Prepared in Cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Presentation Showing Results of a Hydrogeochemical 

Investigation of the Standard Mine Vicinity, Upper Elk 

Creek Basin, Colorado

Open-File Report 2008−1012

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
Prepared in Cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Presentation Showing Results of a Hydrogeochemical 

Investigation of the Standard Mine Vicinity, Upper Elk 

Creek Basin, Colorado 

By Andrew H. Manning, Philip L. Verplanck, M. Alisa Mast, and Richard B. Wanty 

Open-File Report 2008–1012 

U.S. Department of the Interior 

U.S. Geological Survey 
U.S. Department of the Interior 

DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary 

U.S. Geological Survey 

Mark D. Myers, Director 

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2008 

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Suggested citation: 

Manning, A.H., Verplanck, P.L., Mast, M.A., and Wanty, R.B., 2008, Presentation showing results of a 

hydrogeochemical investigation of the Standard Mine vicinity, Upper Elk Creek Basin, Colorado: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open-File Report 2008-1012, 19 p. 

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endorsement by the U.S. Government. 

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual 

copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. 

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Contents 

Contents ..............................................................................................................................................................................iii

Preface .................................................................................................................................................................................1

Reference Cited ..................................................................................................................................................................1
Presentation Showing Results of a 

Hydrogeochemical Investigation of the Standard 

Mine Vicinity, Upper Elk Creek Basin, Colorado 

By Andrew H. Manning, Philip L. Verplanck, M. Alisa Mast, and Richard B. Wanty 

Preface 

This Open-File Report consists of a presentation given in Crested Butte, Colorado on 

December 13, 2007 to the Standard Mine Advisory Group. The presentation was paired with 

another presentation given by the Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining, and Safety on the 

physical features and geology of the Standard Mine. The presentation in this Open-File Report 

summarizes the results and conclusions of a hydrogeochemical investigation of the Standard Mine 

performed by the U.S. Geological Survey (Manning and others, in press). The purpose of the 

investigation was to aid the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in evaluating remediation 

options for the Standard Mine site. Additional details and supporting data related to the 

information in this presentation can be found in Manning and others (in press). 

Reference Cited 

Manning, A.H., Verplanck, P.L., Mast, M.A., and Wanty, R.B., in press, Hydrogeochemical 

investigation of the Standard Mine vicinity, upper Elk Creek Basin, Colorado: U.S. Geological 

Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2007-5265. 

1
Hydrogeochemical Hydrogeochemical Investigatio

Investigatio

Standard Mine Vicinity, Upper 

Standard Mine Vicinity, Upper 

Basin, Colorado Basin, Colorado

Andrew Manning, Philip Andrew Manning, Philip Verplanck Verplanck, Alisa 

, Alisa 

Richard Richard Wanty

U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey
Background on USGS

• One of the missions of the USGS is to 

provide unbiased science information on natural resources to assist decision makers• USGS has been working on water and mining resource issues for over 125 years• USGS has been working in the Elk Mtns. for a long time:

- Operated stream gages since 1905- Made several geologic 1:24,000 scale maps- Completed mineral assessments- Performed environmental geochemistry studies in Mt. Emmons area, focusing on Redwell Basin
Study Objectives

Characterize groundwater flow s

• Where does ground-water • What are geological contro• How does ground-water floStandard Mine?• What are characteristic grotimes?

Characterize ground-water chem

• How do metal concentratiocompare to concentrations e• What is the main source of concentrations?• How do metal concentratiowith time?

Characterize surface-water chem

• How do metal concentratiotime?• What is the source of high Elk Creek?
• Ground- collected fspring 200

- One

groun- Oneundemine - Tim

summ2007 and E

• Samples tunnel discdischargeundergrouMine, and • Samples 

- Maj- Mul- Trit
Results

Ground-Water Flow
Controls on Shallow Ground-Wa

FAULT

Simple topography, not mainly control shallow g

• Spring locations no

scale faults 

• Springs locations n

geologic units

• Springs occur on b
Ground-Water Flow to Standard 

Standard Fault itself probably main pathway of ground-water flow from shallow subsurface to the mine workings at depth

• Discrete inflows from cross-faults or other geologic 

features not observed

• Water enters Levels 3 and 5 as persistent dripping 

from standard fault zone material

Conce

Soil Zone

?

