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At least 1,081 records · Page 60Linked to original sources

USGS1982

Chemical composition of bulk precipitation in the North-Central and Northeastern United States, December 1980 through February 1981

Samples of bulk precipitation were collected at 179 sites in the North-Central and Northeastern United States for 3 months during winter 1980-81 to provide data on the distribution of chemical constituents. Concentrations and average daily loads of 29 dissolved constituents were determined. Sodium and chloride deposition was relatively high in coastal areas and adjacent to some urban centers. Regional patterns of to daily loads of hydrogen ion, nitrate, lead, and iron correlate well with one another and form a concentric pattern around the center of high deposition in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, suggesting an urban-industrial source. Samples from this area had low pH (<4.2), whereas samples from southern Minnesota and Illinois had a more neutral pH (>5.7). The latter samples had high concentrations of calcium and total inorganic carbon, suggesting pH control by soil-derived carbonate minerals. Deposition patterns of ammonium, nitrate, and sulfate display regional highs in Illinois, Indiana, and southwestern Michigan, suggesting agricultural sources such as fertilizer. Median loads of zinc, iron, and lead were lower than reported in previous studies for North America. The apparent decrease in lead since 1950 throughout the area is attributed to reduced consumption of leaded fuels and lower deposition in winter.

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USGS1983

Disposal of high-level nuclear waste above the water table in arid regions

Locating a repository in the unsaturated zone of arid regions eliminates or simplifies many of the technological problems involved in designing a repository for operation below the water table and predicting its performance. It also offers possible accessibility and ease of monitoring throughout the operational period and possible retrieval of waste long after. The risks inherent in such a repository appear to be no greater than in one located in the saturated zone; in fact, many aspects of such a repository's performance will be much easier to predict and the uncertainties will be reduced correspondingly. A major new concern would be whether future climatic changes could produce significant consequences due to possible rise of the water table or increased flux of water through the repository. If spent fuel were used as a waste form, a second new concern would be the rates of escape of gaseous iodine-129 and carbon-14 to the atmosphere.

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USGS1992

International strategic minerals inventory summary report; zirconium

Zircon, a zirconium silicate, is currently the most important commercial zirconium-bearing mineral. Baddeleyite, a natural form of zirconia, is less important but has some specific end uses. Both zircon and baddeleyite occur in hard-rock and placer deposits, but at present all zircon production is from placer deposits. Most baddeleyite production is from hard-rock deposits, principally as a byproduct of copper and phosphate-rock mining. World zirconium resources in identified, economically exploitable deposits are about 46 times current production rates. Of these resources, some 71 percent are in South Africa, Australia, and the United States. The principal end uses of zirconium minerals are in ceramic applications and as refractories, abrasives, and mold linings in foundries. A minor amount, mainly of zircon, is used for the production of hafnium-free zirconium metal, which is used principally for sheathing fuel elements in nuclear reactors and in the chemical-processing industry, aerospace engineering, and electronics. Australia and South Africa are the largest zircon producers and account for more than 70 percent of world output; the United States and the Soviet Union account for another 20 percent. South Africa accounts for almost all the world's production of baddeleyite, which is about 2 percent of world production of contained zirconia. Australia and South Africa are the largest exporters of zircon. Unless major new deposits are developed in countries that have not traditionally produced zircon, the pattern of world production is unlikely to change by 2020. The proportions, however, of production that come from existing producing countries may change somewhat.

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USGS1950

Coal resources of the United States, A progress report, November 1, 1950

Interest in the quantity and quality of the coal reserves of the United States has increased greatly since the end of World War II, principally because of the growing realization that the ultimate reserves of petroleum and natural gas, although largely undefined, still. have finite limits. With the greatly increased use of petroleum and natural gas, it has become further apparent that the reserves of these two fuels, whatever their ultimate limits may prove to be, are being consumed at a rate far surpassing that anticipated a few years ago. At some time in the future, therefore, the contribution of coal to the total production of energy in this country must inevitably be enlarged to include some of the needs now served by petroleum and natural gas. Although coal-bearing rocks cover 14 percent of the total area of the United States (fig. 1) and contain enormous reserves, it is equally apparent that reserves of coal also have limits. In the extensively mined sections in the East it is already increasingly difficult to locate new areas containing thick beds of high-rank and high-quality coal to replace areas that have been mined out. Furthermore, a considerable part of the total reserves of the United States consists of coal of lignite and subbituminous ranks and coal contained in thin beds that can be mined only with great difficulty and expense. At the present time, therefore, the depletion of reserves of high-rank and high-quality coal, particularly the Eastern coal that is suitable for the manufacture of metallurgical coke, is a more serious problem than the percentage depletion of the total coal reserves. Recognizing the need for more detailed estimates of coal reserves than those that have been available in the past, the U. S. Geological Survey is now preparing a reappraisal of the coal reserves of the United States in which primary emphasis is placed on the amounts of coal in separate categories according to rank,thickness of coal, and thickness of overburden. Many of the state geological surveys in coal-producing areas are also preparing new appraisals of coal reserves. The increasing volume of geologic data available on the occurrence of coal and the detailed and careful methods now employed in calculating reserves should ultimately provide a more reliable estimate for the coal reserves of the United States than has been obtainable previously, although much additional work remains to be done.

