Mineral Resources Program
Publications
Publications resulting from our Program's research and minerals information activities. To follow Minerals Information Periodicals, subscribe to the Mineral Periodicals RSS feed.
Minerals Information Publications
National Mineral Information Center (NMIC) products focus on the worldwide supply of, demand for, and flow of minerals and materials. These products are organized by mineral commodity, geographic area, or monthly/annual statistical compilation.
NMIC PublicationsProduct Collections
Product collections resulting from previous science activities. Also includes final reports submitted by the Mineral Resources External Research Program (MRERP) grant recipients.
Global Mineral Resource Assessments
Historical-Federal Government Mineral Exploration-Assistance Programs
U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources ProgramMineral resource science supporting informed decisionmaking
Geologic map of the central Beaverhead Mountains, Lemhi County, Idaho, and Beaverhead County, Montana
This geologic map of the central Beaverhead Mountains portrays a complex geologic history of depositional basin development interspersed with deformational events. Generalized geology for young basins, compiled from sources on both sides of the range, is combined with newly mapped bedrock geology to better integrate geologic development of the map...
Lund, Karen
Geologic map of the Fort Collins 30'×60' quadrangle, Larimer and Jackson Counties, Colorado, and Albany and Laramie Counties, Wyoming
The rocks and landforms of the Fort Collins 30′ × 60′ 1:100,000-scale U.S. Geological Survey quadrangle reveals a particularly complete record of geologic history in the northern Front Range of Colorado. The Proterozoic basement rocks exposed in the core of the range preserve evidence of Paleoproterozoic marine sedimentation, volcanism, and...
Workman, Jeremiah B.; Cole, James C.; Shroba, Ralph R.; Kellogg, Karl S.; Premo, Wayne R.
Descriptive models for epithermal gold-silver deposits: Chapter Q in
Epithermal gold-silver deposits are vein, stockwork, disseminated, and replacement deposits that are mined primarily for their gold and silver contents; some deposits also contain substantial resources of lead, zinc, copper, and (or) mercury. These deposits form in the uppermost parts of the crust, at depths less than about 1,500 meters below the...
John, David A.; Vikre, Peter G.; du Bray, Edward A.; Blakely, Richard J.; Fey, David L.; Rockwell, Barnaby W.; Mauk, Jeffrey L.; Anderson, Eric D.; Graybeal, Frederick T.
Understanding the captivity effect on invertebrate communities transplanted into an experimental stream laboratory
Little is known about how design and testing methodologies affect the macroinvertebrate communities that are held captive in mesocosms. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a 32‐d test to determine how seeded invertebrate communities changed once removed from the natural stream and introduced to the laboratory. We evaluated larvae survival...
Schmidt, Travis S.; Rogers, Holly; Miller, Janet L.; Mebane, Christopher A.; Balistrieri, Laurie S. Distinguishing brackish lacustrine from brackish marine deposits in the stratigraphic record: A case study from the late Miocene and early Pliocene Bouse Formation, Arizona and California, USA
Brackish marine and brackish continental environments are fundamentally different from a compositional perspective. Brackish water is often defined as having salinity lower than that of standard seawater but higher than that of freshwater, but less regard is given to the origin of the salts involved. The simple dilution of...
Bright, Jordon; Cohen, Andrew S.; Starratt, Scott W. Paleoseismic results from the Alpine site, Wasatch fault zone: Timing and displacement data for six holocene earthquakes at the Salt Lake City–Provo segment boundary
To improve the characterization of Holocene earthquakes on the Wasatch fault zone (WFZ), we conducted light detection and ranging (lidar)‐based neotectonic mapping and excavated a paleoseismic trench across an 8‐m‐high fault scarp near Alpine, Utah, located <1  km"><1 km<1 km south of the boundary...
Bennett, Scott E. K.; Duross, Christopher; Gold, Ryan D.; Briggs, Richard W.; Personius, Stephen; Reitman, Nadine G.; Devore, Joshua; Hiscock, Adam; Mahan, Shannon A.; Gray, Harrison J.; Gunnarson, Sydney; Stephenson, William J.; Pettinger, Elizabeth; Odum, Jackson K.
Aeromagnetic map of Mountain Pass and vicinity, California and Nevada
Magnetic investigations of Mountain Pass and vicinity were begun as part of an effort to study regional crustal structures as an aid to understanding the geologic framework and mineral resources of the eastern Mojave Desert. The study area, which straddles the state boundary between southeastern California and southern Nevada, encompasses Mountain...
Ponce, David A.; Ponce, David A.; Denton, Kevin M.
Isostatic gravity map of Mountain Pass and vicinity, California and Nevada
Gravity investigations of Mountain Pass and vicinity were begun as part of an effort to study regional crustal structures as an aid to understanding the geologic framework and mineral resources of the eastern Mojave Desert. The study area, which straddles the state boundary between southeastern California and southern Nevada, encompasses Mountain...
Ponce, David A.; Ponce, David A.; Denton, Kevin M.
Geophysical and geologic maps of Mountain Pass and vicinity, California and Nevada
U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3412 is a series of products that consists of geophysical and geologic maps of Mountain Pass and vicinity, California. Maps A and B (red outline in above map image) are gravity and aeromagnetic maps, respectively. The map series was begun as part of an effort to study regional crustal structures...
Ponce, David A. Critical minerals: A review of elemental trends in comprehensive criticality studies
Mineral criticality is a subjective concept that has evolved throughout history. An abundance of literature on this topic has been published over the last decade, encompassing a variety of criteria and methodologies. To our knowledge, this work is the first large-scale effort to organize and analyze recent comprehensive criticality studies in...
Hayes, Sarah M.; McCullough, Erin A. Interpretation of low‐temperature thermochronometer ages from tilted normal fault blocks
Low‐temperature thermochronometry is widely used to measure the timing and rate of slip on normal faults. Rates are often derived from suites of footwall thermochronometer samples, but regression of age vs. structural depth fails to account for the trajectories of samples during fault slip. We demonstrate that in rotating fault blocks, regression...
Johnstone, Samuel A.; Colgan, Joseph P. Controls on submarine channel-modifying processes identified through morphometric scaling relationships
Submarine channels share morphological similarities with rivers, but observations from modern and ancient systems indicate they are formed under processes and controls unique to submarine settings. Morphologic characteristics of channels—e.g., width, depth, slope, and the relationships among them—can constrain interpretations of channel-forming...
Shumaker, Lauren E.; Jobe, Zane R.; Johnstone, Samuel A.; Pettinga, Luke A.; Cai, Dingxin; Moody, Jeremiah D.