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Stable isotopes and mineral resource investigations in the United States

January 1, 1999

The elements oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, and carbon are important constituents of hydrothermal ore-forming systems and the weathering processes of mineral deposits in the surficial environment. They also play key roles in volcanic activity, ecosystem dynamics, climate change, and hydrologic and atmospheric processes. Therefore, study of the stable isotopes of these elements can provide powerful insights into these processes. This is especially true for ongoing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) projects in the Eastern United States that are concerned with the origins of base (copper, lead, and zinc) and precious (gold and silver) metal deposits in the Carolina slate belt and northern Maine and with the environmental effects of weathering of mineral deposits (fig. 1).

Publication Year 1999
Title Stable isotopes and mineral resource investigations in the United States
DOI 10.3133/70220369
Authors Robert R. Seal
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Unnumbered Series
Series Title Information Handout
Index ID 70220369
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse