Saline lakes of the glaciated Northern Great Plains
David M. Mushet
2011, Lakeline (31) 31-35
Unless you have flown over the region or seen aerial photographs, it is hard to grasp the scale of the millions of lakes and wetlands that dot the prairie landscape of the glaciated Northern Great Plains (Figure 1). This region of abundant aquatic habitats within a grassland matrix provides for...
Gopherus agassizii (desert tortoise) and Crotalus ruber (red diamond rattlesnake). Burrow co-occupancy
Jeffrey E. Lovich
2011, Herpetological Review (42) 421-421
I observed an adult Desert Tortoise and an adult Red Diamond Rattlesnake (sexes unknown) in a shallow tortoise burrow on 6 January 1997 at a wind energy generation facility near Palm Springs, Riverside Co., California, USA (33.9599°N, 116.6613°W)....
Gopherus agassizii (Desert Tortoise). Non-native seed dispersal
J.R. Ennen, Caleb L. Loughran, Jeffrey E. Lovich
2011, Herpetological Review (42) 266-267
Sahara Mustard (Brassica tournefortii) is a non-native, highly invasive weed species of southwestern U.S. deserts. Sahara Mustard is a hardy species, which flourishes under many conditions including drought and in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats (West and Nabhan 2002. In B. Tellman [ed.], Invasive Plants: Their Occurrence and Possible Impact...
Kaolin
R.L. Virta
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 76-77
The article discusses the latest developments in the global kaolin industry, particularly in the U.S., as of June 2011. It claims that Georgia is the top producing state in the U.S., with a 94% share in total production. The other top producers include South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. Kaolin...
Mineral resource of the month: molybdenum
Desire E. Polyak
2011, Earth (56) 25-25
The article offers information about the mineral molybdenum. Sources includes byproduct or coproduct copper-molybdenum deposits in the Western Cordillera of North and South America. Among the uses of molybdenum are stainless steel applications, as an alloy material for manufacturing vessels and as lubricants, pigments or chemicals. Also noted is the...
Mineral resource of the month: copper
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2011, Earth (56) 28-29
The article provides information on copper and its various uses. It was the first metal used by humans and is considered as one of the materials that played an important role in the development of civilization. It is a major industrial metal because of its low cost, availability, electrical conductivity,...
Mineral resource of the month: feldspar
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2011, Earth (56) 29-29
The article focuses on feldspar, a mineral that composes of potassium, sodium, or a fusion of the two, and its various applications. According to estimates by scientists, the mineral is present at 60 percent of the crust of Earth, wherein it is commonly used for making glass and ceramics. Global...
Mineral resource of the month: rare earth elements
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2011, Earth (56) 24-25
The article provides information on rare earth elements, which are group of 17 natural metallic elements. The rare earth elements are scandium, yttrium and lanthanides and classified into light rare earth elements (LREE) and heavy rate earth elements (HREE). The principal ores of the rare earth elements are identified. An...
Mineral resource of the month: tantalum
Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey
2011, Earth (56) 25-25
The article offers information on a rare transition metal called tantalum. It says that the blue-gray mineral resource was discovered in 1801 or 1802 and was used for capacitors in 1940. It adds that the tantalite ore and other minerals in the ore should be separated in order to generate...
Variation in spring migration routes and breeding distribution of northern pintails Anas acuta that winter in Japan
Jerry W. Hupp, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, Paul L. Flint, John M. Pearce, Ken-ichi Tokita, Tetsuo Shimada, Andrew M. Ramey, Sergei Kharitonov, Hiroyoshi Higuchi
2011, Journal of Avian Biology (42) 289-300
In North America, spring migration routes and breeding distribution of northern pintails Anas acuta vary because some individuals opportunistically nest at mid-latitudes in years when ephemeral prairie wetlands are available, whereas others regularly nest in arctic and sub-arctic regions where wetland abundance is more constant. Less was known about migration...
Carryover effects associated with winter location affect fitness, social status, and population dynamics in a long-distance migrant
James S. Sedinger, Jason L. Schamber, David H. Ward, Christopher A. Nicolai, Bruce Conant
2011, American Naturalist (178) E110-E123
We used observations of individually marked female black brant geese (Branta bernicla nigricans; brant) at three wintering lagoons on the Pacific coast of Baja California—Laguna San Ignacio (LSI), Laguna Ojo de Liebre (LOL), and Bahía San Quintín (BSQ)—and the Tutakoke River breeding colony in Alaska to assess hypotheses about carryover...
