Burke Minsley
Burke Minsley is a Research Geophysicist with the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center.
Burke Minsley joined the USGS in 2008 as a Research Geophysicist with the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center in Denver, Colorado. After receiving a B.S. in Applied Physics from Purdue University in 1997, Burke began his career as a field geophysicist working on offshore seismic vessels before receiving a Ph.D. in Geophysics from MIT in 2007. His work involves the development and implementation of innovative ground-based and airborne geophysical methods used in interdisciplinary studies to improve our understanding of Earth's geosphere, hydrosphere, and cryosphere. Burke's projects are interdisciplinary and geographically diverse, including permafrost mapping in Alaska, critical zone studies in a mountain headwater system in Colorado, and a large regional water availability study in the lower Mississippi River valley. He also works on development of computational methods for uncertainty quantification in geophysical datasets and associated geologic or hydrologic interpretations. In 2012, Burke received the PECASE award for his fundamental research on advancing airborne electromagnetic survey methodology and its use in studying permafrost. He is currently serving as President of the Near-Surface Geophysics Section of AGU from 2021-2022.
Professional Experience
2008 - present: Research geophysicist, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
2007 - 2008: Postdoctoral research fellow, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
2002 - 2007: Research assistant, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
1997 - 2002: Field geophysicist with WesternGeco, offshore
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Geophysics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007
B.S. Applied Physics, Purdue University, 1997
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union: President of the Near-Surface Geophysics Section of AGU from 2021-2022
Honors and Awards
USGS Unit Award for Excellence of Service - LandCarbon team member, 2017
Presidential Early Career Award for Science and Engineering (PECASE), 2012
USGS Superior Service Award, 2012
Paper one of 'Ten Best of SAGEEP' 2010, 2011
Outstanding Student Paper Award, Near Surface section, Fall AGU, 2006
Martin Family Society Fellowship for Sustainability, MIT, 2004 - 2005
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 28
Permafrost characterization at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2018-2020
Geophysical measurements and related field data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site in Interior Alaska from 2018 to 2020 to characterize subsurface thermal and hydrologic conditions along a permafrost thaw gradient. The APEX site is managed by the Bonanza Creek LTER (Long Term Ecological Research). In April 2018, seven...
Combined results and derivative products of hydrogeologic structure and properties from airborne electromagnetic surveys in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (ver. 2.0, July 2024)
Electrical resistivity results from two regional airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys (Minsley et al. 2021 and Burton et al. 2021) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) were combined by the U.S. Geological Survey to produce three-dimensional (3D) gridded models and derivative hydrogeologic products. Grids were discretized in the horizontal dimension to align with the 1 kilometer...
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2019 - March 2020
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired November 2019 to March 2020 along 24,030 line-kilometers (line-km) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different airborne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. TEMPEST time-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic structure...
Fire impacts on permafrost in Alaska: Geophysical and other field data collected in 2015
Fire can be a significant driver of permafrost change in boreal landscapes, altering the availability of soil carbon and nutrients that have important implications for future climate and ecological succession. However, not all landscapes are equally susceptible to fire-induced change. As fire frequency is expected to increase in the high latitudes, methods to understand the vulnerability...
Alaska permafrost characterization: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2019-2020
Geophysical measurements were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at two sites in Interior Alaska in 2019 and 2020 for the purposes of imaging permafrost structure and quantifying variations in subsurface moisture content in relation to thaw features. In September 2019, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and downhole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data were used to...
Digital datasets documenting subsurface data locations, topographic metrics, fault scarp mapping, and revised fault network for Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid Seismic Zone
This release provides the data and interpretations supporting evidence of late Quaternary faulting along Crowleys Ridge in the New Madrid seismic zone. The release includes location information for seismic reflection and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data over Crowleys Ridge, a table of topographic metrics derived from analysis of the 10m National Elevation Dataset (NED) digital...