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USGS1986

Prospects for mineral resource assessments on public lands: Proceedings of the Leesburg workshop

Modern geological surveys pursue a wide spectrum of research activities in the earth sciences. From the beginning, however, one of the core tasks of any national geological survey has been the assessment and evaluation of its nation's mineral and fuel resources. The methods by which such assessments are carried out have become more sophisticated over time, in keeping with advancing geoscientific knowledge and the development and application of new concepts and technologies. However, the basic objectives of such work have changed little, and the fundamental goal remains the construction of the best possible base of information on the nature, distribution and economic potential of the resources within a nation's landmass and its offshore jurisdictions.

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USGS2022

Database of water quality and groundwater elevation within and surrounding the Lee Acres Landfill, New Mexico, 1985–2020

This report describes the background information related to and the contents of the Lee Acres-Giant Bloomfield Refinery Database (LAGBRD), which is a compilation of monitoring data collected at the Lee Acres Landfill and the Giant Bloomfield Refinery near Farmington, New Mexico. LAGBRD includes monitoring data from as early as 1985, when awareness was increasing regarding contamination from liquid waste lagoons at the landfill and fuel releases at the refinery. Water quality and groundwater elevation data from sampling locations at the landfill and the refinery are included in the database. LAGBRD was compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, which operates the Lee Acres Landfill, in order to facilitate future studies into the characteristics of groundwater contamination and background geochemistry at the landfill and refinery sites.

New Mexico↗

USGS2022

Materials flow in the United States—A global context, 1900–2020

Introduction During the last 12 decades (1900–2020), the amounts of raw materials used in the United States have increased significantly due to economic development, technological innovations, and population growth. Data on materials are presented here to provide an overview of the annual quantities (measured in physical terms) required for the standard of living in the United States and to provide insights into the consumption trajectory that developing countries may follow. The consumption patterns driving the use of raw materials were analyzed through the lens of economic disruptions and expansions during this period, illustrating the linkages between the selected materials and economic development. These annual material inputs to the U.S. economy (excluding food or fuel) were also analyzed in a global context. The data used were gathered by various agencies and compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey.

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USGS2006

Spatial database of mining-related features in 2001 at selected phosphate mines, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, and Caribou Counties, Idaho

This report describes the spatial database, PHOSMINE01, and the processes used to delineate mining-related features (active and inactive/historical) in the core of the southeastern Idaho phosphate resource area. The spatial data have varying degrees of accuracy and attribution detail. Classification of areas by type of mining-related activity at active mines is generally detailed; however, for many of the closed or inactive mines the spatial coverage does not differentiate mining-related surface disturbance features. Nineteen phosphate mine sites are included in the study, three active phosphate mines - Enoch Valley (nearing closure), Rasmussen Ridge, and Smoky Canyon - and 16 inactive (or historical) phosphate mines - Ballard, Champ, Conda, Diamond Gulch, Dry Valley, Gay, Georgetown Canyon, Henry, Home Canyon, Lanes Creek, Maybe Canyon, Mountain Fuel, Trail Canyon, Rattlesnake, Waterloo, and Wooley Valley. Approximately 6,000 hc (15,000 ac), or 60 km2 (23 mi2) of phosphate mining-related surface disturbance are documented in the spatial coverage. Spatial data for the inactive mines is current because no major changes have occurred; however, the spatial data for active mines were derived from digital maps prepared in early 2001 and therefore recent activity is not included. The inactive Gay Mine has the largest total area of disturbance, 1,900 hc (4,700 ac) or about 19 km2 (7.4 mi2). It encompasses over three times the disturbance area of the next largest mine, the Conda Mine with 610 hc (1,500 ac), and it is nearly four times the area of the Smoky Canyon Mine, the largest of the active mines with about 550 hc (1,400 ac). The wide range of phosphate mining-related surface disturbance features (141) from various industry maps were reduced to 15 types or features based on a generic classification system used for this study: mine pit; backfilled mine pit; waste rock dump; adit and waste rock dump; ore stockpile; topsoil stockpile; tailings or tailings pond; sediment catchment; facilities; road; railroad; water reservoir; disturbed land, undifferentiated; and undisturbed land. In summary, the spatial coverage includes polygons totaling about 1,100 hc (2,800 ac) of mine pits, 440 hc (1100 ac) of backfilled mine pits, 1,600 hc (3,800 ac) of waste rock dumps, 31 hc (75 ac) of ore stockpiles, and 44 hc (110 ac) of tailings or tailings ponds. Areas of undifferentiated phosphate mining-related land disturbances, called 'disturbed land, undifferentiated,' total about 2,200 hc (5,500 ac) or nearly 22 km2 (8.6 mi2). No determination has been made as to status of reclamation on any of the lands. Subsequent site-specific studies to delineate distinct mine features will allow additional revisions to this spatial database.

