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At least 1,081 records · Page 60Linked to original sources
USGS2009

Mapping the mineral resource base for mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration in the conterminous United States

This database provides information on the occurrence of ultramafic rocks in the conterminous United States that are suitable for sequestering captured carbon dioxide in mineral form, also known as mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration. Mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration is a proposed greenhouse gas mitigation technology whereby carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is disposed of by reacting it with calcium or magnesium silicate minerals to form a solid magnesium or calcium carbonate product. The technology offers a large capacity to permanently store CO 2 in an environmentally benign form via a process that takes little effort to verify or monitor after disposal. These characteristics are unique among its peers in greenhouse gas disposal technologies. The 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage suggested that a major gap in mineral CO 2 sequestration is locating the magnesium-silicate bedrock available to sequester the carbon dioxide. It is generally known that silicate minerals with high concentrations of magnesium are suitable for mineral carbonation. However, no assessment has been made in the United States that details their geographical distribution and extent, nor has anyone evaluated their potential for use in mineral carbonation. Researchers at Columbia University and the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a digital geologic database of ultramafic rocks in the conterminous United States. Data were compiled from varied-scale geologic maps of magnesium-silicate ultramafic rocks. The focus of our national-scale map is entirely on ultramafic rock types, which typically consist primarily of olivine- and serpentine-rich rocks. These rock types are potentially suitable as source material for mineral CO 2 sequestration.

Conterminous United States↗
USGS1982

Mineral resource potential map of the Savannah Roadless Area, Liberty County, Florida

The Savannah Roadless Area is underlain by sedimentary rocks having low potential for oil and gas and minerals. The low potential for oil or gas notwithstanding, the possibilities for discovery cannot be ruled out because the area and nearby lands have not been thoroughly explored. No minerals have been mined within the Savannah Roadless Area, and the only production nearby has been the digging of clayey sand used in stabilizing U.S. Forest Service roads. Fuller's earth, quartz sand and gravel, clayey sand, and common clay presently are produced elsewhere in the region, and limestone and peat have been produced in the past. No clay suitable for structural clay products or fuller's earth is present in the roadless area; however, a bed of quartz sand and gravel of excellent quality was penetrated at a depth interval of 37-50 ft by one drill hole. Although this bed is coarser grained-and therefore is more suitable for many uses-than the sand deposits worked elsewhere in the Big Bend region, its mineral resource potential is reduced by the thickness of overburden above it and by its distance from markets in population centers. The Apalachicola National Forest has been explored for phosphate and reconnoitered for heavy minerals, but no valuable deposits of either have been found.

Florida↗
USGS1997

Water quality in the Appalachian Valley and Ridge, the Blue Ridge, and the Piedmont Physiographic Provinces, eastern United States

Chemical quality of ground water, spring water, and surface water differs substantially among the three physiographic provinces. Maps showing regional variations for 18 water properties and constituents are included in this Regional Aquifer System Analysis study report. Systematic variations in water quality are due to differences in geologic and hydrologic factors that include the dominant lithology, the availability of soluble minerals, and the degree of exposure of water to rock. Most ground water in the study area is low in concentrations of dissolved minerals, is moderately hard, and is slightly acidic. Spring water is generally harder than ground water and is slightly alkaline; whereas, surface water is softer than the ground water and is also slightly alkaline.

Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, ↗
USGS2017

Re-Os systematics and geochemistry of cobaltite (CoAsS) in the Idaho cobalt belt, Belt-Purcell Basin, USA: Evidence for middle Mesoproterozoic sediment-hosted Co-Cu sulfide mineralization with Grenvillian and Cretaceous remobilization

We report the first study of the Re-Os systematics of cobaltite (CoAsS) using disseminated grains and massive sulfides from samples of two breccia-type and two stratabound deposits in the Co-Cu-Au Idaho cobalt belt (ICB), Lemhi subbasin to the Belt-Purcell Basin, Idaho, USA. Using a 185 Re + 190 Os spike solution, magnetic and non-magnetic fractions of cobaltite mineral separates give reproducible Re-Os analytical data for aliquot sizes of 150 to 200 mg. Cobaltite from the ICB has highly radiogenic 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios (17–45) and high 187 Re/ 188 Os ratios (600–1800) but low Re and total Os contents (ca. 0.4–4 ppb and 14–64 ppt, respectively). Containing 30 to 74% radiogenic 187 Os, cobaltite from the ICB is amenable to Re-Os age determination using the isochron regression approach. Re-Os data for disseminated cobaltite mineralization in a quartz-tourmaline breccia from the Haynes-Stellite deposit yield a Model 1 isochron age of 1349 ± 76 Ma (2σ, n = 4, mean squared weighted deviation MSWD = 2.1, initial 187 Os/ 188 Os ratio = 4.7 ± 2.2). This middle Mesoproterozoic age is preserved despite a possible metamorphic overprint or a pulse of metamorphic-hydrothermal remobilization of pre-existing cobaltite that formed along fold cleavages during the ca. 1190–1006 Ma Grenvillian orogeny. This phase of remobilization is tentatively identified by a Model 3 isochron age of 1132 ± 240 Ma (2σ, n = 7, MSWD = 9.3, initial 187 Os/ 188 Os ratio of 9.0 ± 2.9) for cobaltite in the quartz-tourmaline breccia from the Idaho zone in the Blackbird mine. All Mesoproterozoic cobaltite mineralization in the district was affected by greenschist- to lower amphibolite-facies (garnet zone) metamorphism during the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous Cordilleran orogeny. However, the fine- to coarse-grained massive cobaltite mineralization from the shear zone-hosted Chicago zone, Blackbird mine, is the only studied deposit that has severely disturbed Re-Os systematics with evidence for a linear trend of mixing with (metamorphic?) fluids. The new Re-Os ages and extremely high initial 187 Os/ 188 Os ratios of cobaltite reported here favor a magmatic-hydrothermal genetic model for a multi-stage REE-Y-Co-Cu-Au mineralization occurring at ca. 1370 to 1349 Ma, and related to the emplacement of the Big Deer Creek granite pluton at ca. 1377 Ma. In our model, deposition of paragenetically early xenotime and gadolinite was followed by an influx of Mesoproterozoic evaporitic brines and magmatic-hydrothermal fluids containing metals and reduced sulfur derived from mafic and oceanic island-arc Archean to Paleoproterozoic rocks in the Laurentian basement. Cobaltite mineralization occurred upon cooling of these fluids at an inferred temperature of 300 °C or below.

