Andrew Manning is a Research Geologist with the Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center.
Andrew Manning has been a Research Geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey since 2002. His research is largely focused on using noble gases and other environmental tracers to study mountain groundwater flow systems. His recent work focuses more specifically on the transport of metals in groundwater in mineralized mountain areas, and has expanded to include studying the source and migration of ore fluids responsible for the formation of mineral deposits.
Education and Certifications
B.A. Earth Science, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT
M.S. Geology, with focus in structural geology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Ph.D. Geology, with focus in hydrogeology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Science and Products
Screening Techniques for Legacy Mine Land (LML) Sites Using Data Mining and Site-specific Studies in the Western U.S.
Metal Transport in Mineralized Mountain Watersheds
Geochemical Signatures of Covered Mineral Deposits in the Northern Midcontinent
Potential Impacts of Prospective Climate Change on Groundwater Recharge in the Western United States
GIS data and scripts for Colorado Legacy Mine Lands Watershed Delineation and Scoring tool (WaDeS)
Chemistry and Flow Data from Headwater Streams Draining Hydrothermally Altered Areas in Colorado
Geochemistry and Environmental Tracer Data for Groundwater, Stream Water, and Soil and Sediment from North Quartz Creek, Colorado
Hydrologic and geophysical data from high-elevation boreholes in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado
Environmental tracer data from surface water and groundwater samples collected in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado, 2017-2019
Geochemistry and Environmental Tracer Data for Groundwater, Stream Water, and Ferricrete Samples from Handcart Gulch, Colorado
Fluid Inclusion Noble Gas Data From Goldfield and Tonopah Epithermal Au-Ag Deposits
Local topography and streambed hydraulic conductivity influence riparian groundwater age and groundwater-surface water connection
Mineralogical, magnetic and geochemical data constrain the pathways and extent of weathering of mineralized sedimentary rocks
Incorporating streambank wells in stream mass loading studies to more effectively identify sources of solutes in stream water
Direct observation of the depth of active groundwater circulation in an alpine watershed
Baseflow age distributions and depth of active groundwater flow in a snow‐dominated mountain headwater basin
Using stream-side groundwater discharge for geochemical exploration in mountainous terrain
Mountain-block recharge: A review of current understanding
A 20-year record of water chemistry in an alpine setting, Mount Emmons, Colorado, USA
Testing the potential role of brine reflux in the formation of sedimentary exhalative (Sedex) ore deposits
The suitability of using dissolved gases to determine groundwater discharge to high gradient streams
Noble gas data from Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits, ancestral Cascades Arc, USA: Evidence for a primitive mantle volatile source
Implications of projected climate change for groundwater recharge in the western United States
Colorado Legacy Mine Lands Watershed Delineation and Scoring tool (WaDeS)
This web application, a summarized compilation of central Colorado water chemistry datasets from USGS and EPA, identifies legacy mine sites within the headwaters of central Colorado that could be good candidates for future remediation work based on stream metal concentrations, the number and complexity of mine features, and the potential for high natural background metal concentrations.
Science and Products
- Science
Screening Techniques for Legacy Mine Land (LML) Sites Using Data Mining and Site-specific Studies in the Western U.S.
The main goal of this project is to provide a science-based approach for screening legacy mine land (LML) sites for remediation and identifying watersheds where relatively low-cost restoration efforts may yield substantial improvements to stream water quality. We are combing analysis of multiple existing regional data coverages with focused field studies to develop a protocol that land managers...Metal Transport in Mineralized Mountain Watersheds
The central objective of this project is to develop a greater understanding of deep bedrock groundwater circulation and its contribution to surface water metal loads in mineralized mountain blocks composed of sedimentary rocks. This work is being performed in cooperation with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as part of a broader research program aimed at understanding processes controlling...Geochemical Signatures of Covered Mineral Deposits in the Northern Midcontinent
We are evaluating the potential of geochemical prospecting techniques that have shown promise in other covered terranes for mineral exploration in the northern midcontinent of the U.S. Novel components will be added to these methods with the objective of method advancement and improving our understanding of processes controlling the transmission of unique geochemical signatures from buried mineral...Potential Impacts of Prospective Climate Change on Groundwater Recharge in the Western United States
Groundwater withdrawals in the western US are a critical component of the water resources strategy for the region. Climate change already may be substantially altering recharge into groundwater systems; however, the quantity and direction (increase or decrease) of changes are relatively unknown as most climate change assessments have focused on surface water systems. We propose to conduct a broad - Data
GIS data and scripts for Colorado Legacy Mine Lands Watershed Delineation and Scoring tool (WaDeS)
This data release includes GIS datasets supporting the Colorado Legacy Mine Lands Watershed Delineation and Scoring tool (WaDeS), a web mapping application available at https://geonarrative.usgs.gov/colmlwades/. Water chemistry data were compiled from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System (NWIS), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) STORET database, and the USGSChemistry and Flow Data from Headwater Streams Draining Hydrothermally Altered Areas in Colorado
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release contains stream water chemistry and streamflow data collected in late August and early September, 2021 from 28 sites located throughout Colorado, USA. The sampled streams all drain high-elevation mountain watersheds in areas where the bedrock is hydrothermally altered and contains abundant sulfide minerals. Most sampled streams are therefore affectedGeochemistry and Environmental Tracer Data for Groundwater, Stream Water, and Soil and Sediment from North Quartz Creek, Colorado
This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data release contains data from stream water, groundwater, and soil samples collected in 2019 and 2020 in the North Quartz Creek watershed in central Colorado. Fourteen streambank wells were installed in pairs at seven locations in August 2020 to capture the emerging groundwater from the left bank and right banks (relative to downstream-facing direction) and a syHydrologic and geophysical data from high-elevation boreholes in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado
Four boreholes (MW1, MW1UZ, MW2, MW2.1) were drilled in the fall of 2017 and summer of 2018 in upper Redwell Basin, a headwater catchment underlain by hydrothermally altered sedimentary rock in the Elk Mountains near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The boreholes were continuously cored using a wireline HQ-sized coring system and sample a combination of Quaternary-aged surficial colluvium andEnvironmental tracer data from surface water and groundwater samples collected in Redwell Basin near Crested Butte, Colorado, 2017-2019
This dataset contains environmental tracer data from surface water and groundwater samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey in Redwell Basin, an alpine watershed in the Elk Mountains near the town of Crested Butte, Colorado. The basin is underlain by interbedded shale and sandstone that have been variably hydrothermally altered and silicified by local magmatic intrusions. Samples were colleGeochemistry and Environmental Tracer Data for Groundwater, Stream Water, and Ferricrete Samples from Handcart Gulch, Colorado
This data release is part of a study examining the use of near-stream groundwater discharge as a tool for Geochemical Exploration. Handcart Gulch is an unmined alpine watershed in Montezuma Mining District in the Colorado Front Range. The streambed is cemented by deep ferricrete deposits. Stream water, groundwater, and ferricrete samples were collected and analyzed to constrain the location of a pFluid Inclusion Noble Gas Data From Goldfield and Tonopah Epithermal Au-Ag Deposits
Twenty-five ore and gangue mineral separates from the Miocene-age Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits in southwestern Nevada were analyzed to determine the helium, neon, and argon (He, Ne, and Ar) isotopic compositions contained in fluid inclusions. Four mineral separates from the Butte Main Stage vein deposit and two from the Bingham pyrite-enargite vein deposits were also analyzed. F - Publications
Filter Total Items: 40
Local topography and streambed hydraulic conductivity influence riparian groundwater age and groundwater-surface water connection
The western U.S. is experiencing increasing rain to snow ratios due to climate change, and scientists are uncertain how changing recharge patterns will affect future groundwater-surface water connection. We examined how watershed topography and streambed hydraulic conductivity impact groundwater age and stream discharge at eight sites along a headwater stream within the Manitou Experimental ForestAuthorsSara R. Warix, Alexis Navarre-Sitchler, Andrew H. Manning, Kamini SinghaMineralogical, magnetic and geochemical data constrain the pathways and extent of weathering of mineralized sedimentary rocks
The oxidative weathering of sulfidic rock can profoundly impact watersheds through the resulting export of acidity and metals. Weathering leaves a record of mineral transformation, particularly involving minor redox-sensitive phases, that can inform the development of conceptual and quantitative models. In sulfidic sedimentary rocks, however, variations in depositional history, diagenesis and mineAuthorsSergio Carrero, Sarah P. Slotznick, Sirine C. Fakra, M. Cole Sitar, Sharon E. Bone, Jeffrey L. Mauk, Andrew H. Manning, Nicholas L. Swanson-Hysell, Kenneth H. Williams, Jillian F. Banfield, Benjamin GilbertIncorporating streambank wells in stream mass loading studies to more effectively identify sources of solutes in stream water
Stream synoptic sampling studies that include flow estimates derived from the stream tracer dilution method are now commonly performed to identify sources and processes controlling solute transport to streams. However, a limitation of this mass-loading approach is its inability to identify the side of the stream on which a source is located in the common case where loading is largely from groundwaAuthorsAndrew H. Manning, Robert L. Runkel, Jean Morrison, Richard Wanty, Katherine Walton-DayDirect observation of the depth of active groundwater circulation in an alpine watershed
