GEOLOGICAL SURVEY RESEARCH 1981 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1275 A summary of recent significant scientific and economic results accompanied by a list of geologic, hydrologic, and cartographic investigations in progress UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON, D.C.: 1982 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR JAMES G. WATT, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 68-46150 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.G. 20402 CONTENTS Page Page Abbreviations_________________________________ VII Mineral-fuel investigations Continued SI units and inch-pound system equivalents ____________ IX Oil shale resources___________ 41 Mineral-resource investigations______________________ 1 Nuclear-fuel resources _________ 42 United States and world mineral-resource assessments 1 Geothermal resources ______________ 55 Mineral-resource assessments of land areas _________ 1 Regional geologic investigations 56 Geologic studies of mining districts and mineral- New England. 56 bearing regions __ __________ _________ 8 Igneous and metamorphic rocks and geochemistry. 56 Geochemical and geophysical techniques in Glacial geology 56 resource assessments ___________________________ 14 Southern Appalachian Highlands and the Coastal Geochemical reconnaissance results ____________ 14 Plains________________________________ 58 Geochemical character of metallogenic provinces___ 17 Pennsylvania to Illinois_ 58 Geochemical studies: desert environment _________ 18 Virginia ____________ 60 Geochemical studies: tropical environment ________ 18 Kentucky _____________ 62 Surface and ground water in geochemical North Carolina-South Carolina-Georgia- exploration ____________________________ 18 Alabama________________________ 62 Mineralogical research ________________________ 19 Central region __________________ 65 Volatile gases useful in geoehemical exploration____ 19 Metamorphic rocks _____________ 65 Instrumentation for geochemical exploration ______ 19 Glacial geology _______________ 66 Analytical methodology useful in geochemical Geologic history ________________ 66 exploration ___________________________ 19 Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains_ _ 67 Partial solution techniques applied to ore deposits _ 20 Stratigraphic studies _______ _____ 67 Application and evaluation of chemical analysis Igneous studies __________________ 71 to diverse geochemical environments _______ 20 Tectonic and structural studies __________ 72 Development of effective on-site methods of Mineral-resource studies _______________ 74 chemical analysis. 21 Basin and Range region_____________________ 74 Research in spectrographic methods __________ 21 Mineral-resource studies _______ __ 74 Biochemical research ______________________ 21 Stratigraphic and structural studies _______ 75 Geophysical exploration __________________ 21 Igneous rocks ___________________ 79 Nuclear-electrical methods _________________ 22 Pacific coast region _______________ 81 Applications of seismic, ground magnetics, and California___________________ 81 resistivity measurements ______________ 22 Oregon___________ _______ 83 Resource information systems and analysis. 22 Washington _________________________ 83 Mineral-resource analysis_______. 23 Alaska ___________________________ 84 Sedimentary mineral resources 24 Statewide ___________________________ 84 Marine and nonmarine evaporite deposits. 24 Northern_____________________ 86 Chemical resources _____________________ 25 East-central______________________ 86 Phosphorite_________________ 25 West-central _______________________ 87 Lithium __________________________ 25 Southern _________ 88 Fluorite _________________. 25 Southwestern _______ 88 Mineral-fuel investigations __________. 26 Southeastern _________ 89 Coal resources _______________________ 26 Water-resource investigations _________. 91 Field investigations. 26 Northeastern region _______ _______ 92 Coal resources data system _. 26 Multistate studies _________________ 93 Eastern coal ____________ 26 Illinois _______ ______ 94 Western coal _____________ 28 Indiana____________________________ 94 Geochemistry _____________ 30 Michigan __________________ 94 Oil and gas resources. 31 Minnesota _________________ 95 Alaska _____. 31 New York ____________ __ 96 Overthrust belt ________ 33 Pennsylvania_______________________ 97 Great Plains___________ 34 Virginia__________________________ 97 Utah___________ 36 West Virginia ______________ 98 Appalachian basin _ 37 Wisconsin ____________ __ 98 Other states________ 38 Southeastern region __________________ 99 Resource studies _____ 39 Alabama __________________________ 99 New exploration and production techniques 39 Florida___________________ 99 III IV CONTENTS Page Page Water-resource investigations Continued Geologic and hydrologic principles, processes, Southeastern region -Continued and techniques ____________________ 139 North Carolina ___________. 