Idaho↗
USGS1995

Geologic map and structure sections of the Clear Lake Volcanics, Northern California

The Clear Lake Volcanics are located in the California Coast Ranges about 150 km north of San Francisco. This Quaternary volcanic field has erupted intermittently since 2.1 million years ago. This volcanic field is considered a high-threat volcanic system (Ewert and others, 2005) The adjacent Geysers geothermal field, largest power-producing geothermal field in the world, is powered by the magmatic heat source for the volcanic field. This report consists of three sheets that include the geologic map, one table, two figures, three cross sections, description of map units, charts of standard and diagrammatic correlation of map units, and references. This map supersedes U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 76-751. Descriptions of map units are grouped by geographic area. Summaries of the evolution, chemistry, structure, and tectonic setting of the Clear Lake Volcanics are given in Hearn and others (1981) and Donnelly-Nolan and others (1981). The geology of parts of the area underlain by the Cache Formation is based on mapping by Rymer (1981); the geology of parts of the areas underlain by the Sonoma Volcanics, Franciscan assemblage, and Great Valley sequence is based on mapping by McLaughlin (1978). Volcanic compositional map units are basalt, basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite, rhyodacite, and rhyolite, based on SiO2 content. Included in this report are maps showing the distribution of volcanic rocks through time and a chart showing erupted volumes of different lava types through time. A table gives petrographic data for each map unit by mineral type, abundance, and size. Most ages are potassium-argon (K/Ar) ages determined for whole-rock samples and mineral separates by Donnelly-Nolan and others (1981), unless otherwise noted. A few ages are carbon-14 ages or were estimated from geologic relationships. Magnetic polarities are from Mankinen and others (1978; 1981) or were determined in the field by B.C. Hearn, Jr., using a portable fluxgate magnetometer. Thickness for most units is estimated from topographic relief except where drill-hole data were available.

California↗
USGS1992

Ages, rare-earth element enrichment, and petrogenesis of tholeiitic and alkalic basalts from Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii

Kahoolawe Island, Hawaii (18×11 km), is a basaltic shield volcano with caldera-filling lavas, seven identified postshield vents, and at least two occurrences of apparent rejuvenated-stage eruptive. We examined 42 samples that represent all stages of Kahoolawe volcano stratigraphy for their petrography, whole-rock major-and trace-element contents, mineral compositions, and K−Ar ages. The two oldest shield samples have an average age of 1.34±0.08 Ma, and four postshield samples (3 are alkalic) average 1.15±0.03 Ma; ages of 1.08 and 0.99 Ma for two additional tholeiitic samples probably are minimum ages. Whole-rock major- and trace-element and mineral compositions of Kahoolawe shield and caldera-fill laves are generally similar to the lavas forming Kilauea and Mauna Loa tholeiitic shields, but in detail, Kahoolawe shield lavas have distinctive compositions. An unusual aspect of many postshield Ka-hoolawe lavas is anomalously high REE and Y abundances (up to 200 ppm La and 175 ppm Y) and negative Ce anomalies. These enrichments reflect surficial processes, where weathering and soil development promoted REE-Y transport at the weathering front. Major element abundances (MgO, 10–6 wt.%) for shield and caldera-fill basalts are consistent with fractionation of ol+px+pl in frequently replenished magma reservoirs. In general, tholeiitic basalts erupted from late vents are higher in SiO 2 than the shield lavas, and temporal differences in parental magma compositions are the likely explanation. Alkalic basalts that erupted from vents are comparable in composition to those at other Hawaiian volcanoes. Trace-element abundance ratios indicate that alkalic basalts represent either relatively lower degrees of melting of the shield source or a distinct source. Apparent rejuvenated-stage basalts (i.e., emplaced after substantial Kahoolawe erosion) are tholeiitic, unlike the rejuvenated-stages at other Hawaiian volcanoes (alkalic). Kahoolawe, like several other Hawaiian volcanoes, has intercalated tholeiitic and alkalic basalts in the postshield stage, but it is the only volcano that appears to have produced tholeiitic rejuvenated-stage lavas.

