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A methodological toolkit for field assessments of artisanally mined alluvial diamond deposits A methodological toolkit for field assessments of artisanally mined alluvial diamond deposits

This toolkit provides a standardized checklist of critical issues relevant to artisanal mining-related field research. An integrated sociophysical geographic approach to collecting data at artisanal mine sites is outlined. The implementation and results of a multistakeholder approach to data collection, carried out in the assessment of Guinea’s artisanally mined diamond deposits, also...
Authors
Peter G. Chirico, Katherine C. Malpeli

Baseline groundwater quality from 34 wells in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, 2011 and 2013 Baseline groundwater quality from 34 wells in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, 2011 and 2013

Wayne County, Pennsylvania, is underlain by the Marcellus Shale, which currently (2014) is being developed elsewhere in Pennsylvania for natural gas. All residents of largely rural Wayne County rely on groundwater for water supply, primarily from bedrock aquifers (shales and sandstones). This study, conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department...
Authors
Ronald A. Sloto

Calibration of a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model for parts of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Calibration of a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model for parts of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Allegheny County Sanitary Authority, developed a validated two-dimensional Resource Management Associates2 (RMA2) hydrodynamic model of parts of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers (Three Rivers) to help assess the effects of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) on the rivers. The...
Authors
John W. Fulton, Chad R. Wagner

Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia Porphyry copper assessment of western Central Asia

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an assessment of resources associated with porphyry copper deposits in the western Central Asia countries of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan and the southern Urals of Kazakhstan and Russia as part of a global mineral resource assessment. The purpose of the study was to (1) delineate permissive areas (tracts) for undiscovered...
Authors
Byron R. Berger, John L. Mars, Paul Denning, Jeffrey D. Phillips, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Michael L. Zientek, Connie L. Dicken, Lawrence J. Drew, Dmitriy with contributions from Alexeiev, Reimar Seltmann, Richard J. Herrington

Surficial geologic map of the Charleston region, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown Counties, South Carolina Surficial geologic map of the Charleston region, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown Counties, South Carolina

This map portrays the surface and shallow subsurface geology of the greater Charleston, S.C. region east of 80°30′ west and south of 33°15′ north. The region covers the entirety of Charleston County and portions of Berkeley, Colleton, Dorchester, and Georgetown Counties. Units locally exposed at the surface range in age from middle Eocene to Holocene, but most of the area is covered by...
Authors
Robert E. Weems, William C. Lewis, Earl M. Lemon

Reproductive health indicators of fishes from Pennsylvania watersheds: association with chemicals of emerging concern Reproductive health indicators of fishes from Pennsylvania watersheds: association with chemicals of emerging concern

Fishes were collected at 16 sites within the three major river drainages (Delaware, Susquehanna, and Ohio) of Pennsylvania. Three species were evaluated for biomarkers of estrogenic/antiandrogenic exposure, including plasma vitellogenin and testicular oocytes in male fishes. Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, white sucker Catostomus commersonii, and redhorse sucker Moxostoma species...
Authors
V. S. Blazer, D.D. Iwanowicz, H.L. Walsh, A.J. Sperry, L. R. Iwanowicz, D.A. Alvarez, R.A. Brightbill, G. Smith, W.T. Foreman, R. Manning

A database and synthesis of northern peatland soil properties and Holocene carbon and nitrogen accumulation A database and synthesis of northern peatland soil properties and Holocene carbon and nitrogen accumulation

