Search USGS⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search USGS

Results for “Resources”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,549 records · Page 86Linked to original sources
USGS1983

Geologic and aeromagnetic maps and mineral resource potential survey of the Blackjack Springs Wilderness, Vilas County, Wisconsin

The mineral resource potential of the Blackjack Springs Wilderness in the Nicolet National Forest, Vilas County, Wisc., was evaluated in 1982. No bedrock exposures are known in or near the wilderness. Geophysical data and regional geologic relations suggest that the area consists mostly of recrystallized and deformed mafic volcanic rocks and associated mafic intrusives of Early Proterozoic age. The only identified mineral resources in the Blackjack Springs Wilderness are sand and gravel, but these commodities are abundant regionally. While the occurrence of stratabound massive-sulfide (cooper-zinc-lead) and (or) magmatic sulfide (copper and (or) nickel)-type deposits are possible in the wilderness, their occurrence is not probable.

Wisconsin↗
USGS1988

Mineral resource potential map of the Pecos Wilderness, Santa Fe, San Miguel, Mora, Rio Arriba, and Taos Counties, New Mexico

The Pecos Wilderness covers approximately 348 sq mi in the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests, north-central New Mexico. The area investigated includes the wilderness and approximately 150 sq mi of adjacent territory. The additional area covers several RARE II Road less Areas that were classified by the U.S. Forest Service in 1979 as Proposed Wilderness and Further Planning Areas, but were not incorporated in the Pecos Wilderness by the New Mexico Wilderness Bill. For the purpose of this report the entire area is called the study area. The study area is at the southern end of the Sangre de Cristo Range. It is characterized by an axial line of alpine peaks that rise to more than 13,000 ft, flanked on the west and north by heavily wooded ridges and canyons that drain to the Rio Grande Valley, and on the southeast by a high dissected plateau of meadows and forest. The plateau is dissected by deep canyons of the Pecos River and its tributaries, and is bounded on the east by a scarp of about 3,000 ft. Partly forested ranch land lies below the base of the scarp to the east, and beyond that is prai-rie of the Great Plains. This map is based on geologic and geochemical studies and mine and prospect investigations that were done principally in 1977 and 1979-80 (U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources, 1980; Lane, 1980; Moench and Robertson, 1980; Moench, Robertson, and Sutley, 1980; Moench and Erickson, 1980; Moench, Grambling, and Robertson, 1988; Moench, Sutley, and Erickson, 1988; Erickson, Sutley, and Moench, 1986). An aeromagnetic survey covering almost all of the Pecos Wilderness was flown in 1970. The resulting aeromagnetic map was published by Moench and others (1980) and interpreted in that report by Lindreth Cordell. Cordell found no correlation between magnetic features and geologic terraines having mineral resource potential.

New Mexico↗
USGS1991

Maps showing industrial mineral resources of the Joplin 1° x 2° quadrangle, Kansas and Missouri

This map is part of a folio of maps of the Joplin 1° X 2° quadrangle, Kansas and Missouri prepared under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program (CUSMAP). Other publications in this folio to date include U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2125-A (Erickson and others, 1990). Additional maps showing various geologic aspects of the Joplin quadrangle will be published as U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Maps bearing this same serial number with different letter suffixes (MF-2125-C, -D, and so on). The industrial mineral resources of the Joplin 1° X 2° quadrangle are crushed stone, dimension stone, clay and shale, construction sand and gravel (including chat, or chert-rich tailings from metal mines), and asphaltic sandstone. At present only crushed stone, clay and shale, and construction sand and gravel are of economic importance; the remainder are considered hypothetical resources. The value of industrial mineral production during 1987, the most recent year of complete data as supplied by the U.S. Bureau of Mines, was nearly $25,600,000. In terms of finished products such as cement and brick, the value is several times that amount. Figure 1 shows the annual value of industrial mineral production within the quadrangle from 1960 through 1987.

