Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
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Welcome to the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center (GGGSC) located in Lakewood, Colorado on the Denver Federal Center. At GGGSC, we apply expertise in geology, geophysics, and geochemistry to interdisciplinary efforts in support of the USGS mission to address the Nation’s important earth science issues, with an emphasis on mineral resources.
Laboratories
Our center has several laboratories, ranging from geophysics to geochemistry to spectroscopy to scanning electron microscopes.
Center LaboratoriesScience Branches
Our strong science portfolio integrates regional and economic geology with a broad range of geophysical, geochemical, analytical expertise. Our center has four scientific branches:
Economic and Framework Geology
Spatial Analysis and Data Management
All Laboratory Projects (regardless of branch)
Explore Our ScienceNews
Energy Quarterly - Summer 2020
As summer begins, here are a few highlights in our Energy Quarterly Newsletter. This edition is a quick overview of the Energy Resources Program's assessments, research, data, and publications. We also share highlights from our fellow program in the USGS Energy and Minerals Mission Area, the Mineral Resources Program.
USGS Mineral Resources Program Highlights
USGS Mineral Resources Program Highlights for the Summer 2020 Edition of the USGS Energy Quarterly Newsletter
New USGS Map Helps Identify Where Pyrrhotite, a Mineral that Can Cause Concrete Foundations to Fail, May Occur
The USGS has released its first-ever map of where the mineral pyrrhotite may occur in the contiguous United States. This research was mandated by Congress in the FY2019 appropriations bill for the USGS and was supported by the USGS Mineral Resources Program.
Publications
Conditions and timing of high-grade metamorphism and ductile deformation of the southern segment of the Central Anatolian Ophiolite
Ophiolitic fragments scattered over a wide area of Central Anatolia exhibit varying degrees of metamorphism, from unmetamorphosed to upper amphibolite facies, although geochemical similarities suggest they are all part of the Central Anatolian Ophiolite (CAO). Magmatic crystallization of oceanic crust in the CAO at ~ 91 Ma coincided with high-...
Radwany, Molly S.; Morgan, Leah E.; Whitney, Donna L.
International geoscience collaboration to support critical mineral discovery
The importance of critical minerals and the need to expand and diversify critical mineral supply chains has been endorsed by the Federal governments of Australia, Canada, and the United States. The geoscience organizations of Geoscience Australia, the Geological Survey of Canada and the U.S. Geological Survey have created the Critical Minerals...
Interpreting and reporting 40Ar/39Ar geochronologic data
The 40Ar/39Ar dating method is among the most versatile of geochronometers, having the potential to date a broad variety of K-bearing materials spanning from the time of Earth’s formation into the historical realm. Measurements using modern noble-gas mass spectrometers are now producing 40Ar/39Ar dates with analytical uncertainties of ∼0.1%,...
Schaen, Allen J.; Jicha, Brian R.; Hodges, Kip V.; Vermeesch, Pieter; Stelten, Mark E.; Mercer, Cameron M.; Phillips, David; Rivera, Tiffany; Jourdan, Fred; Matchan, Erin L.; Hemming, Sidney R.; Morgan, Leah E.; Kelley, Simon P.; Cassata, William S.; Heizler, Matt T.; Vasconcelos, Paulo M.; Benowitz, Jeff A.; Koppers, Anthony A.P. ; Mark, Darren F.; Niespolo, Elizabeth M.; Courtney J. Sprain; Hames, William E.; Kuiper, Klaudia F.; Turrin, Brent D.; Renne, Paul R.; Ross, Jake; Nomade, Sebastian; Guillou, Hervé; Webb, Laura E.; Cohen, Barbara A.; Calvert, Andrew T.; Joyce, Nancy; Ganderød, Morgan; Wijbrans, Jan; Ishizuka, Osamu; He, Huaiyu; Ramirez, Adán; Pfänder, Jörg; Lopez-Martínez, Margarita; Qiu, Huaning; Singer, Brad S.