USMIN: Abandoned Mine Lands Inventory
USMIN is building a national inventory of abandoned hardrock mine features for the United States. This inventory will enhance risk assessment, inform land management decisions, and support physical and environmental hazard mitigation, and ecosystem restoration.
The United States has a rich mining history, leaving behind numerous features from past operations—such as adits, pits, and shafts—many of which have been abandoned and pose significant hazards to the public. Currently, there is no comprehensive national inventory of these abandoned mine features, limiting the ability to assess risk on a broad scale. USMIN’s inventory will compile data from Federal, State, and Tribal agencies to improve understanding of these features and help prioritize hazards for mitigation and land management efforts.
Abandoned mine features can pose both physical and environmental hazards. Physical hazards include open features such as adits or mine shafts, which may collapse or create other physical safety risks. Environmental hazards often involve acid mine drainage, where toxic chemicals leach into soils and watersheds, causing long-term ecosystem damage and contaminating water far from the source.
Assessing abandoned mine features requires knowing their locations and potential risks. USMIN is working with Federal, State, and Tribal partners to gather data for an inventory that supports the Department of Interior Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance. While USMIN leads this initiative, it is a collaborative effort built on the expertise and resources of a broad coalition of partners.
This is a task of the USGS Mineral Deposit Database Project (USMIN)
USMIN Mineral Deposit Database
USMIN is building a national inventory of abandoned hardrock mine features for the United States. This inventory will enhance risk assessment, inform land management decisions, and support physical and environmental hazard mitigation, and ecosystem restoration.
The United States has a rich mining history, leaving behind numerous features from past operations—such as adits, pits, and shafts—many of which have been abandoned and pose significant hazards to the public. Currently, there is no comprehensive national inventory of these abandoned mine features, limiting the ability to assess risk on a broad scale. USMIN’s inventory will compile data from Federal, State, and Tribal agencies to improve understanding of these features and help prioritize hazards for mitigation and land management efforts.
Abandoned mine features can pose both physical and environmental hazards. Physical hazards include open features such as adits or mine shafts, which may collapse or create other physical safety risks. Environmental hazards often involve acid mine drainage, where toxic chemicals leach into soils and watersheds, causing long-term ecosystem damage and contaminating water far from the source.
Assessing abandoned mine features requires knowing their locations and potential risks. USMIN is working with Federal, State, and Tribal partners to gather data for an inventory that supports the Department of Interior Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance. While USMIN leads this initiative, it is a collaborative effort built on the expertise and resources of a broad coalition of partners.
This is a task of the USGS Mineral Deposit Database Project (USMIN)