Kansas;Missouri↗
USGS1993

Mineral resource assessment of pegmatite minerals in the Greenville 1° x 2° quadrangle, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina

Mineral resources of the Greenville 1° x 2° quadrangle, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina, were assessed between 1984 and 1990 under the Conterminuous United States Mineral Assessment Program (CUSMAP) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The mineral resource assessments were made on the basis of geologic, geochemical, and geophysical investigations and on the distribution of mines, prospects, and mineral occurrences reported in the literature. This report is an assessment of the minerals associated with mica pegmatites in the Greenville quadrangle. It is based on the geology as mapped by Nelson and others (1989), on field studies conducted from 1952 to 1962 by the USGS for the Defense Minerals Exploration Administration (DMEA) and the concurrent examination of many of the known mica mines and prospects in Georgia, and on the published geologic literature and an unpublished report by K.H. Teague on file with the South Carolina Development Board, Division of Geology, in Columbia, S.C.

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina↗
USGS1977

Mineral resources map of the McCarthy Quadrangle, Alaska

The mineral resources map is an assessment of the occurrence of mineral deposits in the McCarthy quadrangle by area and type of deposit. Descriptions of known mineral deposits and occurrences in the quadrangle provided by MacKevett (1976b) should be used in conjunction with this map. Areas enclosing both known deposits and areas favorable for unfound deposits are delineated in the mineral resources map. Types of deposits known to be widely scattered throughout the quadrangle, such as placer gold, and types with only a slight chance of being in the quadrangle are not delineated. Selection of favorable areas was based on occurrences of known deposits and geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and earth satellite data presented in the McCarthy folio (U.S. Geol. Survey MF maps 773A, B, D-N and Circular 739) and some additional geochemical data published in open-file form (O'Leary and others, 1976). Delineation of boundaries was made by the informed judgment of the team members, but final responsibility rests with the authors of this map.

Alaska↗
USGS1982

Metalliferous mineral resource potential of the Seward and Blying Sound quadrangles, southern Alaska

This mineral potential map is the final report in a series of publications that makes up a folio on the Seward and Blying Sound quadrangles of southern Alaska. It draws on data largely presented in previous publications of the folio. The studies were undertaken as part of the Alaska Mineral Resource Assessment Program (AMRAP), a program designed to provide information for Federal, State, local, and industry decisions concerning the future uses of Alaskan lands and resources.

Alaska↗
USGS2001

Assessment of the sand and gravel resources of the Lower Boise River Valley area, Idaho: Part one: Geological framework of the sand and gravel deposits

The USGS has undertaken a first order evaluation of sand & gravel resources in the Lower Boise River Valley in response to rapid urban expansion in the Boise-Nampa-Caldwell corridor in southwest Idaho. The study is intended to provide land-use planners and managers, particularly in the Bureau of Land Management, with a foundation of knowledge that will allow them to anticipate and plan for demand for and development of sand and gravel resources on public lands in response to the urban growth. Attributes under study include: regional geology of both alluvial source areas as well as deposits; fluvial processes that led to deposition of the sand and gravel deposits; spatial distribution of the deposits; quantity and quality of materials in the deposits; and the suitability of the deposits for a range of applications. The study will also examine and attempt to model the association between fluvial processes, deposit characteristics, and physical specifications for various applications of sand and gravel. The results will be presented in a series of sand and gravel assessment reports of which this is the first.

Idaho↗
USGS2002

Distribution of high-temperature (>150 °C) geothermal resources in California

California contains, by far, the greatest geothermal generating capacity in the United States, and with the possible exception of Alaska, the greatest potential for the development of additional resources. California has nearly 2/3 of the US geothermal electrical installed capacity of over 3,000 MW. Depending on assumptions regarding reservoir characteristics and future market conditions, additional resources of between 2,000 and 10,000 MWe might be developed (see e.g., Muffler, 1979).

