Nitrogen
L.E. Apodaca
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 78-79
Ammonia was produced by 12 companies at 27 plants in 15 states in the United States during 2011. Sixty-one 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. In 2011, U.S. producers...
Diatomite
R.D. Crangle Jr.
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 48-49
The United States continues to be the world's leading producer and consumer of diatomite. Production of diatomite in the United States during 2011 was estimated to be 600 kt (661,000 st), a slight increase compared with 2010 production. The unit value of diatomite varied widely by end use in 2011....
Gemstones
D.W. Olson
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 54-55
The estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits during 2011 was $10.6 million, a 6-percent increase from 2010. U.S. gemstone production included agate, amber, beryl, coral, garnet, jade, jasper, opal, pearl, quartz, sapphire, shell, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and many other gem materials....
A terrestrial lidar-based workflow for determining three-dimensional slip vectors and associated uncertainties
Peter O. Gold, Eric Cowgill, Oliver Kreylos, Ryan D. Gold
2012, Geosphere (8) 431-442
Three-dimensional (3D) slip vectors recorded by displaced landforms are difficult to constrain across complex fault zones, and the uncertainties associated with such measurements become increasingly challenging to assess as landforms degrade over time. We approach this problem from a remote sensing perspective by using terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and 3D...
Assessing the validity of station location assumptions made in the calculation of the geomagnetic disturbance index, Dst
Jennifer Gannon
2012, Space Weather (10)
In this paper, the effects of the assumptions made in the calculation of the Dst index with regard to longitude sampling, hemisphere bias, and latitude correction are explored. The insights gained from this study will allow operational users to better understand the local implications of the Dst index and will...
Industrial diamond
D.W. Olson
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 62-63
Estimated 2011 world production of natural and synthetic industrial diamond was about 4.45 billion carats. During 2011, natural industrial diamonds were produced in more than 20 countries, and synthetic industrial diamond was produced in at least 13 countries. About 98 percent of the combined natural and synthetic global output was...
Improving PAGER's real-time earthquake casualty and loss estimation toolkit: a challenge
K. S. Jaiswal, D.J. Wald
2012, Conference Paper, The 15th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering: September 24-28, 2012, Lisbon, Portugal
We describe the on-going developments of PAGER’s loss estimation models, and discuss value-added web content that can be generated related to exposure, damage and loss outputs for a variety of PAGER users. These developments include identifying vulnerable building types in any given area, estimating earthquake-induced damage and loss statistics by...
Perlite
W. Bolen
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 80-81
Domestic production, consumption, exports and prices of perlite in the United States were all estimated to have decreased in 2011 compared with 2010, but not significantly. The weak economic conditions that prevailed in the United States for most of the 2011 probably accounted for these decreases. The only statistic that...
Exploration review
D.R. Wilburn, T.D. Rapstine, E.C. Lee
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 40-60
This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2011 draws upon available information from industry sources, published literature and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. This summary provides data on exploration budgets by region and mineral commodity, identifies significant mineral discoveries and areas of mineral exploration, discusses government programs...
Bromine
Joyce A. Ober
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 40-41
The element bromine is found principally as a dissolved species in seawater, evaporitic (salt) lakes and underground brines associated with petroleum deposits. Seawater contains about 65 parts per million of bromine or an estimated 100 Tt (110 trillion st). In the Middle East, the highly saline waters of the Dead...
Sequential development of platform to off-platform facies of the great American carbonate bank in the central Appalachians
David K. Brezinski, John F. Taylor, John E. Repetski
2012, Book chapter, The great American carbonate bank: The geology and economic resources of the Cambrian–Ordovician Sauk megasequence of Laurentia
In the central Appalachians, carbonate deposition of the great American carbonate bank began during the Early Cambrian with the creation of initial ramp facies of the Vintage Formation and lower members of the Tomstown Formation. Vertical stacking of bioturbated subtidal ramp deposits (Bolivar Heights Member) and dolomitized microbial boundtsone (Fort...
Ball clay
R.L. Virta
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 33-34
Four companies — H.C. Spinks Clay Co., Inc., Imerys Group, Old Hickory Clay Co., and Unimin Corp. — mined ball clay in four states in 2011. Production, on the basis of preliminary data, was 940 kt (1.04 million st) with an estimated value of $44.2 million. This is a 3-percent...
Magnesium compounds
D.A. Kramer
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 73-74
Seawater and natural brines accounted for about 57 percent of magnesium compounds produced in the United States in 2011. Dead-burned magnesia was produced by Martin Marietta Magnesia Specialties LLC from well brines in Michigan. Caustic-calcined magnesia was recovered from seawater by Premier Magnesia LLC in Florida, from well brines in...
Mineral resource of the month: aluminum
E. Lee Bray
2012, Earth (57) 25-25
The article offers information on aluminum, a mineral resource which is described as the third-most abundant element in Earth's crust. According to the article, aluminum is the second-most used metal. Hans Christian Oersted, a Danish chemist, was the first to isolate aluminum in the laboratory. Aluminum is described as lightweight,...
