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At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
USGS2005

Questa baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality investigation. 10. Geologic influences on ground and surface waters in the lower Red River watershed, New Mexico

This report is one in a series that presents results of an interdisciplinary U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study of ground-water quality in the lower Red River watershed prior to open-pit and underground molybdenite mining at Molycorp’s Questa mine. The stretch of the Red River watershed that extends from just upstream of the town of Red River, N. Mex., to just above the town of Questa includes several mineralized areas in addition to the one mined by Molycorp. Natural erosion and weathering of pyrite-rich rocks in the mineralized areas has created a series of erosional scars along this stretch of the Red River that contribute acidic waters, as well as mineralized alluvial material and sediments, to the river. The overall goal of the USGS study is to infer the premining ground-water quality at the Molycorp mine site. An integrated geologic, hydrologic, and geochemical model for ground water in the mineralized—but unmined—Straight Creek drainage (a tributary of the Red River) is being used as an analog for the geologic, geochemical, and hydrologic conditions that influenced ground-water quality and quantity in the Red River drainage prior to mining. This report provides an overall geologic framework for the Red River watershed between Red River and Questa, in northern New Mexico, and summarizes key geologic, mineralogic, structural and other characteristics of various mineralized areas (and their associated erosional scars and debris fans) that likely influence ground- and surface-water quality and hydrology. The premining nature of the Sulphur Gulch and Goat Hill Gulch scars on the Molycorp mine site can be inferred through geologic comparisons with other unmined scars in the Red River drainage.

New Mexico↗
USGS2003

Preliminary geologic map of the northeast Dillingham quadrangle (D-1, D-2, C-1, and C-2), Alaska

Open-File Report 03-105 contains a digital geologic map database for the northeast part of the Dillingham 1:250,000-scale quadrangle, specifically the D-1, D-2, C-1, and C-2 1:63,360-scale map sheets. The report includes: A Postscript file showing the geologic map on a topographic and land-grid base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram (CMU), and a List of Map Units. (Note the size of the map when printed at publication scale (1:100,000) is 30 by 24 inches (76 by 61 cm). A PDF document providing Introductory text, Description of Map Units (DMU), References, and a table of radiometric ages. A collection of ARC/INFO (http://www.esri.com, Environmental Systems Research Institute) version 7.2.1 coverages (as export files) of the elements of the geologic map, including: a. Network coverage containing the geologic polygons, contacts, and faults, b. Annotation coverage containing the geologic unit labels and leaders, c. Point coverage containing the radiometric age sample localities, d. Template files containing the lookup table structure used to produce the map. Data to populate the template files is provided in comma-separated value (.csv) text files as follows: napkey.csv plutonkey.csv geoline.csv e. Network coverage containing the Correlation of Map Units (CMU) for the map. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files consisting of: a. Introductory text, Description of Map Units (DMU), References, and a table of radiometric ages for the map. b. A graphic of the map as in the Postscript file above. FGDC compliant metadata for the digital data files (coverages). The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units are in a format similar to that of the USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but have not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Even though this is an Open-File Report and includes the standard USGS Open-File disclaimer, the report closely adheres to the Stratigraphic Nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. ARC/INFO symbolsets (shade and line) as used for these maps have been made available elsewhere as part of Geologic map of Central (Interior) Alaska, published as a USGS Open-File Report (Wilson and others, 1998, http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/open-file/of98-133-a/). This product does not include the digital topographic base or land-grid files used to produce the map, nor does it include the AML and related ancillary key and other files used to assemble the components of the map. A Postscript file showing the geologic map on a topographic and land-grid base, and containing a Correlation of Map Units diagram (CMU), and a List of Map Units. (Note the size of the map when printed at publication scale (1:100,000) is 30 by 24 inches (76 by 61 cm). A PDF document providing Introductory text, Description of Map Units (DMU), References, and a table of radiometric ages. A collection of ARC/INFO (http://www.esri.com, Environmental Systems Research Institute) version 7.2.1 coverages (as export files) of the elements of the geologic map, including: a. Network coverage containing the geologic polygons, contacts, and faults, b. Annotation coverage containing the geologic unit labels and leaders, c. Point coverage containing the radiometric age sample localities, d. Template files containing the lookup table structure used to produce the map. Data to populate the template files is provided in comma-separated value (.csv) text files as follows: napkey.csv plutonkey.csv geoline.csv e. Network coverage containing the Correlation of Map Units (CMU) for the map. Portable Document Format (.pdf) files consisting of: a. Introductory text, Description of Map Units (DMU), References, and a table of radiometric ages for the map. b. A graphic of the map as in the Postscript file above. FGDC compliant metadata for the digital data files (coverages). The Correlation of Map Units and Description of Map Units are in a format similar to that of the USGS Geologic Investigations Series (I-series) maps but have not been edited to comply with I-map standards. Even though this is an Open-File Report and includes the standard USGS Open-File disclaimer, the report closely adheres to the Stratigraphic Nomenclature of the U.S. Geological Survey. ARC/INFO symbolsets (shade and line) as used for these maps have been made available elsewhere as part of Geologic map of Central (Interior) Alaska, published as a USGS Open-File Report (Wilson and others, 1998, http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/open-file/of98-133-a/). This product does not include the digital topographic base or land-grid files used to produce the map, nor does it include the AML and related ancillary key and other files used to assemble the components of the map.

