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At least 505 records · Page 28Linked to original sources
USGS2002

Determination of ash in coals unusually high in calcite and pyrite

The preliminary hearth heating method (A and E) gave results within the A. S. T. M. tolerances for all duplicates obtained in the same laboratory. Checks between different laboratories within A. S. T. M. tolerances were obtained for coals containing up to about 3.6 per cent mineral carbon dioxide, but these ashes contained larger amounts of retained sulfur. The determination of ash by the cold furnace method (B and F) gave duplicate results within A. S. T. M. tolerances for all samples in the U. S. Bureau of Mines laboratory and for samples up to about 1.6 per cent mineral carbon dioxide content in the Illinois Geological Survey laboratory. Checks between average values from the two laboratories were within A. S. T. M. tolerances for all samples.

Industrial and Engineering Chemistry↗
USGS1992

International strategic minerals inventory summary report; zirconium

Zircon, a zirconium silicate, is currently the most important commercial zirconium-bearing mineral. Baddeleyite, a natural form of zirconia, is less important but has some specific end uses. Both zircon and baddeleyite occur in hard-rock and placer deposits, but at present all zircon production is from placer deposits. Most baddeleyite production is from hard-rock deposits, principally as a byproduct of copper and phosphate-rock mining. World zirconium resources in identified, economically exploitable deposits are about 46 times current production rates. Of these resources, some 71 percent are in South Africa, Australia, and the United States. The principal end uses of zirconium minerals are in ceramic applications and as refractories, abrasives, and mold linings in foundries. A minor amount, mainly of zircon, is used for the production of hafnium-free zirconium metal, which is used principally for sheathing fuel elements in nuclear reactors and in the chemical-processing industry, aerospace engineering, and electronics. Australia and South Africa are the largest zircon producers and account for more than 70 percent of world output; the United States and the Soviet Union account for another 20 percent. South Africa accounts for almost all the world's production of baddeleyite, which is about 2 percent of world production of contained zirconia. Australia and South Africa are the largest exporters of zircon. Unless major new deposits are developed in countries that have not traditionally produced zircon, the pattern of world production is unlikely to change by 2020. The proportions, however, of production that come from existing producing countries may change somewhat.

Circular↗
USGS2008

Potential Chemical Effects of Changes in the Source of Water Supply for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority

Chemical modeling was used by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority (henceforth, Authority), to gain insight into the potential chemical effects that could occur in the Authority's water distribution system as a result of changing the source of water used for municipal and industrial supply from ground water to surface water, or to some mixture of the two sources. From historical data, representative samples of ground-water and surface-water chemistry were selected for modeling under a range of environmental conditions anticipated to be present in the distribution system. Mineral phases calculated to have the potential to precipitate from ground water were compared with the compositions of precipitate samples collected from the current water distribution system and with mineral phases calculated to have the potential to precipitate from surface water and ground-water/surface-water mixtures. Several minerals that were calculated to have the potential to precipitate from ground water in the current distribution system were identified in precipitate samples from pipes, reservoirs, and water heaters. These minerals were the calcium carbonates aragonite and calcite, and the iron oxides/hydroxides goethite, hematite, and lepidocrocite. Several other minerals that were indicated by modeling to have the potential to precipitate were not found in precipitate samples. For most of these minerals, either the kinetics of formation were known to be unfavorable under conditions present in the distribution system or the minerals typically are not formed through direct precipitation from aqueous solutions. The minerals with potential to precipitate as simulated for surface-water samples and ground-water/surface-water mixtures were quite similar to the minerals with potential to precipitate from ground-water samples. Based on the modeling results along with kinetic considerations, minerals that appear most likely to either dissolve or newly precipitate when surface water or ground-water/surface-water mixtures are delivered through the Authority's current distribution system are carbonates (particularly aragonite and calcite). Other types of minerals having the potential to dissolve or newly precipitate under conditions present throughout most of the distribution system include a form of silica, an aluminum hyroxide (gibbsite or diaspore), or the Fe-containing mineral Fe3(OH)8. Dissolution of most of these minerals (except perhaps the Fe-containing minerals) is not likely to substantially affect trace-element concentrations or aesthetic characteristics of delivered water, except perhaps hardness. Precipitation of these minerals would probably be of concern only if the quantities of material involved were large enough to clog pipes or fixtures. The mineral Fe3(OH)8 was not found in the current distribution system. Some Fe-containing minerals that were identified in the distribution system were associated with relatively high contents of selected elements, including As, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn. However, these Fe-containing minerals were not identified as minerals likely to dissolve when the source of water was changed from ground water to surface water or a ground-water/surface-water mixture. Based on the modeled potential for calcite precipitation and additional calculations of corrosion indices ground water, surface water, and ground-water/surface-water mixtures are not likely to differ greatly in corrosion potential. In particular, surface water and ground-water/surface-water mixtures do not appear likely to dissolve large quantities of existing calcite and expose metal surfaces in the distribution system to substantially increased corrosion. Instead, modeling calculations indicate that somewhat larger masses of material would tend to precipitate from surface water or ground-water/surface-water mixtures compared to ground water alone.

