Geochemistry Commons^™

Chemical Openness And Potential For Misinterpretation Of The Solute Environment Of Coastal Sabkhat, Warren W. Wood, Ward E. Sanford, Shaun K. Frape

Geochemistry of Sulfate Minerals: A Tribute to Robert O. Rye

Sabkha deposits in the geologic record are commonly used to interpret the environmental conditions of deposition. Implicit in this use is the assumption that the solute system is chemically closed, that is, the authigenic minerals represent the composition of the fluids in their environment of origin. Thermodynamic and mass-balance calculations based on measurements of water and solute flux of contemporary Abu Dhabi coastal sabkha system, however, demonstrate that the system is open for sodium and chloride, where nearly half of the input is lost, but closed for sulfur, where nearly 100% is retained. Sulfur and chloride isotopes were consistent with …

The Composition Of Coexisting Jarosite-Group Minerals And Water From The Richmond Mine, Iron Mountain, California, Heather E. Jamieson, Clare Robinson, Charles N. Alpers, D. Kirk Nordstrom, Alexei Poustovetov, Heather A. Lowers

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Jarosite-group minerals accumulate in the form of stalactites and fine-grained mud on massive pyrite in the D drift of the Richmond mine, Iron Mountain, California. Water samples were collected by placing beakers under the dripping stalactites and by extracting pore water from the mud using a centrifuge. The water is rich in Fe³⁺ and SO₄^2–, with a pH of approximately 2.1, which is significantly higher than the extremely acidic waters found elsewhere in the mine. Electron-microprobe analysis and X-ray mapping indicate that the small crystals (<10 > μm in diameter) are compositionally zoned with respect to Na …

Origin Of Secondary Sulfate Minerals On Active Andesitic Stratovolcanoes, D.R. Zimbelman, Robert O. Rye, G.N. Breit

Geochemistry of Sulfate Minerals: A Tribute to Robert O. Rye

Sulfate minerals in altered rocks on the upper flanks and summits of active andesitic stratovolcanoes result from multiple processes. The origin of these sulfates at five active volcanoes, Citlalte´petl (Mexico), and Mount Adams, Hood, Rainier, and Shasta (Cascade Range, USA), was investigated using field observations, petrography, mineralogy, chemical modeling, and stable-isotope data. The four general groups of sulfate minerals identified are: (1) alunite group, (2) jarosite group, (3) readily soluble Fe- and Al-hydroxysulfates, and (4) simple alkaline-earth sulfates such as anhydrite, gypsum, and barite. Generalized assemblages of spatially associated secondary minerals were recognized: (1) alunite+silica±pyrite±kaolinite±gypsum±sulfur, (2) jarosite+alunite+silica; (3) jarosite+smectite+silica±pyrite, (4) …

Sulfur And Oxygen Isotopic Record In Sulfate And Sulfide Minerals Of Early, Deep, Pre-Main Stage Porphyry Cu–Mo And Late Main Stage Base-Metal Mineral Deposits, Butte District, Montana, C.W. Field, L. Zhang, J.H. Dilles, Robert O. Rye, M.H. Reed

Geochemistry of Sulfate Minerals: A Tribute to Robert O. Rye

Typical porphyry-type Cu–Mo mineralization occupies two connected domal centers, the eastern Pittsmont and western Anaconda domes, that predate and largely underlie the well-known, throughgoing, Main Stage polymetallic veins of Butte. Among the sulfur-bearing minerals recovered from deep drill core of this early pre-Main Stage hydrothermal assemblage are anhydrite, chalcopyrite, pyrite, and molybdenite in veinlets bordered by K-silicate alteration, and pyrite from slightly younger quartz–pyrite veinlets with dgray-sericiticT alteration selvages. The ranges of δ³⁴S values for minerals of the K-silicate assemblage are 9.8–18.2%◦ for anhydrite (n=23 samples), 3.0%◦ to 4.7%◦ for molybdenite (n=6), 0.4%◦ to 3.4%◦ for pyrite (n=19), …

Mute Swans And Their Chesapeake Bay Habitats:Proceedings Of A Symposium, Matthew C. Perry

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The symposium “Mute Swans and their Chesapeake Bay Habitats,” held on June 7, 2001, provided a forum for biologists and managers to share research findings and management ideas concerning the exotic and invasive mute swan (Cygnus olor). This species has been increasing in population size and is considered by many to be a problem in regard to natural food resources in the Bay that are used by native waterfowl during the winter months. Other persons, however, feel that resource managers are attempting to create a problem to justify more killing of waterfowl by hunters. Some persons also believe …

