Denver Microbeam Laboratory: Mineral Resources Research Support
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By Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
April 6, 2018
The USGS Denver Microbeam Laboratory provides chemical analysis and characterization of rocks, minerals, and environmental samples in support of a wide variety of USGS projects related to mineral resources, including research projects funded by the USGS Mineral Resources Program. The research applications for these projects range from mineral resource research and assessments, to geologic mapping and geochronology, to geologic hazards and radioactive waste disposal, to the environment and human health.
Additional Information
For additional information on the laboratory facilities and equipment, visit the Denver Microbeam Laboratory site.
The Denver Microbeam Laboratory has provided support to these Mineral Resources Program projects:
Filter Total Items: 27
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 22
No Result Found
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 76
Organic petrology and micro-spectroscopy of Tasmanites microfossils: Applications to kerogen transformations in the early oil window Organic petrology and micro-spectroscopy of Tasmanites microfossils: Applications to kerogen transformations in the early oil window
The transformation of kerogen to hydrocarbons in the early stages of oil generation is critical for understanding the resource potential of liquid-rich shale plays. Organic petrology commonly is used for visual evaluation of type, quality, and thermal maturity of organic matter, but the relationship of visual petrographic changes to chemical transformations is not well characterized. To...
Authors
Paul Hackley, Clifford Walters, S.R. Kelemen, Maria Mastalerz, Heather Lowers
USGS Spectral Library Version 7 USGS Spectral Library Version 7
We have assembled a library of spectra measured with laboratory, field, and airborne spectrometers. The instruments used cover wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared (0.2 to 200 microns [μm]). Laboratory samples of specific minerals, plants, chemical compounds, and manmade materials were measured. In many cases, samples were purified, so that unique spectral features of a...
Authors
Raymond F. Kokaly, Roger Clark, Gregg Swayze, K. Eric Livo, Todd Hoefen, Neil Pearson, Richard Wise, William Benzel, Heather A. Lowers, Rhonda Driscoll, Anna Klein
Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies of the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite–rare earth element deposit, Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains Terrane, southeast Missouri, USA Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies of the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite–rare earth element deposit, Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains Terrane, southeast Missouri, USA
Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies were conducted on variably altered and mineralized samples from the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite (IOA)-rare earth element (REE) deposit in order to constrain P-T conditions, fluid chemistry, and the source of salt and volatiles during early magnetite and later REE mineralization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)...
Authors
Albert Hofstra, Corey Meighan, Xinyu Song, Iain Samson, Erin Marsh, Heather Lowers, Poul Emsbo, Andrew Hunt
Hydrogeologic investigations of the Miocene Nogales Formation in the Nogales Area, Upper Santa Cruz Basin, Arizona Hydrogeologic investigations of the Miocene Nogales Formation in the Nogales Area, Upper Santa Cruz Basin, Arizona
Hydrogeologic investigations were conducted to evaluate the groundwater resource potential for the Miocene Nogales Formation in the Nogales area, southern Arizona. Results indicate that parts of the formation may provide new, deeper sources of groundwater for the area. Geologic mapping determined the hydrogeologic framework of the formation by defining lithologic, mineralogic, and...
Authors
William Page, Floyd Gray, Mark Bultman, Christopher Menges
Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues
Introduction This circular provides an overview of selected activities that were conducted within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Integrated Methods Development Project, an interdisciplinary project designed to develop new tools and conduct innovative research requiring integration of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing expertise. The project was supported by the...
The distribution and composition of REE-bearing minerals in placers of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, USA The distribution and composition of REE-bearing minerals in placers of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, USA
Rare earth element (REE) resources are currently of great interest because of their importance as raw materials for high-technology manufacturing. The REE-phosphates monazite (light REE enriched) and xenotime (heavy REE enriched) resist weathering and can accumulate in placer deposits as part of the heavy mineral assemblage. The Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the southeastern United...
