Greta is a Scientist Emeritus with the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center. She received a Ph.D in Mineral Economics from the University of Arizona in 1997. Since joining the USGS, most of her work has been related to deposit modeling, mineral assessment, and industrial minerals.
Greta obtained her Ph.D. in Mineral Economics from the University of Arizona in 1997. She is a Scientist Emeritus in the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, stationed in Tucson, AZ. While Greta has worked on a diverse set of research projects, most fall under the categories of deposit modeling, mineral resource assessment, and industrial minerals. Much of this work has been international in scope. Her professional interests include industrial mineral geology and mineral economics.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Mineral Economics, University of Arizona, 1997.
M.S., Geology, San Jose State University, 1983
Science and Products
Global rare earth element occurrence database
This spatial database "usgs_Global_REE.gdb" was created for use in a geographic information system (GIS) to support research on global rare earth deposits and occurrences by the U.S. Geological Survey. This inventory documents the geologic occurrence of rare earths, including mineralogy, type of deposit or occurrence, host rocks and alteration, and any quantitative data related to size and grade f
Update of the Mineral Resources Data System for California including Mineral Deposit Types
There are more than 42,000 entries in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for the State of California. Previously, the field for deposit type was sparsely populated, which made it difficult to evaluate mine sites needing environmental remediation. This has been rectified by populating the deposit type field using 100 deposit types cited in previous USGS publications, and 137 provisional
Filter Total Items: 31
Geology and undiscovered resource assessment of the potash-bearing, Middle Devonian (Givetian), Prairie Evaporite, Elk Point Basin, Canada and United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed undiscovered potash resources in the Elk Point Basin in Canada and the United States as part of a global mineral resource assessment. The Elk Point Basin is a large, Middle Devonian (Givetian) intracratonic evaporite basin covering approximately 1,200,000 square kilometers (km2) and filled mainly with marine evaporite and minor clastic sedimentary rocks t
Authors
Mark D. Cocker, Greta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, Chao Yang, James D. Bliss
Mapa metalogenético de América Central y El Caribe
La Asociación de Servicios Geológicos y Mineros de Iberoamérica (ASGMI), bajo los auspicios de la Comisión de la Carta Geológica del Mundo (CCGM) preparó la primera versión del Mapa Metalogénico de América Central y el Caribe. La coordinación general estuvo a cargo del Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino (SEGEMAR), con tres coordinaciones regionales: América Central a cargo del Servicio Geológico
Authors
Eduardo O Zappettini, Gloria Prieto-Rincon, Natalia Amezcua, Santiago Munoz-Tapia, Janeth Sepúlveda-Ospina, Carlos M. Celada-Arango, David Jara, X Cazanas-Diaz, Jorge L. Torres-Zafra, Jorge L. Cobiella-Reguera, Lukas Zürcher, Greta J. Orris, Floyd Gray, Carolina Maldonado-Diaz, Noe Rodriguez, Ramon Mérida-Montiel, Carlos A. Zarruk
Preliminary geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands
IntroductionThis geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands is a compilation of information from the literature, integrated to provide a seamless geologic map of the region. The geology shown on sheet 1 covers Cuba, the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A second
Authors
Frederic H. Wilson, Greta Orris, Floyd Gray
Probabilistic mineral resource assessment of U.S. Territories of the Caribbean Basin and adjacent areas: Progress report
The U.S. Geological Survey is partnering with the IberoAmerican Association of Geological and Mining Surveys (ASGMI) to conduct an assessment of undiscovered metallic and non-metallic resources in the Greater Antilles region. The assessment plans to provide science-based information on the geologic availability of these resources for development, land-use planning, and decision making. The USGS an
Authors
Lukas Zürcher, Floyd Gray, Stephen Ludington, Frederic H. Wilson, Greta J. Orris, Mark D. Cocker, Mark E. Gettings, Timothy Hayes
Preliminary assessment of porphyry copper deposits in the Sierra Maestra, Cuba
The U.S. Geological Survey’s “three-step” form of mineral-resource assessment was used to obtain a preliminary estimate of copper resources in undiscovered porphyry deposits of the Paleogene Sierra Maestra Arc. Results of this preliminary assessment suggest that a mean of 3.2 undiscovered deposits are likely present. This estimate is comparable to results from an independently-derived porphyry dep
Authors
Lukas Zürcher, Floyd Gray, Timothy Hayes, Greta J. Orris, Mark E. Gettings, Mark D. Cocker, Leila Gass
Fluorine
