P. Kyle House, PhD
Kyle is a Research Geologist at the Flagstaff Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center. Since joining the USGS in 2010, he has devoted his career to studying the geologic history of the lower Colorado, Verde, and Owyhee River (Oregon) corridors.
Professional Experience
2010-present, Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona
1998-2010, Research Geologist, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Reno, Nevada
1996-1998, Research Professor, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada
1990-1996, Geologist, Arizona Geological Survey, Tucson
Education and Certifications
Ph.D, Geosiciences, The Univ. of Arizona 1996
MS, Geosciences, The Univ. of Arizona, 1991
BS, Environmental Geology, Western Washington Univ., 1989
BA, Geography, Western Washington Univ., 1989
Science and Products
Geologic Mapping of the Lower Colorado River System
This is a comprehensive scientific investigation of the geologic history and framework of the lower Colorado River. We are using geologic mapping in combination with stratigraphic, geochronologic, and geophysical studies to develop a holistic understanding of the river’s origin, the structural history of the landscape through which it flows, and the stratigraphic and geomorphic consequences of the...
Pacific Northwest Geologic Mapping: Northern Pacific Border, Cascades and Columbia
The Pacific Northwest is an area created by active and complex geological processes. On its path to the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River slices through a chain of active volcanoes located along the western margin of the U.S. in Washington, Oregon, and northern California. These volcanoes rest above the active Cascadia subduction zone, which is the boundary where the oceanic tectonic plate dives...
Georectified mosaic of historical aerial photographs of the Colorado River in Mohave Valley, Arizona, California, and Nevada, acquired in 1938
This product is a georectified and tonally balanced mosaic of aerial photographs collected in 1938 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation along the floodplain of the Colorado River in Mohave Valley region of Arizona, California and Nevada. This dataset is a primary resource for the development of a geologic map showing the floodplain and river channel characteristics along the Colorado River in Mohave
Surficial geologic map of the Spirit Mountain SE and part of the Spirit Mountain NE 7.5' quadrangles, Nevada and Arizona
This geologic map includes a trove of stratigraphic and geomorphic information that chronicles the inception and evolution of the lower Colorado River. The map area is located near the south end of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area about 80 km (50 mi) downstream from Hoover Dam. It spans parts of northwestern Arizona and southern Nevada near the south end of Cottonwood Valley. The map include
Geologic map of the Blythe 7.5' quadrangle, La Paz County, Arizona and Riverside County, California
The geologic map of the Blythe 7.5' quadrangle spans about 60 percent of the width of the Holocene floodplain and valley floor of the lower Colorado River and the adjacent lower piedmont on the east side of the Colorado River Valley. This map depicts a composite geologic record of the river’s response to the transition from a natural flow regime to a strictly regulated one created by a series of u
Geologic map of the Castle Rock 7.5' quadrangle, Arizona and California
The Castle Rock quadrangle is in the northeast corner of Chemehuevi Valley, California and Arizona. It includes the Colorado River’s entrance to the valley at the mouth of Topock Gorge and the northern outskirts of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe community of Havasu Lake, California. The map includes large parts of the Chemehuevi Indian Reservation and the Havasu Nationa
Geologic map of the Bateman Spring Quadrangle, Lander County, Nevada
This 1:24,000-scale geologic map of the Bateman Spring 7.5-minute quadrangle in Lander County, Nevada contains descriptions of 24 geologic units and one cross section. Accompanying text includes full unit descriptions and references. This quadrangle includes lower Paleozoic siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the Roberts Mountain allochthon, Miocene intrusive dikes, alluvial deposits of the norther
Filter Total Items: 18
