National Academies Press: OpenBook
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

Mineral Resources and Society

A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan

Panel to Review the Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan of the U.S. Geological Survey

Committee on Earth Resources

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources

National Research Council

NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C.
1996

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the panel responsible for the report were chosen for their special competencies and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.

Support for this study by the Panel to Review the Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan of the U.S. Geological Survey was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government. Research supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, under USGS Agreement No. 14-08-0001-A0900.

Additional copies of this report are available from

Board on Earth Sciences and Resources

National Academy of Sciences

2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20418

202-334-2744

Copyright 1996 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

Cover: A digital aeromagnetic map of a portion of the states of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The map was assembled by the USGS for a mineral resource assessment of the southeastern United States. Structural features include igneous dikes (N and NW trending) and Piedmont faults (NE-SW trending). The Gold Hill fault (central and west of shaded dome) is a locus for numerous small gold mines.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

PANEL TO REVIEW THE MINERAL RESOURCE SURVEYS PROGRAM PLAN OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

SAMUEL S. ADAMS,

Chairman, Minerals Consultant,

Lincoln, New Hampshire

PHILIP A. ABELSON,

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.

HUGO T. DUMMETT,

BHP Minerals International, Inc., San Francisco, California

RODERICK G. EGGERT,

Colorado School of Mines, Golden

D. CHRISTOPHER FINDLAY,

Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa (ret.)

ANN S. MAEST,

Hagler Bailly, Boulder, Colorado

DIANNE R. NIELSON,

Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Salt Lake City

JONATHAN G. PRICE,

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Reno

DONALD D. RUNNELLS,

Shepherd Miller, Inc., Fort Collins, Colorado

BRIAN J. SKINNER,

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

DAVID A. STEPHENSON,

South Pass Resources, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona

PETER G. VIKRE,

ASARCO, Inc., Reno, Nevada

U.S. Geological Survey Liaison

RICHARD B. CARTEN

Staff

CRAIG M. SCHIFFRIES,

Study Director

LALLY ANNE ANDERSON,

Staff Associate

JENNIFER T. ESTEP,

Administrative Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

COMMITTEE ON EARTH RESOURCES

CAREL OTTE, JR.,

Chairman, Independent Geologist,

LaCañada, California

PHILIP H. ABELSON,

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.

SAMUEL S. ADAMS,

Minerals Consultant,

Lincoln, New Hampshire

JOEL DARMSTADTER,

Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.

RODERICK G. EGGERT,

Colorado School of Mines, Golden

MARCO EINAUDI,

Stanford University, California

NORMAN H. FOSTER,

Independent Petroleum Geologist,

Denver, Colorado

CHARLES G. GROAT,

University of Texas, El Paso

PERRY R. HAGENSTEIN,

Resources Issues, Inc., Wayland Massachusetts

DONALD C. HANEY,

Kentucky Geological Survey, Lexington

PHILIP E. LAMOREAUX,

P. E. LaMoreaux and Associates, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

SUSAN M. LANDON,

Thomasson Partner Associates, Denver, Colorado

JILL D. PASTERIS,

Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

JONATHAN G. PRICE,

Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Reno

NOEL TYLER,

Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas at Austin

W. FRANK WEST,

PACO Minerals, Inc., Dallas, Texas

Staff

CRAIG M. SCHIFFRIES,

Director

JUDITH L. ESTEP,

Administrative Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

BOARD ON EARTH SCIENCES AND RESOURCES

J. FREEMAN GILBERT,

Chairman,

University of California, San Diego

THURE CERLING,

University of Utah, Salt Lake City

MARK P. CLOOS,

University of Texas at Austin

JOEL DARMSTADTER,

Resources for the Future, Washington, D.C.