Rare-Earth Elements And Nd And Pb Isotopes As Source Indicators For Labrador Sea Clay-Size Sediments During Heinrich Event 2, Larry V. Benson, Don Barber, John T. Andrews, Howard E. Taylor, Paul Lamothe

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Elemental abundances and Nd and Pb isotope ratios were determined on samples from the carbonate-free, clay-size fractions of sediments from intervals above, within, and below Heinrich event 2 (H-2) in core HU87-9 from the Northwest Labrador Sea slope. In HU87-9, rare-earth element (REE) distributions and elemental concentrations within the H-2 event are distinct from those outside this event. ɛ_Nd(0) and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb data also indicate different values for sediments deposited within and outside the H-2 event. Comparisons of REE patterns from the H-2 interval with those from bedrock units in Baffin Island, northern Quebec, and Labrador …

Development Of A Circa 2000 Landcover Database For The United States, Collin Homer, Chengquan Huang, Limin Yang, Bruce K. Wylie

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Multi-Resolution Land Characterization 2000 (MRLC 2000) is a second-generation federal consortium to create an updated pool of nation-wide Landsat 7 imagery, and derive a second-generation National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2000). This multi-layer, multisource database will include a suite of 30-meter resolution data that will serve as standardized ingredients for the production of land cover – both nationally and locally. This database will also provide the framework to allow flexibility in developing and applying suites of independent data layers. These nationally standardized independent data layers or components, will be useful not only within the land-cover classification but as data themes …

Derivation Of A Tasseled Cap Transformation Based On Landsat 7 At-Satellite Reflectance, C. Huang, Bruce K. Wylie, Limin Yang, Collin Homer, Gregory Zylstra

United States Geological Survey: Publications

A new tasseled cap transformation based on Landsat 7 at-satellite reflectance was developed. This transformation is most appropriate for regional applications where atmospheric correction is not feasible. The brightness, greenness and wetness of the derived transformation collectively explained over 97% of the spectral variance of the individual scenes used in this study.

Assessment Of Elemental Concentrations In Streams Of The New Lead Belt In Southeastern Missouri, 2002–05, William G. Brumbaugh, Thomas W. May, John M. Besser, Ann L. Allert, Christopher J. Schmitt

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Concerns about possible effects of lead-mining activities on the water quality of federally protected streams located in southeastern Missouri prompted a suite of multidisciplinary studies to be conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey. As part of this investigation, a series of biological studies were initiated in 2001 for streams in the current mining region and the prospecting area. In this report, results are examined for trace elements and other selected chemical measurements in sediment, surface water, and sediment interstitial (pore) water sampled between 2002 and 2005 in association with these biological studies. Compared to reference sites, fine sediments collected downstream …

Strontium Isotopic Signatures Of The Streams And Lakes Of Taylor Valley, Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica: Chemical Weathering In A Polar Climate, W. B. Lyons, Carmen A. Nezat, Larry V. Benson, Thomas D. Bullen, Elizabeth Y. Graham, Jesicca Kidd, Kathleen A. Welch, James M. Thomas

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We have collected and analyzed a series of water samples from three closed-basin lakes (Lakes Bonney, Fryxell, and Hoare) in Taylor Valley, Antarctica, and the streams that flow into them. In all three lakes, the hypolimnetic waters have different ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios than the surface waters, with the deep water of Lakes Fryxell and Hoare being less radiogenic than the surface waters. The opposite occurs in Lake Bonney. The Lake Fryxell isotopic ratios are lower than modern-day ocean water and most of the whole-rock ratios of the surrounding geologic materials. A conceivable source of Sr to the system …

At-Satellite Reflectance: A First Order Normalization Of Landsat 7 Etm+ Images, Chengquan Huang, Limin Yang, Collin Homer, Bruce K. Wylie, James E. Vogelmann, Thomas Defelice

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Regional Landsat applications often rely on clear and near cloud-free images. With the spectral value being represented by digital number (DN), however, such images contain substantial noises. A significant proportion of such noises can be normalized by converting the DN to at-satellite reflectance value. Being physically based and ready to automate, the conversion method can serve as a first order normalization of Landsat 7 images, making it possible to derive land surface information from such images more consistently.

