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At least 703 records · Page 39Linked to original sources
USGS2004

Petrography and character of the bedrock surface beneath western Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cores collected during recent drilling in western Cape Cod, Massachusetts provide insight into the topography and petrology of the underlying bedrock. 62 drill sites spread over a ???140 km2 study area produced cores of granitoids (31), orthogneisses (20), basalts/diabases (4), amphibolites (3), felsic mylonites (2), and dolomitic rock (2). Granitoid cores range in composition from granite to tonalite to quartz diorite, but are dominated by single-mica granites. Alteration is common in nearly all cores examined in this study, and is evidenced by the secondary growth of chlorite and epidote. The granitoids resemble rocks of the Dedham and Fall River terranes (Wones and Goldsmith 1991). Gneisses from the study area generally contain the mineral assemblage hornblende+plagioclase+quartz+biotite+epidote??chlorite?? sphene??K-feldspar??sericite+oxides. Based on mineral assemblages, we estimate peak metamorphic grade to be of lower amphibolite facies. X-ray powder diffraction of unmetamorphosed dolomitic cores shows presence of layered silicates (clays), plagioclase, and possible magnesite. Contours of the bedrock surface show locally irregular topography suggesting erosion by glacial scour. The distribution of lithologies suggests a possible continuation of the New Bedford gneissic terrane that outcrops 25 km to the west. Dolomitic rocks may represent a lithified fault gouge material at the eastern edge of the gneissic zone. Basalts/diabases are interpreted to be post-metamorphic dikes of Late Paleozoic age, or possibly associated with Mesozoic rifting.

Massachussets↗
USGS2006

Deep Europe today: Geophysical synthesis of the upper mantle structure and lithospheric processes over 3.5 Ga

We present a summary of geophysical models of the subcrustal lithosphere of Europe. This includes the results from seismic (reflection and refraction profiles, P- and S-wave tomography, mantle anisotropy), gravity, thermal, electromagnetic, elastic and petrological studies of the lithospheric mantle. We discuss major tectonic processes as reflected in the lithospheric structure of Europe, from Precambrian terrane accretion and subduction to Phanerozoic rifting, volcanism, subduction and continent-continent collision. The differences in the lithospheric structure of Precambrian and Phanerozoic Europe, as illustrated by a comparative analysis of different geophysical data, are shown to have both a compositional and a thermal origin. We propose an integrated model of physical properties of the European subcrustal lithosphere, with emphasis on the depth intervals around 150 and 250 km. At these depths, seismic velocity models, constrained by body-and surface-wave continent-scale tomography, are compared with mantle temperatures and mantle gravity anomalies. This comparison provides a framework for discussion of the physical or chemical origin of the major lithospheric anomalies and their relation to large-scale tectonic processes, which have formed the present lithosphere of Europe. ?? The Geological Society of London 2006.

Geological Society Memoir↗
USGS2006

Research on genesis of pyrite near the Permian-Triassic boundary in meishan, Zhejiang, China

The content and crystal forms of pyrite and sulfur isotope composition of pyrite sulfur as well as its vertical distribution near the Permian-Triassic (P/T) boundary in the Meishan section, Changxing county, Zhejiang province, China were studied using geological, petrological, mineralogical and geochemical methods (techniques). The result showed that the genesis of abundant pyrites in bed 24e2 at the uppermost part of the Changxing Formation in the Meishan section may be related to volcanic activity. In bed 24e2 of the Meishan section, pyrite has its highest content of 1.84% and the sulfur isotope composition has the highest ??34S value at + 2.2??? which is very similar to that of the average value of volcanic gas. There are some volcanic products such as ??-quartz, siliceous cylinders and siliceous spherules which coexisted with pyrites in beds 24e2 and 24f. It can be concluded that a large quantity of volcanic ash fell into the South China Sea and was incorporated into marine sediments during the formation of limestone at the uppermost part of the Changxing Formation. The volcanic eruption with massive amounts of H2S and S02 gas at the end of the Permian period resulted in the enrichment of H2S in the South China Sea areas. The reaction of H2S with reactive iron minerals formed the mass of abundant pyrites.

