First study to quantify global earthquake risk to mineral supplies
GOLDEN, Colo. — A new scientific mechanism for assessing the potential risk to worldwide mineral commodity supplies from seismic activity has been developed by USGS scientists. The methodology was developed through studying copper and rhenium but provides a framework for future studies assessing many other mineral commodities around the globe. Earthquakes have the potential to substantially affect mining operations, leading to supply chain disruptions that adversely affect the global economy. This new study quantifies that risk to copper and rhenium supply by examining the impact of earthquakes on mining, smelting, and refining operations across the globe. Many of the largest
Marine Mineral Formations in the Arctic Ocean Challenge Existing Geologic Theories
Not only do these mineral formations challenge previous assumptions about geologic processes in the Arctic, but their unique composition also sets them apart from other marine minerals found in the region. Differences in their mineralogy and element composition indicate they were formed under distinctive conditions, driven by specific physical and chemical interactions beneath the seafloor. “This discovery broadens our understanding of marine mineral formation, highlighting complex geological processes in the Arctic Ocean that were previously unrecognized,” said Amy Gartman, USGS Research Geologist and co-author of the study. Read the study, Neogene hydrothermal Fe- and Mn-oxide mineralization of Paleozoic continental rocks