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At least 1,171 records · Page 65Linked to original sources
USGS1982

Modern sedimentary environments on the Rhode Island inner shelf, off the eastern United States

Analyses of side-scan sonar records along with previously published bathymetric, textural and subbottom data reveal the sedimentary environments on the inner Continental Shelf south of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. The bottom topography in this area is characterized by a broad central depression bordered by shallow, irregular sea floor on the north and east and by a discontinuous, curvilinear ridge on the south and west. Four distinct environments were identified: (1) Pre-Mesozoic coastal rocks are exposed on the sea floor at isolated locations near the shore (waterdepths < 32 m). These exposures have pronounced, irregular topographic relief and produce blotchy patterns op side-scan sonographs. (2) Glacial moraine deposits form the discontinuous offshore ridge. These deposits have hummocky sea-floor relief, are covered by lag gravel and boulders, and appear as predominantly black (strongly reflective) patterns on the side-scan records. (3) Over most of the shallow, irregular bottom in the northeast, on the flanks of the morainal ridge, and atop bathymetric highs, the sea floor is characterized as a mosaic of light and dark patches and lineations. The dark (more reflective) zones are areas of coarse sands and megaripples (wavelengths = 0.8--1.2 m) that either have no detectable relief or are slightly depressed relative to surrounding (fight) areas of finer-grained sands. (4) Smooth beds that produce nearly featureless patterns on the sonographs occupy the broad central bathymetric depression as well as smaller depressions north and east of Block Island. Within the broad depression, sonographs having practically no shading indicate a central zone of modern sandy silt, whereas records having moderate tonality define a peripheral belt of silty sand. The sedimentary environments that are outlined range from erosional or nondepositional (bedrock, glacial moraine) to depositional (featureless beds), and include areas that may reflect a combination of erosional and depositional processes (textural patchiness). The distribution and characteristics of the environments reveal the general post-glacial sedimentary history of this area and provide a guide to future utilization of the shelf surface.

Rhode Island↗
USGS1990

Sedimentary evolution of the Pliocene and Pleistocene Ebro margin, northeastern Spain

The Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits of the Spanish Ebro margin overlie a regional unconformity and contain a major disconformity. These unconformities, named Reflector M and Reflector G, mark the bases of two seismic sequences. Except for close to the upper boundary where a few small channel deposits are recognized, the lower sequence lacks channels. The upper sequence contains nine channel-levee complexes as well as base-of-slope aprons that represent the proximal part of the Valencia turbidite system. Diverse geometries and variations in seismic units distinguish shelf, slope, base-of-slope and basin-floor facies. Four events characterize the late Miocene to Pleistocene evolution of the Ebro margin: (a) formation of a paleodrainage system and an extensive erosion-to-depositional surface during the latest Miocene (Messinian), (b) deposition of hemipelagic units during the early Pliocene, (c) development of canyons during the late Pliocene to early Pleistocene, and (d) deposition of slope wedges, channel-levee complexes, and base-of-slope aprons alternating with hemipelagic deposition during the Pleistocene. Sea-level fluctuations influenced the evolution of the sedimentary sequences of the Ebro margin, but the major control was the sediment supply from the Ebro River.

Marine Geology↗
USGS1994

Correlation of basinal carbonate cycles to nearshore parasequences in the Late Cretaceous Greenhorn seaway, Western Interior U.S.A.

