SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREAL MAPPING PROJECT: MULTIPLE APPLIED USES OF GENERAL PURPOSE GEOLOGIC MAPPING IN THE SAN BERNARDINO-SANTA ANA 60'X60' AREA

The Southern California Areal Mapping Project – SCAMP – is a regional geologic mapping project conducted jointly between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the California Geological Survey (CGS). Map presentation is at uniform scale and is in digital form which can easily updated. Support and demand for SCAMP’s geologic mapping has come from a wide variety of sources, and the products are used for an equally wide variety of applied purposes. In addition, the maps provide new and fundamental insights into the basic understanding of the complex geologic history of southern California. Uses for applied problems include site selection for engineered facilities, land use planning, groundwater issues, and hazard analyses. 7.5’ quadrangle maps are used by the CGS Seismic Hazards Mapping Program in the development of Seismic Hazards Zones maps. By far the most widespread usage of the geologic maps is the essentially daily use by private sector engineering geology firms. Several projects of major dam construction have used SCAMP maps including site selection and preliminary evaluation for Metropolitan Water District’s Diamond Valley Reservoir, the largest reservoir in southern California. In San Bernardino County SCAMP mapping was used by the Army Corp of Engineers’ huge Seven Oaks Dam, a major flood control facility. Integration of subsurface data with surface data from SCAMP geologic maps has led to optimized surface and groundwater resources. Cooperative projects include agencies such as the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water Agency, San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency, Eastern Municipal Water District in the San Jacinto Basin, and the Mojave Water Agency in Lucerne Valley and the Mojave River. A need for mitigation of contaminated groundwater led to cooperative agreements between the USGS and March Air Force Base. On the base and in the neighboring area divergent flow directions of contaminated groundwater confounded development of a mitigation program. Combined surface and subsurface geologic mapping by SCAMP geologists led to the understanding of the divergent flow directions. The mapping supports regional interpretations of geologic evolution and potential for earthquake and landslide hazards. Detailed geologic maps were fundamental in the development of debris flow susceptibility maps for 128 7.5’ quadrangles (USGS open-file 03-17).