Hawaii↗
USGS1979

Preliminary geologic and geophysical data of the UE25a-3 exploratory drill hole, Nevada Test Site, Nevada

The UE25a-3 drill hole, located in the Calico Hills area, southwestern part of the Nevada Test Site, was drilled as part of an effort to evaluate the Calico Hills area as a possible nuclear waste repository site. The purpose of the drill hole was to verify the existence of an intrusive crystalline body in the subsurface and to determine the stratigraphy, structure, and nature of fractures of the cored rocks. Cored samples were obtained for mineral, chemical, and material property analyses. Continuous cores were taken from 30.5 m (100ft) to total depth of 771.2 m (2,530.1 ft) of units J and I{?) (Late Mississippian age) of the Eleana Formation. The drill hole penetrated 416.1 m (1 ,365ft) of argillite, and 304.5 m (999ft) of thermally altered argillite of unit J, and 50.6 m (166ft) of marble of unit I(?). No crystalline rocks were intersected by the drill hole. Numerous high-angle faults and brecciated zones were intersected by the drill hole. The units cored were intensely fractured with fracture analysis of the core consisting of frequency of fractures, dips of fractures, open and closed (sealed) fractures and types of fracture sealing or coating material. Twenty-four hundred and thirty fractures, representing approximately 30 percent of the fractures present, indicate an average fracture frequency of 13.2 fractures per meter, predominantly high-angle dips with 66 percent of the fractures closed. Fractures in the argillite interval are sealed or coated predominantly with kaolinite, nacrite, and dickite. Calcite, chlorite, and magnetite are present in fractures in the altered argillite interval. Fractures in the marble interval are sealed or coated with calcite, dolomite, and ferruginous clay. The core index indicates that the lower half of the drilled interval is more competent than the upper half. Borehole geophysical logs were run by the Birdwell Division of Seismograph Service Corporation for geologic correlations and lithologic characterizations. The logs include: caliper, density, resistivity, spontaneous potential, Vibroseis, 3-D velocity, neutron, and gamma-ray logs. Lithologic boundaries and structures correlate to responses in the logs.

Nevada↗
USGS1980

A lead isotope study of mineralization in the Saudi Arabian Shield

New lead isotope data are presented for some late Precambrian and early Paleozoic vein and massive sulfide deposits in the Arabian Shield. Using the Stacey Kramers (1975) model for lead isotope evolution, isochron model ages range between 720 m.y. and 420 m.y. Most of the massive sulfide deposits in the region formed before 680 m.y. ago, during evolution of the shield. Vein type mineralization of higher lead content occurred during the Pan African event about 550 m.y. ago and continued through the Najd period of extensive faulting in the shield that ended about 530 m.y. ago. Late post-tectonic metamorphism may have been responsible for vein deposits that have model ages less than 500 m.y. Alternatively some of these younger model ages may be too low due to the mineralizing fluids acquiring radiogenic lead from appreciably older local crustal rocks at the time of ore formation. The low207Pb/204Pb ratios found for the deposits in the main part of the shield and for those in north-eastern Egypt, indicate that the Arabian craton was formed in an oceanic crustal environment during the late Precambrian. Involvement of older, upper-crustal material in the formation of the ore deposits in this part of the shield is precluded by their low207Pb/204Pb and208Pb/204Pb characteristics. In the eastern part of the shield, east of longitude 44??20???E towards the Al Amar-Idsas fault region, lead data are quite different. They exhibit a linear207Pb/204Pb-206Pb/204Pb relationship together with distinctly higher208Pb/204Pb characteristics. These data imply the existence of lower crustal rocks of early Proterozoic age that apparently have underthrust the shield rocks from the east. If most of the samples we have analyzed from this easterly region were mineralized 530 m.y. ago, then the age of the older continental rocks is 2,100??300 m.y. (2??). The presence of upper crustal rocks, possibly also of early Proterozoic age, is indicated by galena data from Hailan in South Yemen and also from near Muscat in Oman. These data are the first to indicate such old continental material in these regions. ?? 1980 Springer-Verlag.

Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology↗
USGS1979

Preliminary report on Tertiary volcanism and uranium mineralization in the Thomas Range and northern Drum Mountains, Juab County, Utah

