Gregg A Swayze, Ph.D.
Gregg Swayze is a Scientist Emeritus in Denver. Gregg received a Doctorate in Geology from the University of Colorado in 1997. Since joining the USGS in 1985, Gregg has devoted his career to studying Remote Sensing and specializes in Imaging Spectroscopy. Presently, his science focuses on environmental and mineral exploration applications of imaging spectroscopy.
Research Interests
Over the years, Gregg has developed methods to spectrally map acid-mine drainage in Leadville, Colorado, naturally-occurring asbestos in the foothills of California, insulation asbestos in the World Trade Center dust, and oil emulsions formed during the 2010 BP oil spill. He has also developed a portable spectral fingerprinting technique to identify asbestos-bearing vermiculite in attic insulation. Gregg has used his imaging spectroscopy experience with relict hydrothermal systems in Nevada and Hawaii to help map similar mineral deposits on the surface of Mars with the NASA CRISM orbital spectrometer. His most recent focus is on spectrally mapping REE-bearing minerals at the Mt. Pass Mine in California. He was recently selected as a Co-Investigator of the NASA/JPL Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation (EMIT) team with the goal of putting an imaging spectrometer on the International Space Station to map the mineralogy of dust source regions on a global basis.
Professional Experience
1985 to present, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. degree/Geology, University of Colorado, 1997
M.S. degree/Geology, Colorado School of Mines, 1985
B.S. degree/Geology, Grand Valley State University, 1982
Affiliations and Memberships*
American Geophysical Union
Geological Society of America
Colorado Scientific Society
Society of Economic Geologists
Science and Products
The use of synthetic jarosite as an analog for natural jarosite
Evaluating minerals of environmental concern using spectroscopy
The future of imaging spectroscopy - Prospective technologies and applications
Mineral mapping and applications of imaging spectroscopy
Not-so-routine electron probe microanalyses of jarosite
Characterization of waste rock associated with acid drainage at the Penn Mine, California, by ground-based visible to short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy assisted by digital mapping
Preliminary report on using imaging spectroscopy to map ultramafic rocks, serpentinites, and tremolite-actinolite-bearing rocks in California
Reflectance spectroscopy as a rapid assessment tool for the detection of amphiboles from the Libby, Montana region
USGS Digital Spectral Library splib05a
Effects of spectrometer band pass, sampling, and signal‐to‐noise ratio on spectral identification using the Tetracorder algorithm
Imaging spectroscopy: Earth and planetary remote sensing with the USGS Tetracorder and expert systems
USGS environmental studies of the World Trade Center area, New York City, after September 11, 2001
Science and Products
The use of synthetic jarosite as an analog for natural jarosite
Evaluating minerals of environmental concern using spectroscopy
The future of imaging spectroscopy - Prospective technologies and applications
Mineral mapping and applications of imaging spectroscopy
Not-so-routine electron probe microanalyses of jarosite
Characterization of waste rock associated with acid drainage at the Penn Mine, California, by ground-based visible to short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy assisted by digital mapping
Preliminary report on using imaging spectroscopy to map ultramafic rocks, serpentinites, and tremolite-actinolite-bearing rocks in California
Reflectance spectroscopy as a rapid assessment tool for the detection of amphiboles from the Libby, Montana region
USGS Digital Spectral Library splib05a
Effects of spectrometer band pass, sampling, and signal‐to‐noise ratio on spectral identification using the Tetracorder algorithm
Imaging spectroscopy: Earth and planetary remote sensing with the USGS Tetracorder and expert systems
USGS environmental studies of the World Trade Center area, New York City, after September 11, 2001
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government