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: 1952
Mineralogy of uranium and thorium (R.J. Lauf) Mineralogy of uranium and thorium (R.J. Lauf)
As stated by the author in this 352-page book’s preface, the intention is to present “a systematic guide to uranium and thorium minerals and their occurrences for the serious student or mineral collector seeking to better understand the specimens in his or her collection.” A secondary purpose is to provide an up-to-date reference to the mineralogy of radioactive raw materials for the...
Authors
Cliff D. Taylor
Quartz solubility in the H2O-NaCl system: A framework for understanding vein formation in porphyry copper deposits Quartz solubility in the H2O-NaCl system: A framework for understanding vein formation in porphyry copper deposits
Porphyry copper deposits consist of low-grade stockwork and disseminated sulfide zones that contain characteristic vein generations formed during the evolution of the magmatic-hydrothermal systems. The present contribution proposes an interpretive framework for the formation of porphyry veins that is based on quartz solubility calculations in the H2O-NaCl system at temperatures of 100°...
Authors
Thomas Monecke, Jochen Monecke, T James Reynolds, Subaru Tsuruoka, Mitchell M. Bennett, Wiley B Skewes, Richard M. Palin
Spatial spectroscopic models for remote exploration Spatial spectroscopic models for remote exploration
Ancient hydrothermal systems are a high-priority target for a future Mars sample return mission because they contain energy sources for microbes and can preserve organic materials (Farmer, 2000; MEPAG Next Decade Science Analysis Group, 2008; McLennan et al.,2012; Michalski et al.,2017). Characterizing these large, heterogeneous systems with a remote explorer is difficult due to...
Authors
David R. Thompson, Alberto Candela, David Wettergreen, E. Noe Dobrea, Gregg A. Swayze, Roger N Clark, Rebecca Greenberger
Sulfur isotopes of host strata for Howards Pass (Yukon–Northwest Territories) Zn-Pb deposits implicate anaerobic oxidation of methane, not basin stagnation Sulfur isotopes of host strata for Howards Pass (Yukon–Northwest Territories) Zn-Pb deposits implicate anaerobic oxidation of methane, not basin stagnation
A new sulfur isotope stratigraphic profile has been developed for Ordovician-Silurian mudstones that host the Howards Pass Zn-Pb deposits (Canada) in an attempt to reconcile the traditional model of a stagnant euxinic basin setting with new contradictory findings. Our analyses of pyrite confirm the up-section 34S enrichment reported previously, but additional observations show parallel...
Authors
Craig A. Johnson, John F. Slack, Julie A. Dumoulin, Karen Duttweiler Kelley, Hendrik Falck
Reverse weathering in marine sediments and the geochemical cycle of potassium in seawater: Insights from the K isotopic composition (41K/39K) of deep-sea pore-fluids Reverse weathering in marine sediments and the geochemical cycle of potassium in seawater: Insights from the K isotopic composition (41K/39K) of deep-sea pore-fluids
In situ Al-silicate formation, also known as “reverse weathering,” is an important sink of many of the major and minor cations in seawater (e.g. Mg, K, and Li). However, the importance of this sink in global geochemical cycles and isotopic budgets of these elements remains poorly constrained. Here, we report on the potassium isotopic composition (41K/39K) of deep-sea sediment pore-fluids...
Authors
Danielle P. Santiago Ramos, Leah E. Morgan, Nicholas S. Lloyd, John A. Higgins
Monitoring brine contamination using time-lapse airborne electromagnetic surveys, East Poplar Oil Field, Montana Monitoring brine contamination using time-lapse airborne electromagnetic surveys, East Poplar Oil Field, Montana
Integrated geophysical and water-quality studies have been used to delineate areas of saline groundwater in shallow unconfined aquifers underlying the East Poplar oil field in northeastern Montana. In 2004, a RESOLVE survey was conducted over the oil field to identify high conductivity areas potentially associated with brine contamination and to map the shale unit comprising the base of...