Scientific Investigations Report↗
USGS1981

Effects of industrial effluents, heavy metals, and organic solvents on mallard embryo development

Mallard eggs were externally exposed at 3 and 8 days of incubation to 7 different industrial effluents and to 7 different heavy metal, organic solvent, and petroleum solutions to screen for potential embryo-toxic effects. This route of exposure was chosen in order to simulate the transfer of pollutant from the plumage of aquatic birds to their eggs. Five of the effluents including mineral pigment, scouring effluent, sludge, and tannery effluent resulted in small but significant reductions in embryonic growth. Treatment with methyl mercury chloride solution of 50 ppm (Hg) impaired embryonic growth but much higher concentrations were required to affect survival and cause teratogenic effects. Oil used to suppress road dust was the most toxic of the pollutants tested and only 0.5 microliter/egg caused 60% mortality by 18 days of development. These findings, in combination with other studies suggest that petroleum pollutants, or effluents in combination with petroleum, may pose a hazard to birds' eggs when exposure is by this route.

Toxicology Letters↗
USGS1993

Fish meal and alternate sources of protein in fish feeds: Update 1993

Close to 12% of the world's 6.5 million metric tons of fish meal is used for aquaculture feeds. If current trends continue, roughly 20% to 25% of total world fish meal production could be used for aquaculture by the year 2000. Fish stocks used in fish meal reduction, however, appear to be in worldwide decline. A growing fish farming industry and a stagnating, if not diminishing, supply of fish meal have sobering economic and technologic implications for fish culture. Unless suitable alternate protein sources are found or other animal feeds begin to rely less on fish meal, fish production costs can be expected to increase dramatically. A precedent was set by the poultry industry, the most economically successful and competitive of the animal agriculture industries. Twenty years ago, the poultry industry consumed up to 80% of fish meal supplies. Through deliberate and well-organized research into alternate protein sources, the industry now uses less than 40% of supplies, and the trend is toward complete independence from fish meal. A comparable research effort is needed for aquaculture. Considering the biotechnologies available, plant proteins, processed to remove enzyme inhibitors and other antinutritional factors and properly supplemented with essential amino acids and minerals where needed, could produce results at least equivalent to those obtained with fish meal.

Fisheries↗
USGS1987

Chemical characteristics of water in the surficial aquifer system, Broward County, Florida

Water quality data was collected in 1981 and 1982 during the drilling of test holes at 27 sites throughout Broward County, Florida. Determinations were made for the following physical properties and chemical constituents: pH, alkalinity, specific conductance, major ions, selected nutrients and dissolved iron, aluminum, and manganese. Determinations for the trace elements-arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, zinc, selenium, and mercury-were made at 14 wells. Water in the surficial aquifer system between the coastal ridge and the conservation areas is potable and usually is a calcium bicarbonate type for the first 140 ft or more below land surface. Between depths of 140 and 230 ft, groundwater generally grades into a mixed-ion water type. In some areas, diluted seawater occurs beneath the mixed water zone. Dissolved iron concentrations between the coastal ridge and the conservation areas are variable but generally exceed 1,000 micrograms/L. Beneath the conservation areas and the western edge of Broward County, groundwater in the first 100 ft below land surface generally is either a calcium bicarbonate type or a mixed-ion type. At depths between 100 and 200 ft, diluted residual seawater occurs, except along the far western edge of the county. Residual seawater is least diluted in the north. Dissolved iron concentrations generally are between 300 and 1 ,000 micrograms/L but increase to the east of the conservation areas. Other findings of the investigation include: (1) groundwater in some areas west of the coastal ridge probably would be suitable for most domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses if it were treated for carbonate hardness; (2) groundwater in much of Broward County is chemically altered by natural softening and magnesium enrichment (natural softening increases to the west and is very pronounced beneath the far western edge of the county); and (3) there is evidence of mineralized water from the conservation areas mixing with groundwater east of the levees. (Lantz-PTT)