The Thomas Range and northern Drum Mountains have a history of volcanism, faulting, and mineralization that began about 42 m.y. ago. Volcanic activity and mineralization in the area can be divided into three stages according to the time-related occurrence of rock types, trace element associations, and chemical nature of mineralization. Volcanic activity switched abruptly from rhyodacite-quartz latite (42-39 m.y. ago) to rhyolite (38-32 m.y. ago) to alkali rhyolite stages (21 and 6-7 m.y. ago); these stages correspond to periods of chalcophile and siderophile metal mineralization, no mineralization, and lithophile metal mineralization, respectively. Angular unconformities record episodes of cauldron collapse and block faulting between the stages of volcanic activity and mineralization. The youngest angular unconformity formed between 21 and 7 m.y. ago during basin-and-range faulting. Early rhyodacite-quartz latite volcanism from composite volcanoes and fissures produced flows, breccias, and ash-flow tuff of the Drum Mountains Rhyodacite and Mt. Laird Tuff. Eruption of the Mt. Laird Tuff about 39 m.y. ago from an area north of Joy townsite was accompanied by collapse of the Thomas caldera. Part of the roof of the magma chamber did not collapse, or the magma was resurgent, as is indicated by porphyry dikes and plugs in the Drum Mountains. Chalcophile and siderophile metal mineralization, including copper, gold, and manganese, accompanied early volcanism. The middle stage of volcanic activity was characterized by explosive eruption of rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs and collapse of the Dugway Valley cauldron. Eruption of the Joy Tuff 38 m.y. ago was accompanied by subsidence of this cauldron and followed by collapse and sliding of Paleozoic rocks from the west wall of the cauldron. Landslides in The Dell were covered by the Dell Tuff, erupted 32 m.y. ago from an unknown source to the east. An ash-flow of the Needles Range Formation was erupted 30-31 m.y. ago, probably from a distant source outside the volcanic field. The rhyolitic stage of volcanism was barren of mineralization. The last stage of volcanism was contemporaneous with basin-and-range faulting and was characterized by explosive eruption of ash and pumice, forming stratified tuff, and by quiet eruption of alkali rhyolite as viscous flows and domes. The first episode of alkali rhyolite volcanism deposited the beryllium tuff and porphyritic rhyolite members of the Spor Mountain Formation 21 m.y. ago. After a period of block faulting, the stratified tuff and alkali rhyolite of the Topaz Mountain Rhyolite were erupted 6-7 m.y. ago along faults and fault intersections. Erosion of Spor Mountain may have provided abundant dolomite detritus to the beryllium tuff member. The alkali rhyolite of both formations is fluorine-rich, as is evident from abundant topaz, and contains anomalous amounts of lithophile metals. Alkali rhyolite volcanism was accompanied by lithophile metal mineralization which deposited fluorite, beryllium, and uranium. The structure of the area is dominated by the Thomas caldera, and the younger Dugway Valley cauldron, which is nested within the Thomas caldera; the Thomas caldera is surrounded by a rim of Paleozoic rocks at Spor Mountain and Paleozoic to Precambrian rocks in the Drum Mountains. The Joy fault and Dell fault system mark the ring fracture zone of the Thomas caldera. These structural features began to form about 39 m.y. ago during eruption of the Mt. Laird Tuff and cauldon subsidence. The Dugway Valley cauldron sank along a series of step-like normal faults southeast of Topaz Mountain in response to collapse of the magma chamber of the Joy Tuff. The caldera structure was modified by block faulting between 21 and 7 m.y. ago, the time of widespread extensional faulting in the basin-and-range province. Vents erupted alkali rhyolite 6-7 m.y. ago along basin-and-range faults. Uranium mineralization was associated with the stage of alkali rhyolite volcanism, extensional basin-and-range faulting, and lithophile metal mineralization; it occurred at least 11 m.y. after the end of the caldera cycle. Uranium, derived from alkali rhyolite magma, was concentrated in trace amounts by magmatic fluids and in potentially economic amounts by hydrothermal fluids and ground water. Hydrothermal fluids deposited uraniferous fluorite as pipes in carbonate rocks of Paleozoic age on Spor Mountain and uranium-bearing disseminated deposits of fluorite and beryllium in the beryllium tuff member of the Spor Mountain Formation. Uranium of hydrothermal origin is dispersed in fluorite and opal. Uranium in fluorite may be tetravalent(?) but that in opal is probably hexavalent; no primary minerals of tetravalent uranium are known to occur. Ground waters have concentrated significant ores of hexavalent uranium minerals in the beryllium tuff member of the Spor Mountain Formation at the Yellow Chief Mine, and are probably also responsible for widespread low concentrations (0.0X percent) of uranium that occur separately from beryllium ore in the beryllium tuff member. More deposits of the Yellow Chief type may occur in down-faulted sections of beryllium tuff beneath the Thomas Range. The ground water ores show no evidence of a reducing environment; instead, precipitation of hexavalent uranium minerals occurred by evaporation, decline in concentration of complexing ions such as carbonate, or some other mechanism. Reducing environments for hydrothermal deposits must be sought around rhyolite vents and in a hypothesized pluton of alkali rhyolite composition beneath Spor Mountain; for ground-water deposits, reducing environments may occur in basin fill such as that of the Dugway Valley cauldron.

Utah↗
USGS1973

Soda Creek springs - metamorphic waters in the eastern Alaska Range

The Soda Creek springs are a group of small, cold mineral springs on the southern flank of the eastern Alaska Range. The spring waters contain anomalous concentrations of carbon dioxide, sodium, chlorine, sulfate, boron, and ammonia and are actively precipitating deposits of calcite and aragonite. Sparingly present in these deposits are mixed-layer illite-montmorillonite clays and zeolite minerals. Low-temperature metamorphic reactions in subjacent marine sedimentary rocks of Jurassic and Cretaceous age may have produced the fluids and silicate minerals. With only a few exceptions, cool bicarbonate-rich springs in Alaska are concentrated south of the Denali fault system in south-central Alaska, southeastern Alaska, and along the Kaltag-Tintina fault system. These areas are characterized by active or recently active tectonism, major faults and folds, and an abundance of marine sedimentary rocks.

