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Mineral Commodity Summaries 2000

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2001

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2002

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2003

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2004

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2005

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2006

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Mineral Commodity Summaries 2007

Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.

Mineral Commodity Summaries

Multilevel Methodology for Simulation of Spatio-Temporal Systems with Heterogeneous Activity; Application to Spread of Valley Fever Fungus

This report consists of a dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate College, The University of Arizona, 2008. Spatio-temporal systems with heterogeneity in their structure and behavior have two major problems associated with them. The first one is that such complex real world systems extend over very large spatial and temporal domains and consume so many computational resources to simulate that they are infeasible to study with current computational platforms. The second one is that the data available for understanding such systems is limited because they are spread over space and time making it hard to obtain micro and macro measurements. This also makes it difficult to get the data for validation of their constituent processes while simultaneously considering their global behavior. For example, the valley fever fungus considered in this dissertation is spread over a large spatial grid in the arid Southwest and typically needs to be simulated over several decades of time to obtain useful information. It is also hard to get the temperature and moisture data (which are two critical factors on which the survival of the valley fever fungus depends) at every grid point of the spatial domain over the region of study. In order to address the first problem, we develop a method based on the discrete event system specification which exploits the heterogeneity in the activity of the spatio-temporal system and which has been shown to be effective in solving relatively simple partial differential equation systems. The benefit of addressing the first problem is that it now makes it feasible to address the second problem. We address the second problem by making use of a multilevel methodology based on modeling and simulation and systems theory. This methodology helps us in the construction of models with different resolutions (base and lumped models). This allows us to refine an initially constructed lumped model with detailed physics-based process models and assess whether they improve on the original lumped models. For that assessment, we use the concept of experimental frame to delimit where the improvement is needed. This allows us to work with the available data, improve the component models in their own experimental frame and then move them to the overall frame. In this dissertation, we develop a multilevel methodology and apply it to a valley fever model. Moreover, we study the model's behavior in a particular experimental frame of interest, namely the formation of new sporing sites.

Open-File Report

Mineral resources of the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, Lincoln and Sanders Counties, Montana

This report describes the differential array, of seismometers recently installed at the Hollister, California, Municipal Airport. Such an array of relatively closely spaced seismometers has already been installed in El Centro and provided useful information for both engineering and seismological applications from the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake. Differential ground motions, principally due to horizontally propagating surface waves, are important in determining the stresses in such extended structures as large mat foundations for nuclear power stations, dams, bridges and pipelines. Further, analyses of the records of the 1979 Imperial Valley earthquake from the differential array have demonstrated the utility of short-baseline array data in tracking the progress of the rupture wave front of an earthquake.

Open-File Report

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 46 (NORWTH00030046) Town Highway 3 (VT132) crossing the Ompompanoosuc River, Norwich, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure NORWTH00030046 on town highway 3, which is also Vermont State Route 132 crossing the Ompompanoosuc River, Norwich, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). A Level I study is included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I study provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, available from VTAOT files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and can be found in Appendix D. The site is in the New England Upland physiographic province of east-central Vermont. The 135-mi 2 drainage area is a predominantly rural basin. A flood-control reservoir located approximately 2 mi upstream has 1.66 billion cubic feet of usable storage. In the vicinity of the study site, the left bank is forested and the right bank is covered by shrubs and brush, adjacent to woods. The Ompompanoosuc River is parallel to Town Highway 3. In the study area, the Ompompanoosuc River has a sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.003 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 166 ft and an average channel depth of 6 ft. The predominant channel bed material is sand (D 50 is 0.744 mm or 0.00244 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on August 19, 1994, indicated that the reach was stable. The town highway 3 crossing of the Ompompanoosuc Riveris a 100-ft-long, two-lane bridge consisting of two steel-beam spans (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written commun., July 29, 1994). The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutments with wingwalls. The channel is skewed approximately 25 degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is 12 degrees. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1993). Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. The scour analysis results are presented in tables 1 and 2 and a graph of the scour depths is presented in figure 8.