A Strategy For Estimating Tree Canopy Density Using Landsat 7 Etm+ And High Resolution Images Over Large Areas, C. Huang, Limin Yang, Bruce K. Wylie, Collin Homer

United States Geological Survey: Publications

INTRODUCTION

The Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) consortium was initiated in early 1990s to address the need for consistently developed national and regional land cover data (Loveland and Shaw, 1996). Through this consortium, a 1992-vintage National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) was developed for the conterminous United States (Vogelmann et al., 2001), and a second generation National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD 2000) will be developed using 2000-vintage Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images and ancillary data. The 2000 NLCD will consist of a suite of data layers relevant to many applications, including a tree canopy density layer describing percentage of …

Land Cover Trends Dataset, 1973–2000, Christopher E. Soulard, William Acevedo, Roger F. Auch, Terry L. Sohl, Mark A. Drummond, Benjamin M. Sleeter, Daniel G. Sorenson, Steve Kambly, Tamara S. Wilson, Janis L. Taylor, Kristi L. Sayler, Michael P. Stier, Christopher A. Barnes, Steve C. Methven, Thomas R. Loveland, Rachel Headley, Mark S. Brooks

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The U.S. Geological Survey Land Cover Trends Project is releasing a 1973–2000 time-series land-use/land-cover dataset for the conterminous United States. The dataset contains 5 dates of land-use/land-cover data for 2,688 sample blocks randomly selected within 84 ecological regions. The nominal dates of the land-use/land-cover maps are 1973, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 2000. The land-use/land-cover maps were classified manually from Landsat Multispectral Scanner, Thematic Mapper, and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus imagery using a modified Anderson Level I classification scheme. The resulting land-use/land-cover data has a 60-meter resolution and the projection is set to Albers Equal-Area Conic, North American Datum of 1983. …

Water Quality In The Central Nebraska Basins, Nebraska, 1992-95, S. A. Frenzel, R. B. Swanson, T. L. Huntzinger, J. K. Stamer, P. J. Emmons, Ronald B. Zelt

United States Geological Survey: Publications

This report is intended to summarize major findings that emerged between 1992 and 1995 from the water-quality assessment of the Central Nebraska Basins Study Unit and to relate these findings to water-quality issues of regional and national concern. The information is primarily intended for those who are involved in waterresource management. Indeed, this report addresses many of the concerns raised by regulators, water-utility managers, industry representatives, and other scientists, engineers, public officials, and members of stakeholder groups who provided advice and input to the USGS during this NAWQA Study-Unit investigation. Yet, the information contained here may also interest those who …

Hydrogeology In The Vicinity Of The Nebraska Management Systems Evaluation Area Site, Centra! Nebraska, Virginia L. Mcguire, John M. Kilpatrick

United States Geological Survey: Publications

From 1991 to 1992, the U.S. Geological Survey participated with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in research activities at the Nebraska Management Systems Evaluation Area (MSEA) site near Shelton, Nebraska. The purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey study was to define the hydrogeologic system in the vicinity of the Nebraska MSEA site to aid the interpretation of ground-water sampling results by other researchers. The primary aquifer in the study area is the High Plains aquifer, which consists of an unconfined part, the shallow aquifer; a silt and clay unit that acts as a confining layer; …

Further Evidence Of Lead Contamination Of Omaha Skeletons, A. Mohamad Ghazi, Karl J. Reinhard, Mary Anne Holmes, Eric M. Durrance

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

A previous analysis of Omaha skeletons dating between A.D. 1780 and 1820 revealed the presence of lead in all skeletons with high concentrations in children and adult males (Reinhard and Ghazi [1992] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 89: 183-195). Two likely explanations for the high lead levels were presented: 1) metabolic absorption of lead and 2) diagenetic uptake of lead by the bones from postmortem application of pigments to the corpse. Two types of lead were available to the Omaha tribe: 1) Mississippi Valley type, and 2) non-Mississippi Valley type. It has been suggested that red-lead pigment mixed with mercury sulfide …

Epa's Map Of Radon Zones, Nebraska, Sharon W. White, Lisa Ratcliff, Kirk Maconaughey, R. Thomas Peake, Dave Rowson, Steve Page, Linda C. S. Gundersen, R. Randall Schumann, James K. Otton, Doug Owen, Russell Dubiel, Kendell Dickinson, Sandra L. Szarzi

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Sections 307 and 309 of the 1988 Indoor Radon Abatement Act (IRAA) direct EPA to identify areas of the United States that have the potential to produce elevated levels of radon. EPA, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Association of, American State Geologists (AASG) have worked closely over the past several years to produce a series of maps and documents which address these directives. The EPA Map of Radon Zones is a compilation of that work and fulfills the requirements of sections 307 and 309 of IRAA. The Map of Radon Zones identifies, on a county-by-county basis, areas of …

Water-Quality Assessment Of The Central Nebraska Basins: Summary Of Data For Recent Conditions Through 1990, Ronald B. Zelt, P. R. Jordan

