Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume 

and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining 

District, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005–10

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5011
Front cover:

Left, Eroded chat on the Sooner property. 

Right, View of the Sooner chat pile oriented southeast, with small mounds of chat in the foreground. 

Bottom banner, Panoramic view of a chat pile (CP039) on the St. Joe property, oriented east.

Back cover:

Top right, View from the north entrance to the Sooner property showing chat piles.

Bottom right, Closeup view of chat on the St. Joe property with a quarter dollar for scale.

Left, Small mound of chat beside Main Street in the former town of Picher, Oklahoma, oriented 

southeast toward an abandoned baseball field and chat pile (CP037).

All photographs by S. Jerrod Smith, March 20, 2013. 
Estimation of Volume and Mass and of 

Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected 

Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District, 

Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005–10

By S. Jerrod Smith

Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Scientific Investigations Report 2013–5011

U.S. Department of the Interior

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

SALLY JEWELL, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2013

Suggested citation:

Smith, S.J., 2013, Estimation of volume and mass and of changes in volume and mass of selected chat piles in the 

Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005–10: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2013–5011, 20 p., http://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2013/5011/.

For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living 

resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS.

For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, 

visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod

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Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the 

U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials 

as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner.
iii

Contents

Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1

Purpose ..................................................................................................................................................3

Scope .....................................................................................................................................................3

Study Area .............................................................................................................................................3

Methods for Estimating Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles ......................................................3

Digital Elevation Models .....................................................................................................................3

Chat-Pile Footprints .............................................................................................................................6

Chat-Pile Average Altitudes ...............................................................................................................6

Chat-Pile Base Altitudes and Chat-Pile Average Heights .............................................................6

Bulk Density of the Chat Piles ............................................................................................................6

Assumptions .........................................................................................................................................6

Estimation of 2005 and 2010 Chat-Pile Volumes and Masses ................................................................8

Estimation of Changes in Chat Volumes and Masses for 2005 Through 2010 ...................................10

Summary .......................................................................................................................................................12

References Cited .........................................................................................................................................12

Figures

1. Aerial-photograph-draped, bare-earth light detection and ranging (lidar) 

survey scenes (2.5 times vertical exaggeration) showing selected chat piles 

on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, in 2010 

(property names are labeled on the scenes). A, View oriented northwest. 

B, View oriented south. C, View oriented southwest .............................................................2

2. Map showing locations and footprints of selected chat piles on properties in 

the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma ...........................................................4

3. Theoretical chat-pile schematics showing data used to compute volumes of 

selected chat piles in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma. 

A, Map. B, Cross section ............................................................................................................5

4. Map showing changes in land-surface altitude in the Picher mining district, 

Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005 through 2010 ........................................................................7

5. Boxplot showing bulk density of chat piles in the Picher mining district, Ottawa 

County, Oklahoma, 2005 ..............................................................................................................8

6. Graphs showing estimates of chat-pile volume and mass for selected properties 

in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005 and 2010 ............................9

7. Graph showing estimates of volume and mass changes for selected chat piles 

on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005 

through 2010 ...............................................................................................................................11
iv

Tables

1. Characteristics of selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining 

district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and altitude statistics for selected chat 

piles, 2005 and 2010 ...................................................................................................................13

2. Estimates of volume, mass, and change in volume and mass for selected chat 

piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005 

through 2010 ...............................................................................................................................17

Conversion Factors

Inch/Pound to SI

Multiply By To obtain

Length

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

yard (yd) 0.9144 meter (m)

Area

acre 4,047 square meter (m2)

acre 0.4047 hectare (ha)

acre 0.4047 square hectometer (hm2) 

acre 0.004047 square kilometer (km2)

square foot (ft2) 929.0 square centimeter (cm2)

square foot (ft2) 0.09290 square meter (m2)

square mile (mi2) 259.0 hectare (ha)

square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2) 

Volume

cubic foot (ft3) 28.32 cubic decimeter (dm3) 

cubic foot (ft3) 0.02832 cubic meter (m3) 

cubic yard (yd3) 0.7646 cubic meter (m3) 

Mass

pound, avoirdupois (lb) 0.4536 kilogram (kg) 

ton, short (2,000 lb) 0.9072 megagram (Mg) 

Density

pound per cubic foot (lb/ft3) 16.02 kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m3)

pound per cubic foot (lb/ft3) 0.01602 gram per cubic centimeter (g/cm3)

ton, short (2,000 lb) per cubic 

yard (ton/yd3)

1.187 megagram per cubic meter (Mg/m3)

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 

(NAVD 88).

Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.
Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume 

and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining 

District, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005–10

By S. Jerrod Smith

Abstract 

From the 1890s through the 1970s the Picher mining 

district in northeastern Ottawa County, Oklahoma, was the site 

of mining and processing of lead and zinc ore. When mining 

ceased in about 1979, as much as 165–300 million tons of 

mine tailings, locally referred to as “chat,” remained in the 

Picher mining district. Since 1979, some chat piles have been 

mined for aggregate materials and have decreased in volume 

and mass. Currently (2013), the land surface in the Picher 

mining district is covered by thousands of acres of chat, much 

of which remains on Indian trust land owned by allottees. The 

Bureau of Indian Affairs manages these allotted lands and 

oversees the sale and removal of chat from these properties. To 

help the Bureau of Indian Affairs better manage the sale and 

removal of chat, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation 

with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, estimated the 2005 and 

2010 volumes and masses of selected chat piles remaining 

on allotted lands in the Picher mining district. The U.S. 

Geological Survey also estimated the changes in volume and 

mass of these chat piles for the period 2005 through 2010.

The 2005 and 2010 chat-pile volume and mass estimates 

were computed for 34 selected chat piles on 16 properties in 

the study area. All computations of volume and mass were 

performed on individual chat piles and on groups of chat piles 

in the same property. The Sooner property had the greatest 

estimated volume (4.644 million cubic yards) and mass (5.253 

± 0.473 million tons) of chat in 2010. Five of the selected 

properties (Sooner, Western, Lawyers, Skelton, and St. Joe) 

contained estimated chat volumes exceeding 1 million cubic 

yards and estimated chat masses exceeding 1 million tons in 

2010. Four of the selected properties (Lucky Bill Humbah, 

Ta Mee Heh, Bird Dog, and St. Louis No. 6) contained 

estimated chat volumes of less than 0.1 million cubic yards 

and estimated chat masses of less than 0.1 million tons in 

2010. The total volume of all selected chat piles was estimated 

to be 18.073 million cubic yards in 2005 and 16.171 million 

cubic yards in 2010. The total mass of all selected chat piles 

was estimated to be 20.445 ± 1.840 million tons in 2005 and 

18.294 ± 1.646 million tons in 2010.

All of the selected chat piles decreased in volume and 

mass for the period 2005 through 2010. Chat piles CP022 

(Ottawa property) and CP013 (Sooner property) had some 

within-property chat-pile redistribution, with both chat piles 

having net decreases in volume and mass for the period 2005 

through 2010. The Sooner property and the St. Joe property 

had the greatest volume (and mass) changes, with 1.266 

million cubic yards and 0.217 million cubic yards (1.432 ± 

0.129 million tons and 0.246 ± 0.022 million tons) of chat 

being removed, respectively. The chat removed from the 

Sooner and St. Joe properties accounts for about 78 percent of 

the chat removed from all selected chat piles and properties. 

The total volume and mass removed from all selected chat 

piles for the period 2005 through 2010 were estimated to be 

1.902 million cubic yards and 2.151 ± 0.194 million tons, 

respectively. 

Introduction

From the 1890s through the 1970s the Picher mining 

district (PMD) in northeastern Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 

was the site of mining and processing of lead and zinc ore 

(State of Oklahoma, 2000). Subsurface mines, some as deep 

as 400 feet (ft), supplied unprocessed ore to mills on the 

land surface. When mining ceased in about 1979, as much 

as 165–300 million tons of mine tailings, locally referred to 

as “chat,” remained in the PMD (State of Oklahoma, 2000). 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that 75 million 

tons of mine tailings remained in the PMD in 2000 (State of 

Oklahoma, 2000). If an average bulk density of 83.8 pounds 

per cubic foot (lb/ft3; AATA International, Inc., 2005) or 

1.1313 ton per cubic yard (ton/yd3) is assumed, 75 million tons 

corresponds to a volume of about 66.7 million cubic yards 

(yd3) of chat. 

A 2005 report classified the areas of remaining chat 

into three categories: chat piles, chat bases, and chat fines 

(AATA International, Inc., 2005). Chat piles are mounded 

areas of mine tailings that may be higher than 180 ft above 

the surrounding terrain (fig. 1). Chat piles contain mostly 
2 Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District

Figure 1. Aerial-photograph-draped, bare-earth light detection and ranging (lidar) survey scenes (2.5 times vertical exaggeration) 

showing selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, in 2010 (property names are labeled 

on the scenes). A, View oriented northwest. B, View oriented south. C, View oriented southwest. 

A

B

C
Methods for Estimating Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles 3

gravel- to sand-sized material that has economic value, 

primarily as aggregate for road construction. Since 1979, 

some chat piles have been mined for aggregate materials and 

have decreased in volume and mass. AATA International, 

Inc. (2005), estimated that 31.2 million yd3 of chat remained 

in chat piles in 2004. As chat piles are removed for sale, 

chat bases are exposed. Chat bases are lower lying, level 

areas that were formerly covered by chat piles. Chat bases 

contain chat of unknown thickness and are of similar altitude 

to the surrounding terrain. AATA International, Inc. (2005), 

estimated that 6.71 million yd3 of chat remained in chat bases 

in 2004. The third category of chat, chat fines, contains mostly 

fine-sand-, silt-, and clay-sized particles. Chat fines are located 

adjacent to chat piles and are the remains of remilled chat 

piles; they were considered to contain too little coarse material 

to have economic value at the time of this report (2013). 

AATA International, Inc. (2005), estimated that 9.16 million 

yd3 of chat fines remained in 2004.

Currently (2013), the land surface in the PMD is covered 

by thousands of acres of chat, much of which remains on 

Indian trust land owned by allottees. The Bureau of Indian 

Affairs (BIA) manages these allotted lands and oversees the 

sale and removal of chat from these properties. To help the 

BIA better manage the sale and removal of chat, the U.S. 

Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the BIA, 

estimated the 2005 and 2010 volumes and masses of selected 

chat piles remaining on allotted lands in the Picher mining 

district. The USGS also estimated the changes in volume and 

mass of these chat piles for the period 2005 through 2010. 

Purpose

The purposes of this report are to present estimates of 

volume and mass computed for selected chat piles in 2005 and 

2010 and to present estimates of changes in volume and mass 

for selected chat piles for the period 2005 through 2010. The 

report also documents data sources, assumptions, and methods 

that were used to estimate the volumes and masses of selected 

chat piles so that the computations can be repeated as new data 

become available. The chat-pile volume and mass estimates in 

this report may be used by the BIA and other stakeholders to 

estimate the economic value of remaining chat resources and 

assess offers and bids to purchase remaining chat resources.

Scope

This report contains volume and mass estimates of 34 

selected chat piles on 16 BIA-managed properties in the PMD. 

Volume and mass estimates are reported for these selected 

chat piles only; no attempt was made to estimate the volume 

or mass of chat remaining in other chat piles, chat bases, or 

chat fines. Because of time and funding constraints, chat-pile 

volumes were estimated in a geographic information system 

by using aerially surveyed altitude data rather than by using 

ground-surveyed altitude data.

Study Area

The study area includes about 12 square miles (mi2) of 

the PMD in northern Ottawa County, Oklahoma, near the 

former town of Picher (fig. 2). Where it is not covered by chat, 

the study area is relatively flat, and there is typically little 

change in altitude over short distances. At least 50 chat piles 

of various sizes have been identified in the study area (AATA 

International, Inc., 2005). Thirty-four of these chat piles were 

selected for analysis of volume and mass (fig. 2, table 1 at end 

of report). Each of these chat piles has a unique identification 

number and is associated with a property that may contain 

one or more distinct chat piles (AATA International, Inc., 

2005); however, some property names used in this report 

were updated to names that are commonly used by the 

BIA (table 1). All computations of volume and mass were 

performed on individual chat piles and on groups of chat piles 

in the same property.