Fluorine compounds are essential in numerous chemical and manufacturing processes. Fluorspar is the commercial name for fluorite (isometric CaF2), which is the only fluorine mineral that is mined on a large scale. Fluorspar is used directly as a fluxing material and as an additive in different manufacturing processes. It is the source of fluorine in the production of hydrogen fluoride or hydrofluo
Authors
Timothy S. Hayes, M. Michael Miller, Greta J. Orris, Nadine M. Piatak
Geology and undiscovered resource assessment of the potash-bearing Pripyat and Dnieper-Donets Basins, Belarus and Ukraine
Undiscovered potash resources in the Pripyat Basin, Belarus, and Dnieper-Donets Basin, Ukraine, were assessed as part of a global mineral resource assessment led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Pripyat Basin (in Belarus) and the Dnieper-Donets Basin (in Ukraine and southern Belarus) host stratabound and halokinetic Upper Devonian (Frasnian and Famennian) and Permian (Cisuralian) potash-b
Authors
Mark D. Cocker, Greta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, Bruce R. Lipin, Steve Ludington, Robert J. Ryan, Mirosław Słowakiewicz, Gregory T. Spanski, Jeff Wynn, Chao Yang
U.S. Geological Survey assessment of global potash production and resources—A significant advancement for global development and a sustainable future.
During the past 15 yr, the global requirement for fertilizers has grown considerably, mainly due to demand by a larger and wealthier world population for more and higher-quality food. The demand and price for potash as a primary fertilizer ingredient have increased in tandem, because of the necessity to increase the quantity and quality of food production on the decreasing amount of available arab
Authors
Mark D. Cocker, Greta J. Orris, Jeff Wynn
Geology and undiscovered resource assessment of the potash-bearing Central Asia Salt Basin, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan: Chapter AA in Global mineral resource assessment
Undiscovered potash resources in the Central Asia Salt Basin (CASB) of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan were assessed as part of a global mineral resource assessment led by the U.S. Geological Survey. The term “potash” refers to potassium-bearing, water-soluble salts derived from evaporite basins, where seawater dried up and precipitated various salt compounds; the word for th
Authors
Jeff Wynn, Greta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, Mark D. Cocker, James D. Bliss
Global patterns and environmental controls of perchlorate and nitrate co-occurrence in arid and semi-arid environments
Natural perchlorate (ClO4−) is of increasing interest due to its wide-spread occurrence on Earth and Mars, yet little information exists on the relative abundance of ClO4− compared to other major anions, its stability, or long-term variations in production that may impact the observed distributions. Our objectives were to evaluate the occurrence and fate of ClO4− in groundwater and soils/caliche i
Authors
W Andrew Jackson, John K. Böhlke, Brian J. Andraski, Lynne S. Fahlquist, Laura M. Bexfield, Frank D. Eckardt, John B. Gates, Alfonso F. Davila, Christopher P. McKay, Balaji Rao, Ritesh Sevanthi, Srinath Rajagopalan, Nubia Estrada, Neil C. Sturchio, Paul B. Hatzinger, Todd A. Anderson, Greta J. Orris, Julio L. Betancourt, David A. Stonestrom, Claudio Latorre, Yanhe Li, Gregory J. Harvey
Phosphate occurrence and potential in the region of Afghanistan, including parts of China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
As part of a larger study, the U.S. Geological Survey undertook a study to identify the potential for phosphate deposits in Afghanistan. As part of this study, a geographic information system was constructed containing a database of phosphate occurrences in Afghanistan and adjacent countries, and a database of potential host lithologies compiled from 1:1,000,000 scale maps. Within Afghanistan, a h
Authors
Greta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, John Wallis, Jeff Wynn
Potash: a global overview of evaporate-related potash resources, including spatial databases of deposits, occurrences, and permissive tracts
Potash is mined worldwide to provide potassium, an essential nutrient for food crops. Evaporite-hosted potash deposits are the largest source of salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form, including potassium chloride, potassium-magnesium chloride, potassium sulfate, and potassium nitrate. Thick sections of evaporitic salt that form laterally continuous strata in sedimentary evaporite basi
Authors
Greta J. Orris, Mark D. Cocker, Pamela Dunlap, Jeff C. Wynn, Gregory T. Spanski, Deborah A. Briggs, Leila Gass, James D. Bliss, Karen S. Bolm, Chao Yang, Bruce R. Lipin, Stephen Ludington, Robert J. Miller, Mirosław Słowakiewicz
Science and Products
- Data
Global rare earth element occurrence database
This spatial database "usgs_Global_REE.gdb" was created for use in a geographic information system (GIS) to support research on global rare earth deposits and occurrences by the U.S. Geological Survey. This inventory documents the geologic occurrence of rare earths, including mineralogy, type of deposit or occurrence, host rocks and alteration, and any quantitative data related to size and grade fUpdate of the Mineral Resources Data System for California including Mineral Deposit Types