Ground-based electromagnetic survey, Alamosa, Colorado, March 2020
Shallow soil conductivity was mapped in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, using the DualEM421 electromagnetic sensor in March 2020. Data were acquired by towing the DualEM421 sensor on a wheeled cart behind an all-terrain vehicle, with the sensor at a height of 0.457 m above the ground surface. Approximately 62 line-kilometers of data were acquired over an area of nearly 1.5 square...
Geophysical and related field data from the West Fork of Dall Creek, AK 2017-2019
The West Fork of Dall Creek is located ~100km southwest of Coldfoot, AK along the Dalton Highway, south of the Brooks Range. The West Fork of Dall Creek is composed of unburned black spruce forest with a burn scar from the 2004 Dall City Fire. Multi-season, multi-method geophysical data were collected both within the burned and unburned areas. Geophysical techniques used include Nuculear...
Ground-based electromagnetic survey, Shellmound, Mississippi, October 2018
Shallow soil characteristics were mapped near Shellmound, Mississippi, using the DualEM 421 electromagnetic sensor in October 2018. Data were acquired by towing the DualEM sensor on a wheeled cart behind an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), with the sensor at a height of 0.432 meters (m) above the ground surface. Approximately 175 line-kilometers of data were acquired over an area of nearly...
Investigation of Scale-dependent Groundwater/Surface-water Exchange in Rivers by Gradient Self-Potential Logging: Numerical Model and Field Experiment Data, Quashnet River, Massachusetts, October 2017 (ver. 2.0, November 2020)
This data release contains waterborne self-potential (SP) logging data measured during 48 laboratory experiments and three field experiments that were performed to develop an efficient, accurate method for detecting (in the laboratory) and geolocating (in the field) focused vertical groundwater discharge (surface-water gains) and recharge (surface-water losses) in a river. The...
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2018 - February 2019
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired November 2018 to February 2019 along 16,816 line-kilometers (line-km) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different helicopter-borne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. Resolve frequency-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface...
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey, Shellmound, Mississippi, March 2018 (ver. 2.0, March 2024)
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired in late February to early March 2018 along 2,364 line-kilometers in the Shellmound, Mississippi study area. Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different helicopter-borne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. RESOLVE frequency-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic...
Filter Total Items: 71
The biophysical role of water and ice within permafrost nearing collapse: Insights from novel geophysical observations
The impact of permafrost thaw on hydrologic, thermal, and biotic processes remains uncertain, in part due to limitations in subsurface measurement capabilities. To better understand subsurface processes in thermokarst environments, we collocated geophysical and biogeochemical instruments along a thaw gradient between forested permafrost and collapse-scar bogs at the Alaska Peatland...
Authors
Stephanie R. James, Burke J. Minsley, Jack W. McFarland, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Mark P. Waldrop
Decadal-scale hotspot methane ebullition within lakes following abrupt permafrost thaw
Thermokarst lakes accelerate deep permafrost thaw and the mobilization of previously frozen soil organic carbon. This leads to microbial decomposition and large releases of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) that enhance climate warming. However, the time scale of permafrost-carbon emissions following thaw is not well known but is important for understanding how abrupt permafrost...
Authors
K.M. Walter Anthony, P. Lindgren, Philip J Hanke, Melanie Engram, P. Anthony, R. Daanen, Allen C. Bondurant, Anna K. Liljedahl, J. Lenz, G. Grosse, B.M. Jones, L. S. Brosius, Stephanie R. James, Burke J. Minsley, Neal Pastick, J. Munk, Jeffrey P. Chanton, C.E. Miller, F.J. Meyer
USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with university, Federal, Tribal, and independent partners, conducts fundamental research on the distribution, vulnerability, and importance of permafrost in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Scientists, land managers, and policy makers use USGS data to help make decisions for development, wildlife habitat, and other needs. Native villages...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Lesleigh Anderson, Mark M. Dornblaser, Li Erikson, Ann Gibbs, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Stephanie R. James, Miriam C. Jones, Joshua C. Koch, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Kristen L. Manies, Burke J. Minsley, Neal J. Pastick, Vijay P. Patil, Frank Urban, Michelle Ann Walvoord, Kimberly Wickland, Christian E. Zimmerman
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Land Change Science Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science Center
Model structural uncertainty quantification and hydrogeophysical data integration using airborne electromagnetic data
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) dataare usedto estimate large-scale model structural geometry, i.e. the spatial distribution of different lithological units based on assumed or estimated resistivity-lithology relationships, and the uncertainty in those structures given imperfect measurements. Geophysically derived estimates of model structural uncertainty are then combined with hydrologic...
