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At least 1,063 records · Page 59Linked to original sources
USGS2020

Economic valuation of health benefits from using geologic data to communicate radon risk potential

Background: Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer worldwide and represents a major health concern within and outside the United States. Mitigating exposure to radon is especially critical in places with high rates of tobacco smoking (e.g., Kentucky, USA), as radon-induced lung cancer is markedly greater among people exposed to tobacco smoke. Despite homes being a common source of radon exposure, convincing homeowners to test and mitigate for radon remains a challenge. A new communication strategy to increase radon testing among Kentucky homeowners utilizes fine-scale geologic map data to create detailed radon risk potential maps. We assessed the health benefits of this strategy via avoided lung cancer and associated premature mortality and quantified the economic value of these benefits to indicate the potential utility of using geologic map data in radon communication strategies. Methods: We estimated the change in radon testing among all 120 counties in Kentucky following a new communication strategy reliant on geologic maps. We approximated the resultant potential change in radon mitigation rates and subsequent expected lung cancer cases and mortality avoided among smokers and non-smokers exposed to ≥4 pCi/L of radon in the home. We then applied the value of a statistical life to derive the economic value of the expected avoided mortality. Results: The new communication strategy is estimated to help 75 Kentucky residents in one year avoid exposure to harmful radon levels via increased testing and mitigation rates. This equated to the potential avoidance of approximately one premature death due to lung cancer, with a net present value of \$3.4 to \$8.5 million (2016 USD). Conclusions: Our analysis illustrates the potential economic value of health benefits associated with geologic map data used as part of a communication strategy conveying radon risk to the public. Geologic map data are freely available in varying resolutions throughout the United States, suggesting Kentucky’s radon communication strategy using geologic maps can be employed in other states to educate the public about radon. As this is only a single application, in a single state, the economic and health benefits of geologic map data in educating the public about radon are likely to exceed our estimates.

Kentucky↗
USGS2002

Unconventional shallow biogenic gas systems

Unconventional shallow biogenic gas falls into two distinct systems that have different attributes. Early-generation systems have blanketlike geometries, and gas generation begins soon after deposition of reservoir and source rocks. Late-generation systems have ringlike geometries, and long time intervals separate deposition of reservoir and source rocks from gas generation. For both types of systems, the gas is dominantly methane and is associated with source rocks that are not thermally mature. Early-generation biogenic gas systems are typified by production from low-permeability Cretaceous rocks in the northern Great Plains of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana. The main area of production is on the southeastern margin of the Alberta basin and the northwestern margin of the Williston basin. The huge volume of Cretaceous rocks has a generalized regional pattern of thick, non-marine, coarse clastics to the west and thinner, finer grained marine lithologies to the east. Reservoir rocks in the lower part tend to be finer grained and have lower porosity and permeability than those in the upper part. Similarly, source beds in the units have higher values of total organic carbon. Patterns of erosion, deposition, deformation, and production in both the upper and lower units are related to the geometry of lineament-bounded basement blocks. Geochemical studies show that gas and coproduced water are in equilibrium and that the fluids are relatively old, namely, as much as 66 Ma. Other examples of early-generation systems include Cretaceous clastic reservoirs on the southwestern margin of Williston basin and chalks on the eastern margin of the Denver basin. Late-generation biogenic gas systems have as an archetype the Devonian Antrim Shale on the northern margin of the Michigan basin. Reservoir rocks are fractured, organic-rich black shales that also serve as source rocks. Although fractures are important for production, the relationships to specific geologic structures are not clear. Large quantities of water are coproduced with the gas, and geochemical data indicate that the water is fairly fresh and relatively young. Current thinking holds that biogenic gas was generated, and perhaps continues to be, when glacial meltwater descended into the plumbing system provided by fractures. Other examples of late-generation systems include the Devonian New Albany Shale on the eastern margin of the Illinois basin and the Tertiary coalbed methane production on the northwestern margin of the Powder River basin. Both types of biogenic gas systems have a similar resource development history. Initially, little technology is used, and gas is consumed locally; eventually, sweet spots are exploited, widespread unconventional reservoirs are developed, and transport of gas is interstate or international. However, drilling and completion techniques are very different between the two types of systems. Early-generation systems have water-sensitive reservoir rocks, and consequently water is avoided or minimized in drilling and completion. In contrast, water is an important constituent of late-generation systems; gas production is closely tied to dewatering the system during production. Existing production and resource estimates generally range from 10 to 100 tcf for both types of biogenic gas systems. Although both system types are examples of relatively continuous accumulations, the geologic frameworks constrain most-economic production to large geologic structures on the margins of basins. Shallow biogenic gas systems hold important resources to meet the increased domestic and international demands for natural gas.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulle↗
USGS2003

