite image maps 54

space applications 54

stereomodel digitization 52

surveys 50

Topographic Surveys and Mapping 50-54

Water Resources Investigations 90-91

See also Digital map data.

Resource and Land Investigations (RALI) Program 126-127 

River-Quality Assessment Program

Apalachicola Study 85

Potomac Estuary Study 84

Potomac River Quality Assessment 84

Schuylkill River Quality Assessment 85

Truckee and Carson Rivers Study 84-85

Satellite image maps 54

See a/so Astrogeology, Landsat satellites, Mapping,

Remote sensing, Topographic Surveys and Mapping. 

Schuylkill River 85 

Seismic gaps

Alaska 118

earthquake prediction 118 

Separation Acts of 1909 and 1910 96 

State, County, and local cooperators, list of 150-157 

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 1, 83

Three Mile Island powerplant site, land use map 122 

Topographic mapping

digital cartographic mapping 38

intermediate-scale maps 46

land use and land cover maps 4

National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC) 45

orthophotoquads 4, 42

production 42 '

quadrangle maps 42

recreation maps 4, 49

small-scale maps 46

special maps 46 

Topographic Surveys and Mapping

budget 39

digital mapping 40

Geography Program 4

intermediate-scale, small-scale, and special mapping 46

mission 38

National Cartographic Information Center (NCIC) 45

organization 38

personnel 39

quadrangle mapping and revision 42

recreation maps 49

research and development 50 

Truckee and Carson Rivers 84-85

U.S. Geological Survey. See Geological Survey. 

Urban-area studies

flatland deposits, hazard and resource potential 119

quantitative land capability analysis 119

San Francisco Bay Regional Environment and Resources 

Planning Study 119

slope stability maps 119

Waste, nuclear. See Nuclear waste. 

Wastewater treatment 84-85 

Water conservation, urban projects 124 

Water policy reform

Instream Flows Task Force 82

Ground-Water Supply Task Force 82

Water quality. See River Quality Assessment Program, Wastewater treatment, Water Resources Investigations, and 

specific river names. 

Water Resources Investigations 4

budget 79

Coal Hydrology Program 83

Federal program 76-78, 83, 86, 88-89

Federal-State Cooperative Program 4, 76-78, 84-85

floods 94

ground-water studies 92

mission 76

National Water Data Exchange (NAWDEX) 93

National Water Data Storage and Retrieve! System 

(WATSTORE) 93

National Water-Use Program 4, 80

nuclear waste disposal 88-89

Office of Water Data Coordination (OWDC) 93

organization 76

personnel 79

programs 4

Regional Aquifer-System Analysis Program 4

research 84, 90-91

River-Quality Assessment Program 4, 84-85

satellite data-collection systems 4, 87

urban hydrology studies 86

water policy reform 82

Western Coal Planning Assistance Project 125 

Wetlands 85

Wilderness Act of 1964 2, 59 

Wilderness area, mineral surveys 59 

Withdrawal Act of 1910 96 

Yakataga seismic gap, Alaska 118 

Year (1979) in review 1-7

Index I 169
As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the 

Department of the Interior has responsibility for most 

of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our 

land and water resources, protecting our fish and 

wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural 

values of our national parks and historical places, and 

providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor 

recreation. The Department assesses our energy and 

mineral resources and works to assure that their development rs in the best interest of all our people. 

The Department also has a major responsibility for 

American Indian reservation communities and for 

people who live in Island Territories under U.S. Administration.