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USGS2007

Channel response to low-elevation desert fire: The King Valley Fire of 2005

In late September to early October 2005, a fire swept north from the Yuma Proving Grounds and into the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), traveling mainly along desert wash systems and low-relief alluvial fans. This fire burned 9,975 ha, moving through xeroriparian systems in washes as well as low-elevation desert ecosystems in King Valley, a major area of designated wilderness in the southern part of the Kofa NWR. Using satellite imagery, we determined that 9,255 ha of the Kofa NWR in King Valley burned. The fine-fuel loading for the fire was mostly a native forb (Plantago insularis), and the desert environment that was burned was mostly low-cover creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) scrub with scattered palo verde (Cercidium microphyllum). The wash environments had significant tree cover, including ironwood (Olneya tesota), blue palo verde (Cercidium floridum), desert willow (Chilopsis linearis), and/or smoke tree (Psorothamnus spinosa). This report presents monitoring data collected in June 2006 and January-February 2007 on the effects of this fire on channel morphology in King Valley.

Arizona↗

USGS2010

Perchlorate data for streams and groundwater in selected areas of the United States, 2004

This report presents data collected as part of a reconnaissance study to evaluate the occurrence of perchlorate in rivers and streams and in shallow aquifers in selected areas of the United States. Perchlorate, a component in rocket fuels, fireworks, and some explosives is soluble in water and persists in soils and water for long periods. It is biologically active at relatively low-levels in the environment, and has been identified as an endocrine-disrupting chemical. The purpose of this reconnaissance was to determine the occurrence of perchlorate in agricultural areas of the Midwestern and North-Central United States and in arid Central and Western parts of the United States. Samples were collected from 171 sites on rivers and streams and 146 sites from wells during the summer and early fall of 2004. Samples were collected from surface-water sites in 19 states and from wells in 5 states. Perchlorate was detected in samples collected in 15 states and was detected in 34 of 182 samples from rivers and streams and in 64 of 148 groundwater samples at concentrations equal to or greater than 0.4 micrograms per liter. Perchlorate concentrations were 1.0 micrograms per liter or greater in surface-water samples from seven states and in groundwater samples in four states. Only one surface-water and one groundwater sample had concentrations greater than 5.0 micrograms per liter. Perchlorate concentrations in followup samples collected from 1 to 3 months after the initial sample were unchanged at four of five stream sites.

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USGS2014

Concentrations of selected constituents in surface-water and streambed-sediment samples collected from streams in and near an area of oil and natural-gas development, south-central Texas, 2011-13

