Environmental drivers of Greater Sage-grouse population trends over 25 years in Idaho, USA
Robert S. Arkle, David S. Pilliod, Michelle I. Jeffries, Justin L. Welty, Ann Moser, Ethan A. Ellsworth, Donald J. Major
2025, Ecosphere (16)
Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations have been in decline for decades across much of the US Intermountain West. However, findings from 25 years of lek counts in Idaho indicate that some populations are stable or even increasing. After accounting for potential biases in past lek count data, we sought to explain...
Fingerprinting magmatic REE deposit sources with zircon petrochronology
Ian William Hillenbrand, Erin Kay Benson, Kathryn E. Watts, Jay M. Thompson
2025, Conference Paper
Carbonatites and associated alkaline silicate rocks are of considerable economic interest due to their enrichments in rare earth elements. The petrogenesis and source(s) of these complexes, however, are poorly understood. Models propose either mantle plume-derived carbon-rich melts or a mantle source enriched by subduction-related metasomatism. We use zircon trace elements...
Paleoproterozoic vein graphite mineralization caused by decarbonation in the Ruby Range, Montana, USA
George N.D. Case, Jay M. Thompson, Sean P. Regan
2025, Conference Paper
Hydrothermal graphite veins are a possible source for modern battery materials and require better understanding of their carbon source(s) and absolute timing to develop mapable criteria for exploration models. We present new observations of graphite vein and alteration paragenesis and U-Pb LA-ICP-MS titanite age data from the Ruby prospect, Montana,...
Assessing United States gallium and germanium resources in basin-hosted deposits – The good and bad
Garth E. Graham, Erik Roger Tharalson
2025, Conference Paper
Basin-hosted Zn-Pb deposits, including MVT and clastic-dominated (CD or “Sedex”) Zn-Pb deposits are major sources of Zn and Pb, as well as other critical elements. We examined available whole rock and sphalerite chemistry data to understand the apparent variation of Ga and Ge among major current and historical districts of...
40Ar/39Ar geochronology supporting mineral resources research at USGS Denver
Leah E. Morgan, Cameron Mark Mercer
2025, Conference Paper
The 40Ar/39Ar geochronology method is used to date potassium-bearing rocks and minerals, based on the decay of 40K to 40Ar, which provides important temporal constraints for geological events. The USGS Denver Argon Geochronology Laboratory dates samples from a variety of projects, mainly in the USGS Mineral Resource Program and the...
Seamless Geologic Map Database for the Intermountain West, United States: A foundational dataset for mineral systems analysis
Amy K. Gilmer, Kenzie J. Turner, Jeremiah B. Workman, Ren A. Thompson, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Chester A. Ruleman
2025, Conference Paper
The Intermountain West has a complex geologic history, resulting in the formation of a diverse array of mineral deposits. Effective mineral exploration requires understanding the spatial and temporal relationships among geologic processes and events, a key focus of the mineral systems approach to exploration. This paper presents the Intermountain West...
Water temperature regimes and thermal drivers in semi-natural and flow-regulated rivers of the northern Great Plains
Patrick Braaten, T. David Ritter, Tyler M. Haddix, David B. Fuller, John R. Hunziker, John G. Hargrave
2025, River Research and Applications (41) 2073-2091
Rivers of the northern Great Plains have lacked long-term, continuous water temperature assessments, and there is limited information on thermal regimes of these systems and factors driving water temperature. We collected and assembled 2001–2022 water temperature data from 18 sites on four reaches of three rivers that differ in anthropogenic...
Hyperspectral imaging of river bathymetry using an ensemble of regression trees
Carl J. Legleiter, Paul J. Kinzel, Brandon Overstreet, Lee R. Harrison
2025, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (50)
Remote sensing has emerged as an effective tool for characterizing river systems, and machine learning (ML) techniques could make this approach even more powerful. To explore this possibility, we developed an ML-based workflow for hyperspectral imaging of river bathymetry using an ensemble of regression trees (HIRBERT). This approach involves using...
A soil velocity model for improved ground motion simulations in the U. S. Pacific Northwest
Alex R. Grant, Erin A. Wirth, Ian P. Stone
2025, Seismica (4)
Near-surface seismic velocity structure may significantly impact the intensity, duration, and frequency content of ground shaking during an earthquake. In this study, we compile 649 shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles throughout the U.S. Pacific Northwest and southern British Columbia (PNW) and use these measured profiles to develop a representative soil...
Decision support tools for brown pelican management in the northern Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico)
James P. Cronin, Blair E. Tirpak, Leah L. Dale, Virginia L. Robenski, John M. Tirpak, Barry C. Wilson, William G. Vermillion, Donald R. Schoolmaster Jr.
