Mineral resource of the month: lead
David E. Guberman
2010, Earth (55) 29-29
The article discusses the properties and uses lead as a mineral resource. According to the author, lead is a corrosion-resistant, dense, ductile, and malleable blue-gray metal that has been used by humans for 5,000 years. Lead was first used in decorative, fixtures, roofs, pipes, and windows. The author says that...
Improving inferences from fisheries capture-recapture studies through remote detection of PIT tags
David A. Hewitt, Eric C. Janney, Brian S. Hayes, Rip S. Shively
2010, Fisheries (35) 217-231
Models for capture-recapture data are commonly used in analyses of the dynamics of fish and wildlife populations, especially for estimating vital parameters such as survival. Capture-recapture methods provide more reliable inferences than other methods commonly used in fisheries studies. However, for rare or elusive fish species, parameter estimation is often...
Strontium
M.A. Angulo
2010, Mining Engineering (62) 77-78
In 2009, U.S. apparent consumption of strontium (contained in celestite and manufactured strontium compounds) increased to 16 kt (17,600 st) from 10.6 kt (11,700 st) in 2008, an increase of 52 percent. This increase was attributed primarily to an increase in imported celestite. Gross weight of imports totaled 25.3 kt...
Mineral resource of the month: cesium
Marc A. Angulo
2010, Earth (55) 29-29
The article offers information on cesium, a golden alkali metal derived from the Latin word caesium which means bluish gray. It mentions that cesium is the first element discovered with the use of spectroscopy. It adds that the leading producer and supplier of cesium is Canada and there are 50,000...
Aviation response to a widely dispersed volcanic ash and gas cloud from the August 2008 eruption of Kasatochi, Alaska, USA
Marianne Guffanti, David J. Schneider, Kristi L. Wallace, Tony Hall, Dov R. Bensimon, Leonard J. Salinas
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research D: Atmospheres (115)
The extensive volcanic cloud from Kasatochi's 2008 eruption caused widespread disruptions to aviation operations along Pacific oceanic, Canadian, and U.S. air routes. Based on aviation hazard warnings issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Meteorological Service of Canada, air carriers largely...
New plant records from the Hawaiian Archipelago
Forest Starr, Kim Starr, Lloyd L. Loope
Neal L. Evenhuis, Lucius G. Eldredge, editor(s)
2010, Bishop Museum Occasional Papers: Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2008 (107) 61-68
The following contributions include 19 new plant records for the islands of Kure Atoll (1), Midway Atoll (7), Lāna‘i (9), Kaho‘olawe (1), and Maui (1). The records are comprised of one new state record and 18 new island records. All but one of the records are non-natives. Images of most...
Exploration review
D.R. Wilburn, M.R. Bourget
2010, Mining Engineering (62) 39-52
This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2009 draws upon information from industry sources, published literature and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. The summary provides data on industry exploration budgets by region and mineral commodity, identifies significant mineral discoveries and areas of mineral exploration, discusses government programs...
Lithium
B.W. Jaskula
2010, Mining Engineering (62) 61-62
In 2009, lithium consumption in the United States was estimated to have been about 1.2 kt (1,300 st) of contained lithium, a 40-percent decrease from 2008. The United States was estimated to be the fourth largest consumer of lithium, and remained the leading importer of lithium carbonate and the leading...
Model-based evaluation of highly and low pathogenic avian influenza dynamics in wild birds
Viviane Hénaux, Michael D. Samuel, Christine M. Bunck
2010, PLoS ONE (5)
There is growing interest in avian influenza (AI) epidemiology to predict disease risk in wild and domestic birds, and prevent transmission to humans. However, understanding the epidemic dynamics of highly pathogenic (HPAI) viruses remains challenging because they have rarely been detected in wild birds. We used modeling to integrate available...
