ISGS - November 2009 Activity Highlights

USGS National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program

The goal of this ongoing project is preservation of geoscience data and materials at state geological surveys. The project provides assistance with archiving samples and data and will ultimately result in a national catalog of archived materials at state surveys. The FY08 project included compilation of an inventory of the most important ISGS collections as well as development of digital data for three ISGS legacy collections: electrical earth resistivity surveys; Lead-Zinc Mining District borehole records, including geochemical analysis; and Silurian paleontological samples stored at the ISGS Annex. Item-level metadata (including spatial location) for items in these three collections and for core and cuttings sample collections were provided for the USGS National Catalog, which is currently under development. The catalog will be searchable both spatially and by keyword, increasing the visibility and discoverability of the ISGS collections and data. (Contacts: Ronald Klass and Zakaria Lasemi)

Limestone Mapping Proposal Funded

Zak Lasemi's proposal, "Mapping High-Calcium Limestone Resources near Illinois Coal-Fired Power Plants," was funded by the Illinois Clean Coal Institute (ICCI). Illinois is experiencing a dramatic increase in demand for high-calcium limestone for flue gas desulfurization in coal-fired power plants. Earlier ISGS studies funded by the ICCI showed that high-calcium limestones are not widely present in Illinois, and most limestone quarries examined consisted of multiple layers or ledges that varied significantly in CaCO₃ content. This proposed project will undertake a layer-by-layer examination of limestone quarries within a 50-mile radius of existing and potential coal-fired power plants in order to identify and characterize the high-calcium limestone zones, especially those with CaCO₃ contents of 95% or more. The quarry examinations will provide important information regarding the thickness, depth, areal distribution, and availability of the high-calcium limestone zones. The overall project objective is to prepare a resource map and database identifying and characterizing high-calcium limestone in Illinois quarries within economical transportation distances from existing and planned coal-fired power plants. The results will provide utilities and other industries that burn Illinois coal with a way to find the best quality limestone locally and at low cost. The project will start January 1, 2010 and will end May 31, 2011. (Contact: Zak Lasemi)

Carbon Sequestration Presentations

Randy Locke presented "Illinois Basin—MVA Programs at Mumford Hills and Sugar Creek EOR Sites" at the U.S. Department of Energy, Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership Review Meeting, November 17, 2009, held at the Hilton Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Edward Mehnert presented "Safeguarding Groundwater Quality at Geologic Carbon Sequestration Sites: An Illinois Basin Example" on November 3, 2009 at a meeting of the Illinois Groundwater Association in Springfield, Illinois. Approximately 40 people attended that meeting. He presented the same talk on November 17 at a meeting of the Chicago Section of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. The meeting was attended by approximately 20 people. Mehnert also presented "Geologic Carbon Sequestration in the Illinois Basin and Potential Effects on Groundwater" on November 20 at the Hydrosystems Seminar in Urbana, hosted by the University of Illinois Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Approximately 50 people attended this seminar. (Contacts: Randy Locke and Edward Mehnert)

Height Modernization Programs Hosts Forum

The Illinois Height Modernization Program hosted a forum on real-time networks for obtaining elevation data with global positioning systems systems. Nearly 75 people attended the forum at Northern Illinois University-Rockford in November 2009. The forum featured speakers from the National Geodetic Survey and was well received. Several positive comments were received. One attendee wrote that the workshop was the best he'd attended in ten years. The programs manager from the National Geodetic Survey wrote, "I think you did a great job with the forum. Wonderful turnout and I don't think it was all about the PDHs [professional developed hours]. People looked very interested and engaged. Keep up the great work." (Contact: Beverly Herzog)

Highlights Archive

Updated 07/31/2012 SLD