There are more than 42,000 entries in the USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) for the State of California. Previously, the field for deposit type was sparsely populated, which made it difficult to evaluate mine sites needing environmental remediation. This has been rectified by populating the deposit type field using 100 deposit types cited in previous USGS publications, and 137 provisional - Multimedia
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- Publications
Filter Total Items: 31
Geology and undiscovered resource assessment of the potash-bearing, Middle Devonian (Givetian), Prairie Evaporite, Elk Point Basin, Canada and United States
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed undiscovered potash resources in the Elk Point Basin in Canada and the United States as part of a global mineral resource assessment. The Elk Point Basin is a large, Middle Devonian (Givetian) intracratonic evaporite basin covering approximately 1,200,000 square kilometers (km2) and filled mainly with marine evaporite and minor clastic sedimentary rocks tAuthorsMark D. Cocker, Greta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, Chao Yang, James D. BlissMapa metalogenético de América Central y El Caribe
La Asociación de Servicios Geológicos y Mineros de Iberoamérica (ASGMI), bajo los auspicios de la Comisión de la Carta Geológica del Mundo (CCGM) preparó la primera versión del Mapa Metalogénico de América Central y el Caribe. La coordinación general estuvo a cargo del Servicio Geológico Minero Argentino (SEGEMAR), con tres coordinaciones regionales: América Central a cargo del Servicio GeológicoAuthorsEduardo O Zappettini, Gloria Prieto-Rincon, Natalia Amezcua, Santiago Munoz-Tapia, Janeth Sepúlveda-Ospina, Carlos M. Celada-Arango, David Jara, X Cazanas-Diaz, Jorge L. Torres-Zafra, Jorge L. Cobiella-Reguera, Lukas Zürcher, Greta J. Orris, Floyd Gray, Carolina Maldonado-Diaz, Noe Rodriguez, Ramon Mérida-Montiel, Carlos A. ZarrukPreliminary geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands
IntroductionThis geologic map of the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands is a compilation of information from the literature, integrated to provide a seamless geologic map of the region. The geology shown on sheet 1 covers Cuba, the island of Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. A secondAuthorsFrederic H. Wilson, Greta Orris, Floyd GrayProbabilistic mineral resource assessment of U.S. Territories of the Caribbean Basin and adjacent areas: Progress report
The U.S. Geological Survey is partnering with the IberoAmerican Association of Geological and Mining Surveys (ASGMI) to conduct an assessment of undiscovered metallic and non-metallic resources in the Greater Antilles region. The assessment plans to provide science-based information on the geologic availability of these resources for development, land-use planning, and decision making. The USGS anAuthorsLukas Zürcher, Floyd Gray, Stephen Ludington, Frederic H. Wilson, Greta J. Orris, Mark D. Cocker, Mark E. Gettings, Timothy HayesPreliminary assessment of porphyry copper deposits in the Sierra Maestra, Cuba
The U.S. Geological Survey’s “three-step” form of mineral-resource assessment was used to obtain a preliminary estimate of copper resources in undiscovered porphyry deposits of the Paleogene Sierra Maestra Arc. Results of this preliminary assessment suggest that a mean of 3.2 undiscovered deposits are likely present. This estimate is comparable to results from an independently-derived porphyry depAuthorsLukas Zürcher, Floyd Gray, Timothy Hayes, Greta J. Orris, Mark E. Gettings, Mark D. Cocker, Leila GassFluorine
Fluorine compounds are essential in numerous chemical and manufacturing processes. Fluorspar is the commercial name for fluorite (isometric CaF2), which is the only fluorine mineral that is mined on a large scale. Fluorspar is used directly as a fluxing material and as an additive in different manufacturing processes. It is the source of fluorine in the production of hydrogen fluoride or hydrofluoAuthorsTimothy S. Hayes, M. Michael Miller, Greta J. Orris, Nadine M. PiatakGeology and undiscovered resource assessment of the potash-bearing Pripyat and Dnieper-Donets Basins, Belarus and Ukraine
Undiscovered potash resources in the Pripyat Basin, Belarus, and Dnieper-Donets Basin, Ukraine, were assessed as part of a global mineral resource assessment led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Pripyat Basin (in Belarus) and the Dnieper-Donets Basin (in Ukraine and southern Belarus) host stratabound and halokinetic Upper Devonian (Frasnian and Famennian) and Permian (Cisuralian) potash-bAuthorsMark D. Cocker, Greta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, Bruce R. Lipin, Steve Ludington, Robert J. Ryan, Mirosław Słowakiewicz, Gregory T. Spanski, Jeff Wynn, Chao YangU.S. Geological Survey assessment of global potash production and resources—A significant advancement for global development and a sustainable future.
