Germanium and indium
W.C. Pat Shanks III, Bryn E. Kimball, Amy C. Tolcin, David E. Guberman
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-I
Germanium and indium are two important elements used in electronics devices, flat-panel display screens, light-emitting diodes, night vision devices, optical fiber, optical lens systems, and solar power arrays. Germanium and indium are treated together in this chapter because they have similar technological uses and because both are recovered as byproducts,...
Critical mineral resources of the United States—Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802
SummaryMineral commodities are vital for economic growth, improving the quality of life, providing for national defense, and the overall functioning of modern society. Minerals are being used in larger quantities than ever before and in an increasingly diverse range of applications. With the increasing demand for a considerably more diverse...
Antimony
Robert R. Seal II, Klaus J. Schulz, John H. DeYoung, Jr., David M. Sutphin, Lawrence J. Drew, James F. Carlin Jr., Byron R. Berger
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-C
Antimony is an important mineral commodity used widely in modern industrialized societies. The element imparts strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance to alloys that are used in many areas of industry, including in lead-acid storage batteries. Antimony’s leading use is as a fire retardant in safety equipment and in household goods,...
Critical mineral resources of the United States—An introduction
Klaus J. Schulz, John H. DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal II, Dwight Bradley
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-A
Many changes have taken place in the mineral resource sector since the publication by the U.S. Geological Survey of Professional Paper 820, “United States Mineral Resources,” which is a review of the long-term United States resource position for 65 mineral commodities or commodity groups. For example, since 1973, the United...
Graphite
Gilpin R. Robinson Jr., Jane M. Hammarstrom, Donald W. Olson
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-J
Graphite is a form of pure carbon that normally occurs as black crystal flakes and masses. It has important properties, such as chemical inertness, thermal stability, high electrical conductivity, and lubricity (slipperiness) that make it suitable for many industrial applications, including electronics, lubricants, metallurgy, and steelmaking. For some of these...
Niobium and tantalum
Klaus J. Schulz, Nadine M. Piatak, John F. Papp
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-M
Niobium and tantalum are transition metals that are almost always found together in nature because they have very similar physical and chemical properties. Their properties of hardness, conductivity, and resistance to corrosion largely determine their primary uses today. The leading use of niobium (about 75 percent) is in the production...
Selenium
Lisa L. Stillings
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-Q
Selenium (Se) was discovered in 1817 in pyrite from copper mines in Sweden. It is a trace element in Earth’s crust, with an abundance of three to seven orders of magnitude less than the major rock-forming elements. Commercial use of selenium began in the United States in 1910, when it...
Environmental considerations related to mining of nonfuel minerals
Robert R. Seal II, Nadine M. Piatak, Bryn E. Kimball, Jane M. Hammarstrom
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-B
Throughout most of human history, environmental stewardship during mining has not been a priority partly because of the lack of applicable laws and regulations and partly because of ignorance about the effects that mining can have on the environment. In the United States, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,...
Manganese
William F. Cannon, Bryn E. Kimball, Lisa A. Corathers
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-L
Manganese is an essential element for modern industrial societies. Its principal use is in steelmaking, where it serves as a purifying agent in iron-ore refining and as an alloy that converts iron into steel. Although the amount of manganese consumed to make a ton of steel is small, ranging from...
Barite (Barium)
Craig A. Johnson, Nadine M. Piatak, M. Michael Miller
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-D
Barite (barium sulfate, BaSO4) is vital to the oil and gas industry because it is a key constituent of the mud used to drill oil and gas wells. Elemental barium is an additive in optical glass, ceramic glazes, and other products. Within the United States, barite is produced mainly from...
Titanium
Laurel G. Woodruff, George M. Bedinger, Nadine M. Piatak
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-T
Titanium is a mineral commodity that is essential to the smooth functioning of modern industrial economies. Most of the titanium produced is refined into titanium dioxide, which has a high refractive index and is thus able to impart a durable white color to paint, paper, plastic, rubber, and wallboard. Because...
Beryllium
Nora K. Foley, Brian W. Jaskula, Nadine M. Piatak, Ruth F. Schulte
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-E
Beryllium is a mineral commodity that is used in a variety of industries to make products that are essential for the smooth functioning of a modern society. Two minerals, bertrandite (which is supplied domestically) and beryl (which is currently supplied solely by imports), are necessary to ensure a stable supply...
Gallium
Nora K. Foley, Brian W. Jaskula, Bryn E. Kimball, Ruth F. Schulte
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-H
Gallium is a soft, silvery metallic element with an atomic number of 31 and the chemical symbol Ga. Gallium is used in a wide variety of products that have microelectronic components containing either gallium arsenide (GaAs) or gallium nitride (GaN). GaAs is able to change electricity directly into laser light...
Cobalt
John F. Slack, Bryn E. Kimball, Kim B. Shedd
Klaus J. Schulz, DeYoung Jr., Robert R. Seal, II, Dwight Bradley, editor(s)
2017, Professional Paper 1802-F
Cobalt is a silvery gray metal that has diverse uses based on certain key properties, including ferromagnetism, hardness and wear-resistance when alloyed with other metals, low thermal and electrical conductivity, high melting point, multiple valences, and production of intense blue colors when combined with silica. Cobalt is used mostly in...
