Mining
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USGS scientists develop techniques for restoration and rehabilitation, provide tools that can be used to restore impaired ecosystems into healthy, resilient landscapes and watersheds that sustain plants and animals, and identify adaptation strategies for managers to plan and implement for ecosystem adaptation to natural and human-caused drivers of ecosystem change.
CURRENT USGS SCIENCE:
A coal seam in a Wyoming mine. Credit: Bureau of Land Management (Public domain).
Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)
Fort Collins Science Center (FORT)
Closed uranium mine (background) with detention pond (foreground) near the Grand Canyon North Rim. (Public domain.)
Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK)
Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC)
Western Ecological Research Center (WERC)
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Biomarker responses of Peromyscus leucopus exposed to lead and cadmium in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District
Biomarker responses and histopathological lesions have been documented in laboratory mammals exposed to elevated concentrations of lead and cadmium. The exposure of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to these metals and the potential associated toxic effects were examined at three contaminated sites in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining...
Beyer, W. Nelson; Casteel, Stan W.; Friedrichs, Kristen R.; Gramlich, Eric; Houseright, Ruth A.; Nichols, John W.; Karouna-Renier, Natalie K.; Kim, Dae Young; Rangen, Kathleen; Rattner, Barnett A.; Schultz, Sandra L. Land before water: The relative temporal sequence of human alteration of freshwater ecosystems in the conterminous United States
Human alteration of ecosystems prior to Euro-American contact in the area that became the conterminous United States disproportionately affected terrestrial systems compared to freshwater ecosystems, primarily through the use of fire and agriculture in some regions of the United States. After circa 1600 AD, trapping of beaver, along with intensive...
Wohl, Ellen; Lininger, Katherine B.; Baron, Jill S. Pre-mining trace element and radiation exposure to biota from a breccia pipe uranium mine in the Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA) watershed
The risks to wildlife and humans from uranium (U) mining in the Grand Canyon watershed are largely unknown. In addition to U, other co-occurring ore constituents contribute to risks to biological receptors depending on their toxicological profiles. This study characterizes the pre-mining concentrations of total arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (...
Hinck, Jo Ellen; Cleveland, Danielle; Brumbaugh, William G.; Linder, Greg; Lankton, Julia S. Chemistry, radiation and histopathology data in support of manuscript "Pre-mining trace element and radiation exposure to biota from a breccia pipe uranium mine in the Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA) watershed"
The risks to wildlife and humans from uranium (U) mining to the Grand Canyon watershed are largely unknown. In addition to U, other co-occurring ore constituents contribute to risks to biological receptors depending on their toxicological profiles. This data was collected to characterize the pre-mining concentrations of total arsenic (As), cadmium...
Hinck, Jo E.; Cleveland, Danielle; Lankton, Julia S. Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada: IV. Snowy egret post-fledging dispersal, timing of migration and survival, 2002–2004
This telemetry study is an extension of our 1997–2006 research on historical mercury contamination on snowy egrets (Egretta thula) up to ~ 20 days of age. Findings from initial studies at the mercury-contaminated Carson River colony at Lahontan Reservoir (LR) and a similar-sized reference (REF) colony on the Humboldt River included mercury-related...
Henny, Charles J.; Hill, Elwood F.; Grove, Robert A.; Chelgren, Nathan; Haggerty, Patricia K. Mercury and drought along the Lower Carson River, Nevada: III. effects on blood and organ biochemistry and histopathology of snowy egrets and black-crowned night-herons on Lahontan Reservoir, 2002-2006
A 10-year study (1997-2006) was conducted to evaluate reproduction and health of aquatic birds in the Carson River Basin of northwestern Nevada (on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Natural Priorities List) due to high mercury (Hg) concentrations from past mining activities. This part of the study evaluated physiological associations with...
Hoffman, David J.; Henny, Charles J.; Hill, Elwood F.; Grove, Robert A.; Kaiser, James L.; Stebbins, Katherine R. Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada: II. Snowy egret and black-crowned night-heron reproduction on Lahontan Reservoir, 1997-2006
Mercury concentrations in the floodplain of the Carson River Basin in northwestern Nevada are some of the highest ever reported in a natural system. Thus, a portion of the basin including Lahontan Reservoir was placed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Natural Priorities List for research and cleanup. Preliminary studies indicated that...
Hill, Elwood F.; Henry, Charles J.; Grove, Robert A. Mercury and drought along the lower Carson River, Nevada: I. Snowy egret and black-crowned night-heron annual exposure to mercury, 1997-2006
The dynamic nature of the annual volume of water discharged down the Carson River over a 10-year period, which included a century flood and drought, was examined in order to gain a better understanding of mercury movement, biological availability, and exposure to waterbirds nesting at Lahontan Reservoir. Total annual water discharge directly...
Henny, C.J.; Hill, E.F.; Grove, R.A.; Kaiser, J.L.-
Date published: April 13, 2018Chemistry data for assessment of crayfish from Madison County, Missouri lead mines 2015
Measurements of metals, anions, dissolved organic carbon, and major cations in surface and pore water samples from mining impacted streams in the St. Francois draininge in Madison County, Missouri.
Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center -
Date published: November 17, 2017Chemistry, radiation and histopathology data in support of manuscript "Pre-mining trace element and radiation exposure to biota from a breccia pipe uranium mine in the Grand Canyon (Arizona, USA) watershed"
Data collected to characterize the pre-mining concentrations of total arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se), thallium (Tl), U, and zinc (Zn); radiation levels; and histopathologies in biota (vegetation, invertebrates, amphibians, birds, and mammals) at the Canyon Mine.
Attribution: Columbia Environmental Research Center -
Date published: October 19, 2017Exposure of Peromyscus leucopus to lead and cadmium in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District
The exposure of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to lead and cadmium and the potential associated toxic effects were examined at three sites contaminated with lead in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District and at a reference site.
Attribution: Environmental Health, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
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Date published: January 24, 2017Uranium in Spring Water North of Grand Canyon Likely Not Related to Nearby Mining Activity
Uranium levels in Pigeon Spring, just north of the Grand Canyon, are likely due to a natural source of uranium and not related to the nearby former Pigeon Mine, according to a recent study by the U.S. Geological Survey.