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At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources

USGS2026

A scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) method for the quantitative analysis of common volcanic phases

In situ microanalysis by X-ray spectrometry is a fundamental geochemical technique for volcanology and the geosciences generally and typically performed using an electron microprobe (EPMA) equipped with wavelength dispersive spectrometers (WDS). The related technique of energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), implemented using either EPMA or a scanning electron microscope (SEM), offers advantages in throughput, simplicity, and cost, yet has historically been relegated to qualitative tasks. We present a quantitative EDS procedure implemented using a W-source SEM and a moderate size silicon drift EDS detector applied to common volcanic materials. Glass and mineral standard data demonstrate that the accuracy and precision of this method is comparable to EPMA–WDS. We show that electron beam damage can be mitigated in volcanic glass through sample-specific optimizations without the need for a time-dependent intensity correction. Our implementation using a relatively inexpensive instrument can potentially increase the accessibility of high-quality, quantitative X-ray microanalysis of major and minor elements.

Volcanica↗

USGS1995

Mineral and energy resources of the Roswell Resource Area, East-Central New Mexico

The sedimentary formations of the Roswell Resource Area have significant mineral and energy resources. Some of the pre-Pennsylvanian sequences in the Northwestern Shelf of the Permian Basin are oil and gas reservoirs, and Pennsylvanian rocks in Tucumcari Basin are reservoirs of oil and gas as well as source rocks for oil and gas in Triassic rocks. Pre-Permian rocks also contain minor deposits of uranium and vanadium, limestone, and gases. Hydrocarbon reservoirs in Permian rocks include associated gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, and nitrogen. Permian rocks are mineralized adjacent to the Lincoln County porphyry belt, and include deposits of copper, uranium, manganese, iron, polymetallic veins, and Mississippi-Valley-type lead-zinc. Industrial minerals in Permian rocks include fluorite, barite, potash, halite, polyhalite, gypsum, anhydrite, sulfur, limestone, dolomite, brine deposits (iodine and bromine), aggregate (sand), and dimension stone. Doubly terminated quartz crystals, called 'Pecos diamonds' and collected as mineral specimens, occur in Permian rocks along the Pecos River. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are hosts for copper, uranium, and small quantities of gold-silver-tellurium veins, as well as significant deposits of oil and gas, carbon dioxide, asphalt, coal, and dimension stone. Mesozoic rocks contain limited amounts of limestone, gypsum, petrified wood, and clay. Tertiary rocks host ore deposits commonly associated with intrusive rocks, including platinum-group elements, iron skarns, manganese, uranium and vanadium, molybdenum, polymetallic vein deposits, gold-silver-tellurium veins, and thorium-rare-earth veins. Museum-quality quartz crystals are associated with Tertiary intrusive rocks. Industrial minerals in Tertiary rocks include fluorite, vein- and bedded-barite, caliche, limestone, and aggregate. Tertiary and Quaternary sediments host important placer deposits of gold and titanium, and occurrences of silver and uranium. Important industrial commodities include caliche, limestone and dolomite, and aggregate. Quaternary basalt contains sub-ore-grade uranium, scoria, and clay deposits.

New Mexico↗

USGS2000

Materials and energy flows in the earth science century : summary of a workshop held by the USGS [in Reston] in November 1998

For the 21st century, the USGS and many others throughout government, academia, and the private sector carry a hopeful vision of better solutions to the problems of depleting natural resources and creating excessive wastes. For this effort, investigators are engaging in whole system views of the human condition using the tools of materials and energy flow accounting and industrial ecology.

Circular↗

USGS1995

Geology and mineral and energy resources, Roswell Resource Area, New Mexico; an interactive computer presentation

This Compact Disc-Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) contains a program illustrating the geology and mineral and energy resources of the Roswell Resource Area, an administrative unit of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in east-central New Mexico. The program enables the user to access information on the geology, geochemistry, geophysics, mining history, metallic and industrial mineral commodities, hydrocarbons, and assessments of the area. The program was created with the display software, SuperCard, version 1.5, by Aldus. The program will run only on a Macintosh personal computer. This CD-ROM was produced in accordance with Macintosh HFS standards. The program was developed on a Macintosh II-series computer with system 7.0.1. The program is a compiled, executable form that is nonproprietary and does not require the presence of the SuperCard software.