Authors
Burke J. Minsley, Nikolaj K Christensen, Steen Christensen, Yusen Ley-Cooper
Quantifying model structural uncertainty using airborne electromagnetic data
The ability to quantify structural uncertainty in geological models that incorporate geophysical data is affected by two primary sources of uncertainty: geophysical parameter uncertainty and uncertainty in the relationship between geophysical parameters and geological properties of interest. Here, we introduce an open-source, trans-dimensional Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC)...
Authors
Burke J. Minsley, Nathan Leon Foks, Paul A. Bedrosian
Wildfire-initiated talik development exceeds current thaw projections: Observations and models from Alaska's continuous permafrost zone
As the Arctic warms and wildfire occurrence increases, talik formation in permafrost regions is projected to expand and affect the cycling of water and carbon. Yet, few unified field and modeling studies have examined this process in detail, particularly in areas of continuous permafrost. We address this gap by presenting multimethod, multiseasonal geophysical measurements of permafrost...
Authors
David Matthew Rey, Michelle Ann Walvoord, Burke J. Minsley, Brian Ebel, Clifford I. Voss, Kamini Singha
Characterizing the diverse hydrogeology underlying rivers and estuaries using new floating transient electromagnetic methodology
The hydrogeology below large surface water features such as rivers and estuaries is universally under-informed at the long reach to basin scales (tens of km+). This challenge inhibits the accurate modeling of fresh/saline groundwater interfaces and groundwater/surface water exchange patterns at management-relevant spatial extents. Here we introduce a towed, floating transient...
Authors
John W. Lane, Martin Briggs, Pradip Kumar Maurya, Eric M. White, JB Pedersen, Esben Auken, Neil C. Terry, Burke J. Minsley, Wade H. Kress, Denis R. LeBlanc, Ryan F. Adams, Carole D. Johnson
Probabilistic categorical groundwater salinity mapping from airborne electromagnetic data adjacent to California’s Lost Hills and Belridge oil fields
Growing water stress has led to emerging interest in protecting fresh and brackish groundwater as a potential supplement to water supplies and raised questions about factors that could affect the future quality of fresh and brackish aquifers. Limited well infrastructure, particularly in regions where elevated salinity has led to limited historical groundwater development, hinders...
Authors
Lyndsay B. Ball, Tracy Davis, Burke J. Minsley, Janice M. Gillespie, Matthew K. Landon
Evidence for late Quaternary deformation along Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid seismic zone
The New Madrid seismic zone has been the source of multiple major (M ~7.0–7.5) earthquakes in the past 2 ka, yet the surface expression of recent deformation remains ambiguous. Crowleys Ridge, a linear ridge trending north‐south for 300+ km through the Mississippi Embayment, has been interpreted as either a fault‐bounded uplift or a nontectonic erosional remnant. New and previously...
Authors
Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Ryan D. Gold, Richard W. Briggs, Robert Williams, William J. Stephenson, Jaime E. Delano, Anjana K. Shah, Burke J. Minsley
High-resolution mapping of the freshwater-brine interface using deterministic and Bayesian inversion of airborne electromagnetic data at Paradox Valley, USA
Salt loads in the Colorado River Basin are a primary water quality concern. Natural groundwater brine discharge to the Dolores River where it passes through the collapsed salt anticline of the Paradox Valley in western Colorado is a significant source of salt to the Colorado River. An airborne electromagnetic survey of Paradox Valley has provided insights into the 3D distribution of...
