January 17, 2019
Lab-grown magnesite a boon for carbon sequestration?
Left undisturbed, carbonate minerals can naturally lock up carbon in a stable form for millions of years or longer. Triggering the formation of …
The EARTH archive
Mineral
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24 articles · Page 1 of 1
November 8, 2018
"Critical Minerals" list snubs copper, sparks discussion of criticality
In 2017, the United States relied on imports for more than half the needed supply of 50 mineral commodities that are critical in manufacturing. …
May 1, 2018
Data-driven discovery reveals Earth's missing minerals
Fueled by advances in computing power and analytical methods, researchers in a growing number of scientific fields have taken to mining large …
January 10, 2018
Isotopes suggest ancient turquoise mine was prolific
Few minerals are more iconic in the Desert Southwest than turquoise. The blue-green gemstone, which offers a stark contrast to the dusty red …
December 14, 2017
In feats of tectonic strength, grain size matters
Plate tectonics involves some of the most powerful forces on Earth, but the lithosphere, of which the plates are made, is not infinitely strong: …
September 19, 2017
Minerals deformed by meteorites reveal age of impact
Researchers have discovered a new way to determine when a meteorite hit Earth, a technique that could not only help scientists date ancient …
May 17, 2017
Ups and downs of potassium feldspar may play role in clouds and climate
For water vapor in the atmosphere to transform into icy, cloud-forming droplets, it needs a seed around which to condense, such as aerosols, sea …
April 19, 2017
Investigating erionite, asbestos' more carcinogenic cousin
Asbestos is notorious for causing lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, but it’s not the only type of fibrous mineral that affects human …
November 2, 2015
Isotopes could reveal ancient American turquoise trade
For centuries before the arrival of Europeans, turquoise was prized among pre-Hispanic cultures of North America. Caches of the distinctive, …
July 16, 2015
Stalled slabs sometimes stopped by mineral strengthening
Subduction of tectonic plates into the mantle functions as an eons-long recycling system for Earth’s crust and lithosphere. But in some …
June 8, 2015
Benchmarks: July 22,1960: Mineral discovery ends Meteor Crater debate
In 1923, Daniel Moreau Barringer stood on the edge of a vast bowl-shaped depression in the Arizona desert, watching a drill rig bore into the …
May 12, 2015
Earth's most abundant mineral finally gets a name
An elusive, high-density form of magnesium iron silicate, long known colloquially as “silicate perovskite,” now officially bears the name …
January 30, 2015
Down to Earth With: Mineralogist George W. Robinson
Many geologists understand the joyous feeling of coming across a beautiful rock in the field; George W. Robinson, who began collecting minerals …
January 29, 2015
Asbestos found in Nevada and Arizona: Roadblock and potential health hazard?
In 2011, Brenda Buck, a medical geologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), was studying the human health effects of mineral dusts …
December 29, 2014
Protecting the mineral treasures of Antarctica's Larsemann Hills
It was late November 2003 and not quite summer in Antarctica. As the Squirrel helicopter lifted off after delivering its last load, we set about …
August 4, 2014
Mineral Resource of the Month: Arsenic
George Bedinger, mineral commodity specialist for the U.S. Geological Survey, prepared the following information on arsenic. Arsenic is a gray …
August 15, 2013
Rescuing geologic maps during a coup
The author shows a map of the geomorphology of northern Afghanistan to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and others at the University of Nebraska in …
August 14, 2013
Building resource corridors in Afghanistan: A solution to an interminable war?
Afghanistan has been ravaged by decades-long conflicts that have left it economically depressed, but the country also holds a potentially huge …
January 30, 2012
Dangerous dust: Erionite - an asbestos-like mineral causing a cancer epidemic in Turkey - is found in at least 13 states
As North Dakota’s state geologist, Ed Murphy has spent a fair amount of time mapping the geology of the Killdeer Mountains in the western part of …
January 23, 2012
Afghanistan's mineral resources laid bare
A mineral assessment milestone confirms world-class resources Each donning about 10 kilograms of protective gear, including helmets and Kevlar, …
January 5, 2012
Restarting U.S. rare earth production?
Rare earth minerals are not actually rare, but if China has anything to say about it, they may become scarce in the near future, experts say. And …
January 5, 2012
Is there really a minerals crisis?
China sent the high-tech industry and markets reeling last September when it blocked exports of raw rare earth minerals to Japan. In mid-October …
January 5, 2012
Crystal Ball EARTH: Minerals management: The changing commodities scene
Many people would like to forget 2008. The subprime mortgage crisis came to a head and sent the world’s financial markets into a free fall. The …
January 5, 2012
Afghanistan's mineral wealth
Blogging on EARTH On Monday, a spokesman for Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, Waheed Omar, told reporters that the USGS survey of …