New Mexico↗

USGS2007

Energy and Minerals for America's Future

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a science strategy outlining the major natural science issues facing the Nation in the next decade. The science strategy consists of six science directions of critical importance, focusing on areas where natural science can make a substantial contribution to the well-being of the Nation and the world. This fact sheet focuses on energy and minerals and how USGS research can strengthen the Nation with information needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2022

Virtual training prepared for the former Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water—Streamgaging, fluvial sediment sampling, bathymetry, and streamflow and sediment modeling

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created a virtual training series for the Afghanistan Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW), now known as the National Water Affairs Regulation Authority (NWARA), to provide critical hydrological training as an alternative to an in-person training. The USGS was scheduled to provide in-person surface-water training for NWARA during 2020; however, travel was halted because of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID–19) pandemic. The virtual training consisted of prerecorded and live presentations that were scheduled during 4 weeks in August 2021. However, the training was halted after the second week due to the collapse of the Afghan Government. Fortunately, the prerecorded presentations and training materials were delivered before the trainings were halted, so they can be viewed or shared by the participants in the future. A benefit to having produced prerecorded trainings is that USGS can leverage or adapt the trainings for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) involved in humanitarian water relief efforts in Afghanistan or can be used for other international training efforts.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2024

Developments in African industrial minerals for renewable energy

Introduction Africa is emerging as a leading source for minerals used in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles and in other renewable energy applications. New graphite, lithium, and rare-earth mines have or could be opened in African countries from 2017 through 2026. Estimates of production capacities for graphite, lithium, and rare-earth mines for 2023 and beyond are based upon supply-side assumptions, such as announced plans for new capacity construction and bankable feasibility studies, as well as projected trends that could affect current producing facilities in 2023 and planned new facilities projected to come online by 2026. Forward-looking information, including estimates of future production capacities, graphite flake distributions, and timing of the start of operations, are subject to risk factors and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ significantly from expected outcomes. Projects listed in this report are presented as an indication of industry plans and are not a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) prediction of what will take place. Only projects with planned startup dates are included in this report; ther graphite, lithium, and rare-earth projects in Africa without startup dates were known to be in various stages of development but are not included in this fact sheet.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS2001

Energy resources and changing land use, Front Range of Colorado: AAPG-EMD field trip guide, in association with the 2001 AAPG-EMD annual meeting

Over the past 30 years, communities in the Northern Front Range of Colorado have experienced tremendous urban and commercial growth rivaling or surpassing that in most other parts of the United States. Much of this growth coincides with areas underlain by critically needed natural resources (such as oil, natural gas, construction aggregate (stone, sand, and gravel), and water), thus presenting serious challenges for city, county, and state planners as well as producers of these natural resources. With projections for as much as a 51 percent increase in population in Colorado over the next 25 years (Colorado Department of Local Affairs, 2001), it is likely that these challenges will increase. This field trip will blend petroleum and coal geology with discussions of urban development to highlight the interplay between growth in the Front Range and energy resource production. On the trip we will also explore the effects of past production on land use. A total of 6 stops will be made in various locations around the Front Range area.

Colorado↗

USGS2001

Energy-to-moment ratios for damaging intraslab earthquakes: preliminary results on a few case studies

We use the energy-to-moment ratio, as introduced by Newman and Okal [1998] to examine the source characteristics of normal-faulting intraslab earthquakes, compared to nearby interplate thrust events, based on recent case studies in central Chile and southeastern Mexico. In Chile, we find that the 1997 intraslab event had an exceptionally large E/M0 ratio, 30 times greater than the nearby interplate shock. This suggests a very fast strain release at the source as the origin of the particularly destructive character of intraslab events. While the difference is less sharp in Mexico, we find a similar trend, which is in agreement with the observation that the locally most damaging earthquakes are indeed the intraslab events. We also document on the 1939 Chilean earthquake the feasibility of extending this approach to historical earthquakes for which high-quality analog records have been archived.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2007

