Aeromagnetic data were collected along flight lines by instruments in an aircraft that recorded magnetic-field values and locations. In the earlier days of surveying, the only way to represent this data was to generate an analog map with contour lines. This dataset is a representation of the digitized contour lines either by following the lines or by choosing the intersection of the contour and flight-line to create a value of the magnetic field. The values presented are latitude, longitude, and map magnetic-field values.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and compiled primarily by partners of the Appalachian Oil and Natural Gas Research Consortium (state geological surveys of Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and the University of West Virginia), The Atlas of Major Appalachian Gas Plays provides a comprehensive description of 30 major gas plays in the Appalachian Basin. A companion digital database containing geologic and engineering data on gas fields and reservoirs within each play also is available. The atlas contains hundreds of illustrations depicting stratigraphy, structure, geophysical profiles, and reservoir and production information for all major fields and pools.

The Appalachian Region, although developed heavily in the past 75 years, remains as a tremendous source of future coal reserves. However, with the thicker and more accessible coals now well developed, the coal industry is adjusting rapidly to new exploration techniques for defining new thin coal reserve potentials. Many of these techniques have been derived from the oil and gas exploration industry, while others rely on application of depositional modeling.

The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total Petroleum System. The Assessment Unit is shown here as a geographic boundary interpreted, defined, and mapped by the geologist responsible for the province and incorporates a set of known or postulated oil and (or) gas accumulations sharing similar geologic, geographic, and temporal properties within the Total Petroleum System, such as source rock, timing, migration pathways, trapping mechanism, and hydrocarbon type. The Assessment Unit boundary is defined geologically as the limits of the geologic elements that define the Assessment Unit, such as limits of reservoir rock, geologic structures, source rock, and seal lithologies. The only exceptions to this are Assessment Units that border the Federal-State water boundary. In these cases, the Federal-State water b ...

A report on the composition of groundwater in an area inside sites where Marcellus Shale is being drilled. The studies performed aimed to determine whether and how much contamination was occurring from the drilling. Includes isotope and radiation data.

From the site: "This report provides a November 2010 snapshot of groundwater quality and an analysis of the sources of water to wells at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Northern Appalachian Research Laboratory (NARL) near Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. The laboratory, which conducts fisheries research, currently (2011) withdraws 1,000 gallons per minute of high-quality groundwater from three wells completed in the glacial sand and gravel aquifer beneath the Marsh Creek valley; a fourth well that taps the same aquifer provides the potable supply for the facility. The study was conducted to document the source areas and quality of the water supply for this Department of Interior facility, which is surrounded by the ongoing development of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale."

Cell maps for each oil and gas assessment unit were created by the USGS as a method for illustrating the degree of exploration, type of production, and distribution of production in an assessment unit or province. Each cell represents a quarter-mile square of the land surface, and the cells are coded to represent whether the wells included within the cell are predominantly oil-producing, gas-producing, both oil and gas-producing, dry, or the type of production of the wells located within the cell is unknown. The well information was initially retrieved from the IHS Energy Group, PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data on CD-ROM, which is a proprietary, commercial database containing information for most oil and gas wells in the U.S. Cells were developed as a graphic solution to overcome the problem of displaying proprietary PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data. No proprietary data are displayed or included in the cell maps. The data from PI/Dwights PLUS Well Data were current as of October 2001 when the cell maps were created in 2002.

This feature layer, WVVA_Appalachian Karst Areas, displays the distribution of areas likely to contain karst features in West Virginia and Virginia.Purpose:This data is used for analysis of the environmental impacts of various projects. Karst is selected as a factor of concern due to prevalent, but uncertain (insufficiently studied), hydrologic connections between surface and groundwater systems as well as potential surface instability and subsidence.Source & Date:The source data was obtained on January 29, 2016 as a zipped ESRI shapefile from the Preliminary Map of Potentially Karstic Carbonate Rocks in the Central and Southern Appalachian States. (U.S. Geological Survey open-file report) by David J. Weary in 2008.Processing:ABRA uploaded the zipped shapefile to ArcGISOnline and published a feature layer of the data. WVVA_Appalachian Karst Areas contains the following data layer:Appalachian_Karst_2008Symbology:WVVA_Appalachian Karst Areas: teal polygonFrom original metadata:This layer, displaying the distribution of surficial karst, was derived from:Weary, D.J., 2008. PRELIMINARY MAP OF POTENTIALLY KARSTIC CARBONATE ROCKS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN STATES. U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, OF-2008-1154The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI), the National Speleological Society (NSS), and various State geological surveys is working on a new national karst map that will delineate areas of karst and karst-like features nationwide. This product attempts to identify potentially karstic areas of the Appalachian states as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), with the addition of the state of Delaware. This map is labeled preliminary because there is an expectation that it will be revised and updated as part of a new national, karst map. The ARC is a federal-state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life. Its area is based on the location of counties in the Appalachian highlands and some socio-economically similar adjacent counties.This product is intended to broadly delineate areas likely to contain karst features of any type, but primarily caves and sinkholes. Since this map displays data at a regional scale for a future depiction of karst areas at a national scale, it does not contain discrete karst features such as caves, sinkholes, and springs. Therefore, this dataset should not be used for site-specific research, but rather as an indicator that karst features may occur in, but not be limited to, certain areas.