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2009

Mineral resource of the month: zinc

The article provides information on zinc, the fourth most-widely consumed metal. It traces the first use of zinc with the Romans' production of brass. It describes the presence of zinc in Earth's crust and the importance of sphalerite as a source of zinc and other some minor metal production. The production and consumption of zinc as well as the commercial and industrial uses of this metal are also discussed.

Earth↗
USGS2008

Factors that Influence the Price of Al, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Rare Earth Elements, and Zn

This report is based on a presentation delivered at The 12th International Battery Materials Recycling Seminar, March 17-20, 2008, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., about the factors that influence prices for aluminum, cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, nickel, rare earth elements, and zinc. These are a diverse group of metals that are of interest to the battery recycling industry. Because the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) closely monitors, yet neither buys nor sells, metal commodities, it is an unbiased source of metal price information and analysis. The authors used information about these and other metals collected and published by the USGS (U.S. production, trade, stocks, and prices and world production) and internationally (consumption and stocks by country) from industry organizations, because metal markets are influenced by activities and events over the entire globe. Long-term prices in this report, represented by unit values, were adjusted to 1998 constant dollars to remove the effects of inflation. A previous USGS study in this subject area was 'Economic Drivers of Mineral Supply' by Lorie A. Wagner, Daniel E. Sullivan, and John L. Sznopek (USGS Open File Report 02-335). By seeking a common cause for common behavior of prices among the various metal commodities, the authors found that major factors that influence prices of metal commodities were international events such as wars and recessions, and national events such as the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and economic growth in China, which started its open door policy in the 1970s but did not have significant market impact until the 1990s. Metal commodity prices also responded to commodity-specific events such as tariff or usage changes or mine strikes. It is shown that the prices of aluminum, cadmium, copper, iron, lead, nickel, and zinc are at historic highs, that world stocks are at (or near) historic lows, and that China's consumption of these metals had increased substantially, making it the world's leading consumer of these metals.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2015

Antimony: a flame fighter

Antimony is a brittle, silvery-white semimetal that conducts heat poorly. The chemical compound antimony trioxide (Sb 2 O 3 ) is widely used in plastics, rubbers, paints, and textiles, including industrial safety suits and some children’s clothing, to make them resistant to the spread of flames. Also, sodium antimonate (NaSbO 3 ) is used during manufacturing of high-quality glass, which is found in cellular phones. Humans have known about stibnite (Sb 2 S 3 ), a lead gray antimony sulfide mineral, since ancient times. Egyptians used powdered stibnite in black eye makeup to create their signature look. Pedanius Dioscorides, a 1st century A.D. Greek physician, recommended stibnite for skin ailments. French and German doctors in the 17th century prescribed antimony-containing mixtures to induce vomiting. Antimony was later recognized to be an intense skin irritant and a lethal toxin, particularly when swallowed. In the 11th century, the word antimonium was used by medieval scholar Constantinus Africanus, but antimony metal was not isolated until the 16th century by Vannoccio Biringuccio, an Italian metallurgist. In the early 18th century, chemist Jons Jakob Berzelius chose the periodic symbol for antimony (Sb) based on stibium, which is the Latin name for stibnite.