Formation of modern and Paleozoic stratiform barite at cold methane seeps on continental margins

Stratiform (bedded) Paleozoic barite occurs as large conformable beds within organic- and chert-rich sediments; the beds lack major sulfide minerals and are the largest and most economically significant barite deposits in the geologic record. Existing models for the origin of bedded barite fail to explain all their characteristics: the deposits display properties consistent with an exhalative origin involving fluid ascent to the seafloor, but they lack appreciable polymetallic sulfide minerals and the corresponding strontium isotopic composition to support a hydrothermal vent source. A new mechanism of barite formation, along structurally controlled sites of cold fluid seepage in continental margins, involves barite remobilization in organic-rich, highly reducing sediments, transport of barium-rich fluids, and barite precipitation at cold methane seeps. The lithologic and depositional framework of Paleozoic and cold seep barite, as well as morphological, textural, and chemical characteristics of the deposits, and associations with chemosymbiotic fauna, all support a cold seep origin for stratiform Paleozoic barite. This understanding is highly relevant to paleoceanographic and paleotectonic studies, as well as to economic geology.

Geology↗
USGS1983

Aeromagnetic map of the Powderhorn wilderness study area and Cannibal Plateau Roadless Area, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties, Colorado

The Powderhorn Wilderness Study Area (51,000 acres or 20,640 hectares) and the contiguous Cannibal Plateau Roadless Area (29,500 acres or 11,959 hectares) are on the Gunnison County-Hinsdale County boundary, approximately 50mi (80 km) southwest of Gunnison and a few miles east of Lake City, Colo. Part of the area has been known as the Powderhorn Primitive Area. The mineral resource potential of the study area has been assessed by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Bureau of Mines; this assessment involved, besides the geologic study and economic appraisal (Sharp and others, 1983), a geophysical survey (this report) by the Geological Survey, and a geochemical survey (Sharp and Lane, 1983) by the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines.

Colorado↗
USGS2007

Book review: Geology of gem deposits

Geology of Gem Deposits is the most recent addition to the classic short course volumes published by the Mineralogical Association of Canada. Although not as comprehensive as the title might imply, this volume does contain overview papers devoted (in varying degrees) to the geology of diamond, beryl, corundum, chrysoberyl, tanzanite and tsarvorite, topaz, and jade deposits, as well as gem-bearing pegmatites and colored gemstones of Canada. Individually, most of the chapters provide robust overviews of the gems they cover. However, as presented, these papers do not make a well-organized and cohesive volume. The content, structure, and organization of each of these papers vary significantly. Despite this shortcoming, a number of the chapters cover relevant geologic information, making the book an important contribution for economic geologists interested in the exploration and geology of gem deposits.

