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George Case

George is a Research Economic Geologist for the Alaska Science Center.

Science and Products

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Map of Alaska showing estimated mineral-resource potential

GIS Prospectivity Analysis for Critical Minerals in Ore-Forming Systems in Alaska

Alaska is dominated by a history of tectonic events that foster mobilization and concentration of a wide variety of mineral commodities that are critical to the US economy and are vital to national defense, renewable-energy, and emerging electronics technologies.
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Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center
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GIS Prospectivity Analysis for Critical Minerals in Ore-Forming Systems in Alaska

Alaska is dominated by a history of tectonic events that foster mobilization and concentration of a wide variety of mineral commodities that are critical to the US economy and are vital to national defense, renewable-energy, and emerging electronics technologies.
Learn More
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USGS science for a changing world

Mineral Resource Assessment Training

The USGS Mineral Resources Program conducts mineral resource assessments and is training USGS scientists in how to conduct these assessments for future work. As a practical exercise, the scientists will conduct an assessment for tungsten in the U.S.
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
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Mineral Resource Assessment Training

The USGS Mineral Resources Program conducts mineral resource assessments and is training USGS scientists in how to conduct these assessments for future work. As a practical exercise, the scientists will conduct an assessment for tungsten in the U.S.
Learn More
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Alaska Resource Data File quadrangle map

Alaska Resource Data File

The Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) site provides descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences for individual U.S. Geological Survey 1:250,000-scale quadrangles in Alaska.
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Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
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Alaska Resource Data File

The Alaska Resource Data File (ARDF) site provides descriptions of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences for individual U.S. Geological Survey 1:250,000-scale quadrangles in Alaska.
Learn More

Data for Uranium-Lead Geochronology, Carbon and Sulfur Stable Isotopes, and Raman Spectroscopy from Graphite Creek, Alaska

This data release supports the paper titled, "Insights into the metamorphic history and origin of flake graphite mineralization at the Graphite Creek graphite deposit, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, USA", published in the journal Mineralium Deposita. The data release includes zircon and titanite U-Pb-Thisotope and age data, monazite U-Pb-Th isotope, trace element and age data, carbon and sulfur stablei
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Alaska Science Center

Whole Rock Major and Trace Element Chemistry for Igneous and Metamorphic Rocks from the Yukon-Tanana Upland, Alaska

This data set consists of one table containing whole-rock geochemistry data for 753 igneous and metamorphic rocks from the Yukon-Tanana upland of eastern interior Alaska, collected between 2013 and 2019. All materials were analyzed by ALS Global, between 2014 and 2020, by a range of different techniques, so multiple unique entries for a given element relate to different analytical methods or prepa
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Alaska Science Center

Data from the Chemical Analysis of Archived Stream-Sediment Samples, Alaska

This data release contains the elemental concentration data for more than 1700 archived stream-sediment samples collected in Alaska. Samples were retrieved from the USGS Mineral Program's sample archive in Denver, CO, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys Geologic Materials Center in Anchorage, AK. All samples were analyzed using a multi-element analytical method involving
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Alaska Science Center

Qualitative Mineral Potential Map of Tungsten Skarn in the Yukon-Tanana Uplands, Eastern Alaska, USA, 2021

This data release supports the paper titled, "Tungsten skarn potential of the Yukon-Tanana Uplands, Eastern Alaska, USA-A mineral resource assessment", published via open-access license in the Journal of Geochemical Exploration and available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gexplo.2020.106700. The data release includes GIS data that map potential for tungsten skarn mineralization in permissive tracts
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Alaska Science Center

Data and results for GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for lode gold deposits in Alaska

This data release contains the analytical results and evaluated source data files of geospatial analyses for identifying areas in Alaska that may be prospective for different types of lode gold deposits, including orogenic, reduced-intrusion-related, epithermal, and gold-bearing porphyry. The spatial analysis is based on queries of statewide source datasets of aeromagnetic surveys, Alaska Geochemi
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Alaska Science Center
Sample of Jack Hills Conglomerate from Western Australia. Oldest known zircon grains on Earth.
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Scientists on large rock in Australia with desert in the background.
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Lab photo of the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) - a mass spectrometer.
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Scientist on snow field on side of mountain next to stream with orange rocks. Vegetation is on opposite side of stream.
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Snow field on side of mountain next to stream with orange rocks. Vegetation is on both sides of Graphite Creek.
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Arial view of   Graphite Creek Deposit. Looking down into valley with river below and mountains rising above.
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Scenic view of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Photo taken from a ridge above Graphite Creek, looking out to body of water.
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Insights into the metamorphic history and origin of flake graphite mineralization at the Graphite Creek graphite deposit, Seward Peninsula, Alaska, USA

