USGS operates a low-enriched uranium-fueled, pool-type reactor located at the Denver Federal Center. We use it for analyses of fissile and fissionable isotopes, geochemical analysis, and geochronology.
Complex interactions among hydrologic events initiated by people and the behaviors and characteristics of animal species (both native and introduced) lead to important scientific and management problems.
Iron ore containing elevated concentrations of trace metals was smelted here during 113 years of operation (1771-1883). We sampled a variety of materials nearby to determine the amount of metals such as arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, and zinc.
Grain-size analysis of marine sediments of the U.S. eastern coast with sampling and lab methods, surficial sediment database in three formats (Excel, Dbase IV, ASCII), and use of geographic mapping tools for visualizing sediment data layers.
The USGS Luminescence Dating Laboratory in the Denver Federal Center, Colorado, is a facility for determining the age of sedimentary and volcanic ash deposits using luminescence dating with information on sample collection and laboratory methods.
Site with a series of articles showing how chemists and geologists use analytical chemistry to determine the age of the Earth, determine Earth's history, predict volcanic eruptions, observe long-term atmospheric change and study pollution.
Contaminants from mines move more easily from ore materials and mine waste piles to surrounding estuaries and living organisms when water moves through the mine site. Geochemical results shown here will help people mitigate the negative effects.