Journal of China University of Mining and Technolo↗
USGS2005

Paleokarst and reservoir porosity in the Ordovician Beekmantown Dolomite of the central Appalachian basin

A karst-unconformity play at the top of the Ordovician Beekmantown Dolomite is judged to have great petroleum potential in Ohio and adjacent states; wells have high ultimate reserves and large areas remain untested. To better understand the origin, development, and distribution of Beekmantown porosity, we conducted a petrologic-stratigraphic study of cores and thin sections from 15 oil and gas wells. The massive dolomite, characterized by a hypidiotopic-idiotopic texture, formed by the replacement of stacked peritidal carbonate cycles. Secondary porosity occurs at two scales: (1) mesoscopic - breccia porosity, solution-enlarged fractures, large vugs, and caverns, and (2) microscopic - intercrystalline, intracrystalline, molds, small vugs, and microfractures. Mesoscopic pores (providing the major storage capacity in this reservoir) were produced by intrastratal solution and collapse of carbonate layers, whereas microscopic pores (connecting the larger pores) generally formed by the leaching of individual carbonate grains and crystals. Most pore types developed during periods of subaerial exposure across the carbonate bank, tied to either the numerous, though brief falls of relative sea level during Beekmantown deposition or more importantly the prolonged Knox unconformity at the close of sedimentation. The distribution of reservoir-quality porosity is quite heterogeneous, being confined vertically to a zone immediately below the unconformity and best developed laterally beneath buried hills and noses of this erosion surface. The inferred, shallow flow of ground water in the Beekmantown karst, primarily below topographic highs and above a diagenetic base level close to the water table, led to this irregular distribution of porosity.

Carbonates and Evaporites↗
USGS2007

Iron Hill (Powderhorn) carbonatite complex, Gunnison County, CO - A potential source of several uncommon mineral resources

The Iron Hill (Powderhorn) carbonatite complex is a 31-kM2 (12-sq mile) alkalic intrusion located about 35 km (22 miles) south-southwest of Gunnison, CO. The intrusion has been well studied and described because of its classic petrology and architecture ofa carbonatite-alkalic complex. The complex is also noteworthy because it contains enrichments of titanium, rare earth elements, thorium, niobium (columbium), vanadium and deposits of vermiculite and nepheline syenite. In particular, the complex is thought to host the largest titanium and niobium resources in the United States, although neither has been developed. It may be economic to extract multiple resources from this complex with a well-coordinated mine and mill plan.

Mining Engineering↗
USGS2011

Mercury in coals and fly ashes from Republika and Bobov dol thermoelectric power plants

Feed coal and y ash samples were collected at Republika and Bobov Dol thermoelectric power plants (TPPs). The y ashes (FAs) were collected fromthree rows of the hot-side electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) array. Each sam- ple was wet-screened at 100, 200, 325 and 500 mesh. The coals and y ashes were characterized with regard to their petrological and chemical composition (including mercury content) and to their surface area properties. The calculated enrichment factor (EF) shows that the Hg concentrations in the bulk coal samples from Republika and Bobov Dol TPPs are 2.19 and 1.41, respectively. In some coal size fractions the EF can be up to 4 times higher than the Clarke value. The calculated EF for fly ashes shows that the Hg concentrations in the bulk samples studied are lower (between 0.03 and 0.32) than the Clarke value. The most enriched in Hg are the fly ashes from the 3rd ESP row of Republika TPP. The Hg distribution in bulk FAs taken from dierent rows of the electrostatic precipitators of both TPPs studied shows well established tendency of gradual increase in the Hg content from the 1st to the 2nd and 3rd ESP rows. The correlation between Hg content and surface area, mesopore and micropore volume of y ashes was also done in the present investigation.

