Samples, sample depths, paleomagnetism, and magnetic susceptibility parameters are recorded for BP-3-USGS well, San Luis Valley, Southwestern Colorado

This dataset includes tables of radiocarbon, uranium thorium series, and luminescence geochronologic ages and stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions for sedimentary and organic samples.

This dataset includes tables of radiocarbon, uranium thorium series, and luminescence geochronologic ages and stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions for sedimentary and organic samples.

Deep Springs Valley (DSV) is a hydrologically isolated valley between the White (north and west) and Inyo (south and east) Mountains that is commonly excluded from regional paleohydrologic and paleoclimate studies. Previous studies showed that uplift of Deep Springs ridge (informal name) by the Deep Springs fault defeated streams crossing DSV and hydrologically isolating the valley sometime after eruption of the Bishop Tuff. Here we present tephrochronology, clast counts, paleontology, and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) data that reaffirms interruption of the Plio-Pleistocene hydrology and formation of DSV during the Pleistocene. Fossil gastropod, ostracodes, and charophytes along with IRSL dating document the 83.3-61.5 ka freshwater Deep Springs Lake, which roughly coincides with 71-57 ka Marine Isotope State 4 (MIS 4) glacial climate period. Documentation of the MIS-4 glacial climate in southwestern North America is sparse and pluvial Deep Springs Lake is indirect evidence of the MIS 4 glaciation that is corroborated by pluvial lakes in nearby Owens and Searles Valleys. We hypothesize that the MIS-4 Deep Springs Lake overflowed into Eureka Valley via the Soldier Pass wind gap. Hydrologic evolution of DSV has potential implications for understanding Pliocene and Pleistocene biotic dispersal pathways and endemism.

These datasets provide bedrock mapping and geochemistry, low-temperature thermochronology, remotely mapped lineaments, field observations of interpreted faults, and structure from motion models in the Pit River Region of northeastern California. The bedrock mapping datasets contain bedding orientations and field rock descriptions and associated geochemistry and 40Ar/39Ar data for a limited number of samples. Low-temperature thermochronology datasets contain (U-Th)/He measurements for two samples from the Klamath terranes. Remotely mapped lineaments, field observations of lineaments, and structure from motion models document the Quaternary-active faults in the region. Simplified fault traces for interpreted Quaternary-active faults are provided for seismic hazard studies. These datasets are associated with the manuscript: Thompson Jobe, J.A., R. Briggs, R. Gold, S. DeLong, M. Hille, J. Delano, S. A. Johnstone, A. Pickering, R. Phillips, A. T. Calvert (in review). The Pondosa fault zone: a distributed dextral-normal-oblique fault system in northeastern California.

The following report summarizes the dating results from the. Within this report, we detail the methodology used to determine the storage time distribution for a 17 km length of Powder River in Montana, U.S.A. by the age distribution of eroded sediment. This data is used by the USGS Luminescence Geochronology Laboratory to obtain ages including sample preparation methods, luminescence measurement, equivalent dose determination, and dating-related calculations. We recommend that this report be included as the supplementary material for any publication(s) that use the ages within this report. This version supersedes all previous age estimates and reports.

The Upper Colorado River Basin has a drainage area of about 113,500 square miles in western Colorado, eastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Upper Colorado River Basin was a study area under of the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program (Sun and Johnston, 1994; Sun and Weeks, 1991). The objectives of the RASA program for the Upper Colorado River Basin were to provide regional assessments of major aquifer systems by providing quantitative assessments of the occurrence, movement, and availability of water stored in rock formations that underlie the basin/watershed. These assessments included: (1) the classification of stratigraphic sequences into those intervals that constitute aquifers and those that constitute confining beds; and (2) the generation of maps that portrayed the areal extent of aquifers, aquifer thickness, and overburden thickness. These studies generated a large body of subsurface geologic information as part of the regional aquifer analyses, some of which are captured in this digital data release. Aquifer systems in consolidated rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin have been grouped into three major subdivisions of sedimentary rocks; in descending order: (1) Tertiary-rock aquifers, (2) Mesozoic-rock aquifers, and (3) Paleozoic-rock aquifers (Taylor and others, 1983; 1986). Within each aquifer group, rocks are further divided into aquifers and confining units on the basis of lithology, depositional environment, and hydrologic characteristics (Glover and others, 1998; Freethy and Cordy, 1991; Geldon, 2003). In a report describing consolidated-rock aquifers of Paleozoic age, 7 hydrostratigraphic units were defined, four aquifers and three confining units (Geldon, 2003). The hydrostratigraphic units of Paleozoic age are locally exposed around the margins of uplifts and in deeply-incised canyon; they occur widely in the subsurface of the Upper Colorado River Basin study area, except in parts of the Uinta, Wind River, and Uncompahgre uplifts where they have been removed by erosion. These hydrostratigraphic units are part of the stratigraphic sequence of Paleozoic rocks that has a total thickness of more than 5,000 ft. This digital dataset contains spatial datasets corresponding to the contoured subsurface maps of Paleozoic rock units produced by the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) of the Upper Colorado River Basin (Geldon, 2003). The data define the thickness, extent, nomenclature, and facies characteristics of principal hydrostratigraphic units of Paleozoic age in the basin. The digital data describe the following hydrostratigraphic units: the Flathead aquifer, the Gros Ventre confining unit, the Bighorn aquifer, the Elbert-Parting confining unit, the Madison aquifer (consisting of two zones, the Redwall-Leadville zone, and the Darwin-Humbug zone), the Four Corners confining unit (consisting of the Belden-Molas subunit and the Paradox-Eagle Valley subunit), and the Canyonlands aquifer (consisting of three zones, the Cutler-Maroon zone, the Weber-de Chelly zone, and the Park City-State Bridge zone). Contoured thickness and lithology data for each unit are contained in line features classes within a geodatabase; unit extents, facies extents, and formation nomenclatural extents are represented as polygon feature classes. Both types of data are also saved as individual shapefiles. Nonspatial tables define the data sources used, terminology, and the stacking hierarchy and component geologic formations of each the of hydrostratigraphic units

