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Open: July 17, 2026 — Closes: September 11, 2026
Summary
What General Information Do I Need to Know About This Position? This is a term appointment not to exceed 13-months with possible extensions up to a total of 4 yrs without further competition. Appointment to this position will not convey permanent status in the Federal service. Salary: First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at Step 01. GS-12: $101,206 (Step 01) to $131,571 (Step 10).
Major Duties
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Opportunity: Characterizing mineral resources, development of mineral system mappable criteria, and regional framework geology of mineral deposit in Southwest Alaska. Introduction: The Kuskokwim mountains region of southwest Alaska hosts one of the world's largest gold deposits (Donlin Creek), past producers (e.g. Nixon Fork) and numerous current exploration projects (e.g. Flat, Illinois Creek-Waterpump Creek, Donlin, etc.). These deposits are focused on critical minerals as principal commodities or contain known critical minerals as by- and co-products. Deposits are hosted in varied geologic terranes, which include predominantly the Farewell, Angayuchum, and Ruby terranes, and vary in age from potentially middle Cretaceous to the Paleocene. Deposits have a spatial, if not genetic, association with plutons of varying characteristics, which cluster from ca. 72-60 Ma. What remains uncertain is the role basement and/or regional framework geology such as the timing of deformation and faulting, play in contributing to the development of the region's mineral resources. Background: Critical mineral enrichments occur in association with a wide variety of mineral systems and tectonic environments. Recent work has shown that precursor (i.e., Paleozoic) tectonic and magmatic events and crustal structure influenced the enrichment of critical minerals as by-products in Mesozoic mineral systems in Alaska (e.g., Kreiner et al., 2019). Many different styles of mineral systems are known or suspected to occur throughout the state, resulting from the diversity of geologic terranes and tectonic environments in which they originally formed, tectonic processes during accretion, and syn- and post-accretionary processes. Much of southwestern Alaska is composed of magmatic arcs, accretionary complexes, and continental fragments. Boundaries between these features are obscured by overlap successions of Cretaceous basin stratigraphy. The heritage and deep crustal architecture of most terranes are difficult to ascertain due to incomplete exposure and a lack of systematic investigation using modern analytical techniques. Mineral systems formed throughout the geologic evolution of the region with various critical metal enrichments. Mineral systems can be divided into pre-, syn-, and post-Cretaceous origins. The pre-Cretaceous mineral systems formed as a result of tectonic processes that occurred during the formation of the continental fragments. Syn-Cretaceous mineral systems span accretionary-derived tectonic settings and pulses of magmatic arc activity. Post-Cretaceous systems formed following the accretion of the continental fragments and a result of magmatic arcs and young Cenozoic faulting. The tectonic setting and origin of many mineral occurrences in the region remains enigmatic - including the giant Donlin gold deposit which contains large resources of Sb and As in addition to Au. The information generated in this fellowship will have broad appeal to geologists interested in mapping mineral systems in covered terrane; understanding the role the interaction of magmas, crust, and fluid reservoirs may play in critical mineral enrichment; and generate a unique understanding of mapping mineral systems in one of the nation's most diverse and endowed regions. The findings will also be of great interest to the public to include various stakeholders in Alaska such as land managers and the minerals industry who rely on the USGS for informed, data-driven mineral resources research and assessments. The USGS Earth Mapping Resource Initiative (Earth MRI), a high-profile, national mapping, data collection, synthesis and interpretation program, is focused on the Nation's need for critical mineral independence and security. This initiative has multiple new geophysical surveys in Alaska in three priority areas-the Yukon-Tanana upland, the Kuskokwim Mountains region, the Seward Peninsula, and new geologic mapping and geochemical sampling in the Yukon-Tanana upland. Additional geochemical, and geologic mapping in these regions is ongoing. The successful candidate will coordinate and integrate with this work and develop necessary datasets for better understanding the distribution of geologic basement domains, crustal architecture, and terrane evolution. The Fellow will benefit from collaborations with research staff involved in Earth MRI in Alaska and other ASC geologists to better understand the bedrock geology of the region, as well as collaboration and mentorship from state and academic partners researching the mineral systems hosting critical mineral resources. Suitable samples can be collected from a combination of active field work and research in southwest Alaska and augmented with archived materials curated by USGS. Limited new fieldwork, conducted in conjunction with active research in the region, may target specific areas for focused work.