During 2011–13, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the San Antonio River Authority and the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority, analyzed surface-water and streambed-sediment samples collected from 10 sites in the San Antonio River Basin to provide data for a broad range of constituents that might be associated with hydraulic fracturing and the produced waters that are a consequence of hydraulic fracturing. Among surface-water samples, all sulfide concentrations were less than the method detection limit of 0.79 milligrams per liter. Four glycols—diethylene glycol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, and triethylene glycol—were analyzed for in surface-water samples collected for this study, and none were detected. Of the 91 semivolatile organic compounds analyzed for this study, there were six detections, all but one of which were in storm-runoff samples. The base-flow sample collected at the San Antonio River at Goliad, Tex. (SAR Goliad), site contained bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, a plasticizer in polyvinyl chloride and a constituent in hydraulic fracturing fluids. The storm-runoff samples collected at the San Antonio River near Elmendorf, Tex. (SAR Elmendorf), and Ecleto Creek at County Road 326 near Runge, Tex. (Ecleto 2), sites also contained bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate. The storm-runoff sample collected at the SAR Elmendorf site contained the plasticizer diethyl phthalate. Both storm-runoff samples collected at the Ecleto Creek near Runge, Tex. (Ecleto 1), and Ecleto 2 sites contained benzyl alcohol, a solvent commonly used in paints. Of the 67 volatile organic compounds analyzed in this study, there were a total of six detections, all of which were in base-flow samples. The surface-water sample collected at the SAR Elmendorf site contained bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and trichloromethane, all of which are disinfection byproducts associated with the chlorination of municipal water supplies and of treated municipal wastewater. The sample collected at the Cibolo Creek near Saint Hedwig, Tex. (Cibolo St. Hedwig), site contained toluene, a fuel additive, solvent, and industrial feedstock used to produce benzene and a constituent associated with produced waters. The Cibolo St. Hedwig site is upstream from current (2014) oil and natural-gas production areas. Dichloromethane, an industrial solvent with multiple uses, was detected in surface-water samples at both the San Antonio River at State Highway 72 near Runge, Tex. (SAR 72), and SAR Goliad sites. In streambed-sediment samples, concentrations of total saturated hydrocarbons (TSH) ranged from an estimated 260 micrograms per kilogram (μg/kg) in the less than (<) 2-millimeter (mm) size-fraction sample collected at the SAR Goliad site to 11,000 μg/kg in the <2-mm size-fraction sample collected at the Ecleto 1 site. TSH concentrations were greater in the <63-micrometer (μm) size-fraction samples than in the <2-mm size-fraction samples in streambed-sediment samples collected from 5 of the 9 sites. Total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were calculated as the sum of the individual PAHs and alkylated PAHs. Total PAH concentrations ranged from less than the method detection limit in the <2-mm size-fraction samples collected from multiple sites to 1,600 μg/kg in the <2-mm size-fraction sample collected from the San Antonio River near McFaddin, Tex. (SAR McFaddin), site. Total PAH concentrations were greater in the <63-μm size-fraction samples than in the <2-mm size-fraction samples at 7 of the 9 sites. During collection of streambed-sediment samples, additional samples from a subset of three sites (the SAR Elmendorf, SAR 72, and SAR McFaddin sites) were processed by using a 63-µm sieve on one aliquot and a 2-mm sieve on a second aliquot for PAH and n -alkane analyses. The purpose of analyzing PAHs and n -alkanes on a sample containing sand, silt, and clay versus a sample containing only silt and clay was to provide data that could be used to determine if these organic constituents had a greater affinity for silt- and clay-sized particles relative to sand-sized particles. The greater concentrations of PAHs in the <63-μm size-fraction samples at all three of these sites are consistent with a greater percentage of binding sites associated with fine-grained (<63 μm) sediment versus coarse-grained (<2 mm) sediment. The larger difference in total PAHs between the <2-mm and <63-μm size-fraction samples at the SAR Elmendorf site might be related to the large percentage of sand in the <2-mm size-fraction sample which was absent in the <63-μm size-fraction sample. In contrast, the <2-mm size-fraction sample collected from the SAR McFaddin site contained very little sand and was similar in particle-size composition to the <63-μm size-fraction sample.

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USGS1997

The USGS World Energy Program

The world has recently experienced rapid change to market-driven economies and increasing reliance on petroleum supplies from areas of political instability. The interplay of unprecedented growth of the global population, increasing worldwide energy demand, and political instability in two major petroleum exporting regions (the former Soviet Union and the Middle East) requires that the United States maintains a current, reliable, objective assessment of the world's energy resources. The need is compounded by the environmental implications of rapid increases in coal use in the Far East and international pressure on consumption of fossil fuels.

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USGS2001

Natural gas hydrates; vast resource, uncertain future

Gas hydrates are naturally occurring icelike solids in which water molecules trap gas molecules in a cagelike structure known as a clathrate. Although many gases form hydrates in nature, methane hydrate is by far the most common; methane is the most abundant natural gas. The volume of carbon contained in methane hydrates worldwide is estimated to be twice the amount contained in all fossil fuels on Earth, including coal.