Graphite Creek is an unusual flake graphite deposit located on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska, USA. We present field observations, uranium-lead (U–Pb) monazite and titanite geochronology, carbon (C) and sulfur (S) stable isotope geochemistry, and graphite Raman spectroscopy data from this deposit that support a new model of flake graphite ore genesis in high-grade metamorphic environments. The Graph
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George N. D. Case, Susan M. Karl, Sean P. Regan, Craig A. Johnson, Eric T Ellison, Jonathan Caine, Christopher Holm-Denoma, Laura Pianowski, Jeff A. Benowitz
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Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Alaska focus area definition for data acquisition for potential domestic sources of critical minerals in Alaska for antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium

Phase 3 of the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) focuses on geologic belts that are favorable for hosting mineral systems that could contain the critical minerals antimony, barite, beryllium, chromium, fluorspar, hafnium, magnesium, manganese, uranium, vanadium, and zirconium. Prior phases of the Earth MRI program in Alaska focused only on rare earth elements, aluminum, cobalt, graphi
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Douglas C. Kreiner, James V. Jones, George N. Case
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Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)

Geospatial analysis delineates lode gold prospectivity in Alaska

Comprehensive, data-driven geographic information system analyses utilize publicly available lithologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral occurrence datasets to delineate gold resource potential in Alaska. These prospectivity analyses successfully identify areas containing known lode gold occurrences, expand areas of high prospectivity around known occurrences, improve the precision of deline
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Susan M. Karl, Douglas C. Kreiner, George N. D. Case, Keith A. Labay
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

Tungsten skarn potential of the Yukon-Tanana Upland, eastern Alaska, USA—A mineral resource assessment

Tungsten (W) is used in a variety of industrial and technological applications and has been identified as a critical mineral for the United States, India, the European Union, and other countries. These countries rely on W imports mostly from China, which leaves them vulnerable to supply disruption. Consequently, the U.S. government has a current initiative to understand domestic resource potential
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George N. D. Case, Garth E. Graham, Erin E. Marsh, Ryan Taylor, Carlin J. Green, Philip J. Brown, Keith A. Labay
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Mineral Resources Program, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

GIS-based identification of areas that have resource potential for lode gold in Alaska

Several comprehensive, data-driven geographic information system (GIS) analyses were conducted to assess prospectivity for lode gold in Alaska. These analyses use available geospatial datasets of lithologic, geochemical, mineral occurrence, and geophysical data to build models for recognizing different types of gold deposits within physiographic units defined by stream drainage basins that are app
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Susan M. Karl, Douglas C. Kreiner, George N. D. Case, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew, Matthew Granitto, Bronwen Wang, Eric D. Anderson
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Chemical analysis of archived stream-sediment samples, Alaska

Geochemical data are presented for more than 1,500 archived stream-sediment samples and accompanying quality control samples. The archived sediments were reanalyzed to improve the stream geochemical dataset for Alaska and to support ongoing U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) studies. Sediment samples were primarily from the USGS Mineral Resources Program’s sample archive in Denver, Colorado, but a few
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Bronwen Wang, George N. D. Case, Mathew Granitto, Keith A. Labay, Nora B. Shew, Andrew D. Ingraham, Jaime S. Azain, Zachary C. Bueghly, Susan M. Karl, Karen D. Kelley
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Mineral Resources Program, Alaska Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center

Evaluation of the analytical methods used to determine the elemental concentrations found in the stream geochemical dataset compiled for Alaska

A recent U.S. Geological Survey data compilation of stream-sediment geochemistry for Alaska contains decades of analyses collected under numerous Federal and State programs. The compiled data were determined by various analytical methods. Some samples were reanalyzed by a different analytical method than the original, resulting in some elements having concentrations reported by multiple analytical
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Bronwen Wang, Karl J. Ellefsen, Matthew Granitto, Karen D. Kelley, Susan M. Karl, George N. D. Case, Douglas C. Kreiner, Courtney L. Amundson
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Ecosystems Mission Area, Alaska Science Center

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