Performance audit of the U.S. Geological Survey, energy resource program inorganic geochemistry laboratory

A performance audit of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Energy Resource Program (ERP) Inorganic Geochemistry Laboratory (IGL) was conducted between August, 2003 and October, 2005. The goals were to ensure that a high level of analytical performance was maintained and identify any areas that could be enhanced. The audit was subdivided into three phases. Phase 1 was a preliminary assessment of current performance based on recent performance on CANSPEX samples. IGL performance was also compared to laboratories world-wide with similar scope. Phase 2 consisted of the implementation of the recommended changes made in Phase 1. Phase 3 of the audit consisted of a reassessment effort to evaluate the effectiveness of the recommendations made in the Phase 1 and an on-site audit of the laboratory facilities. Phases 1 and 3 required summary reports that are included in Appendices A and B of this report. The audit found that the IGL was one of the top two laboratories compared for trace element analyses. Several recommendations to enhance performance on major and minor elemental parameters were made and implemented. Demonstrated performance improvements as a result of the recommended changes were documented. Several initiatives to sustain the performance improvements gained from the audit have been implemented.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2008

Flow-log analysis for hydraulic characterization of selected test wells at the Indian Point Energy Center, Buchanan, New York

Flow logs from 24 test wells were analyzed as part of the hydraulic characterization of the metamorphosed and fractured carbonate bedrock at the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan, New York. The flow logs were analyzed along with caliper, optical- and acoustic-televiewer, and fluid-resistivity and temperature logs to determine the character and distribution of fracture-flow zones and estimate their transmissivities and hydraulic heads. Many flow zones were associated with subhorizontal to shallow-dipping fractured zones, southeast-dipping bedding fractures, northwest-dipping conjugate fractures, or combinations of bedding and conjugate fractures. Flow-log analysis generally provided reasonable first-order estimates of flow-zone transmissivity and head differences compared with the results of conventional hydraulic-test analysis and measurements. Selected results of an aquifer test and a tracer test provided corroborating information in support of the flow-log analysis.

New York↗

USGS2011

Estimate of tephra accumulation probabilities for the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site, Washington

In response to a request from the U.S. Department of Energy, we estimate the thickness of tephra accumulation that has an annual probability of 1 in 10,000 of being equaled or exceeded at the Hanford Site in south-central Washington State, where a project to build the Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant is underway. We follow the methodology of a 1987 probabilistic assessment of tephra accumulation in the Pacific Northwest. For a given thickness of tephra, we calculate the product of three probabilities: (1) the annual probability of an eruption producing 0.1 km 3 (bulk volume) or more of tephra, (2) the probability that the wind will be blowing toward the Hanford Site, and (3) the probability that tephra accumulations will equal or exceed the given thickness at a given distance. Mount St. Helens, which lies about 200 km upwind from the Hanford Site, has been the most prolific source of tephra fallout among Cascade volcanoes in the recent geologic past and its annual eruption probability based on this record (0.008) dominates assessment of future tephra falls at the site. The probability that the prevailing wind blows toward Hanford from Mount St. Helens is 0.180. We estimate exceedance probabilities of various thicknesses of tephra fallout from an analysis of 14 eruptions of the size expectable from Mount St. Helens and for which we have measurements of tephra fallout at 200 km. The result is that the estimated thickness of tephra accumulation that has an annual probability of 1 in 10,000 of being equaled or exceeded is about 10 centimeters. It is likely that this thickness is a maximum estimate because we used conservative estimates of eruption and wind probabilities and because the 14 deposits we used probably provide an over-estimate. The use of deposits in this analysis that were mostly compacted by the time they were studied and measured implies that the bulk density of the tephra fallout we consider here is in the range of 1,000-1,250 kg/m 3 . The load of 10 cm of such tephra fallout on a flat surface would therefore be in the range of 100-125 kg/m 2 ; addition of water from rainfall or snowmelt would provide additional load.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1976

Geology and energy resources of the Sand Butte Rim NW quadrangle, Sweetwater County, Wyoming

Geologic investigations in the Rock Springs coal field in southwest Wyoming are part of a project undertaken by the U.S. Geological Survey to locate and evaluate mineral deposits on federally owned lands. The Rock Springs project encompasses an area of 2,849 square kilometres (1,100 square miles) and includes twenty 7 1/2-minute quadrangles. This paper presents the results of a study of the geology and energy resources in one of these quadrangles, the Sand Butte Rim NW quadrangle.

