Publications
Here you will find publications, reports and articles produced by Energy and Mineral scientists. For a comprehensive listing of all USGS publications, click the button below.
Filter Total Items: 1326
Preliminary geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands Preliminary geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands
IntroductionThis geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands is a compilation of information from the literature, integrated to provide a seamless geologic map of the region. The geology shown on sheet 1 covers Cuba, the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands...
Authors
Frederic Wilson, Greta Orris, Floyd Gray
Shrimp U-Pb zircon and opal geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and genesis of the super large Be deposit at Spor Mountain, Utah, USA Shrimp U-Pb zircon and opal geochronology, isotope geochemistry, and genesis of the super large Be deposit at Spor Mountain, Utah, USA
Ongoing studies of the Spor Mountain beryllium (Be) deposit are focused on (1) characterizing the role of igneous rocks in the genesis of the ore zones, (2) determining the timing and duration of magmatic-hydrothermal events, and (3) establishing processes related to beryllium transport and accumulation. The Spor Mountain Formation (SMF) hosts the deposit, which is the largest known...
Authors
Nora Foley, Robert Ayuso
Outburst floods provide erodability estimates consistent with long-term landscape evolution Outburst floods provide erodability estimates consistent with long-term landscape evolution
Most current models for the landscape evolution over geological timescales are based on semi-empirical laws that consider riverbed incision proportional to rock erodability (dependent on lithology) and to the work performed by water flow (stream power). However, the erodability values obtained from these models are entangled with poorly known conditions of past climate and streamflow...
Authors
Daniel Garcia-Castellanos, Jim E. O'Connor
Geochemical characterization and modeling of regional groundwater contributing to the Verde River, Arizona between Mormon Pocket and the USGS Clarkdale gage Geochemical characterization and modeling of regional groundwater contributing to the Verde River, Arizona between Mormon Pocket and the USGS Clarkdale gage
We use synoptic surveys of stream discharge, stable isotopes, and dissolved noble gases to identify the source of groundwater discharge to the Verde River in central Arizona. The Verde River more than doubles in discharge in Mormon Pocket over a 1.4 km distance that includes three discrete locations of visible spring input to the river and other diffuse groundwater inputs. A detailed...
Authors
Kimberly Beisner, W. Gardner, Andrew Hunt
Understanding and distinguishing reflectance measurements of solid bitumen and vitrinite using hydrous pyrolysis: Implications to petroleum assessment Understanding and distinguishing reflectance measurements of solid bitumen and vitrinite using hydrous pyrolysis: Implications to petroleum assessment
Solid bitumen is a common organic component of thermally mature shales and typically is identified by embayment against euhedral mineral terminations and by groundmass textures. However, because these textures are not always present, solid bitumen can be easily misidentified as vitrinite. Hydrous-pyrolysis experiments (72 hr, 300°C–360°C) on shale and coal samples show that solid-bitumen...
Authors
Paul Hackley, Michael Lewan
Rapid 3-D analysis of rockfalls Rapid 3-D analysis of rockfalls
Recent fatal and damaging rockfalls in Yosemite National Park indicate the need for rapid response data collection methods to inform public safety and assist with management response. Here we show the use of multiple-platform remote sensing methods to rapidly capture pertinent data needed to inform management and the public following a several large rockfalls from El Capitan cliff in...
Authors
Greg Stock, A. Guerin, Nikita Avdievitch, Brian Collins, Michel Jaboyedoff
Against the current— The Mojave River from sink to source: The 2018 Desert Symposium field trip road log Against the current— The Mojave River from sink to source: The 2018 Desert Symposium field trip road log
The Mojave River evolved over the past few million years by “fill and spill” from upper basins near its source in the Transverse Ranges to lower basins. Each newly “spilled into” basin in the series? sustained a long-lived lake but gradually filled with Mojave River sediment, leading to spill to a yet lower elevation? basin. The Mojave River currently terminates at Silver Lake, near...
Authors
David M. Miller, R.E. Reynolds, Krishangi Groover, David Buesch, H. Brown, Geoffrey Cromwell, Jill Densmore, A.L. Garcia, D. Hughson, J.R. Knott, Jeffrey Lovich
World distribution of uranium deposits World distribution of uranium deposits
Deposit data derived from IAEA UDEPO (http://infcis.iaea.org/UDEPO/About.cshtml) database with assistance from P. Bruneton (France) and M. Mihalasky (U.S.A.). The map is an updated companion to "World Distribution of Uranium Deposits (UDEPO) with Uranium Deposit Classification, IAEA Tech-Doc-1629". Geology was derived from L.B. Chorlton, Generalized Geology of the World, Geological...
Authors
M. Fairclough, J. Irvine, L. Katona, W. Simmon, P. Bruneton, Mark Mihalasky, M. Cuney, M. Aranha, O. Pylypenko, K. Poliakovska
Assessing rockfall susceptibility in steep and overhanging slopes using three-dimensional analysis of failure mechanisms Assessing rockfall susceptibility in steep and overhanging slopes using three-dimensional analysis of failure mechanisms
Rockfalls strongly influence the evolution of steep rocky landscapes and represent a significant hazard in mountainous areas. Defining the most probable future rockfall source areas is of primary importance for both geomorphological investigations and hazard assessment. Thus, a need exists to understand which areas of a steep cliff are more likely to be affected by a rockfall. An...
Authors
Battista Matasci, Greg Stock, Michael Jaboyedoff, Dario Carrea, Brian Collins, Antoine Guerin, G. Matasci, L. Ravanel
Crustal structure and quaternary acceleration of deformation rates in central Washington revealed by stream profile inversion, potential field geophysics, and structural geology of the Yakima folds Crustal structure and quaternary acceleration of deformation rates in central Washington revealed by stream profile inversion, potential field geophysics, and structural geology of the Yakima folds
Post‐Miocene tectonic uplift along fault‐cored anticlines within central Washington produced the Yakima Fold Province, a region of active NNE‐SSW shortening in the Cascadian backarc. The relative timing and rate of deformation along individual structures is coarsely defined yet imperative for seismic hazard assessment. In this work, we use geomorphic and geophysical mapping, stream...
Authors
Lydia Staisch, Richard Blakely, Harvey Kelsey, Richard Styron, Brian Sherrod
Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017 Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Susitna Basin of southern Alaska. Using a geology-based methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of about 2 million barrels of oil and nearly 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas may be found in this area.
Authors
Richard Stanley, Christopher Potter, Kristen Lewis, Paul Lillis, Anjana Shah, Peter Haeussler, Jeffrey Phillips, Zenon Valin, Christopher Schenk, Timothy R. Klett, Michael Brownfield, Ronald Drake, Thomas Finn, Seth Haines, Debra Higley, David Houseknecht, Phuong A. Le, Kristen Marra, Tracey Mercier, Heidi Leathers-Miller, Stanley Paxton, Ofori Pearson, Marilyn E. Tennyson, Cheryl Woodall, Margarita Zyrianova
A time-lapse gravity survey of the Coso geothermal field, China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, California A time-lapse gravity survey of the Coso geothermal field, China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, California
We have conducted a gravity survey of the Coso geothermal field to continue the time-lapse gravity study of the area initiated in 1991. In this report, we outline a method of processing the gravity data that minimizes the random errors and instrument bias introduced into the data by the Scintrex CG-5 relative gravimeters that were used. After processing, the standard deviation of the...
Authors
Geoffrey Phelps, Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff, Kelly Blake