The Upper Colorado River Basin has a drainage area of about 113,500 square miles in western Colorado, eastern Utah, southwestern Wyoming, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico. In the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Upper Colorado River Basin was a study area under of the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) program (Sun and Johnston, 1994; Sun and Weeks, 1991). The objectives of the RASA program for the Upper Colorado River Basin were to provide regional assessments of major aquifer systems by providing quantitative assessments of the occurrence, movement, and availability of water stored in rock formations that underlie the basin/watershed. These assessments included: (1) the classification of stratigraphic sequences into those intervals that constitute aquifers and those that constitute confining beds; and (2) the generation of maps that portrayed the areal extent of aquifers, aquifer thickness, and overburden thickness. These studies generated a large body of subsurface geologic information as part of the regional aquifer analyses, some of which are captured in this digital data release. Aquifer systems in consolidated rocks in the Upper Colorado River Basin have been grouped into three major subdivisions of sedimentary rocks; in descending order: (1) Tertiary-rock aquifers, (2) Mesozoic-rock aquifers, and (3) Paleozoic-rock aquifers (Taylor and others, 1983; 1986). Within each aquifer group, rocks are further divided into aquifers and confining units on the basis of lithology, depositional environment, and hydrologic characteristics (Glover and others, 1998; Freethy and Cordy, 1991; Geldon, 2003). In a report describing consolidated-rock aquifers of Paleozoic age, 7 hydrostratigraphic units were defined, four aquifers and three confining units (Geldon, 2003). The hydrostratigraphic units of Paleozoic age are locally exposed around the margins of uplifts and in deeply-incised canyon; they occur widely in the subsurface of the Upper Colorado River Basin study area, except in parts of the Uinta, Wind River, and Uncompahgre uplifts where they have been removed by erosion. These hydrostratigraphic units are part of the stratigraphic sequence of Paleozoic rocks that has a total thickness of more than 5,000 ft. This digital dataset contains spatial datasets corresponding to the contoured subsurface maps of Paleozoic rock units produced by the U.S. Geological Survey's Regional Aquifer-System Analysis (RASA) of the Upper Colorado River Basin (Geldon, 2003). The data define the thickness, extent, nomenclature, and facies characteristics of principal hydrostratigraphic units of Paleozoic age in the basin. The digital data describe the following hydrostratigraphic units: the Flathead aquifer, the Gros Ventre confining unit, the Bighorn aquifer, the Elbert-Parting confining unit, the Madison aquifer (consisting of two zones, the Redwall-Leadville zone, and the Darwin-Humbug zone), the Four Corners confining unit (consisting of the Belden-Molas subunit and the Paradox-Eagle Valley subunit), and the Canyonlands aquifer (consisting of three zones, the Cutler-Maroon zone, the Weber-de Chelly zone, and the Park City-State Bridge zone). Contoured thickness and lithology data for each unit are contained in line features classes within a geodatabase; unit extents, facies extents, and formation nomenclatural extents are represented as polygon feature classes. Both types of data are also saved as individual shapefiles. Nonspatial tables define the data sources used, terminology, and the stacking hierarchy and component geologic formations of each the of hydrostratigraphic units

In conjunction with geologic mapping of four 7.5′ quadrangles along the South Platte River corridor in northeastern Colorado (Masters, Orchard, Weldona, and Fort Morgan), geochronology samples were collected and analyzed using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), radiocarbon (14C), or U-series methods to provide age control for mapping units. This section of river corridor is largely covered by surficial deposits that formed from alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes operating in concert with environmental changes from the Pleistocene to the present. The South Platte River originates high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and recurrent glaciation of basin headwaters has affected river discharge and sediment supply far downstream, influencing aggradation and incision along this part of the river corridor. Unglaciated tributaries originating in the Colorado Piedmont east of the Front Range have periodically deposited large volumes of sediment at their confluences during major flood events. Eolian sand deposits cover much of the area and record past episodes of sand mobilization during times of prolonged drought. Sediment samples dated using OSL provide ages for alluvial and eolian sand deposits; organic samples dated using 14C methods constrain ages of alluvial deposits; and bone and river gravels with calcium carbonate rinds dated using U-series methods provide minimum ages for alluvial deposits.

In conjunction with geologic mapping of four 7.5′ quadrangles along the South Platte River corridor in northeastern Colorado (Masters, Orchard, Weldona, and Fort Morgan), geochronology samples were collected and analyzed using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), radiocarbon (14C), or U-series methods to provide age control for mapping units. This section of river corridor is largely covered by surficial deposits that formed from alluvial, eolian, and hillslope processes operating in concert with environmental changes from the Pleistocene to the present. The South Platte River originates high in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and recurrent glaciation of basin headwaters has affected river discharge and sediment supply far downstream, influencing aggradation and incision along this part of the river corridor. Unglaciated tributaries originating in the Colorado Piedmont east of the Front Range have periodically deposited large volumes of sediment at their confluences during major flood events. Eolian sand deposits cover much of the area and record past episodes of sand mobilization during times of prolonged drought. Sediment samples dated using OSL provide ages for alluvial and eolian sand deposits; organic samples dated using 14C methods constrain ages of alluvial deposits; and bone and river gravels with calcium carbonate rinds dated using U-series methods provide minimum ages for alluvial deposits.