Authors
Lyndsay B. Ball, Paul A. Bedrosian, Burke J. Minsley
Inversion of airborne EM data with an explicit choice of prior model
Inversion of airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data is an under-determined inverse problem, in that infinitely many resistivity models exist that will be able to explain the observed data, within measurement errors. Therefore, additional information or constraints must be taken into account to solve the inverse problem. In deterministic approaches, the goal is to locate one optimal model...
Authors
Thomas Mejer Hansen, Burke J. Minsley
Spatiotemporal remote sensing of ecosystem change and causation across Alaska
Contemporary climate change in Alaska has resulted in amplified rates of press and pulse disturbances that drive ecosystem change with significant consequences for socio‐environmental systems. Despite the vulnerability of Arctic and boreal landscapes to change, little has been done to characterize landscape change and associated drivers across northern high‐latitude ecosystems. Here we...
Authors
Neal J. Pastick, Mark Torre Jorgenson, Scott J Goetz, Benjamin M. Jones, Bruce Wylie, Burke J. Minsley, Helene Genet, Joseph F. Knight, David M. Swanson, Janet C. Jorgenson
Non-USGS Publications**
Minsley, B., D. Coles, Y. Vichabian, and F.D. Morgan (2008), Minimization of self-potential survey mis-ties acquired with multiple reference locations, Geophysics, 73(2), F71-F81, doi:10.1190/1.2829390.
Minsley, B. (2007), Modeling and inversion of self-potential data, Ph.D. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 251 p.
Ajo-Franklin, J.B., B.J. Minsley, and T.M. Daley (2007), Applying compactness constraints to seismic traveltime tomography, Geophysics, 72(4), R67-R75, doi:10.1190/1.2742496.
Minsley, B., J. Sogade, and F.D. Morgan (2007), 3D source inversion of self-potential data, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, B02202, doi:10.1029/2006JB004262.
Minsley, B., J. Sogade, and F.D. Morgan (2007), Three dimensional self potential inversion for subsurface DNAPL contaminant detection at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, Water Resources Research, 43(4), W04429, doi:10.1029/2005WR003996.
Willis, M.E., D.R. Burns, R. Rao, B. Minsley, M.N. Toksöz, and L. Vetri (2006), Spatial orientation and distribution of reservoir fractures from scattered sesimic energy, Geophysics, 71(5), 43-51, doi:10.1190/1.2235977.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 28
Permafrost characterization at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2018-2020
Geophysical measurements and related field data were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at the Alaska Peatland Experiment (APEX) site in Interior Alaska from 2018 to 2020 to characterize subsurface thermal and hydrologic conditions along a permafrost thaw gradient. The APEX site is managed by the Bonanza Creek LTER (Long Term Ecological Research). In April 2018, seven...
Combined results and derivative products of hydrogeologic structure and properties from airborne electromagnetic surveys in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (ver. 2.0, July 2024)
Electrical resistivity results from two regional airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys (Minsley et al. 2021 and Burton et al. 2021) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP) were combined by the U.S. Geological Survey to produce three-dimensional (3D) gridded models and derivative hydrogeologic products. Grids were discretized in the horizontal dimension to align with the 1 kilometer...
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2019 - March 2020
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired November 2019 to March 2020 along 24,030 line-kilometers (line-km) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different airborne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. TEMPEST time-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic structure...
Fire impacts on permafrost in Alaska: Geophysical and other field data collected in 2015
Fire can be a significant driver of permafrost change in boreal landscapes, altering the availability of soil carbon and nutrients that have important implications for future climate and ecological succession. However, not all landscapes are equally susceptible to fire-induced change. As fire frequency is expected to increase in the high latitudes, methods to understand the vulnerability...
