Kate Campbell
Kate Campbell is a research biogeochemist specializing in microbial and abiotic metal redox cycling, mineralogy, and modeling in natural and mine-influenced waters.
Biography
Kate Campbell started her career with the USGS with the volunteer for science program as a high school student interested in the water quality of Boulder Creek, CO. After majoring in chemistry in college, she pursued a Ph.D. at Catech studying the biogeochemistry of arsenic redox transformations in reservoir sediments. She returned to the USGS as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow in 2007 in Menlo Park, CA, researching uranium bioremediation in shallow contaminated aquifers. Currently, she is a research chemist in Denver, CO. Her research projects include understanding the biogeochemistry and mineralogy of metals and metalloids in mine-impacted waters, particularly in acid rock drainage and uranium-contaminated water. She also studies microbial kinetics of iron, arsenic, and antimony oxidation in acid mine drainage, and how to incorporate microbial kinetics in reactive transport models for field-scale application as a tool for site managers.
Education:
Ph.D. – California Institute of Technology, Environmental Science and Engineering, Pasadena, CA, 2006
M.S. – California Institute of Technology, Environmental Science and Engineering, Pasadena, CA, 2003
B.S. – Georgetown University, Chemistry major (summa cum laude), Japanese language minor, Washington, D.C., 2001
Science and Products
Processes Controlling Fate and Transport of Metals Associated with Legacy Mining
The project goal is to investigate best approaches to integrating conceptual, (bio)geochemical, hydrological, and toxicological models to improve prediction of metal mobility and remediation at legacy mine land (LML) sites.
Minerals Science Team
The Minerals Integrated Science Team focuses on contaminant exposures in the environment that might originate from mineral resource activities including, transportation, storage, extraction and waste management. Perceived health risks to humans and other organisms will be distinguished from actual risks, if any. If actual risks are identified this Team will inform how to...
Macro and Micro Analytical Methods Development
The Macro and Micro Analytical Methods Development Project (MMAMD) provides access to the expertise of highly experienced research scientists and state of the art analytical instrumentation to develop new and unique analytical capabilities to solve complex problems beyond routine analysis.
X-ray diffraction data of sediment samples from Hastings, Nebraska
X-ray diffraction (XRD) data was collected by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 2015 and 2016 on sediment core samples collected near Hastings, Nebraska, by the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL) to inform aquifer sediment composition, mineralogical composition of operationally defined size fractions, and geochemical modeling. The sediment cores were collected near Ha
Mineralogical analyses of drill core samples from the Canyon uranium-copper deposit, a solution-collapse breccia pipe, Grand Canyon area, Coconino County, Arizona, USA
This data release compiles the X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy analyses of drill core samples collected by the U.S. Geological Survey that were selected to typify the uranium-copper ore bodies of the Canyon deposit. The deposit is hosted by a solution-collapse breccia pipe, in which mineralization exists from about 650 to 2,100 ft (200 to 640 m) below the surface (Mathisen and
Geochemical, mineralogical, and grain-size data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediment at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California
This dataset includes data for in-situ solid materials and suspended sediments from surface-water samples, as well as surface-water chemistry from samples collected during storm events at Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park, Nevada County, California. In-situ solid samples were collected during 2015 along six vertical transects along the cliff walls of the mine pit. Surface-water samples w...
Field and Laboratory data of pipe scale forming in acid mine drainage pipelines at Iron Mountain and Leviathan Mines, California
Pipelines carrying acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain and Leviathan Mines (CA, USA) develop pipe scale, a precipitate that forms inside the pipelines. The U.S. Geological Survey is studying the composition of the pipe scale and the acid mine drainage water flowing through the pipeline through field samples and laboratory experimentation. This data release provides the data from the stu
X-Ray diffraction data for bulk sediment and clay separations taken from cores from Bristol Dry Lake, California and geothermal springs from Paoha Island (Mono Lake), California.
X-Ray diffraction (XRD) data for bulk sediment and clay separations taken from cores from Bristol Dry Lake, California and geothermal springs from Paoha Island (Mono Lake), California. The data were collected for two separate projects: (1) determining the source of lithium in Bristol Dry Lake (BDL), and (2) determining the mechanism of sinter formation on Paoha Islan
Uranium(VI) attenuation in a carbonate-bearing oxic alluvial aquifer
Uranium minerals are commonly found in soils and sediment across the United States at an average concentration of 2–4 mg/kg. Uranium occurs in the environment primarily in two forms, the oxidized, mostly soluble uranium(VI) form, or the reduced, sparingly soluble reduced uranium(IV) form. Here we describe subsurface geochemical conditions...
Nolan, PJ; Bone, S; Campbell, Kate M.; Pannell, David; Healy, O; Stange, M; Bargar, J; Weber, KALi and Ca enrichment in the Bristol Dry Lake brine compared to brines from Cadiz and Danby Dry Lakes, Barstow-Bristol Trough, California, USA
Relatively few discharging playas in western United States extensional basins have high concentrations of lithium (Li) and calcium (Ca) in the basin-center brines. However, the source of both these ions is not well understood, and it is not clear why basins in close proximity within the same extensional trough have notably different concentrations...