Alaska↗
USGS1995

Estimating heat capacity and heat content of rocks

New heat-capacity measurements are reported for four rock types; Westerly granite from Bradford, RI, andesite from Lake County, OR, peridotite from Sonoma County, CA, and basalt from the Columbia River Group. Measurements were made on powders of the rocks in the temperature range of 340 to about 1000 K. Our measured heat-capacity values for rocks and other measurements of heat capacity or heat content of rocks found in the literature have been compared with estimated rock heat capacities calculated from the summation of heat capacities of both minerals and oxide components. The validity of calculating the heat content or heat capacity of rocks to better than about ± 3% from its mineral or chemical composition is well demonstrated by the data presented here.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2014

Assessment of ethylene dibromide, dibromochloropropane, other volatile organic compounds, radium isotopes, radon, and inorganic compounds in groundwater and spring water from the Crouch Branch and McQueen Branch aquifers near McBee, South Carolina, 2010-2012

Public-supply wells near the rural town of McBee, in southwestern Chesterfield County, South Carolina, have provided potable water to more than 35,000 residents throughout Chesterfield County since the early 1990s. Groundwater samples collected between 2002 and 2008 in the McBee area by South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) officials indicated that groundwater from two public-supply wells was characterized by the anthropogenic compounds ethylene dibromide (EDB) and dibromochloropropane (DBCP) at concentrations that exceeded their respective maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR). Groundwater samples from all public-supply wells in the McBee area were characterized by the naturally occurring isotopes of radium-226 and radium-228 at concentrations that approached, and in one well exceeded, the MCL for the combined isotopes. The local water utility installed granulated activated carbon filtration units at the two EDB- and DBCP-contaminated wells and has, since 2011, shut down these two wells. Groundwater pumped by the remaining public-supply wells is currently (2014) centrally treated at a water-filtration plant. To assess the occurrence, distribution, and potential sources of the anthropogenic and naturally occurring compounds detected in groundwater in the McBee area, samples of groundwater and spring water were collected from public-supply, domestic-supply, agricultural-supply, and monitoring wells and springs, respectively, between 2010 and 2012 by the U.S. Geological Survey. The water samples were analyzed for concentrations of EDB, DBCP, other volatile organic compounds (VOCs), radium-226 and radium-228, radon, and inorganic compounds. All wells sampled were screened in the shallow Crouch Branch aquifer, the deeper McQueen Branch aquifer, or, for most public-supply wells, both aquifers. In areas where no wells existed or wells could not be installed, passive samplers that adsorb EDB, DBCP, and various VOCs, were installed in the shallow subsurface. A representative groundwater flow pathway to each public supply well and selected other wells was determined by using a calibrated three-dimensional groundwater-flow model of the Atlantic Coastal Plain in Chesterfield County and particle-tracking analysis. The aerial extent of the groundwater flow pathway to public-supply wells was mapped by using chlorofluorocarbon-concentration based, apparent-age dates of the groundwater. The water-quality data collected between 2010 and 2012, in conjunction with groundwater flow pathways and historical aerial photographs of land uses near McBee, indicate an area where EDB-, DBCP-, 1,2-dichloropropane-, 1,3-dichloropropane-, and carbon disulfide-contaminated groundwater exists in the Crouch Branch aquifer in the Cedar Creek Basin and north of McBee and is most likely related to the past use of these compounds between the early 1900s and the 1980s as soil fumigants in predominately agricultural areas north of McBee. The highest EDB concentration detected (18.6 micrograms per liter) during the 3-year study was in a groundwater sample from an agricultural-supply well located north of McBee. Other VOCs, such as dichloromethane and 1,1,2-trichloroethane, also were detected in groundwater samples from this EDB-contaminated agricultural-supply well but are from unknown source(s). The fact that the agricultural area north of McBee is located in a recharge area for the Crouch Branch aquifer most likely facilitated the groundwater contamination in this area. DBCP-contaminated groundwater detected in three public-supply wells south of McBee in the deeper McQueen Branch aquifer appears to be related to past soil fumigation practices that used DBCP in agricultural areas located south of McBee. One of the three DBCP-contaminated public-supply wells also contained EDB, most likely present in groundwater due to the release of leaded gasolines that contained EDB as a fuel additive between the 1940s and 1970s. A gasoline-source of EDB, rather than a soil-fumigation source, is supported by the co-detection in groundwater from the well of 1,2-dichloroethane, a lead scavenger compound also added to leaded gasoline. Groundwater pumped from two public-supply wells located within and to the east of the McBee town limits and one domestic-supply well east of McBee was characterized by the detection of 1,1-dichloroethane, trichloroethylene, 1,1-dichloroethylene, and perchloroethylene. Groundwater flow pathways determined for these wells indicate that the potential source(s) of these compounds detected in one public-supply well and the domestic-supply well may be located within the McBee town limits, and that the potential source(s) of these compounds detected in the public-supply well to the east of McBee may be located in an area north of McBee formerly used for agriculture, but used for industry since at least the 1970s. Radium isotopes (defined in this study as the sum of radium-226 and radium-228 concentrations) and radon were detected in all wells sampled in the McBee area between 2010 and 2012. Wells characterized by radium isotope concentrations in groundwater that exceeded the MCL of 5.0 picocuries per liter were also characterized by specific conductance values greater than 30 microsiemens per centimeter and clustered north of McBee in a predominately agricultural area, and in agricultural and urban areas located within and east of McBee. The elevated specific conductance values measured in groundwater from these wells most likely are due to recharge by water mineralized by fertilizer application in agricultural areas, or due to the recharge by water mineralized by septic-tank drain-field effluent near urban areas. Radon was detected in groundwater from all wells sampled, and radon concentrations in groundwater from three monitoring wells exceeded the proposed MCL of 300 picocuries per liter. Concentrations of uranium in groundwater in the McBee area increased with increased groundwater-sample depth, most likely due to the proximity of the sample-collection location to basement rock that contains uranium-bearing minerals.

