JoAnn Holloway, biogeochemist with the USGS Mineral Resources Program, explains how interdisciplinary science can help better inform the conditions of a complex ecosystem.
Trace Metal Mobility in the Yellow Pine Mining District, Idaho Completed
The study objective is to conduct an integrated, interdisciplinary study on source areas, biogeochemical transformations, and physical and biological pathways for trace metal transport in a tributary of the Snake River watershed, focusing on the Sugar Creek watershed. The historical Cinnabar mercury mine site is at the headwaters of Cinnabar Creek, a tributary to Sugar Creek. This integrated approach to site characterization creates a body of science that stakeholders can apply to informed land use, remediation efforts, and balanced resource management.
Science Issue and Relevance
The Yellow Pine mining district, at the headwaters of the East Fork South Fork Salmon River (EFSFSR) has had historic antimony, mercury, tungsten, and gold mining activity since the early 20th Century. The EFSFSR provides critical habitat for spawning Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and bull trout, and is a tributary in the Snake River watershed. The historical Cinnabar mercury mine site is at the headwaters of Cinnabar Creek, a tributary to Sugar Creek. An integrated study to characterize the site creates a body of science that stakeholders can apply to inform land use decisions, to help guide remediation efforts, and to plan for balanced resource management.
Methodology to Address Issue
The study objective is to conduct an integrated, interdisciplinary study on source areas, biogeochemical transformations, and physical and biological pathways for trace metal transport, focusing on the Sugar Creek watershed. Three tasks use different research questions and approaches to characterize and quantify trace metal sources and mobility.
Isotopic and Geochemical Characterization of Trace Metals - The application of a combination of non-traditional trace metal isotopes, including mercury, and isotopes associated with geologic sources, including lead and strontium, may prove an effective means of identifying source areas for mercury, which can have multiple sources, including legacy mining, combustion, and atmospheric deposition. A combination of trace metal and light stable isotopes will be used along with bulk chemistry of rock, stream sediment, and mine tailing samples to distinguish between background geologic concentrations of mercury and arsenic upstream from mining activity, and direct effects of historical mining on stream water and trace metal chemistry.
Biogeochemical Characterization of Mercury - Understanding the biogeochemical cycling in the context of the overall geochemical matrix of water, soil, and sediment is critical in understanding the fate and transport of both total mercury and the bioaccumulating neurotoxin methylmercury. The biogeochemistry of mercury will be addressed by:
- Physically and chemically characterizing wetlands in the Stibnite and Cinnabar areas, determining the concentrations and isotopic composition of mercury in the sediment and soil, and analyzing the methylmercury in water, sediment and soil
- Determining whether the mercury in down-gradient stream sediments can be directly traced to the mercury in the upland waste rock or wetland soils by measuring the magnitude of methylation in these downstream sites.
Methylmercury is the mercury species that is biologically available, and directly impacts human health through fish consumption.
Biological Uptake and Transport of Trace Metals - Salmon are a critical food source for the Nez Perce Tribe, particularly for the elderly and economically challenged members of the tribe. The extent to which salmon bioaccumulate arsenic and mercury from legacy mining sources has not been constrained in the East Fork South Fork Salmon River. Understanding how and where trace metals are accumulated by fish is critical in management of the overall watershed, including non-point sources from multiple legacy mining sources identified in the watershed. Our objective is to quantify the amount of trace metal uptake of benthic invertebrates (organisms that live on the bottom of a water body or in the sediment and have no backbone) and the transfer for these trace metals from stream sediment to terrestrial environments through spiders, and to fish through consumption of these benthic invertebrates. The further transport of trace metals through fish migratory pathways will also be investigated. This is particularly critical for salmon, which spend a sizable portion of their life cycle in marine environments. Understanding the movement and feeding areas of these fish will give some indication as to how much the salmon actually feed in upstream areas that are directly impacted by legacy mining. The bioavailability and mobility of trace metals characterized under Tasks 1 and 2 will be determined by chemical assays of invertebrate and fish tissues collected in cooperation with the Payette National Forest and the Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Resources Management.