A field trip guide to the petrology of Quaternary volcanism on the Yellowstone Plateau
Jorge A. Vazquez, Mark E. Stelten, Ilya N. Bindeman, Kari Cooper
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5022-Q
The Yellowstone Plateau is one of the largest manifestations of silicic volcanism on Earth, and marks the youngest focus of magmatism associated with the Yellowstone Hot Spot. The earliest products of Yellowstone Hot Spot volcanism are from ~17 million years ago, but may be as old as ~32 Ma, and...
Groundwater levels, geochemistry, and water budget of the Tsala Apopka Lake system, west-central Florida, 2004–12
W. Scott McBride, Patricia A. Metz, Patrick J. Ryan, Mark Fulkerson, Harry C. Downing
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5132
Tsala Apopka Lake is a complex system of lakes and wetlands, with intervening uplands, located in Citrus County in west-central Florida. It is located within the 2,100 square mile watershed of the Withlacoochee River, which drains north and northwest towards the Gulf of Mexico. The lake system is managed by...
Microsatellite marker development from next-generation sequencing in the New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) and cross-amplification in the eastern cottontail (S. floridanus)
Tim L. King, Michael S. Eackles, Aaron W. Aunins, Thomas J. McGreevy, Thomas P. Husband, Anthony Tur, Adrienne I. Kovach
2017, BMC Research Notes
ObjectiveThe New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is a species of high conservation priority in the Northeastern United States, and was a candidate for federal listing under the Endangered Species Act until a recent decision determined that conservation actions were sufficient to preclude listing. The aim of this...
Generalized hydrogeologic framework and groundwater budget for a groundwater availability study for the glacial aquifer system of the United States
Howard W. Reeves, Randall E. Bayless, Robert W. Dudley, Daniel T. Feinstein, Michael N. Fienen, Christopher J. Hoard, Glenn A. Hodgkins, Sharon L. Qi, Jason L. Roth, Jared J. Trost
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5015
The glacial aquifer system groundwater availability study seeks to quantify (1) the status of groundwater resources in the glacial aquifer system, (2) how these resources have changed over time, and (3) likely system response to future changes in anthropogenic and environmental conditions. The glacial aquifer system extends from Maine to...
Vegetation response of a dry shrubland community to feral goat management on the island of Moloka‘i, Hawai‘i
James D. Jacobi, Jonathan D. Stock
2017, Scientific Investigations Report 2017-5136
The Hawaiian Islands are well known for their unique ecosystem assemblages that have a high proportion of endemic flora and fauna. However, since human colonization of this archipelago—starting with the arrival of Polynesian sailors approximately 1,200 years ago, and particularly following western contact in 1778—thousands of non-native species have been...
Surficial geologic map of Berrien County, Michigan, and the adjacent offshore area of Lake Michigan
Byron D. Stone, Kevin A. Kincare, Dennis W. O’Leary, Wayne L. Newell, Emily M. Taylor, Van S. Williams, Scott C. Lundstrom, Jared E. Abraham, Michael H. Powers
2017, Scientific Investigations Map 3383
The surficial geologic map of Berrien County, southwestern Michigan (sheet 1), shows the distribution of glacial and postglacial deposits at the land surface and in the adjacent offshore area of Lake Michigan. The geologic map differentiates surficial materials of Quaternary age on the basis of their lithologic characteristics, stratigraphic relationships,...
Groundwater quality in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers, eastern United States
Bruce D. Lindsey
2017, Fact Sheet 2017-3040
Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers constitute...
New method to integrate remotely sensed hydrothermal alteration mapping into quantitative mineral resource assessments
John C. Mars, Jane M. Hammarstrom, Gilpin R. Robinson Jr., Stephen Ludington, Lukas Zurcher, Helen W. Folger, Mark E. Gettings, Federico Solano, Thomas Kress
2017, Conference Paper
Hydrothermal alteration data mapped using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) were compiled into hydrothermal alteration polygons for use in an assessment of porphyry copper mineral resource potential in the southwestern United States. Hydrothermal alteration polygons along with geochemistry, gravity and magnetic, lithologic,...
3D Pressure‐limited approach to model and estimate CO2 injection and storage capacity: saline Mount Simon Formation
Hossein Jahediesfanjani, Peter D. Warwick, Steven T. Anderson
2017, Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology (7) 1080-1096
To estimate the carbon dioxide (CO2) injection and storage capacity of saline formations, we used Tough2‐ECO2N simulation software to develop a pressure‐limited (dynamic) simulation approach based on applying three‐dimensional (3D) numerical simulation only on the effective injection area (Aeff) surrounding each injection well. A statistical analysis was performed to account...
Single-beam bathymetry data collected in 2015 from Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi
Nancy T. DeWitt, Chelsea A. Stalk, Christopher G. Smith, Stanley D. Locker, Jake J. Fredericks, Terrence A. McCloskey, Cathryn J. Wheaton
2017, Data Series 1070
As part of the Sea-level and Storm Impacts on Estuarine Environments and Shorelines (SSIEES) project, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center conducted a single-beam bathymetry survey within the estuarine, open-bay, and tidal creek environments of Grand Bay, Alabama-Mississippi, from May to June...
Geophysical characterization of seismic station sites in the United States – The importance of a flexible, multi-method approach
Antony Martin, Alan Yong, William J. Stephenson, J. Boatwright, John Diehl
2017, Conference Paper
Noninvasive geophysical site characterization methods were used in two recent projects to obtain shear-wave velocity (VS) profiles to a minimum depth of 30 m and the time-averaged VS of the upper 30 meters (VS30) at seismic station sites. These projects include the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funded...