Economic Geology↗
USGS1989

Geologic review. Better regulation through interagency cooperation

The Geologic Review procedure was developed by the Louisiana Geological Survey (LGS) in 1982 for the Louisiana Coastal Management Division. It consists of a thorough review of oil and gas well applications involving impact to environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands. The applicant attends a meeting with a geologist and a petroleum engineer from the LGS who review the relevant geologic, engineering and economic data and make a recommendation as to the technical and economic feasibility of reducing or avoiding environmental impact by either moving the well to a geologically equivalent location, directionally drilling the well, or accessing the proposed location by a different access route or methodology than that proposed.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1977

Preliminary data on some Precambrian deposits of zinc-copper-lead sulfides and zinc spinel (granite) in Colorado

Precambrian sulfide deposits in the Southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado are being studied and re-evaluated according to geologic concepts which were developed in recent years in other parts of the world during successful research regarding economic massive sulfide deposits. These studies, initiated in 1974 in Colorado by the U.S. Geological Survey, have indicated that a new look at areas containing long dormant mines and prospects may well lead to the discovery of minable Precambrian sulfide deposits. The zinc, copper, and lead contents of ores investigated to date, supplemented by silver and gold contents, indicate that many long-forgotten deposits are minable in terms of grade. The deposits occur in Precambrian rocks metamorphosed to the lower amphibolite facies in one major region and to the upper amphibolite facies in other regions. Field studies have provided ample evidence indicating that the search for commercial tonnages can he facilitated by using newer concepts of economic geology regarding ore-host rock associations as prospecting guides and by using structural considerations aimed toward learning how metamorphism and folding have modified the shapes and distribution of the ore bodies. A newly recognized concept, originating from the current studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Colorado, concerns the potential economic significance of gahnite, a zinc spinel. The field and laboratory data indicate that gahnite can be used by geologists as a prospector's guide to ore and can be considerd by mining engineers as a potential major ore mineral, contributing significant amounts of zinc to the sulfide ores in many of the deposits. Studies to date indicate that the Gunnison area, the Salida area, and the Guffey area are particularly favorable to the search for minable deposits, and the potential is equally present in many other areas.

Colorado↗
USGS2003

Well-Production Data and Gas-Reservoir Heterogeneity -- Reserve Growth Applications

Oil and gas well production parameters, including peakmonthly production (PMP), peak-consecutive-twelve month production (PYP), and cumulative production (CP), are tested as tools to quantify and understand the heterogeneity of reservoirs in fields where current monthly production is 10 percent or less of PMP. Variation coefficients, defined as VC= (F5-F95)/F50, where F5, F95, and F50 are the 5th, 95th, and 50th (median) fractiles of a probability distribution, are calculated for peak and cumulative production and examined with respect to internal consistency, type of production parameter, conventional versus unconventional accumulations, and reservoir depth. Well-production data for this study were compiled for 69 oil and gas fields in the Lower Pennsylvanian Morrow Formation of the Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma. Of these, 47 fields represent production from marine clastic facies. The Morrow data were supplemented by data from the Upper Cambrian and Lower Ordovician Arbuckle Group, Middle Ordovician Simpson Group, Middle Pennsylvanian Atoka Formation, and Silurian and Lower Devonian Hunton Group of the Anadarko Basin, one large gas field in Upper Cretaceous reservoirs of north-central Montana (Bowdoin field), and three areas of the Upper Devonian and Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation continuous-type (unconventional) oil accumulation in the Williston Basin, North Dakota and Montana. Production parameters (PMP, PYP, and CP) measure the net result of complex geologic, engineering, and economic processes. Our fundamental hypothesis is that well-production data provide information about subsurface heterogeneity in older fields that would be impossible to obtain using geologic techniques with smaller measurement scales such as petrographic, core, and well-log analysis. Results such as these indicate that quantitative measures of production rates and production volumes of wells, expressed as dimensionless variation coefficients, are potentially valuable tools for documenting reservoir heterogeneity in older fields for field redevelopment and risk analysis.