New 10Be-26Al isochron burial dating informs the Pliocene and Pleistocene evolution of the lower Colorado River, southwestern United States
Four new 10Be-26Al isochron burial ages ranging from 4.4 to 2 Ma on ancestral Colorado River deposits in the lower Colorado River corridor (LCRC) help constrain the river’s evolution during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. They help fill a gap between previous work that focused on older and younger deposits: Older dated deposits include the 5 Ma Bouse Formation, which records the integration of
Authors
Yeong Bae Seong, Ryan S. Crow, Kyle House, Keith A. Howard, Cho-Hee Lee, Byong Yong Yu
Fluviomorphic trajectories for dryland ephemeral stream channels following extreme flash floods
Ephemeral alluvial streams pose globally significant flood hazards to human habitation in drylands, but sparse data for these regions limit understanding of the character and impacts of extreme flooding. In this study, we document decadal changes in dryland ephemeral channel patterns at two sites in the lower Colorado River Basin (southwestern United States) that were ravaged by extraordinary flas
Authors
Eliisa Lotsari, Kyle House, Petteri Alho, Victor R. Baker
Redefining the age of the lower Colorado River, southwestern United States: Reply
Crow et al. (2021) report new geochronologic and paleomagnetic data indicating that the lower Colorado River (CR) became integrated to the proto–Gulf of California (GOC) between 4.8 and 4.62 Ma instead of at ca. 5.3 Ma, as suggested by Dorsey et al. (2007, 2018). Dorsey et al. (2021) dispute this new chronology but offer no alternative explanation for one of the key data sets requiring it, new det
Authors
Ryan S. Crow, Jonathan Schwing, Karl Karlstrom, Matt Heizler, Philip Pearthree, Kyle House, Shannon Dulin, Susane Janecke, Mark E. Stelten, Laurie Crossey
Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s authoritative source for modern geologic knowledge
This document presents the renewed vision, mission, and goals for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). The NCGMP, as authorized by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-285, 106 Stat. 166 and its reauthorizations), is tasked with expediting the production of a geologic database for the Nation based on modern geologic maps and their supporting d
Authors
John Brock, Karen Berry, James Faulds, Richard Berg, Kyle House, Michael Marketti, Darcy McPhee, Kevin M. Schmidt, James Schmitt, David R. Soller, David Spears, Ren A. Thompson, Harvey Thorleifson, Gregory J. Walsh
The Bouse Formation: A controversial Neogene archive of the evolving Colorado River: A scientific drilling workshop report (Feb. 28-March 3, 2019-Bluewater Resort, Parker, Arizona, USA
Neogene deposits of the lower Colorado River valley, especially the Miocene(?) and early Pliocene Bouse Formation, have been the focus of intense debate regarding the early paleoenvironmental history of this important continental-scale river system in southwestern North America and its integration with the proto-Gulf of California. Fine-grained units within these Neogene deposits also hold a promi
Authors
Andrew S. Cohen, Colleen Cassidy, Ryan S. Crow, Jordon Bright, Laura Crossey, Rebecca Dorsey, Brian F. Gootee, Kyle House, Keith A. Howard, Karl Karlstrom, Philip Pearthree
Insights into post-Miocene uplift of the western margin of the Colorado Plateau from the stratigraphic record of the lower Colorado River
The spatial and temporal distribution of Pliocene to Holocene Colorado River deposits (southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico) form a primary data set that records the evolution of a continental-scale river system and helps to delineate and quantify the magnitude of regional deformation. We focus in particular on the age and distribution of ancestral Colorado River deposits from field observatio
Authors
Ryan S. Crow, Keith A. Howard, L. Sue Beard, Phil Pearthree, Kyle House, Karl Karlstrom, Lisa Peters, William C. McIntosh, Colleen Cassidy, Tracey J. Felger, Debra Block
A river is born: Highlights of the geologic evolution of the Colorado River extensional corridor and its river: A field guide honoring the life and legacy of Warren Hamilton
The Colorado River extensional corridor, which stretched by a factor of 2 in the Miocene, left a series of lowland basins and intervening bedrock ranges that, at the dawn of the Pliocene, were flooded by Colorado River water newly diverted from the Colorado Plateau through Grand Canyon. This water and subsequent sediment gave birth, through a series of overflowing lakes, to an integrated Colorado