Comptes Rendus de L'Academie Bulgare des Sciences↗
USGS2012

Preliminary evaluation of the shale gas prospectivity of the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation in the onshore Gulf Coast region, United States

Recent work by the U.S. Geological Survey indicated that the Lower Cretaceous Pearsall Formation contains an estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable unconventional gas resource of 8.8 trillion cubic ft in the Maverick Basin, South Texas. Cumulative gas production from horizontal wells in the core area of the emerging play has exceeded 5 billion cubic ft since 2008. However, very little information is available to characterize the Pearsall Formation as an unconventional gas resource beyond the Maverick Basin in the greater Gulf Coast region. Therefore, this reconnaissance study examines spatial distribution, thickness, organic richness and thermal maturity of the Pearsall Formation in the onshore U.S. Gulf states using wireline logs and drill cuttings sample analysis. Spontaneous potential and resistivity curves of approximately forty wireline logs from wells in five Gulf Coast states were correlated to ascertain the thickness of the Pearsall Formation and delineate its three members: Pine Island Shale, James Limestone or Cow Creek Limestone, and Bexar Shale, in ascending stratigraphic order. In Florida and Alabama the Pearsall Formation is up to about 300 ft thick; in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and East Texas, thickness is up to as much as 800 ft. Drill cuttings sampled from 11 wells at depths ranging from 4600 to 19,600 feet subsurface indicate increasingly oxygenated depositional environments (predominance of red shale) towards the eastern part of the basin. Cuttings vary widely in lithology but indicate interbedded clastics and limestones throughout the Pearsall Formation, consistent with previous regional studies. Organic petrographic and geochemical analyses of 17 cutting samples in the Pearsall Formation indicate a wide range in thermal maturity, from immature (0.43% Ro [vitrinite reflectance]) in paleo-high structural locations to the peak oil window (0.99% Ro) in the eastern portion of the Gulf Coast Basin. This is in contrast to dry gas thermal maturity throughout the Pearsall Formation in the South Texas Maverick Basin. Organic carbon content is low overall, even in immature samples, with a range of 0.17 to 1.08 wt.% by Leco in 22 Pearsall Formation samples. The pyrolysis output range was 0.23 to 2.33 mg hydrocarbon/g rock. The thermal maturity and Rock-Eval pyrolysis data and organic petrologic observations from this study will be used to better focus specific areas of investigation where the Pearsall Formation may be prospective as an unconventional hydrocarbon source and reservoir.

Alabama;Arkansas;Louisiana;Mississippi;Oklahoma;Te↗
USGS2012

Annual fluxes of sediment-associated trace/major elements, carbon, nutrients, and sulfur from US coastal rivers

About 260–270 Mt of suspended sediment are discharged annually from the conterminous USA; approximately 69% derives from Gulf rivers (n = 36), 24% from Pacific rivers (n = 42), and 7% from Atlantic rivers (n = 54). Elevated sediment-associated chemical concentrations relative to baseline levels occur in the reverse order of sediment discharges: Atlantic rivers (49%) > Pacific rivers (40%) > Gulf rivers (23%). Elevated trace element concentrations (e.g. Cu, Zn) tend to occur in association with present/former industrial areas and/or urban centres, particularly along the northeast Atlantic coast. Elevated nutrient concentrations occur along both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, but are dominated by rivers in the urban northeast and by southeastern and Gulf coast “blackwater” streams. Elevated Ca, Mg, K and Na levels appear to reflect local petrology whereas elevated Ti, S, Fe, and Al concentrations are ubiquitous, possibly because they have both natural and anthropogenic sources. Almost all the elevated sediment-associated chemical concentrations/fluxes are lower than worldwide averages.

United States coastal rivers↗
USGS1977

Platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks from the Gravina-Nutzotin belt, Alaska

The Gravina-Nutzotin belt of Middle (?) Jurassic to middle Cretaceous sedimentary and volcanic rocks in south and southeastern Alaska includes concentrically zoned ultramafic complexes known to contain platinum-group metals. Previous isotopic, petrologic, and geologic studies suggested a close relation in time and space between the volcanic rocks and the ultramafic complexes. Interpretation of 40 analyses for platinum, palladium, and rhodium in volcanic and plutonic rocks of the belt indicates a strong geochemical correlation between the two groups of rocks and is in support of their being cogenetic either from directly connected magma chambers and flows or indirectly by selective concentration processes from similar mantle material.