Bulletin↗
USGS1989

Estimates of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the United States: A part of the Nation's energy endowment

In 1987, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Minerals Management Service completed a new assessment of the undiscovered conventional resources of crude oil and natural gas in the United States. This assessment responded to a national need for such estimates, considered new geological, technologic, and economic information, and used more definitive methods of resource appraisal than previous assessments. The conventional resources assessed were (1) those considered recoverable under current technology and (2) those that could be developed and produced economically under specified price and cost relationships, excluding exploration costs. This study did not include resources from tar deposits, intractable heavy oil deposits, oil shales, gas in low-permeability (less than 0.1 millidarcy in situ) "tight" reservoirs, coal bed methane, gas in geopressured shales and brines, and natural gas hydrates (clathrates). For this study, the United States was divided into 13 regions (9 onshore and 4 offshore), including the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The 13 regions were further divided into 115 provinces (appendix A, figs. Al and A2). The resource estimates were based fundamentally upon review and analysis of petroleum geology and the exploration history of oil and gas plays in these provinces. Probability procedures were used in their derivation. Because of the uncertainty in estimating undiscovered resources, the estimated quantities are reported as a range of values that correspond to different probability levels. The undiscovered recoverable conventional resources of oil for the United States, as of January, 1, 1987, are estimated to range from 33 to 70 billion barrels, with a mean estimate of 49 billion barrels: the estimates of gas range from 307 to 507 trillion cubic feet, with a mean estimate of 399 trillion cubic feet (table 1). Range estimates correspond to 95-percent probability (19 in 20 chance) and 5-percent probability (1 in 20 chance) of there being more than those amounts, respectively. Corresponding estimates for natural gas liquids (NGL) range from 6 to 12 billion barrels, with a mean estimate of 9 billion barrels. Further, the assessed undiscovered economically recoverable oil and gas resources for the United States, as of January 1, 1987, are estimated to range from 21 to 54 billion barrels of oil and 208 to 326 trillion cubic feet of gas, corresponding to the 95-percent and 5-percent probabilities of there being more than these amounts, respectively (table 1). The mean value for oil is 35 billion barrels and for gas is 263 trillion cubic feet. Corresponding estimates for NGL range from 5 to 8 billion barrels, with a mean of 6 billion barrels. Distribution of these resources by region is shown in figure 1.

Report↗
USGS2009

Geomorphic segmentation, hydraulic geometry, and hydraulic microhabitats of the Niobrara River, Nebraska — Methods and initial results

The Niobrara River of Nebraska is a geologically, ecologically, and economically significant resource. The State of Nebraska has recognized the need to better manage the surface- and ground-water resources of the Niobrara River so they are sustainable in the long term. In cooperation with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the U.S. Geological Survey is investigating the hydrogeomorphic settings and hydraulic geometry of the Niobrara River to assist in characterizing the types of broad-scale physical habitat attributes that may be of importance to the ecological resources of the river system. This report includes an inventory of surface-water and ground-water hydrology data, surface water-quality data, a longitudinal geomorphic segmentation and characterization of the main channel and its valley, and hydraulic geometry relations for the 330-mile section of the Niobrara River from Dunlap Diversion Dam in western Nebraska to the Missouri River confluence. Hydraulic microhabitats also were analyzed using available data from discharge measurements to demonstrate the potential application of these data and analysis methods. The main channel of the Niobrara was partitioned into three distinct fluvial geomorphic provinces: an upper province characterized by open valleys and a sinuous, equiwidth channel; a central province characterized by mixed valley and channel settings, including several entrenched canyon reaches; and a lower province where the valley is wide, yet restricted, but the river also is wide and persistently braided. Within the three fluvial geomorphic provinces, 36 geomorphic segments were identified using a customized, process-orientated classification scheme, which described the basic physical characteristics of the Niobrara River and its valley. Analysis of the longitudinal slope characteristics indicated that the Niobrara River longitudinal profile may be largely bedrock-controlled, with slope inflections co-located at changes in bedrock type at river level. Hydraulic geometry relations indicated that local (at-a-station) channel adjustments of the Niobrara River to changing discharge are accommodated mainly by changes in velocity, and streamwise adjustments are accommodated through changes in channel width. Downstream hydraulic geometry relations are in general agreement with values previously published for rivers of the Great Plains, but coefficients are likely skewed low because the locations of the streamflow-gaging stations used in this analysis are located at natural or engineered constrictions and may not be accurately representing downstream adjustment processes of the Niobrara River. A demonstration analysis of hydraulic microhabitat attributes at a single station indicated that changes in velocity-related habitat types is the primary microhabitat adjustment over a range of discharges, but the magnitude of that adjustment for any particular discharge is temporally variable.

