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Donald Sweetkind

I am a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, stationed in Lakewood, CO. I received my Ph.D. in geology from the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO in 1994 and have worked full-time as a geologist for the USGS in Denver since then.

My work involves creation of geologic maps and digital three-dimensional geologic models for framework geologic and hydrogeologic studies. I work in the western US, primarily in CA, NV, UT, and NM. In the past decade, I have been the lead within USGS Geologic Discipline with work on several major water resource-related projects in Nevada, Utah, and California, in collaboration with colleagues in the USGS Water Mission Area. I also conduct geologic mapping studies in California with USGS staff in Menlo Park; I have worked on the evolution of volcanic fields and sedimentary basins in response to the development through time of the San Andreas and related faults. I have also used subsurface geologic mapping to address groundwater-based issues in northern and central California.

 

Current research projects

Geologic maps and 3D geologic framework models of the western US I am involved in multiple projects that are creating geologic maps and 3D geologic framework models in the western US, funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.

Groundwater availability studies in California groundwater basins. I am creating digital 3D hydrogeologic framework models that portray the geometry and lithologic variability (a proxy for inferring hydraulic properties) of hydrostratigraphic units for input into numerical ground-water flow models. (work conducted with USGS CA WSC).

National Geologic Synthesis. I am compiling data and developing methods for mapping subsurface geology at regional and National scales funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.

 

 

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