South Carolina↗
USGS2023

Methane pore accessibility, densification, and accommodation by organic matter in the Niobrara Formation at wet-gas thermal maturity conditions

Petroleum within unconventional source-rock reservoirs is hosted in organic matter and mineral pore space as well as in voids and microfractures. Recent work has shown that for source-rock reservoirs in the dry gas window, significant portions of methane (CH 4 ), the main component of petroleum at elevated maturities, can be stored within fine (<5 nm) organic matter porosity. However, within reservoirs at lower thermal maturities (e.g., peak oil or wet-gas conditions), the distribution and behavior of CH 4 and the higher alkanes that comprise gas condensates across pore sizes is unclear, especially for pores with diameters <50 nm. Understanding CH 4 distribution within these settings provides insight for petroleum generation, movement, and recoverability, ultimately enabling increased accuracy of estimated ultimate recovery. Here wide Q-range total neutron scattering was used to evaluate perdeuterated methane (CD 4 ) behavior at reservoir pressures (200–750 bar) and temperature (60 °C) in a sample at the late oil/wet gas thermal maturity stage from the Late Cretaceous Niobrara Formation, an active petroleum producing formation within the Denver-Julesburg Basin, U.S. Neutron scattering data show that mesopores within the Niobrara Formation sample exhibit mass fractal scattering, similar to previously measured U.S. marine shale samples. In the presence of CD 4 , scattering intensities between Q = 0.02–0.1 Å −1 (corresponding to nominal pore diameters from 25 to 5 nm, respectively) decrease with increased pressure up to 750 bar where at least 80% of all pores with ~25 nm diameters are CD 4 accessible. In contrast, between Q = 0.1–1 Å −1 (corresponding to nominal pore diameters from 5 to 0.5 nm, respectively), scattering intensity initially increased at the lowest CD 4 pressure tested (200 bar) before decreasing with increasing pressure. These signal fluctuations with CD 4 pressure are interpreted to arise from the creation of pores with diameters <5 nm, likely through deformation of solid bitumen by supercritical CD 4 , and/or the incorporation of CD 4 within sample organic matter. This new porosity represents an increase of at least ~8% in available pore volume within the sample, although the majority of these pores do not persist following removal of CD 4 . Additionally, there is strong evidence for densification of CD 4 within the sample indicated by a shift in the CD 4 intermolecular scattering peak to higher Q-values compared to bulk CD 4 . These results provide insight into fluid properties within source-rock reservoirs at late oil/wet gas thermal maturities, especially as they relate to organic porosity interconnectivity, and are discussed with perspective toward pressure management of gas condensate wells.

Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming↗
USGS2007

The geology of asbestos in the United States and its practical applications

Recently, naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) has drawn the attention of numerous health and regulatory agencies and citizen groups. NOA can be released airborne by (1) the disturbance of asbestos-bearing bedrocks through human activities or natural weathering, and (2) the mining and milling of some mineral deposits in which asbestos occurs as an accessory mineral(s). Because asbestos forms in specific rock types and geologic conditions, this information can be used to focus on areas with the potential to contain asbestos, rather than devoting effort to areas with minimal NOA potential. All asbestos minerals contain magnesium, silica, and water as essential constituents, and some also contain major iron and/or calcium. Predictably, the geologic environments that host asbestos are enriched in these components. Most asbestos deposits form by metasomatic replacement of magnesium-rich rocks. Asbestos-forming environments typically display shear or evidence for a significant influx of silica-rich hydrothermal fluids. Asbestos-forming processes can be driven by regional metamorphism, contact metamorphism, or magmatic hydrothermal systems. Thus, asbestos deposits of all sizes and styles are typically hosted by magnesium-rich rocks (often also iron-rich) that were altered by a metamorphic or magmatic process. Rock types known to host asbestos include serpentinites, altered ultramafic and some mafic rocks, dolomitic marbles and metamorphosed dolostones, metamorphosed iron formations, and alkalic intrusions and carbonatites. Other rock types appear unlikely to contain asbestos. These geologic insights can be used by the mining industry, regulators, land managers, and others to focus attention on the critical locales most likely to contain asbestos.

