Understanding Our Planet Through Chemistry

Understanding Our Planet Through Chemistry

This U.S.Geological Survey site shows how chemists and geologists use analytical chemistry to: determine the age of the Earth; show an extraterrestrial body collided with the Earth; predict volcanic eruptions; observe atmospheric change over millions of years; and document damage by acid rain and pollution of the Earth's surface.

Compiled by Joseph E. Taggart, Jr.

Edited by Carole A. Bates and Sonja K. Runberg
Graphics and photos by Richard P. Walker, Shawn T. Smith, and Steven M. Smith
Composition by Margo L. Johnson

---

INDEX

Foreword

I. Introduction

II. Understanding the Earth

IIa. History recorded in chemistry

• How old is the Earth?
  Bruce Doe (retired)
• Elements, isotopes, and radioactivity
  Bruce Doe (retired)
• Digesting rocks
  Richard O'Leary, roleary@usgs.gov
  Richard Sanzolone, (retired)
• Disaster from space
  Glen Izett (retired)
  Frederick Lichte, (retired)

IIb. Geologic processes

• Volcanoes
  John Pallister, jpallist@usgs.gov
  Joseph Taggart, Jr., (retired)
• Application of Neutron Activation
  James Budahn, jbudahn@usgs.gov
• The smallest clues
  Gregory Meeker, gmeeker@usgs.gov
  Eugene Foord (deceased)
• Analytical chemistry in the search for ore deposits
  Albert Hofstra, ahofstra@usgs.gov
• Fluids and gases from tiny time capsules
  John Viets (retired)

IIc. Environment

• Global change in the geologic past
  Joan Fitzpatrick, jfitz@usgs.gov
  Todd Hinkley, thinkley@usgs.gov
• Air bubbles, amber, and dinosaurs
  Gary Landis, g_landis@usgs.gov
• Recent methane from Gulf Coast marshes
  Joel Leventhal (emeritus), jleventh@usgs.gov

IId. Pollution

• Acid rain steals our heritage
  Philip Baedecker (retired)
  Victor Mossotti, mossotti@usgs.gov
• The chemistry of mine drainage
  Walt Ficklin (deceased)
  Kathleen Smith, ksmith@usgs.gov

IIe. Pollution prevention

• Cleaning up coal burning
  Curtis Palmer, cpalmer@usgs.gov
  Robert Finkelman, rbf@usgs.gov
  Susan Tewalt, stewalt@usgs.gov
  Allen Meier, (retired)

III. Mapping the chemistry of the Earth's surface

IIIa. Assessment of public lands

• Mapping stream sediments for resource exploration
  Albert Hofstra, ahofstra@usgs.gov
• Keeping track of the resources of our country
  Sherman Marsh (retired)
• Mobile laboratories
  Betty Adrian, badrian@usgs.gov
• Exploration for covered ore deposits
  David Grimes (retired)
• Mineral scavengers provide a clue
  Reinhard Leinz (retired)
  J. Robert Clark (formerly with USGS)

IIIb. Geographic Chemistry: National Geochemical Data Base

• Chemistry of a nation on file
  Sherman Marsh (retired)
  Steven M. Smith, smsmith@usgs.gov
• 10,000 element determinations a day
  Paul Briggs,(retired)

IIIc. Public Health and Safety: Element maps of soils

• Maps of natural contamination
  Ronald Tidball (retired)
  James Crock, jcrock@usgs.gov
• Industrial sources of contamination
  Ronald Tidball (retired)
• Robots in the laboratory
  Richard O'Leary, roleary@usgs.gov
  Stephen Wilson, swilson@usgs.gov

IV. Can we depend on chemical analyses?

IVa. Measuring quality

• The importance of measurements
  Belinda Arbogast, (Scientist Emeritus)
• USGS Reference Materials Project, Geochemical Reference Standards
  Stephen Wilson, swilson@usgs.gov

 

Accessibility FOIA Privacy Policies and Notices

U.S. Department of the Interior | U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://minerals.cr.usgs.gov/gips/na/contents.html
Page Contact Information: CMRT Webmaster
Page Last Modified: 07-May-2008@15:40