Publications
Here you will find publications, reports and articles produced by geology, energy, and mineral scientists. For a comprehensive listing of all USGS publications, click the button below.
Filter Total Items: 1370
Geochemical geodatabase of sedimentary strata (coal, coal-adjacent rocks, tuffaceous oil shale, phosphate-rich rocks) and produced water in the Uinta region, Utah and Colorado Geochemical geodatabase of sedimentary strata (coal, coal-adjacent rocks, tuffaceous oil shale, phosphate-rich rocks) and produced water in the Uinta region, Utah and Colorado
The Geochemical Geodatabase of Sedimentary Strata (Coal, Coal-adjacent Rocks, Tuffaceous Oil Shale, Phosphate-rich Rocks) and Produced Water in the Uinta Region, Utah and Colorado, consists of compiled datasets acquired as part of the Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Mineral (CORE-CM) Uinta Region assessment funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DEFE0032046, 2021–2024; Birgenheier...
Authors
Ryan D. Gall, Lauren Birgenheier, Peyton Fausett, Haley Coe, Emma Morris, Diego P. Fernandez, L. Wilcock, Michael Vanden Berg, Andrew L. Masterson, Aaron M. Jubb, Justin E. Birdwell, Logan Ashurst-McGee, Nicholas Bailey, Andrew Giebel, Amanda Sha Herzberg, Jessica Chenault, Brittney Hoskins
Diverging mineral chemistry of iron and nickel throughout Earth’s changing redox conditions reveals foundation for their evolution as protein cofactors Diverging mineral chemistry of iron and nickel throughout Earth’s changing redox conditions reveals foundation for their evolution as protein cofactors
Iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) were both foundational to early metabolism, yet their biological trajectories diverged as Earth’s surface redox state changed. Here, we integrate mineral chemistry network analysis, protein metal-site coordination-sphere analysis, and curated redox comparisons to test how geochemistry and metalloprotein architecture co-evolved. Mineral network analyses show...
Authors
Benjamin Jelen, Yarissa Peralta, Shaunna M. Morrison, Beth A. Christensen, Elisha Kelly Moore
Geophysical architecture and geochronology of the Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex, northwestern Minnesota: Largest anorthosite complex of the Superior Province? Geophysical architecture and geochronology of the Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex, northwestern Minnesota: Largest anorthosite complex of the Superior Province?
The Neoarchean Mentor anorthosite intrusive complex (MAIC) lies within the Wawa subprovince in northwestern Minnesota, in a region where the Wawa, Quetico, and Wabigoon subprovinces are juxtaposed in close proximity. Archean rocks are entirely concealed, and interpretations are developed from aeromagnetic, gravity, and borehole samples. The MAIC includes both anorthosite (dense, weakly...
Authors
Benjamin J. Drenth, Amy L. Radakovich, Amanda Kate Souders, George J. Hudak, Stacy Saari
Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the northern Appalachian orogen, USA Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the northern Appalachian orogen, USA
Lithium demand is projected to increase more than 48 times by 2040 due to electric vehicle production and other energy storage needs. Most lithium production is outside of the USA, thereby increasing supply chain vulnerability. The combined end use importance and heightened supply risk of lithium make this lightest metallic element a critical commodity to the USA. To mitigate this supply...
Authors
Niki E. Wintzer, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Jacob Evan Poletti, Dalton M. McCaffrey, Stanley Paul Mordensky, Erik Roger Tharalson, Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff
Critical minerals in zinc ore—An update on Earth Mapping Resources Initiative Research in the Boulder Batholith region, Montana Critical minerals in zinc ore—An update on Earth Mapping Resources Initiative Research in the Boulder Batholith region, Montana
Authors
Sean Patrick Gaynor, Eric D. Anderson, Kyle A. Eastman, Karen Lund, Chris Gammons, Heather A. Lowers, Jay M. Thompson
The mineral chemistry networks of tin and tungsten reflect metallogenic eras of the Mesozoic The mineral chemistry networks of tin and tungsten reflect metallogenic eras of the Mesozoic
Continental remobilization is a crucial driver of metallogenesis and the formation of ore deposits. Some of the world’s largest mineral deposits of the economically valuable elements tin (Sn), tungsten (W), gold (Au), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) formed during the Mesozoic Era. Additionally, the chemistry and distribution of the elements Sn and W have been investigated in...
