Michael Pribil
I am currently the lab manager of the Multi-collector ICP-MS facility in the USGS Minerals high resolution lab. The general focus of the lab is to research stable and radiogenic isotopes with an emphasis in collaborative research projects relating to
Science and Products
Trace Metal Mobility in the Yellow Pine Mining District, Idaho
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...
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.
Lead speciation, bioaccessibility and source attribution in Missouri's Big River watershed
The Southeast Missouri Lead District is among the most productive lead deposits exploited in modern times. Intensive mining conducted prior to regulations resulted in a legacy of lead contaminated soil, large piles of mine tailings and elevated childhood blood lead levels. This study seeks to identify the source of the lead contamination in the...
Noerpel, Matthew; Pribil, Michael; Rutherford, Danny; Law, Preston; Bradham, Karen; Nelson, Clay; Weber, Rob; Gunn, Gene; Scheckel, Kirk G. Assessing mercury distribution using isotopic fractionation of mercury processes and sources adjacent and downstream of a legacy mine district in Tuscany, Italy
Mercury (Hg) concentrations and isotopic compositions in a range of sample types collected from the legacy Abbadia San Salvatore Mine (ASSM) area were used to evaluate the distribution of Hg in the region. The district generated more than 100,000 metric tons of Hg releasing extensive amounts of gaseous Hg emissions and producing large amounts of...
Pribil, Michael; Rimondi, Valentina; Costagliola, Pilario; Lattanzi, Pierfranco; Rutherford, Danny Magmatic-hydrothermal gold mineralization at the Lone Tree Mine, Battle Mountain district, Nevada
The Lone Tree deposit is located in the northern Battle Mountain mining district, Nevada. Prior to mine closure in 2006, Santa Fe Pacific Gold and Newmont produced 4.2 Moz of gold at an average grade of 2.06 g/t at Lone Tree, primarily from the N-S– to NNW-SSE–striking Wayne zone. The ore is located between the Roberts Mountain and Golconda...
Holley, Elizabeth A.; Lowe, Justin; Johnson, Craig A.; Pribil, Michael Iron isotope systematics of shale-derived soils as potentially influenced by small mineral particle loss
Loss of small mineral particles from soil has been suggested as a process that can produce net isotopic fractionation in the remaining soil. We extracted water dispersible colloids (WDCs) from bulk soil collected at the Susquehanna/Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (SSHO) and measured their Fe isotopic composition for comparison to published...
Bern, Carleton R.; Yesavage, Tiffany; Pribil, Michael 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...
Holloway, JoAnn M.; Pribil, Michael; McCleskey, R. Blaine; Etheridge, Alexandra B.; Krabbenhoft, David P.; Aiken, George R. Isotopically constrained lead sources in fugitive dust from unsurfaced roads in the southeast Missouri mining district
The isotopic composition of lead (Pb) in fugitive dust suspended by a vehicle from 13 unsurfaced roads in Missouri was measured to identify the source of Pb within an established long-term mining area. A three end-member model using 207Pb/206Pb and concentration as tracers resulted in fugitive dust samples plotting in the mixing field of well...
Witt, Emitt C.; Pribil, Michael; Hogan, John P; Wronkiewicz, David Measurement of in situ sulfur isotopes by laser ablation multi-collector ICPMS: opening Pandora’s Box
Laser ablation multi-collector ICPMS is a modern tool for in situ measurement of S isotopes. Advantages of the technique are speed of analysis and relatively minor matrix effects combined with spatial resolution sufficient for many applications. The main disadvantage is a more destructive sampling mechanism relative to the ion microprobe...
Ridley, William I.; Pribil, Michael; Koenig, Alan E.; Slack, John F. Sulfate and sulfide sulfur isotopes (δ34S and δ33S) measured by solution and laser ablation MC-ICP-MS: An enhanced approach using external correction
Isotope ratio measurements using a multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) commonly use standard-sample bracketing with a single isotope standard for mass bias correction for elements with narrow-range isotope systems measured by MC-ICP-MS, e.g. Cu, Fe, Zn, and Hg. However, sulfur (S) isotopic composition (δ34S) in...
Pribil, Michael; Ridley, William I.; Emsbo, Poul Isotopic geochemistry of Panama rivers
River water samples collected from 78 watersheds rivers along a 500-km transect across a Late Cretaceous-Tertiary andesitic volcanic arc terrane in west-central Panama provide a synoptic overview of riverine geochemistry, chemical denudation, and CO2 consumption in the tropics. D/H and 18O/16O relationships indicate that bedrock dissolution of...
Harmon, Russell S.; Worner, Gerhard; Pribil, Michael; Kern, Zoltan; Forizs, Istvan; Lyons, W. Berry; Gardner, Christopher B.; Goldsmith, Steven T. The Lepanto Cu–Au deposit, Philippines: A fossil hyperacidic volcanic lake complex
Hyperacidic lakes and associated solfatara in active volcanoes are the expression of magmatic gas expansion from source to surface. Here we show for the first time, that the vein system that comprises the ~ 2 Ma high-sulfidation, Lepanto copper–gold deposit in the Mankayan district (Philippines) was associated with a contemporary...
Berger, Byron R.; Henley, Richard W.; Lowers, Heather A.; Pribil, Michael