This dataset (located by latitude and longitude) is a subset of the geochemical dataset found in Chap. F, Appendix 7, Disc 1, and used in this study of the Fire Clay coal zone. That dataset is a compilation of data from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS) USCHEM (U.S. geoCHEMical), and the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) Kentucky Coal Resources Information System (KCRIS) databases. The metadata file for the complete dataset is found in Chap. F, Appendix 8, Disc 1 (please see it for more detailed information on this geochemical dataset). This subset of the geochemical data for the Fire Clay coal zone includes ash yield, sulfur content, SO2 value, gross calorific value, arsenic content and mercury content for these records, as well as the ranking of these values, which is described later under the attributes in this metadata file. Analytical techniques are described in the references in Chap. F, Appendix 9, Disc 1. The analytical data are stored as text fields because many of the parameters contain letter qualifiers appearing after the numerical data values. The following is a list of the possible qualifier values: L - less than, G - greater than, N - not detected, or H - interference that cannot be easily resolved. Not all of these codes may be in this database.

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Groundwater Resources Program study of the Appalachian Plateaus aquifers, estimates of annual water-budget components were determined at 849 continuous-record streamflow gaging stations from Mississippi to New York. Base flow, which can serve as a proxy for annual recharge, streamflow, and runoff were estimated from computer programs—PART (Rutledge, 1993), HYSEP (Sloto and Crouse, 1996), and BFI (Wahl and Wahl, 1988)—that are included in the hydrograph analysis component provided with version 1.0 of the U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Toolbox. Only complete years (January to December) of record at each gage were used to determine annual estimates. Estimates of base-flow index, which is the percentage of streamflow from base flow, are included in the annual and average tables. Precipitation was estimated by calculating the average of cell values in the PRISM dataset intercepted by basin boundaries where previously defined in the ...

The Assessment Unit is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment Project for the assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources. The Assessment Unit is defined within the context of the higher-level Total Petroleum System. The Assessment Unit is shown here as a geographic boundary interpreted, defined, and mapped by the geologist responsible for the province and incorporates a set of known or postulated oil and (or) gas accumulations sharing similar geologic, geographic, and temporal properties within the Total Petroleum System, such as source rock, timing, migration pathways, trapping mechanism, and hydrocarbon type. The Assessment Unit boundary is defined geologically as the limits of the geologic elements that define the Assessment Unit, such as limits of reservoir rock, geologic structures, source rock, and seal lithologies. The only exceptions to this are Assessment Units that border the Federal-State water boundary. In these cases, the Federal-State water boundary forms part of the Assessment Unit boundary.

Regional geologic investigations show that all the metamorphosed crystalline rocks underlying the Greenville 1 degree x 2 degree quadrangle are allochthonous. Seismic-reflection studies, the COCORP line (Cook and others, 1979), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) seismic lines (Harris and Bayer, 1979; Harris and others, 1981) present seismic profiles across different parts of the southern Appalachians. Recent geophysical studies for the now discontinued Appalachian Ultradeep Core Hole (ADCOH) project were concentrated in the Greenville quadrangle (Hatcher and others, 1988). The ADCOH seismic-reflection profiles tie in with the COCORP profile of Cook and others (1979), providing a three-dimensional view of the Earth's crust (Coruh and others, 1987; Hatcher and others, 1987, 1988). The seismic studies clearly corroborate the allochthonous nature of the crystalline rocks as suggested by geologic mapping. They also suggest that Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in several thrust sheets continue from the Valley and Ridge beneath the crystalline rocks of the Blue Ridge and under a part of the western Inner Piedmont. Harris and Bayer (1979) suggest 179 km of westward transport for the crystalline rocks of the Blue Ridge.

"The Central and Eastern United States Seismic Source Characterization for Nuclear Facilities (CEUS-SSC) Project was conducted from April 2008 to December 2011 to provide the nuclear industry a new, regional seismic source model for use in conducting probabilistic seismic hazard analyses (PSHAs) for nuclear facilities. PSHA is used as a method for accounting for uncertainty in seismic design and in calculating seismic risk. Unlike previous seismic hazard studies, the CEUS-SSC Project was sponsored through an industry-government partnership. The study was conducted using the Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee (SSHAC) Study Level 3 assessment process. The SSHAC process ensures consideration of the knowledge and uncertainties of the larger technical community within a robust and transparent framework."

