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...
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....
Guidelines and recommended terms for expression of stable-isotope-ratio and gas-ratio measurement results
Tyler B. Coplen
2011, Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry (25) 2538-2560
To minimize confusion in the expression of measurement results of stable isotope and gas-ratio measurements, recommendations based on publications of the Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) are presented. Whenever feasible, entries are consistent with the Système International d'Unités,...
Exploration review
D.R. Wilburn, R.L. Vasil, A. Nolting
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 58-75
This summary of international mineral exploration activities for the year 2010 draws upon available information from industry sources, published literature and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) specialists. The summary provides data on exploration budgets by region and mineral commodity, identifies significant mineral discoveries and areas of mineral exploration, discusses government programs...
Don't forget about the Christchurch earthquake: Lessons learned from this disaster
Michael W. Hamburger, Walter D. Mooney
2011, Earth Magazine (56) 24-26
In the aftermath of the devastating magnitude-9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tohoku region of Japan on March 11, attention quickly turned away from a much smaller, but also highly destructive earthquake that struck the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, just a few weeks earlier, on Feb. 22. Both...
Contexts for change in alpine tundra
George P. Malanson, Jonathan P. Rose, P. Jason Schroeder, Daniel B. Fagre
2011, Physical Geography (32) 97-113
Because alpine tundra is responding to climate change, a need exists to understand the meaning of observed changes. To provide context for such interpretation, the relevance of niche and neutral theories of biogeography and the continuum and classification approaches to biogeographic description are assessed. Two extensive studies of alpine tundra,...
Gopherus agassizii (desert tortoise). Burrow collapse
Caleb L. Loughran, Joshua Ennen, Jeffrey E. Lovich
2011, Herpetological Review (42) 593-593
In the deserts of the southwestern U.S., burrows are utilized by the Desert Tortoise to escape environmental extremes (reviewed by Ernst and Lovich 2009. Turtles of the United States and Canada. 2nd ed. Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, Baltimore, Maryland. 827 pp.). However, the potential for mortality through burrow collapse and...
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...
Fire and brimstone continues to shape Yellowstone Lake: connecting geology and past climates with today's biodiversity
Susan Kelly, Lisa Morgan, Stephanie McGinnis
2011, The Earth Scientist (27) 23-28
Potash
S.M. Jasinski
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 91-92
In 2010, the world potash market recovered from the record downturn in 2009. All major markets showed significant increases in production and consumption....
Physical and biological factors influencing environmental sources of fecal indicator bacteria in surface water
Richard L. Whitman, Meredith B. Nevers, Katarzyna Przybyla-Kelly, Muruleedhara N. Byappanahalli
Michael J. Sadowsky, Richard L. Whitman, editor(s)
2011, Book chapter, The fecal bacteria
This paper describes the environmental populations of faecal indicator bacteria, and the processes by which these populations become nonpoint sources and influence nearshore water quality. The different possible sources of these indicator bacteria are presented. These include groundwater, springs and seeps, aquatic sediments, beach sand, birds, Cladophora and plant wrack....
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....
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...
Infectious diseases in Yellowstone’s canid community
Emily S. Almberg, Paul C. Cross, L. David Mech, Doug W. Smith, Jennifer W. Sheldon, Robert L. Crabtree
2011, Yellowstone Science (19) 16-24
Each summer Yellowstone Wolf Project staff visit den sites to monitor the success of wolf reproduction and pup rearing behavior. For the purposes of wolf monitoring, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is divided into two study areas, the northern range and the interior, each distinguished by their ecological and physiographical differences....
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...
Geographical and geological data from caves and mines infected with white-nose syndrome (WNS) before September 2009 in the eastern United States
Christopher S. Swezey, Christopher P. Garrity
2011, Journal of Cave and Karst Studies (73) 125-157
Since 2006, a white fungus named Geomyces destructans has been observed on the muzzles, noses, ears, and (or) wings of bats in the eastern United States, and bat colonies that are infected with this fungus have experienced dramatic incidences of mortality. Although it is not exactly certain how and why...
Perlite
W.P. Bolen
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 87-88
Domestic production, consumption, exports and imports of perlite in the United States were estimated to have increased in 2010, compared with 2009. Even so, they were still considerably below the running five-year averages....
Alfred P. Dachnowski and the scientific study of peats
E. R. Landa, K.M. Cohen
2011, Soil Survey Horizons (52) 111-117
Botanist Alfred Paul Dachnowski (1875–1949) was a major contributor to efforts at mapping organic soils in the United States during the early 20th century. He began his career at The Ohio State University, and spent most of his professional life at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC. His...
White-nose syndrome: comment
C. Swezey
2011, NSS News (69) 20-20
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...
Geologic map of the Gass Peak SW quadrangle, Clark County, Nevada
Alan R. Ramelli, William R. Page, Craig R. Manker, Kathleen B. Springer
2011, Map 175
No abstract available....
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...
Behavior and movement of formerly landlocked juvenile coho salmon after release into the free-flowing Cowlitz River, Washington
Tobias J. Kock, Julie A. Henning, Theresa L. Liedtke, Ida M. Royer, Brian K. Ekstrom, Dennis W. Rondorf
2011, Northwestern Naturalist (92) 167-174
Formerly landlocked Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) juveniles (age 2) were monitored following release into the free-flowing Cowlitz River to determine if they remained in the river or resumed seaward migration. Juvenile Coho Salmon were tagged with a radio transmitter (30 fish) or Floy tag (1050 fish) and their behavior was...
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...
Bromine
Joyce A. Ober
2011, Mining Engineering (63) 49-50
All U.S. production of bromine in 2010 came from underground brines in Arkansas. It was the leading mineral commodity produced in the state in terms of value. Albemarle Corp. and Chemtura Corp. recovered bromine....
