Publications
Products (journal articles, reports, fact sheets) authored by current and past scientists are listed below. Please check the USGS Pubs Warehouse for other USGS publications.
Filter Total Items: 1924
The petrogenesis of Þingmúli volcano, East Fjords; Iceland The petrogenesis of Þingmúli volcano, East Fjords; Iceland
In this work we revisit Þingmúli volcano (Þ = Th), a classic locality known as an example of a complete tholeiitic differentiation. Þingmúli is a ~ 9.5 Ma extinct central volcano located in the East Fjords of Iceland, in which the whole compositional spectrum from basalt to rhyolites have erupted. These volcanic products have been previously considered as petrogenetically related by an...
Authors
Amanda L. Hughes, Joaquín A. Cortès, Dave McGarvie, Richard J. Moscati, Valerie Olive
Estimating paleotemperature using stable isotopes of soil-formed phyllosilicates from paleosols: A review Estimating paleotemperature using stable isotopes of soil-formed phyllosilicates from paleosols: A review
Fossilized soils, or paleosols, contain soil-formed phyllosilicates whose stable isotopic compositions may be used to calculate paleotemperature and thus reconstruct ancient terrestrial environments. Though paleosols are common in the geologic record, the use of phyllosilicates as paleotemperature proxies is limited in the literature owing to difficulties with selecting optimal paleosols
Authors
Kate Andrzejewski, Julia A. McIntosh, Erik L. Gulbranson, Daniel Ibarra
Constraining the onset of carboniferous cyclicity in the Arkoma Basin of the Midcontinent, North America: Implications for calibrating a globally significant latest Bashkirian transgression Constraining the onset of carboniferous cyclicity in the Arkoma Basin of the Midcontinent, North America: Implications for calibrating a globally significant latest Bashkirian transgression
Cyclothems are defined by the repeat juxtaposition of littoral and open marine successions over short stratigraphic distances (meters to 10's of meters) and are interpreted to be driven by glacioeustatic forcing of sea level during the late Paleozoic Ice Age. The concept of cyclothems was defined in the Midcontinent region of the United States. However, correlating the Midcontinent...
Authors
Neil Patrick Griffis, Marieke Dechesne, Tyson Michael Smith, Mark R. Hudson, Charles M. Henderson, Roland Mundil, Mikel Shinn, Justin E. Birdwell, Laura Pianowski, Brandon Michael Lutz, Cameron Mark Mercer, Leah E. Morgan, Leland Robson Spangler
Distinguishing natural from mining-related metal sources by including streambank groundwater data in a stream mass loading study Distinguishing natural from mining-related metal sources by including streambank groundwater data in a stream mass loading study
Distinguishing stream metal loading caused by mine features from that caused by natural background sources remains challenging, yet this distinction is essential for making effective remedial decisions at many legacy mine sites. We combine a stream tracer injection and synoptic sampling study with data from shallow near-stream groundwater wells to estimate left-bank versus right-bank...
Authors
Andrew H. Manning, Robert L. Runkel, Jean M. Morrison, Sara Warix, Richard B. Wanty, Katherine Walton-Day, Michael Snook
Pre-eruptive characteristics of “suspect” silicic magmas in Carlin-type Au-forming systems Pre-eruptive characteristics of “suspect” silicic magmas in Carlin-type Au-forming systems
World-class Carlin-type Au deposits hosted in sedimentary rock were formed when profuse Eocene silicic magmatism swept across northern Nevada in response to arc migration. Carlin-type Au deposits formed along with porphyry/skarn Cu-Mo-W-Au deposits, epithermal Ag-Au deposits, and distal disseminated Ag-Au deposits. But unlike these other Au-bearing deposits that have clear associations...
