Western Mineral Resources Science Center
 |
Dr. Keith R. Long (Tucson) has been appointed editor-in-chief of Natural Resources Research, one of three journals published by the International Association of Mathematical Geologists. The journal publishes original research on the application of quantitative methods to the study of natural resources. This journal has long been of value to the USGS as a venue for interdisciplinary studies that are not appropriate for specialized, single-discipline journals. |
USGS Geologist Dan Mosier (with help from his daughter Jenny) constructed the Copper King Mine so that people attending the 2009 Open House in Menlo Park, CA could experience what it is like to see inside a copper-lead-zinc deposit. |
|
1) The mine is a 10-ft long adit with a 14-ft long gangway at the end, or an L-shape in plan view. It is 7 ft tall and 4 ft wide, constructed of black opaque tarp supported by pvc pipe frames.
|
2) At the mine entrance there are miners’ tags (flashlights with numbers) hanging on a board with nails for 10 flashlights. Visitors are asked to take a miner's tag before entering the mine and to return it to the board when they come out. The mine is pitch black so visitors need to use the provided flashlight to see and explore the mine. |
3) Inside the mine, there is a copper-lead-zinc lens along the contact between underlying greenstone and overlying black shale dipping 70 degrees, all painted, using glitter for the metallic ore effect. The mine “tour” follows the ore lens from the portal to the end of the gangway where the lens is cut out by a right-lateral fault on the mine ceiling.
|
4) On the ground at the end of the gangway is a mine ore car, constructed of cardboard and painted to look real, showing samples of real chalcopyrite-galena-sphalerite-pyrite ore. When visitors exit, they return the miner's tag (flashlight) to the board and they received a sticker that says "I visited the Copper King Mine, USGS". Over 500 stickers were given out on Friday, the first day of the Open House. |
WMR scientists David John and James Rytuba were each recently awarded the Department of the Interior Distinguished Service Award. Distinguished Service Award is the highest honorary recognition an employee can receive within the Department of the Interior. It is granted for an outstanding contribution to science, outstanding skill or ability in the performance of duty, outstanding contribution made during an eminent career in the Department, or any other exceptional contribution to the public service.
Dr. David John
|
Dr. James Rytuba
|
In recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions and leadership to the U.S. Geological Survey in the field of volcanology and epithermal mineral deposits.
Dr. John is an internationally recognized expert in volcanology and volcanic-related epithermal mineral deposits. His research has integrated field, stratigraphic, petrologic, fluid-inclusion, and isotopic studies to generate detailed to regional genetic studies of mineral deposits within the Cascade Range and the Great Basin. The published results of this diverse research have been outstanding. His research on the Wasatch Mountains of Utah showed that variations in fluid-inclusion (hydrothermal fluid) type and composition, and the resulting ore deposits, are directly related to variations in the paleodepth of formation. This research was cited as a ‘landmark study’ by a keynote speaker at the 1997 Society of Economic Geologists (SEG) Symposium. In the northern Great Basin, Dr. John was the first to discern that systematic differences in the types and characteristics of epithermal gold-silver deposits are related to differences in their tectonic setting and associated magma composition and that these relations may be common worldwide. His groundbreaking work proposed a redefinition of the classification of epithermal gold-silver deposits, which resulted in a new genetic model for these deposits (2000 Reviews in Economic Geology) and in a new assessment of these relations for gold deposits (2003 SEG Special Publication). Dr. John’s research defined tectonomagmatic settings where certain epithermal deposits were unlikely to form in particular arc and extensional settings, but his work was also the first to recognize the genetic relation between epithermal gold deposits and tholeiitic basalts, which highlights the global potential for similar deposits in these types of volcanic settings. This work was sited as a seminal paper by a keynote speaker at the 2007 Arizona Geological Society Ores and Orogenesis symposium. These studies opened new research areas in economic geology and new exploration efforts in private industry. Dr. John’s integration of field, remote-sensing, and geophysical studies of Cascades volcanoes has produced detailed evolutionary models, identified geologic factors that promote hydrothermal alteration and mineral-deposit formation, and suggests areas in and near particular volcanoes that are more likely locations of future debris flows. These studies of modern, well-preserved volcanic systems and related hydrothermal features provide essential new research and exploration guidelines for more highly dissected and dismembered Tertiary, volcanic-related mineral deposits, both in the western US and globally.
In recognition of his outstanding scientific contributions and leadership in understanding the origin and environmental impact of mineral deposits and mineral resources.