Methods for Estimating Volume and 

Mass of Selected Chat Piles

Several datasets were needed to estimate the volume 

and mass of the selected chat piles. Required datasets were 

(1) digital elevation models (DEMs) of the land surface 

in 2005 and 2010, (2) footprints of the selected chat piles, 

(3) the chat-pile average altitude in each footprint, (4) the 

base altitude of each chat pile, and (5) the bulk density 

measurements of the chat piles. The volumes of selected chat 

piles were computed as the chat-pile average height (the chatpile average altitude minus the chat-pile base altitude) times 

the chat-pile footprint area (fig. 3). The masses of selected chat 

piles were computed as the chat-pile volume times the average 

chat-pile bulk density.

Digital Elevation Models

Land-surface altitudes were determined by using 2005 

and 2010 bare-earth DEMs developed from aerial-based light 

detection and ranging (lidar) surveys. The 2005 lidar survey 

was flown in March 2005 (Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005). The 

resulting 2005 bare-earth DEM had a horizontal resolution 

of 10 ft (3.05 meters [m]) and a vertical precision of 0.01 ft 

(0.003 m). The 2005 lidar survey also included acquisition of 

high-resolution (0.5 ft) leaf-off aerial orthophotography for the 

study area (Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005). The 2010 lidar survey 

was flown on April 11, 2010 (Photo Science, Inc., 2010). The 

resulting 2010 bare-earth DEM had a horizontal resolution of 

3.28 ft (1 m) and a vertical precision of 0.0328 ft (0.01 m). 

The lidar data were reprojected to Lambert Conformal Conic, 

Oklahoma State Plane North projection, and the 2005 DEM 

was resampled by using bilinear interpolation to match the 

extent and resolution of the 2010 DEM prior to analysis.
4 Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District

Base aerial photography from Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005

Municipal boundary from U.S. Census Bureau, 2000

Lambert Conformal Conic, Oklahoma State Plane North projection

Chat-pile boundaries modified from AATA International, Inc., 2005

Mined areas from Brichta, 1960

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 MILE

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 KILOMETER

Area enlarged

OTTAWA COUNTY

CHEROKEE COUNTY

NEWTON

COUNTY

JASPER

COUNTY

Mined areas 

of the Picher

mining district

OKLAHOMA

MISSOURI

KANSAS

Picher

Ta Mee

Heh

Pioneer

Blue

Goose

Ritz

Western

Howe

Bird Dog

Ottawa

St. Louis

No. 6

Sooner

St. Joe

OKO

Lucky

Bill

Humbah

Woodchuck

Skelton

Lawyers

CP004

CP006A CP006E

CP006B

CP006D

CP006C CP072A

CP008

CP079

CP080

CP072B

CP073

CP075

CP076

CP074

CP077

CP066

CP061

CP029A

CP033 CP037

CP039

CP036

CP041 CP038

CP021

CP020

CP024

CP022 CP013

CP200

CP201

CP025

CP023

94°53' 94°52'30" 94°52' 94°51'30" 94°51' 94°50'30" 94°50' 94°49'30" 94°49'

37°00'

36°59'30"

36°59'

36°58'30"

36°58'

36°57'30"

EXPLANATION

Municipal boundary

Selected chat-pile boundary and

 identification number (table 1)

Bureau of Indian Affairs-approved

 property name (table 1)

CP074

Ta Mee

Heh

Point of view

for figure 1C

Point of view

for figure 1A

Point of view

for figure 1B

Figure 2. Locations and footprints of selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma.
Methods for Estimating Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles 5

Average chat-pile altitude (average landsurface altitude in chat-pile footprint)

A A’

Altitude

Land-surface from digital elevation model

20-foot buffer20-foot buffer

Chat-pile footprint

A

B. Cross section

A. Map

A A'

A'

Chat-pile footprint

20-foot buffer

WEST EAST Altitude above datum

Chat-pile average altitude (average landsurface altitude in chat-pile footprint)

Chat-pile base altitude (average landsurface altitude in 20-foot buffer)

Estimated volume of chat pile =

average height × footprint area 

Chat-pile

average height

Land surface from digital

elevation model

Chat-pile footprint

20-foot buffer20-foot buffer

VERTICAL EXAGGERATION

Figure 3. Theoretical chat-pile schematics showing data used to compute volumes of selected chat piles in the Picher mining district, 

Ottawa County, Oklahoma. A, Map. B, Cross section.
6 Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District

Chat-Pile Footprints

The chat-pile footprints were originally obtained from 

AATA International, Inc. (2005). The St. Louis No. 6 chat 

piles (CP200 and CP201), which had not been delineated by 

AATA International, Inc. (2005), were delineated in ESRI 

ArcGIS 10.0 software (Environmental Systems Research 

Institute, Inc., Redlands, Calif.) at a 1:1,200 scale by using 

high-resolution (0.5 ft) aerial photographs and digital elevation 

data (Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005) acquired in March 2005. A 

preliminary, map-based assessment of land-surface altitude 

changes was necessary to ensure that the chat-pile footprints 

covered all areas where chat was removed or redistributed. 