Bromine
Lori E. Apodaca
2010, Mining Engineering (62) 41-42
The entire U.S. production of bromine in 2009 came from underground brines in Arkansas, where it was the leading mineral commodity produced in terms of value. Two companies, Albermarle Corp. and Chemtura Corp., were responsible for bromine recovery. Worldwide, the United States is still the leading producer. However, U.S. dominance...
Industrial garnet
D.W. Olson
2010, Mining Engineering (62) 55-56
In 2009, U.S. production of crude garnet concentrate for industrial use was estimated to be 56.5 kt (62,300 st), valued at about $8.85 million. This was a 10-percent decrease in quantity compared with 2008 production. Refined garnet material sold or used was 28 kt (31,000 st) valued at $7.96 million....
Gemstones
D.W. Olson
2010, Mining Engineering (62) 50-51
Information on the gemstones industry in 2009 is presented. Specifically, details on U.S. production of natural gemstones and laboratory-created, simulant, and treated gemstones; consumption and uses of gemstones; gemstone prices; imports and exports of gemstones; and the outlook for the sector are provided....
Current challenges using models to forecast seawater intrusion: lessons from the Eastern Shore of Virginia, USA
Ward E. Sanford, Jason P. Pope
2010, Hydrogeology Journal (18) 73-93
A three-dimensional model of the aquifer system of the Eastern Shore of Virginia, USA was calibrated to reproduce historical water levels and forecast the potential for saltwater intrusion. Future scenarios were simulated with two pumping schemes to predict potential areas of saltwater intrusion. Simulations suggest that only a few wells...
Diet of lake trout and burbot in northern Lake Michigan during spring: Evidence of ecological interaction
Gregory R. Jacobs, Charles P. Madenjian, David B. Bunnell, Jeffrey D. Holuszko
2010, Journal of Great Lakes Research (36) 312-317
We used analyses of burbot (Lota lota) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) diets taken during spring gill-net surveys in northern Lake Michigan in 2006-2008 to investigate the potential for competition and predator-prey interactions between these two species. We also compared our results to historical data from 1932. During 2006-2008, lake...
Introduction to special section on phenomenology, underlying processes, and hazard implications of aseismic slip and nonvolcanic tremor
Joan Gomberg
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research (115)
This paper introduces the special section on the "phenomenology, underlying processes, and hazard implications of aseismic slip and nonvolcanic tremor" by highlighting key results of the studies published in it. Many of the results indicate that seismic and aseismic manifestations of slow slip reflect transient shear displacements on the plate...
Cladophora in the Great Lakes: Impacts on beach water quality and human health
M.P. Verhougstraete, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli, J.B. Rose, Richard L. Whitman
2010, Water Science and Technology (62) 68-76
Cladophora in the Great Lakes grows rapidly during the warm summer months, detaches, and becomes free-floating mats as a result of environmental conditions, eventually becoming stranded on recreational beaches. Cladophora provides protection and nutrients, which allow enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli, enterococci, Shigella, Campylobacter, and Salmonella to persist and...
Aftershocks are well aligned with the background stress field, contradicting the hypothesis of highly-heterogeneous crustal stress
Jeanne L. Hardebeck
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (115)
It has been proposed that the crustal stress field contains small-length-scale heterogeneity of much larger amplitude than the uniform background stress. This model predicts that earthquake focal mechanisms should reflect the loading stress rather than the uniform background stress. So, if the heterogeneous stress hypothesis is correct, focal mechanisms before...
Effects of soil aggregates on debris-flow mobilization: Results from ring-shear experiments
Neal R. Iverson, Janet E. Mann, Richard M. Iverson
2010, Engineering Geology (114) 84-92
Rates and styles of landslide motion are sensitive to pore-water pressure changes caused by changes in soil porosity accompanying shear deformation. Soil may either contract or dilate upon shearing, depending upon whether its initial porosity is greater or less, respectively, than a critical-state porosity attained after sufficiently high strain. We...
