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Publications

Listed below are publication products directly associated with the Geology, Energy & Minerals Science Center:

Filter Total Items: 1169

Random variable

A random variable is a function that assigns a value in a sample space to an element of an arbitrary set (James 1992; Pawlowsky-Glahn et al. 2015). It is a model for a random experiment: the arbitrary set is an abstraction of the experimental conditions, the values taken by the random variable are in the sample space, and the function itself models the assignment of outcomes, thus also describing
Authors
Ricardo A. Olea

Introduction: Metallurgical slags - Environmental liability or valuable resource?

Slags are important by-products generated by ferrous and non-ferrous pyrometallurgical operations, with hundreds of millions of tonnes generated globally each year. Depending on the chemical and mineralogical compositions of slags, they may be disposed of as waste, which can then weather and release contaminants into the environment with the potential to impact the ecosystem and humans. Alternatel
Authors
Nadine M. Piatak, Vojtech Ettler

Weathering of slags

Weathering is a natural process causing the transformation of minerals, rocks, and related materials like glass under near-surface conditions. Although metallurgical slags are human-made materials, they also undergo natural weathering processes. As base metal slags weather, the released solutions may contain contaminants that could pose an environmental risk. On the other hand, weathering of ferro
Authors
Jakub Kierczak, Anna Pietranik, Nadine M. Piatak

Geochemistry and mineralogy of metallurgical slag

Slag is a waste product from the pyrometallurgical processing of natural ores or the recycling of man-made materials. This chapter provides an overview of the geochemical and mineralogical characteristics of different types of slag. A review of the analytical methods used to determine these characteristics is also provided. Ferrous slags include blast furnace, steelmaking, and ferroalloy slags; th
Authors
Nadine M. Piatak, Vojtech Ettler, Darryl Andre Hoppe

Evaluation of Indoor PM2.5 concentrations in a Native American community: A pilot study

BackgroundIndoor air pollution is associated with adverse health effects; however, few studies exist studying indoor air pollution on the Navajo Nation in the southwest U.S., a community with high rates of respiratory disease.MethodsIndoor PM2.5 concentration was evaluated in 26 homes on the Navajo Nation using real-time PM2.5 monitors. Household risk factors and daily activities were evaluated wi
Authors
Nan Ji, Ana Rule, Robert Weatherholtz, Lynn M. Crosby, Joseph E. Bunnell, William H. Orem, Raymond R. Reid, Mathuram Santosham, Laura L. Hammitt, Katherine L. O’Brien

Chemical and structural degradation of CH3NH3PbI3 propagate from PEDOT:PSS interface in the presence of humidity

Understanding interfacial reactions that occur between the active layer and charge-transport layers can extend the stability of perovskite solar cells. In this study, the exposure of methylammonium lead iodide (CH3NH3PbI3) thin films prepared on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS)-coated glass to 70% relative humidity (R.H.) leads to a perovskite crystal structure c
Authors
Sara A Thomas, J. Clay Hamill, Sarah Jane O. White, Yueh-Lin Loo

Water–rock interaction and the concentrations of major, trace, and rare earth elements in hydrocarbon-associated produced waters of the United States

Studies of co-produced waters from hydrocarbon extraction across multiple energy-producing basins have generally focused on major ions or a few select tracers, and studies that examine trace elements and involve laboratory experiments have generally been basin specific. Here, new perspective is sought through a broad analysis of concentration data for 26 elements from three hydrocarbon well types
Authors
Carleton R. Bern, Justin E. Birdwell, Aaron M. Jubb

Insights on geochemical, isotopic, and volumetric compositions of produced water from hydraulically fractured Williston Basin oil wells

Tracing produced water origins from wells hydraulically fractured with freshwater-based fluids is sometimes predicated on assumptions that (1) each geological formation contains compositionally unique brine and (2) produced water from recently hydraulically fractured wells resembles fresher meteoric water more so than produced water from older wells. These assumptions are not valid in Williston Ba

Authors
Tanya J. Gallegos, Colin A. Doolan, Rodney R. Caldwell, Mark A Engle, Matthew S. Varonka, Justin E. Birdwell, Glenn D. Jolly, Tyler B. Coplen, Thomas A. Oliver

Economic geology and environmental characteristics of antimony deposits

Antimony is commonly listed as a critical mineral, particularly in the United States and European Union [1]. Its criticality, or supply risk, is derived from a combination of economic vulnerability, disruption potential of supply, and trade exposure [2].Disruption potential relates a country’s ability and willingness to supply a commodity. Commodities for which supply is concentrated in the fewest
Authors
Robert R. Seal

Probabilistic methodology for the assessment of original and recoverable coal resources, illustrated with an application to a coal bed in the Fort Union Formation, Wyoming

Executive SummaryThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has been using its Circular 891 for evaluating uncertainty in coal resource assessments for more than 35 years. Calculated cell tonnages are assigned to four qualitative reliability classes depending exclusively on distance to the nearest drill hole. The main appeal of this methodology, simplicity, is also its main drawback. Reliability may depend
Authors
Ricardo A. Olea, Brian N. Shaffer, Jon E. Haacke, James A. Luppens

Age and tectonic setting of the Quinebaug-Marlboro belt and implications for the history of Ganderian crustal fragments in southeastern New England, USA

Crustal fragments underlain by high-grade rocks represent a challenge to plate reconstructions, and integrated mapping, geochronology, and geochemistry enable the unravelling of the temporal and spatial history of exotic crustal blocks. The Quinebaug-Marlboro belt (QMB) is an enigmatic fragment on the trailing edge of the peri-Gondwanan Ganderian margin of southeastern New England. SHRIMP U-Pb geo
Authors
Gregory J. Walsh, John N. Aleinikoff, Robert A. Ayuso, Robert P. Wintsch
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