Research Chemist
Email:
sjowhite@usgs.gov
Office Phone:
703-648-6361
Fax:
703-648-6383
ORCID:
0000-0002-4055-8207
Location
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston
, VA
20192-0002
US
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Germanium (Ge) is an increasingly important element used in critical technologies for communication, defense, and computing. However, Ge is scarce, and there is no United States (U.S.) primary production. Additionally, the environmental behavior of Ge is poorly understood. Germanium does not generally form its own minerals, but is instead recovered as a byproduct of zinc mining or of coal fly ash. It has been deemed critical by the U.S. and globally, and investigations of its geologic concentration, environmental fate and transport, and potential for recovery are crucial for maintaining a sustainable supply. A relevant study site to explore questions of environmental behavior and the potential to recover...
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Germanium (Ge) is an element deemed critical globally, and used in electronics, communication, and defense applications. The supply of Ge is limited and as demand for it increases, its criticality increases. Germanium is exclusively recovered as a byproduct of either coal mining or zinc (Zn) mining, and the main mineral hosting Ge in Zn deposits is sphalerite (ZnS). However, the mechanisms of Ge enrichment in sphalerite during mineral deposit formation are poorly understood. Therefore, investigations on the mechanisms controlling geologic enrichment of Ge in ores is crucial for maintaining a sustainable supply. For this study, we used a combination of techniques including optical and electron microscopy, synchrotron-based...
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Electron microprobe analyses of sphalerite (ZnS) and hemimorphite (Zn4Si2O7(OH)2·H2O) from sampled historical waste piles were conducted with a specific focus on germanium (Ge). In mine wastes at the Tar Creek Superfund Site, Oklahoma, USA, Ge is associated with ZnS (sphalerite) as expected, but weathering in the waste piles has led to a significant amount of Ge being incorporated into a zinc-silicate, hemimorphite. Data and methods reported are part of a research study published here: White, S.J.O., Piatak, N.M., McAleer, R.J., Hayes. S.M., Seal, R.R. II, Schaider, L.A., Shine, J.P. Germanium redistribution during weathering of Zn mine wastes: implications for environmental mobility and recovery of a critical...
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Oxidation state and bonding environment of Ge and Cu in ZnS and Zn mineral concentrates from a variety of sources [Central Tennessee mining district (TN), Metaline mining district, (WA), and Red Dog mine (AK)] were determined by linear combination fits from x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) analysis. Sphalerites from the East Tennessee mining district contained Ge in concentrations that were too low to generate a X-ray absorption spectra with an edge step. When applicable, Ge content in quartz was determined using XAS edge steps. Data and methods reported are part of a research study published in the 'Related External Resources' section below.
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Mineral abundances within bulk and size-fractionated mine waste from sampled historical waste piles from the Tar Creek Superfund Site, Oklahoma, U.S.A., were determined by Mineral Liberation Analysis (MLA) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Data and methods reported are part of a research study published here: White, S.J.O., Piatak, N.M., McAleer, R.J., Hayes. S.M., Seal, R.R. II, Schaider, L.A., Shine, J.P. Germanium redistribution during weathering of Zn mine wastes: implications for environmental mobility and recovery of a critical minerals, Applied Geochemistry, p. 105341, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105341
Categories: Data;
Types: Map Service,
OGC WFS Layer,
OGC WMS Layer,
OGC WMS Service;
Tags: Germanium,
Hemimorphite,
Mine Wastes,
Mineral Resources,
Oklahoma, All tags...
Sphalerite,
Tar Creek,
USGS Science Data Catalog (SDC), Fewer tags
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