Upper Cretaceous limestone-shale couplets developed within the late transgressive stage of the Greenhorn cyclothem may be correlated from carbonate-dominated (basinal) sequences in central Kansas and Colorado westward to clastic cycles in southern Utah. Six such basinal couplets have been traced to corresponding upward-coarsening progradational cycles developed on the western margin of the Western Interior basin. In the central basin in Colorado and Kansas, these sedimentary cycles are represented by limestone-shale and marlstone-shale couplets ∼0.5-1.0 m in thickness. More calcareous parts of these couplets may be correlated westward into condensed, fossiliferous concretion and shell beds in proximal offshore lithofacies of Arizona and Utah. These concretion and shell beds are physically traceable farther landward (westward) into bioturbated, fossil-rich, transgressive lag deposits that bound 10- to 20-m-thick coarsening-upward progradational strand-plain deposits (parasequences) in southwestern Utah. Thus, the progra-dational phase of parasequence deposition correlates with accumulation of clay-rich sediment in the central basin, and the transgressive phase is characterized by reduced terrigenous input and deposition of carbonate-rich sediment. We consider Milankovitch-style orbital forcing of climate and tectonically induced fluctuations in rates of foredeep basin subsidence as possible forcing mechanisms for these basinwide events. Based on the widespread distribution of the limestone-shale couplets, as well as on estimated sedimentation rates and geochronology, it has been widely speculated that these carbonate cycles reflect Milankovitch cycles with periodicities on the order of 20 k.y. to 100 k.y. If so, then stratigraphic data suggest that orbital forcing of climate affected eustasy and/or sediment input and biogenic production in the Western Interior basin. Alternatively, thrusting events in the Sevier orogenic belt may have produced episodic changes in the rates of foredeep basin subsidence and consequent changes in base level, which could have controlled the deposition of the Greenhorn parasequences and carbonate cycles. In either case, correlation of these units demonstrates a consistent basinwide sedimentary response to high-frequency base level or sediment input changes in the Western Interior epicontinental basin.

Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Utah↗
USGS2012

Strata-bound Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-REE deposits of the Idaho Cobalt Belt: Multistage hydrothermal mineralization in a magmatic-related iron oxide copper-gold system

Mineralogical and geochemical studies of strata-bound Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-rare-earth element (REE) deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt in east-central Idaho provide evidence of multistage epigenetic mineralization by magmatic-hydrothermal processes in an iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) system. Deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt comprise three types: (1) strata-bound sulfide lenses in the Blackbird district, which are cobaltite and, less commonly, chalcopyrite rich with locally abundant gold, native bismuth, bismuthinite, xenotime, allanite, monazite, and the Be-rich silicate gadolinite-(Y), with sparse uraninite, stannite, and Bi tellurides, in a gangue of quartz, chlorite, biotite, muscovite, garnet, tourmaline, chloritoid, and/or siderite, with locally abundant fluorapatite or magnetite; (2) discordant tourmalinized breccias in the Blackbird district that in places have concentrations of cobaltite, chalcopyrite, gold, and xenotime; and (3) strata-bound magnetite-rich lenses in the Iron Creek area, which contain cobaltiferous pyrite and locally sparse chalcopyrite or xenotime. Most sulfide-rich deposits in the Blackbird district are enclosed by strata-bound lenses composed mainly of Cl-rich Fe biotite; some deposits have quartz-rich envelopes. Whole-rock analyses of 48 Co- and/or Cu-rich samples show high concentrations of Au (up to 26.8 ppm), Bi (up to 9.16 wt %), Y (up to 0.83 wt %), ∑REEs (up to 2.56 wt %), Ni (up to 6,780 ppm), and Be (up to 1,180 ppm), with locally elevated U (up to 124 ppm) and Sn (up to 133 ppm); Zn and Pb contents are uniformly low (≤821 and ≤61 ppm, respectively). Varimax factor analysis of bulk compositions of these samples reveals geochemically distinct element groupings that reflect statistical associations of monazite, allanite, and xenotime; biotite and gold; detrital minerals; chalcopyrite and sparse stannite; quartz; and cobaltite with sparse selenides and tellurides. Significantly, Cu is statistically separate from Co and As, consistent with the general lack of abundant chalcopyrite in cobaltite-rich samples. Paragenetic relations determined by scanning electron microscopy indicate that the earliest Y-REE-Be mineralization preceded deposition of Co, Cu, Au, and Bi. Allanite, xenotime, and gadolinite-(Y) commonly occur as intergrowths with and inclusions in cobaltite; the opposite texture is rare. Monazite, in contrast, forms a poikiloblastic matrix to cobaltite and thin rims on allanite and xenotime, reflecting a later metamorphic paragenesis. Allanite and xenotime also show evidence of late dissolution and reprecipitation, forming discordant rims on older anhedral allanite and xenotime and separate euhedral crystals of each mineral. Textural data suggest extensive deformation of the deposits by folding and shearing, and by pervasive recrystallization, all during Cretaceous metamorphism. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe U-Pb geochronology by Aleinikoff et al. (2012) supports these paragenetic interpretations, documenting contemporaneous Mesoproterozoic growth of early xenotime and crystallization of megacrystic A-type granite on the northern border of the district. These ages are used together with mineralogical and geochemical data from the present study to support an epigenetic, IOCG model for Fe-Co-Cu-Au-Bi-Y-REE deposits of the Idaho cobalt belt. A sulfide facies variant of IOCG deposits is proposed for the Blackbird district, in which reducing hydrothermal conditions favored deposition of sulfide minerals over iron oxides. This new model includes Mesoproterozoic vein mineralization and related Fe-Cl metasomatism that formed the biotite-rich lenses, a predominantly felsic magmatic source for metals in the deposits, given their local abundance of Y, REEs, and Be, and a major sedimentary component in the hydrothermal fluids based on independent sulfur isotope and boron isotope data for sulfides and ore-related tourmaline, respectively.