Alaska↗
USGS1990

Volcanology and mineral deposits

Traditionally, volcanologists have focused on forecasting, observing, and interpreting events, processes, and products of eruptions at active volcanoes. Such work involves drama, beauty, fascination scientific problems, and the socially important aim of reducing risks to life and property. In contrast, old volcanic regions, which host many of the world's major hydrothermal-vein, porphyry, and massive-sulfide ore deposits, have been studied mainly by economic geologists, regional stratigraphers, and structural geologists who have limited familiarity with the complexities of volcanic processes. Such "dead" volcanoes, ranging in age from a few million million years (tertiary) to a few billion years (Precambrian), are commonly incompletely and discontinuously preserved due to rapid erosion of originally high-standing volcanic edifices. They can be difficult to date reliably, especially in terms of the time scales of individual volcanic events, and are variably hydrothermally altered-impeding high-resolution petrologic and geochemical studies. Many volcanologists, geochemists, and geophysicists who work on active volcanoes accordingly have been reluctant to become involved in studies of such less tractable rocks.

Earthquakes & Volcanoes (USGS)↗
USGS2011

A review of lignite resources of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area, western Kentucky

This review of the lignite deposits of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area in western Kentucky (Figure 1) is an updated report on part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Coal Resource Assessment of the Gulf Coastal Plain Coal Province (see Ruppert et al., 2002; Hackley et al., 2006; Dennen, 2009; and other chapters of this publication). Lignite deposits of western Kentucky and Tennessee are an extension of the Gulf Coastal Plain Coal Province (Cushing et al., 1964), and currently are not economic to mine. These deposits have not been extensively investigated or developed as an energy resource. This review includes a description of the geology of the lignite-bearing units, a discussion of the available coal quality data, and information on organic petrology. Palynological data for lignite samples collected in Kentucky and Tennessee as part of this work are presented in Table 1. Lignite trace element data originally presented in Hackley et al. (2006) are not included in this report due to potential laboratory quality control issues during the time the samples were analyzed (U.S. Geological Survey Energy Resources Program, 2010).

Kentucky, Tennessee↗
USGS1899

Geology and mining industry of the Tintic district, Utah: Section in Nineteenth Annual Report of the United States Geological Survey to the Secretary of the Interior 1897 - 1898: Part III - Economic Geology

The field work upon which this report is based was begun in July, 1897, and continued without interruption until December of the same year. The area studied is approximately 15 miles square and contains 234 square miles. The topographic maps, which are two in number, were prepared under the direction of Mr. R. U. Goode, Mr. S. S. Gannett doing the triangulation and Messrs. Marshall and Griswold the topography in the fall of 1896 and summer of 1897. The mapping is done on two scales; the larger area, approximately 15 miles square, is mapped on a scale of 1: 62,500. This map is designed to form a part of the Geologic Atlas of the United States. The other map represents the portion of the larger area in which the majority of the mines are located. It is on a scale of 1: 9,600, and covers an area of 12 square miles. The work has been greatly facilitated through the assistance rendered by the mining men of the district, among whom special thanks are due to Messrs. G. H. Robinson, W. J. Craig, W. M. Nesbit, and C. H. Blanchard. The chemical work on the ores and country rocks from the district has been done in the laboratory of the Survey by Messrs. H. N. Stokes and George Steiger, and the determination of the fossils collected is to be credited to Mr. G. H. Girty, also of the Geological Survey. In the field work the authors have cooperated constantly on every phase of the varied problems. The same is true for the office work, except that the stratigraphic and economic problems have been the especial studies of Mr. Tower, while the petrologic and remaining problems have been the special studies of Mr. Smith. In pursuance of this system of work the introduction has been written conjointly, Chapter II of Part I and all of Part II have been written by Mr. Tower, and Chapters I and III to VII of Part I by Mr. Smith.