Alaska permafrost characterization: Geophysical and related field data collected from 2019-2020
Geophysical measurements were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) at two sites in Interior Alaska in 2019 and 2020 for the purposes of imaging permafrost structure and quantifying variations in subsurface moisture content in relation to thaw features. In September 2019, electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and downhole nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data were used to...
Digital datasets documenting subsurface data locations, topographic metrics, fault scarp mapping, and revised fault network for Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid Seismic Zone
This release provides the data and interpretations supporting evidence of late Quaternary faulting along Crowleys Ridge in the New Madrid seismic zone. The release includes location information for seismic reflection and airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data over Crowleys Ridge, a table of topographic metrics derived from analysis of the 10m National Elevation Dataset (NED) digital...
Ground-based electromagnetic survey, Alamosa, Colorado, March 2020
Shallow soil conductivity was mapped in the San Luis Valley, Colorado, using the DualEM421 electromagnetic sensor in March 2020. Data were acquired by towing the DualEM421 sensor on a wheeled cart behind an all-terrain vehicle, with the sensor at a height of 0.457 m above the ground surface. Approximately 62 line-kilometers of data were acquired over an area of nearly 1.5 square...
Geophysical and related field data from the West Fork of Dall Creek, AK 2017-2019
The West Fork of Dall Creek is located ~100km southwest of Coldfoot, AK along the Dalton Highway, south of the Brooks Range. The West Fork of Dall Creek is composed of unburned black spruce forest with a burn scar from the 2004 Dall City Fire. Multi-season, multi-method geophysical data were collected both within the burned and unburned areas. Geophysical techniques used include Nuculear...
Ground-based electromagnetic survey, Shellmound, Mississippi, October 2018
Shallow soil characteristics were mapped near Shellmound, Mississippi, using the DualEM 421 electromagnetic sensor in October 2018. Data were acquired by towing the DualEM sensor on a wheeled cart behind an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), with the sensor at a height of 0.432 meters (m) above the ground surface. Approximately 175 line-kilometers of data were acquired over an area of nearly...
Investigation of Scale-dependent Groundwater/Surface-water Exchange in Rivers by Gradient Self-Potential Logging: Numerical Model and Field Experiment Data, Quashnet River, Massachusetts, October 2017 (ver. 2.0, November 2020)
This data release contains waterborne self-potential (SP) logging data measured during 48 laboratory experiments and three field experiments that were performed to develop an efficient, accurate method for detecting (in the laboratory) and geolocating (in the field) focused vertical groundwater discharge (surface-water gains) and recharge (surface-water losses) in a river. The...
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, November 2018 - February 2019
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired November 2018 to February 2019 along 16,816 line-kilometers (line-km) over the Mississippi Alluvial Plain (MAP). Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different helicopter-borne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. Resolve frequency-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface...
Airborne electromagnetic, magnetic, and radiometric survey, Shellmound, Mississippi, March 2018 (ver. 2.0, March 2024)
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM), magnetic, and radiometric data were acquired in late February to early March 2018 along 2,364 line-kilometers in the Shellmound, Mississippi study area. Data were acquired by CGG Canada Services, Ltd. with three different helicopter-borne sensors: the CGG Canada Services, Ltd. RESOLVE frequency-domain AEM instrument that is used to map subsurface geologic...
Filter Total Items: 71
The biophysical role of water and ice within permafrost nearing collapse: Insights from novel geophysical observations
The impact of permafrost thaw on hydrologic, thermal, and biotic processes remains uncertain, in part due to limitations in subsurface measurement capabilities. To better understand subsurface processes in thermokarst environments, we collocated geophysical and biogeochemical instruments along a thaw gradient between forested permafrost and collapse-scar bogs at the Alaska Peatland...
Authors
Stephanie R. James, Burke J. Minsley, Jack W. McFarland, Eugenie S. Euskirchen, Colin W. Edgar, Mark P. Waldrop
Decadal-scale hotspot methane ebullition within lakes following abrupt permafrost thaw
Thermokarst lakes accelerate deep permafrost thaw and the mobilization of previously frozen soil organic carbon. This leads to microbial decomposition and large releases of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) that enhance climate warming. However, the time scale of permafrost-carbon emissions following thaw is not well known but is important for understanding how abrupt permafrost...
