Abandoned-Inactive Mines on Custer National Forest-Administered Land
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Abandoned-Inactive Mines on Custer National Forest-Administered Land Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Abandoned-Inactive Mines Program Open-File Report MBMG 421 Michael D. Kerschen Phyllis A. Hargrave John J. Metesh Catherine McDonald Robert Wintergerst Prepared for the U.S. Dep artment of Agriculture Forest Service-Region 1 Abandoned-Inactive Mines on Custer National Forest-Administered Land Open-File Report MBMG 421 2003 Mike D. Kerschen Phyllis A. Hargrave John J. Metesh Catherine McDonald Robert Wintergerst Prepared for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service-Region 1 by Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology Contents Page List of Figures ............................................................... iv List of Tables .................................................................v 1.0 Introduction ...............................................................1 1.1 Project Objectives ....................................................1 1.2 Abandoned and Inactive Mines Defined ...................................2 1.3 Health and Environmental Problems at Mines ..............................2 1.3.1 Acid-Mine Drainage ...........................................3 1.3.2 Solubilities of Selected Metals ...................................3 1.3.3 The Use of pH and SC to Identify Problems .........................5 1.4 Methodology ........................................................5 1.4.1 Data Sources .................................................5 1.4.2 Pre-Field Screening ............................................6 1.4.3 Field Screening ...............................................7 1.4.3.1 Collection of Geologic Samples ..........................8 1.4.4 Field Methods ................................................8 1.4.4.1 Selection of Sample Sites ................................9 1.4.4.2 Collection of Water and Soil Samples ......................9 1.4.4.3 Marking and Labeling Sample Sites ......................10 1.4.4.4 Existing Data ........................................10 1.4.5 Analytical Methods ...........................................10 1.4.6 Standards ...................................................11 1.4.6.1 Water-Quality Standards ...............................11 1.4.6.2 Soil Standards .......................................13 1.4.7 Analytical Results ............................................14 1.5 Custer National Forest ................................................14 1.5.1 History of mining ............................................14 1.5.1.1 Production .......................................... 19 1.5.1.2 Milling .............................................20 1.6 Summary of the Custer National Forest Investigation ........................20 1.7 Mining Districts and Drainage Basins ....................................21 2.0 Stillwater and Clarks Fork Yellowstone River Drainages ...........................21 2.1 Geology ...........................................................21 2.2 Economic Geology ...................................................22 2.3 Hydrology and Hydrogeology ..........................................22 2.4 Summaries of the Stillwater and Clarks Fork Yellowstone River Drainages ......23 2.5 Benbow Mill .......................................................25 ii 2.6 Copper King Mine ...................................................29 2.7 Copper Sentinel Mine ................................................33 3.0 Shoshone and Bighorn Lake Drainages .........................................36 3.1 Geology ...........................................................37 3.2 Economic Geology ...................................................37 3.3 Hydrology and Hydrogeology ..........................................37 3.4 Summary of the Shoshone and Bighorn Lake Drainages ......................38 4.0 North and South Forks Grand, and Upper Moreau River Drainages ...................38 4.1 Geology ...........................................................38 4.2 Economic Geology ...................................................39 4.3 Hydrology and Hydrogeology ..........................................39 4.4 Summary of the North and South Forks Grand, and Upper Moreau River Drainages 39 4.5 Mink / Kermac Operation .............................................42 4.6 Susan Becky / Kermac Operation .......................................46 4.7 Pickpocket No. 1 / Munkers Operation ...................................50 5.0 Uranium sampling ........................................................ .55 5.1 South Dakota .......................................................56 5.2 South Cave Hills ....................................................63 5.3 Slim Buttes .........................................................67 5.4 Montana, Pryor Mountains ............................................73 6.0 References ...............................................................81 iii List of Figures Figure Page 1. The location of a mine is found as shown ........................................ 7 2. The Custer National Forest covers nearly 2.5 million acres ......................... 15 3. The abandoned-inactive mines in the Custer National Forest. ...................... 16 4. The abandoned tailings ponds below the Benbow mill site ......................... 26 4a. Concrete mill foundations remain at the Benbow mill site .......................... 27 4b. Distance view of Benbow mill site, former camp, and tailings ponds ................. 27 5. The Copper King mine shaft (flooded) is a private patented mining claim ............. 31 5a. Area view of Goose Lake, the Copper King shaft ................................. 32 5b. The private Copper King shaft is flooded and was discharging into Goose Creek ....... 32 6. The adit discharge from the Copper Sentinel mine infiltrated into the ground .......... 35 6a. Copper Sentinel collapsed adit and associated waste dump ......................... 36 6b. Adit discharge sample GCSS10L ............................................. 36 7. Abandoned-inactive mines in the Custer National Forest of South Dakota. ............ 40 8. Tracks on mine bench suggest wildlife visit the pond to water ...................... 44 8a. Pond on mine bench of the Mink / Kermac Operation ............................. 45 8b. View of Mink Mine ....................................................... 45 9. Sketch map of the Susan Becky / Kermac Operation as mapped on 6/26/2000 .......... 48 9a. View of pond on the former mine bench ........................................ 49 9b. Photo showing highwall, rock rubble and landslide area ........................... 49 10. Wildlife and cattle drink from pond on the former mine bench ...................... 53 10a. View of cuts into hillside of the Pickpocket No. 1 ............................... 54 10b. Area view of the North Cave Hills ............................................ 54 11. Sites inventoried in the North Cave Hills ...................................... 57 11a. Fifteen sites were sampled in the South Cave Hills. .............................. 58 11b. Eight sites were sampled in the Slim Buttes area. ................................ 59 12. Typical bulldozer prospects in the Slim Buttes .................................. 61 13. Bulldozer cuts exploring lignite beds ......................................... 62 14. Views of Lonesome Pete No. 2 .............................................. 64 15. The Daisy Mae No. 6 mine site .............................................. 65 16. Views of the Hanson Operation area H-1 ...................................... 70 17. Views of the Hanson Operation in area H-1 .................................... 71 18. Views of the workings of the Hanson Operation area H-2 ......................... 72 19. Prospects and mines located in the Pryor Mountains. ............................. 74 20. Typical bulldozer prospects in the Pryor Mountains .............................. 77 21. Views of the workings at the Sandra Mine ..................................... 78 22. Mine workings at the Old Glory ............................................. 79 23. Views of the Old Glory .................................................... 80 iv List of Tables Table Page 1. List of previous inventories and open-file report (OFR) numbers ...................... 1 2. Screening criteria ........................................................... 6 3. Water-quality standards ..................................................... 12 4. Clark Fork Superfund background levels (mg/kg) for soils. ......................... 13 5. Various levels of toxicity for lead ............................................. 13 6. Production from mining districts within the Custer National Forest ................... 19 7. Summary of Custer National Forest investigation ................................. 21 8. Summary of sites in the Custer National Forest within Montana ..................... 23 9. Soil sample results at the Benbow mill tailing ponds (mg/kg). ....................... 28 10. Benbow mill water-quality exceedences. ........................................ 28 11. Water-quality exceedences for the Copper Sentinel ............................... 34 12. Summary of sites in the North and South Forks Grand, ............................ 41 13. Soil sampling results at the Mink / Kermac Operation (mg/kg) ...................... 43 14. Water-quality exceedences for the Mink / Kermac Operation ........................ 43 15. Soil sampling results at the Susan Becky / Kermac Operation (mg/kg). ................ 47