Economic Geology↗
USGS2003

Map and digital database of sedimentary basins and indications of petroleum in the Central Alaska Province

This database and accompanying text depict historical and modern reported occurrences of petroleum both in wells and at the surface within the boundaries of the Central Alaska Province. These data were compiled from previously published and unpublished sources and were prepared for use in the 2002 U.S. Geological Survey petroleum assessment of Central Alaska, Yukon Flats region. Indications of petroleum are described as oil or gas shows in wells, oil or gas seeps, or outcrops of oil shale or oil-bearing rock and include confirmed and unconfirmed reports. The scale of the source map limits the spatial resolution (scale) of the database to 1:2,500,000 or smaller.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Geologic Map of the Boxley Quadrangle, Newton and Madison Counties, Arkansas

This map summarizes the geology of the Boxley 7.5-minute quadrangle in the Ozark Plateaus region of northern Arkansas. Geologically, the area lies on the southern flank of the Ozark dome, an uplift that exposes oldest rocks at its center in Missouri. Physiographically, the Boxley quadrangle lies within the Boston Mountains, a high plateau region underlain by Pennsylvanian sandstones and shales. Valleys of the Buffalo River and its tributaries expose an approximately 1,600-ft-(490-m-)thick sequence of Ordovician, Mississippian, and Pennsylvanian carbonate and clastic sedimentary rocks that have been mildly deformed by a series of faults and folds. Part of Buffalo National River, a park encompassing the Buffalo River and adjacent land that is administered by the National Park Service, extends through the eastern part of the quadrangle. Mapping for this study was conducted by field inspection of numerous sites and was compiled as a 1:24,000-scale geographic information system (GIS) database. Locations and elevation sites were determined with the aid of a global positioning satellite receiver and a hand-held barometric altimeter. Hill-shade-relief and slope maps derived from a U.S. Geological Survey 10-m digital elevation model as well as orthophotos were used to help trace ledge-forming units between field traverses within the Upper Mississippian and Pennsylvanian part of the stratigraphic sequence. Strike and dip of beds were typically measured along stream drainages or at well-exposed ledges. Structure contours were constructed on the top of the Boone Formation and the base of a prominent sandstone unit within the Bloyd Formation based on elevations of control points as well as other limiting information on their maximum or minimum elevations.

Scientific Investigations Map↗
USGS1992

Origin of stratiform sediment-hosted manganese carbonate ore deposits: Examples from Molango, Mexico, and TaoJiang, China

