Jeff Mauk is a Research Geologist with the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center.
Science and Products
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Our objective is to develop a national-scale, geospatial database that is the authoritative source of the most important mines, mineral deposits, and mineral districts of the United States.
Sediment-Hosted Copper Deposits in the Lake Superior Portion of the Midcontinent Rift System
This project is focused on the sediment-hosted copper deposits of the Midcontinent Rift, with three main objectives: 1) describe the ore mineralogy and geochemistry of the White Pine and Copperwood deposits, 2) evaluate whether hydrothermal alteration in footwall rocks can be used as a vector towards ore, and 3) provide a careful scoping study to evaluate whether unconventional platinum-group...
Filter Total Items: 17
Indium deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites-including mining districts, mineral occurrences, and mine features-that have reported production and (or) resources of indium (In). This dataset contains the Bingham and West Desert deposits in Utah, and the Chino site in New Mexico.
Indium is considered a critical and strategic mineral because of its
Whole rock major, minor, and trace element geochemistry of the upper part of the Mount Emmons-Redwell porphyry molybdenum (Climax-type) deposit, Redwell Basin, Crested Butte, Colorado
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides whole rock major, minor, and trace element geochemical data from the fluorine-rich Mount Emmons-Redwell porphyry molybdenum (Climax-type) deposit (Mt. Emmons-Redwell deposit), located approximately 5.6 km (3.5 mi) northwest of Crested Butte, Colorado. The Mt. Emmons-Redwell deposit partly underlies Redwell Basin on the northwest flank of Mou
Graphite deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of 10 U.S. sites that include mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features that contain enrichments of graphite. To be included in this data release, sites must have a contained resource and (or) past production of more than 1,000 metric tons of graphite, which is approximately 3 percent of the average annual U.S.
Table of Electron Probe Microanalyses of Native Copper and Sulfide Minerals from the White Pine Sediment-hosted Copper Deposit, Michigan
This data release provides electron microprobe geochemical data that was collected as part of a scoping study to evaluate whether unconventional critical element resources may be associated with sediment-hosted copper systems in the Midcontinent Rift. We report abundances of trace elements in native copper and sulfide minerals in 12 thin sections from samples of the Mesoproterozoic lower Nonesuch
Hydrologic and geophysical data from high-elevation boreholes in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado
Four boreholes (MW1, MW1UZ, MW2, MW2.1) were drilled in the fall of 2017 and summer of 2018 in upper Redwell Basin, a headwater catchment underlain by hydrothermally altered sedimentary rock in the Elk Mountains near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The boreholes were continuously cored using a wireline HQ-sized coring system and sample a combination of Quaternary-aged surficial colluvium and
Multi-element geochemical analyses of samples from the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation and Copper Harbor Conglomerate at the Copperwood copper deposit, Western Syncline, Michigan, USA
This data release provides multi-element data for drill core samples from the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation and Copper Harbor Conglomerate at the Copperwood copper deposit, Michigan, USA. Copper was determined by assay, and sulfur by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after aqua regia digestion for most samples. Multi-element whole rock analyses were determined
Gallium Deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites?including mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features?that have reported production and (or) resources of gallium (Ga). The sites in this data release have contained resource and (or) past production of more than 16 metric tons Ga metal, which was the approximate average annual consumption
Tantalum Deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites--including mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features--that have reported production and (or) resources of tantalum (Ta). The sites in this data release have contained resource and (or) past production of more than 900 metric tons Ta metal, which was the approximate average annual consumpt
Niobium Deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of 11 U.S. sites that include mineral regions, mines, and mineral occurrences that contain enrichments of niobium (Nb). To be included in this data release, a site must have a contained resource and (or) past production of Nb metal greater than 10,000 metric tons, which was the approximate consumption of Nb in the U.S. in 20
Tables of electron probe microanalyses from the Copperwood sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposit, Michigan, USA