Authors
Keith A. Howard, Kyle House, Barbara E John, Ryan S. Crow, Philip A Pearthree
The Colorado River and its deposits downstream from Grand Canyon in Arizona, California, and Nevada
Understanding the evolution of the Colorado River system has direct implications for (1) the processes and timing of continental-scale river system integration, (2) the formation of iconic landscapes like those in and around Grand Canyon, and (3) the availability of groundwater resources. Spatial patterns in the position and type of Colorado River deposits, only discernible through geologic mappin
Authors
Ryan S. Crow, Debra L. Block, Tracey J. Felger, Kyle House, Philip A. Pearthree, Brian F. Gootee, Ann M. Youberg, Keith A. Howard, L. Sue Beard
The long-term legacy of geomorphic and riparian vegetation feedbacks on the dammed Bill Williams River, Arizona, USA
On alluvial rivers, fluvial landforms and riparian vegetation communities codevelop as a result of feedbacks between plants and abiotic processes. The influence of vegetation on river channel and floodplain geomorphology can be particularly strong on dammed rivers with altered hydrology and reduced flood disturbance. We used a 56-year series of aerial photos on the dammed Bill Williams River (Ariz
Authors
Li Kui, John C. Stella, Patrick B. Shafroth, Kyle House, Andrew C. Wilcox
Reevaluation of the Crooked Ridge River- Early Pleistocene (ca. 2 Ma) age and origin of the White Mesa Alluvium, northeastern Arizona
Essential features of the previously named and described Miocene Crooked Ridge River in northeastern Arizona (USA) are reexamined using new geologic and geochronologic data. Previously it was proposed that Cenozoic alluvium at Crooked Ridge and southern White Mesa was pre–early Miocene, the product of a large, vigorous late Paleogene river draining the 35–23 Ma San Juan Mountains volcanic field of
Authors
Richard Hereford, Sue Beard, William R. Dickinson, Karl E. Karlstrom, Matthew T. Heizler, Laura J. Crossey, Lee Amoroso, Kyle House, Mark Pecha
Plugs or flood-makers? the unstable landslide dams of eastern Oregon
Landslides into valley bottoms can affect longitudinal profiles of rivers, thereby influencing landscape evolution through base-level changes. Large landslides can hinder river incision by temporarily damming rivers, but catastrophic failure of landslide dams may generate large floods that could promote incision. Dam stability therefore strongly modulates the effects of landslide dams and might be
Authors
Elizabeth B. Safran, Jim E. O'Connor, Lisa L. Ely, Kyle House, Gordon E. Grant, Kelsey Harrity, Kelsey Croall, Emily Jones
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
River-evolution and tectonic implications of a major Pliocene aggradation on the lower Colorado River: The Bullhead Alluvium
The ∼200-m-thick riverlaid Bullhead Alluvium along the lower Colorado River downstream of Grand Canyon records massive early Pliocene sediment aggradation following the integration of the upper and lower Colorado River basins. The distribution and extent of the aggraded sediments record (1) evolving longitudinal profiles of the river valley with implications for changing positions of the river’s m
Authors
Keith A. Howard, Kyle House, Rebecca J. Dorsey, Phillip A. Pearthree
Science and Products
Geologic Mapping of the Lower Colorado River System
This is a comprehensive scientific investigation of the geologic history and framework of the lower Colorado River. We are using geologic mapping in combination with stratigraphic, geochronologic, and geophysical studies to develop a holistic understanding of the river’s origin, the structural history of the landscape through which it flows, and the stratigraphic and geomorphic consequences of the...
Pacific Northwest Geologic Mapping: Northern Pacific Border, Cascades and Columbia
The Pacific Northwest is an area created by active and complex geological processes. On its path to the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River slices through a chain of active volcanoes located along the western margin of the U.S. in Washington, Oregon, and northern California. These volcanoes rest above the active Cascadia subduction zone, which is the boundary where the oceanic tectonic plate dives...