2025, Journal of Wildlife Management (89)
Management plans with clear priorities can help to achieve brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis conservation objectives in the northern Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico). Efforts to establish clear priorities can be hindered by information gaps, especially those related to the uncertainty associated with changing conditions that influence brown pelican populations. We addressed...
Alteration mapping in granitic gneiss using handheld geophysical and geochemical instruments: Implications for iron oxide-apatite and rare earth elements exploration
Kaitlyn A. Suarez, Michael L. Williams, Gregory J. Walsh, Daniel E. Harlov, Michael J. Jercinovic, Daniel J. Tjapkes, Ian William Hillenbrand
2025, Ore and Energy Resource Geology (19)
The Adirondack Mountains of New York, U.S.A. contain iron oxide-apatite (IOA) mineral deposits with variable concentrations of rare earth elements (REE). The IOA mineral deposits are typically hosted in the Lyon Mountain Granite Gneiss and are spatially correlated with extensive Na metasomatism (albitization) of the surrounding country rocks,...
Toward a new framework to evaluate process-based model configurations and quantify data worth prior to calibration
Mark Shannon Pleasants, Michael N. Fienen, Hedeff I. Essaid, Joel D. Blomquist, Jing Yang, Ming Ye
2025, Water Resources Research (61)
Model criticism, discrimination, and selection methods often rely on calibrated model outputs. Because calibration can be computationally expensive, model criticism can first be undertaken by assessing model outputs obtained from limited prior parameter ensembles. However, such prior-based methods are often heuristic and do not formalize the notion of balancing model...
Summary of selenium in the lower Gunnison River Basin, Colorado—Information and data gaps
Rachel G. Gidley, Kenneth J. Leib, Cory A. Williams
2025, Circular 1559
The Cretaceous Mancos Shale is a geologic source of selenium in the lower Gunnison River Basin. Natural weathering processes and human activity mobilize selenium from the Mancos Shale and derived materials, and surface water, groundwater, and sediment all affect the transport of selenium from source areas to receiving streams and...
Enhancing mineral systems exploration through geochronology, thermochronology, and isotope analysis: USGS Geochron and USGS Isotope databases
Kelly David Thomson, Ian William Hillenbrand, Amy K. Gilmer, Leah E. Morgan, Zachary T. Engle, Anna T. Miller
2025, Conference Paper
A mineral systems approach to mineral exploration provides a comprehensive framework for understanding ore deposit formation by examining the geodynamic, magmatic, hydrothermal, and sedimentary processes responsible for mineralization, alteration, and remobilization of economic mineral deposits. Temporal and thermal constraints on ore genesis are crucial for refining mineral system models and...
Quantitative mineral resource assessment of lithium pegmatite deposits in the Appalachian Orogen, USA
Niki E. Wintzer, Joshua Mark Rosera, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma, Dalton M. McCaffrey, Kelsey Elizabeth Crocker, Joshua Aaron Coyan, Graham W. Lederer
2025, Conference Paper
Lithium is classified as a U.S. critical mineral commodity, and its demand is projected to drastically increase through 2040, driven by electric vehicle production and energy storage applications (IEA 2021).Most global lithium production is not in the United States increasing vulnerability to a supply disruption. The U.S. Geological Survey is...
Comparing magmatism and hydrothermal alteration using magnetic modelling and stable isotopes at the Clementine porphyry copper prospect, Montana, USA
Benjamin Patrick Magnin, Julia A. McIntosh, George H. Brimhall
2025, Conference Paper, Proceedings of the 18th Biennial SGA Meeting
Recent mapping of the underexplored Clementine prospect in southwestern Montana has revealed evidence of hydrothermal alteration and mineralized breccia vein gossan interpreted to represent the upper expression of a Cretaceous, sediment-hosted copper porphyry system. The prospect is at the nexus of several Cretaceous granites, including the pre-mineralization Butte Granite and...
Mine waste as a potential source of critical minerals and other commodities: Examples from the Four Corners states, USA
Jeffrey L. Mauk, Sean Patrick Gaynor, Nick Karl, Andrew Francis Smith
2025, Conference Paper
The growing demand for critical minerals and other mineral resources has raised concerns about possible supplies of these essential commodities. Mine waste is a potential source of these essential commodities. We compiled a geospatial database of publicly available data of the largest non-fuel mine waste features (>200,000 m2 in areal...