Rosen, Michael R.; Stillings, Lisa L.; Kane, Tyler; Campbell, Kate M.; Vitale, Matthew; Spanjers, RayAntimony mobility during the early stages of stibnite weathering in tailings at the Beaver Brook Sb deposit, Newfoundland
The aqueous speciation and mineralogy of antimony (Sb) in waters and tailings at Beaver Brook antimony deposit have been analyzed to understand Sb mobility during the initial stages of stibnite (Sb2S3) weathering in a near-surface environment. Dissolution of stibnite in oxidizing conditions releases Sb in drainage water and Sb is incorporated into...
Radkova, Anezka; Jamieson, Heather E.; Campbell, Kate M.Formation and prevention of pipe scale from acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain and Leviathan Mines, California, USA
Pipelines carrying acid mine drainage (AMD) to treatment plants commonly form pipe scale, an Fe(III)-rich precipitate that forms inside the pipelines and requires periodic and costly cleanout and maintenance. Pipelines at Iron Mountain Mine (IMM) and Leviathan Mine (LM) in California carry acidic water from mine sources to a treatment plant and...
Campbell, Kate M.; Alpers, Charles N.; Nordstrom, D. KirkChallenges in recovering resources from acid mine drainage
Metal recovery from mine waters and effluents is not a new approach but one that has occurred largely opportunistically over the last four millennia. Due to the need for low-cost resources and increasingly stringent environmental conditions, mine waters are being considered in a fresh light with a designed, deliberate approach to resource recovery...
Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Bowell, Robert J.; Campbell, Kate M.; Alpers, Charles N.Sulfolobus islandicus meta-populations in Yellowstone National Park hot springs
Abiotic and biotic forces shape the structure and evolution of microbial populations. We investigated forces that shape the spatial and temporal population structure of Sulfolobus islandicus by comparing geochemical and molecular analysis from seven hot springs in five regions sampled over 3 years in Yellowstone National Park. Through...
Campbell, Kate M.; Kouris, Angela; England, Whitney; Anderson, Rika E.; McCleskey, R. Blaine; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Whitaker, Rachel J.Biogenic non-crystalline U(IV) revealed as major component in uranium ore deposits
Historically, it is believed that crystalline uraninite, produced via the abiotic reduction of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) is the dominant reduced U species formed in low-temperature uranium roll-front ore deposits. Here we show that non-crystalline U(IV) generated through biologically mediated U(VI) reduction is the predominant U(IV)...
Bhattacharyya, Amrita; Campbell, Kate M.; Kelly, Shelly; Roebbert, Yvonne; Weyer, Stefan; Bernier-Latmani, Rizlan; Borch, ThomasStructured populations of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius with susceptibility to mobile genetic elements
The impact of a structured environment on genome evolution can be determined through comparative population genomics of species that live in the same habitat. Recent work comparing three genome sequences of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius suggested that highly structured, extreme, hot spring environments do not limit dispersal of this...
Anderson, Rika E.; Kouris, Angela; Seward, Christopher H.; Campbell, Kate M.; Whitaker, Rachel J.Mineralization dynamics of metakaolin-based alkali-activated cements
This paper investigates the early-age dynamics of mineral formation in metakaolin-based alkali-activated cements. The effects of silica availability and alkali content on mineral formation were investigated via X-ray diffraction and solid-state 29Si magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 2, 7, 14, and 28...
Gevaudan, Juan Pablo; Campbell, Kate M.; Kane, Tyler; Shoemaker, Richard K.; Srubar, Wil V.Filamentous hydrous ferric oxide biosignatures in a pipeline carrying acid mine drainage at Iron Mountain Mine, California
A pipeline carrying acidic mine effluent at Iron Mountain, CA, developed Fe(III)-rich precipitate caused by oxidation of Fe(II)aq. The native microbial community in the pipe included filamentous microbes. The pipe scale consisted of microbial filaments, and schwertmannite (ferric oxyhydroxysulfate, FOHS) mineral spheres and filaments. FOHS...
Williams, Amy J.; Alpers, Charles N.; Sumner, Dawn Y.; Campbell, Kate M.Biogeochemical controls of uranium bioavailability from the dissolved phase in natural freshwaters
To gain insights into the risks associated with uranium (U) mining and processing, we investigated the biogeochemical controls of U bioavailability in the model freshwater speciesLymnaea stagnalis (Gastropoda). Bioavailability of dissolved U(VI) was characterized in controlled laboratory experiments over a range of water hardness, pH, and in...
Croteau, Marie-Noele; Fuller, Christopher C.; Cain, Daniel J.; Campbell, Kate M.; Aiken, George R.Persistent U(IV) and U(VI) following in-situ recovery (ISR) mining of a sandstone uranium deposit, Wyoming, USA
Drill-core samples from a sandstone-hosted uranium (U) deposit in Wyoming were characterized to determine the abundance and distribution of uranium following in-situ recovery (ISR) mining with oxygen- and carbon dioxide-enriched water. Concentrations of uranium, collected from ten depth intervals, ranged from 5 to 1920 ppm. A composite...
Gallegos, Tanya J.; Campbell, Kate M.; Zielinski, Robert A.; Reimus, P.W.; J.T. Clay; N. Janot; J. J. Bargar; Benzel, William M.