Fact Sheet↗
USGS2015

Geologic map of Kundelan ore deposits and prospects, Zabul Province, Afghanistan; modified from the 1971 original map compilations of K.I. Litvinenko and others

This map and cross sections are redrafted modified versions of the Geological map of the Kundelan ore deposit area, scale 1:10,000 (graphical supplement no. 18) and the Geological map of the Kundelan deposits, scale 1:2,000 (graphical supplement no. 3) both contained in an unpublished Soviet report by Litvinenko and others (1971) (report no. 0540). The unpublished Soviet report was prepared in cooperation with the Ministry of Mines and Industries of the Royal Government of Afghanistan in Kabul during 1971. This redrafted map and cross sections illustrate the geology of the main Kundelan copper-gold skarn deposit, located within the Kundelan copper and gold area of interest (AOI), Zabul Province, Afghanistan. Areas of interest (AOIs) of non-fuel mineral resources within Afghanistan were first described and defined by Peters and others (2007) and later by the work of Peters and others (2011a). The location of the main Kundelan copper-gold skarn deposit (area of this map) and the Kundelan copper and gold AOI is shown on the index map provided on this map sheet. The estimated resources of the Kundelan copper-gold skarn deposit are 21,400 metric tons (t) of copper, 1.6 t of gold, and 133.4 t of molybdenum at an average grade of 1.21 weight percent (wt. %) copper (ranging from 0.66 to 4.03 wt. % copper); 0.9 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold (ranging from 0.3 to 3.1 g/t gold); 0.14 wt. % molybdenum; and as much as 10 g/t silver and 0.03 wt. % bismuth (Peters and others, 2011b). Small past production of gold and base metals is also reported by Douvgal and others (1971) from many prospects within the Kundelan copper and gold AOI. Outside the skarn areas, argillic hydrothermal alteration is present (Abdullah and others, 1977). Most copper and gold prospects in the Kundelan copper and gold AOI are reported to contain commercial-grade ores of copper and (or) gold, and many prospect areas have potential for these commodities to be discovered in commercial volumes. Future initial mine exploration and later development in many of the prospects, and specifically in the Kundelan copper-gold skarn deposit, could result in near-term small- to medium-sized gold mining operations (Peters and others, 2011b). The redrafted map and cross sections reproduce the topology of rock units, contacts, faults, and so forth, of the original Soviet map and cross sections, and they include modifications based on our examination of these documents and our observations made during a brief field visit in August of 2010. We have attempted to translate the original Russian terminology and rock classifications into modern English geologic usage as literally as possible without changing any genetic or process-oriented implications in the original descriptions. We also use the age designations from the original Soviet maps, except for the phase I and II intrusive igneous rocks. Phase I and II igneous rocks are reassigned an Early Cretaceous age (from lower Paleogene) based on a uranium-lead (U-Pb) zircon SHRIMP analysis from quartz diorite, which yielded an age of 104±1 Ma (mega-annum). The information provided in the description of map units is from both the source report by Litvinenko and others (1971) and the original 1:10,000 scale map (graphical supplement no. 18), also from Litvinenko and others (1971). Because of the poor quality of the original map, some map features could not be identified and some features may be misinterpreted. The rock unit colors used on the redrafted maps and cross sections differ from the colors shown on the original Soviet version. Colors were selected according to the color and pattern scheme of the Commission for the Geological Map of the World (CGMW) at http://www.ccgm.org. Elevations on the cross sections are derived from the original Soviet topography and may not match the Global Digital Elevation Model (GDEM) topography used on the redrafted map of this report. Most hydrography derived from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) has not been included on our redrafted version of the map because of a poor fit with alluvial deposits from the unmodified original Soviet map (graphical supplement no. 18; Litvinenko and others, 1971).

Zabul Province↗
USGS2023

Assessment of lunar resource exploration in 2022

The idea of mining the Moon, once purely science-fiction, is now on the verge of becoming reality. Taking advantage of the resources on the Moon is part of the plans of many nations and some enterprising commercial entities; demonstrating in-situ (in place) resource utilization near the lunar south pole is an explicit goal of the United States’ Artemis program. Economic extraction and sustainable management of these resources require understanding the nature, quantity, and quality of each resource. This publication aims to provide a relatively simple, but technically rigorous, assessment of the status of lunar resource exploration in 2022. Building on the experience of the U.S. Geological Survey in conducting resource assessments for Earth, we propose a general methodology for quantitative lunar resources assessments. Lunar resources can be categorized as energy, mineral, and water and classified with respect to their certainty and their recoverability. The portion of the technically recoverable resource that can be converted to a commodity within budgetary and other mission constraints can be classified as a “reserve.” For energy resources, solar energy is known to be especially abundant along some high ridges near the lunar poles and the technology to exploit it is mature. Mineral resources, largely in the form of loose rock powder that covers the surface of the Moon, are also widely accessible in large quantities. Many different technologies to convert this material into useful commodities (such as landing pads and oxygen) are currently being developed and are likely to be available for industrial-scale application within 30 years. Water ice almost certainly exists in the polar regions of the Moon but there are fundamental unanswered questions about when and how the ice formed—leaving us without knowledge of the form, quantity, quality, and distribution of lunar ice. Until rover missions bring new ground truth data, lunar ice will remain a highly speculative resource that may be both limited and non-renewable.