A map (fig. 4) showing changes in land-surface altitude for 

the period 2005 through 2010 was created by subtracting the 

2005 DEM from the 2010 DEM by using the ArcGIS Raster 

Calculator tool (ESRI, Inc., 2012a) and rounding to the nearest 

foot. Yellow and red hues (negative changes in altitude) on 

the map indicate removal of material (as much as -99 ft), and 

blue hues (positive changes in altitude) indicate accumulation 

of material (as much as 59 ft) during the period 2005 through 

2010 (fig. 4). For clarity, areas with minimal land-surface 

altitude changes (between 1 and -1 ft) are not shown on 

figure 4. The Sooner and Ottawa properties, for which both 

red and blue areas are indicated (fig. 4), show redistribution of 

chat as it was removed from one area, sorted or screened, and 

placed in another area. On the basis of the changes in altitude 

(fig. 4), the chat-pile footprints for CP022 (Ottawa property) 

and CP013 (Sooner property) were modified slightly from 

AATA International, Inc. (2005), to include areas of chat-pile 

redistribution. All chat-pile footprints and property names 

were reviewed and approved by the BIA (S. Beets, Realty 

Specialist, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, written commun., 

2012). Areas of selected chat-pile footprints ranged from 0.13 

to 97.37 acres (table 1).

Chat-Pile Average Altitudes

The minimum, maximum, and average altitudes in the 

chat-pile footprint were extracted from the 2005 and 2010 

DEMs by using the ArcGIS Zonal Statistics as Table tool 

(ESRI, Inc., 2012b) (table 1). The average altitude in the 

chat-pile footprint was used to represent the chat-pile average 

altitude in computations of chat-pile volume (fig. 3). 

Chat-Pile Base Altitudes and Chat-Pile Average 

Heights

Determination of the base altitudes of the selected chat 

piles was accomplished in ArcGIS by using the Buffer tool 

(ESRI, Inc., 2012c) to delineate a 20-ft buffer around each 

BIA-approved chat-pile footprint (fig. 3). The minimum, 

maximum, and average altitudes in the 20-ft chat-pile buffer 

were extracted from the 2005 and 2010 DEMs by using the 

ArcGIS Zonal Statistics as Table tool (ESRI, Inc., 2012b) 

(table 1). The base of each chat pile was assumed to be a 

horizontal plane with an altitude equal to the 2010 average 

altitude in the chat-pile buffer (table 1). The 2010 DEM was 

used to establish the chat-pile base altitude because the 2010 

DEM was of finer resolution than the 2005 DEM. For each 

selected chat pile, the chat-pile base altitude was subtracted 

from the 2005 and 2010 chat-pile average altitudes to compute 

chat-pile average height in 2005 and 2010 (fig. 3, table 2 at 

end of report). 

Bulk Density of the Chat Piles

Bulk density (the mass of a substance divided by its bulk 

volume) is used to describe the density of a substance that is 

a complex mixture of materials that may contain air or pore 

space. AATA International, Inc. (2005), collected and analyzed 

41 bulk-density samples from 41 different chat piles in the 

PMD. The AATA International, Inc. (2005), bulk-density 

measurements ranged from 70.0 lb/ft3 (0.9450 ton/yd3) to 

97.6 lb/ft3 (1.3176 ton/yd3) and averaged 83.8 lb/ft3 (1.1313 

ton/yd3) (fig. 5). The 10th and 90th percentiles of bulk density 

measurements were 76.6 lb/ft3 (1.0341 ton/yd3) and 91.6 lb/

ft3 (1.2366 ton/yd3), respectively (fig. 5). For this report, an 

average bulk density of 1.1313 ton/yd3 was used to convert 

chat-pile volume to chat-pile mass (table 2). The 10th and 90th 

percentiles of bulk densities reported by AATA International, 

Inc. (2005), which correspond to about plus or minus 9 percent 

of the average bulk density, were used to assign error margins 

to all masses computed in this report. 