Authors
Carleton Bern, Anjana Shah, William Benzel, Heather A. Lowers
Ore mineralogy and textural zonation in the world-class epithermal Waihi Vein System, Hauraki Goldfield Ore mineralogy and textural zonation in the world-class epithermal Waihi Vein System, Hauraki Goldfield
The Waihi district in the Hauraki Goldfield of New Zealand contains adularia-sericite epithermal gold-silver veins that have produced more than 7.7 Moz gold. The outermost veins of the district (Martha, Favona, Moonlight, and Cowshed) contain abundant colloform, cherty, and black quartz fill textures, with minor crustiform and massive quartz. The central veins (Amaranth, Trio, and Union)...
Authors
Jeffrey Mauk, Erin Skinner, Sarah Fyfe, Andrew Menzies, Heather A. Lowers, Alan Koenig
Petrology and diagenetic history of the upper shale member of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota Petrology and diagenetic history of the upper shale member of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota
The organic-rich upper shale member of the upper Devonian–lower Mississippian Bakken Formation (Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA) has undergone significant diagenetic alteration, irrespective of catagenesis related to hydrocarbon generation. Alteration includes precipitation of numerous cements, replacement of both detrital and authigenic minerals, multiple episodes of fracturing, and...
Authors
Neil Fishman, Sven Egenhoff, Adam Boehlke, Heather A. Lowers
Mining for metals in society's waste Mining for metals in society's waste
Metals are crucial to society and enable our modern standard of living. Look around and you can't help but see products made of metals. For instance, a typical gasoline-powered automobile contains over a ton of iron and steel, 240 pounds of aluminum, 42 pounds of copper, 41 pounds of silicon, 22 pounds of zinc and more than 30 other mineral commodities including titanium, platinum and...
Authors
Kathleen Smith, Geoffrey Plumlee, Philip Hageman
Results of mineral, chemical, and sulfate isotopic analyses of water, soil, rocks, and soil extracts from the Pariette Draw Watershed, Uinta Basin, Utah Results of mineral, chemical, and sulfate isotopic analyses of water, soil, rocks, and soil extracts from the Pariette Draw Watershed, Uinta Basin, Utah
In 2010, Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Division of Water Quality (UDWQ, 2010) determined that water quality in Pariette Draw was in violation of Federal and State water quality criteria for total dissolved solids (TDS), selenium (Se), and boron (B). The measure of total dissolved solids is the sum of all the major ion concentrations in solution and in this case, the...
Authors
Jean Morrison, Michele L. Tuttle, Juli Fahy
Weathering and transport of chromium and nickel from serpentinite in the Coast Range ophiolite to the Sacramento Valley, California, USA Weathering and transport of chromium and nickel from serpentinite in the Coast Range ophiolite to the Sacramento Valley, California, USA
A soil geochemical study in northern California was done to investigate the role that weathering and transport play in the regional distribution and mobility of geogenic Cr and Ni, which are both potentially toxic and carcinogenic. These elements are enriched in ultramafic rocks (primarily serpentinite) and the soils derived from them (1700–10,000 mg Cr per kg soil and 1300–3900 mg Ni...
Authors
Jean Morrison, Martin Goldhaber, Christopher T. Mills, George Breit, Robert Hooper, JoAnn Holloway, Sharon Diehl, James Ranville
Sedimentology of SPICE (Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion): A high-resolution trace fossil and microfabric analysis of the middle to late Cambrian Alum Shale Formation, southern Sweden Sedimentology of SPICE (Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion): A high-resolution trace fossil and microfabric analysis of the middle to late Cambrian Alum Shale Formation, southern Sweden
The Cambrian Alum Shale Formation in the Andrarum-3 core from Scania, southern Sweden, consists of black siliciclastic mudstone with minor carbonate intercalations. Four facies comprise three siliciclastic mudstones and one fine-grained carbonate. The facies reflect deposition along a transect from deep ramp to basin on a Cambrian shelf. The three mudstone facies contain abundant clay...
Authors
Sven Egenhoff, Neil Fishman, Per Ahlberg, Jorg Maletz, Allison Jackson, Ketki Kolte, Heather Lowers, James Mackie, Warren Newby, Matthew Petrowsky
Below are news stories associated with this project.