Bauxite and alumina
E.L. Bray
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 35-36
The United States is import-reliant for nearly all of the bauxite that it consumes. Small amounts of bauxite and bauxitic clays are produced in Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia for nonmetallurgical uses. Metallurgical-grade bauxite (crude dry) imports in 2011 totaled 9.54 Mt (10.5 million st), 18 percent more than the quantity...
Direct U-Pb dating of Cretaceous and Paleocene dinosaur bones, San Juan Basin, New Mexico: COMMENT
Alan E. Koenig, Spencer G. Lucas, Leonid A. Neymark, Andrew B. Heckert, Robert M. Sullivan, Steven E. Jasinski, Denver W. Fowler
2012, Geology (40) e262-e262
Based on U-Pb dating of two dinosaur bones from the San Juan Basin of New Mexico (United States), Fassett et al. (2011) claim to provide the first successful direct dating of fossil bones and to establish the presence of Paleocene dinosaurs. Fassett et al. ignore previously published work that directly...
Sulfur
L.E. Apodaca
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 91-92
In 2011, elemental sulfur and the byproduct sulfuric acid were produced at 109 operations in 29 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Total shipments were valued at about $1.6 billion. Elemental sulfur production was 8.2 Mt (9 million st); Louisiana and Texas accounted for about 53 percent of domestic production....
Glass wool filters for concentrating waterborne viruses and agricultural zoonotic pathogens
Hana T. Millen, Jordan C. Gonnering, Ryan K. Berg, Susan K. Spencer, William E. Jokela, John M. Pearce, Jackson S. Borchardt, Mark A. Borchardt
2012, Journal of Visualized Experiments (61)
The key first step in evaluating pathogen levels in suspected contaminated water is concentration. Concentration methods tend to be specific for a particular pathogen group, for example US Environmental Protection Agency Method 1623 for Giardia and Cryptosporidium1, which means multiple methods are required if the sampling program is targeting more...
Kaolin
R.L. Virta
2012, Mining Engineering (64) 70-71
Fifteen companies mined kaolin in nine states in 2011. Production, on the basis of preliminary data, was estimated to be 5.48 Mt (6.04 million st) valued at $822 million, an increase from 5.42 Mt (5.97 million st) valued at $788 million in 2010. Production in Georgia, the top producing state,...
A brief review of the construction aggregates market
Jason Christopher Willett
2012, Stone, Sand & Gravel Review (2012) 25-27
The U.S. Geological Survey defines the construction aggregates industry as those companies that mine and process crushed stone and/or construction sand and gravel. Aggregates have been used from the earliest times of our civilization for a variety of purposes - construction being the major use. As construction aggregates, crushed stone...
Geomagnetic detection of the sectorial solar magnetic field and the historical peculiarity of minimum 23-24
Jeffrey J. Love, J. Rigler
2012, Geophysical Research Letters (39)
[1] Analysis is made of the geomagnetic-activityaaindex covering solar cycle 11 to the beginning of 24, 1868–2011. Autocorrelation shows 27.0-d recurrent geomagnetic activity that is well-known to be prominent during solar-cycle minima; some minima also exhibit a smaller amount of 13.5-d recurrence. Previous work has shown that the recent solar...
Avian botulism and avian chlamydiosis in wild water birds, Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA
Douglas E. Docherty, J. Christian Franson, Roger E. Brannian, Renee R. Long, Craig A. Radi, David Krueger, Robert F. Johnson
2012, Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (43) 885-888
In 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, conducted a diagnostic investigation into a water bird mortality event involving intoxication with avian botulism type C and infection with avian chlamydiosis at the Benton Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Montana, USA. Of 24 carcasses necropsied, 11...
P-T-t conditions, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions and detrital zircon geochronology of the Massabesic Gneiss Complex, New Hampshire: isotopic and metamorphic evidence for the identification of Gander basement, central New England
Michael J. Dorais, Robert P. Wintsch, Michael J. Kunk, John Aleinikoff, William Burton, Christine Underdown, Charles M. Kerwin
2012, American Journal of Science (312) 1049-1097
We present new evidence for the assignment of the Neoproterozoic Massabesic Gneiss Complex of New Hampshire to the Gander terrane rather than the Avalon terrane. The majority of Avalonian (sensu stricto) igneous and meta-igneous rocks as defined in Maritime Canada have positive whole-rock ɛNd compared to more negative values for...
Biogeochemistry: unexpected uptake
Jayne Belnap
2012, Nature Geoscience (5) 443-444
Lichens, cyanobacteria, mosses and algae coat many terrestrial surfaces. These biological covers turn out to play an important role in the global cycling of carbon and nitrogen....
Modeling species invasions in Ecopath with Ecosim: an evaluation using Laurentian Great Lakes models
Brian J. Langseth, Mark Rogers, Hongyan Zhang
2012, Ecological Modelling (247) 251-261
Invasive species affect the structure and processes of ecosystems they invade. Invasive species have been particularly relevant to the Laurentian Great Lakes, where they have played a part in both historical and recent changes to Great Lakes food webs and the fisheries supported therein. There is increased interest in understanding...