The data includes geological information and other aspects relevant to other studies such as the Appalachian Basin Project.

The USGS Central Region Energy Team assesses oil and gas resources of the United States. The onshore and State water areas of the United States comprise 71 provinces. Within these provinces, Total Petroleum Systems are defined and Assessment Units are defined and assessed. Each of these provinces is defined geologically, and most province boundaries are defined by major geologic changes.

The Appalachian Basin Province is located in the eastern United States, encompassing all or parts of the counties in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. The main population centers within the study area are Birmingham, Alabama; Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Roanoke, Virginia. The main Interstates are I-20, I-24, I-40, I-59, I-64, I-65, I-66, I-70, I-71, I-75, I-76, I-77, I-78, I-79, I-80, I-81, I-83, I-84, I-87, I-88, and I-90. The Ohio, Susquehanna, Allegheny, Tennessee, Coosa, Delaware, New, Potomac, and Scioto Rivers and their tributaries drain the area. The province boundary was drawn to include the geologic structures generally considered to be in or bounding the Appalachian Basin.

This dataset is a polygon coverage of counties limited to the extent of the Pond Creek coal zone resource areas and attributed with statistics on these coal quality parameters: ash yield (percent), sulfur (percent), SO2 (lbs per million Btu), calorific value (Btu/lb), arsenic (ppm) content and mercury (ppm) content. The file has been generalized from detailed geologic coverages found elsewhere in Professional Paper 1625-C. The attributes were generated from public data found in geochemical dataset found in Chap. G, Appendix 7, Disc 1. Please see the detailed information on the geochemical attributes. The county statistical data used for this data set are found in Tables 2-5 and 17-18, Chap. G, Disc 1. Additional county geochemical statistics for other parameters are found in Tables 6-16, Chap. G, Disc 1.

For two consecutive years, 2004 and 2005, the largest natural gas well (in terms of gas flow/day) drilled onshore USA targeted the Ordovician Trenton/Black River (T/BR) play in the Appalachian Basin of New York State (NYS). Yet, little data were available concerning the characteristics of the play, or how to recognize and track T/BR prospects across the region. Traditional exploration techniques for entry into a hot play were of limited use here, since existing deep well logs and public domain seismic were almost non-existent. To help mitigate this problem, this research project was conceived with two objectives: (1) to demonstrate that integrative traditional and innovative techniques could be used as a cost-effective reconnaissance exploration methodology in this, and other, areas where existing data in targeted fracture-play horizons are almost non-existent, and (2) determine critical characteristics of the T/BR fields. The research region between Seneca and Cayuga lakes (in the Finger Lakes of NYS) is on strike and east of the discovery fields, and the southern boundary of the field area is about 8 km north of more recently discovered T/BR fields. Phase I, completed in 2004, consisted of integrating detailed outcrop fracture analyses with detailed soil gas analyses, lineaments, stratigraphy, seismic reflection data, well log data, and aeromagnetics. In the Seneca Lake region, Landsat lineaments (EarthSat, 1997) were coincident with fracture intensification domains (FIDs) and minor faults observed in outcrop and inferred from stratigraphy. Soil gas anomalies corresponded to ENE-trending lineaments and FIDs. N- and ENE-trending lineaments were parallel to aeromagnetic anomalies, whereas E-trending lineaments crossed aeromagnetic trends. 2-D seismic reflection data confirmed that the E-trending lineaments and FIDs occur where shallow level Alleghanian salt-cored thrust-faulted anticlines occur. In contrast, the ENE-trending FIDs and lineaments occur where Iapetan rift faults have been episodically reactivated, and a few of these faults extend through the entire stratigraphic section. The ENE-trending faults and N-striking transfer zones controlled the development of the T/BR grabens. In both the Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake regions, we found more FIDs than Landsat lineaments, both in terms of individual FIDs and trends of FIDs. Our fused Landsat/ASTER image provided more lineaments, but the structural framework inferred from these lineaments is incomplete even for the fused image. Individual lineaments may not predict surface FIDs (within 500m). However, an individual lineament that has been groundtruthed by outcrop FIDs can be used as a proxy for the trend of intense fracturing. Aeromagnetics and seismic reflection data across the discovery fields west of Keuka Lake demonstrate that the fields terminate on the east against northerly-striking faults that extend from Precambrian basement to, in some cases, the surface; the fields terminate in the west at N- and NW-striking faults. Seismic and well log data show that the fields must be compartmentalized, since different parts of the same field show different histories of development. T/BR fields south of the research area also terminate (on the east) against northerly-trending lineaments which we suggest mark faults. Phase II, completed in 2006, consisted of collection and analysis of an oriented, horizontal core retrieved from one of the T/BR fields in a graben south of the field area. The field is located along ENE-trending EarthSat (1997) lineaments, similar to that hypothesized for the study area. The horizontal core shows much evidence for reactivation along the ENE-trending faults, with multiple events of vein development and both horizontal and vertical stylolite growth. Horizontal veins that post- and pre-date other vein sets indicate that at least two orogenic phases (separated by unloading) affected vein development. Many of the veins and releasing bend features (rhombochasms) are consistent with strike-slip motion (oblique) along ENE-striking faults as a result of Taconic peripheral bulge and later collisional stresses. Later orogenic effects from possibly the Acadian, and certainly the Alleghanian, are also present. Although the core does not exhibit significant zones of high porosity, rubble zones and fault zones observed on an accompanying FMI log were apparently the sources of gas production that resulted in this well being a good producer in spite of the low matrix porosity.