Vermont

Level II scour analysis for Bridge 9 (JAYVT02420009) on Vermont Highway 242, crossing the Jay Branch of the Missisquoi River, Jay, Vermont

This report provides the results of a detailed Level II analysis of scour potential at structure JAY-VT02420009 on Vermont highway 242 crossing the the Jay Branch of the Missisquoi River, Jay, Vermont (figures 1–8). A Level II study is a basic engineering analysis of the site, including a quantitative analysis of stream stability and scour (U.S. Department of Transportation, 1993). Results of a Level I scour investigation also are included in Appendix E of this report. A Level I study provides a qualitative geomorphic characterization of the study site. Information on the bridge, gleaned from Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTAOT) files, was compiled prior to conducting Level I and Level II analyses and is found in Appendix D. The site is in the Green Mountain section of the New England physiographic province of northern Vermont in the town of Jay. The 4.36-mi 2 drainage area is in a predominantly rural and forested basin. In the vicinity of the study site, the surface cover is primarily forest and brush except for the downstream left overbank which is grass. In the study area, the the Jay Branch of the Missisquoi River has an incised, sinuous channel with a slope of approximately 0.021 ft/ft, an average channel top width of 38 ft and an average channel depth of 5 ft. A Level I visual inspection at the site indicates that the predominant channel bed material is cobble and boulder with gravel. Results of a pebble count indicate that the predominant channnel bed material is a very coarse gravel with a median grain size (D 50 ) of 41.7 mm (0.1369 ft). The geomorphic assessment at the time of the Level I and Level II site visit on June 6, 1995, indicated that the reach was stable. The Vermont highway 242 crossing of the the Jay Branch of the Missisquoi River is a 60- ft-long, two-lane bridge consisting of one 55-foot steel-beam span (Vermont Agency of Transportation, written communication, March 6, 1995). The bridge is supported by vertical, concrete abutments with wingwalls. The channel is skewed approximately 60 degrees to the opening while the opening-skew-to-roadway is 45 degrees. The scour protection measures at the site included type-2 stone fill (less than 36 inches diameter) at the upstream right wingwall, the downstream left and right wingwalls and the upstream end of the left abutment. Type-1 stone fill (less than 12 inches) was along the upstream end of the right abutment. Type-4 stone fill (less than 64 inches) was along the upstream left wingwall. Additional details describing conditions at the site are included in the Level II Summary and Appendices D and E. Scour depths and rock rip-rap sizes were computed using the general guidelines described in Hydraulic Engineering Circular 18 (Richardson and others, 1995). Total scour at a highway crossing is comprised of three components: 1) long-term streambed degradation; 2) contraction scour (due to accelerated flow caused by a reduction in flow area at a bridge) and; 3) local scour (caused by accelerated flow around piers and abutments). Total scour is the sum of the three components. Equations are available to compute depths for contraction and local scour and a summary of the results of these computations follows. Contraction scour for all modelled flows ranged from 0.0 to 0.6 ft. The worst-case contraction scour occurred at the 100-year discharge. Abutment scour ranged from 0.8 to 5.6 ft. The worst-case abutment scour occurred at the 500-year discharge. Additional information on scour depths and depths to armoring are included in the section titled “Scour Results”. Scoured streambed elevations, based on the calculated scour depths, are presented in tables 1 and 2. A cross-section of the scour computed at the bridge is presented in figure 8. Scour depths were calculated assuming an infinite depth of erosive material and a homogeneous particle-size distribution. It is generally accepted that the Froehlich equation (abutment scour) gives “excessively conservative estimates of scour depths” (Richardson and others, 1995, p. 47). Usually, computed scour depths are evaluated in combination with other information including (but not limited to) historical performance during flood events, the geomorphic stability assessment, existing scour protection measures, and the results of the hydraulic analyses. Therefore, scour depths adopted by VTAOT may differ from the computed values documented herein.

Vermont

Rhenium

Rhenium is one of the rarest elements in Earth’s continental crust; its estimated average crustal abundance is less than 1 part per billion. Rhenium is a metal that has an extremely high melting point and a heat-stable crystalline structure. More than 80 percent of the rhenium consumed in the world is used in high-temperature superalloys, especially those used to make turbine blades for jet aircraft engines. Rhenium’s other major application is in platinum-rhenium catalysts used in petroleum refining. Rhenium rarely occurs as a native element or as its own sulfide mineral; most rhenium is present as a substitute for molybdenum in molybdenite. Annual world mine production of rhenium is about 50 metric tons. Nearly all primary rhenium production (that is, rhenium produced by mining rather than through recycling) is as a byproduct of copper mining, and about 80 percent of the rhenium obtained through mining is recovered from the flue dust produced during the roasting of molybdenite concentrates from porphyry copper deposits. Molybdenite in porphyry copper deposits can contain hundreds to several thousand grams per metric ton of rhenium, although the estimated rhenium grades of these deposits range from less than 0.1 gram per metric ton to about 0.6 gram per metric ton. Continental-arc porphyry copper-(molybdenum-gold) deposits supply most of the world’s rhenium production and have large inferred rhenium resources. Porphyry copper mines in Chile account for about 55 percent of the world’s mine production of rhenium; rhenium is also recovered from porphyry copper deposits in the United States, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, and Uzbekistan. Sediment-hosted strata-bound copper deposits in Kazakhstan (of the sandstone type) and in Poland (of the reduced-facies, or Kupferschiefer, type) account for most other rhenium produced by mining. These types of deposits also have large amounts of identified rhenium resources. The future supply of rhenium is likely to depend largely on the capacity of the specialized processing facilities needed to recover rhenium from molybdenite concentrates. The environmental consequences of rhenium recovery are closely linked to the consequences of mining large porphyry copper and strata-bound copper deposits; no additional environmental impact from recovery of rhenium from these deposits has been identified. No information is available regarding the potential toxic effects of rhenium on humans, partly because of the low natural abundance of rhenium.