Georectified mosaic of historical aerial photographs of the Colorado River in Mohave Valley, Arizona, California, and Nevada, acquired in 1938
This product is a georectified and tonally balanced mosaic of aerial photographs collected in 1938 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation along the floodplain of the Colorado River in Mohave Valley region of Arizona, California and Nevada. This dataset is a primary resource for the development of a geologic map showing the floodplain and river channel characteristics along the Colorado River in Mohave
Surficial geologic map of the Spirit Mountain SE and part of the Spirit Mountain NE 7.5' quadrangles, Nevada and Arizona
This geologic map includes a trove of stratigraphic and geomorphic information that chronicles the inception and evolution of the lower Colorado River. The map area is located near the south end of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area about 80 km (50 mi) downstream from Hoover Dam. It spans parts of northwestern Arizona and southern Nevada near the south end of Cottonwood Valley. The map include
Geologic map of the Blythe 7.5' quadrangle, La Paz County, Arizona and Riverside County, California
The geologic map of the Blythe 7.5' quadrangle spans about 60 percent of the width of the Holocene floodplain and valley floor of the lower Colorado River and the adjacent lower piedmont on the east side of the Colorado River Valley. This map depicts a composite geologic record of the river’s response to the transition from a natural flow regime to a strictly regulated one created by a series of u
Geologic map of the Castle Rock 7.5' quadrangle, Arizona and California
The Castle Rock quadrangle is in the northeast corner of Chemehuevi Valley, California and Arizona. It includes the Colorado River’s entrance to the valley at the mouth of Topock Gorge and the northern outskirts of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and the Chemehuevi Indian Tribe community of Havasu Lake, California. The map includes large parts of the Chemehuevi Indian Reservation and the Havasu Nationa
Geologic map of the Bateman Spring Quadrangle, Lander County, Nevada
This 1:24,000-scale geologic map of the Bateman Spring 7.5-minute quadrangle in Lander County, Nevada contains descriptions of 24 geologic units and one cross section. Accompanying text includes full unit descriptions and references. This quadrangle includes lower Paleozoic siliciclastic sedimentary rocks of the Roberts Mountain allochthon, Miocene intrusive dikes, alluvial deposits of the norther
Filter Total Items: 18
New 10Be-26Al isochron burial dating informs the Pliocene and Pleistocene evolution of the lower Colorado River, southwestern United States
Four new 10Be-26Al isochron burial ages ranging from 4.4 to 2 Ma on ancestral Colorado River deposits in the lower Colorado River corridor (LCRC) help constrain the river’s evolution during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. They help fill a gap between previous work that focused on older and younger deposits: Older dated deposits include the 5 Ma Bouse Formation, which records the integration of
Authors
Yeong Bae Seong, Ryan S. Crow, Kyle House, Keith A. Howard, Cho-Hee Lee, Byong Yong Yu
Fluviomorphic trajectories for dryland ephemeral stream channels following extreme flash floods
Ephemeral alluvial streams pose globally significant flood hazards to human habitation in drylands, but sparse data for these regions limit understanding of the character and impacts of extreme flooding. In this study, we document decadal changes in dryland ephemeral channel patterns at two sites in the lower Colorado River Basin (southwestern United States) that were ravaged by extraordinary flas
Authors
Eliisa Lotsari, Kyle House, Petteri Alho, Victor R. Baker
Redefining the age of the lower Colorado River, southwestern United States: Reply
Crow et al. (2021) report new geochronologic and paleomagnetic data indicating that the lower Colorado River (CR) became integrated to the proto–Gulf of California (GOC) between 4.8 and 4.62 Ma instead of at ca. 5.3 Ma, as suggested by Dorsey et al. (2007, 2018). Dorsey et al. (2021) dispute this new chronology but offer no alternative explanation for one of the key data sets requiring it, new det
Authors
Ryan S. Crow, Jonathan Schwing, Karl Karlstrom, Matt Heizler, Philip Pearthree, Kyle House, Shannon Dulin, Susane Janecke, Mark E. Stelten, Laurie Crossey
Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s authoritative source for modern geologic knowledge
This document presents the renewed vision, mission, and goals for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). The NCGMP, as authorized by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-285, 106 Stat. 166 and its reauthorizations), is tasked with expediting the production of a geologic database for the Nation based on modern geologic maps and their supporting d
Authors
John Brock, Karen Berry, James Faulds, Richard Berg, Kyle House, Michael Marketti, Darcy McPhee, Kevin M. Schmidt, James Schmitt, David R. Soller, David Spears, Ren A. Thompson, Harvey Thorleifson, Gregory J. Walsh
The Bouse Formation: A controversial Neogene archive of the evolving Colorado River: A scientific drilling workshop report (Feb. 28-March 3, 2019-Bluewater Resort, Parker, Arizona, USA