The USGS Denver Microbeam Laboratory provides chemical analysis and characterization of rocks, minerals, and environmental samples in support of a wide variety of USGS projects related to mineral resources, including research projects funded by the USGS Mineral Resources Program. The research applications for these projects range from mineral resource research and assessments, to geologic mapping and geochronology, to geologic hazards and radioactive waste disposal, to the environment and human health.
Additional Information
For additional information on the laboratory facilities and equipment, visit the Denver Microbeam Laboratory site.
The Denver Microbeam Laboratory has provided support to these Mineral Resources Program projects:
Filter Total Items: 27
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 22
No Result Found
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 76
Organic petrology and micro-spectroscopy of Tasmanites microfossils: Applications to kerogen transformations in the early oil window Organic petrology and micro-spectroscopy of Tasmanites microfossils: Applications to kerogen transformations in the early oil window
The transformation of kerogen to hydrocarbons in the early stages of oil generation is critical for understanding the resource potential of liquid-rich shale plays. Organic petrology commonly is used for visual evaluation of type, quality, and thermal maturity of organic matter, but the relationship of visual petrographic changes to chemical transformations is not well characterized. To...
Authors
Paul Hackley, Clifford Walters, S.R. Kelemen, Maria Mastalerz, Heather Lowers
USGS Spectral Library Version 7 USGS Spectral Library Version 7
We have assembled a library of spectra measured with laboratory, field, and airborne spectrometers. The instruments used cover wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared (0.2 to 200 microns [μm]). Laboratory samples of specific minerals, plants, chemical compounds, and manmade materials were measured. In many cases, samples were purified, so that unique spectral features of a...
Authors
Raymond F. Kokaly, Roger Clark, Gregg Swayze, K. Eric Livo, Todd Hoefen, Neil Pearson, Richard Wise, William Benzel, Heather A. Lowers, Rhonda Driscoll, Anna Klein
Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies of the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite–rare earth element deposit, Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains Terrane, southeast Missouri, USA Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies of the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite–rare earth element deposit, Mesoproterozoic St. Francois Mountains Terrane, southeast Missouri, USA
Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies were conducted on variably altered and mineralized samples from the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite (IOA)-rare earth element (REE) deposit in order to constrain P-T conditions, fluid chemistry, and the source of salt and volatiles during early magnetite and later REE mineralization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)...
Authors
Albert Hofstra, Corey Meighan, Xinyu Song, Iain Samson, Erin Marsh, Heather Lowers, Poul Emsbo, Andrew Hunt
Hydrogeologic investigations of the Miocene Nogales Formation in the Nogales Area, Upper Santa Cruz Basin, Arizona Hydrogeologic investigations of the Miocene Nogales Formation in the Nogales Area, Upper Santa Cruz Basin, Arizona
Hydrogeologic investigations were conducted to evaluate the groundwater resource potential for the Miocene Nogales Formation in the Nogales area, southern Arizona. Results indicate that parts of the formation may provide new, deeper sources of groundwater for the area. Geologic mapping determined the hydrogeologic framework of the formation by defining lithologic, mineralogic, and...
Authors
William Page, Floyd Gray, Mark Bultman, Christopher Menges
Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues
Introduction This circular provides an overview of selected activities that were conducted within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Integrated Methods Development Project, an interdisciplinary project designed to develop new tools and conduct innovative research requiring integration of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing expertise. The project was supported by the...
The distribution and composition of REE-bearing minerals in placers of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, USA The distribution and composition of REE-bearing minerals in placers of the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains, USA
Rare earth element (REE) resources are currently of great interest because of their importance as raw materials for high-technology manufacturing. The REE-phosphates monazite (light REE enriched) and xenotime (heavy REE enriched) resist weathering and can accumulate in placer deposits as part of the heavy mineral assemblage. The Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the southeastern United...