Return to Mineral Resources Program | Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Antimony In and Around the Yellow Pine Deposit, Central Idaho
Trace Elements in Streams Near the Stibnite Mining Area
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Hg Concentrations of Fish Tissue Samples in the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho
Water, Soil, Rock, and Sediment Geochemistry Data from the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho, 2015-2017
Electrofishing Results and Sampling of Bull Trout and Other Aquatic Vertebrates in the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho 2016
Water and Sediment Geochemistry Data from the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho, 2014-2015
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
JoAnn Holloway, biogeochemist with the USGS Mineral Resources Program, explains how interdisciplinary science can help better inform the conditions of a complex ecosystem.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Mobilization of mercury and arsenic from a carbonate-hosted ore deposit, central Idaho, U.S.A.
Below are news stories associated with this project.
In addition to the USGS Idaho Water Science Center, below are other partners associated with this project.
- Overview
The study objective is to conduct an integrated, interdisciplinary study on source areas, biogeochemical transformations, and physical and biological pathways for trace metal transport in a tributary of the Snake River watershed, focusing on the Sugar Creek watershed. The historical Cinnabar mercury mine site is at the headwaters of Cinnabar Creek, a tributary to Sugar Creek. This integrated approach to site characterization creates a body of science that stakeholders can apply to informed land use, remediation efforts, and balanced resource management.
Science Issue and Relevance
The Yellow Pine mining district, at the headwaters of the East Fork South Fork Salmon River (EFSFSR) has had historic antimony, mercury, tungsten, and gold mining activity since the early 20th Century. The EFSFSR provides critical habitat for spawning Chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and bull trout, and is a tributary in the Snake River watershed. The historical Cinnabar mercury mine site is at the headwaters of Cinnabar Creek, a tributary to Sugar Creek. An integrated study to characterize the site creates a body of science that stakeholders can apply to inform land use decisions, to help guide remediation efforts, and to plan for balanced resource management.
Methodology to Address Issue
The study objective is to conduct an integrated, interdisciplinary study on source areas, biogeochemical transformations, and physical and biological pathways for trace metal transport, focusing on the Sugar Creek watershed. Three tasks use different research questions and approaches to characterize and quantify trace metal sources and mobility.
Isotopic and Geochemical Characterization of Trace Metals - The application of a combination of non-traditional trace metal isotopes, including mercury, and isotopes associated with geologic sources, including lead and strontium, may prove an effective means of identifying source areas for mercury, which can have multiple sources, including legacy mining, combustion, and atmospheric deposition. A combination of trace metal and light stable isotopes will be used along with bulk chemistry of rock, stream sediment, and mine tailing samples to distinguish between background geologic concentrations of mercury and arsenic upstream from mining activity, and direct effects of historical mining on stream water and trace metal chemistry.
Biogeochemical Characterization of Mercury - Understanding the biogeochemical cycling in the context of the overall geochemical matrix of water, soil, and sediment is critical in understanding the fate and transport of both total mercury and the bioaccumulating neurotoxin methylmercury. The biogeochemistry of mercury will be addressed by:
- Physically and chemically characterizing wetlands in the Stibnite and Cinnabar areas, determining the concentrations and isotopic composition of mercury in the sediment and soil, and analyzing the methylmercury in water, sediment and soil
- Determining whether the mercury in down-gradient stream sediments can be directly traced to the mercury in the upland waste rock or wetland soils by measuring the magnitude of methylation in these downstream sites.
Methylmercury is the mercury species that is biologically available, and directly impacts human health through fish consumption.
Biological Uptake and Transport of Trace Metals - Salmon are a critical food source for the Nez Perce Tribe, particularly for the elderly and economically challenged members of the tribe. The extent to which salmon bioaccumulate arsenic and mercury from legacy mining sources has not been constrained in the East Fork South Fork Salmon River. Understanding how and where trace metals are accumulated by fish is critical in management of the overall watershed, including non-point sources from multiple legacy mining sources identified in the watershed. Our objective is to quantify the amount of trace metal uptake of benthic invertebrates (organisms that live on the bottom of a water body or in the sediment and have no backbone) and the transfer for these trace metals from stream sediment to terrestrial environments through spiders, and to fish through consumption of these benthic invertebrates. The further transport of trace metals through fish migratory pathways will also be investigated. This is particularly critical for salmon, which spend a sizable portion of their life cycle in marine environments. Understanding the movement and feeding areas of these fish will give some indication as to how much the salmon actually feed in upstream areas that are directly impacted by legacy mining. The bioavailability and mobility of trace metals characterized under Tasks 1 and 2 will be determined by chemical assays of invertebrate and fish tissues collected in cooperation with the Payette National Forest and the Nez Perce Tribe Fisheries Resources Management.