The depth of active groundwater circulation is a fundamental control on stream flows and chemistry in mountain watersheds, yet it remains challenging to characterize and is rarely well constrained. We collected hydraulic conductivity, hydraulic head, temperature, chemical, noble gas, and 3H/3He groundwater age data from discrete levels in two boreholes 46 and 81 m deep in an alpine watershed, in cAuthorsAndrew H. Manning, Lyndsay B. Ball, Richard Wanty, Kenneth H. WilliamsBaseflow age distributions and depth of active groundwater flow in a snow‐dominated mountain headwater basin
Deeper flows through bedrock in mountain watersheds could be important, but lack of data to characterize bedrock properties limits understanding. To address data scarcity, we combine a previously published integrated hydrologic model of a snow‐dominated, headwater basin of the Colorado River with a new method for dating baseflow age using dissolved gas tracers SF6, CFC‐113, N2, and Ar. The originaAuthorsRosemary W.H. Carroll, Andrew H. Manning, Richard G. Niswonger, David W Marchetti, Kenneth H. WilliamsUsing stream-side groundwater discharge for geochemical exploration in mountainous terrain
Groundwater chemistry has been predominantly used in geochemical exploration studies to identify mineralized targets concealed under transported cover in areas with gentle topography. Another potentially valuable ap-plication that has received little attention is using groundwater chemistry to identify deposits concealed within mountain ridges. A number of geochemical exploration studies have emplAuthorsAndrew H. Manning, Jean Morrison, Richard Wanty, Christopher T. MillsMountain-block recharge: A review of current understanding
Mountain-block recharge (MBR) is the subsurface inflow of groundwater to lowland aquifers from adjacent mountains. MBR can be a major component of recharge but remains difficult to characterize and quantify due to limited hydrogeologic, climatic, and other data in the mountain block and at the mountain front. The number of MBR-related studies has increased dramatically in the 15 years since the laAuthorsKatherine Markovich, Andrew H. Manning, Laura Condon, Jennifer McIntoshA 20-year record of water chemistry in an alpine setting, Mount Emmons, Colorado, USA
From 1997 to the present, the U.S. Geological Survey and other agencies have been collecting water samples for chemical analyses on Mount Emmons in central Colorado, USA. The geology of Mount Emmons is dominated by Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene sediments of marine to continental origin, with felsic intrusive rocks interrupting the sedimentary block. Extensive sulphide-rich alteration accompanied tAuthorsRichard Wanty, Andrew H. Manning, Michaela Johnson, Philip VerplanckTesting the potential role of brine reflux in the formation of sedimentary exhalative (Sedex) ore deposits
Sedimentary exhalative (sedex) ore deposits are the world’s largest Zn-Pb deposits. While the geologic processes that formed these deposits are generally well understood, the fundamental hydrologic processes that drove these massive hydrothermal systems remain an area of debate. We use numerical modeling to test an emerging hypothesis, supported by recent ore genesis research and sedex basin analyAuthorsAndrew H. Manning, Poul EmsboThe suitability of using dissolved gases to determine groundwater discharge to high gradient streams
Determining groundwater discharge to streams using dissolved gases is known to be useful over a wide range of streamflow rates but the suitability of dissolved gas methods to determine discharge rates in high gradient mountain streams has not been sufficiently tested, even though headwater streams are critical as ecological habitats and water resources. The aim of this study is to test the suitabiAuthorsTom Gleeson, Andrew H. Manning, Andrea Popp, Mathew Zane, Jordan F. ClarkNoble gas data from Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits, ancestral Cascades Arc, USA: Evidence for a primitive mantle volatile source
The He, Ne, and Ar isotopic composition of fluid inclusions in ore and gangue minerals were analyzed to determine the source of volatiles in the high-grade Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits in southwestern Nevada, USA. Ar and Ne are mainly atmospheric, whereas He has only a minor atmospheric component. Corrected 3He/4He ratios (with atmospheric He removed) range widely from 0.05 to 3AuthorsAndrew H. Manning, Albert H. HofstraImplications of projected climate change for groundwater recharge in the western United States
Existing studies on the impacts of climate change on groundwater recharge are either global or basin/location-specific. The global studies lack the specificity to inform decision making, while the local studies do little to clarify potential changes over large regions (major river basins, states, or groups of states), a scale often important in the development of water policy. An analysis of the pAuthorsThomas Meixner, Andrew H. Manning, David A. Stonestrom, Diana M. Allen, Hoori Ajami, Kyle W. Blasch, Andrea E. Brookfield, Christopher L. Castro, Jordan F. Clark, David Gochis, Alan L. Flint, Kirstin L. Neff, Rewati Niraula, Matthew Rodell, Bridget R. Scanlon, Kamini Singha, Michelle Ann Walvoord - Web Tools
Colorado Legacy Mine Lands Watershed Delineation and Scoring tool (WaDeS)
This web application, a summarized compilation of central Colorado water chemistry datasets from USGS and EPA, identifies legacy mine sites within the headwaters of central Colorado that could be good candidates for future remediation work based on stream metal concentrations, the number and complexity of mine features, and the potential for high natural background metal concentrations.
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