Circular↗
USGS1983

U.S. Geological Survey program of offshore resource and geoenvironmental studies, Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico region, from September 1, 1976, to December 31, 1978

Mineral and energy resources of the continental margins of the United States arc important to the Nation's commodity independence and to its balance of payments. These resources are being studied along the continental margins of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico in keeping with the mission of the U.S. Geological Survey to survey the geologic structures, mineral resources, and products of the national domain.'(Organic Act of 1879). An essential corollary to these resource studies is the study of potential geologic hazards that may be associated with offshore resource exploration and exploitation. In cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the Geological Survey, through its Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program, carries out extensive research to evaluate hazards from sediment mobility, shallow gas, and slumping and to acquire information on the distribution and concentration of trace metals and biogenic and petroleum-derived hydrocarbons in sea-floor sediments. All these studies arc providing needed background information, including information on pollutant dispersal, on the nearshore, estuarine, and lacustrine areas that may be near pipeline and nuclear powerplant sites. Users of these data include the Congress, many Federal agencies, the coastal States, private industry, academia, and the concerned public. The results of the regional structural, stratigraphic, and resource studies carried out under the Atlantic-Gulf of Mexico Marine Geology Program have been used by the Geological Survey and the Bureau of Land Management to select areas for future leasing and to aid in the evaluation of tracts nominated for leasing. Resource studies have concentrated mostly on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf frontier areas. Geologic detailing of five major basins along the U.S. Atlantic margin, where sediments are as much as 14 km thick, have been revealed by 25,000 km of 24-and 48-channel common-depth-point seismic data, 187,000 km of acromagnetic data, and 39,000 km of gravity data, plus 10,000 samples and logs obtained from U.S. Geological Survey and industry drilling (for example, coreholes of the Atlantic Slope Program, Joint Oceanographic Institutions Deep Earth Sampling, Continental Offshore Stratigraphic Tests, and the Atlantic Margin Coring Program). A sedimentary section of Jurassic and Cretaceous age grades from terrigenous clastic rocks nearshore to carbonate rocks offshore; this section is part of an extensive buried bank-platform complex that could contain large reserves of natural gas and oil. The volume of sediment deposited offshore far exceeds the volume deposited onshore where extensive accumulations of oil, gas, and minerals have been found. Commercial exploratory drilling offshore thus far has been limited to the Baltimore Canyon Trough area off New Jersey, where at least two holes have found gas; leasing has taken place in the Southeast Georgia Embayment, where drilling was scheduled to begin in 1979, and is imminent in the Georges Bank area off New England. In addition, hydrogeologic and hydrochemical data obtained from the drilling studies have delineated freshwater-bearing submarine extensions of land aquifers that are important coastal ground-water resources. Hazards in the Georges Bank area include sand mobility associated with strong currents and storm-driven waves; high concentrations of suspended sediment in the water column that, when mixed with spilled oil, may sink to the bottom; and slumping along the upper slope. In the Baltimore Canyon, high sediment mobility accompanies major winter storms, and slumped material may cover as much as 20 percent of the upper slope. Potentially unstable slope areas are being studied in great detail to provide data on timing, triggering mechanisms, and rates of sediment movement. In the Southeast Georgia Embayment and Blake Plateau Basin, strong Gulf Stream flow poses a major problem to all offshore operations. In the Gulf o