Alaska↗
USGS1952

The coal deposits of the Alkali Butte, the Big Sand Draw, and the Beaver Creek fields, Fremont County, Wyoming

Large coal reserves are present in three areas located between 12 and 20 miles southeast of Riverton, Fremont County, central Wyoming. Coal in two of these areas, the Alkali Butte coal field and the Big Sand Draw coal field, is exposed on the surface and has been developed to some extent by underground mining. The Beaver Creek coal field is known only from drill cuttings and cores from wells drilled for oil and gas in the Beaver Creek oil and gas field. These three coal areas can be reached most readily from Riverton, Wyo. State Route 320 crosses Wind River about 1 mile south of Riverton. A few hundred yards south of the river a graveled road branches off the highway and extends south across the Popo Agie River toward Sand Draw oil and gas field. About 8 miles south of the highway along the Sand Draw road, a dirt road bears east and along this road it is about 12 miles to the Bell coal mine in the Alkali Butte coal field. Three miles southeast of the Alkali Butte turn-off, 3 miles of oiled road extends southwest into the Beaver Creek oil and gas field. About 6 miles southeast of the Beaver Creek turn-off, in the valley of Little Sand Draw Creek, a dirt road extends east 1. mile and then southeast 1 mile to the Downey mine in the Big Sand Draw coal field. Location of these coal fields is shown on figure 1 with their relationship to the Wind River basin and other coal fields, place localities, and wells mentioned in this report. The coal in the Alkali Butte coal field is exposed partly on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Tps. 1 and 2 S., R. 6 E., and partly on public land. Coal in the Beaver Creek and Big Sand Draw coal fields is mainly on public land. The region has a semiarid climate with rainfall averaging less than 10 in. per year. When rain does fall the sandy-bottomed stream channels fill rapidly and are frequently impassable for a few hours. Beaver Creek, Big Sand Draw, Little Sand Draw, and Kirby Draw and their smaller tributaries drain the area and flow northwestward to the Wind River. This report is based almost entirely upon geologic investigations made in 1949 as a part of the program of the Department of the Interior for development of the Missouri River basin. Some coal sections were measured in 1950 and the additional information on the Big Sand Draw coal field was obtained in 1951. A geologic map of the Beaver Creek field was not prepared for this report because most of the significant coal occurs below a depth of 1,400 ft and is not exposed on the surface. Mr. George Downey, Lander, Wyo. , supplied much helpful information on the Big Sand Draw coal field and the area in general. Topographic contours shown on figures 11, 12, 13, and 14 are from unpublished plane-table sheets made by E. D. Woodruff in 1912. Previous geologic investigations of the region have been made by E. G. Woodruff and D. E. Winchester (1912), by C. J. Hares (1916), by A. J. Collier (1920), and C. M. Bauer (1934). Except for the work of Woodruff and Winchester, which was an areal examination for the purpose of classifying the public lands, the geological investigatiohs were of a general nature and give little detail of the coal beds. Berryhill (1950) summarizes Woodruff and Winchester's work.

