Amygdaloidal basalt rock on Great Sand Bay beach on Lake Superior in Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan.
What are some benefits of volcanic eruptions?
Over geologic time, volcanic eruptions and related processes have directly and indirectly benefited mankind:
- Volcanic materials ultimately break down and weather to form some of the most fertile soils on Earth, cultivation of which has produced abundant food and fostered civilizations.
- The internal heat associated with young volcanic systems has been harnessed to produce geothermal energy.
- Most of the metallic minerals mined in the world--such as copper, gold, silver, lead, and zinc--are associated with magmas found deep within the roots of extinct volcanoes.
Related
Does the USGS have reports on the background levels of elements in soils and other surficial materials?
The following USGS products will be helpful in determining the background levels of various elements in soils and other surficial materials: Geochemical and Mineralogical Data for Soils of the Conterminous United States (2013) Data for samples collected at three intervals (0-5 cm surficial soils, A-Horizon soils, and C-Horizon soils) across the entire conterminous U.S. These data provide the best...
Where can I obtain soil surveys?
A soil survey is the systematic description, classification, and mapping of soils in an area. They are published by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service. NRCS soil surveys are available from several sources: Some are on the NRCS website. Published soil surveys can be found at some libraries or borrowed through interlibrary loan...
How much gold has been found in the world?
About 244,000 metric tons of gold has been discovered to date (187,000 metric tons historically produced plus current underground reserves of 57,000 metric tons). Most of that gold has come from just three countries: China, Australia, and South Africa. The United States ranked fourth in gold production in 2016. All of the gold discovered thus far would fit in a cube that is 23 meters wide on every...
How much silver has been found in the world?
Of the 1,740,000 metric tons of silver discovered to date, 55% is found in just four countries on earth. All the silver discovered thus far would fit in a cube 55 meters on a side. Learn more: USGS commodity website for silver
How much copper has been found in the world?
To date, roughly 700 million metric tons of copper have been produced around the world. This would fit into a cube measuring about 430 meters on a side. Identified deposits contain an estimated 2.1 billion metric tons of additional copper, which brings the total amount of discovered copper to 2.8 billion metric tons. This would fit into a cube measuring 680 meters on a side. It is also estimated...
How do we extract minerals?
The primary methods used to extract minerals from the ground are: Underground mining Surface (open pit) mining Placer mining The location and shape of the deposit, strength of the rock, ore grade, mining costs, and current market price of the commodity are some of the determining factors for selecting which mining method to use. Higher-grade metallic ores found in veins deep under the Earth’s...
How much of the Earth is volcanic?
More than 80 percent of the Earth's surface--above and below sea level--is of volcanic origin. Gaseous emissions from volcanic vents over hundreds of millions of years formed the Earth's earliest oceans and atmosphere, which supplied the ingredients vital to evolve and sustain life. Over geologic eons, countless volcanic eruptions have produced mountains, plateaus, and plains, which subsequently...
How many active volcanoes are there on Earth?
There are about 1,350 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, aside from the continuous belts of volcanoes on the ocean floor at spreading centers like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. About 500 of those 1,350 volcanoes have erupted in historical time. Many of those are located along the Pacific Rim in what is known as the " Ring of Fire." In the United States, volcanoes in the Cascade Range and Alaska...
Amygdaloidal basalt rock on Great Sand Bay beach in Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
Amygdaloidal basalt rock on Great Sand Bay beach on Lake Superior in Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan.
Olivine in Hawaiian basalt
(L) Green olivine crystals in lava from Mauna Loa’s 1868 eruption. (R) Microscope image of a single olivine crystal extracted from tephra at Kīlauea. This crystal is about 1 mm (less than 1/16 of an inch) tall.
(L) Green olivine crystals in lava from Mauna Loa’s 1868 eruption. (R) Microscope image of a single olivine crystal extracted from tephra at Kīlauea. This crystal is about 1 mm (less than 1/16 of an inch) tall.
Native Gold
A sample of native gold. Gold has been treasured since ancient times for its beauty and permanence. Most of the gold that is fabricated today goes into the manufacture of jewelry, but it also performs critical functions in computers, communications equipment, spacecraft, jet aircraft engines, and a host of other products.
A sample of native gold. Gold has been treasured since ancient times for its beauty and permanence. Most of the gold that is fabricated today goes into the manufacture of jewelry, but it also performs critical functions in computers, communications equipment, spacecraft, jet aircraft engines, and a host of other products.
Geothermal Plant
A geothermal power plant at The Geysers near Santa Rosa, California. The USGS researches and assesses geothermal resources.
A geothermal power plant at The Geysers near Santa Rosa, California. The USGS researches and assesses geothermal resources.
Copper
Native copper. The USGS studies processes that form copper deposits and reports global production and consumption.
Native copper. The USGS studies processes that form copper deposits and reports global production and consumption.
Soil-temperature measurement at Hot Creek in Long Valley Caldera, CA.
Soil-temperature measurement at Hot Creek in Long Valley Caldera, California.
