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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: 1427

Identification of alginite and bituminite in rocks other than coal. 2006, 2009, and 2011 round robin exercises of the ICCP Identification of Dispersed Organic Matter Working Group Identification of alginite and bituminite in rocks other than coal. 2006, 2009, and 2011 round robin exercises of the ICCP Identification of Dispersed Organic Matter Working Group

The paper presents results of round robin exercises on photomicrograph-based identification of dispersed organic matter in source rocks that represent a range of marine and lacustrine deposits from worldwide localities and cover a range of thermal maturities. The round robin exercises were conducted by the Identification of Dispersed Organic Matter Working Group (IDOM WG) of the...
Authors
J. Kus, C.V. Araujo, A.G. Borrego, D. Flores, Paul C. Hackley, M. Hamor-Vido, Stavros Kalaitzidis, C.J. Kommeren, B. Kwiecinska, M. Mastalerz, J.G. Mendonca Filho, T.R. Menezes, M. Misz-Kennan, G.J. Nowak, H. Petersen, D. Rallakis, I. Suarez-Ruiz, I. Sykorova, D. Zivotić

The Evergreen basin and the role of the Silver Creek fault in the San Andreas fault system, San Francisco Bay region, California The Evergreen basin and the role of the Silver Creek fault in the San Andreas fault system, San Francisco Bay region, California

The Evergreen basin is a 40-km-long, 8-km-wide Cenozoic sedimentary basin that lies mostly concealed beneath the northeastern margin of the Santa Clara Valley near the south end of San Francisco Bay (California, USA). The basin is bounded on the northeast by the strike-slip Hayward fault and an approximately parallel subsurface fault that is structurally overlain by a set of west-verging...
Authors
Robert C. Jachens, Carl M. Wentworth, Russell W. Graymer, Robert Williams, David A. Ponce, Edward A. Mankinen, William J. Stephenson, Victoria E. Langenheim

Reconnaissance sedimentology of selected tertiary exposures in the upland region bordering the Yukon Flats basin, east-central Alaska Reconnaissance sedimentology of selected tertiary exposures in the upland region bordering the Yukon Flats basin, east-central Alaska

This report summarizes reconnaissance sedimentologic and stratigraphic observations made during six days of helicopter-supported fieldwork in 2002 on Tertiary sedimentary rocks exposed in the upland region around the flanks of the Yukon Flats basin in east-central Alaska (fig. 1). This project was a cooperative effort between the Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS)...
Authors
David L. LePain, Richard G. Stanley

Assessment of thermal maturity trends in Devonian-Mississippian source rocks using Raman spectroscopy: Limitations of peak-fitting method Assessment of thermal maturity trends in Devonian-Mississippian source rocks using Raman spectroscopy: Limitations of peak-fitting method

The thermal maturity of shale is often measured by vitrinite reflectance (VRo). VRo measurements for the Devonian–Mississippian black shale source rocks evaluated herein predicted thermal immaturity in areas where associated reservoir rocks are oil-producing. This limitation of the VRo method led to the current evaluation of Raman spectroscopy as a suitable alternative for developing...
Authors
Jason S. Lupoi, Luke P. Fritz, Thomas M. Parris, Paul C. Hackley, Logan Solotky, Cortland F. Eble, Steve Schlaegle

Geospatial analysis identifies critical mineral-resource potential in Alaska Geospatial analysis identifies critical mineral-resource potential in Alaska

Alaska consists of more than 663,000 square miles (1,717,000 square kilometers) of land—more than a sixth of the total area of the United States—and large tracts of it have not been systematically studied or sampled for mineral-resource potential. Many regions of the State are known to have significant mineral-resource potential, and there are currently six operating mines in the State...
Authors
Susan M. Karl, Keith A. Labay

Mineral commodity summaries 2017 Mineral commodity summaries 2017

This report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering 2016 nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for more than 90 individual minerals and materials.
Authors
Joyce A. Ober

Paleomagnetism and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Plio-Pleistocene Boring Volcanic Field: Implications for the geomagnetic polarity time scale and paleosecular variation Paleomagnetism and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Plio-Pleistocene Boring Volcanic Field: Implications for the geomagnetic polarity time scale and paleosecular variation

Paleomagnetic directions and 40Ar/39Ar ages have been determined for samples of lava flows from the same outcrops, where possible, for 84 eruptive units ranging in age from 3200 ka to 60 ka within the Boring Volcanic Field (BVF) of the Pacific Northwest, USA. This study expands upon our previous results for the BVF, and compares the combined results with the current geomagnetic polarity...
Authors
Jonathan T. Hagstrum, Robert J. Fleck, Russell C. Evarts, Andrew T. Calvert

Mobilization of mercury and arsenic from a carbonate-hosted ore deposit, central Idaho, U.S.A. Mobilization of mercury and arsenic from a carbonate-hosted ore deposit, central Idaho, U.S.A.

The Cinnabar and Fern mine sites in central Idaho are primary source areas for elevated mercury and arsenic entering the South Fork of the Salmon River, which provides critical spawning habitat for bull trout and Chinook salmon. Mercury mineralization is hosted by carbonate rocks, which generate waters dominated by Ca2+ and HCO3 - at pH 7 to 9. A synoptic sampling was conducted on...
Authors
JoAnn M. Holloway, Michael J. Pribil, R. Blaine McCleskey, Alexandra B. Etheridge, David P. Krabbenhoft, George R. Aiken

Geochemical characteristics of igneous rocks associated with epithermal mineral deposits—A review Geochemical characteristics of igneous rocks associated with epithermal mineral deposits—A review

Newly synthesized data indicate that the geochemistry of igneous rocks associated with epithermal mineral deposits varies extensively and continuously from subalkaline basaltic to rhyolitic compositions. Trace element and isotopic data for these rocks are consistent with subduction-related magmatism and suggest that the primary source magmas were generated by partial melting of the...
Authors
Edward A. du Bray

Tectonic evolution Tectonic evolution

The middle Paleozoic through Present tectonic evolution of the Northern Cordillera is portrayed in a series of 15 Tectonic Model figures. These figures depict the successive stages of formation and accretion of orogenic collages along the western margin of the North American Plate (craton and craton margin) and adjacent marine areas. The orogenic collages are composed of terranes and...
Authors
Warren J. Nokleberg, James W.H. Monger, David B. Stone, Thomas K. Bundtzen, David W. Scholl

Influence of the Eastern California Shear Zone on deposition of the Mio-Pliocene Bouse Formation: Insights from the Cibola area, Arizona Influence of the Eastern California Shear Zone on deposition of the Mio-Pliocene Bouse Formation: Insights from the Cibola area, Arizona

The Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ) is a wide zone of late Cenozoic strike-slip faults and related diffuse deformation that currently accommodates ~20–25% of relative Pacific–North America plate motion in the lower Colorado River region (Fig. 1A; Dokka and Travis, 1990; Miller et al., 2001; Guest et al., 2007; Mahan et al., 2009). The ECSZ is kinematically linked southward to...
Authors
Rebecca J. Dorsey, Brennan O’Connell, Mindy B. Homan, Scott E.K. Bennett
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