Authors
Carleton Bern, Anjana Shah, William Benzel, Heather A. Lowers
Ore mineralogy and textural zonation in the world-class epithermal Waihi Vein System, Hauraki Goldfield Ore mineralogy and textural zonation in the world-class epithermal Waihi Vein System, Hauraki Goldfield
The Waihi district in the Hauraki Goldfield of New Zealand contains adularia-sericite epithermal gold-silver veins that have produced more than 7.7 Moz gold. The outermost veins of the district (Martha, Favona, Moonlight, and Cowshed) contain abundant colloform, cherty, and black quartz fill textures, with minor crustiform and massive quartz. The central veins (Amaranth, Trio, and Union)...
Authors
Jeffrey Mauk, Erin Skinner, Sarah Fyfe, Andrew Menzies, Heather A. Lowers, Alan Koenig
Petrology and diagenetic history of the upper shale member of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota Petrology and diagenetic history of the upper shale member of the Late Devonian-Early Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota
The organic-rich upper shale member of the upper Devonian–lower Mississippian Bakken Formation (Williston Basin, North Dakota, USA) has undergone significant diagenetic alteration, irrespective of catagenesis related to hydrocarbon generation. Alteration includes precipitation of numerous cements, replacement of both detrital and authigenic minerals, multiple episodes of fracturing, and...
Authors
Neil Fishman, Sven Egenhoff, Adam Boehlke, Heather A. Lowers
Mining for metals in society's waste Mining for metals in society's waste
Metals are crucial to society and enable our modern standard of living. Look around and you can't help but see products made of metals. For instance, a typical gasoline-powered automobile contains over a ton of iron and steel, 240 pounds of aluminum, 42 pounds of copper, 41 pounds of silicon, 22 pounds of zinc and more than 30 other mineral commodities including titanium, platinum and...
Authors
Kathleen Smith, Geoffrey Plumlee, Philip Hageman
Results of mineral, chemical, and sulfate isotopic analyses of water, soil, rocks, and soil extracts from the Pariette Draw Watershed, Uinta Basin, Utah Results of mineral, chemical, and sulfate isotopic analyses of water, soil, rocks, and soil extracts from the Pariette Draw Watershed, Uinta Basin, Utah
In 2010, Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Division of Water Quality (UDWQ, 2010) determined that water quality in Pariette Draw was in violation of Federal and State water quality criteria for total dissolved solids (TDS), selenium (Se), and boron (B). The measure of total dissolved solids is the sum of all the major ion concentrations in solution and in this case, the...
Authors
Jean Morrison, Michele L. Tuttle, Juli Fahy
Weathering and transport of chromium and nickel from serpentinite in the Coast Range ophiolite to the Sacramento Valley, California, USA Weathering and transport of chromium and nickel from serpentinite in the Coast Range ophiolite to the Sacramento Valley, California, USA
A soil geochemical study in northern California was done to investigate the role that weathering and transport play in the regional distribution and mobility of geogenic Cr and Ni, which are both potentially toxic and carcinogenic. These elements are enriched in ultramafic rocks (primarily serpentinite) and the soils derived from them (1700–10,000 mg Cr per kg soil and 1300–3900 mg Ni...
Authors
Jean Morrison, Martin Goldhaber, Christopher T. Mills, George Breit, Robert Hooper, JoAnn Holloway, Sharon Diehl, James Ranville
Sedimentology of SPICE (Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion): A high-resolution trace fossil and microfabric analysis of the middle to late Cambrian Alum Shale Formation, southern Sweden Sedimentology of SPICE (Steptoean positive carbon isotope excursion): A high-resolution trace fossil and microfabric analysis of the middle to late Cambrian Alum Shale Formation, southern Sweden
The Cambrian Alum Shale Formation in the Andrarum-3 core from Scania, southern Sweden, consists of black siliciclastic mudstone with minor carbonate intercalations. Four facies comprise three siliciclastic mudstones and one fine-grained carbonate. The facies reflect deposition along a transect from deep ramp to basin on a Cambrian shelf. The three mudstone facies contain abundant clay...
Authors
Sven Egenhoff, Neil Fishman, Per Ahlberg, Jorg Maletz, Allison Jackson, Ketki Kolte, Heather Lowers, James Mackie, Warren Newby, Matthew Petrowsky
Below are news stories associated with this project.