California↗
USGS2002

U.S. Geological Survey 2002 petroleum resource assessment of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA): GIS play maps

This report provides digital GIS files of maps for each of the 24 plays evaluated in the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 2002 petroleum resource assessment of the NPRA (Bird and Houseknecht, 2002a). These are the same maps released in pdf format by Bird and Houseknecht (2002b). The USGS released in 2002 a summary of the estimated volume of technically recoverable, undiscovered oil and nonassociated gas resources for 24 plays in NPRA (Bird and Houseknecht, 2002b). The NPRA assessment study area includes Federal and Native onshore land and adjacent State offshore areas. A map showing the areal extent of each play was prepared by USGS geologists as a preliminary step in the assessment process. Boundaries were drawn on the basis of a variety of information, including seismic reflection data, results of previous exploration drilling, and regional patterns of rock properties. Play boundary polygons were captured by digitizing the play maps prepared by USGS geologists. Federal, Native, and State areas were later clipped from the play boundary polygons, allowing for acreages to be calculated for entire plays and for various subareas within plays.

Alaska↗
USGS2002

Evaluation of airborne image data and LIDAR main stem data for monitoring physical resources within the Colorado River ecosystem

This study evaluated near-infrared LIDAR data acquired over the main-stem channel at four long-term monitoring sites within the Colorado River ecosystem (CRE) to determine the ability of these data to provide reliable indications in changes in water elevation over time. Our results indicate that there is a good correlation between the LIDAR water-surface elevations and ground measurements of water-edge elevation, but there are also inherent errors in the LIDAR data. The elevation errors amount to about 50 cm and therefore temporal changes in water-surface elevation that exceed this value by the majority of data at a particular location can be deemed significant or real. This study also evaluated airborne image data for producing photogrammetric elevation data and for automated mapping of sand bars and debris flows within the CRE. The photogrammetric analyses show that spatial resolutions of ≤ 10 cm are required to produce vertical accuracies < 20 cm and that digitally acquired data cannot yet support this monitoring requirement. The mapping analyses indicate that CIR image data are far superior to true-color and panchromatic image data in mapping sand bars and debris flows. The analyses also show that the CIR color information provide almost as much mapping capability as do the combination of CIR color and CIR image texture. Therefore, CIR image data should always be given preference in image data collections, not only for the physical resource program, but also for the biologic resource program.

Arizona↗
USGS2003

Preliminary publications book 2 from project on mineral resources, metallogenesis, and tectonics of northeast Asia

This is the Web version of a CD-ROM publication. This report consists of summary major compilations and syntheses accomplished in the six-year project through April 2003 for the study on the Mineral Resources, Metallogenesis, and Tectonics of Northeast Asia (Eastern and Southern Siberia, Mongolia, Northeastern China, South Korea, and Japan). The major scientific goals and benefits of the project are to: (1) provide a comprehensive international data base on the mineral resources of the region that is the first, extensive knowledge available in English; (2) provide major new interpretations of the origin and crustal evolution of mineralizing systems and their host rocks, thereby enabling enhanced, broad-scale tectonic reconstructions and interpretations; and (3) promote trade and scientific and technical exchanges between the North America and Northeast Asia. Data from the project are providing sound scientific data and interpretations for commercial firms, governmental agencies, universities, and individuals that are developing new ventures and studies in the project area, and for land-use planning studies that deal with both mineral potential issues. Northeast Asia has vast potential for known and undiscovered mineral deposits; however, little information existed in English in the West until publication of products from this project. Consequently, data and interpretations from the project are providing basic knowledge for major scientific, commercial, national, and international endeavors by other interested individuals and groups.