This data release provides electron microprobe analyses of ore minerals from the Copperwood sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposit in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The minerals include bornite, chalcocite, native copper, native silver, and pyrite. Minerals were analyzed for Ag, As, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, and Zn. Results with acceptable totals that lie between 98.5 and 101.5% show tha
Data to accompany U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2020-3017: Pyrrhotite distribution in the conterminous United States
The mineral pyrrhotite, which is an unstable sulfide mineral, was present in crushed stone aggregate used in concrete foundations of homes in Connecticut and Massachusetts, many of those foundations are failing as the mineral weathers. Because of the substantial costs of lifting homes and replacing their foundations, in 2019 the U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Geological Survey?s (USGS) Mineral Re
Germanium Deposits in the United States
This data release provides data for the single site in the United States (U.S.) that has public record of germanium (Ge) production. Germanium, which is currently classified as a critical mineral in the U.S., is also extracted as a byproduct from deposits in Alaska, Washington, and Tennessee. However, there is no public information that documents germanium production from these deposits. Current a
Filter Total Items: 24
USGS Critical Minerals Review: 2021
In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) continued to play a central role in understanding and anticipating potential supply chain disruptions by defining and quantitatively evaluating mineral criticality. In addition, the USGS continued to evaluate new sources of domestic critical minerals by conducting mineral resource assessments, mapping and surveying regions prospective for critical minera
USGS 2020 critical minerals review
Concerns about the lack of domestic production and availability of essential mineral raw materials were a recurring theme throughout the 20th century, particularly in the periods around armed conflicts (Congressional Research Service, 2019). These concerns resulted in the designation of particular minerals as “strategic” or “critical,” terms that commonly depend on the perspective of the user, but
The critical minerals initiative of the U.S. Geological Survey’s mineral deposit database project: USMIN
The objective of the US Geological Survey’s mineral deposit database project (USMIN) is to develop a comprehensive twenty-first century geospatial database that is the authoritative source of the most important mines, mineral deposits, and mineral districts of the US. Since May 2017, the project has focused on critical minerals. Data for critical minerals that are produced as products are relative
Pyrrhotite distribution in the conterminous United States, 2020
In parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, foundations of some homes are cracking and crumbling. Failing foundations can reduce the market value of a home and lifting a house to replace and repour a foundation is an expensive undertaking. In response, some homeowners are defaulting on their mortgages and abandoning their homes. The culprit is pyrrhotite, which occurs in construction aggregate (cru
GIS-Based Identification of Areas with Mineral Resource Potential for Six Selected Deposit Groups, Bureau of Land Management Central Yukon Planning Area, Alaska
This study, covering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Yukon Planning Area (CYPA), Alaska, was prepared to aid BLM mineral resource management planning. Estimated mineral resource potential and certainty are mapped for six selected mineral deposit groups: (1) rare earth element (REE) deposits associated with peralkaline to carbonatitic intrusive igneous rocks, (2) placer and paleoplacer
Descriptive models for epithermal gold-silver deposits
Epithermal gold-silver deposits are vein, stockwork, disseminated, and replacement deposits that are mined primarily for their gold and silver contents; some deposits also contain substantial resources of lead, zinc, copper, and (or) mercury. These deposits form in the uppermost parts of the crust, at depths less than about 1,500 meters below the water table, and at temperatures below about 300 °C
By
Ecosystems, Energy Resources Program, Fisheries Program (unpublished), Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Central Energy Resources Science Center
Element partitioning in magnetite under low-grade metamorphic conditions – A case study from the Proterozoic Belt Supergroup, USA
The distribution and partitioning of elements in igneous rocks is well established for various melt –(fluid) –solid pairs and provides important insights into the petrogenesis of these rocks. Studies of the partitioning behavior of elements under metamorphic conditions are scarce and commonly focus on high-grade metamorphic facies. Little is known about the partitioning behavior of elements under
Sedimentology, sequence-stratigraphy, and geochemical variations in the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation, northern Wisconsin, USA