Here, we present results from the most comprehensive compilation of Holocene peat soil properties with associated carbon and nitrogen accumulation rates for northern peatlands. Our database consists of 268 peat cores from 215 sites located north of 45°N. It encompasses regions within which peat carbon data have only recently become available, such as the West Siberia Lowlands, the Hudson...
Authors
Rebecca A. Loiselle, Zicheng Yu, David Beilman, Philip Camill, Jukka Alm, Matthew Amesbury, David Anderson, Sofia Andersson, Christopher Bochicchio, Keith Barber, Lisa Belyea, Joan Bunbury, Frank M. Chambers, Dan Charman, Francois De Vleeschouwer, Barbara Fialkiawicz-Koziel, Sarah A Finkelstein, Mariusz Galka, Michelle Garneau, Dan Hammarlund, William Hinchcliffe, James Holmquist, Paul Hughes, Miriam C. Jones, Eric S. Klein, Ulla Kokfelt, Atte Korhola, Peter Kuhry, Alexandre Lamarre, Mariusz Lamentowicz, David Large, Martin Lavoie, Glen MacDonald, Gabriel Magnan, Markku Makila, Gunnar Mallon, Paul Mathijssen, Dmitri Mauquoy, Julia McCarroll, Tim R. Moore, Jonathan M. Nichols, Benjamin O’Reilly, P.O. Oksanen, Maara S. Packalen, Dorothy M. Peteet, Pierre Richard, Stephen Robinson, T.M. Ronkainen, Mats Rundgren, A. Britta K. Sannel, Charles Tarnocai, Tim Thom, Eeva-Stiina Tuittila, Merritt Turetsky, M. Valiranta, Marjolein van der Linden, Bas van Geel, Simon van Bellen, Dale Vitt, Yan Zhao, Weijian Zhou

Niobium and tantalum: indispensable twins Niobium and tantalum: indispensable twins

Niobium and tantalum are transition metals almost always paired together in nature. These “twins” are difficult to separate because of their shared physical and chemical properties. In 1801, English chemist Charles Hatchett uncovered an unknown element in a mineral sample of columbite; John Winthrop found the sample in a Massachusetts mine and sent it to the British Museum in London in...
Authors
Klaus Schulz, John Papp

Reply to Efford on ‘Integrating resource selection information with spatial capture-recapture’ Reply to Efford on ‘Integrating resource selection information with spatial capture-recapture’

1. We proposed ( Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2013, 4) a model for combining telemetry data with spatial capture–recapture (SCR) data that was vigorously criticized by Efford ( Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 2014, 000, 000). Efford's main claim was that our encounter probability model was incorrect, and therefore our R code and simulation results were wrong. 2. In fact, our...
Authors
J. Andrew Royle, Richard Chandler, Catherine C. Sun, Angela K. Fuller

A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch A shift of thermokarst lakes from carbon sources to sinks during the Holocene epoch

Thermokarst lakes formed across vast regions of Siberia and Alaska during the last deglaciation and are thought to be a net source of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide during the Holocene epoch1,2,3,4. However, the same thermokarst lakes can also sequester carbon5, and it remains uncertain whether carbon uptake by thermokarst lakes can offset their greenhouse gas emissions. Here we...
Authors
K. M. Walter Anthony, S. A. Zimov, G. Grosse, Miriam C. Jones, P. Anthony, F. S. Chapin, J. C. Finlay, M. C. Mack, S. Davydov, P. F. Frenzel, S. Frolking

Titanium 2013 Titanium 2013

Titanium is the ninth most abundant element in the earth's crust and can be found in nearly all rocks and sediments. It is a lithophile element with a strong affinity for oxygen and is not found as a pure metal in nature. Titanium was first isolated as a pure metal in 1910, but it was not until 1948 that the metal was produced commercially using the Kroll process (named after its...

Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin Assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin

Tsunami hazard is a very low-probability, but potentially high-risk natural hazard, posing unique challenges to scientists and policy makers trying to mitigate its impacts. These challenges are illustrated in this assessment of tsunami hazard to the U.S. Atlantic margin. Seismic activity along the U.S. Atlantic margin in general is low, and confirmed paleo-tsunami deposits have not yet...
Authors
Uri S. ten Brink, Jason Chaytor, Eric L. Geist, Daniel S. Brothers, Brian D. Andrews
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