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Among the first activities undertaken in each National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) investigation are the compilation, screening, and statistical summary of available data concerning recent water-quality conditions in the study unit. The water-quality conditions of interest in addressing the objectives of the NAWQA program are those that are representative of the general water quality of a given stream reach or area of an aquifer. This report (1) identifies which existing water-quality data are suitable for characterizing general conditions in a nationally consistent manner and (2) describes, to the extent possible, recent, general water-quality conditions in the Central Nebraska Basins. The study …

Reconnaissance Data For Selected Herbicides, Two Atrazine Metabolites, And Nitrate In Surface Water Of The Midwestern United States, 1989-90, Elisabeth A. Scribner, E. Michael Thurman, Donald A. Goolsby, Michael T. Meyer, Margaret S. Mills, Michael L. Pomes

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Water-quality data were collected from 147 rivers and streams during 1989-90 to determine the temporal and geographic distribution of selected preemergent herbicides, two atrazine metabolites, and nitrate in 10 Midwestern States. This report includes a description of the sampling design, data-collection techniques, laboratory and analytical methods, and a compilation of constituent concentrations and quality-assurance data. All water samples were collected by depth-integrating techniques at three to five locations across the wetted perimeter of each stream. Sites were sampled three times in 1989~before application of herbicides, during the first major runoff after application of herbicides, and in the fall during a …

Chemical Analyses Of Water From Selected Wells And Springs In The Yucca Mountain Area, Nevada And Southeastern California, P. W. Mckinley, M. P. Long, Larry Benson

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Chemical analysis of water samples from 279 wells and springs in the Yucca Mountain area are presented. Where data are available, this report includes: site location expressed as Nevada Central Coordinates and latitude and longitude; source of data; name of analyzing laboratory; geologic unit from which water was obtained; lithology; water use; elevation of well or spring; well depth; depth to water; time pumped before taking the sample; yield; type of filtration; sampling method; date the sample was collected; and anion-cation balance.

Yucca Mountain, Nevada (fig. 1), is being investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. …

Isotope Content And Temperature Of Precipitation In Southern Nevada, August 1983-August 1986, W. K. Milne, Larry Benson, P. W. Mckinley

United States Geological Survey: Publications

From August 1983 through August 1986, 429 precipitation samples of 112 precipitation events were collected at 12 stations in southern Nevada. Some of these samples were analyzed for oxygen-18, deuterium, and tritium. The results of these analyses as well as the air temperature and the precipitation measured at the collection sites are tabulated in this report. The sampling program provides a data base for future interpretive studies on the timing and origin of ground-water recharge in the Yucca Mountain region, of southern Nevada.

The stable-isotope composition of precipitation is the result of fractionation processes that occur in the atmosphere. Isotopic …

Chemical Composition Of Ground Water In The Yucca Mountain Area, Nevada, 1971-84, Larry Benson, P. W. Mckinley

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Fifteen test wells in the Yucca Mountain area of southern Nevada have been sampled for chemical analysis at least once during 1971-84. Samples were obtained by pumping water from the entire well bore (composite sample), and, in three instances, by pumping from one or more isolated intervals within a well bore. Sodium was the most abundant cation, and bicarbonate was the most abundant anion in all water samples. Samples from the deep carbonate aquifer penetrated by well UE-25p#l contained higher relative concentrations of calcium and magnesium than did samples from overlying volcanic tuffs. Concentrations of the stable isotopes of oxygen …

Hydrochemical Data For The Truckee River Drainage System, California And Nevada, Larry V. Benson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Abstract

Surface-water samples were collected from the Truckee River drainage system during 1975, 1976, and 1981. Data resulting from chemical analyses of these samples, as well as certain other previously unpublished data, are tabulated in this report. The report contains the following hydrochemical data:

1. Chemical composition of 21 tributaries to Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River upstream from Farad, California (May and October 1971, and June 1972).

2. Chemical composition of the Truckee River at Tahoe City (January 1968-January 1975) and at Farad, California (January 1968-June 1980), and of the Little Truckee River upstream from Stampede Reservoir, California (January …

Chemical Composition Of Ground Water And The Locations Of Permeable Zones In The Yucca Mountain Area, Nevada, Larry Benson, J. H. Robison, R. K. Blankennagel, A. E. Ogard

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Ten wells in the Yucca Mountain area of southern Nevada have been sampled for chemical analysis. Samples were obtained during pumping of water from the entire well bore (composite sample) and in one instance by pumping water from a single isolated interval in well UE-25b#1. Sodium is the most abundant cation and bicarbonate the most abundant anion in all water samples. Although the general chemical compositions of individual samples are similar, there are significant differences in uncorrected carbon-14 age and in inorganic and stable-isotope composition. Flow surveys of seven wells performed using iodine-131 as a tracer indicate that ground-water production …