Authors
Celestine N. Mercer, Julie Roberge, Regina Marie Khoury, Albert H. Hofstra
Depth of magma crystallization and fluid exsolution beneath the porphyry-skarn Cu deposits at Santa Rita and Hanover-Fierro, New Mexico, USA Depth of magma crystallization and fluid exsolution beneath the porphyry-skarn Cu deposits at Santa Rita and Hanover-Fierro, New Mexico, USA
The depth level at which porphyry Cu–forming magmas fractionated and exsolved mineralizing fluids is actively debated. In the classic model, extensive magma fractionation occurs in large, upper crustal magma chambers, and concomitant fluid exsolution leads to forceful expulsion of residual magmas in the form of porphyry dikes, stocks, and breccia pipes, which subsequently serve as...
Authors
Andreas Audétat, Jia Chang, Sean Patrick Gaynor
Drone-based radiometric surveys provide high-resolution mine waste characterization Drone-based radiometric surveys provide high-resolution mine waste characterization
Airborne radiometric surveys use passive geophysical techniques to characterize geochemical variations at or near earth’s surface. These methods have been used for a variety of mapping applications, including mineral resource evaluation. However, detailed characterization of smaller geologic targets, including mine waste features, requires flying at lower altitudes and with tighter line...
Authors
Chloe Danielle Gustafson, Anjana K. Shah, Matthew Alexander Burgess, Josip Adams, Virginia McLemore, Evan J. Owen
New maps of natural radioactivity reveal critical minerals and more New maps of natural radioactivity reveal critical minerals and more
High-resolution airborne radiometric surveys are covering more ground than ever to provide insights into unseen geology, mineral resource potential, and possible health hazards.
Authors
Anjana K. Shah, Daniel H. Doctor, Chloe Danielle Gustafson, Alan D Pitts
RioM-1: A new calcite reference material for U-Pb LA-ICP-MS geochronology RioM-1: A new calcite reference material for U-Pb LA-ICP-MS geochronology
Determining absolute ages of carbonate diagenesis, faulting, fossil formation, speleothem growth, carbonate-hosted hydrocarbon deposits, vein mineralisation and hydrothermal alteration has become increasingly accessible through LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of calcite, complementing traditional isotope dilution methods still applicable to certain materials (e.g., speleothems via micro-drilling)...
Authors
Marco Silva, Cristiano Lana, Ricardo Scholz, Ian Buick, Sandra K. Kamo, Nick M.W. Roberts, Axel Gerdes, Michael Wiedenbeck, Blair Schoene, Francisco E. Apen, Sean Patrick Gaynor
Widespread anhydrite saturation in Laramide-age arc magmas of southwestern USA Widespread anhydrite saturation in Laramide-age arc magmas of southwestern USA
Anhydrite is considered a rare mineral phase in magmas, with only ∼33 documented occurrences worldwide. However, anhydrite readily decomposes in the near-surface environment, making it difficult to recognize its former presence in rocks collected at or near Earth’s surface. In such samples, only small anhydrite inclusions fully shielded within other minerals can have survived. During a...
Authors
Andreas Audétat, Jia Chang, Sean Patrick Gaynor
Combining scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence to characterize shear zones at the Pogo gold deposit, Alaska Combining scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence to characterize shear zones at the Pogo gold deposit, Alaska
This study employs a multi-method analytical approach to characterize the mineralogical, geochemical, and textural properties of fault rocks from the Pogo gold mine in the Yukon-Tanana Upland, central Alaska. Specifically, we examine cataclasites, to document the structural and geochemical evolution of shear zones and their associations with gold mineralization. To investigate the shear...
Authors
Katharina I Pfaff, Filip Kasprowicz, Jonathan Saul Caine, William Benzel, Heather A. Lowers
Tertiary metallogeny of the Rocky Mountains Province, USA Tertiary metallogeny of the Rocky Mountains Province, USA
Tertiary ore deposits in the Rocky Mountains physiographic province primarily formed through magmatic-hydrothermal processes associated with shifting tectonics and lithospheric conditions. Important deposit types in the province are calc-alkaline and Climaxtype porphyry; high-, medium-, and low-sulfidation epithermal; alkalic magmatic; carbonate replacement; tungsten skarn and vein; and...
Authors
Sean Patrick Gaynor, Karen Lund, Snir Attia, Jonathan Andrew Funk, Kyle Eastman, Joshua Mark Rosera, Jonathan Saul Caine, Eric Anderson