Observations of debris flows at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA: Part 2, changes in surface morphometry from terrestrial laser scanning in the summer of 2009
Dennis M. Staley, Thad A. Wasklewicz, Jeffrey A. Coe, Jason W. Kean, Scott W. McCoy, Greg E. Tucker
2011, Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment 759-768
High resolution topographic data that quantify changes in channel form caused by sequential debris flows in natural channels are rare at the reach scale. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques are utilized to capture morphological changes brought about by a high-frequency of debris-flow events at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado. The purpose of...
Assessment of topographic and drainage network controls on debris-flow travel distance along the west coast of the United States
Jeffrey A. Coe, Mark E. Reid, Dainne L. Brien, John A. Michael
2011, Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment; 5th International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards "Mitigation, Mechanics, Prediction and Assessment" 199-209
To better understand controls on debris-flow entrainment and travel distance, we examined topographic and drainage network characteristics of initiation locations in two separate debris-flow prone areas located 700 km apart along the west coast of the U.S. One area was located in northern California, the other in southern Oregon. In...
Industrial garnet
D.W. Olson
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 71-72
Garnet has been used as a gemstone since the Bronze Age. However, garnet's angular fractures, relatively high hardness and specific gravity, chemical inertness and nontoxicity make it ideal for many industrial applications. It is also free of crystalline silica and can be recycled....
Reducing cement's CO2 footprint
Hendrik G. van Oss
2011, Private Sector & Development (10)
The manufacturing process for Portland cement causes high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. However, environmental impacts can be reduced by using more energy-efficient kilns and replacing fossil energy with alternative fuels. Although carbon capture and new cements with less CO2 emission are still in the experimental phase, all these innovations...
Nitrogen
L.E. Apodaca
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 85-86
Ammonia was produced by 12 companies at 24 plants in 16 states in the United States during 2010. Sixty percent of total U.S. ammonia production capacity was centered in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas because of those states' large reserves of natural gas, the dominant domestic feedstock....
Ball clay
R.L. Virta
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 41-42
The article discusses the latest developments in the global ball clay mining industry, particularly in the U.S., as of June 2011. It cites several firms that are involved in ball clay mining in the U.S., including HC Spins Clay Co. Inc., the Imerys Group and Old Hickory Clay Co. Among...
Pumice, pumicite review
R.D. Crangle Jr.
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 18-18
The article focuses on the industrial mineral pumice. It mentions the estimated production of pumice in the U.S. in 2010, price range, and total U.S. exports and imports. Described as an igneous volcanic rock, pumice has low density which allows it float on water and porous enough to be used...
Magnesium compounds
D.A. Kramer
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 80-81
Seawater and natural brines accounted for about 54 percent of U.S. magnesium compounds production in 2010. Dead-burned magnesia was produced by Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties from well brines in Michigan. Caustic-calcined magnesia was recovered from seawater by Premier Magnesia in Florida, from well brines in Michigan by Martin Marietta and...
Industrial sand and gravel
T.P. Dolley
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 72-73
Domestic production of industrial sand and gravel in 2010 was about 26.5 Mt (29.2 million st), a 6-percent increased from 2009. Certain end uses of industrial sand and gravel, such as sand for container glass, golf course sand, recreational sand, specialty glass and water filtration, showed increased demand in 2010....
Peat
L.E. Apodaca
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 86-87
In 2010, domestic production of peat, excluding Alaska, was estimated to be 612 kt (674,600 st), compared with 609 kt (671,300 st) in 2009. In 2010, imports increased to 947 kt (1.04 million st), compared with 906 kt (998,600 st) in 2009. Exports were estimated to have decreased to 69...
Borates
M.A. Angulo
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 47-49
The article discusses the latest developments in the borates industry, particularly in the U.S., as of June 2011. It claims that the biggest economically feasible deposits of borates are seen in the U.S.' Mojave Desert, the Alpide belt in southern Asia and the Andean belt of South America. Turkish state-owned...
Strontium
M.A. Angulo
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 98-99
In 2010, U.S. apparent consumption of strontium (contained in celestite and manufactured strontium compounds) decreased by 11 percent to 10.4 kt (11,460 st) from 11.8 kt (13,000 st) in 2009. Gross weight of imports totaled 20.9 kt (23,000 st), of which 65 percent originated from Mexico....
Common clay and shale
R.L. Virta
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 54-55
The article discusses the latest developments in the global common clay and shale industry, particularly in the U.S. It claims that common clay and shale is mainly used in the manufacture of heavy clay products like brick, flue tile and sewer pipe. The main producing states in the U.S. include...
Fluorspar
M.M. Miller
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 61-63
World fluorspar demand showed some signs of recovery in 2010 but was still depressed compared with 2008. In 2010, nearly all fluorspar (CaF[sub2]) consumption in the United States was from imports. Hastie Mining and Trucking Co. produced some fluorspar as a byproduct from its limestone quarry operations in Illinois. In...