A Statistical Analysis Of The Quality Of Surface Water In Nebraska, R. A. Engberg

United States Geological Survey: Publications

This report provides descriptive statistics for 29 chemical or biological constituents for 109 stream sites in Nebraska sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey beginning in 1946. Also provided for each site are regression equations relating specific conductance to each of 12 chemical constituents and a regression equation relating specific conductance to stream discharge. The descriptive statistics are presented by river basins. Water leaving these basins that has the lowest mean specific conductance (266 umho/cm) is from the Niobrara River at Verdel, and water that has the highest (1,890 umho/cm) is from the South Platte River at Roscoe. Statewide, the principal …

Paleotectonic Investigations Of The Permian System In The United States, Edwin D. Mckee, Stephen S. Oriel, Henry L. Berryhill, Eleanor J. Crosby, Donald A. Myers, George H. Dixon, Marjorie E. Maclachlan, Melville R. Mudge, Edwin K. Maughan, Richard P. Sheldon, Earl R. Cressman, Thomas M. Cheney, Walter E. Hallgarth, Keith B. Ketner

United States Geological Survey: Publications

(A) Allegheny region, by Henry L. Berryhill, Jr

(B) Gulf Coast region, by Eleanor J. Crosby

(C) West Texas Permian basin region, by Steven S. Oriel, Donald A. Myers, and Eleanor J. Crosby

(D) Northeastern New Mexico and Texas-Oklahoma Panhandles, by George H. Dixon

(E) Oklahoma, by Marjorie E. MacLachlan

(F) Central Midcontinent region, by Melville R. Mudge

(G) Eastern Wyoming, eastern Montana, and the Dakotas, by Edwin K. Maughan

(H) Middle Rocky Mountains and northeastern Great Basin, by Richard P. Sheldon, Earl R. Cressman, Thomas M. Cheney, and Vincent E. McKelvey

(I) Western Colorado, southern Utah, and northwestern New …

Roughness Characteristics Of Natural Channels, Harry H. Barnes Jr.

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Color photographs and descriptive data are presented for 50 stream channels for which roughness coefficients have been determined. All hydraulic computations involving flow in open channels require an evaluation of the roughness characteristics of the channel. In the absence of a satisfactory quantitative procedure this evaluation remains chiefly an art. The ability to evaluate roughness coefficients must be developed through experience. One means of gaining this experience is by examining and becoming acquainted with the appearance of some typical channels whose roughness coefficients are known. The photographs and data contained in this report represent a wide range of channel conditions. …

Geologic And Ground-Water Reconnaissance Of The Loup River Drainage Basin Nebraska, R. T. Sniegocki, R. H. Langford

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The Loup River and its tributaries drain an area of about 15,230 square miles in central Nebraska. The upper three-fifths of the drainage basin is in the Sand Hills region of Nebraska, and the lower two-fifths is in the loess plains and hills region. An eastward-thinning wedge of semiconsolidated and unconsolidated deposits of Tertiary and Quaternary age underlies the surficial dune sand and loess. These deposits, which are recharged by infiltrating precipitation, contain a tremendous volume of water at least 400 million acre-feet and annually discharge about 1.7 million acre-feet into streams. Although wells supply nearly all the water used …

Progress Report: Chemical Quality Of The Surface Waters In The Loup River Basin, Nebraska, John G. Connor

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The Loup River and its tributaries transport moderate amounts of siliceous minerals from the sand hills region of north-central Nebraska to the Platte River near Columbus, Nebr. Predominant chemical characteristics of these waters are a high percentage of silica, moderate hardness, and a low percentage of sodium. The composition of the Loup River water is influenced by the geologic formations through which ground water, a major contributor to the flows of the Loup River branches, has percolated. Investigation of water quality at or near proposed dam sites in the Loup River basin indicates that if soil and drainage conditions are …

Geologic Atlas Of The United States: Scotts Bluff Folio Nebraska, N. H. Darton

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Explanation

The Topographic Map

The Geologic Map

Description of the Scotts Bluff Quadrangle

Geography

Geology

Stratigraphy

Eocene Period

Neocene Period

Pleistocene Period

Pre-Eocene Rocks

Brief Geological History of the Central Great Plains Region

Economic Geology

Underground WAters

Irrigation

Volcanic Ash

Ages of Rocks

Topographic Sheet

Areal Geology Sheet

Columnar Section Sheet

Illustration Sheet