Wyoming↗
USGS2015

Near-surface stratigraphy and morphology, Mississippi Inner Shelf, northern Gulf of Mexico

Over the past decade, the Mississippi Barrier Islands have been the focus of a comprehensive geologic investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the National Park Service (NPS). The islands (Dauphin, Petite Bois, Horn, East Ship, West Ship, and Cat) are part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore (GUIS), and provide a diverse ecological habitat, protect the mainland from storm waves, and help maintain estuarine conditions within Mississippi Sound. Over the past century, the islands have been in a state of decline with respect to elevation and land-area loss. In 2005, the islands were severely impacted by Hurricane Katrina, which inundated them with a storm surge of 8 meters, causing severe shoreface erosion and widening breaches in Dauphin, West Ship, and Cat Islands. To evaluate the impact and fate of the islands, understanding their evolution and resiliency became a priority for the USGS under the Northern Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility Project. The project formed the basis for collaboration with the USACE Mississippi Coastal Improvement Project, which is intended to restore portions of coastal Mississippi and GUIS affected by storm impact. Since then, many studies have contributed to our understanding of the islands’ morphology and nearshore stratigraphy. This report expands upon the nearshore component to provide a stratigraphic and morphologic assessment offshore of Petit Bois Island. In June 2013, as part of the MsCIP project, the USGS conducted a geophysical survey consisting of about 650 line-kilometers (km), encompassing an area of approximately 212 square kilometers (km 2 ). The survey area extended from 1 to 13 km offshore of Petite Bois Island. The geophysical investigation included interferometric swath bathymetry, sidescan sonar, and chirp subbottom profiling. The intent of the survey was to provide geologic information that would assist the USACE in developing a sediment sampling strategy for identifying deposits suitable for shoreline restoration operations. The data from the geophysical survey would also further our understanding of the geologic framework along the inner shelf. Numerous seafloor and subbottom features were identified. At the surface, shoals and shelf sand sheets of various sizes and orientations are the predominant morphology. In the subsurface, Holocene- and Pleistocene-age features include marine transgressive deposits infilling older fluvia distributary systems. These interpretations from the geophysical research were integrated with sediment cores collected by the USGS and USACE to provide textural and volumetric information.

Mississippi-Alabama shelf↗
USGS2002

Mapped minerals at Questa, New Mexico, using airborne visible-infrared imaging spectrometer (AVIRIS) data – Preliminary report for: First quarterly report of the U.S. Geological Survey investigation of baseline and pre-mining ground-water quality in the Red River Valley Basin, New Mexico, November 13, 2001

This preliminary study for the First Quarterly Report has spectrally mapped hydrothermally altered minerals useful in assisting in assessment of water quality of the Red River. Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data was analyzed to characterize mined and unmined ground at Questa, New Mexico. AVIRIS data covers the Red River drainage north of the river, from between the town of Questa on the west, to east of the town of Red River. The data was calibrated and analyzed using U.S. Geological Survey custom software and spectral mineral library. AVIRIS data was tested for spectral features that matched similar features in the spectral mineral library. Goodness-of-fit and band-depth were calculated for each comparison of spectral features and used to identify surface mineralogy. Mineral distribution, mineral associations, and AVIRIS pixel spectra were examined. Mineral maps show the distribution of iron hydroxides, iron sulfates, clays, micas, carbonates, and other minerals. Initial results show a system of alteration suites that overprint each other. Quartz-sericite-pyrite (QSP) alteration grading out to propylitic alteration (epidote and calcite) was identified at the Questa Mine (molybdenum porphyry) and a similar alteration pattern was mapped at the landslide ("scar") areas. Supergene weathering overprints the altered rock, as shown by jarosite, kaolinite, and gypsum. In the spectral analysis, hydrothermally altered ground appears to be more extensive at the unmined Goat Hill Gulch and the mined ground, than the ?scars? to the east. Though the "scars" have similar overall altered mineral suites, there are differences between the "scars" in sericite, kaolinite, jarosite, gypsum, and calcite abundance. Fieldwork has verified the results at the central unmined "scar" areas.

