Publications
Publications from the staff of the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Filter Total Items: 2477
Prospectivity modeling of the NASA VIPER landing site at Mons Mouton near the Lunar South Pole Prospectivity modeling of the NASA VIPER landing site at Mons Mouton near the Lunar South Pole
We use a high-resolution digital elevation model and a numerical thermal model to produce a variety of inputs for a water-ice prospectivity model for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) landing site. These input data are maps of topography, surface slope, surface aspect, surface curvature, maximum temperature, depth to ice stability, permanently shadowed regions...
Authors
Joshua Aaron Coyan, Matthew Siegler, Jose Martinez Comacho, Ross A. Beyer, Mark Shirley
Lithium from magma to mine in an early Yellowstone hotspot caldera Lithium from magma to mine in an early Yellowstone hotspot caldera
Renewable energy technologies rely on the extraction of metals not historically in high demand, such as lithium (Li), for which ore deposit models are incompletely understood. One of the world’s largest Li deposits is hosted in lake sediments of the 16.4 Ma McDermitt caldera, which formed during the early stages of Yellowstone hotspot volcanism in the western United States. Eruptive and
Authors
Kathryn E. Watts
Geochemistry and radiogenic isotopes constrain the mantle source region of the Mountain Pass Intrusive Suite, California Geochemistry and radiogenic isotopes constrain the mantle source region of the Mountain Pass Intrusive Suite, California
The Mountain Pass carbonatite stock is the largest rare earth element (REE) deposit and only active REE mine in the United States. The carbonatite intrusion and spatially associated alkaline silicate intrusions constitute the Mountain Pass Intrusive Suite, which is located within the Mojave Province in California. Both the carbonatite and the alkaline silicate rocks are enriched in large...
Authors
Erin Kay Benson, Kathryn E. Watts, Ian William Hillenbrand
Fossil diatoms in Arctic marine surface sediments Fossil diatoms in Arctic marine surface sediments
Diatoms are one of the main constituents of marine phytoplankton in the Arctic, and thanks to their siliceous skeletons, diatom fossils are relatively well preserved in sediments. Due to their species-specific sensitivity to different ocean conditions, their abundance and assemblages in sediments are routinely used by paleoceanographers to reconstruct the state of the surface ocean in...
Authors
Christof Pearce, Beth Elaine Caissie, Alice Carter-Champion, Audrey Limoges, Tiia Luostarinen, Gavin L. Simpson, Kaarina Weckstrom
Strike-slip faulting and counterclockwise rotations along the southwest portion of the Lake Mead fault system, Boulder City–Hoover Dam Area, Nevada Strike-slip faulting and counterclockwise rotations along the southwest portion of the Lake Mead fault system, Boulder City–Hoover Dam Area, Nevada
No abstract available.
Authors
L. Sue Beard, Zachary Anderson, Tracey J. Felger
Wangyanite, PdNi8S8, a new Pd end-member mineral of the pentlandite group from the J-M reef, Stillwater Complex, Montana, USA Wangyanite, PdNi8S8, a new Pd end-member mineral of the pentlandite group from the J-M reef, Stillwater Complex, Montana, USA
Wangyanite (IMA2024-008a), ideally PdNi8S8, is a Pd end-member mineral of the pentlandite group that was discovered in the J-M reef of the Stillwater Complex, Montana, USA. Wangyanite occurs as anhedral-subhedral granular crystals 200–400 µm in size, associated with isoferroplatinum, braggite, pentlandite, and chalcopyrite interstitial to plagioclase grains within anorthosite. Wangyanite...
Authors
Chen Chen, Haiyang Xian, Christopher Jenkins, Zhuosen Yao, Yiping Yang, Xiaoju Lin, Shan Li, Jiaxin Xi, Yuhuan Yuan, Jianxi Zhu, Hongping He
New paleomagnetic constraints on the eruption timing, stratigraphy, and post-emplacement deformation of the Picture Gorge Basalt within the Columbia River Basalt Group New paleomagnetic constraints on the eruption timing, stratigraphy, and post-emplacement deformation of the Picture Gorge Basalt within the Columbia River Basalt Group
The Picture Gorge Basalt (PGB) is part of the Miocene Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG). The PGB, which outcrops in eastern Oregon, is considered coincident in time with the voluminous Grande Ronde Basalt. New radiometric ages have expanded the age‐range of the PGB, suggesting it began erupting prior to the Steens Basalt to its south and continued until after cessation of the Grande...