Little 

groundwater flow in 

rock at 

depth
Age of Shallow

Ground Water

Shallow ground water in Upper Elk Creek Basin very young - dominantly weeks to months old rather than years old 

• Tritium/helium-3 

ground-water ages dominantly less than 1 year

• Tritium concentrations 

show effects of seasonal variations in precipitation tritium concentrations
Age of Standard

Mine Water

Ground water entering and discharging from the Standard Mine also largely less than 1 year old 

• Two tritium/helium-3 

ground-water ages less than 1 year

• Stable isotopes and 

tritium concentrations underground show effects of seasonal variations in precipitation

• Stable isotopes and 

chemistry of Level 1 discharge show large seasonal variations

• Young age inconsistent 

with large mine pool

Plummer, L.N., Bexfield, L.M., Anderholm, S.K., Sanford, W

characterization of ground-water flow in the Santa Fe GMexico: U.S. Geological Survey Water Resources Inves

(From Plummer and others, 2004)
Findings:

Ground-Water Chemistry
Controls on Ground-Water 

Metal Concentrations

Presence of sulfide-rich mineralized rock primary control

• Metal concentrations 

consistently elevated within or immediately down-gradient of areas where sulfides abundant

• Metal concentrations in 

Level 1 discharge among highest measured in Elk Basin
Controls on Ground-Water 

Metal Concentrations

Waste-rock piles can further elevate metal concentrati

• Highest metal concentrations typically observed in gro

from waste-rock piles• Water discharging from waste-rock had higher metal c

water infiltrating waste-rock

Water enteringwaste-rock:pH = 6.7Zn = 3.10 mg/LCd = 0.0245 mg/L Water exiti

waste-rockpH = 3.2Zn = 25.6 mCd = 0.197 

Level 5 Portal
Source of Elevated Meta

Concentrations In Level 1 Dis

Primary source of elevated metal concentrations in Levewas not found

• Concentrations of many chemical constituents along with indicate that sampled waters cannot be the source of meta

SO4 = 64.5 mg/LZn = 0.556 mg/L

SOZn 

SO4 = 58.6 mg/LZn = 1.98 mg/L

SO4 = 92.1 mg/LZn = 2.96 mg/L

SO4 = 31.7 mg/LZn = 1.07 mg/L

SO4 = 111 mg/L

Zn = 7.70 mg/L

SO4 = 61.0 mg/L

Zn = 5.34 mg/L

SO4 = 166-280 mg/LZn = 17.2-26.3 mg/L
Source of Elevated Meta

Concentrations In Level 1 Dis

Primary source of elevated metal concentrations in Levewas not found

• Concentrations of many chemical constituents along with indicate that sampled waters cannot be the source of meta

SO4 = 64.5 mg/LZn = 0.556 mg/L

SOZn 

SO4 = 58.6 mg/LZn = 1.98 mg/L

SO4 = 92.1 mg/LZn = 2.96 mg/L

SO4 = 31.7 mg/LZn = 1.07 mg/L

SO4 = 111 mg/L

Zn = 7.70 mg/L

SO4 = 61.0 mg/L

Zn = 5.34 mg/L

SO4 = 166-280 mg/LZn = 17.2-26.3 mg/L

SourceZone?
Findings:

Surface-Water Chemistry
Elk Creek Metal Concentratio

• Zn and Cdconcentrations consistently exceed water quality standards• Pb, Cu, and Mn

concentrations exceed water quality standards in the spring• All metal 

concentrations increase during spring runoff: “spring flush”
Source of Elevated 

Metal Concentrations

Level 1 discharge apparent source of elevated metal concentrations in Elk Creek 

• Patterns of seasonal variations in stream 

chemistry in Level 1 discharge and Elk Creek very similar

• Estimated metal fluxes in Elk Creek in 

September 2006 similar to or less than those in Level 1 discharge

0.00.11.0

10.0

100.0

12345

Mass Flux (mg/s)

Standard Mine PortalElk Creek

Zn Pb Cd Cu Mn
Questions?