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: 1173
Enhanced geothermal systems electric-resource assessment for the Great Basin, southwestern United States Enhanced geothermal systems electric-resource assessment for the Great Basin, southwestern United States
The U.S. Geological Survey recently (2025) completed a provisional assessment of the geothermal-electric resources associated with high-temperature, low-permeability rock formations of the Great Basin, Southwestern United States. If sufficient technological advances to commercialize enhanced geothermal systems occur, then a current best provisional estimate for electric-power generation...
Authors
Erick R. Burns, Colin F. Williams, Jacob DeAngelo
USGS critical minerals review USGS critical minerals review
No abstract available.
Authors
Graham W. Lederer, James V. Jones, Darcy McPhee, Patricia J Loferski, Robert Seal, Paul A. Bedrosian, Patricia Grace MacQueen, V.J.S. Grauch, Federico Solano, Joshua Mark Rosera, David George Pineault
Statistical approaches for modeling correlated grade and tonnage distributions and applications for mineral resource assessments Statistical approaches for modeling correlated grade and tonnage distributions and applications for mineral resource assessments
Correlations between grade and tonnage exist in mineral resource data compiled from published reports, but they are not always addressed during quantitative assessment of undiscovered mineral resources. Failure to account for correlated grade and tonnage distributions can result in geologically unrealistic assessment results. Current software tools simulate univariate ore tonnage and...
Authors
Joshua Mark Rosera, Graham W. Lederer, John Schuenemeyer
Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) database Critical Minerals in Ores (CMiO) database
Critical minerals are commodities essential to modern industrial and strategic technologies and are highly vulnerable to supply chain disruption. The Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative (CMMI) is a collaboration among the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Geological Survey of Canada, and Geoscience Australia that aims to deepen global understanding of where critical minerals are...
Authors
George N. D. Case, Garth E. Graham, Christopher Lawley, Evgeniy Bastrakov, David Huston, Albert H. Hofstra, Vladimir Lisitsin, Steph Hawkins, Bronwen Wang
Tungsten skarn quantitative mineral resource assessment and gold, rare earth elements, graphite, and uranium qualitative assessments of the Kuldjuktau and Auminzatau Ranges, in the central Kyzylkum region, Uzbekistan Tungsten skarn quantitative mineral resource assessment and gold, rare earth elements, graphite, and uranium qualitative assessments of the Kuldjuktau and Auminzatau Ranges, in the central Kyzylkum region, Uzbekistan
A new quantitative mineral resource assessment for tungsten skarn was conducted for the Auminzatau and Kuldjuktau mountain ranges in Central Uzbekistan, along with qualitative assessments of orogenic gold, rare earth elements (REEs), amorphous graphite, and uranium. By integrating a variety of geological, geochemical, geophysical, and remote sensing data sets, estimates of undiscovered...
Authors
Joshua Aaron Coyan, Federico Solano, Cliff D. Taylor, Carol A. Finn, Steven M. Smith, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Laura Pianowski, Kelsey Elizabeth Crocker, Rustam Mirkamalov, Fareed Divaev, Abdulla Baratov, Botir Khakimov, Jurabek Azimov, Akrom Goipov, Jamshid Avulov, Shokir Akhmadov, Nurbek Inatov, Xurshid Janiev, Nafisa Dulabova
Radiogenic strontium- and uranium-isotope tracers of water-rock interactions and hydrothermal flow in the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA Radiogenic strontium- and uranium-isotope tracers of water-rock interactions and hydrothermal flow in the Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field, USA
Natural radiogenic isotopes (primarily 87Sr/86Sr) from hot springs in the Upper Geyser Basin of the Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field and associated rocks were used to evaluate groundwater flow patterns, water-rock reactions, and the extent of mixing between various groundwater sources. Thermal waters have very low uranium concentrations and 234U/238U activity ratios near 1.0, which...
Authors
James B. Paces, Shaul Hurwitz, Lauren N Harrison, Jacob B. Lowenstern, R. Blaine McCleskey
Annual review 2023: Critical minerals Annual review 2023: Critical minerals
No abstract available.
Authors
Graham W. Lederer, James V. Jones, Darcy McPhee, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Robert R. Seal,, Kate M. Campbell, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Paul A. Bedrosian, Patricia Grace MacQueen, Garth E. Graham, Federico Solano, George N. D. Case, David George Pineault
Near surface sediments introduce low frequency noise into gravity models Near surface sediments introduce low frequency noise into gravity models
3D geologic modeling and mapping often relies on gravity modeling to identify key geologic structures, such as basin depth, fault offset, or fault dip. Such gravity models generally assume either homogeneous or spatially uncorrelated densities within modeled rock bodies and overlying sediments, with average densities typically derived from surface and drill-hole sampling. The noise...
Authors
Geoffrey Phelps, Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff
Alaska focus area definition for data acquisition for potential domestic sources of critical minerals in Alaska for antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium Alaska focus area definition for data acquisition for potential domestic sources of critical minerals in Alaska for antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium
Phase 3 of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) focuses on geologic belts that are favorable for hosting mineral systems that could contain the critical minerals antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium. Prior phases of the Earth MRI program in Alaska focused only on rare earth elements, aluminum...
Authors
Douglas C. Kreiner, James V. Jones, George N. Case
Focus areas for data acquisition for potential domestic resources of 13 critical minerals in the conterminous United States and Puerto Rico — Antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, helium, magnesium, manganese, potash, uranium, vanadiu Focus areas for data acquisition for potential domestic resources of 13 critical minerals in the conterminous United States and Puerto Rico — Antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, helium, magnesium, manganese, potash, uranium, vanadiu
The Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) is conducted in phases to identify areas for acquiring new geologic framework data to identify potential domestic resources of the 35 mineral materials designated as critical minerals for the United States. This report describes the data sources and summary results for 13 critical minerals evaluated in the conterminous United States and...
Authors
Jane M. Hammarstrom, Connie L. Dicken, Laurel G. Woodruff, Allen K. Andersen, Sean T. Brennan, Warren C. Day, Benjamin J. Drenth, Nora K. Foley, Susan Hall, Albert H. Hofstra, Anne E. McCafferty, Anjana K. Shah, David A. Ponce
By
Energy and Mineral Resources Mission Area, Mineral Resources Program, Central Energy Resources Science Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
Assessing mineral supply concentration from different perspectives through a case study of zinc Assessing mineral supply concentration from different perspectives through a case study of zinc
Increasing demand for nonfuel mineral commodities has increased concerns regarding the reliability of their supplies. “Criticality” assessments over the past decade have attempted to capture this concern through a set of indicators, the most common of which quantifies the risk associated with market concentration by applying the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) to the world production of...
Authors
Christine L. Thomas, Nedal T. Nassar, John H. DeYoung
GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for lode gold in Alaska GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for lode gold in Alaska
Several comprehensive, data-driven geographic information system (GIS) analyses were conducted to assess prospectivity for lode gold in Alaska. These analyses use available geospatial datasets of lithologic, geochemical, mineral occurrence, and geophysical data to build models for recognizing different types of gold deposits within physiographic units defined by stream drainage basins...
Authors
Susan M. Karl, Douglas C. Kreiner, George N. D. Case, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew, Matthew Granitto, Bronwen Wang, Eric D. Anderson