Professional Paper

Simulated and observed 2010 floodwater elevations in selected river reaches in the Pawtuxet River Basin, Rhode Island

Heavy, persistent rains from late February through March 2010 caused severe flooding that set, or nearly set, peaks of record for streamflows and water levels at many long-term streamgages in Rhode Island. In response to this event, hydraulic models were updated for selected reaches covering about 56 river miles in the Pawtuxet River Basin to simulate water-surface elevations (WSEs) at specified flows and boundary conditions. Reaches modeled included the main stem of the Pawtuxet River, the North and South Branches of the Pawtuxet River, Pocasset River, Simmons Brook, Dry Brook, Meshanticut Brook, Furnace Hill Brook, Flat River, Quidneck Brook, and two unnamed tributaries referred to as South Branch Pawtuxet River Tributary A1 and Tributary A2. All the hydraulic models were updated to Hydrologic Engineering Center-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) version 4.1.0 using steady-state simulations. Updates to the models included incorporation of new field-survey data at structures, high resolution land-surface elevation data, and updated flood flows from a related study. The models were assessed using high-water marks (HWMs) obtained in a related study following the March– April 2010 flood and the simulated water levels at the 0.2-percent annual exceedance probability (AEP), which is the estimated AEP of the 2010 flood in the basin. HWMs were obtained at 110 sites along the main stem of the Pawtuxet River, the North and South Branches of the Pawtuxet River, Pocasset River, Simmons Brook, Furnace Hill Brook, Flat River, and Quidneck Brook. Differences between the 2010 HWM elevations and the simulated 0.2-percent AEP WSEs from flood insurance studies (FISs) and the updated models developed in this study varied with most differences attributed to the magnitude of the 0.2-percent AEP flows. WSEs from the updated models generally are in closer agreement with the observed 2010 HWMs than with the FIS WSEs. The improved agreement of the updated simulated water elevations to observed 2010 HWMs provides a measure of the hydraulic model performance, which indicates the updated models better represent flooding at other AEPs than the existing FIS models.

Rhode Island

Reconnaissance report of geotechnical observations for the 4 March 1977 Romanian earthquake

A catastrophic earthquake struck south central Romania at 21:21 hours (9:21 p.m.) local time, March 4, 1977. The tremor collapsed 33 multistory buildings in Bucharest and damaged many other structures to varying degrees. Important damage was inflicted on many other cities and villages, particularly Craiova and Zimnicea. (For locations, see Fig. 1) Over 1,500 deaths resulted from the shock. The epicenter of the shock was preliminarily located at 45.85° N, 26.73° E with a focal depth of 110 km. A preliminary magnitude of 7.2 was assigned to the event. Aftershocks up to approximately magnitude 4 have spread south westward from the epicenter (approximately as far south as Buzau). The focal depths of aftershocks in the southern part of the zone were shallower than the main shock (as shallow as 50 km). A team of nine United States scientists and engineers was sent by the U. S. State Department to make a reconnaissance investigation of earthquake effects and damage. The team consisted of; Charles Culver (team leader) and George Fattal, National Bureau of Standards; Gerald Bowles and Fred Ruud, Bureau of Reclamation; Ernest Dodson, Army Corps of Engineers; Ted Algermissen Chris Rojahn and Les Youd, U. S. Geological Survey; and Karl Steinbrugge, Insurance Services office and a consultant to U.S.G.S. Upon arrival in Romania, the team was divided into groups which generally specialized in the following areas: Culver and Fattal investigated structural damage to buildings. Algermissen and Steinbrugge investigated the general distribution of damage and types of buildings affected in Bucharest. Dodson, Bowles and Ruud investigated damage to dams and hydroelectric power plants. Rojahn collected strong motion records and initiated discussions with the Romanians on the possible development of additional strong motion seismographs. Youd investigated damage to foundations and occurrences of ground failure (landslides, etc.). The groups worked independently of each other. However, there was communication between groups during joint meetings with various Romanian officials and in the evening hours. The purposes of this report are: 1. To summarize geotechnical effects of the earthquake. 2. To outline and justify a proposed United States Romanian cooperative geotechnical program which was considered as part of a broader cooperative program in engineering and seismology. 3. To provide a log of my travels.