Airborne radiometric data map alteration of porphyry copper systems in the Elkhorn district, MT
Eric D. Anderson, Kaleb Scarberry, Kyle Eastman, Jonathan Andrew Funk, Benjamin Patrick Magnin, Joseph Clevenger, John Dilles, Jarred L. Zimmerman, Snir Attia, Michael Cosca
2025, Conference Paper
The Elkhorn district in southwestern Montana is known for past production of high-grade base and precious metals from skarn and carbonate replacement deposits. The district also hosts a porphyry Cu-Mo deposit. A radiometric survey flown over the district and surrounds provides maps of surficial concentrations of potassium, thorium, and uranium....
Tracing fluid evolution during batholith and deposit formation: In-situ and bulk rock Mo isotopes from the Questa porphyry Mo deposit, New Mexico, USA
Sean Patrick Gaynor, Nicolas D. Greber, Qasid Ahmad, Pia Künzi, Ingo Horn, Stefan Weyer
2025, Conference Paper
The Oligocene Questa porphyry Mo deposit, located in New Mexico, USA, is a well-characterized system that formed over 400 kyr, punctuating the 8 Myr formation of the Questa-Latir batholith. Detailed sampling of the intrusions and minerals associated with magmatichydrothermal mineralization, as well as bookending barren intrusions, allows for examination of...
Did they feel it? Legacy maroseismic data illuminates an engimatic 20th century earthquake
Susan E. Hough, Lori Dengler, Robert McPherson, Lijam Hagos, Margaret Hellweg
2025, Earth and Space Science (12)
The challenges and the importance of preserving legacy instrumental records of earthquakes are now well-recognized (e.g., Richards & Hellweg, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1785/0220200053). Seismologists may not be aware of parallel challenges and opportunities with legacy macroseismic data for earthquakes in the United States. For much of the 20th century, macroseismic...
A comparison of deep-sea coral and sponge species distribution models and the impact of ocean currents in the Southern California Bight
Nissa Kreidler, Andre Buchheister, David D. Huff, Jerome Fiechter, Mary Yoklavich, Mark J. Henderson
2025, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography (224)
Deep-sea corals and sponges (DSCS) are signature taxa of deep-water habitats, but ecological mechanisms that drive their geographic distributions can be difficult to uncover due to the challenges of surveying deep-water ecosystems and limited oceanographic data. A comparison of species distribution models was made for three DSCS...
Sounds of Atlantic sturgeon spawning: First description and opportunities for riverine endangered species conservation with passive acoustic monitoring
Rebecca Cohen, Patrick J. Baker, Christopher Bowser, Matthew W. Breece, Alexander Flecker, Dewayne Fox, James Henne, Amanda Higgs, Maija Niemistö, Richard Pendleton, Suresh A Sethi, Shannon L. White, Aaron Rice
2025, Endangered Species Research (58)
Effective recovery plans for endangered species rely on insights into species’ ecology to identify risks and develop population recovery strategies. Data gaps pose challenges for many species of conservation concern, particularly those with cryptic behaviors or that occupy difficult-to-access habitats. Sounds produced by these species offer an effective means of...
Distribution, abundance, and habitat characteristics of Coastal Cactus Wrens (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in San Diego County, California—2024 data summary
Suellen Lynn, Barbara E. Kus
2025, Data Report 1216
Executive SummaryWe surveyed for coastal Cactus Wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) in 507 established plots in San Diego County in 2024, encompassing four genetic clusters (Otay, Lake Jennings, Sweetwater/Encanto, and San Pasqual). Of the 507 plots, 376 have been surveyed every year starting in 2020. Two surveys were completed at each plot...
Understanding market sensitivity: Estimation of supply and demand elasticities for non-fuel minerals
Ensieh Shojaeddini, Elisa Alonso, Nedal T. Nassar, David Pineault, Sydney M. Allen, Jamie L. Brainard, Dalton M. McCaffrey, Timothy M. O'Brien, Abraham J. Padilla, John W. Ryter
2025, Mineral Economics (38) 985-996
In today’s rapidly changing economic landscape, understanding market responsiveness to price changes and the factors influencing commodity prices has become increasingly relevant. Price elasticities serve as indicators of how variations in market conditions affect supply and demand, providing insights into the sensitivity of commodity markets to price fluctuations. This paper...
Predicting aquatic habitat connectivity across watershed boundaries: Implications for interbasin spread of nonindigenous aquatic species.
Peter J. Pfaff, Alison A. Coulter, Benjamin J. Schall, Tanner Davis, Steven R. Chipps, David P. Coulter
2025, Frontiers in Environmental Science (113)
Understanding habitat connectivity is critical for managing nonindigenous aquatic species (NAS) spread. Dams and watershed boundaries can be impassable to NAS during typical conditions but may become temporarily passable during flooding. The goal of our project was to develop an approach for identifying locations of aquatic connectivity...