Assumptions 

Several computational assumptions were necessary 

because of uncertainty associated with the footprints and 

compositions of the chat piles. All computations presented in 

this report assumed the following:

1. the chat-pile footprints encompassed the entire chat-pile 

resource in 2005 and 2010,

2. the bases of the chat piles were planar and horizontal,

3. the average altitude in a 20-ft buffer surrounding each 

chat pile represented a reasonable estimate of the altitude 

of the chat-pile base,

4. differences in DEM horizontal resolution and vertical 

precision were not a source of systematic error in the 

volume computations, and 

5. the average bulk density of each chat pile was 1.1313 

ton/yd3.

Any decreases in chat-pile volume and mass were 

expected to be caused by removal of material by humans. 

Decreases in chat-pile volume and mass also may occur, 

however, as a result of natural processes such as settling, 

erosion by water and wind (an Enhanced Fujita [EF]-4 tornado 
Methods for Estimating Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles 7

Base aerial photography from Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005

Municipal boundary from U.S. Census Bureau, 2000

Lambert Conformal Conic, Oklahoma State Plane North projection

Chat-pile boundaries modified from AATA International, Inc., 2005

Mined areas from Brichta, 1960

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 MILE

0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 KILOMETER

Area enlarged

OTTAWA COUNTY

CHEROKEE COUNTY

NEWTON

COUNTY

JASPER

COUNTY

Mined areas 

of the Picher

mining district

OKLAHOMA

MISSOURI

KANSAS

Picher

Ta Mee

Heh

Pioneer

Blue

Goose

Ritz

Western

Howe

Bird Dog

Ottawa

St. Louis

No. 6

Sooner

St. Joe

OKO

Lucky

Bill

Humbah

Woodchuck

Skelton

Lawyers

CP004

CP006A CP006E

CP006B

CP006D

CP006C CP072A

CP008

CP079

CP080

CP072B

CP073

CP075

CP076

CP074

CP077

CP066

CP061

CP029A

CP033 CP037

CP039

CP036

CP041 CP038

CP021

CP020

CP024

CP022 CP013

CP200

CP201

CP025

CP023

94°53' 94°52'30" 94°52' 94°51'30" 94°51' 94°50'30" 94°50' 94°49'30" 94°49'

37°00'

36°59'30"

36°59'

36°58'30"

36°58'

36°57'30"

EXPLANATION

CP074

Ta Mee

Heh

Change in altitude, in feet, 2005–10

 -99 to -90

 -89 to -70

 -69 to -50

 -49 to -30

 -29 to -10

 -9 to -2

 -1 to 1 (not shown)

 2 to 9

 10 to 29

 30 to 49

 50 to 58

Municipal boundary

Selected chat-pile boundary and

 identification number (table 1)

Bureau of Indian Affairs-approved

 property name (table 1)

Figure 4. Changes in land-surface altitude in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005 through 2010.
8 Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District

destroyed many structures and vegetated areas in the vicinity 

of the St. Joe chat piles on May 10, 2008 [Aber and Aber, 

2009]), or subsurface mine collapse and subsidence. No 

attempt was made in this report to differentiate between causes 

of chat-pile volume and mass changes.

Estimation of 2005 and 2010 Chat-Pile 

Volumes and Masses

The 2005 and 2010 chat-pile volume estimates were 

computed for the 34 chat piles on the 16 properties by 

multiplying the average chat-pile height by the chat-pile 

area and converting to units of cubic yards (table 2). For 

convenience, volume and mass estimates discussed in this 

report have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 yd3 (0.001 

million yd3) and the nearest 1,000 tons (0.001 million tons), 

respectively. The Sooner property chat pile (CP013) had the 

greatest estimated volume (5.910 million yd3 in 2005 and 

4.644 million yd3 in 2010) of chat, whereas the St. Louis No. 