Carbonate and sulfide minerals from the Molango, Mexico, and TaoJiang, China, Mn deposits display similar and distinctive ??34S and ??13C patterns in intervals of manganese carbonate mineralization. ??13C-values for Mn-bearing carbonate range from -17.8 to +0.5??? (PDB), with the most negative values occurring in high-grade ore zones that are composed predominantly of rhodochrosite. In contrast, calcite from below, within and above Mn-carbonate zones at Molango has ??13C???0??? (PDB). Markedly negative ??13C data indicate that a large proportion of the carbon in Mn-carbonates was derived from organic matter oxidation. Diagenetic reactions using MnO2 and SO2-4 to oxidize sedimentary organic matter were the principle causes of such 12C enrichment. Pyrite content and sulfide ?? 34S-values also show distinctive variations. In unmineralized rocks, very negative ??34S-values (avg. < -21??? CDT) and abundant pyrite content suggest that pyrite formed from diagenetic, bacteriogenic sulfate reduction. In contrast, Mn-bearing horizons typically contain only trace amounts of pyrite (e.g., <0.5 wt% S with ??34S-values 34S-enriched, in some cases to nearly the value for contemporaneous seawater. 34S-enriched pyrite from the Mn-carbonate intervals indicates sulfide precipitation in an environment that underwent extensive SO2-4 reduction, and was largely a closed system with regard to exchange of sulfate and dissolved sulfide with normal seawater. The occasional occurrence of 34S-depleted pyrite within Mn-carbonate zones dominated by 34S-enriched pyrite is evidence that closed-system conditions were intermittent and limited to local pore waters and did not involve entire sedimentary basins. Mn-carbonate precipitation may have occluded porosity in the surficial sediments, thus establishing an effective barrier to SO2-4 exchange with overlying seawater. Similar isotopic and mineralogic characteristics from both the Molango and TaoJiang deposits, widely separated in geologic time and space, suggest they were formed similarly by MnO2 precipitation at the margins of dysaerobic to anoxic marine basins. Mn-carbonate formed predominantly by early-diagenetic reduction of Mn-oxides via oxidation of organic matter in near-surface sediments. In addition to MnCO3 precipitation, organic matter oxidation reactions resulted in oxidation of FeS to Fe-oxides such as magnetite, maghemite and hematite. The latter process explains anomalously low pyrite content and abundant Fe-oxide minerals in ore zones dominated by rhodochrosite. ?? 1992.

Chemical Geology↗
USGS2008

Deep drilling into the Chesapeake Bay impact structure

Samples from a 1.76-kilometer-deep corehole drilled near the center of the late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact structure (Virginia, USA) reveal its geologic, hydrologic, and biologic history. We conducted stratigraphic and petrologic analyses of the cores to elucidate the timing and results of impact-melt creation and distribution, transient-cavity collapse, and ocean-water resurge. Comparison of post-impact sedimentary sequences inside and outside the structure indicates that compaction of the crater fill influenced long-term sedimentation patterns in the mid-Atlantic region. Salty connate water of the target remains in the crater fill today, where it poses a potential threat to the regional groundwater resource. Observed depth variations in microbial abundance indicate a complex history of impact-related thermal sterilization and habitat modification, and subsequent post-impact repopulation.

Science↗
USGS1991

The Loma Prieta earthquake, ground motion, and damage in Oakland, Treasure Island, and San Francisco

The basis of this study is the acceleration, velocity, and displacement wave-forms of the Loma Prieta earthquake (18 October 1989; M = 7.0) at two rock sites in San Francisco, a rock site on Yerba Buena Island, an artificial-fill site on Treasure Island, and three sites in Oakland underlain by thick sections of poorly consolidated Pleistocene sediments. The waveforms at the three rock sites display a strong coherence, as do the three sedimentary sites in Oakland. The duration of strong motion at the rock sites is very brief, suggestive of an unusually short source duration for an earthquake of this size, while the records in Oakland show strong amplification effects due to site geology. The S -wave group at Treasure Island is phase coherent with the Oakland records, but at somewhat diminished amplitudes, until the steps in acceleration at approximately 15 sec, apparently signaling the onset of liquefaction. All seven records clearly show shear-wave first motion opposite to that expected for the mainshock radiation pattern and peak amplitudes greater than expected for sites at these distances (95 ± 3 km) from an earthquake of this magnitude. While the association between these ground motion records and related damage patterns in nearby areas has been easily and eagerly accepted by seismological and engineering observers of them, we have had some difficulty in making such relationships quantitative or even just clear. The three Oakland records, from sites that form a nearly equilateral triangle about the Cypress Street viaduct collapse, are dominated by a long-period resonance (≃ 1 1/2-sec period) far removed from the natural frequency of the structure to transverse motion (2.5 Hz) or from high-frequency amplification bands observed in aftershock studies. A spectral ratio arbiter of this discrepancy confuses it further. The failure of the East Bay crossing of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge cannot be attributed to relative displacements of the abutments in Oakland and Yerba Buena Island, but the motions of the Bay Bridge causing failure remain unknown. The steps in acceleration at Treasure Island present unusual strong-motion accelerogram processing problems, and modeling suggests that the velocity and displacement waveforms are contaminated by a spurious response of the filtering operations to the acceleration steps. A variety of coincidences suggests that the Treasure island accelerogram is the most likely strong-motion surrogate for the filled areas of the Marina District, for which no mainshock records are available, but the relative contributions of bad ground, poor construction and truly strong ground motion to damage in the Marina District will never by known in any quantitative way. The principal lesson of all of this is that until a concerted effort is mounted to instrument ground and structures that are likely to fail during earthquakes, our understanding of the very complex relationships between strong ground motion and earthquake damage will, in general, remain rudimentary, imprecise, and vague.

