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.
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Geochemical, mineralogical, and isotopic evidence for multi-stage genesis of the Hicks Dome REE + Y-HFSE-fluorite deposit, Illinois, USA Geochemical, mineralogical, and isotopic evidence for multi-stage genesis of the Hicks Dome REE + Y-HFSE-fluorite deposit, Illinois, USA
Hicks Dome hosts breccias enriched in rare earth elements (REE), Y, Th, F, Ba, Ti, Nb, and Be, alongside spatially associated lamprophyre dikes (ca. 271 Ma). Hicks Dome is located within the Illinois–Kentucky Fluorspar District, which hosts fluorite, Pb–Zn, and barite resources. This study investigates the genetic relationships between Hicks Dome mineralization in breccias, alkaline...
Authors
Julia A. McIntosh, Allen K. Andersen, Mitchell M. Bennett, Jay M. Thompson, Craig A. Johnson, Albert H. Hofstra, Laurence Nuelle
Critical minerals memory match game Critical minerals memory match game
An educational information packet about the 2025 List of Critical Minerals, which includes a memory match game about select critical minerals and how they are used.
Authors
Danielle A. Olinger
Time-to-depth conversion of seismic-reflection data from eastern Lake Superior and implications for the eastern arm of the Midcontinent Rift Time-to-depth conversion of seismic-reflection data from eastern Lake Superior and implications for the eastern arm of the Midcontinent Rift
Seismic-reflection data were acquired in the mid 1980s along several lines across eastern Lake Superior by industry and the Great Lakes International Multidisciplinary Program on Crustal Evolution (GLIMPCE) (Fig. 1). The lines form part of a larger network of crossing lines over the entire lake, which can be used to develop three-dimensional geologic models of the Mesoproterozoic...
Authors
V. J. Grauch, Samuel J. Heller
Uncertainty quantification of geologic energy storage in depleted gas reservoirs using material balance equations embedded in a hierarchical errors-in-variables model Uncertainty quantification of geologic energy storage in depleted gas reservoirs using material balance equations embedded in a hierarchical errors-in-variables model
The storage potential for gas in geologic settings, such as depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and solution-mined salt caverns, is becoming salient to future energy infrastructure planning. Technologies such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage, carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery, and natural gas and hydrogen storage help meet growing energy demands, reduce carbon emissions to meet...
Authors
Ashton M. Wiens, Matthew M. Jones, Philip A. Freeman, Marc L. Buursink
Remote sensing enables basin-scale inventories of coal mine methane Remote sensing enables basin-scale inventories of coal mine methane
Underground coal mines are important global sources of methane, but emission estimates are uncertain. We show that emission estimates for individual mines from aircraft remote-sensing surveys in the United States agree within 40% with direct measurements used for national emission reporting (IPCC Tier 3 estimate). Such direct measurements are unavailable in most countries, which rely on...
Authors
Elise Penn, Daniel J. Jacob, Daniel M. Bon, Kate Howell, Kelly O’Neill, Tia Scarpelli, Zichong Chen, Robert A. Field, C. Özgen Karacan, Elfie Roy, Daniel Cusworth
Unraveling protracted modification of Archean and Paleoproterozoic crust in central Laurentia, Penokean orogen, with garnet and accessory mineral geochronology and microstructural analysis Unraveling protracted modification of Archean and Paleoproterozoic crust in central Laurentia, Penokean orogen, with garnet and accessory mineral geochronology and microstructural analysis
Proterozoic metamorphism and deformation of the southern margin of the Superior craton in the Lake Superior region is attributed to the Penokean orogeny (1890−1830 Ma). This model includes a period of crustal inversion in which Archean basement blocks were exhumed through overlying Paleoproterozoic strata, producing the corridor of gneiss domes that parallels the trend of the Penokean...
Authors
Ross Anthony Salerno, William F. Cannon, Jay M. Thompson, Amanda Kate Souders, Jeffrey D Vervoort, Ian W. Hillenbrand
Syn-magmatic subsidence during the early stages of continental rifting in the Mesoproterozoic—A reanalysis of legacy data for the Midcontinent Rift, western Lake Superior Syn-magmatic subsidence during the early stages of continental rifting in the Mesoproterozoic—A reanalysis of legacy data for the Midcontinent Rift, western Lake Superior
The Midcontinent Rift system (ca. 1.1 Ga) is a 2000-km-long series of elongated volcanic and sedimentary troughs and associated intrusive centers exposed chiefly in the Lake Superior region of North America. The rift system represents a long history of intense magmatism and subsequent sedimentation that was arrested by far-field tectonic events before sea-floor spreading was established...
Authors
V. J. Grauch, Laurel G. Woodruff, Samuel J. Heller, Esther K. Stewart
Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the southern Appalachian orogen Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the southern Appalachian orogen
The first quantitative mineral resource assessment for undiscovered lithium pegmatite deposits in the southern Appalachian region of the United States was conducted. Permissive tracts for lithium pegmatite deposits were delineated by integrating lithological, tectonic, geochemical, geophysical and mineral occurrence data. Lithium pegmatite prospectivity of the tracts was ranked with...
Authors
Joshua Mark Rosera, Kelsey Elizabeth Crocker, Laura Pianowski, Jacob T. Murchek, Ashton M. Wiens, Margaret M. Sanders, Lucas Leonidus Evart, Jacob DeAngelo, Graham W. Lederer, Joshua A. Coyan
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