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Publications

Here you will find publications, reports and articles produced by Energy and Mineral scientists. For a comprehensive listing of all USGS publications please click the button below.

Filter Total Items: 1168

Dzhezkazgan and associated sandstone copper deposits of the Chu-Sarysu basin, Central Kazakhstan

Sandstone-hosted copper (sandstone Cu) deposits occur within a 200-km reach of the northern Chu-Sarysu basin of central Kazakhstan (Dzhezkazgan and Zhaman-Aibat deposits, and the Zhilandy group of deposits). The deposits consist of Cu sulfide minerals as intergranular cement and grain replacement in 10 ore-bearing members of sandstone and conglomerate within a 600- to 1,000-m thick Pennsylvanian f
Authors
Stephen E. Box, Reimar Seltmann, Michael L. Zientek, Boris Syusyura, Robert A. Creaser, Alla Dolgopolova

Vegetation, substrate, and eolian sediment transport at Teesto Wash, Navajo Nation, 2009-2012

On the Navajo Nation, southwestern United States, warming temperatures and recent drought have increased eolian (windblown) sediment mobility such that large, migrating sand dunes affect grazing lands, housing, and road access. We present an assessment of seasonal variations in sand transport, mobility, and ground cover (vegetation and substrate) within a 0.2-km2 study area near Teesto Wash, south
Authors
Amy E. Draut, Margaret Hiza Redsteer, Lee Amoroso

Regional geophysical expression of a carbonatite terrane in the eastern Mojave Desert, California

A world-class, rare earth element carbonatite deposit is located near Mountain Pass, in the eastern Mojave Desert of California and is hosted by Proterozoic rocks that extend along the eastern margins of the Clark Mountain Range, Mescal Range, and Ivanpah Mountains in a north-northwest trending fault-bounded block. This Proterozoic block is generally composed of a complex of 1.7 - 1.6 Ga gneisses
Authors
David A. Ponce, Kevin M. Denton, David M. Miller

Digital geologic map of the Redding 1° x 2° quadrangle, Shasta, Tehama, Humboldt, and Trinity Counties, California

The Redding 1° x 2° quadrangle in northwestern California transects the Franciscan Complex and southern Klamath Mountains province as well as parts of the Great Valley Complex, northern Great Valley, and southernmost Cascades volcanic province. The tectonostratigraphic terranes of the Klamath province represent slices of oceanic crust, island arcs, and overlying sediment that range largely from Pa
Authors
Luis A. Fraticelli, John P. Albers, William P. Irwin, Milton C. Jr. Blake, Carl M. Wentworth

Geophysical studies in the vicinity of Blue Mountain and Pumpernickel Valley near Winnemucca, north-central Nevada

From May 2008 to September 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected data from more than 660 gravity stations, 100 line-km of truck-towed magnetometer traverses, and 260 physical-property sites in the vicinity of Blue Mountain and Pumpernickel Valley, northern Nevada (fig. 1). Gravity, magnetic, and physical-property data were collected to study regional crustal structures as an aid to und
Authors
David A. Ponce

Polyplacophora (Mollusca) from the San Diego Formation: A remarkable assemblage of fossil chitons from the Pliocene of southern Califoria

A rich chiton assemblage consisting of more than 15,000 valves (shell plates) was collected by George P. Kanakoff (1897–1973) from Pliocene exposures of the San Diego Formation just north of the U.S./Mexican border. The assemblage includes 16 extant species, three extinct species (Callistochiton sphaerae n. sp., Lepidozona kanakoffi n. sp., and Amicula solivaga n. sp.), and three indeterminate spe
Authors
Michael J. Vendrasco, Douglas J. Eernisse, Charles L. Powell, Christine Z. Fernandez

Podiform chromite deposits--database and grade and tonnage models

Chromite ((Mg, Fe++)(Cr, Al, Fe+++)2O4) is the only source for the metallic element chromium, which is used in the metallurgical, chemical, and refractory industries. Podiform chromite deposits are small magmatic chromite bodies formed in the ultramafic section of an ophiolite complex in the oceanic crust. These deposits have been found in midoceanic ridge, off-ridge, and suprasubduction tectonic
Authors
Dan L. Mosier, Donald A. Singer, Barry C. Moring, John P. Galloway

The Cedars ultramafic mass, Sonoma County, California

The Cedars ultramafic mass is a mantle fragment that consists of partially serpentinized spinel harzburgite and dunite. Compositional layering and a chromite lineation define a penetrative metamorphic foliation that almost certainly formed in the upper mantle. Although detailed petrofabric and mineral chemistry are presently lacking, it seems reasonable that the Cedars peridotite represents a slic
Authors
M. Clark Blake, Edgar H. Bailey, Carl M. Wentworth

Topographic change detection at select archeological sites in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 2007-2010

Human occupation in Grand Canyon, Arizona, dates from at least 11,000 years before present to the modern era. For most of this period, the only evidence of human occupation in this iconic landscape is provided by archeological sites. Because of the dynamic nature of this environment, many archeological sites are subject to relatively rapid topographic change. Quantifying the extent, magnitude, and
Authors
Brian D. Collins, Skye C. Corbett, Helen C. Fairley, Diane L. Minasian, Robert Kayen, Timothy P. Dealy, David R. Bedford

The U.S. Geological Survey's TRIGA® reactor

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) operates a low-enriched uranium-fueled, pool-type reactor located at the Federal Center in Denver, Colorado. The mission of the Geological Survey TRIGA® Reactor (GSTR) is to support USGS science by providing information on geologic, plant, and animal specimens to advance methods and techniques unique to nuclear reactors. The reactor facility is supported by progra
Authors
Timothy M. DeBey, Brycen R. Roy, Sally R. Brady

Uplift history of the Sila Massif, southern Italy, deciphered from cosmogenic 10Be erosion rates and river longitudinal profile analysis

The Sila Massif in the Calabrian Arc (southern Italy) is a key site to study the response of a landscape to rock uplift. Here an uplift rate of ∼1 mm/yr has imparted a deep imprint on the Sila landscape recorded by a high-standing low-relief surface on top of the massif, deeply incised fluvial valleys along its flanks, and flights of marine terraces in the coastal belt. In this framework, we combi
Authors
Valerio Olivetti, Andrew J. Cyr, Paola Molin, Claudio Faccenna, Darryl E. Granger