Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Products (journal articles, reports, fact sheets) authored by current and past scientists are listed below. Please check the USGS Pubs Warehouse for other USGS publications.

Filter Total Items: 1826

Geologic processes influence the effects of mining on aquatic ecosystems

Geologic processes strongly influence water and sediment quality in aquatic ecosystems but rarely are geologic principles incorporated into routine biomonitoring studies. We test if elevated concentrations of metals in water and sediment are restricted to streams downstream of mines or areas that may discharge mine wastes. We surveyed 198 catchments classified as “historically mined” or “unmined,”
Authors
Travis S. Schmidt, William H. Clements, Richard B. Wanty, Philip L. Verplanck, Stan E. Church, Carma A. San Juan, David L. Fey, Barnaby W. Rockwell, Ed H. DeWitt, Terry L. Klein

Hotspot: the Snake River Geothermal Drilling Project--initial report

The Snake River volcanic province (SRP) overlies a thermal anomaly that extends deep into the mantle; it represents one of the highest heat flow provinces in North America. The primary goal of this project is to evaluate geothermal potential in three distinct settings: (1) Kimama site: inferred high sub-aquifer geothermal gradient associated with the intrusion of mafic magmas, (2) Kimberly site: a
Authors
J.W. Shervais, D. Nielson, T. Lachmar, E. H. Christiansen, L. Morgan, Wayne C. Shanks, C. Delahunty, D.R. Schmitt, L.M. Liberty, D.D. Blackwell, J. M. Glen, J.A. Kessler, K.E. Potter, M.M. Jean, C.J. Sant, T. Freeman

Strontium isotope systematics of mixing groundwater and oil-field brine at Goose Lake in northeastern Montana, USA

Groundwater, surface water, and soil in the Goose Lake oil field in northeastern Montana have been affected by Cl−-rich oil-field brines during long-term petroleum production. Ongoing multidisciplinary geochemical and geophysical studies have identified the degree and local extent of interaction between brine and groundwater. Fourteen samples representing groundwater, surface water, and brine were
Authors
Zell E. Peterman, Joanna N. Thamke, Kiyoto Futa, Todd Preston

Shipboard surveys track magnetic sources in marine sediments--geophysical studies of the Stono and North Edisto Inlets near Charleston, South Carolina

Magnetic field data are traditionally used to analyze igneous and metamorphic rocks, but recent efforts have shown that magnetic sources within sediments may be detectable, suggesting new applications for high-resolution magnetic field surveys. Candidates for sedimentary sources include heavy mineral sand concentrations rich in magnetite or hematite, alteration-induced glauconite, or biogenic magn
Authors
Anjana K. Shah, M. Scott Harris

Occurrence model for volcanogenic beryllium deposits

Current global and domestic mineral resources of beryllium (Be) for industrial uses are dominated by ores produced from deposits of the volcanogenic Be type. Beryllium deposits of this type can form where hydrothermal fluids interact with fluorine and lithophile-element (uranium, thorium, rubidium, lithium, beryllium, cesium, tantalum, rare earth elements, and tin) enriched volcanic rocks that con
Authors
Nora K. Foley, Albert H. Hofstra, David A. Lindsey, Robert R. Seal, Brian W. Jaskula, Nadine M. Piatak

Building on previous OSL dating techniques for gypsum: a case study from Salt Basin playa, New Mexico and Texas

The long term stability and reliability of the luminescence signal for gypsum has not been well documented or systematically measured until just recently. A review of the current literature for luminescence dating of gypsum is compiled here along with original efforts at dating an intact and in-situ bed of selenite gypsum at Salt Basin Playa, New Mexico and Texas. This effort differs from other do
Authors
Shannon Mahan, John Kay

Genesis of the Touissit-Bou Beker Mississippi valley-type district (Morocco-Algeria) and its relationship to the Africa-Europe collision

The Mississippi Valley-type deposits of the Touissit-Bou Beker district are hosted by a 25 m thick sequence of diagenetically and hydrothermally dolomitized carbonate platform rocks of Aalenian-Bajocian age. The sulfide mineralization consists principally of galena and sphalerite and occurs as open-space fillings of voids and moderate to massive replacement of the medium- to coarse-grained host do

Lithogeochemistry of the Devonian Popovich Formation in the northern Carlin Trend, Nevada

No abstract available.
Authors
Albert H. Hofstra, William Christiansen, B Zohar, Tousignant

Geophysical expression of elements of the Rio Grande rift in the northeast Tusas Mountains - Preliminary interpretations

New interpretations of the nature of the Rio Grande rift and pre-existing rocks in the northeast Tusas Mountains region are derived from new and existing gravity and aeromagnetic data. 12-15 mGal amplitude gravity lows are interpreted to mainly reflect large thicknesses of the upper Oligocene to upper Miocene, syn-rift Los Pinos Formation and possibly significant amounts of the Eocene El Rito Form
Authors
Benjamin J. Drenth, Kenzie J. Turner, Ren A. Thompson, V. J. Grauch, Michael A. Cosca, John Lee

Geochemical data from waters in Prospect Gulch, San Juan County, Colorado, that span pre- and post-Lark Mine remediation

In San Juan County, Colorado, the effects of historical mining continue to contribute dissolved metals to groundwater and surface water. Water samples in Prospect Gulch near Silverton, Colorado, were collected at selected locations that span pre- and post-reclamation activities at the Lark Mine, located in the Prospect Gulch watershed. Geochemical results from those water samples are presented in
Authors
Raymond H. Johnson, Douglas B. Yager, Hugh D. Johnson

The Kharapeh orogenic gold deposit: Geological, structural, and geochemical controls on epizonal ore formation in West Azerbaijan Province, Northwestern Iran

The Kharapeh gold deposit is located along the northwestern margin of the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (SSZ) in the West Azerbaijan province, Iran. It is an epizonal orogenic gold deposit formed within the deformed zone between central Iran and the Arabian plate during the Cretaceous–Tertiary Zagros orogeny. The deposit area is underlain by Cretaceous schist and marble, as well as altered andesite and dac
Authors
Shojaeddin Niroomand, Richard J. Goldfarb, Farib Moore, Mohammad Mohajjel, Erin E. Marsh