KGS receives funding from the USGS to characterize strategic minerals in the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District

12/22/2021

The Kentucky Geological Survey received $99,996 from the U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program to better characterize the strategic mineral potential in the Kentucky portion of the Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District. Georgina Lukoczki, a carbonate and economic geochemist, is the Principal Investigator for the project, and William Andrews, Geologic Mapping Section Head, is the Co-Principal Investigator. Anna Pearson, Devan Robinson, and Tom Uhl are part of the research team working on this project. The KGS team will work closely with researchers from the Illinois State Geological Survey to ensure the integration of data and results.

As part of the project, KGS team members are developing a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based 3D geological framework model that will use data from geochemical sampling and petrography. This 3D model will also build upon existing 2D datasets to include faults, dikes, known mineral occurrences, alteration zones, mineral cores, basement surface elevation, sample locations, and contacts of sedimentary strata. New geochemical data is going to be collected from samples and incorporated into the GIS database along with lithofacies data obtained from core and thin section analysis. We will also add geophysical and geochemical data collected during Phase 1 Earth MRI activities to the 3D model.

Throughout the project, the KGS team will share data and information with USGS and Illinois State Geological Survey project collaborators. The project will produce new geochemical data and improved understanding of mineral associations to facilitate potential future research and exploration of the critical minerals in this area. The new 3D model will enable improved visualization and interpretation of important spatial relationships between rocks, faults, and chemical trends in the district.

This project began in August 2021, and the expected completion date is June 2023.

Filtered aeromagnetic data for the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District and surrounding area from a new survey acquired for the Earth MRI program by the USGS.
Filtered aeromagnetic data for the Western Kentucky Fluorspar District and surrounding area from a new survey acquired for the Earth MRI program by the U.S. Geological Survey. Use the slider to compare the magnetic data (left-side) with the magnetic data overlain by surface-fault traces (gray lines) and labels for sample locations used in the project (right-side). The Coefield Anomaly is the horseshoe crab-shaped, interpreted igneous feature near the center of the map. A series of north-northwest/south-southeast-striking igneous dikes are evident in Crittenden County (linear features highlighted in purple). (Note that the high-amplitude features along the Mississippi River and what appears as an alternating blue-red line extending to the northeast are from artificial structures and not the local geology.) View a full version of this map.
Last Modified on 2021-12-21
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