We use core descriptions and portable X-ray fluorescence analyses to identify lithofacies and stratigraphic surfaces for the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation within the Ashland syncline, Wisconsin. We group lithofacies into facies associations and construct a sequence stratigraphic framework based on lithofacies stacking and stratigraphic surfaces. The fluvial-alluvial facies association (upper
Constraining the thermal history of the North American Midcontinent Rift System using carbonate clumped isotopes and organic thermal maturity indices
The Midcontinent Rift System (MRS) is a Late Mesoproterozoic (∼1.1 Ga) sequence of volcanic and sedimentary rocks exposed in the Lake Superior Region of North America. The MRS continues to be the focus of much research due to its economic mineral deposits as well as its archive of Precambrian life and tectonic processes. In order to constrain the post-depositional thermal history of the MRS, sampl
Episodic formation of the world-class Waihi epithermal Au-Ag vein system, Hauraki Goldfield, New Zealand
The world-class Waihi vein system in New Zealand has produced more than 248,400 kg Au and 1.43 million kg Ag. New high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dates of adularia from different veins show that some veins formed at different times (6.15 Ma Martha vs. 5.83 and 5.85 Ma Empire and Welcome, respectively), even though they have similar mineralogy. The Martha vein formed over a period of approximately 150,000
Geology and mineral resources of the North-Central Montana Sagebrush Focal Area: Chapter D in Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
SummaryThe U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed to withdraw approximately 10 million acres of Federal lands from mineral entry (subject to valid existing rights) from 12 million acres of lands defined as Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming (for further discussion on the lands involved see Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089–A). The purpo
By
Energy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, National Minerals Information Center
The geochemical atlas of Alaska, 2016
A rich legacy of geochemical data produced since the early 1960s covers the great expanse of Alaska; careful treatment of such data may provide significant and revealing geochemical maps that may be used for landscape geochemistry, mineral resource exploration, and geoenvironmental investigations over large areas. To maximize the spatial density and extent of data coverage for statewide mapping of
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USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
Our objective is to develop a national-scale, geospatial database that is the authoritative source of the most important mines, mineral deposits, and mineral districts of the United States.Sediment-Hosted Copper Deposits in the Lake Superior Portion of the Midcontinent Rift System
This project is focused on the sediment-hosted copper deposits of the Midcontinent Rift, with three main objectives: 1) describe the ore mineralogy and geochemistry of the White Pine and Copperwood deposits, 2) evaluate whether hydrothermal alteration in footwall rocks can be used as a vector towards ore, and 3) provide a careful scoping study to evaluate whether unconventional platinum-group... - Data
Filter Total Items: 17
Indium deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites-including mining districts, mineral occurrences, and mine features-that have reported production and (or) resources of indium (In). This dataset contains the Bingham and West Desert deposits in Utah, and the Chino site in New Mexico. Indium is considered a critical and strategic mineral because of itsWhole rock major, minor, and trace element geochemistry of the upper part of the Mount Emmons-Redwell porphyry molybdenum (Climax-type) deposit, Redwell Basin, Crested Butte, Colorado
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides whole rock major, minor, and trace element geochemical data from the fluorine-rich Mount Emmons-Redwell porphyry molybdenum (Climax-type) deposit (Mt. Emmons-Redwell deposit), located approximately 5.6 km (3.5 mi) northwest of Crested Butte, Colorado. The Mt. Emmons-Redwell deposit partly underlies Redwell Basin on the northwest flank of MouGraphite deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of 10 U.S. sites that include mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features that contain enrichments of graphite. To be included in this data release, sites must have a contained resource and (or) past production of more than 1,000 metric tons of graphite, which is approximately 3 percent of the average annual U.S.Table of Electron Probe Microanalyses of Native Copper and Sulfide Minerals from the White Pine Sediment-hosted Copper Deposit, Michigan
This data release provides electron microprobe geochemical data that was collected as part of a scoping study to evaluate whether unconventional critical element resources may be associated with sediment-hosted copper systems in the Midcontinent Rift. We report abundances of trace elements in native copper and sulfide minerals in 12 thin sections from samples of the Mesoproterozoic lower NonesuchHydrologic and geophysical data from high-elevation boreholes in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado
Four boreholes (MW1, MW1UZ, MW2, MW2.1) were drilled in the fall of 2017 and summer of 2018 in upper Redwell Basin, a headwater catchment underlain by hydrothermally altered sedimentary rock in the Elk Mountains near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The boreholes were continuously cored using a wireline HQ-sized coring system and sample a combination of Quaternary-aged surficial colluvium andMulti-element geochemical analyses of samples from the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation and Copper Harbor Conglomerate at the Copperwood copper deposit, Western Syncline, Michigan, USA
This data release provides multi-element data for drill core samples from the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation and Copper Harbor Conglomerate at the Copperwood copper deposit, Michigan, USA. Copper was determined by assay, and sulfur by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) after aqua regia digestion for most samples. Multi-element whole rock analyses were determinedGallium Deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites?including mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features?that have reported production and (or) resources of gallium (Ga). The sites in this data release have contained resource and (or) past production of more than 16 metric tons Ga metal, which was the approximate average annual consumptionTantalum Deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of the only U.S. sites--including mineral regions, mineral occurrences, and mine features--that have reported production and (or) resources of tantalum (Ta). The sites in this data release have contained resource and (or) past production of more than 900 metric tons Ta metal, which was the approximate average annual consumptNiobium Deposits in the United States
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release provides the descriptions of 11 U.S. sites that include mineral regions, mines, and mineral occurrences that contain enrichments of niobium (Nb). To be included in this data release, a site must have a contained resource and (or) past production of Nb metal greater than 10,000 metric tons, which was the approximate consumption of Nb in the U.S. in 20Tables of electron probe microanalyses from the Copperwood sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposit, Michigan, USA
This data release provides electron microprobe analyses of ore minerals from the Copperwood sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposit in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The minerals include bornite, chalcocite, native copper, native silver, and pyrite. Minerals were analyzed for Ag, As, Co, Cu, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, S, Sb, and Zn. Results with acceptable totals that lie between 98.5 and 101.5% show thaData to accompany U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2020-3017: Pyrrhotite distribution in the conterminous United States
The mineral pyrrhotite, which is an unstable sulfide mineral, was present in crushed stone aggregate used in concrete foundations of homes in Connecticut and Massachusetts, many of those foundations are failing as the mineral weathers. Because of the substantial costs of lifting homes and replacing their foundations, in 2019 the U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Geological Survey?s (USGS) Mineral ReGermanium Deposits in the United States
This data release provides data for the single site in the United States (U.S.) that has public record of germanium (Ge) production. Germanium, which is currently classified as a critical mineral in the U.S., is also extracted as a byproduct from deposits in Alaska, Washington, and Tennessee. However, there is no public information that documents germanium production from these deposits. Current a - Publications
Filter Total Items: 24
USGS Critical Minerals Review: 2021
In 2021, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) continued to play a central role in understanding and anticipating potential supply chain disruptions by defining and quantitatively evaluating mineral criticality. In addition, the USGS continued to evaluate new sources of domestic critical minerals by conducting mineral resource assessments, mapping and surveying regions prospective for critical mineraUSGS 2020 critical minerals review
Concerns about the lack of domestic production and availability of essential mineral raw materials were a recurring theme throughout the 20th century, particularly in the periods around armed conflicts (Congressional Research Service, 2019). These concerns resulted in the designation of particular minerals as “strategic” or “critical,” terms that commonly depend on the perspective of the user, butThe critical minerals initiative of the U.S. Geological Survey’s mineral deposit database project: USMIN
The objective of the US Geological Survey’s mineral deposit database project (USMIN) is to develop a comprehensive twenty-first century geospatial database that is the authoritative source of the most important mines, mineral deposits, and mineral districts of the US. Since May 2017, the project has focused on critical minerals. Data for critical minerals that are produced as products are relativePyrrhotite distribution in the conterminous United States, 2020
In parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, foundations of some homes are cracking and crumbling. Failing foundations can reduce the market value of a home and lifting a house to replace and repour a foundation is an expensive undertaking. In response, some homeowners are defaulting on their mortgages and abandoning their homes. The culprit is pyrrhotite, which occurs in construction aggregate (cruGIS-Based Identification of Areas with Mineral Resource Potential for Six Selected Deposit Groups, Bureau of Land Management Central Yukon Planning Area, Alaska
This study, covering the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Central Yukon Planning Area (CYPA), Alaska, was prepared to aid BLM mineral resource management planning. Estimated mineral resource potential and certainty are mapped for six selected mineral deposit groups: (1) rare earth element (REE) deposits associated with peralkaline to carbonatitic intrusive igneous rocks, (2) placer and paleoplacerDescriptive models for epithermal gold-silver deposits
Epithermal gold-silver deposits are vein, stockwork, disseminated, and replacement deposits that are mined primarily for their gold and silver contents; some deposits also contain substantial resources of lead, zinc, copper, and (or) mercury. These deposits form in the uppermost parts of the crust, at depths less than about 1,500 meters below the water table, and at temperatures below about 300 °CByEcosystems, Energy Resources Program, Fisheries Program (unpublished), Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center, Central Energy Resources Science CenterElement partitioning in magnetite under low-grade metamorphic conditions – A case study from the Proterozoic Belt Supergroup, USA
The distribution and partitioning of elements in igneous rocks is well established for various melt –(fluid) –solid pairs and provides important insights into the petrogenesis of these rocks. Studies of the partitioning behavior of elements under metamorphic conditions are scarce and commonly focus on high-grade metamorphic facies. Little is known about the partitioning behavior of elements underSedimentology, sequence-stratigraphy, and geochemical variations in the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation, northern Wisconsin, USA
We use core descriptions and portable X-ray fluorescence analyses to identify lithofacies and stratigraphic surfaces for the Mesoproterozoic Nonesuch Formation within the Ashland syncline, Wisconsin. We group lithofacies into facies associations and construct a sequence stratigraphic framework based on lithofacies stacking and stratigraphic surfaces. The fluvial-alluvial facies association (upperConstraining the thermal history of the North American Midcontinent Rift System using carbonate clumped isotopes and organic thermal maturity indices
The Midcontinent Rift System (MRS) is a Late Mesoproterozoic (∼1.1 Ga) sequence of volcanic and sedimentary rocks exposed in the Lake Superior Region of North America. The MRS continues to be the focus of much research due to its economic mineral deposits as well as its archive of Precambrian life and tectonic processes. In order to constrain the post-depositional thermal history of the MRS, samplEpisodic formation of the world-class Waihi epithermal Au-Ag vein system, Hauraki Goldfield, New Zealand
The world-class Waihi vein system in New Zealand has produced more than 248,400 kg Au and 1.43 million kg Ag. New high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dates of adularia from different veins show that some veins formed at different times (6.15 Ma Martha vs. 5.83 and 5.85 Ma Empire and Welcome, respectively), even though they have similar mineralogy. The Martha vein formed over a period of approximately 150,000Geology and mineral resources of the North-Central Montana Sagebrush Focal Area: Chapter D in Mineral resources of the Sagebrush Focal Areas of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming
SummaryThe U.S. Department of the Interior has proposed to withdraw approximately 10 million acres of Federal lands from mineral entry (subject to valid existing rights) from 12 million acres of lands defined as Sagebrush Focal Areas (SFAs) in Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming (for further discussion on the lands involved see Scientific Investigations Report 2016–5089–A). The purpoByEnergy and Minerals, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center, National Minerals Information CenterThe geochemical atlas of Alaska, 2016
A rich legacy of geochemical data produced since the early 1960s covers the great expanse of Alaska; careful treatment of such data may provide significant and revealing geochemical maps that may be used for landscape geochemistry, mineral resource exploration, and geoenvironmental investigations over large areas. To maximize the spatial density and extent of data coverage for statewide mapping of - News
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