Siberia↗
USGS2004

Representative Bulk Composition of Oil Types for the 2002 U.S. Geological Survey Resource Assessment of National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska

Bulk oil composition is an important economic consideration of a petroleum resource assessment. Geological and geochemical interpretations from previous North Slope studies combined with recently acquired geochemical data are used to predict representative oil gravity (?API) and sulfur content (wt.% S) of the oil types for the 2002 U.S. Geological Survey resource assessment of the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska (NPRA). The oil types are named after their respective source rock units and include Kuna-Lisburne, Shublik-Otuk, Kingak-Blankenship, and Pebble-GRZ-Torok. The composition of the oil (24?API, 1.6 wt.% S) in the South Barrow 12 well was selected as representative of Kuna-Lisburne oil. The average gravity and sulfur values (23?API and 1.6 wt.% S, respectively) of the Kuparuk field were selected to be representative of Shublik-Otuk oil type. The composition of the oil (39?API, 0.3 wt.% S) from the Alpine field discovery well (ARCO Bergschrund 1) was selected to be representative of Kingak-Blankenship oil. The oil composition (37?API, 0.1 wt.% S) of Tarn field was considered representative of the Pebble-GRZ-Torok oil type in NPRA.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Digital Geospatial Datasets in Support of Hydrologic Investigations of the Colorado Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project

The U.S. Geological Survey developed this dataset as part of the Colorado Front Range Infrastructure Resources Project (FRIRP). One goal of the FRIRP was to provide information on the availability of those hydrogeologic resources that are either critical to maintaining infrastructure along the northern Front Range or that may become less available because of urban expansion in the northern Front Range. This dataset extends from the Boulder-Jefferson County line on the south, to the middle of Larimer and Weld Counties on the North. On the west, this dataset is bounded by the approximate mountain front of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains; on the east, by an arbitrary north-south line extending through a point about 6.5 kilometers east of Greeley. This digital geospatial dataset consists of digitized contours of unconsolidated-sediment thickness (depth to bedrock).

Open-File Report↗
USGS2003

Methodology and Results for the Assessment of Oil and Gas resources, National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska

Oil and gas resources in each of the 24 plays within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) were estimated using a play analysis. Assessors specified geologic attributes, risks, and number of prospects for each play. Some specifications established distributions, while others were given as single values. From this information, sizes of oil and gas accumulations were simulated using a Monte Carlo algorithm. The number of such accumulations considered in a given simulation run was obtained from the distribution of the number of prospects. Each prospect in each successful simulation run was risked. This process yielded size-frequency distributions and summary statistics for the various petroleum categories. Estimates of remaining resources from individual plays were then aggregated, and measures of uncertainty computed. Technically recoverable, undiscovered oil beneath the Federal part of NPRA likely ranges between 5.9 and 13.2 billion barrels, with a mean (expected) value of 9.3 billion barrels. Technically recoverable, undiscovered nonassociated natural gas for the same area likely ranges between 39.1 and 83.2 trillion cubic feet, with a mean (expected) value of 59.7 trillion cubic feet. Mean values of the corresponding associated dissolved gas and natural gas liquid are 10.3 trillion cubic feet and 1.4 billion barrels respectively.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

Mineral, Energy, and Fertilizer Resources of the North Coast of Peru: Perspective from the Santa Rita B Archaeological Site

The Santa Rita B archaeological site is in the Chao Valley, approximately 65 km southeast of Trujillo, northern Peru. Location of Santa Rita B at the emergence of several drainages from the Andean cordillera is an important factor in the almost continuous occupation of the site over the past 3,000 years. Mineral resources are abundant throughout the Andes; however, the north coast of Peru was an important center for pre-Columbian mining, metallurgy, and craftsmanship. Success of the Chavin, Moche, Chimu, and other north coast cultures is directly related to the availability and exploitation of mineral and energy resources that include: gold (?silver), as electrum, mainly from placers, and copper from local oxide and carbonate occurrences and from sulfides related to copper porphyry occurrences in the cordillera. An alloy of these three metals is referred to as tumbaga, which is the primary material for Andean metalcraft. Anthracite was used for mirrors by north coast cultures and is available near Rio Chicama, Rio Santa, and east of Santa Rita B. These outcrops are a part of the Alto Chicama, Peru's largest coalfield, which extends from Rio Chicama, in the north, for 200 km southward to Rio Santa. Charcoal from the algorrobo tree and llama dung are considered to be the common pre-Columbian energy sources for cooking and metalwork; however, availability and the higher heat content of anthracite indicate that it was used in metallurgical applications. Bitumen is available from petroleum seeps near Talara, north of the study area, and may have been used as glue or as cement. Hematite, goethite, limonite, and manganese oxides from clay-altered volcanic rock may have provided color and material for ceramics. Guano from the Islas Gua?apes, Chinchas, and Ballestas was used as fertilizer for cotton and other crops.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