California↗
USGS1976

Hard rock uranium potential in Alaska

Discussing the potential of "hardrock" (i.e., non-sedimentary type) uranium deposits in a 586,000 mi 2 portion of the North America Cordillera is a difficult task compounded by the fact that the remoteness of much of the region and the logistical difficulties have resulted in only reconnaissance geologic information being available for large parts of the state. Cobb (1970) has listed known occurrences of uranium and thorium minerals in the state and a somewhat modified version of his compilation showing chiefly hardrock occurrences is given in figure 1; it should be emphasized that these are occurrences only and not necessarily deposits of possible economic significance. The distribution pattern shows a concentration of occurrences in southeastern Alaska and particularly in the interior. The only production of uranium in Alaska from any type of deposit has been from a hardrock deposit, that being the roughly 120,000 tons of ore averaging about one percent U 3 0 8 from the Ross-Adams mine near Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island close to the southern tip of southeastern Alaska. The Bokan Mountain uranium-thorium area includes about 71 mi 2 and is largely underlain by plutonic rocks (MacKevett, 1963). The plutonic rocks range from pyroxenite to peralkaline granite and syenite, but they consist chiefly of diorite, quartz diorite, granodiorite, and quartz monzonite. The peralkaline granite, a small pluton about 3 mi2 in area, is Late Triassic or Early Jurassic in age while the other plutonic rocks are early Paleozoic.

Alaska↗
USGS1994

Remote sensing and airborne geophysics in the assessment of natural aggregate resources

Natural aggregate made from crushed stone and deposits of sand and gravel is a vital element of the construction industry in the United States. Although natural aggregate is a high volume/low value commodity that is relatively abundant, new sources of aggregate are becoming increasingly difficult to find and develop because of rigid industry specifications, political considerations, development and transporation costs, and environmental concerns, especially in urban growth centers where much of the aggregate is used. As the demand for natural aggregate increases in response to urban growth and the repair and expansion of the national infrastructure, new sources of natural aggregate will be required. The USGS has recognized the necessity of developing the capability to assess the potential for natural aggregate sources on Federal lands; at present, no methodology exists for systematically describing and evaluating potential sources of natural aggregate. Because remote sensing and airborne geophysics can detect surface and nearsurface phenomena, these tools may useful for detecting and mapping potential sources of natural aggregate; however, before a methodology for applying these tools can be developed, it is necessary to understand the type, distribution, physical properties, and characteristics of natural aggregate deposits, as well as the problems that will be encountered in assessing their potential value. There are two primary sources of natural aggregate: (1) exposed or near-surface igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary bedrock that can be crushed, and (2) deposits of sand and gravel that may be used directly or crushed and sized to meet specifications. In any particular area, the availability of bedrock suitable for crushing is a function of the geologic history of the area - the processes that formed, deformed, eroded and exposed the bedrock. Deposits of sand and gravel are primarily surficial deposits formed by the erosion, transportation by water and ice, and deposition of bedrock fragments. Consequently, most sand and gravel deposits are Tertiary or Quaternary in age and are most common in glaciated areas, alluvial basins, and along rivers and streams. The distribution of potential sources of natural aggregate in the United States is closely tied to physiography and the type of bedrock that occurs in an area. Using these criteria, the United States can be divided into 12 regions: western mountain ranges, alluvial basins, Columbia Plateau, Colorado Plateau and Wyoming basin, High Plains, nonglaciated central region, glaciated central region, Piedmont Blue Ridge region, glaciated northeastern and Superior uplands, Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain, Hawaiian Islands, and Alaska. Each region has similar types of natural aggregate sources within its boundary, although there may be wide variations in specific physical and chemical characteristics of the aggregates within a region. Conventional exploration for natural aggregate deposits has been largely a ground-based operation (field mapping, sampling, trenching and augering, resistivity), although aerial photos and topographic maps have been extensively used to target possible deposits for sampling and testing. Today, the exploration process also considers other factors such as the availability of the land, space and water supply for processing purposes, political and environmental factors, and distance from the market; exploration and planning cannot be separated. There are many physical properties and characteristics by which aggregate material is judged to be acceptable or unacceptable for specific applications; most of these properties and characteristics pertain only to individual aggregate particles and not to the bulk deposit. For example, properties of crushed stone aggregate particles such as thermal volume change, solubility, oxidation and hydration reactivity, and particle strength, among many others, are important consi