Authors
K.M. Walter Anthony, P. Lindgren, Philip J Hanke, Melanie Engram, P. Anthony, R. Daanen, Allen C. Bondurant, Anna K. Liljedahl, J. Lenz, G. Grosse, B.M. Jones, L. S. Brosius, Stephanie R. James, Burke J. Minsley, Neal Pastick, J. Munk, Jeffrey P. Chanton, C.E. Miller, F.J. Meyer
USGS permafrost research determines the risks of permafrost thaw to biologic and hydrologic resources
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with university, Federal, Tribal, and independent partners, conducts fundamental research on the distribution, vulnerability, and importance of permafrost in arctic and boreal ecosystems. Scientists, land managers, and policy makers use USGS data to help make decisions for development, wildlife habitat, and other needs. Native villages...
Authors
Mark P. Waldrop, Lesleigh Anderson, Mark M. Dornblaser, Li Erikson, Ann Gibbs, Nicole M. Herman-Mercer, Stephanie R. James, Miriam C. Jones, Joshua C. Koch, Mary-Cathrine Leewis, Kristen L. Manies, Burke J. Minsley, Neal J. Pastick, Vijay P. Patil, Frank Urban, Michelle Ann Walvoord, Kimberly Wickland, Christian E. Zimmerman
By
Natural Hazards Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Land Change Science Program, Volcano Hazards Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center , Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Volcano Science Center
Model structural uncertainty quantification and hydrogeophysical data integration using airborne electromagnetic data
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) dataare usedto estimate large-scale model structural geometry, i.e. the spatial distribution of different lithological units based on assumed or estimated resistivity-lithology relationships, and the uncertainty in those structures given imperfect measurements. Geophysically derived estimates of model structural uncertainty are then combined with hydrologic...
Authors
Burke J. Minsley, Nikolaj K Christensen, Steen Christensen, Yusen Ley-Cooper
Quantifying model structural uncertainty using airborne electromagnetic data
The ability to quantify structural uncertainty in geological models that incorporate geophysical data is affected by two primary sources of uncertainty: geophysical parameter uncertainty and uncertainty in the relationship between geophysical parameters and geological properties of interest. Here, we introduce an open-source, trans-dimensional Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (McMC)...
Authors
Burke J. Minsley, Nathan Leon Foks, Paul A. Bedrosian
Wildfire-initiated talik development exceeds current thaw projections: Observations and models from Alaska's continuous permafrost zone
As the Arctic warms and wildfire occurrence increases, talik formation in permafrost regions is projected to expand and affect the cycling of water and carbon. Yet, few unified field and modeling studies have examined this process in detail, particularly in areas of continuous permafrost. We address this gap by presenting multimethod, multiseasonal geophysical measurements of permafrost...
Authors
David Matthew Rey, Michelle Ann Walvoord, Burke J. Minsley, Brian Ebel, Clifford I. Voss, Kamini Singha
Characterizing the diverse hydrogeology underlying rivers and estuaries using new floating transient electromagnetic methodology
The hydrogeology below large surface water features such as rivers and estuaries is universally under-informed at the long reach to basin scales (tens of km+). This challenge inhibits the accurate modeling of fresh/saline groundwater interfaces and groundwater/surface water exchange patterns at management-relevant spatial extents. Here we introduce a towed, floating transient...
Authors
John W. Lane, Martin Briggs, Pradip Kumar Maurya, Eric M. White, JB Pedersen, Esben Auken, Neil C. Terry, Burke J. Minsley, Wade H. Kress, Denis R. LeBlanc, Ryan F. Adams, Carole D. Johnson
Probabilistic categorical groundwater salinity mapping from airborne electromagnetic data adjacent to California’s Lost Hills and Belridge oil fields
Growing water stress has led to emerging interest in protecting fresh and brackish groundwater as a potential supplement to water supplies and raised questions about factors that could affect the future quality of fresh and brackish aquifers. Limited well infrastructure, particularly in regions where elevated salinity has led to limited historical groundwater development, hinders...