Digital Database of Selected Aggregate and Related Resources in Ada, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, and Owyhee Counties, Southwestern Idaho

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) compiled a database of aggregate sites and geotechnical sample data for six counties - Ada, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, and Owyhee - in southwest Idaho as part of a series of studies in support of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) planning process. Emphasis is placed on sand and gravel sites in deposits of the Boise River, Snake River, and other fluvial systems and in Neogene lacustrine deposits. Data were collected primarily from unpublished Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) records and BLM site descriptions, published Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) records, and USGS sampling data. The results of this study provides important information needed by land-use planners and resource managers, particularly in the BLM, to anticipate and plan for demand and development of sand and gravel and other mineral material resources on public lands in response to the urban growth in southwestern Idaho.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

Spatial databases of the Humboldt Basin mineral resource assessment, northern Nevada

This report describes the origin, generation, and format of tract map databases for deposit types that accompany the metallic mineral resource assessment for the Humboldt River Basin, northern Nevada, (Wallace and others, 2004, Chapter 2). The deposit types include pluton-related polymetallic, sedimentary rock-hosted Au-Ag, and epithermal Au-Ag. The tract maps constitute only part of the assessment, which also includes new research and data for northern Nevada, discussions on land classification, and interpretation of the assessment maps. The purpose of the assessment was to identify areas that may have a greater favorability for undiscovered metallic mineral deposits, provide analysis of the mineral-resource favorability, and present the assessment of the Humboldt River basin and adjacent areas in a digital format using a Geographic Information System (GIS).

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

Water resources in the Wardensville Area, Hardy County, West Virginia, October 2003-May 2004

Communities within the Valley and Ridge Physiographic Province of West Virginia are concerned about the availability and sustainability of their water supplies. The water resources of the Wardensville area of West Virginia were investigated and data sources were reviewed that will be useful in similar resource assessments elsewhere in the region. Estimates of long-term average discharge of the Cacapon River, Waites Run, and Trout Run are 170, 21, and 78 cubic feet per second, respectively. Average flow from Wardensville Spring during the study was determined to be 0.265 cubic feet per second, and the apparent age of this water was about 20 years. Increases in springflow and drops in temperature of the water during significant winter runoff events suggest that Wardensville Spring may be under the influence of surface runoff at such times. About 80 total coliform colonies per 100 milliliters (mL) of water were found in the spring, but less than 1 colony per 100 mL of water was fecal coliform, and their source is unknown. A well completed during the study in the Marcellus Shale near the contact with the Oriskany Sandstone is capable of yielding 60 gallons per minute, and water produced from the well has an apparent age of 50 years. Iron and manganese concentrations in the well (1,680 and 114 micrograms per liter, respectively) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency secondary maximum contaminant levels. It is likely that a well drilled about 130 feet from Wardensville Spring is hydraulically connected to the spring because pumping at the time of well completion induced drawdown at the spring. About 20 total coliform colonies per 100 mL of water were found in that well, but fecal coliform counts were less than 1 colony per 100 mL of water. Transmissivity values of the aquifer as determined at two wells completed in the Marcellus Shale near the contact with the Oriskany Sandstone on opposite sides of Anderson Ridge are 200 and 400 feet squared per day.

Open-File Report↗