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Acid-Rock Drainage at Skytop, Centre County, Pennsylvania, 2004

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Acid-Rock Drainage at Skytop, Centre County, Pennsylvania, 2004 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Acid-rock drainage at Skytop, Centre County, Pennsylvania, 2004 by Jane M. Hammarstrom1, Keith Brady2, and Charles A. Cravotta III3 Open-File Report 2005-1148 Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government 1 U.S. Geological Survey, 954 National Center, Reston, VA 20192 [email protected] 2 PA Department of Environmental Protection, PO Box 8461, Harrisburg, PA 17105 3 U.S. Geological Survey, 215 Limekiln Road, New Cumberland, PA 17070 Preface Construction along Interstate Highway 99 during 2003 exposed sulfidic rock within a fresh roadcut on Bald Eagle Mountain at Skytop, near State College, in Centre County, central Pennsylvania. The cut exposed pyrite veins associated with an unmined, sandstone-hosted, zinc-lead deposit. Excavated rock was crushed and used locally as road base and fill. Within months, acidic (pH<3), metal-laden seeps and surface runoff from the crushed rock piles and roadcut raised concerns about surface- and ground-water contamination and prompted a halt in road construction and the beginning of costly remediation. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection expanded their site investigations and monitoring in response to the acid-drainage problem to determine the extent of the environmental effects at Skytop and to develop long-term remediation strategies. In addition, those agencies sought information on the source of the acid drainage and on the processes that led to the formation of acid-rock drainage at Skytop to assist them in selecting appropriate remediation for Skytop and in avoiding similar problems in other areas. A conference on “Principles of Acid Pollution Control Along Highways” was convened by the Department of Geosciences of the Pennsylvania State University and the ClearWater Conservancy in December of 2004 to facilitate information exchange between scientists, engineers, environmental professionals, and the public. The conference highlighted a number of ongoing topical studies (geology, structure, conditions of formation of the mineral deposit, nature of the acid drainage problem, potential treatments) that are underway at the Pennsylvania State University and at Juniata College, as well as presentations on general principles of weathering, acid generation, and methods of prevention and treatment. Results of USGS studies on mineralogical controls on acid-rock drainage at Skytop were summarized at the conference and are presented in this report, along with other data for rock and water samples collected during site visits between May and September of 2004. This research was conducted as part of ongoing USGS studies of the geoenvironmental behavior of mineral deposits, the characterization of mine drainage, and modeling of near-surface processes. Cover photo Aerial view of the Skytop cut on January 6, 2005 looking north. Existing Route 322 in foreground. Future I99 roadbed runs along the base of the cut. Black plastic covers one of several areas of pyritic fill as a stopgap measure to minimize water infiltration. Photograph by Keith Brady. 2 Acid-rock drainage at Skytop, Centre County, Pennsylvania, 2004 By Jane M. Hammarstrom, Keith Brady, and Charles A. Cravotta III Abstract Recent construction for Interstate Highway 99 (I-99) exposed pyrite and associated Zn-Pb sulfide minerals beneath a >10-m thick gossan to oxidative weathering along a 40-60-m deep roadcut through a 270-m long section of the Ordovician Bald Eagle Formation at Skytop, near State College, Centre County, Pennsylvania. Nearby Zn-Pb deposits hosted in associated sandstone and limestone in Blair and Centre Counties were prospected in the past; however, these deposits generally were not viable as commercial mines. The pyritic sandstone from the roadcut was crushed and used locally as road base and fill for adjoining segments of I-99. Within months, acidic (pH<3), metal- laden seeps and runoff from the exposed cut and crushed sandstone raised concerns about surface- and ground-water contamination and prompted a halt in road construction and the beginning of costly remediation. Mineralized sandstones from the cut contain as much as 34 wt. % Fe, 28 wt. % S, 3.5 wt. % Zn, 1% wt. Pb, 88 ppm As, and 32 ppm Cd. A composite of <2 mm material sampled from the cut face contains 8.1 wt. % total sulfide S, 0.6 wt. % sulfate S, and is net acidic by acid-base accounting (net neutralization potential –234 kg CaCO3/t). Primary sulfide minerals include pyrite, marcasite, sphalerite (2 to 12 wt. % Fe) and traces of chalcopyrite and galena. Pyrite occurs in mm- to cm-scale veinlets and disseminated grains in sandstone, as needles, and in a locally massive pyrite- cemented breccia along a fault. Inclusions (<10 μm) of CdS and Ni-Co-As minerals in pyrite and minor amounts of Cd in sphalerite (0.1 wt. % or less) explain the primary source of trace metals in the rock and in associated secondary minerals and seepage. Wet/dry cycles associated with intermittent rainfall promoted oxidative weathering and dissolution of primary sulfides and their oxidation products. Resulting sulfate solutions evaporated during dry periods to form intermittent “blooms” of soluble, yellow and white efflorescent sulfate salts (copiapite, melanterite, and halotrichite) on exposed rock and other surfaces. Salts coating the cut face incorporated Fe, Al, S, and minor Zn. They readily dissolved in deionized water in the laboratory to form solutions with pH <2.5, consistent with field observations. In addition to elevated dissolved Fe and sulfate concentrations (>1,000 mg/L), seep waters at the base of the cut contain >100 mg/L dissolved Zn and >1 mg/L As, Co, Cu, and Ni. Lead is relatively immobile (<10 μg/L in seep waters). The salts sequester metals and acidity between rainfall events. Episodic salt dissolution then contributes pulses of contamination including acid to surface runoff and ground water. The Skytop experience highlights the need to understand dynamic interactions of mineralogy and hydrology in order to avoid potentially negative environmental impacts associated with excavation in sulfidic rocks. 3 Contents PREFACE ........................................................................................................................................ 2 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION.............................................................................................................................. 7 GEOLOGIC SETTING AND SITE DESCRIPTIONS........................................................................ 7 METHODS ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Rock Geochemistry................................................................................................................... 11 Leach test.................................................................................................................................. 12 Mineralogy................................................................................................................................. 12 Seep Waters ............................................................................................................................. 12 RESULTS....................................................................................................................................... 13 Rock Samples ........................................................................................................................... 13 Soil Composite..................................................................................................................... 15 Mineralogy of the Skytop pyrite veins ....................................................................................... 17 Primary minerals .................................................................................................................. 18 Secondary minerals ............................................................................................................. 24 Mineralogy of the Schad prospect ............................................................................................ 24 Skytop seep waters................................................................................................................... 27 DISCUSSION................................................................................................................................. 29 Sources of acid-rock drainage at Skytop .................................................................................. 29 Weathering of pyrite............................................................................................................. 29 Other factors that affect acid-rock drainage......................................................................... 30 Water quality and implications for remediation ......................................................................... 30 Is Skytop unique? ..................................................................................................................... 33 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................................. 34 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................................
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