Authors
Lyndsay B. Ball, Tracy Davis, Burke J. Minsley, Janice M. Gillespie, Matthew K. Landon
Evidence for late Quaternary deformation along Crowley's Ridge, New Madrid seismic zone
The New Madrid seismic zone has been the source of multiple major (M ~7.0–7.5) earthquakes in the past 2 ka, yet the surface expression of recent deformation remains ambiguous. Crowleys Ridge, a linear ridge trending north‐south for 300+ km through the Mississippi Embayment, has been interpreted as either a fault‐bounded uplift or a nontectonic erosional remnant. New and previously...
Authors
Jessica Ann Thompson Jobe, Ryan D. Gold, Richard W. Briggs, Robert Williams, William J. Stephenson, Jaime E. Delano, Anjana K. Shah, Burke J. Minsley
High-resolution mapping of the freshwater-brine interface using deterministic and Bayesian inversion of airborne electromagnetic data at Paradox Valley, USA
Salt loads in the Colorado River Basin are a primary water quality concern. Natural groundwater brine discharge to the Dolores River where it passes through the collapsed salt anticline of the Paradox Valley in western Colorado is a significant source of salt to the Colorado River. An airborne electromagnetic survey of Paradox Valley has provided insights into the 3D distribution of...
Authors
Lyndsay B. Ball, Paul A. Bedrosian, Burke J. Minsley
Inversion of airborne EM data with an explicit choice of prior model
Inversion of airborne electromagnetic (AEM) data is an under-determined inverse problem, in that infinitely many resistivity models exist that will be able to explain the observed data, within measurement errors. Therefore, additional information or constraints must be taken into account to solve the inverse problem. In deterministic approaches, the goal is to locate one optimal model...
Authors
Thomas Mejer Hansen, Burke J. Minsley
Spatiotemporal remote sensing of ecosystem change and causation across Alaska
Contemporary climate change in Alaska has resulted in amplified rates of press and pulse disturbances that drive ecosystem change with significant consequences for socio‐environmental systems. Despite the vulnerability of Arctic and boreal landscapes to change, little has been done to characterize landscape change and associated drivers across northern high‐latitude ecosystems. Here we...
Authors
Neal J. Pastick, Mark Torre Jorgenson, Scott J Goetz, Benjamin M. Jones, Bruce Wylie, Burke J. Minsley, Helene Genet, Joseph F. Knight, David M. Swanson, Janet C. Jorgenson
Non-USGS Publications**
Minsley, B., D. Coles, Y. Vichabian, and F.D. Morgan (2008), Minimization of self-potential survey mis-ties acquired with multiple reference locations, Geophysics, 73(2), F71-F81, doi:10.1190/1.2829390.
Minsley, B. (2007), Modeling and inversion of self-potential data, Ph.D. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 251 p.
Ajo-Franklin, J.B., B.J. Minsley, and T.M. Daley (2007), Applying compactness constraints to seismic traveltime tomography, Geophysics, 72(4), R67-R75, doi:10.1190/1.2742496.
Minsley, B., J. Sogade, and F.D. Morgan (2007), 3D source inversion of self-potential data, Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, B02202, doi:10.1029/2006JB004262.
Minsley, B., J. Sogade, and F.D. Morgan (2007), Three dimensional self potential inversion for subsurface DNAPL contaminant detection at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina, Water Resources Research, 43(4), W04429, doi:10.1029/2005WR003996.
Willis, M.E., D.R. Burns, R. Rao, B. Minsley, M.N. Toksöz, and L. Vetri (2006), Spatial orientation and distribution of reservoir fractures from scattered sesimic energy, Geophysics, 71(5), 43-51, doi:10.1190/1.2235977.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government