During the past 15 yr, the global requirement for fertilizers has grown considerably, mainly due to demand by a larger and wealthier world population for more and higher-quality food. The demand and price for potash as a primary fertilizer ingredient have increased in tandem, because of the necessity to increase the quantity and quality of food production on the decreasing amount of available arabAuthorsMark D. Cocker, Greta J. Orris, Jeff WynnGeology and undiscovered resource assessment of the potash-bearing Central Asia Salt Basin, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan: Chapter AA in Global mineral resource assessment
Undiscovered potash resources in the Central Asia Salt Basin (CASB) of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan were assessed as part of a global mineral resource assessment led by the U.S. Geological Survey. The term “potash” refers to potassium-bearing, water-soluble salts derived from evaporite basins, where seawater dried up and precipitated various salt compounds; the word for thAuthorsJeff Wynn, Greta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, Mark D. Cocker, James D. BlissGlobal patterns and environmental controls of perchlorate and nitrate co-occurrence in arid and semi-arid environments
Natural perchlorate (ClO4−) is of increasing interest due to its wide-spread occurrence on Earth and Mars, yet little information exists on the relative abundance of ClO4− compared to other major anions, its stability, or long-term variations in production that may impact the observed distributions. Our objectives were to evaluate the occurrence and fate of ClO4− in groundwater and soils/caliche iAuthorsW Andrew Jackson, John K. Böhlke, Brian J. Andraski, Lynne S. Fahlquist, Laura M. Bexfield, Frank D. Eckardt, John B. Gates, Alfonso F. Davila, Christopher P. McKay, Balaji Rao, Ritesh Sevanthi, Srinath Rajagopalan, Nubia Estrada, Neil C. Sturchio, Paul B. Hatzinger, Todd A. Anderson, Greta J. Orris, Julio L. Betancourt, David A. Stonestrom, Claudio Latorre, Yanhe Li, Gregory J. HarveyPhosphate occurrence and potential in the region of Afghanistan, including parts of China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan
As part of a larger study, the U.S. Geological Survey undertook a study to identify the potential for phosphate deposits in Afghanistan. As part of this study, a geographic information system was constructed containing a database of phosphate occurrences in Afghanistan and adjacent countries, and a database of potential host lithologies compiled from 1:1,000,000 scale maps. Within Afghanistan, a h
AuthorsGreta J. Orris, Pamela Dunlap, John Wallis, Jeff WynnPotash: a global overview of evaporate-related potash resources, including spatial databases of deposits, occurrences, and permissive tracts
Potash is mined worldwide to provide potassium, an essential nutrient for food crops. Evaporite-hosted potash deposits are the largest source of salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form, including potassium chloride, potassium-magnesium chloride, potassium sulfate, and potassium nitrate. Thick sections of evaporitic salt that form laterally continuous strata in sedimentary evaporite basiAuthorsGreta J. Orris, Mark D. Cocker, Pamela Dunlap, Jeff C. Wynn, Gregory T. Spanski, Deborah A. Briggs, Leila Gass, James D. Bliss, Karen S. Bolm, Chao Yang, Bruce R. Lipin, Stephen Ludington, Robert J. Miller, Mirosław Słowakiewicz