16 Critical Minerals in the South-Central United States

Tuesday, 11 March 2025
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
101

ANALYZING CRITICAL METAL AND FLUID INTERACTIONS OF A HISTORIC SUBSURFACE VOLCANIC CORE DRILLED FROM DOOR POINT, LA, US GULF COAST

Paper number: 16-7
Program: Theme Sessions
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:20 AM

Authors

Abstract

Subsurface volcanics found at Door Point, located off the coast of Southeastern Louisiana, were drilled by Shell Oil Company in 1963. Little is known about the volcanics from this drilling expedition due to limited research that has been conducted on the core. An in-depth analysis of the core allows for characterization of the volcanic rock and understanding its role in Louisiana geologic history, as well as the larger sub-volcanic suite found throughout the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas. Detailed core logging and QA/QC have been conducted on the historical Door Point core. Characterization of the core has revealed a complex history of volcanic activity represented by a variety of contact types, grain sizes, and units. This agglomerate core boasts a diverse clast composition of sedimentary and igneous rocks cemented by sparry calcite +/- pectolite. Foraminifera-bearing sedimentary clasts have also been observed. Picking and separation of the different phases within the core has also been conducted and revealed the presence of abundant sulfides. Magma clasts picked from the core will be analyzed by XRD and XRF. Sulfides will be analyzed by laser ablation-ICPMS to determine their elemental composition and variability throughout the core. Carefully selected sub-samples varying the depth of the core have been taken for petrologic characterization and whole rock analysis. Electron microprobe analysis observations of the subsamples confirm the presence of sulfides such as pyrite and sphalerite, as well as an abundance of Ti-bearing minerals like perovskite and titanite.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 1

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025SC-409009

© Copyright 2025 The Geological Society of America (GSA), all rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to the author(s) of this abstract to reproduce and distribute it freely, for noncommercial purposes. Permission is hereby granted to any individual scientist to download a single copy of this electronic file and reproduce up to 20 paper copies for noncommercial purposes advancing science and education, including classroom use, providing all reproductions include the complete content shown here, including the author information. All other forms of reproduction and/or transmittal are prohibited without written permission from GSA Copyright Permissions.