The copper-bearing rocks of Lake Superior

Prediction of long-term slake durability of clay-bearing rocks

A research program was conducted on different clay-bearing rocks selected from the Ilam, Sarpol-e Zahab and Tajarak regions (Iran) to predict their slaking characteristics. The new durability apparatus (nested mesh drums) separates disintegrated particles varying from > 25.4 to < 2 mm as the drums were rotated. On the basis of the particle size distribution, the disintegration ratio (DR) was us...

Characterization of Bitumen Bearing Carbonate Rocks

Several countries, including Canada, contain sizeable bitumen resources in highly fractured carbonate rocks. Any possible recovery of bitumen from these reservoirs will be highly dependent on proper understanding of the rock and fluid properties and how they vary in the reservoir. These carbonates are extremely heterogeneous, and as a result proper reservoir characterization is challenging. In ...

Mobile Bearing Knees: Superior to Fixed Bearing?

Potential for New Nickel-Copper Sulfide Deposits in the Lake Superior Region

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey are evaluating the potential for undiscovered sulfide deposits containing varying amounts of nickel, copper, platinumgroup metals, and cobalt in the Lake Superior region as part of an ongoing effort to assess the mineral potential of the United States. Similarities between rocks of the Midcontinent rift and rocks that host the Voisey Bay nickel-copper-...

Orbital identification of carbonate-bearing rocks on Mars.

Geochemical models for Mars predict carbonate formation during aqueous alteration. Carbonate-bearing rocks had not previously been detected on Mars' surface, but Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mapping reveals a regional rock layer with near-infrared spectral characteristics that are consistent with the presence of magnesium carbonate in the Nili Fossae region. The carbonate is closely associated w...