KENNETH I. DAUGHERTY,

E-Systems, Fairfax, Virginia

WILLIAM R. DICKINSON,

University of Arizona, Tucson, emeritus

MARCO T. EINAUDI,

Stanford University, California

NORMAN H. FOSTER,

Independent Petroleum Geologist,

Denver, Colorado

CHARLES G. GROAT,

University of Texas, El Paso

DONALD C. HANEY,

Kentucky Geological Survey, Lexington

SUSAN M. KIDWELL,

University of Chicago, Illinois

SUSAN KIEFFER,

Kieffer & Woo, Inc., Palgrave, Ontario

PHILIP E. LAMOREAUX,

P. E. LaMoreaux and Associates, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

SUSAN M. LANDON,

Thomasson Partner Associates, Denver, Colorado

J. BERNARD MINSTER,

Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, California

ALEXANDRA NAVROTSKY,

Princeton University, New Jersey

JILL D. PASTERIS,

Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri

EDWARD C. ROY, JR.,

Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas

Staff

CRAIG M. SCHIFFRIES,

Director

THOMAS M. USSELMAN,

Associate Director

INA B. ALTERMAN,

Senior Program Officer

WILLIAM E. BENSON,

Senior Program Officer

KEVIN D. CROWLEY,

Senior Program Officer

ANNE M. LINN,

Senior Program Officer

CHARLES MEADE,

Senior Program Officer

LALLY ANNE ANDERSON,

Staff Associate

VERNA J. BOWEN,

Administrative Assistant

JENNIFER T. ESTEP,

Administrative Assistant

JUDITH L. ESTEP,

Administrative Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

COMMISSION ON GEOSCIENCES, ENVIRONMENT, AND RESOURCES

M. GORDON WOLMAN,

Chairman,

The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

PATRICK R. ATKINS,

Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

JAMES P. BRUCE,

Canadian Climate Program Board, Ottawa, Ontario

WILLIAM L. FISHER,

University of Texas at Austin

JERRY F. FRANKLIN,

University of Washington, Seattle

GEORGE M. HORNBERGER,

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

DEBRA S. KNOPMAN,

Progressive Foundation, Washington, D.C.

PERRY L. MCCARTY,

Stanford University, California

JUDITH E. MCDOWELL,

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Massachusetts

S. GEORGE PHILANDER,

Princeton University, New Jersey

RAYMOND A. PRICE,

Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario

THOMAS C. SCHELLING,

University of Maryland, College Park

ELLEN K. SILBERGELD,

University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore

STEVEN M. STANLEY,

The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

VICTORIA J. TSCHINKEL,

Landers and Parsons, Tallahassee, Florida

Staff

STEPHEN RATTIEN,

Executive Director

STEPHEN D. PARKER,

Associate Executive Director

MORGAN GOPNIK,

Assistant Executive Director

GREGORY SYMMES,

Reports Officer

JAMES MALLORY,

Administrative Officer

SANDI FITZPATRICK,

Administrative Associate

SUSAN SHERWIN,

Project Assistant

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Harold Liebowitz is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. Harold Liebowitz are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

Preface

The U.S. Congress directed the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to develop a program plan for its mineral-resource activities. In 1995, the USGS completed the Mineral Resource Surveys Program (MRSP) plan requested by Congress (Appendix A). To obtain an independent review of the five-year MRSP plan, the U.S. Geological Survey, in a letter from Dr. Willis H. White, the Chief of the USGS Office of Mineral Resources, requested in July, 1995, that the National Research Council (NRC) evaluate the MRSP plan and recommend improvements.

The Panel to Review the Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan was established by the NRC in November, 1995. The panel consists of 12 geoscientists and resource experts from the mining and mineral industry, the environmental consulting industry, academia, state agencies, and the Geological Survey of Canada. The panel members have expertise in mitigation of environmental impacts related to extraction and use of mineral resources, as well as in genesis, assessment, exploration, and development of mineral resources. In spite of this diversity of professional focus and experience, the panel reached consensus on all significant issues, thus obviating the need for minority reports. Brief biographies of panel members are provided in Appendix F. The panel operates under the Committee on Earth Resources, which is under the aegis of the Board on Earth Science and Resources within the NRC's Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources.

The USGS requested the panel's report by April, 1996, in order to provide timely advice for the fiscal year 1997 planning process. The panel operated on a fast-track schedule, with three meetings in three months. The panel met once in Washington, D.C., and twice near Denver, Colorado. Briefings and discussions were conducted with approximately 50 representatives of federal and state agencies, policy

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×

groups, industry groups, and other mineral resource experts who work with the MRSP or use its products. Presenters had the opportunity to discuss their mineral resource planning needs and provide observations and recommendations regarding the MRSP. The presenters are identified in Appendix B. In light of these briefings and discussions, as well as information provided by the MRSP staff, published literature, technical reports, and the expertise of its members, the panel evaluated and made recommendations for the MRSP plan.

Without the intensive effort of the NRC staff, particularly Dr. Craig M. Schiffries, Study Director, this report could not have been developed within the assigned time frame.

Samuel S. Adams

Chairman

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
×
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
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Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 1996. Mineral Resources and Society: A Review of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Resource Surveys Program Plan. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9035.
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