Circular↗
USGS2017

Rare-earth elements

The rare-earth elements (REEs) are 15 elements that range in atomic number from 57 (lanthanum) to 71 (lutetium); they are commonly referred to as the “lanthanides.” Yttrium (atomic number 39) is also commonly regarded as an REE because it shares chemical and physical similarities and has affinities with the lanthanides. Although REEs are not rare in terms of average crustal abundance, the concentrated deposits of REEs are limited in number. Because of their unusual physical and chemical properties, the REEs have diverse defense, energy, industrial, and military technology applications. The glass industry is the leading consumer of REE raw materials, which are used for glass polishing and as additives that provide color and special optical properties to the glass. Lanthanum-based catalysts are used in petroleum refining, and cerium-based catalysts are used in automotive catalytic converters. The use of REEs in magnets is a rapidly increasing application. Neodymium-iron-boron magnets, which are the strongest known type of magnets, are used when space and weight are restrictions. Nickel-metal hydride batteries use anodes made of a lanthanum-based alloys. China, which has led the world production of REEs for decades, accounted for more than 90 percent of global production and supply, on average, during the past decade. Citing a need to retain its limited REE resources to meet domestic requirements as well as concerns about the environmental effects of mining, China began placing restrictions on the supply of REEs in 2010 through the imposition of quotas, licenses, and taxes. As a result, the global rare-earth industry has increased its stockpiling of REEs; explored for deposits outside of China; and promoted new efforts to conserve, recycle, and substitute for REEs. New mine production began at Mount Weld in Western Australia, and numerous other exploration and development projects noted in this chapter are ongoing throughout the world. The REE-bearing minerals are diverse and often complex in composition. At least 245 individual REE-bearing minerals are recognized; they are mainly carbonates, fluorocarbonates, and hydroxylcarbonates (n = 42); oxides (n = 59); silicates (n = 85); and phosphates (n = 26). Many of the world’s significant REE deposits occur in carbonatites, which are carbonate igneous rocks. The REEs also have a strong genetic association with alkaline magmatism. The systematic geologic and chemical processes that explain these observations are not well understood. Economic or potentially economic REE deposits have been found in (a) carbonatites, (b) peralkaline igneous systems, (c) magmatic magnetite-hematite bodies, (d) iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits, (e) xenotime-monazite accumulations in mafic gneiss, (f) ion-absorption clay deposits, and (g) monazite-xenotime-bearing placer deposits. Carbonatites have been the world’s main source for the light REEs since the 1960s. Ion-adsorption clay deposits in southern China are the world’s primary source of the heavy REEs. Monazite-bearing placer deposits were important sources of REEs before the mid-1960s and may be again in the future. In recent years, REEs have been produced from large carbonatite bodies mined at the Mountain Pass deposit in California and, in China, at the Bayan Obo deposit in Nei Mongol Autonomous Region, the Maoniuping deposit in Sichuan Province, the Daluxiang deposit in Sichuan Province, and the Weishan deposit in Anhui Province. Alkaline igneous complexes have recently been targeted for exploration because of their enrichments in the heavy REEs. Information relevant to the environmental aspects of REE mining is limited. Little is known about the aquatic toxicity of REEs. The United States lacks drinking water standards for REEs. The concentrations of REEs in environmental media are influenced by their low abundances in crustal rocks and their limited solubility in most groundwaters and surface waters. The scarcity of sulfide minerals, including pyrite, minimizes or eliminates concerns about acid-mine drainage for carbonatite-hosted deposits and alkaline-intrusion-related REE deposits. For now, insights into environmental responses of REE mine wastes must rely on predictive models.