Wyoming↗

USGS1980

Barren area evapotranspiration estimates generated from energy budget measurements in the Gila River valley of Arizona

Estimates of evapotranspiration for 479 successive days were created by using energy budget measurements. The measurement point was on the 2-kilometer wide flood plain of the Gila River in east-central Arizona, about 18 kilometers above Coolidge Dam. The flood plain had been cleared of all tall vegetation for distances of about 20 kilometers upstream and 5 kilometers downstream from the measurement site. Chaining, raking, and burning had been used to clear the area immediately surrounding the measurement site about 6 months before measurements began. Ground cover was sparse volunteer Bermudagrass and scattered seepwillow for a distance of at least 1 kilometer in all directions from the measurement point . The water table was deep , so most of the evaporated water came from rainfall, but some came from soil moisture deeper than 2 meters. The March to March water loss (evapotranspiration less rain) was about 47 millimeters, evapotranspiration demand was 377 millimeters. Daily rates varied from very small amounts of condensation to almost 5 millimeters of evapotranspiration. (USGS)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1980

The heliothermic lake: a direct method of collecting and storing solar energy

Heliothermic lakes contain a sun-heated layer of warm, saline water beneath a surface layer of cooler, less saline water. The two layers are separated by a chemocline, a stratum in which salinity increases progressively with depth. The chemocline, the position of which varies from lake to lake, functions as a heat trap. Most sunlight that penetrates this stratum is transformed into heat, which cannot escape by radiation because water is opaque to infrared light, and which cannot escape by convection because the specific gravity of the dense water below the chemocline is not significantly decreased by the increasing temperature. Heat can escape only by conduction through the chemocline, and water or brine is a very poor conductor. As a result, the temperature within and commonly below the chemocline rises. Under ideal conditions of a clear solution, high isolation, and a suitable salinity distribution, the temperature of the chemocline will increase to the boiling point. The lower part of the chemocline in a shallow (0.8-m) manmade heliothermic lake at Sedom, Israel, for example, reached a temperature of 96°C (205°F) in spite of a brine with poor light transmissibility. About 30 natural heliothermic lakes have been reported. The best known, Lake Ursului, occurs in Transylvania, Romania (latitude, 46°35'N). During four consecutive summers, 1899 to 1902, this lake had temperatures of 60-70°C (140-158°F) at a depth of 1-2 m. Heliothermic conditions have persisted in this lake for at least 28 and probably for more than 77 years. The most unusual, Lake Vanda, Victoria Land, Antarctica (latitude, 77°35'S), has a temperature of 26°C near the base of the chemocline at a depth of 61 despite a mean atmospheric temperature of -20°C. Sunlight penetrates into the chemocline through 5 m of remarkably clear ice. Maintenance of the chemocline is the chief problem preventing commercial use of manmade heliothermic lakes for the collection and storage of solar energy. The most effective means of preserving this stratum from destruction by diffusion and wind mixing may be the use of salts, such as sodium sulfate and sodium borate, whose solubilities are markedly influenced by temperature. The chemoclines of ponds constructed with such salts, in theory, would persist indefinitely and could be of great size.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1984

Occurrence of uranium in ground water in the vicinity of the U.S. Department of Energy Feed Materials Production Center, Fernald, Ohio

Process wastes are stored on site in rubber-lined and clay-lined pits and in large tanks at the U.S. Department of Energy Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC), where purified uranium and uranium compounds are produced. Water samples collected from off-site domestic and commercial wells in December 1981 and in August 1982, contained concentrations of dissolved uranium that ranged from < 0.4 to 430 micrograms/L (ug/L). The wells whose samples contained unusual concentrations of uranium (> 10 ug/L) lie roughly along a line extending about 2000 ft south from the southern boundary of FMPC. The offsite area affected by these concentrations is probably < 100 acres. It is not possible to determine the exact point of origination of contaminants in the groundwater on the basis of available data. (Author 's abstract)