Authors
Anthony Francis Pivarunas, Margaret Susan Avery, Jonathan T. Hagstrum, Scott E.K. Bennett, Andrew T. Calvert
Characterizing the scale of regional landslide triggering from storm hydrometeorology Characterizing the scale of regional landslide triggering from storm hydrometeorology
Rainfall strongly affects landslide triggering; however, understanding how storm characteristics relate to the severity of landslides at the regional scale has thus far remained unclear, despite the societal benefits that would result from defining this relationship. As mapped landslide inventories typically cover a small region relative to a storm system, here we develop a dimensionless...
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Nina S. Oakley, Brian D. Collins, Skye C. Corbett, W. Paul Burgess
Summary of results from monitoring the Geysers with continuous passive seismic and repeat magnetotelluric measurements (2021-2023) Summary of results from monitoring the Geysers with continuous passive seismic and repeat magnetotelluric measurements (2021-2023)
Understanding temporal variations in a geothermal field can support operators in decision making that pertains to optimizing production and mitigating hazards. Between 2021 and 2023, The Geysers geothermal field in northern California was monitored with an array of continuous passive seismic sensors and annual repeat magnetotelluric (MT) measurements. Each of these data sets were...
Authors
Jared R. Peacock, David Alumbaugh, Roland Gritto, Evan Um, Craig Ulrich, Michael A. Mitchell, Craig Hartline
Preliminary depth to basement modeling at Salton Sea, California Preliminary depth to basement modeling at Salton Sea, California
The San Andreas Fault – Imperial Fault (SAF-IF) transtensional step-over zone along the southern margin of the Salton Sea hosts substantial geothermal production and lithium brine resources. Recent volcanism at the Salton Buttes and active seismicity along the SAFIF fault system highlight active tectonic and magmatic processes that pose natural hazards and may impact energy and mineral...
Authors
Jacob Elliott Anderson, Jonathan M.G. Glen, William D. Schermerhorn, Tait E. Earney, Benjamin Lyter Morbeck
Exploration for blind geothermal systems in the eastern Great Basin of Utah: An update on the “Lund North” INGENIOUS detailed study site Exploration for blind geothermal systems in the eastern Great Basin of Utah: An update on the “Lund North” INGENIOUS detailed study site
Existing geothermal production in Utah is commonly collocated with surficial expressions of geothermal heat including active hot springs and hot spring deposits. However, geothermal potential across the Great Basin region is thought to be much higher for hidden or blind geothermal systems. Accordingly, exploration techniques that can locate geothermal resources that lack surface thermal...
Authors
Christian L. Hardwick, Eugene Szymanski, Nicole R. Hart-Wagoner, S. Ashton, N. Christensen, Tait E. Earney, James E. Faulds, Jonathan M.G. Glen, A.I. Hiscock, Stefan Kirby, T. Knudsen, S. Kobe, Cary R. Lindsey, Benjamin Lyter Morbeck, Jared R. Peacock, Grant Harold Rea-Downing, William D. Schermerhorn, K. Smith
Sensitivity of benthic biota and toxicity of cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc mixtures in Washington, United States, and British Columbia, Canada Sensitivity of benthic biota and toxicity of cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel, lead, and zinc mixtures in Washington, United States, and British Columbia, Canada
Relative sensitivities and responses of juvenile white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), Hyalella azteca, two families of mayfly (Ephemerellidae, Heptageniidae), one family of caddisfly (Brachycentridae), and a natural community of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMI) to multiple metals are predicted using previously collected laboratory and field samples and a metal mixture model...
Authors
Laurie S. Balistrieri