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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

Method development and validation for microscopic measurement of the fluorescence spectrum of sedimentary organic matter in geologic samples Method development and validation for microscopic measurement of the fluorescence spectrum of sedimentary organic matter in geologic samples

The goal of this study was to develop and validate a standard operating procedure for measuring the fluorescence emission of sedimentary organic matter (SOM), a proxy used to assess thermal maturity conditions in petroliferous basins. We tested the performance of a spectrometer integrated with an epi-fluorescence imaging microscope, and evaluated instrument calibration, dark-current...
Authors
Kavin Wee Siaw, Paul C. Hackley

Global pegmatite-hosted lithium, cesium, and rubidium resources: A dataset for grade and tonnage modeling Global pegmatite-hosted lithium, cesium, and rubidium resources: A dataset for grade and tonnage modeling

Quantitative mineral resource assessments of potential undiscovered deposits can inform future mineral supply scenarios, but their accuracy is conditional on building robust grade and tonnage models of known deposits. This study presents an up-to-date global compilation and analysis of recently discovered and original, in-situ pegmatite-hosted Li, Cs, and Rb resources prior to historic...
Authors
Joshua Mark Rosera, Dalton M. McCaffrey, Niki E. Wintzer

Neutron scattering reveals fractionation of natural gas mixtures in unconventional petroleum reservoir pores: Perspectives on energy resource recovery and storage Neutron scattering reveals fractionation of natural gas mixtures in unconventional petroleum reservoir pores: Perspectives on energy resource recovery and storage

In unconventional petroleum reservoirs hydrocarbon fluids are hosted by both mineral and organic matter pores. These pores can have diameters that range from microns to less than a single nanometer and, for unconventional reservoirs, there is evidence that small pores (
Authors
Aaron M. Jubb, Justin E. Birdwell, Leslie F. Ruppert, Martha Stokes, Ashton M. Wiens, Thomas Headen, Tristan G. A. Youngs

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

Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Berkine, Illizi, Hamra, Murzuq, and Erdis Kufra Basins of northern Africa, 2026 Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the Berkine, Illizi, Hamra, Murzuq, and Erdis Kufra Basins of northern Africa, 2026

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated undiscovered, technically recoverable mean conventional resources of 419 million barrels of oil and 5.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Berkine, Illizi, Hamra, Murzuq, and Erdis Kufra Basins of northern Africa.
Authors
Christopher J. Schenk, Tracey J. Mercier, Cheryl A. Woodall, Thomas M. Finn, Heidi M. Leathers-Miller, Michael E. Brownfield, Phuong A. Le, Stephanie B. Gaswirth, Marilyn E. Tennyson

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 S. Pianowski, Jacob T. Murchek, Ashton M. Wiens, Margaret M. Sanders, Lucas Leonidus Evart, Jacob DeAngelo, Graham W. Lederer, Joshua A. Coyan
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