Return to Mineral Resources Program | Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Antimony In and Around the Yellow Pine Deposit, Central Idaho
Project objectives are to document the origin of the Yellow Pine gold-antimony deposit and, by extension, the origin of this deposit type. Our goal is to understand the structural, tectonic, and magmatic setting of the deposit, the character of the ore-transporting fluids, the conditions of ore deposition, and the regional stratigraphic framework and geochemical ore controls of metasedimentary...Trace Elements in Streams Near the Stibnite Mining Area
Mining of stibnite (antimony sulfide), tungsten, gold, silver, and mercury near the town of Stibnite in central Idaho has left a legacy of trace element contamination in the East Fork of the South Fork of the Salmon River (EFSFSR) and its tributaries. Concentrations of arsenic, antimony, and mercury frequently exceed human health criteria and may impact threatened or endangered salmonid species... - Data
Below are data releases associated with this project.
Hg Concentrations of Fish Tissue Samples in the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho
The USGS examined mercury (Hg) concentrations in fish populations inhabiting impacted and reference streams as part of an investigation into the transport of trace metals in a watershed impacted by legacy mercury mining downstream from the Cinnabar mine site, Valley County, ID. Fish were sampled through an electrofishing survey utilizing a two-pass quantitative depletion approach where possible. FWater, Soil, Rock, and Sediment Geochemistry Data from the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho, 2015-2017
Water and sediment samples were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at or near baseflow conditions from 2015-2017 in the East Fork South Fork Salmon River watershed near Yellow Pine, Valley County, Idaho. Soil, rock and tailings samples were collected in June 2015. Sampling focused on Cinnabar Creek, which flows through the CinnabarElectrofishing Results and Sampling of Bull Trout and Other Aquatic Vertebrates in the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho 2016
This data set summarizes electrofishing effort, observations, and tissue sampling of aquatic vertebrates near Yellow Pine, Idaho. Sampling was conducted using a backpack electrofishing unit at two reference sites including Cane Creek and Sugar Creek, and at three mine impact sites including Sugar Creek and Cinnabar Creek. Juvenile Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus) were present at all five sitesWater and Sediment Geochemistry Data from the Vicinity of Yellow Pine, Idaho, 2014-2015
Samples were collected at or near baseflow conditions. Water pH and specific conductance were measured in the field, with specific conductance also measured in the laboratory and calculated based on the ionic strength of samples based on laboratory analyses. Water samples were collected for laboratory analyses using a peristaltic pump with silicon tubing. Samples were filtered through a reusabl - Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
What's the Big Idea?—Multiple Perspectives to Answer Complex QuestionsWhat's the Big Idea?—Multiple Perspectives to Answer Complex QuestionsWhat's the Big Idea?—Multiple Perspectives to Answer Complex QuestionsJoAnn Holloway, biogeochemist with the USGS Mineral Resources Program, explains how interdisciplinary science can help better inform the conditions of a complex ecosystem.
JoAnn Holloway, biogeochemist with the USGS Mineral Resources Program, explains how interdisciplinary science can help better inform the conditions of a complex ecosystem.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Mobilization of mercury and arsenic from a carbonate-hosted ore deposit, central Idaho, U.S.A.
The Cinnabar and Fern mine sites in central Idaho are primary source areas for elevated mercury and arsenic entering the South Fork of the Salmon River, which provides critical spawning habitat for bull trout and Chinook salmon. Mercury mineralization is hosted by carbonate rocks, which generate waters dominated by Ca2+ and HCO3 - at pH 7 to 9. A synoptic sampling was conducted on headwater tributAuthorsJoAnn M. Holloway, Michael Pribil, R. Blaine McCleskey, Alexandra B. Etheridge, David P. Krabbenhoft, George R. Aiken - News
Below are news stories associated with this project.
- Partners
In addition to the USGS Idaho Water Science Center, below are other partners associated with this project.