Professional Paper↗
USGS1972

Water-temperature data acquisition activities in the United States

Along with the growing interest in water quality during the last decade, the need for data on all types of water-quality parameters has also increased. One parameter of particular interest, because of its many ramifications, is temperature. It influences many of the chemical and physical processes that take place in water. The solubility of gases--for example, oxygen and carbon dioxide--and the solution of mineral matter in water are functions of temperature. Such physical properties as density and viscosity vary with temperature. Oxidation of organic materials, as well as algal and bacterial growth, is promoted or retarded by favorable or unfavorable temperatures. Further, temperature bears on the utility of water: as a source of public water supplies; for industrial use, particularly if the water is used for cooling; and in the field of recreation involving contact sports, fishing, and fish culture. In recent years, temperature changes resulting from inflow of heated industrial waste, particularly effluent from power generating plants, have increased the need for temperature data to determine the degree of change, its effect on ecology, and the effect of any remedial action. Thus, because of the many extensive and intensive effects, a large amount of temperature data is collected on surface and ground waters by many agencies throughout the country. Moreover, because of its importance, there is a widespread interest in temperature even by those who are not active collectors of the data themselves. The industrialist, the manager, the public official, and others at one time or another may have need for temperature data and may well raise the questions: Who is collecting temperature data? What is the extent of the activity? Where are the data being collected? The purpose of this report is to answer these questions. The information in the report is confined to the activities of Federal and non-Federal agencies. It is based on information furnished to the Office of Water Data Coordination, U.S. Geological Survey, and published in the "Catalog of Information on Water Data, Index to Water Quality Section, Edition 1970." This is one of four indexes, each of which is a separate section of the Catalog. Three of the indexes, "Index to Water-Quality Section," "Index to Surface-Water Section," and "Index to Ground-.Water Stations," contain information on data acquired on a recurrent basis at specific locations for a period of 3 years or more. The fourth section, "Index to Areal Investigations and Miscellaneous Activities," is concerned with specific projects or shorter-term data activities that involve field or laboratory measurements or observations not included in any other section of the Catalog. The Catalog is a record of activities throughout the country (and in some places along the international border between the United States and Canada) conducted by Federal and non-Federal agencies engaged in the acquisition of water data and who furnish such information for presentation in the Catalog. The Catalog itself is an outgrowth of an assignment to the Department of the Interior and in turn to the Geological Survey, by the Office of Management and Budget, through the medium of OMB Circular A-67. This Circular states in part that one of the assigned responsibilities will be maintenance of a "central catalog of information on...water data and on Federal activities being planned or conducted to acquire such data." As an extension of this activity, non-Federal agencies are solicited to participate in the program. In this report, information is presented by means of tables and illustrations preceded by brief explanations. It includes the agencies collecting the data, the number of stations located on surface and ground waters where temperature measurements are made, the distribution of stations by States and by the 21 regions of the Water Resources Council (WRC) (a Federal agency created in accordance with the Water Resources Planning Act of 1965), and the frequency of measurements. Acquisition activities were not reported for those areas left blank on some illustrations. The report does not contain the actual temperature data. For this information, the particular agency, Federal or non-Federal, acquiring the data will have to be contacted. However, a bibliography at the end of this report lists 194 references which contain temperature data. Many of these references, especially the publications of the Geological Survey, may be available in major public and university libraries and libraries of Federal and non-Federal agencies.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗
USGS2006

Mineral resource of the month: bismuth

Bismuth compounds are most known for their soothing effects on the stomach, wounds and sores. These properties make the compounds an essential part of many medicinal and cosmetic preparations, which until 1930 accounted for about 90 percent of the bismuth used. The subsequent development of low-melting alloys and chemical catalysts containing bismuth, as well as its use as an additive to casting alloys, has resulted in a wider variety of industrial applications for bismuth.

Geotimes↗
USGS2003

Geoenvironmental Investigations of the Humboldt River Basin, Northern Nevada

Northern Nevada is one of the world's foremost regions of gold production. The Humboldt River Basin (HRB) covers 43,500 km2 in northern Nevada (Crompton, 1995), and it is home to approximately 18 active gold and silver mines (Driesner and Coyner, 2001) among at least 55 significant metallic mineral deposits (Long and others, 1998). Many of the gold mines are along the Carlin trend in the east-central portion of the HRB, and together they have produced 50 million ounces of gold from 1962 (when the Carlin mine first opened) through April 2002 (Nevada Mining Association, 2002). Mining is not new to the region, however. Beginning in 1849, mining has taken place in numerous districts that cover 39 percent of the land area in the HRB (Tingley, 1998). In addition to gold and silver, As, Ba, Cu, Fe, Hg, Li, Mn, Mo, Pb, S, Sb, V, W, Zn, and industrial commodities such as barite, limestone, fluorite, sand and gravel, gypsum, gemstones, pumice, zeolites, and building stone, have been extracted from the HRB (McFaul and others, 2000). All papers within this series of investigations can be found as lettered chapters of USGS Bulletin 2210, Geoenvironmental Investigations of the Humboldt River Basin, Northern Nevada. Each chapter is available separately online. The data and software utilized in this product (Chapter F) permit the user to view and analyze the geographic relationships among chemistry of stream sediments and surface waters, geology, and various cartographic base information such as but not limited to cities, county boundaries, and land ownership. Data for this product were compiled and or produced as part of a mineral and environmental assessment of the Humboldt River basin conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey between 1995 - 2000.