Neogene deposits of the lower Colorado River valley, especially the Miocene(?) and early Pliocene Bouse Formation, have been the focus of intense debate regarding the early paleoenvironmental history of this important continental-scale river system in southwestern North America and its integration with the proto-Gulf of California. Fine-grained units within these Neogene deposits also hold a promi
Authors
Andrew S. Cohen, Colleen Cassidy, Ryan S. Crow, Jordon Bright, Laura Crossey, Rebecca Dorsey, Brian F. Gootee, Kyle House, Keith A. Howard, Karl Karlstrom, Philip Pearthree
Insights into post-Miocene uplift of the western margin of the Colorado Plateau from the stratigraphic record of the lower Colorado River
The spatial and temporal distribution of Pliocene to Holocene Colorado River deposits (southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico) form a primary data set that records the evolution of a continental-scale river system and helps to delineate and quantify the magnitude of regional deformation. We focus in particular on the age and distribution of ancestral Colorado River deposits from field observatio
Authors
Ryan S. Crow, Keith A. Howard, L. Sue Beard, Phil Pearthree, Kyle House, Karl Karlstrom, Lisa Peters, William C. McIntosh, Colleen Cassidy, Tracey J. Felger, Debra Block
A river is born: Highlights of the geologic evolution of the Colorado River extensional corridor and its river: A field guide honoring the life and legacy of Warren Hamilton
The Colorado River extensional corridor, which stretched by a factor of 2 in the Miocene, left a series of lowland basins and intervening bedrock ranges that, at the dawn of the Pliocene, were flooded by Colorado River water newly diverted from the Colorado Plateau through Grand Canyon. This water and subsequent sediment gave birth, through a series of overflowing lakes, to an integrated Colorado
Authors
Keith A. Howard, Kyle House, Barbara E John, Ryan S. Crow, Philip A Pearthree
The Colorado River and its deposits downstream from Grand Canyon in Arizona, California, and Nevada
Understanding the evolution of the Colorado River system has direct implications for (1) the processes and timing of continental-scale river system integration, (2) the formation of iconic landscapes like those in and around Grand Canyon, and (3) the availability of groundwater resources. Spatial patterns in the position and type of Colorado River deposits, only discernible through geologic mappin
Authors
Ryan S. Crow, Debra L. Block, Tracey J. Felger, Kyle House, Philip A. Pearthree, Brian F. Gootee, Ann M. Youberg, Keith A. Howard, L. Sue Beard
The long-term legacy of geomorphic and riparian vegetation feedbacks on the dammed Bill Williams River, Arizona, USA
On alluvial rivers, fluvial landforms and riparian vegetation communities codevelop as a result of feedbacks between plants and abiotic processes. The influence of vegetation on river channel and floodplain geomorphology can be particularly strong on dammed rivers with altered hydrology and reduced flood disturbance. We used a 56-year series of aerial photos on the dammed Bill Williams River (Ariz
Authors
Li Kui, John C. Stella, Patrick B. Shafroth, Kyle House, Andrew C. Wilcox
Reevaluation of the Crooked Ridge River- Early Pleistocene (ca. 2 Ma) age and origin of the White Mesa Alluvium, northeastern Arizona
Essential features of the previously named and described Miocene Crooked Ridge River in northeastern Arizona (USA) are reexamined using new geologic and geochronologic data. Previously it was proposed that Cenozoic alluvium at Crooked Ridge and southern White Mesa was pre–early Miocene, the product of a large, vigorous late Paleogene river draining the 35–23 Ma San Juan Mountains volcanic field of
Authors
Richard Hereford, Sue Beard, William R. Dickinson, Karl E. Karlstrom, Matthew T. Heizler, Laura J. Crossey, Lee Amoroso, Kyle House, Mark Pecha
Plugs or flood-makers? the unstable landslide dams of eastern Oregon
Landslides into valley bottoms can affect longitudinal profiles of rivers, thereby influencing landscape evolution through base-level changes. Large landslides can hinder river incision by temporarily damming rivers, but catastrophic failure of landslide dams may generate large floods that could promote incision. Dam stability therefore strongly modulates the effects of landslide dams and might be
Authors
Elizabeth B. Safran, Jim E. O'Connor, Lisa L. Ely, Kyle House, Gordon E. Grant, Kelsey Harrity, Kelsey Croall, Emily Jones
By
Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Natural Hazards Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Landslide Hazards Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Volcano Hazards Program, Volcano Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
River-evolution and tectonic implications of a major Pliocene aggradation on the lower Colorado River: The Bullhead Alluvium
The ∼200-m-thick riverlaid Bullhead Alluvium along the lower Colorado River downstream of Grand Canyon records massive early Pliocene sediment aggradation following the integration of the upper and lower Colorado River basins. The distribution and extent of the aggraded sediments record (1) evolving longitudinal profiles of the river valley with implications for changing positions of the river’s m
Authors
Keith A. Howard, Kyle House, Rebecca J. Dorsey, Phillip A. Pearthree