New Mexico↗
USGS2007

Metallogeny of Mesoproterozoic sedimentary rocks in Idaho and Montana - Studies by the Mineral Resources Program, U.S. Geological Survey, 2004-2007

Preface By J.Michael O'Neill The major emphasis of this project was to extend and refine the known Mesoproterozoic geologic and metallogenic framework of the region along and adjacent to the Idaho-Montana boundary north of the Snake River Plain. The Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in this part of east-central Idaho host important Cu-Co-Au stratabound mineral resources as well as younger, epigenetic hydrothermal, sulfide base-metal mineral deposits. Two tasks of this study were to more accurately understand and portray the character and origin of cobalt-copper-gold deposits that compose the Idaho cobalt belt and specifically to analyze ore mineralogy and metallogenesis within the Blackbird mining district in the central part of the belt. Inasmuch as the cobalt belt is confined to the Mesoproterozoic Lemhi Group strata of east-central Idaho, geologic investigations were also undertaken to determine the relationship between strata of the Lemhi Group and the more extensive, noncobalt-bearing, Belt-Purcell Supergroup strata to the north and northwest. Abrupt lateral differences in the character and thickness of stratigraphic units in the Mesoproterozoic Lemhi Basin may indicate differential sedimentation in contemporaneous fault-bounded subbasins. It is suggested that northeast-trending basement faults of the Great Falls tectonic zone controlled development of the subbasins. O'Neill and others (chapter A, this volume) document a second major basement fault in this area, the newly recognized northwest-striking Great Divide megashear, a zone 1-2 km wide of left-lateral strike-slip faults active during Mesoproterozoic sedimentation and bounding the Cu-Co belt on the northwest. The megashear is a crustal-scale tectonic feature that separates Lemhi Group strata from roughly coeval Belt-Purcell strata to the north and northwest in Montana and northern Idaho. The results of numerous geologic investigations of the Cu- and Co-bearing Mesoproterozoic rocks of east-central Idaho are integrated and summarized by Bookstrom and others (chapter B, this volume). In particular, their field investigations and analysis of evidence and previous arguments for synsedimentary versus epigenetic mineral deposit types, both of which have been postulated by earlier workers, led them to conclude that both processes were likely instrumental in forming the ore deposits of the Blackbird district. Finally, this report supplies new data on isotopic ratios of sulfur, oxygen, carbon, and helium in minerals associated with cobalt-bearing ores of the cobalt belt. Slack (chapter C, this volume) identified several previously unrecognized rare-earth-element minerals in Blackbird ores: monazite (Ce,La,Y,Th)PO4, xenotime (YPO4), allanite (CaCe)2(Al,Fe)3Si3O12(OH), and gadolinite (Be2FeY2Si2O10). Light rare-earth elements reside mostly in monazite, whereas yttrium and heavy rare-earth minerals reside mostly in xenotime. Dated monazite, which in the Blackbird district is interstitial to cobaltite, is Cretaceous. This date brings into question the otherwise geologically convincing interpretation of Blackbird ores as being of Mesoproterozoic age and synsedimentary origin. This volume consists of three summary articles: A. Great Divide megashear, Montana, Idaho, and Washington: An intraplate crustal-scale shear zone recurrently active since the Mesoproterozoic by J. Michael O'Neill, Edward T. Ruppel, and David A. Lopez B. Blackbird Fe-Cu-Co-Au-REE deposits by Arthur A. Bookstrom, Craig A. Johnson, Gary P. Landis, and Thomas P. Frost C. Geochemical and mineralogical studies of sulfide and iron oxide deposits in the Idaho cobalt belt by John F. Slack