Open-File Report

The measurement and computation of flood‐discharge

The Geological Survey has been engaged for more than 50 years in measuring and publishing the discharge of streams of the United States. Measured discharges have ranged in quantity from a small fraction of a second‐foot measured volumetrically to more than 2,000,000 second‐feet measured by use of the current‐meter equipment recently developed by the Survey and described by the writer in the April 1938 issue of Civil Engineering . In this work, systematic and generally complete records of discharge are being obtained at about 3700 gaging‐stations maintained and operated by the United States Geological Survey. A typical structure at which records of river‐stages are obtained is shown in Figure 1. A discharge‐record at a gaging‐station is usually derived from a record of stage by means of a curve or table showing the stage‐discharge relation as determined by measurements of discharge distributed over the range of stage.

Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union

Microforms in gravel bed rivers: Formation, disintegration, and effects on bedload transport

This research aims to advance current knowledge on cluster formation and evolution by tackling some of the aspects associated with cluster microtopography and the effects of clusters on bedload transport. The specific objectives of the study are (1) to identify the bed shear stress range in which clusters form and disintegrate, (2) to quantitatively describe the spacing characteristics and orientation of clusters with respect to flow characteristics, (3) to quantify the effects clusters have on the mean bedload rate, and (4) to assess the effects of clusters on the pulsating nature of bedload. In order to meet the objectives of this study, two main experimental scenarios, namely, Test Series A and B (20 experiments overall) are considered in a laboratory flume under well-controlled conditions. Series A tests are performed to address objectives (1) and (2) while Series B is designed to meet objectives (3) and (4). Results show that cluster microforms develop in uniform sediment at 1.25 to 2 times the Shields parameter of an individual particle and start disintegrating at about 2.25 times the Shields parameter. It is found that during an unsteady flow event, effects of clusters on bedload transport rate can be classified in three different phases: a sink phase where clusters absorb incoming sediment, a neutral phase where clusters do not affect bedload, and a source phase where clusters release particles. Clusters also increase the magnitude of the fluctuations in bedload transport rate, showing that clusters amplify the unsteady nature of bedload transport. A fourth-order autoregressive, autoregressive integrated moving average model is employed to describe the time series of bedload and provide a predictive formula for predicting bedload at different periods. Finally, a change-point analysis enhanced with a binary segmentation procedure is performed to identify the abrupt changes in the bedload statistic characteristics due to the effects of clusters and detect the different phases in bedload time series using probability theory. The analysis verifies the experimental findings that three phases are detected in the bedload rate time series structure, namely, sink, neutral, and source. ?? ASCE / JUNE 2004.

Journal of Hydraulic Engineering

The Devonian Marcellus Shale and Millboro Shale

The recent development of unconventional oil and natural gas resources in the United States builds upon many decades of research, which included resource assessment and the development of well completion and extraction technology. The Eastern Gas Shales Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy in the 1980s, investigated the gas potential of organic-rich, Devonian black shales in the Appalachian, Michigan, and Illinois basins. One of these eastern shales is the Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale, which has been extensively developed for natural gas and natural gas liquids since 2007. The Marcellus is one of the basal units in a thick Devonian shale sedimentary sequence in the Appalachian basin. The Marcellus rests on the Onondaga Limestone throughout most of the basin, or on the time-equivalent Needmore Shale in the southeastern parts of the basin. Another basal unit, the Huntersville Chert, underlies the Marcellus in the southern part of the basin. The Devonian section is compressed to the south, and the Marcellus Shale, along with several overlying units, grades into the age-equivalent Millboro Shale in Virginia. The Marcellus-Millboro interval is far from a uniform slab of black rock. This field trip will examine a number of natural and engineered exposures in the vicinity of the West Virginia–Virginia state line, where participants will have the opportunity to view a variety of sedimentary facies within the shale itself, sedimentary structures, tectonic structures, fossils, overlying and underlying formations, volcaniclastic ash beds, and to view a basaltic intrusion.

GSA Field Guides