Environmental & Engineering Geoscience↗
USGS1995

The Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program: Background information to accompany geologic and mineral-resource maps of the Killik River 1°x3° quadrangle, northern Alaska

This report summarizes results of integrated geological, geochemical, and geophysical field and laboratory studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Killik River 1°x3° quadrangle, Brooks Range, northern Alaska. These studies were designed to provide an assessment of the mineral resources of the quadrangle. The geological and geochemical data were the primary sources of information used to assess the mineral-resource potential of the quadrangle. The presence of permissive host rocks and favorable geochemical signatures in stream- and lake-sediment and (or) heavy-mineral-concentrate samples were used to infer the potential for undiscovered resources of minerals in deposits of different types. The Killik River quadrangle may contain undiscovered resources of preciousand base-metals (principally lead, silver, and zinc) in veins and breccias hosted by Devonian and Mississippian clastic sedimentary rocks or in stratiform massive sulfide deposits hosted primarily by Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks. Resources of barium, phosphate, and manganese may be present in Mississippian to Jurassic sedimentary rocks. Cretaceous fluvial sedimentary rocks in the northern part of the quadrangle are permissive hosts for uranium deposits, as well as for placer deposits of heavy minerals such as gold and chromite; however, geochemical data suggest that the potential for deposits of this type is low. Numerous coal beds are present in the Cretaceous rocks throughout the northern part of the quadrangle, but the limited thickness and lateral extent of most of the beds reduce their resource potential. Although the southern third of the quadrangle has no potential for petroleum resources, there is potential in the northern two-thirds.

Alaska↗
USGS2016

Rare earth element ore geology of carbonatites

For nearly 50 years, carbonatites have been the primary source of niobium and rare earth elements (REEs), in particular the light REEs, including La, Ce, Pr, and Nd. Carbonatites are a relatively rare type of igneous rock composed of greater than 50 vol % primary carbonate minerals, primarily calcite and/or dolomite, and contain the highest concentrations of REEs of any igneous rocks. Although there are more than 500 known carbonatites in the world, currently only four are being mined for REEs: the Bayan Obo, Maoniuping, and Dalucao deposits in China, and the Mountain Pass deposit in California, United States. The carbonatite-derived laterite deposit at Mount Weld in Western Australia is also a REE producer. In addition to REEs, carbonatite-related deposits are the primary source of Nb, with the Araxá deposit, a carbonatite-derived laterite in Minas Gerais state, Brazil, being the dominant producer. Other commodities produced from carbonatite-related deposits include phosphates, iron, fluorite, copper, vanadium, titanium, uranium, and calcite. Types of ores include those formed as primary magmatic minerals, from late magmatic hydrothermal fluids, and by supergene enrichment in weathered horizons. Although the principal REE-bearing mineral phases include fluorocarbonates (bastnäsite, parisite, and synchysite), hydrated carbonates (ancylite), and phosphates (monazite and apatite), the dominant mineral exploited at most mines is bastnäsite. Bastnäsite typically is coarse grained and contains approximately 75 wt % RE 2 O 3 (rare earth oxides; REOs). Processes responsible for REE enrichment include fractional crystallization of the carbonatitic magma, enrichment of REEs in orthomagmatic or hydrothermal fluids and subsequent precipitation or subsolidus metasomatic redistribution of REEs, and breakdown of primary carbonatitic mineral phases by chemical weathering and sequestration of REEs in secondary minerals or in association with clays. Carbonatites are primarily associated with continental rifting, but some carbonatites are associated with orogenic activity. Although there is debate on how carbonatite magmas are generated, the parental magma and REEs are clearly derived from mantle sources.

Book chapter↗
USGS2003

Lead in the Getchell-Turquoise ridge Carlin-type gold deposits from the perspective of potential igneous and sedimentary rock sources in Northern Nevada: Implications for fluid and metal sources