Open-File Report↗
USGS2019

Gas hydrate production testing – Knowledge gained

Since their initial discovery in the 1960’s, gas hydrates have been considered to be an important potential source of unconventional natural gas. Significant progress has been made relative to our understanding of the geologic and engineering controls on the ultimate energy potential of gas hydrate; however, more work is required to realize the promise of gas hydrates as a future energy source. Gas hydrates have been encountered, recovered or inferred to exist in numerous sedimentary basins in Arctic permafrost settings, regions of alpine permafrost, marine sediments of outer continental margins and in deep lakes. Despite the great abundance of potential gas hydrate resources in the world, a large portion of these resources reside in clay-rich sediments and fracture dominated reservoir systems, and are not generally considered producible with existing technology, but may have future potential with the emergence of new technologies. For a large portion of the world, gas hydrate in sand reservoirs have become a viable production target and the focus of the first production testing efforts. Production tests in Arctic Canada (Mackenzie Delta) and Alaska have shown that gas can be produced from highly-concentrated gas hydrate accumulations in coarse-grained (i.e., sand rich) reservoir systems with conventional production technologies. Production can be achieved through the depressurization method and by more complex methods such as molecular substitution (e.g., CO2-CH4 exchange). In 2013, the gas hydrate production test was conducted in a marine setting in the offshore of Japan. An additional test was conducted in Japan in 2017 to further evaluate alternative well completion technologies. Also in 2018, China initiated a 60-day gas hydrate production test in the Shenhu region of the South China Sea. This report reviews the results of gas hydrate engineering and production testing studies associated with the Mallik, Mount Elbert, and Iġnik Sikumi projects in northern Canada and Alaska. The results of the marine gas hydrate producing testing efforts in the Nankai Trough (Japan) and in the South China Sea (China) are also summarized

Conference Paper↗
USGS1978

The Aleutian Basin, Bering Sea a frontier area for hydrocarbon exploration

The Aleutian Basin is the deep water (>3000 m) basin that lies north of the Aleutian Islands adjacent to the Bering Sea continental shelf. The basin, about the size of the state of Texas, is underlain by a 2-9 km-thick flat-lying sequence of mostly Cenozoic sediment and rock that includes diatomaceous silty clay interbedded with turbidities in the upper 1 km. Before 1974, geologic and geophysical investigations in the Aleutian Basin were directed at determining its geologic history; more recently, investigations have also been aimed at assessing the basin's hydrocarbon potential. The four major requirements for hydrocarbon accumulation may be present, namely, structural and stratigraphic traps, source rocks, reservoir beds, and an adequate thermal and sedimentation history. Energy resource investigations by the US Geological Survey indicate that: (1) numerous structural features (gentle folds, diapirs, basement ridges) are present in the central and eastern parts of the basin, (2) acoustic features (VAMP's _ Velocity AMPlitude features) that may be due to trapped gases within the sedimentary section are common (over 350 identified) in the central basin, (3) concentrations of organic gases, primarily methane, in the upper 1-3 m beneath the seafloor are very small, they increase with depth, and they are highest in areas near VAMP's, and (4) both the thermal gradient and the sediment thickness are sufficiently great to allow hydrocarbon maturation at depth, if source rocks are present. Adverse conditions in the Aleutian Basin such as excessive water depths and severe weather pose difficult technical problems for the recovery of hydrocarbons that may be present. The data nevertheless suggest the basin is a promising site for hydrocarbon accumulations and therefore warrants further exploration.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2007

Geology and metallogeny of the Ar Rayn terrane, eastern Arabian shield: Evolution of a Neoproterozoic continental-margin arc during assembly of Gondwana within the East African orogen