Nebraska↗
USGS2003

Statistical, economic and other tools for assessing natural aggregate

Quantitative aggregate resource assessment provides resource estimates useful for explorationists, land managers and those who make decisions about land allocation, which may have long-term implications concerning cost and the availability of aggregate resources. Aggregate assessment needs to be systematic and consistent, yet flexible enough to allow updating without invalidating other parts of the assessment. Evaluators need to use standard or consistent aggregate classification and statistic distributions or, in other words, models with geological, geotechnical and economic variables or interrelationships between these variables. These models can be used with subjective estimates, if needed, to estimate how much aggregate may be present in a region or country using distributions generated by Monte Carlo computer simulations.

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environmen↗
USGS2021

Renewing the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program as the Nation’s authoritative source for modern geologic knowledge

This document presents the renewed vision, mission, and goals for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP). The NCGMP, as authorized by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-285, 106 Stat. 166 and its reauthorizations), is tasked with expediting the production of a geologic database for the Nation based on modern geologic maps and their supporting data. In addition to highlighting the benefits of geologic maps for economic prosperity, national security, and environmental quality, the report describes the NCGMP structure and components. A renewed vision and mission for the NCGMP are stated, and three goals for guiding the program toward that vision for the next ten years are established. The vision of creating an integrated, three-dimensional, digital geologic map of the United States and its territories to address the changing needs of the Nation by 2030 is thereby defined to drive the activities of all NCGMP components for the next ten years. The strategic actions required to realize the NCGMP vision are identified for each of its components.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2013

U.S. Geological Survey natural hazards science strategy— Promoting the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation

Executive Summary The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in natural hazards is to develop and apply hazard science to help protect the safety, security, and economic well-being of the Nation. The costs and consequences of natural hazards can be enormous, and each year more people and infrastructure are at risk. USGS scientific research—founded on detailed observations and improved understanding of the responsible physical processes—can help to understand and reduce natural hazard risks and to make and effectively communicate reliable statements about hazard characteristics, such as frequency, magnitude, extent, onset, consequences, and where possible, the time of future events. To accomplish its broad hazard mission, the USGS maintains an expert workforce of scientists and technicians in the earth sciences, hydrology, biology, geography, social and behavioral sciences, and other fields, and engages cooperatively with numerous agencies, research institutions, and organizations in the public and private sectors, across the Nation and around the world. The scientific expertise required to accomplish the USGS mission in natural hazards includes a wide range of disciplines that this report refers to, in aggregate, as hazard science. In October 2010, the Natural Hazards Science Strategy Planning Team (H–SSPT) was charged with developing a long-term (10-year) Science Strategy for the USGS mission in natural hazards. This report fulfills that charge, with a document hereinafter referred to as the Strategy, to provide scientific observations, analyses, and research that are critical for the Nation to become more resilient to natural hazards. Science provides the information that decisionmakers need to determine whether risk management activities are worthwhile. Moreover, as the agency with the perspective of geologic time, the USGS is uniquely positioned to extend the collective experience of society to prepare for events outside current memory. The USGS has critical statutory and nonstatutory roles regarding floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, coastal erosion, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and magnetic storms—the hazards considered in this plan. There are numerous other hazards of societal importance that are considered either only peripherally or not at all in this Strategy because they are either in another of the USGS strategic science plans (such as drought) or not in the overall mission of the USGS (such as tornados).