Open-File Report↗

USGS1992

Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico

The sedimentary formations of the Roswell Resource Area have significant mineral and energy resources. Some of the pre-Pennsylvanian sequences in the Northwestern Shelf of the Permian Basin are oil and gas reservoirs, and Pennsylvanian rocks in Tucumcari basin are reservoirs of oil and gas as well as source rocks for oil and gas in Triassic rocks. Pre-Permian rocks also contain minor deposits of uranium and vanadium, limestone, and associated gases. Hydrocarbon reservoirs in Permian rocks include associated gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, and nitrogen. Permian rocks are mineralized adjacent to the Lincoln County porphyry belt, and include deposits of copper, uranium, manganese, iron, polymetallic veins, and Mississippi-valley-type (MVT) lead-zinc. Industrial minerals in Permian rocks include fluorite, barite, potash, halite, polyhalite, gypsum, anhydrite, sulfur, limestone, dolomite, brine deposits (iodine and bromine), aggregate (sand), and dimension stone. Doubly terminated quartz crystals, called "Pecos diamonds" and collected as mineral specimens, occur in Permian rocks along the Pecos River. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are hosts for copper, uranium, and small quantities of gold-silver-tellurium veins, as well as significant deposits of oil and gas, COa, asphalt, coal, and dimension stone. Mesozoic rocks contain limited amounts of limestone, gypsum, petrified wood, dinosaur remains, and clays. Tertiary rocks host ore deposits commonly associated with intrusive rocks, including platinum group elements, iron skarns, manganese, uranium and vanadium, molybdenum, polymetallic vein deposits, gold-silver- tellurium veins, and thorium-rare earth veins. Museum-quality quartz crystals in Lincoln County were formed in association with intrusive rocks in the Lincoln County porphyry belt. Industrial minerals in Tertiary rocks include fluorite, vein- and bedded-barite, caliche, limestone, and aggregate. Tertiary and Quaternary sediments host important placer deposits of gold and titanium, and minor silver, uranium occurrences, as well as important industrial commodities, including caliche, limestone and dolomite, and aggregate (sand). Quaternary basalt contains sub-ore-grade uranium, scoria, and clay deposits.

New Mexico↗

USGS1993

Water, energy, and biogeochemical budgets investigation at Panola Mountain research watershed, Stockbridge, Georgia; A research plan

The Panola Mountain Research Watershed (PMRW), located in the Panola Mountain State Conservation Park near Stockbridge, Georgia has been selected as a core research watershed under the Water, Energy and Biogeochemical Budgets (WEBB) research initiative of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Global Climate Change Program. This research plan describes ongoing and planned research activities at PMRW from 1984 to 1994. Since 1984, PMRW has been studied as a geochemical process research site under the U.S. Acid Precipitation Thrust Program. Research conducted under this Thrust Program focused on the estimation of dry atmospheric deposition, short-term temporal variability of streamwater chemistry, sulfate adsorption characteristics of the soils, groundwater chemistry, throughfall chemistry, and streamwater quality. The Acid Precipitation Thrust Program continues (1993) to support data collection and a water-quality laboratory. Proposed research to be supported by the WEBB program is organized in 3 interrelated categories: streamflow generation and water-quality evolution, weathering and geochemical evolution, and regulation of soil-water chemistry. Proposed research on streamflow generation and water-quality evolution will focus on subsurface water movement, its influence in streamflow generation, and the associated chemical changes of the water that take place along its flowpath. Proposed research on weathering and geochemical evolution will identify the sources of cations observed in the streamwater at Panola Mountain and quantify the changes in cation source during storms. Proposed research on regulation of soil-water chemistry will focus on the poorly understood processes that regulate soil-water and groundwater chemistry. (USGS)

Georgia↗