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USGS2002

Characterization and modes of occurrence of elements in feed coal and fly ash; an integrated approach

Despite certain environmental concerns, coal is likely to remain an important component of the United States energy supply, partly because it is the most abundant domestically available fossil fuel. One of the concerns about coal combustion for electricity production is the potential release of elements from coal and coal combustion products (CCPs) - fly ash - to the environment. This concern prompted the need for accurate, reliable, and comprehensive information on the contents and modes of occurrence of selected elements in power-plant feed coal and fly ash. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is collaborating with several electric utilities to determine the chemical and mineralogical properties of feed coal and fly ash. Our first study analyzed coal and fly ash from a Kentucky power plant, which uses many different bituminous coals from the Appalachian and Illinois Basins. Sulfur content of these feed coals rangedfrom 2.5 to 3.5 percent. The second study analyzed coal and fly ash from an Indiana power plant, which uses subbituminous coal from the Powder River Basin (fig. 1). Sulfur content of this feed coal ranged from 0.23 to 0.47 percent. A summary of important aspects of our approach and results are presented in this report.

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USGS1997

Mineral-resource data bases

Data bases are essential for modern scientific research. The new and exciting work being done in the Mineral Resource Program in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) usually begins with the question, "Where are the known deposits?" A mineral-resource data base containing this type of information and more can be useful not just to USGS scientists, but to anyone who needs such data. Users of the data bases from outside the USGS include mining and exploration companies, environmental groups, academia, other Federal Agencies, and the general public. At present, the USGS has two large mineral-resource data bases, MRDS (Mineral Resource Data System) and MAS (Minerals Availability System). MRDS was built and is mamtained by the USGS, and MAS was built and maintained by the Bureau of Mines. In 1996, after the Bureau was abolished, MAS was transferred to the USGS. The two data bases were compiled for different purposes and contain very different mformation. For instance, MAS contains information on costs, details of mining methods, and feasibility studies. MRDS has mineralogical and geologic data that are not contained in MAS. Because they are both mineral-resource data bases, however, they contain some information in common, such as location, name(s) of sites, and commodities present. Both data bases are international in scope, and both are quite large. MRDS contains over 110,000 records, while MAS has over 220,000. One reason that MAS has more records is that it contains information on smelters, mill sites, and fossil fuel sites, as well as mineral- resource sites. The USGS is working to combine the information in both data bases. This is a large undertaking that will require some years to complete. In the interim, information from both data bases will still be available

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USGS1998

Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project; energy resources activities

Oil, natural gas, and coal (energy resources) have been produced from rocks in the Front Range of Colorado and Wyoming for more than a century, and significant quantities of oil and gas continue to be developed in the study area of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project (fig. 1). As an infrastructure resource, energy resources helped to fuel past development of (1) urban areas in the Front Range as well as (2) some of the manufacturing and mining upon which the urban centers were built and thrived. At present, much of the oil and gas extracted from rocks beneath the Front Range urban corridor is used locally; the people living in the urban area provide a need and viable marketplace for these commodities.

Colorado, Wyoming↗

USGS2002

Born of fire - restoring sagebrush steppe

Fire is a natural feature of sagebrush grasslands in the Great Basin. The invasion of exotic annual grasses, such as Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass), has changed the environment in these ecosystems. Invasive annual grasses provide a dense and continuous source of fuel that extends the season for fires and increases the frequency of fires in the region. Frequent fires eventually eliminate the native sagebrush. These annual grasses also change soil nutrients, especially carbon and nitrogen, such that invasive annual grasses are favored over the native plants. The Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is studying how to reduce the problems caused by these invasive annual grasses and restore native sagebrush grasslands. The areas of research include understanding disturbance regimes, especially fire, discerning the role of nutrients in restoring native plants, determining the potential to restore forbs important for wildlife, and ascertaining the past and present use of native and nonnative plants in revegetation projects.

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USGS1997

Radioactive Elements in Coal and Fly Ash: Abundance, Forms, and Environmental Significance

Coal is largely composed of organic matter, but it is the inorganic matter in coal—minerals and trace elements— that have been cited as possible causes of health, environmental, and technological problems associated with the use of coal. Some trace elements in coal are naturally radioactive. These radioactive elements include uranium (U), thorium (Th), and their numerous decay products, including radium (Ra) and radon (Rn). Although these elements are less chemically toxic than other coal constituents such as arsenic, selenium, or mercury, questions have been raised concerning possible risk from radiation. In order to accurately address these questions and to predict the mobility of radioactive elements during the coal fuel-cycle, it is important to determine the concentration, distribution, and form of radioactive elements in coal and fly ash.

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