Soil-temperature measurement at Hot Creek in Long Valley Caldera, California.
A soil profile buried under Kasatochi Volcano 2008 eruption ash
A soil profile buried under ash from the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi volcano
A soil profile buried under ash from the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi volcano
Related
Does the USGS have reports on the background levels of elements in soils and other surficial materials?
The following USGS products will be helpful in determining the background levels of various elements in soils and other surficial materials: Geochemical and Mineralogical Data for Soils of the Conterminous United States (2013) Data for samples collected at three intervals (0-5 cm surficial soils, A-Horizon soils, and C-Horizon soils) across the entire conterminous U.S. These data provide the best...
Where can I obtain soil surveys?
A soil survey is the systematic description, classification, and mapping of soils in an area. They are published by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service. NRCS soil surveys are available from several sources: Some are on the NRCS website. Published soil surveys can be found at some libraries or borrowed through interlibrary loan...
How much gold has been found in the world?
About 244,000 metric tons of gold has been discovered to date (187,000 metric tons historically produced plus current underground reserves of 57,000 metric tons). Most of that gold has come from just three countries: China, Australia, and South Africa. The United States ranked fourth in gold production in 2016. All of the gold discovered thus far would fit in a cube that is 23 meters wide on every...
How much silver has been found in the world?
Of the 1,740,000 metric tons of silver discovered to date, 55% is found in just four countries on earth. All the silver discovered thus far would fit in a cube 55 meters on a side. Learn more: USGS commodity website for silver
How much copper has been found in the world?
To date, roughly 700 million metric tons of copper have been produced around the world. This would fit into a cube measuring about 430 meters on a side. Identified deposits contain an estimated 2.1 billion metric tons of additional copper, which brings the total amount of discovered copper to 2.8 billion metric tons. This would fit into a cube measuring 680 meters on a side. It is also estimated...
How do we extract minerals?
The primary methods used to extract minerals from the ground are: Underground mining Surface (open pit) mining Placer mining The location and shape of the deposit, strength of the rock, ore grade, mining costs, and current market price of the commodity are some of the determining factors for selecting which mining method to use. Higher-grade metallic ores found in veins deep under the Earth’s...
How much of the Earth is volcanic?
More than 80 percent of the Earth's surface--above and below sea level--is of volcanic origin. Gaseous emissions from volcanic vents over hundreds of millions of years formed the Earth's earliest oceans and atmosphere, which supplied the ingredients vital to evolve and sustain life. Over geologic eons, countless volcanic eruptions have produced mountains, plateaus, and plains, which subsequently...
How many active volcanoes are there on Earth?
There are about 1,350 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, aside from the continuous belts of volcanoes on the ocean floor at spreading centers like the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. About 500 of those 1,350 volcanoes have erupted in historical time. Many of those are located along the Pacific Rim in what is known as the " Ring of Fire." In the United States, volcanoes in the Cascade Range and Alaska...
Amygdaloidal basalt rock on Great Sand Bay beach in Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan
Amygdaloidal basalt rock on Great Sand Bay beach on Lake Superior in Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan.
Amygdaloidal basalt rock on Great Sand Bay beach on Lake Superior in Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan.
Olivine in Hawaiian basalt
(L) Green olivine crystals in lava from Mauna Loa’s 1868 eruption. (R) Microscope image of a single olivine crystal extracted from tephra at Kīlauea. This crystal is about 1 mm (less than 1/16 of an inch) tall.
(L) Green olivine crystals in lava from Mauna Loa’s 1868 eruption. (R) Microscope image of a single olivine crystal extracted from tephra at Kīlauea. This crystal is about 1 mm (less than 1/16 of an inch) tall.
Native Gold
A sample of native gold. Gold has been treasured since ancient times for its beauty and permanence. Most of the gold that is fabricated today goes into the manufacture of jewelry, but it also performs critical functions in computers, communications equipment, spacecraft, jet aircraft engines, and a host of other products.
A sample of native gold. Gold has been treasured since ancient times for its beauty and permanence. Most of the gold that is fabricated today goes into the manufacture of jewelry, but it also performs critical functions in computers, communications equipment, spacecraft, jet aircraft engines, and a host of other products.
Geothermal Plant
A geothermal power plant at The Geysers near Santa Rosa, California. The USGS researches and assesses geothermal resources.
A geothermal power plant at The Geysers near Santa Rosa, California. The USGS researches and assesses geothermal resources.
Copper
Native copper. The USGS studies processes that form copper deposits and reports global production and consumption.
Native copper. The USGS studies processes that form copper deposits and reports global production and consumption.
Soil-temperature measurement at Hot Creek in Long Valley Caldera, CA.
Soil-temperature measurement at Hot Creek in Long Valley Caldera, California.
Soil-temperature measurement at Hot Creek in Long Valley Caldera, California.
A soil profile buried under Kasatochi Volcano 2008 eruption ash
A soil profile buried under ash from the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi volcano
A soil profile buried under ash from the 2008 eruption of Kasatochi volcano
Updated Date: February 18, 2025