Lead isotope compositions of bulk mineral samples (fluorite, orpiment, and realgar) determined using conventional techniques and of ore-stage arsenian pyrite using the Sensitive High Resolution Ion-Microprobe (SHRIMP) in the Getchell and Turquoise Ridge Carlin - type gold deposits (Osgood Mountains) require contribution from two different Pb sources . One Pb source dominates the ore stage. It has a limited Pb isotope range characterized by 208 Pb/ 206 Pb values of 2.000 to 2.005 and 207 Pb/ 206 Pb values of 0.8031 to 0.8075, as recorded by 10-μm-diameter spot SHRIMP analyses of ore-stage arsenian pyrite. These values approximately correspond to 206 Pb/ 204 Pb of 19.3 to 19.6, 207 Pb/ 204 Pb of 15.65 to 15.75, and 208 Pb/ 204 Pb of 39.2 to 39.5. This Pb source is isotopically similar to that in average Neoproterozoic and Cambrian elastic rocks but not to any potential magmatic sources . Whether those clastic rocks provided Pb to the ore fluid cannot be unequivocally proven because their Pb isotope compositions over the same range as in ore-stage arsenian pyrite are similar to those of Ordovician to Devonian siliciclastic and calcareous rocks. The Pb source in the calcareous rocks most likely is largely detrital minerals, since that detritus was derived from the same sources as the detritus in the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian clastic rocks. The second Pb source is characterized by a large range of 206 Pb/ 204 Pb values (18-34) with a limited range of 208 Pb/ 204 Pb values (38.1-39.5), indicating low but variable Th/U and high and variable U/Pb values. The second Pb source dominates late and postore-stage minerals but is also found in preore sulfide minerals. These Pb isotope characteristics typify Ordovician to Devonian siliciclastic and calcareous rocks around the Carlin trend in northeast Nevada . Petrologically similar rocks host the Getchell and Turquoise Ridge deposits . Lead from the second source was either contributed from the host sedimentary rock sequences or brought into the hydrothermal system by oxidized ground water as the system collapsed. Late ore- and postore-stage sulfide minerals (pyrite, orpiment, and stibnite) from the Betze-Post and Meikle deposits in the Carlin trend and from the Jerritt Canyon mining district have Pb isotope characteristics similar to those determined in Getchell and Turquoise Ridge . This observation suggests that the Pb isotope compositions of their ore fluids may be similar to those at Getchell and Turquoise Ridge . Two models can explain the Pb isotope compositions of the ore-stage arsenian pyrite versus the late ore or postore sulfide minerals. In either model, Pb from the Ordovician to Devonian siliciclastic and calcareous rock source enters the hydrothermal system late in the ore stage but not to any extent during the main stage of ore deposition. In one model, ore-stage Pb was derived from a source with Pb isotope compositions similar to those of the Neoproterozoic and Cambrian clastic sequence, transported as part of the ore fluid and then deposited in the ore-stage arsenian pyrite and fluorite. The second model is based on the observation that the Pb isotope characteristics of the ore-stage minerals also are found in some Ordovician to Devonian calcareous and siliciclastic rocks. Hence, ore-stage Pb could have been derived locally and simply concentrated during the ore stage. Critical to the second model is the removal of all high 206 Pb/ 204 Pb (>20) material during alteration. It Also requires the retention of only the low 206 Pb/ 204 Pb component of the Ordovician to Devonian sedimentary rocks. This critical step is possible only if the high 206 Pb/ 204 Pb values are contained in readily dissolvable mineral phases, whereas the low 206 Pb/ 204 Pb values are found only in refractory minerals that released Pb during a final alteration stage just prior deposition of auriferous arsenian pyrite. Distinguishing between Pb transported with the ore fluid or inherited from the site of mineral deposition is not straightforward; however, it is simpler to explain the Pb isotope compositions of ore-stage arsenian pyrite and fluorite in two different but spatially related Carlin - type deposits ( Getchell and Turquoise Ridge ) with different host rocks by input of Pb with the ore fluid . Once the limited Pb in the hydrothermal fluid was exhausted by incorporation in ore-stage arsenian pyrite or other ore-stage minerals, Pb from the second source , the Ordovician to Devonian sedimentary rock sequences, became available for incorporation in some but not all of the late-stage sulfide minerals.

Nevada↗
USGS1977

Tellurium, a guide to mineral deposits

Te dispersion patterns are useful in exploring for different types of mineral deposits and in providing additional information about known ore deposits. The Te content of rocks is given for five mining districts in the western United States: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; Robinson, near Ely, Nevada; Montezuma, Colorado; Crater Creek area, Colorado; Cripple Creek, Colorado. Many of the analyses were obtained by use of a new analytical method sensitive to 0.001 ppm Te. The principal ore deposits in the Coeur d'Alene district, Idaho, are Pb-Zn-Ag replacement veins in Precambrian rocks of the Belt Supergroup. Te dispersion patterns show the outlines of the original mineral belts, the effects of intrusive events, the location of ore deposits, the displacements caused by post-ore faulting, and the borders of the 780-km 2 district. The disseminated porphyry Cu deposits of the Robinson mining district, Nevada, are associated with Cretaceous quartz monzonite stocks that have intruded Palaeozoic carbonate rocks. Te is present in rock samples in concentrations as high as 10,000 ppm and forms a halo around the areas containing the Cu deposits. The alteration zones in the porphyry Mo district near Montezuma, Colorado, are developed around several small Tertiary intrusions occurring along a regional shear zone. Te haloes reflect the locations of porphyry intrusives, individual deposits and their ore shoots, and the pattern and intensity of adjacent alteration. The Te content of soils over the Montezuma stock is higher than, and varies independently from, the Te content of adjacent outcrops. Soils generally contain more Te than adjacent outcropping rocks. Soil may collect gaseous Te compounds from mineral deposits. The Crater Creek area is a northwestern extension of the Summitville mining district, Colorado. Te dispersion patterns radiate out from exposed Cu-Pb-Zn veins, from an outcrop of molybdenite stockwork veins and from associated iron-stained altered rock. Te haloes intensify exponentially with proximity to known ore and suggest the presence of Summitville-type chimney deposits. Most of the gold- and silver-telluride ore in the Cripple Creek district, Colorado, is found in fracture fillings within a volcanic subsidence basin. Haloes of Au, Ag and Te all define the mineralized portions of the fissure veins.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