Authors
Lyndsay Ball, Maria Deszcz-Pan, Joanna Thamke, Bruce Smith
Mapping protected groundwater adjacent to oil and gas fields, San Joaquin Valley, California Mapping protected groundwater adjacent to oil and gas fields, San Joaquin Valley, California
Airborne electromagnetic (AEM) surveys are a major component of a regional study of groundwater quality adjacent to oil and gas fields in the San Joaquin Valley of California, USA. AEM resistivity models are being used to delineate groundwater salinity in an effort to locate groundwater adjacent to oil and gas fields that could have future beneficial use. AEM models are also being used...
Authors
Lyndsay B. Ball, Janice M. Gillespie, Burke Minsley, Tracy Davis, Matthew K. Landon
Processes and facies relationships in a Lower(?) Devonian rocky shoreline depositional environment, East Lime Creek Conglomerate, south‐western Colorado, USA Processes and facies relationships in a Lower(?) Devonian rocky shoreline depositional environment, East Lime Creek Conglomerate, south‐western Colorado, USA
Rocky shorelines are relatively common features along modern coastlines, but few have been recognized in the geological record. The hard substrates of rocky shorelines telescope the width of offshore marine environments, thus the diagnostic deposits observed in such settings today have a low preservation potential due to small accommodation space and high‐energy conditions. This study...
Authors
James E. Evans, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
40Ar/39Ar geochronology and petrogenesis of the Table Mountain Shoshonite, Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and petrogenesis of the Table Mountain Shoshonite, Golden, Colorado, U.S.A.
The Upper Cretaceous and Lower Paleogene Table Mountain Shoshonite lava flows and their proposed source, the Ralston Buttes intrusions, provide insight into the volcanic history of the Colorado Front Range. This study affirms the long-held hypothesis linking the extrusive Table Mountain lava flows and their intrusive equivalents at Ralston Buttes through major- and trace- element...
Authors
Alexie E. G. Millikin, Leah E. Morgan, Jeffery Noblett
Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits
Quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposits represent the largest repository of gold on Earth, largely due to the deposits of the Witwatersrand Basin, which account for nearly 40 percent of the total gold produced throughout Earth’s history. This deposit type has had a controversial history in regards to genetic models. However, most researchers conclude that they are paleoplacer deposits...
Authors
Ryan D. Taylor, Eric D. Anderson
Three-dimensional geophysical mapping of shallow water saturated altered rocks at Mount Baker, Washington: Implications for slope stability Three-dimensional geophysical mapping of shallow water saturated altered rocks at Mount Baker, Washington: Implications for slope stability
Water-saturated hydrothermal alteration reduces the strength of volcanic edifices, increasing the potential for catastrophic sector collapses that can lead to far traveled and destructive debris flows. Intense hydrothermal alteration significantly lowers the resistivity and magnetization of volcanic rock and therefore hydrothermally altered rocks can be identified with helicopter...
Authors
Carol A. Finn, Maria Deszcz-Pan, Jessica L. Ball, Benjamin J. Bloss, Burke J. Minsley
U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2016 annual report U.S. Geological Survey science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative—2016 annual report
This is the ninth annual report highlighting U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) science and decision-support activities conducted for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative (WLCI). The activities address specific management needs identified by WLCI partner agencies. In fiscal year (FY) 2016, there were 26 active USGS WLCI science-based projects. Of these 26 projects, one project was...
Authors
Zachary H. Bowen, Ellen Aikens, Cameron L. Aldridge, Patrick J. Anderson, Timothy J. Assal, Anna D. Chalfoun, Geneva W. Chong, Cheryl A. Eddy-Miller, Steven L. Garman, Steve Germaine, Collin G. Homer, Aaron N. Johnston, Matthew J. Kauffman, Daniel J. Manier, Cynthia P. Melcher, Kirk A. Miller, Annika W. Walters, Jerrod D. Wheeler, Daniel J. Wieferich, Anna B. Wilson, Teal B. Wyckoff, Linda Zeigenfuss
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Science Synthesis, Analysis, and Research Program, Land Management Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS), Species Management Research Program, Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center, Fort Collins Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Wyoming-Montana Water Science Center