Utah↗
USGS1993

Northward displacements of forearc slivers in the Coast Ranges of California and Southwest Oregon during the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic

North American-Farallon-Kula plate motion data, combined with estimated strikeslip displacements obtained from the obliquity of convergence along active circumPacific subduction zones, can be used to estimate the amount of strike-slip displacement along the forearc region of western North America. This evidence suggests a minumum of 500 km and maximum of 1600 km displacement with respect to the Farallon plate, and a minumum of 1600 km and a maximum of 4900 km with respect to the Kula plate (or some equivalent) from Late Jurassic to middle Eocene (145 Ma to 43 Ma). These displacements are consistent with pre-middle Eocene displacements of paleoforearc strata (Franciscan Complex, Great Valley sequence and related units), inferred from pa 1eomagnetic, petrologic, stratigraphic, and conglomerate pebble data. Tentative restorations suggest that the Elk outlier and Snow Camp terrane of southwest Oregon have affinities with the southern Klamath Mountains of northern California; that the Gold Beach terrane of southwest Oregon has affinities with central or southern California; that the Healdsburg terrane of the San Francisco area has affinities with southern California; that other Franciscan rocks of the San Francisco area have affinities with central or southern California; and that the Nacimiento block has affinities with the Peninsular Ranges or Vizcaino area of Baja California. These tentative correlations suggest about 600-1000 km of right-lateral displacement between Early Cretaceous and middle Eocene time which can be entirely accommodated by Farallon plate motions and (or) represent minimal displacement with respect to Kula plate motions (or some equivalent).

Book chapter↗
USGS2006

Contrasting cratonal provenances for upper Cretaceous Valle Group quartzite clasts, Baja California

Late Cretaceous Valle Group forearcbasin deposits on the Vizcaino Peninsula of Baja California Sur are dominated by firstcycle arc-derived volcanic-plutonic detritus derived from the adjacent Peninsular Ranges batholith. Craton-derived quartzite clasts are a minor but ubiquitous component in Valle Group conglomerates. The source of these clasts has implications for tectonic reconstructions and sediment-dispersal paths along the paleo-North American margin. Three strongly contrasting types of quartzite are recognized based on petrology and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology. The first type is ultramature quartz arenite with well-rounded, highly spherical zircon grains. Detrital zircon ages from this type are nearly all >1.8 Ga with age distributions that closely match the distinctive Middle-Late Ordovician Peace River arch detrital signature of the Cordilleran margin. This type has been previously recognized from prebatholithic rocks in northeast Baja California (San Felipe quartzite). A second quartzite type is subarkosic sandstone with strong affinity to southwestern North America; important features of the age spectra are ~1.0-1.2 Ga, 1.42 and 1.66 Ga peaks representing cratonal basement, 500-300 Ma grains interpreted as recycled Appalachian-derived grains, and 284- 232 Ma zircon potentially derived from the Early Permian-Middle Triassic east Mexico arc. This quartzite type could have been carried to the continental margin during Jurassic time as outboard equivalents of Colorado Plateau eolianites. The third quartzite type is quartz pebble conglomerate with significant ~900- 1400 Ma and ~450-650 Ma zircon components, as well as mid- and late Paleozoic grains. The source of this type of quartzite is more problematic but could match either upper Paleozoic strata in the Oaxaca terrane of southern Mexico or a southwestern North America source. The similarity of detrital 98 zircon spectra in all three Valle Group quartzite types to rocks of the adjacent Cordilleran margin support previous interpretations that Valle Group forearc basin sediments were deposited in proximity to rocks on the mainland of northwest Mexico and southwestern United States.