Dr. Rytuba is a world-renowned expert in two closely related areas of scientific study: The fundamental geology of mineral deposits related to volcanic centers, and environmental issues related to mercury in mineral deposits. Dr. Rytuba developed a seminal comprehensive geological framework for understanding the distribution and origin of mineral deposits in California. This work provided the basis for new exploration strategies along the North American-Pacific plate margin. The work also led to his pioneering studies of the McDermitt and Lake Owyhee volcanic fields in Nevada and Oregon. Important mercury, uranium, lithium, and precious-metal deposits and now being mined these volcanic fields. The principles developed by Dr. Rytuba proved to be globally transferable. As part of an international team, he was the first to identify and document the geologic evolution of the Rodalquilar volcanic complex in Spain, the first of such in Europe. The gold deposits associated with the Rodalquilar complex stimulated years of research and exploration of analogous deposits by the Spanish government and private industry. Dr. Rytuba also identified several new gold deposit systems in Micronesia, and developed a genetic model for such oceanic mineral deposits. His work instigated mineral exploration in these territories, which now show high potential for significant mineral resources. In environmental research, Dr. Rytuba addressed the processes and controls on mercury and arsenic mobility in natural settings and in settings disrupted by mining activities. The collaborative research strategy developed by Dr. Rytuba for environmental research related to mercury was awarded an Environmental Protection Agency Star grant. His research demonstrated that many mineral-deposit types contain mercury-enriched phases, which upon weathering can release mercury at sufficiently high concentration into the environment with the potential for causing adverse ecological impacts. Dr. Rytuba showed that the seasonal aspect of environmental mercury, if not considered during remediation, can actually exacerbate mercury release. As a result of his extensive knowledge and experience, Dr. Rytuba was invited to testify to Congress on environmental issues related to mercury.
USGS Mineral Resources Program scientists presented during the 114th annual Northwest Mining Association meeting and convention in Sparks, NV Dec. 1-5. The USGS session Mineral Commodities for Emerging Technologies featured the following presentations and speakers:
USGS research geochemist Laurie Balistrieri recently received a Gledden Visiting Senior Fellowship, awarded to researchers in applied sciences, to collaborate with colleagues at the University of Western Australia. Balistrieri will be working at the university August-November (2008) to test a model that describes the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, phosphate, and metals in bottom sediments of aquatic systems, incorporating the model into three dimensional models of the water column, and using the coupled models to examine the interplay of physical and biogeochemical processes on the cycling of metals and nutrients in a lake affected by mining activities. The result will be a state-of-the-art tool that can be used by scientific, management, and regulatory agencies to assess element cycling and test various scenarios in aquatic systems.
During the 2008 SME annual meeting, Mineral Resources Program staff chaired a technical session entitled Rare Earths-Mining, Geology, and Metal. Consumption of rare earths has increased worldwide, resulting in increased prices for most rare-earth products and a shortfall in supply. Increased use of rare earths is expected to continue in many applications, especially automotive catalytic converters, permanent magnets, and rechargeable batteries. The USGS sponsored a workshop titled Mineral Materials for Emerging Technologies to foster collaboration and input from leaders in the industrial minerals community for current and future USGS minerals research. Mineral Resources Program staff are developing a new project on mineral materials most critical to the growth of the national economy, especially minerals required for frontier technologies. MRP staff also hosted a booth during the exhibit portion of the meeting. Information regarding recently released publications and current/completed projects was disseminated.
Products
Projects
The fault-riddled landscape of northern Nevada has sliced and diced the remains of one of the world's largest volcanoes, providing a rare chance to inspect the innards of Caetano caldera, the so-called "supervolcano." One reason the Caetano caldera is so special -- Nevada's faulted, blocky crust there has slid and tilted so the insides are visible on the surface, like books on a shelf without a bookend. "You can actually put your hands on the rocks," said geologist David John, of the USGS. John is also the author of a paper about the Caetano caldera in the February edition of the journal Geosphere. More information can be found in an article posted on "Discovery News" on the Discovery Channel website.
On Dec. 4, 2008 a joint USGS-U.S. Air Force-Texas Tech University effort was recognized with an award presented by the Department of Defense, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program, for the "Project-of-the-Year" in the Environmental Restoration Focus Area. The award was presented at the annual Partners in Environmental Technology Technical Symposium in Washington, DC for the research project on "The Identification and Characterization of Natural Sources of Perchlorate". Each year, projects are recognized that exhibit technical excellence and have helped the DoD achieve its mission while improving its environmental performance. The principal USGS investigator on this project, Greta J. Orris, was one of the initial people to identify the presence of naturally-occurring perchlorate. Much of the success of this project has been due to the ongoing cooperation with other USGS researchers including D. Stonestrom, J. Betancourt, M. Walvoord, D. Smith, and many others from the water, biology, and geology disciplines within the USGS.
Return to Science Center homepage
| Mineral Resources | Eastern / Central / Western / Alaska / Minerals Information |
| Crustal Imaging & Characterization / Spatial Data |
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://minerals.usgs.gov/west/whatsnew.htm
Page Contact Information: WMR Webmaster
Page Last Modified: 02-Nov-2009@10:59
 Feb.jpg)
