Geochemical reconnaissance of devonian metalliferous shales of pennsylvania, west virginia, and marylandproject period: 12 15 2023 12 14 2026 award purpose the recipient proposes a reconnaissance…

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) awarded a $643,308.48 Cooperative Agreement under the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (CFDA 15.073) to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) Fiscal Management Division. The 3-year project will conduct a geochemical reconnaissance survey of Devonian shales across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maryland to assess the economic potential for critical minerals including vanadium, molybdenum, cobalt, nickel, rhenium, uranium, and platinum group elements. Key deliverables include a geochemical database, semi-quantitative mineralogy analysis, micro-scale geochemistry data, and isotopic ratio analysis. The recipient will also provide a summary report on the critical mineral potential and scientific interpretations of the data, supported by GIS maps and spatial data. The Pennsylvania Geological Survey, West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, and Maryland Geological Survey will collaborate as sub-recipients on the data collection and research activities.

Geochemical reconnaissance of devonian metalliferous shales of pennsylvania, west virginia, and marylandproject period: 12 15 2023 12 14 2026 award purpose the recipient proposes a reconnaissance geochemical survey of devonian shales across pennsylvania, west virginia, and maryland to assess economic potential for vanadium (v), molybdenum (MO), cobalt (CO), nickel (NI), rhenium (RE), uranium (u), and platinum group elements (PGE) based on preliminary portable x-RAY fluorescence analyses (pxrf) and prior research in this area and elsewhere. As the current highest priority project for pennsylvania and part of the marine chemocline black shales system of interest to the united states geological survey (USGS), exploration of the elemental enrichment potential of these shales is vital to the nation due to their proximity to major northeastern urban and industrial centers, widespread presence in the subsurface and in surface exposures, and potential ease of extraction in the subsurface due to prior and ongoing oil and gas exploration. In addition to mineral resources, this study may help identify areas of health and environmental concern due to the naturally occurring presence of problematic elements like arsenic. Activities to be performed the recipient intends to select 600 samples for full geochemical analysis through USGS facilities and contractors. From these returned data, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques on polished thin sections will indicate what minerals, if any, concentrate which target elements. The recipient proposes comprehensive wholerock isotopic ratio analysis on an approximate 100 suitable samples to fully characterize these shales across the study area and provide pilot data for critical element enrichment mechanisms, element migration paths, and future resource modeling efforts. Deliverables and expected outcomesat the end of the award period, the recipient will provide a geochemical database of major, minor, and trace elemental concentrations as collected by the USGS, semi-quantitative mineralogy identification of samples by x-RAY diffraction methods, geochemistry derived from EDS-SEM techniques at a micro-scale, and isotopic ratios of whole-rock samples. The recipient will also provide a summary report of critical mineral potential and of scientific interpretations of the data collected, which will include supporting GIS maps, shapefiles, and geodatabases. Intended beneficiary(IES) the public and geologic community of the pennsylvania, west virginia, and maryland. Subrecipient activities the research and data collection outlined in the proposal will be jointly accomplished by the recipient, pennsylvania geological survey, and the two sub-recipients, west virginia geological and economic survey and maryland geological survey