Book chapter↗
USGS2019

The USGS National crustal model for seismic hazard studies: 2019 update

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) National Crustal Model (NCM) is being developed to assist in the modeling of seismic hazards across the conterminous United States, specifically by improving estimates of site response. The NCM is composed of geophysical profiles, extending from the Earth’s surface into the upper mantle, constructed from 5 primary elements: 1) depth to bedrock and basement; 2) 3D geologic framework; 3) petrologic and mineral physics database; 4) 3D temperature model; and 5) calibration of a porosity and attenuation model. Parameters needed to estimate site response for existing ground motion models (GMMs), including the time-averaged velocity in the upper 30 meters (VS30) and the depths to 1.0 and 2.5 km/s shear-wave velocity (Z1.0 and Z2.5), can be extracted from the NCM. As GMMs develop, other metrics could also be extracted or derived from the NCM such as fundamental frequency, a fully frequency-dependent site response function, or 3D geophysical volumes for wavefield simulations. Application of the NCM may also benefit other aspects of seismic hazard analysis including better accounting for path-dependent attenuation and geometric spreading and more accurate estimation of earthquake source properties such as hypocentral location and stress drop.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1987

The significance of observations at active volcanoes; A review and annotated bibliography of studies at Kilauea and Mount St. Helens

Study of active volcanoes yields information of much broader significance than to only the discipline of volcanology. Some applications are 1) interpretation of lava-flow structures, stratigraphic complexities, and petrologic relations in older volcanic units; 2) interpretation of bulk properties of the mantle and constraints on partial melting and deep magma transport; 3) interpretation of geophysical characteristics of potentially active volcanic systems; 4) direct determination of physical properties of molten and solidified basalt, and of intensive variables (e.g., oxygen fugacity and temperature) accompanying cooling and crystallization; 5) quantitative assessment of crystal fractionation and magma mixing, 6) tests of theoretical and experimental geochemical, geophysical, and rheologic models of volcanic behavior; and 7) confirmation in nature of laboratory experiments related to crystallization in igneous systems. The critical factors that make real-time study of volcanic activity valuable are that the location and timing of events are known, and that molten rock and gases are available for direct observation and sampling for subsequent study. Observations made over a period of time make it possible to calculate rates of magma transport, storage, and crystallization, as well as to quantitatively determine elastic and inelastic deformation and the build up and decay of stress within the active volcanic system. Discussion of these topics is keyed to an annotated bibliography from which quantitative information on properties and processes may be obtained. Emphasis is on Hawaii's active basaltic volcanoes for which the most information is available. Additional references are made to research at Mount St. Helens, one of the first real-time studies of an active volcano of dacitic composition.

Hawaii, Washington↗
USGS1996

Tertiary igneous rocks and Laramide structure and stratigraphy of the Spanish Peaks Region, South-Central Colorado: Road log and descriptions from Walsenburg to La Veta

The Spanish Peaks are located in the western part of the Raton basin in south-central Colorado, southwest of Walsenburg. The two peaks, West Spanish Peak (WSP, 13,626 feet) and East Spanish Peak (ESP, 12,683 feet), are located on the upland part of the far western edge of the Great Plains physiographic region. East of Spanish Peaks, a deeply dissected plateau extends into the Great Plains. The Raton basin, an asymmetric structure of Laramide age, underlies and surrounds the Spanish Peaks. The basin extends north from Ute Park, New Mexico, to Huerfano Park, Colorado. The juncture of steeply dipping western and gently dipping eastern limbs of the Raton basin forms the basin axis, known locally as the La Veta syncline. The La Veta syncline extends north-northwest into Huerfano Park, between the Sangre de Cristo and Wet Mountains. These features and others such as the Laramide orogeny, igneous rocks, and an overview of petrology are discussed.

Colorado↗
USGS2022

Finalization of the Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) working group

A working group in Commission II to investigate applications of confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) for organic petrology investigations has finalized with publication of the manuscript “Characterization of bituminite in Kimmeridge Clay by confocal laser scanning and atomic force microscopy” in the International Journal of Coal Geology. The manuscript is available via Open Access from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2022.103927 and also from the Commission II working group (WG) webpage https://www.iccop.org/workinggroup/confocal-laser-scanning-microscopy-clsm/. A report detailing the full history and results from the WG also is available from the Commission II WG webpage. The working group investigated the application of CLSM to an organic-rich (44 wt.% TOC), thermally immature sample (VRo 0.42%) of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation. CLSM imaging and spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize bituminite.

ICCP News↗