Authors
Elisha Kelly Moore, Shaunna M. Morrison, Amber Hatter
Rare earth element potential in coal and coal ash in the U.S. Gulf Coast Rare earth element potential in coal and coal ash in the U.S. Gulf Coast
United States heavy reliance on imports of critical minerals (CMs), including rare earth elements (REEs), underscores the importance of development of domestic sources. The study objective was to quantify CM and REE concentrations in coal and coal ash in the US Gulf Coast region. CM and REE concentrations were measured for 118 samples from outcrops and 14 mines in the Gulf Coast. Results...
Authors
Bridget R. Scanlon, Robert C. Reedy, Brent A. Elliott, James C. Hower, J. Richard Kyle, Marek Locmelis, Nolan Theaker, Peter D. Warwick
Insights into Mountain Pass carbonatite formation from in-situ sulfur isotopes and geochemistry of sulfate and sulfide minerals Insights into Mountain Pass carbonatite formation from in-situ sulfur isotopes and geochemistry of sulfate and sulfide minerals
The Mountain Pass carbonatite stock hosts a world-class rare earth element deposit and may be classified as a carbonate-sulfate igneous rock, as it contains on average > 50 volume percent carbonate minerals and 20 to 30 volume percent sulfate minerals. The sulfates range in composition from barite to celestine and locally occur with sparse sulfide minerals. We investigate the origin of...
Authors
Erin Kay Benson, Kathryn E. Watts, Michael J. Pribil, Jay M. Thompson, Heather A. Lowers
Utilization of multiple geochronology techniques to constrain the age of laterization and mineralization of the world-class Mount Weld rare earth element deposit, Western Australia Utilization of multiple geochronology techniques to constrain the age of laterization and mineralization of the world-class Mount Weld rare earth element deposit, Western Australia
Pervasive chemical weathering on stable cratons may form thick regoliths and elemental enrichment, but constraining the age of regolith formation is challenging. In this study we utilize multiple geochronological techniques on different minerals from the world-class Mount Weld rare earth element (REE) deposit, formed by lateritic weathering of a carbonatite, to constrain the age of...
Authors
Philip L. Verplanck, Cameron Mark Mercer, Jay M. Thompson, Martin Danišík, Heather A. Lowers, Leah E. Morgan, Ganesh Bhat
Bottom-up characterization of geologic methane emissions in the San Juan Basin in the southwestern USA Bottom-up characterization of geologic methane emissions in the San Juan Basin in the southwestern USA
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry and global warming. The current global methane budget has large uncertainties, and a better understanding of the budget would help to guide strategies for reducing anthropogenic emissions to fight climate change. Natural geologic methane emissions are a particularly poorly constrained source, with...
Authors
Margaret Scholer, Kathleen R. Hall, Thomas S. Weber, Marc L. Buursink, Mingzhe Zhu, Alexander C. Ihle, Devin Hencmann, Andrew M. Smith, Katey W. Anthony, Vasilii V. Petrenko
Top-down targeted network analysis of critical mineral commodities applied to international geochemistry database Top-down targeted network analysis of critical mineral commodities applied to international geochemistry database
The global demand for critical mineral commodities is rapidly increasing, making domestic production an important factor in supporting the economy and national security. Large scale, publicly available geochemical databases allow for the application of data informatics methods to interrogate critical mineral commodities data for correlations in deposit formation and distribution...
Authors
Elisha Kelly Moore, Joshua Mark Rosera, Graham W. Lederer
The petrogenesis of Þingmúli volcano, East Fjords, Iceland The petrogenesis of Þingmúli volcano, East Fjords, Iceland
In this work we revisit Þingmúli volcano (Þ = Th), a classic locality known as an example of a complete tholeiitic differentiation. Þingmúli is a ~ 9.5 Ma extinct central volcano located in the East Fjords of Iceland, in which the whole compositional spectrum from basalt to rhyolites have erupted. These volcanic products have been previously considered as petrogenetically related by an...
Authors
Amanda L. Hughes, Joaquín A. Cortès, Dave McGarvie, Richard J. Moscati, Valerie Olive