Bulletin↗
USGS2011

Carbonatite and alkaline intrusion-related rare earth element deposits–A deposit model

The rare earth elements are not as rare in nature as their name implies, but economic deposits with these elements are not common and few deposits have been large producers. In the past 25 years, demand for rare earth elements has increased dramatically because of their wide and diverse use in high-technology applications. Yet, presently the global production and supply of rare earth elements come from only a few sources. China produces more than 95 percent of the world's supply of rare earth elements. Because of China's decision to restrict exports of these elements, the price of rare earth elements has increased and industrial countries are concerned about supply shortages. As a result, understanding the distribution and origin of rare earth elements deposits, and identifying and quantifying our nation's rare earth elements resources have become priorities. Carbonatite and alkaline intrusive complexes, as well as their weathering products, are the primary sources of rare earth elements. The general mineral deposit model summarized here is part of an effort by the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resources Program to update existing models and develop new descriptive mineral deposit models to supplement previously published models for use in mineral-resource and mineral-environmental assessments. Carbonatite and alkaline intrusion-related REE deposits are discussed together because of their spatial association, common enrichment in incompatible elements, and similarities in genesis. A wide variety of commodities have been exploited from carbonatites and alkaline igneous rocks, such as rare earth elements, niobium, phosphate, titanium, vermiculite, barite, fluorite, copper, calcite, and zirconium. Other enrichments include manganese, strontium, tantalum, thorium, vanadium, and uranium.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1956

Water requirements of the carbon-black industry

Carbon blacks include an important group of industrial carbons used chiefly as a reinforcing agent in rubber tires. In 1953 more than 1,610 million pounds of carbon black was produced, of which approximately 1,134 million pounds was consumed by the rubber industry. The carbon-black industry uses small quantities of water as compared to some industries; however, the water requirements of the industry are important because of the dependence of the rubber-tire industry on carbon black. Two methods are used in the manufacture of carbon black - contact and furnace. The only process use of water in the contact method is that used in pelleting. Water is used also in the plant washhouse and for cleaning, and sometimes the company camp may be supplied by the plant. A survey made during the last quarter of 1953 showed that the average values of unit water use at contact plants for process use, all plant uses, and all uses including company camps are 0.08, 0.14, and 0.98 gallon of water per pound of carbon black respectively. In addition to use in wet pelleting, large quantities of water are required in continuous and cyclic furnace methods to reduce the temperature of the gases of decomposition in order to separate and collect the entrained carbon black. The 22 furnace plants in operation in 1953 used a total of 12.4 million gallons per day for process use. Four furnace plants generate electric power for plant use; condenser-cooling water for one such plant may nearly equal the requirements of the entire industry for process use. The average values of unit water use at furnace plants for process use, all plant uses and all uses including company camps but excluding power generation are 3.26, 3.34, and 3.45 gallons of water per pound of carbon black respectively. Carbon-black plants in remote, sparsely settled areas often must maintain company camps for employees. Twenty-one of twenty-seven contact plants surveyed in 1953 had company camps. These camps used large quantities of water: 0.84 gallon per pound of carbon black as compared to 0.14 gallon per pound used in the plants. Furnace plants can generally be located near a labor supply and, therefore, do not require company camps. Ten of the twenty-two furnace plants surveyed in 1953 had company camps. Because water used for pelleting and gas quenching is evaporated, leaving the dissolved minerals in the product as objectionable impurities, particular attention was paid to the quality of water available for use at the plants visited during the 1953 survey. Reports of chemical analyses of water samples were obtained at 23 plants. A study of these reports does not develop a pattern of the limits of tolerance of dissolved solids in water used in process or of the need for water treatment based on geographical location of the plant. However these analyses show that water used for quenching contains less dissolved solids than water used by the industry for any other purpose. Based on trends in the industry it is expected that the quantity of water used by the carbon-black industry will increase more rapidly than will the quantity of carbon black produced because of the increasing percentage produced in furnace plants, and that selection of sites for modern furnace plants will be influenced more by quantity and quality of the available water supply than was the case in selecting sites for contact plants for which low-cost natural gas was the primary consideration.

Water Supply Paper↗