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Rocky Mountain Region

USGS Region 7 Staff support and advise USGS Science Centers that provide numerous stakeholders with vital information about spatial distribution and temporal trends in critical minerals, energy resources, geology, water resources, native plants and wildlife, and hazards posed by earthquakes and landslides in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and beyond.

News

AquaDePTH: Merging Aquatic Disease Surveillance Data into One Useful Tool

AquaDePTH: Merging Aquatic Disease Surveillance Data into One Useful Tool

A new framework for guiding management decisions for amphibians in an uncertain future

A new framework for guiding management decisions for amphibians in an uncertain future

USGS Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) Initiative Science Co-Development Virtual Workshop, June 24-25, 2025

USGS Colorado River Basin Actionable and Strategic Integrated Science and Technology (ASIST) Initiative Science Co-Development Virtual Workshop, June 24-25, 2025

Publications

Assessment of undiscovered continuous and conventional oil and gas resources in the Woodford and Barnett Shales of the Permian Basin Province, Texas and New Mexico, 2025 Assessment of undiscovered continuous and conventional oil and gas resources in the Woodford and Barnett Shales of the Permian Basin Province, Texas and New Mexico, 2025

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean continuous and conventional resources of 1.6 billion barrels of oil and 28.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Woodford and Barnett Shales of the Permian Basin Province.
Authors
Andrea D. Cicero, Christopher J. Schenk, Jenny H. Lagesse, Benjamin G. Johnson, Tracey J. Mercier, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Sarah E. Gelman, Jane S. Hearon, Phuong A. Le

The Appalbees menu: A multiyear, multilocus metagenetic assessment of pollen foraging by Appalachian Bombus affinis workers The Appalbees menu: A multiyear, multilocus metagenetic assessment of pollen foraging by Appalachian Bombus affinis workers

Background Detailed studies of foraging behavior are needed for scientific management of the endangered rusty-patched bumblebee (Bombus affinis) in the disjunct and ecologically differentiated habitats it presently occupies. Current knowledge gaps hinder recovery planning but are challenging to redress through direct observation of rare interactions in the field.Methods We used genetic...
Authors
Robert S. Cornman, Mark J. Hepner, Clint Otto

Assessment of water and proppant quantities associated with hydrocarbon production from the Haynesville Formation within the onshore United States and State waters of the Gulf Coast Basin, 2024 Assessment of water and proppant quantities associated with hydrocarbon production from the Haynesville Formation within the onshore United States and State waters of the Gulf Coast Basin, 2024

Building on a geology-based assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable hydrocarbon resources within the Haynesville Formation, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the water and proppant necessary for development of the remaining resources associated with the Haynesville Sabine Uplift Continuous Gas Assessment Unit. Additionally, projections have been made on the volume of...
Authors
Rand Gardner, Jason A. Flaum, Seth S. Haines, Justin E. Birdwell, Scott A. Kinney, Brian A. Varela, Katherine L. French, Janet K. Pitman, Stanley T. Paxton, Tracey J. Mercier, Christopher J. Schenk, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Hannah D. Shook

Science

Connections between Forested and Urban Landscapes and Implications for Water Supply

Downstream communities rely upon forested mountains for high-quality water needed for water supply and agricultural irrigation. However, these forests are vulnerable to disturbances such as wildfire, drought, and flood, and are also affected by air pollution from adjacent urban and agricultural lands. Interactions between forested, urban, and agricultural landscapes can have substantial impacts on...
Connections between Forested and Urban Landscapes and Implications for Water Supply

Connections between Forested and Urban Landscapes and Implications for Water Supply

Downstream communities rely upon forested mountains for high-quality water needed for water supply and agricultural irrigation. However, these forests are vulnerable to disturbances such as wildfire, drought, and flood, and are also affected by air pollution from adjacent urban and agricultural lands. Interactions between forested, urban, and agricultural landscapes can have substantial impacts on...
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2025 M7.0 Hubbard Glacier Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Snow Avalanches

A M7.0 oblique-slip earthquake initiated about 10 km below the Hubbard Glacier in the St. Elias Mountains about 88 km north of Yakutat, Alaska, at approximately 11:40am AKST (1:40pm YST) on December 6, 2025. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ground Failure product estimated that landslides triggered by this earthquake would likely be significant in number and/or spatial extent. This was confirmed...
2025 M7.0 Hubbard Glacier Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Snow Avalanches

2025 M7.0 Hubbard Glacier Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Snow Avalanches

A M7.0 oblique-slip earthquake initiated about 10 km below the Hubbard Glacier in the St. Elias Mountains about 88 km north of Yakutat, Alaska, at approximately 11:40am AKST (1:40pm YST) on December 6, 2025. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Ground Failure product estimated that landslides triggered by this earthquake would likely be significant in number and/or spatial extent. This was confirmed...
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Large Magmatic Systems for Minerals

This project continues work on large magmatic systems in the U.S., where critical mineral commodities important to clean energy technologies can be concentrated. Modeling of large mafic intrusion extents will continue, and new geophysical methods will be applied to improve understanding of magmatic systems.
Large Magmatic Systems for Minerals

Large Magmatic Systems for Minerals

This project continues work on large magmatic systems in the U.S., where critical mineral commodities important to clean energy technologies can be concentrated. Modeling of large mafic intrusion extents will continue, and new geophysical methods will be applied to improve understanding of magmatic systems.
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