Inelastic off-fault response and three-dimensional dynamics of earthquake rupture on a strike-slip fault
D.J. Andrews, Shuo Ma
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth (115) B04304
Large dynamic stress off the fault incurs an inelastic response and energy loss, which contributes to the fracture energy, limiting the rupture and slip velocity. Using an explicit finite element method, we model three-dimensional dynamic ruptures on a vertical strike-slip fault in a homogeneous half-space. The material is subjected to...
Fault zone structure from topography: signatures of en echelon fault slip at Mustang Ridge on the San Andreas Fault, Monterey County, California
Stephen B. DeLong, George E. Hilley, Michael J. Rymer, Carol Prentice
2010, Tectonics (29)
We used high-resolution topography to quantify the spatial distribution of scarps, linear valleys, topographic sinks, and oversteepened stream channels formed along an extensional step over on the San Andreas Fault (SAF) at Mustang Ridge, California. This location provides detail of both creeping fault landform development and complex fault zone kinematics....
Genetic diversity of lake whitefish in lakes Michigan and Huron: sampling, standardization, and research priorities
Wendylee Stott, Justin A. VanDeHey, Brian L. Sloss
2010, Journal of Great Lakes Research (36) 59-65
We combined data from two laboratories to increase the spatial extent of a genetic data set for lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis from lakes Huron and Michigan and saw that genetic diversity was greatest between lakes, but that there was also structuring within lakes. Low diversity among stocks may be a...
Genetic structure and diversity among brook trout from Isle Royale, Lake Nipigon, and three Minnesota tributaries of Lake Superior
Wendylee Stott, Henry R. Quinlan, Owen T. Gorman, Tim L. King
2010, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (30) 400-411
Brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis from Isle Royale, Michigan, three Minnesota tributaries of Lake Superior, and Lake Nipigon in Ontario were analyzed for genetic variation at 12 microsatellite DNA loci. Analysis of molecular variance, genetic distance measures, and cluster analysis were used to examine the diversity, gene flow, and relatedness among...
Infrasonic harmonic tremor and degassing bursts from Halema'uma'u Crater, Kilauea Volcano, Hawaii
David Fee, Milton Garces, Matt Patrick, Bernard Chouet, Phil Dawson, Donald A. Swanson
2010, Journal of Geophysical Research (115)
The formation, evolution, collapse, and subsequent resurrection of a vent within Halema'uma'u Crater, Kilauea Volcano, produced energetic and varied degassing signals recorded by a nearby infrasound array between 2008 and early 2009. After 25 years of quiescence, a vent-clearing explosive burst on 19 March 2008 produced a clear, complex acoustic...
Interdisciplinary studies of eruption at Chaitén volcano, Chile
John S. Pallister, Jon J. Major, Thomas C. Pierson, Richard P. Holitt, Jacob B. Lowenstern, John C. Eichelberger, Lara Luis, Hugo Moreno, Jorge Muñoz, Jonathan M. Castro, Andrés Iroumé, Andrea Andreoli, Julia Jones, Fred Swanson, Charlie Crisafulli
2010, Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union (91) 381
High-silica rhyolite magma fuels Earth's largest and most explosive eruptions. Recurrence intervals for such highly explosive eruptions are in the 100- to 100,000-year time range, and there have been few direct observations of such eruptions and their immediate impacts. Consequently, there was keen interest within the volcanology community when the...
Lake trout population dynamics in the Northern Refuge of Lake Michigan: Implications for future rehabilitation
Charles P. Madenjiana, Timothy J. Desorcie
2010, North American Journal of Fisheries Management (30) 629-641
The Northern Refuge was established in 1985 as part of the lake trout Salvelinus namaycush rehabilitation effort for Lake Michigan. To evaluate progress toward lake trout rehabilitation in the Northern Refuge, we conducted annual (1991–2008) gill-net surveys in the fall to assess the adult population and beam trawl surveys in...