100 Geophysics_____________________________ 139 Tennessee ______________. 100 Rock magnetism ____ 139 Central region 100 Geomagnetism _____ 141 Multistate studies _____________________ 102 Petrophysics _______ 142 Arkansas____________________________ 102 Applied geophysics __ 143 Colorado ____________________________ 102 Geochemistry, mineralogy, and petrology. 145 Kansas______________________________ 103 Experimental and theoretical geochemistry 145 Louisiana____________________________ 103 Mineralogic studies in crystal chemistry _. 150 Missouri_____________________________ 103 Volcanic rocks and processes ____________ 151 Montana ____________________________ 104 Mount St. Helens ___________. 151 New Mexico______ 104 Hawaiian volcano studies ____________ 159 North Dakota ____ 104 Hawaiian Islands-Emperor seamount Oklahoma _______ 105 studies ______________________ 160 Western region 106 Cenozoic volcanism in Western United States. 160 Multistate studies. 107 Plutonic rocks and magnetic processes _____. 162 Alaska _____. 107 Metamorphic rocks and processes ________. 165 Arizona _____. 108 Statistical geochemistry and petrology _____. 166 California_______ 108 Isotope and nuclear chemistry ____________. 168 Hawaii _____. 109 Isotope tracer studies _______________. 168 Idaho ______. 109 Stable isotopes __________________. 170 Nevada _____. 110 Advances in geochronometry ___________. 170 Oregon_____. 111 Geothermal systems _________________. 172 Washington ___. 111 Sedimentology_____________________. 174 Special water-resource programs. 112 Climate____________________ . 175 Data coordination, acquisition, and storage.. 112 Ground-water hydrology _______ . 179 National Water Data Exchange________ 113 Aquifer-model studies______ 179 Water data storage system __________ 114 Recharge studies__________ 182 Urban water program __________________ 114 Disposal and storage studies 182 Water use ____________________________ 115 Summary appraisals of the Nation's ground- National water-quality programs __________ 116 water resources___________________ 183 Atmospheric deposition program. 117 Miscellaneous studies ____________________ 183 Regional aquifer-system analysis program. 117 Surface-water hydrology_______ _ 185 Marine geology and coastal hydrology___________ 118 Paleontology 188 Coastal and marine geology _______________ 118 Mesozoic and Cenozoic studies. 188 Introduction ________________________ 118 Paleozoic studies _______. 192 Continental margin geologic framework _______ 118 Plant ecology ___________. 192 Geologic hazards of the Outer Continental Shelf. 121 Chemical, physical, and biological 194 Basic continental shelf research______________ 127 characteristics of water __. Relation between surface water and ground water. 196 Coastal investigations______________________ 128 Limnology and potamology__ 196 Deep sea floor research____________ 131 New hydrologic instruments and techniques __ 199 Estuarine and coastal hydrology _______ 133 Analytical methods ________________ 200 Gulf coast______________________ 133 Analysis of water. 200 Atlantic coast ___________________ 134 Geology and hydrology applied to hazard assessment Management of natural resources on Federal and and environment ______________________ 202 Indian lands _________________. 135 Earthquake studies _______ 202 Classification and evaluation of mineral lands _______ 135 Seismicity 202 Classified land _____________________________ 135 Earthquake mechanics and prediction studies 204 Known Geologic Structures of producing oil and Earthquake hazard studies. 206 206 gas fields ____________________________ 135 Tectonic framework and fault investigations. Ground-failure investigations ____________ 210 Known Geothermal Resource Areas __________ 136 Ground-motion investigations ____________ 212 Known Recoverable Coal Resource Areas______ 136 Seismicity investigations _____ 213 Known leasing areas for potassium, phosphate, Postearthquake investigations _________ 214 and sodium__________________________ 136 Volcano hazards ___________ _______ 215 Waterpower classification preservation of resource Volcano hazards program ______________ 215 sites _______________________. 136 Mount St. Helens eruptions ______________ 216 Management of mineral leases on Federal and Volcanic hazards in Hawaii _________________ 219 Indian lands _________________________ 136 Engineering geology ____________________ 219 Management of oil and gas leases on the Outer Engineering geologic mapping ____________ 219 Continental Shelf _____________________ 137 Research in