Idaho, Montana↗
USGS1967

Areal geology of the western Mojave Desert, California

This report and map represent part of a geologic investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey of the known and potential deposits of borate minerals in the southern California desert regions. The primary purpose of this report and the geologic map (pl. 1) is to provide a geologic background for the exploration for possible concealed borate deposits in the western Mojave Desert, based upon (1) the geology of the known deposits of these minerals within the region, (2) the areal geology of the region, and (3) the subsurface geology as determined insofar as possible from logs of exploratory test holes, mine workings, and geophysical data. Available logs of test holes so used, including those drilled for petroleum and some for water, and of borate mine shafts are summarized in tabulated form (tables 2-4); the gravity geophysical data are published separately (Mabey, 1960). The resulting geologic data are of use for many secondary purposes, such as exploration for other commodities, including petroleum and gas, and in evaluation of ground-water conditions. The base for the geologic map was prepared by joining parts of the Bakersfield, Trona, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino quadrangles, as published by the U.S. Geological Survey at a scale of 1:250,000, and then enlarging the mosaicked map to a scale of 1:125,000. Although lacking in detail and accuracy, the base is the best that is available. Numerous maps at a scale of an inch to a mile or larger show the geology of most of the complex areas in greater detail.

California↗
USGS2007

Natural gases in ground water near Tioga Junction, Tioga County, north-central Pennsylvania: Occurrence and use of isotopes to determine origins, 2005

In January 2001, State oil and gas inspectors noted bubbles of natural gas in well water during a complaint investigation near Tioga Junction, Tioga County, north-central Pa. By 2004, the gas occurrence in ground water and accumulation in homes was a safety concern; inspectors were taking action to plug abandoned gas wells and collect gas samples. The origins of the natural-gas problems in ground water were investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, in wells throughout an area of about 50 mi2, using compositional and isotopic characteristics of methane and ethane in gas and water wells. This report presents the results for gas-well and water-well samples collected from October 2004 to September 2005. Ground water for rural-domestic supply and other uses near Tioga Junction is from two aquifer systems in and adjacent to the Tioga River valley. An unconsolidated aquifer of outwash sand and gravel of Quaternary age underlies the main river valley and extends into the valleys of tributaries. Fine-grained lacustrine sediments separate shallow and deep water-bearing zones of the outwash. Outwash-aquifer wells are seldom deeper than 100 ft. The river-valley sediments and uplands adjacent to the valley are underlain by a fractured-bedrock aquifer in siliciclastic rocks of Paleozoic age. Most bedrock-aquifer wells produce water from the Lock Haven Formation at depths of 250 ft or less. A review of previous geologic investigations was used to establish the structural framework and identify four plausible origins for natural gas. The Sabinsville Anticline, trending southwest to northeast, is the major structural feature in the Devonian bedrock. The anticline, a structural trap for a reservoir of deep native gas in the Oriskany Sandstone (Devonian) (origin 1) at depths of about 3,900 ft, was explored and tapped by numerous wells from 1930-60. The gas reservoir in the vicinity of Tioga Junction, depleted of native gas, was converted to the Tioga gas-storage field for injection and withdrawal of non-native gases (origin 2). Devonian shale gas (shallow native gas) also has been reported in the area (origin 3). Gas might also originate from microbial degradation of buried organic material in the outwash deposits (origin 4). An inventory of combustible-gas concentrations in headspaces of water samples from 91 wells showed 49 wells had water containing combustible gases at volume fractions of 0.1 percent or more. Well depth was a factor in the observed occurrence of combustible gas for the 62 bedrock wells inventoried. As well-depth range increased from less than 50 ft to 51-150 ft to greater than 151 ft, the percentage of bedrock-aquifer wells with combustible gas increased. Wells with high concentrations of combustible gas occurred in clusters; the largest cluster was near the eastern boundary of the gas-storage field. A subsequent detailed gas-sampling effort focused on 39 water wells with the highest concentrations of combustible gas (12 representing the outwash aquifer and 27 from the bedrock aquifer) and 8 selected gas wells. Three wells producing native gas from the Oriskany Sandstone and five wells (two observation wells and three injection/withdrawal wells) with non-native gas from the gas-storage field were sampled twice. Chemical composition, stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes of methane (13CCH4 and DCH4), and stable carbon isotopes of ethane (13CC2H6) were analyzed. No samples could be collected to document the composition of microbial gas originating in the outwash deposits (outwash or 'drift' gas) or of native natural gas originating solely in Devonian shale at depths shallower than the Oriskany Sandstone, although two of the storage-field observation wells sampled reportedly yielded some Devonian shale gas. Literature values for outwash or 'drift' gas and Devonian shale gases were used to supplement the data collection. Non-native gases fr

Pennsylvania↗