Wednesday, April 8, 2009

USGS Announces 2009 Mineral Research Grants

Released: 4/8/2009 9:00:00 AM

Grant Projects Help Ensure a Sustainable Supply of Minerals for the Nation

Researchers will study a range of minerals essential to our economy and national security through grants awarded by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Grant recipients will study uranium, rare earth elements, copper, tungsten and lithium. Funding was provided through the USGS Mineral Resources External Research Program. The principal investigators and a brief description of each 2009 grant recipient are provided below.

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Tungsten and Lithium in the Environment

Michael McKibben of the University of California, Riverside will study how tungsten and lithium are released into the environment when ore minerals are dissolved by water. This type of information for many potentially toxic elements is lacking in the scientific literature, making the development of predictive models for geoenvironmental studies (studies of the interaction of natural occurring chemical elements with the environment) very difficult. This research is expected to provide critical data needed to construct models used in geoenvironmental assessments of a number of mineral deposit types that contain tungsten- and lithium-bearing minerals.

The USGS Mineral Resources External Research Program invited research proposals that will help ensure a sustainable supply of minerals for the Nation's future; understand the relationship between minerals, the environment, and public health; provide information to make informed land use decisions; and deliver mineral information critical to national security. Proposals were accepted from academia, state agencies, industry, or other private sector organizations and scientists. Read more...

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