The Neoproterozoic Ar Rayn terrane is exposed along the eastern margin of the Arabian shield. The terrane is bounded on the west by the Ad Dawadimi terrane across the Al Amar fault zone (AAF), and is nonconformably overlain on the east by Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks. The terrane is composed of a magmatic arc complex and syn- to post-orogenic intrusions. The layered rocks of the arc, the Al Amar group (>689 Ma to ∼625 Ma), consist of tholeiitic to calc-alkaline basaltic to rhyolitic volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks with subordinate tuffaceous sedimentary rocks and carbonates, and are divided into an eastern and western sequence. Plutonic rocks of the terrane form three distinct lithogeochemical groups: (1) low-Al trondhjemite-tonalite-granodiorite (TTG) of arc affinity (632–616 Ma) in the western part of the terrane, (2) high-Al TTG/adakite of arc affinity (689–617 Ma) in the central and eastern part of the terrane, and (3) syn- to post-orogenic alkali granite (607–583 Ma). West-dipping subduction along a trench east of the terrane is inferred from high-Al TTG/adakite emplaced east of low-Al TTG. The Ar Rayn terrane contains significant resources in epithermal Au–Ag–Zn–Cu-barite, enigmatic stratiform volcanic-hosted Khnaiguiyah-type Zn–Cu–Fe–Mn, and orogenic Au vein deposits, and the potential for significant resources in Fe-oxide Cu–Au (IOCG), and porphyry Cu deposits. Khnaiguiyah-type deposits formed before or during early deformation of the Al Amar group eastern sequence. Epithermal and porphyry deposits formed proximal to volcanic centers in Al Amar group western sequence. IOCG deposits are largely structurally controlled and hosted by group-1 intrusions and Al Amar group volcanic rocks in the western part of the terrane. Orogenic gold veins are largely associated with north-striking faults, particularly in and near the AAF, and are presumably related to amalgamation of the Ar Rayn and Ad Dawadimi terranes. Geologic, structural, and metallogenic characteristics of the Ar Rayn terrane are analogous to the Andean continental margin of Chile, with opposite subduction polarity. The Ar Rayn terrane represents a continental margin arc that lay above a west-dipping subduction zone along a continental block represented by the Afif composite terrane. The concentration of epithermal, porphyry Cu and IOCG mineral systems, of central arc affiliation, along the AAF suggests that the AAF is not an ophiolitic suture zone, but originated as a major intra-arc fault that localized magmatism and mineralization. West-directed oblique subduction and ultimate collision with a land mass from the east (East Gondwana?) resulted in major transcurrent displacement along the AAF, bringing the eastern part of the arc terrane to its present exposed position, juxtaposed across the AAF against a back-arc basin assemblage represented by the Abt schist of the Ad Dawadimi terrane. Our findings indicate that arc formation and accretionary processes in the Arabian shield were still ongoing into the latest Neoproterozoic (Ediacaran), to about 620–600 Ma, and lead us to conclude that evolution of the Ar Rayn terrane (arc formation, accretion, syn- to postorogenic plutonism) defines a final stage of assembly of the Gondwana supercontinent along the northeastern margin of the East African orogen.

Precambrian Research↗
USGS1997

Spatial analysis of temperature (BHT/DST) data and consequences for heat-flow determination in sedimentary basins

Large numbers of bottom-hole temperatures (BHTs) and temperatures measured during drill-stem tests (DSTs) are available in areas explored for hydrocarbons, but their usefulness for estimating geothermal gradients and heat-flow density is limited. We investigated a large data set of BHT and DST measurements taken in boreholes in the American Midcontinent, a geologically uniform stable cratonic area, and propose an empirical correction for BHTs based on relationships between BHTs, DSTs, and thermal logs. This empirical correction is compared with similar approaches determined for other areas. The data were analyzed by multivariate statistics prior to the BHT correction to identify anomalous measurements and quantify external influences. Spatial patterns in temperature measurements for major stratigraphic units outline relations to regional structure. Comparision of temperature and structure trend-surface residuals reveals a relationship between temperature highs and local structure highs. The anticlines, developed by continuous but intermittent movement of basement fault blocks in the Late Paleozoic, are subtle features having closures of 10-30 m and contain relatively small hydrocarbon reservoirs. The temperature anomalies of the order of 5-7 ??C may reflect fluids moving upward along fractures and faults, rather than changes in thermal conductivity resulting from different pore fluids. ?? Springer-Verlag 1997.