This dataset is a polygon coverage of counties limited to the extent of the Fire Clay coal zone resource areas and attributed with statistics on these coal quality parameters: ash yield (percent), sulfur (percent), SO2 (lbs per million Btu), calorific value (Btu/lb), arsenic (ppm) content and mercury (ppm) content. The file has been generalized from detailed geologic coverages found elsewhere in Professional Paper 1625-C. The attributes were generated from public data found in the geochemical dataset found in Chap. F, Appendix 7, Disc 1. Please see the metadata file found in Chap. F, Appendix 8, Disc 1, for more detailed information on the geochemical attributes. The county statistical data used for this data set are found in Tables 2-5 and 17-18, Chap. F, Disc 1. Additional county geochemical statistics for other parameters are found in Tables 6-16, Chap. F, Disc 1.

This dataset is a polygon coverage of the resource areas of the Lower Kittanning coal zone. This dataset is the digital compilation of geologic and resource maps provided mostly by State geologic surveys and depicts the projected area of occurrence of the Lower Kittanning coal bed. The Lower Kittanning coal bed is in Ohio, West Virginia, western Pennsylvania, and western Maryland and is an important economic coal bed in the northern part of the Appalachian Basin. It is of additional importance because it is one of the coal beds that has potential for coalbed methane development within the Allegheny Group throughout most of the Appalachian foreland basin in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland. This file has been generalized from detailed geologic coverages found elsewhere in Professional Paper 1625-C.

A U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provisional geochemical and mineralogical database for hydrocarbon-rich shale in the Appalachian region has been compiled by Catherine Enomoto, Frank Dulong and Robert Milici for online distribution. USGS staff collaborated with geologists in State geological agencies to obtain samples that were analyzed for organic properties, including Rock Eval analyses, total organic carbon (TOC), thermal maturity, and semi-quantitative mineralogy. However, the database also contains previously published data, with appropriate citations included. Previously unpublished data are from samples collected and analyzed between 2007 and 2012 from wells drilled between 1931 and 2009, and from exposures in the northern and central Appalachian basin.

As part of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Groundwater Resources Program study of the Appalachian Plateaus aquifers, estimates of annual water-budget components were determined at 849 continuous-record streamflow gaging stations from Mississippi to New York. Base flow, which can serve as a proxy for annual recharge, streamflow, and runoff were estimated from computer programs—PART (Rutledge, 1993), HYSEP (Sloto and Crouse, 1996), and BFI (Wahl and Wahl, 1988)—that are included in the hydrograph analysis component provided with version 1.0 of the U.S. Geological Survey Groundwater Toolbox. Only complete years (January to December) of record at each gage were used to determine annual estimates. Estimates of base-flow index, which is the percentage of streamflow from base flow, are included in the annual and average tables. Precipitation was estimated by calculating the average of cell values in the PRISM dataset intercepted by basin boundaries where previously defined in the GAGES-II dataset (Falcone, 2011). Estimates of evapotranspiration were then calculated from the difference between precipitation and streamflow.

The USGS Central Region Energy Team assesses oil and gas resources of the United States. The onshore and State water areas of the United States comprise 71 provinces. Within these provinces, Total Petroleum Systems are defined and Assessment Units are defined and assessed. Each of province is defined geologically, and most province boundaries are defined by major geologic changes. This dataset is a compilation of data that has been studied and published separately, and in some cases adjacent provinces do not share a common boundary. As a consequence, there are numerous gaps and overlaps in this layer.