Circular↗
USGS1981

Geologic mapping of Kentucky: A history and evaluation of the Kentucky Geological Survey--U.S. Geological Survey Mapping Program, 1960-1978

In 1960, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Kentucky Geological Survey began a program to map the State geologically at a scale of 1:24,000 and to publish the maps as 707 U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Maps. Fieldwork was completed by the spring of 1977, and all maps were published by December 1978. Geologic mapping of the State was proposed by the Kentucky Society of Professional Engineers in 1959. Wallace W. Hagan, Director and State Geologist of the Kentucky Geological Survey, and Preston McGrain, Assistant State Geologist, promoted support for the proposal among organizations such as Chambers of Commerce, industrial associations, professional societies, and among members of the State government. It was also arranged for the U.S. Geological Survey to supply mapping personnel and to publish the maps; the cost would be shared equally by the two organizations. Members of the U.S. Geological Survey assigned to the program were organized as the Branch of Kentucky Geology. Branch headquarters, including an editorial staff, was at Lexington, Ky., but actual mapping was conducted from 18 field offices distributed throughout the State. The Publications Division of the U.S. Geological Survey established a cartographic office at Lexington to prepare the maps for publication. About 260 people, including more than 200 professionals, were assigned to the Branch of Kentucky Geology by the U.S. Geological Survey at one time or another. The most geologists assigned any one year was 61. To complete the mapping and ancillary studies, 661 professional man-years were required, compared with an original estimate of 600 man-years. A wide variety of field methods were used, but most geologists relied on the surveying altimeter to obtain elevations. Surface data were supplemented by drill-hole records, and several dozen shallow diamond-drill holes were drilled to aid the mapping. Geologists generally scribed their own maps, with a consequent saving of publication costs. Paleontologists and stratigraphers of the U.S. Geological Survey cooperated closely with the program. Paleontologic studies were concentrated in the Ordovician of central Kentucky, the Pennsylvanian of eastern and western Kentucky, and the Mesozoic and Cenozoic of westernmost Kentucky. In addition to financial support, the Kentucky Geological Survey provided economic data, stratigraphic support, and drillhole records to the field offices. Geologists of the State Survey made subsurface structural interpretations, constructed bedrock topography maps, and mapped several quadrangles. Some of the problems encountered were the inadequacy of much of the existing stratigraphic nomenclature, the uneven quality of some of the mapping, and the effects of relative isolation on the professional development of some of the geologists. The program cost a total of $20,927,500. In terms of 1960 dollars, it cost $16,035,000; this compares with an original estimate of $12,000,000. Although it is difficult to place a monetary value on the geologic mapping, the program has contributed to newly discovered mineral wealth, jobs, and money saved by government and industry. The maps are used widely in the exploration for coal, oil and gas, fluorspar, limestone, and clay. The maps are also used in planning highways and locations of dams, in evaluating foundation and excavation conditions, in preparing environmental impact statements, and in land-use planning.

Kentucky↗
USGS2015

Indian National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 01 report

Gas hydrate is a naturally occurring “ice-like” combination of natural gas and water that has the potential to serve as an immense resource of natural gas from the world’s oceans and polar regions. However, gas-hydrate recovery is both a scientific and a technical challenge and much remains to be learned about the geologic, engineering, and economic factors controlling the ultimate energy resource potential of gas hydrate. The amount of natural gas contained in the world’s gas-hydrate accumulations is enormous, but these estimates are speculative and range over three orders of magnitude from about 2,800 to 8,000,000 trillion cubic meters of gas. By comparison, conventional natural gas accumulations (reserves and undiscovered, technically recoverable resources) for the world are estimated at approximately 440 trillion cubic meters. Gas recovery from gas hydrate is hindered because the gas is in a solid form and because gas hydrate commonly occurs in remote Arctic and deep marine environments. Proposed methods of gas recovery from gas hydrate generally deal with disassociating or “melting” in situ gas hydrate by heating the reservoir beyond the temperature of gas-hydrate formation, or decreasing the reservoir pressure below hydrate equilibrium. The pace of energy-related gas hydrate assessment projects has accelerated over the past several years. The Indian National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 01 was designed to study the gas-hydrate occurrences off the Indian Peninsula and along the Andaman convergent margin with special emphasis on understanding the geologic and geochemical controls on the occurrence of gas hydrate in these two diverse settings. During Indian National Gas Hydrate Program Expedition 01, dedicated gas-hydrate coring, drilling, and downhole logging operations were conducted from 28 April 2006 to 19 August 2006.

Krishna-Godivari Basin↗