Conference Paper↗
USGS2004

Syn-deformational features of Carlin-type Au deposits

Syn-deformational ore deposition played an important role in some Carlin-type Au deposits according to field and laboratory evidence, which indicates that flow of Au-bearing fluids was synchronous with regional-scale deformation events. Gold-related deformation events linked to ore genesis were distinct from high-level, brittle deformation that is typical of many epithermal deposits. Carlin-type Au deposits, with brittle-ductile features, most likely formed during tectonic events that were accompanied by significant fluid flow. Interactive deformation-fluid processes involved brittle-ductile folding, faulting, shearing, and gouge development that were focused along illite-clay and dissolution zones caused by hydrothermal alteration. Alteration along these deformation zones resulted in increased porosity and enhancement of fluid flow, which resulted in decarbonated, significant dissolution, collapse, and volume and mass reduction. Carlin-type Au deposits commonly are hosted in Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks (limestone, siltstone, argillite, shale, and quartzite) on the margins of cratons. The sedimentary basins containing the host rocks underwent tectonic events that influenced the development of stratabound, structurally controlled orebodies. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Journal of Structural Geology↗
USGS1987

A geologic interpretation of seismic-refraction results in northeastern California

In 1981, the U.S. Geological Survey conducted a seismic-refraction experiment in northeastern California designed to study the Klamath Mountains, Cascade Range, Modoc Plateau, and Basin and Range provinces. Key profiles include 135-km-long, north-south lines in the Klamath Mountains and Modoc Plateau provinces and a 260-km-long, east-west line crossing all of the provinces. The seismic-velocity models for the Klamath and Modoc lines are comparatively homogeneous laterally but are quite different from each other. The Klamath model is finely layered from the surface to at least 14-km depth, consisting of a series of high-velocity layers (6.1–6.7 km/s), ranging in thickness from 1 to 4 km, with alternating positive and negative velocity gradients. A layer with an unreversed velocity of 7.0 km/s extends from 14 km to an unknown depth. The Modoc model, in contrast, is relatively thickly layered and has lower velocities than does the Klamath model at all depths down to 25 km. An upper layer, 4.5 km thick, of low-velocity material (2.1–4.4 km/s) overlies a basement with a considerably higher velocity (6.2 km/s). Velocity increases slowly with depth, with a small velocity step (to 6.4 km/s) at 11 km and a 7.0-km/s layer beginning at 25-km depth. Moho is probably 38–45 km deep under the Modoc Plateau, but its depth is unknown under the Klamath Mountains. A combined velocity-density model for the east-west line consists of a western part similar in configuration to the Klamath velocity model, an eastern part similar to the Modoc velocity model, and laterally changing velocity-density structure in between, in the Cascade Range. Beneath its upper layer, the velocity model for the Modoc Plateau is similar to that determined by other researchers for the adjacent Sierra Nevada. The velocity model is unlike those for rift areas, to which the Modoc Plateau has been compared by some authors. We theorize that beneath a veneer of volcanic and sedimentary rocks (the upper layer), the Modoc Plateau is underlain by a basement of granitic and metamorphic rocks that, like rocks in the Sierra Nevada, are the roots of one or more magmatic arcs. The fine layering in the Klamath seismic-velocity model is consistent with the geologic structure of the Klamath Mountains, characterized by imbricate thrusting of oceanic rock layers of various compositions and ages. Independent modeling of aeromagnetic data indicates that the base of the Trinity ultramafic sheet, the second major rock layer down in the structural sequence, corresponds to a velocity step to 6.7 km/s at 7-km depth in our model. The 6.7-km/s layer beneath the Trinity ultramafic sheet apparently corresponds to rocks of the central metamorphic belt, which are mafic schists. Rock units structurally deeper than rocks of the central metamorphic belt can be correlated with velocity layers below the 6.7-km/s layer, but with less certainty. In the model for the east-west line, the region of laterally changing velocity structure beneath the Cascade Range includes a 10-km step down to the east in the top of the 7.0-km/s layer. This region of lateral velocity change we interpret to be a fault, fold, or intrusive contact (or some combination of the three) between the stack of oceanic rock layers that underlie the Klamath Mountains and the buried roots of magmatic arcs inferred to underlie the Modoc Plateau. Magmas forming the modern Cascade Range arc apparently rise through this region.

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