6 property (chat piles CP200 and CP201) had the smallest 

estimated volume (0.011 million yd3 in 2005 and 0.009 million 

yd3 in 2010) of chat. Five of the selected properties (Sooner, 

Western, Lawyers, Skelton, and St. Joe) contained estimated 

chat volumes exceeding 1 million yd3 in 2005 and 2010 (fig. 6, 

table 2). Four of the selected properties (Lucky Bill Humbah, 

Ta Mee Heh, Bird Dog, and St. Louis No. 6) contained 

estimated chat volumes of less than 0.1 million yd3 in 2005 

and 2010 (fig. 6, table 2). The total volume of all selected 

chat piles was estimated to be 18.073 million yd3 in 2005 and 

16.171 million yd3 in 2010.

41

1.35

1.30

1.25

1.20

1.15

1.10

1.05

1.00

0.95

0.90

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

Bulk density, in tons per cubic yard

Bulk density, in pounds per cubic foot

Data from AATA International, Inc., 2005

EXPLANATION

Number of values

Data point

90th percentile

75th percentile

Median

25th percentile

10th percentile

41

Figure 5. Bulk density of chat piles in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005. 
Methods for Estimating Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles 9

Sooner

Western

Lawyers

Skelton

St. Joe

Pioneer

Ottawa

Woodchuck

Blue Goose

Howe

OKO

Ritz

Lucky Bill Humbah

Ta Mee Heh

Bird Dog

St. Louis No. 6

Picher mining district property

Chat-pile volume, in millions of cubic yards

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0

Chat-pile volume, in millions of cubic yards

1.0

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

1.1

1.0

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0

Chat-pile mass, in millions of tonsChat-pile mass, in millions of tons

6.0

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0

EXPLANATION

2005 estimate

2010 estimate

Figure 6. Estimates of chat-pile volume and mass for selected properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, 2005 

and 2010.
10 Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District

The 2005 and 2010 chat-pile mass estimates were 

computed for the 34 chat piles on the 16 properties by 

multiplying the chat-pile volume by an average bulk density 

of 1.1313 ton/yd3 (fig. 6, table 2). The Sooner property chat 

pile (CP013) had the greatest estimated mass (6.686 ± 0.602 

million tons in 2005 and 5.253 ± 0.473 million tons in 2010) 

of chat, whereas the St. Louis No. 6 property (chat piles 

CP200 and CP201) had the smallest estimated mass (0.013 ± 

0.001 million tons in 2005 and 0.010 ± 0.0009 million tons in 

2010) of chat. Six of the selected properties (Sooner, Western, 

Lawyers, Skelton, St. Joe, and Pioneer) contained estimated 

chat masses exceeding 1 million tons in 2005, and five of the 

selected properties (Sooner, Western, Lawyers, Skelton, and 

St. Joe) contained estimated chat masses exceeding 1 million 

tons in 2010 (fig. 6, table 2). Four of the selected properties 

(Lucky Bill Humbah, Ta Mee Heh, Bird Dog, and St. Louis 

No. 6) contained estimated chat masses of less than 0.1 million 

tons in 2005 and 2010 (fig. 6, table 2). The total mass of all 

selected chat piles was estimated to be 20.445 ± 1.840 million 

tons in 2005 and 18.294 ± 1.646 million tons in 2010.

Estimation of Changes in Chat Volumes 

and Masses for 2005 Through 2010

Changes in volume and mass estimates were computed 

by subtracting the 2005 volume and mass estimates from the 

2010 volume and mass estimates (table 2). Negative values 

indicate a loss in volume and mass during the period 2005 

through 2010. The chat-pile footprint areas and base altitudes 

were not changed for the period 2005 through 2010, so all 

changes in volume and mass resulted from changes in chatpile surface altitudes (figs. 4 and 7).

All of the selected chat piles decreased in volume and 

mass for the period 2005 through 2010 (table 2). Chat piles 

CP022 (Ottawa property) and CP013 (Sooner property) had 

some within-property chat-pile redistribution (fig. 4), with 

both chat piles having net decreases in volume and mass for 

the period 2005 through 2010 (table 2). The Sooner property 

and the St. Joe property had the greatest volume (and mass) 

changes, with 1.266 million yd3 and 0.217 million yd3 (1.432 

± 0.129 million tons and 0.246 ± 0.022 million tons) of chat 

being removed, respectively (fig. 7, table 2). The chat removed 

from the Sooner and St. Joe properties accounts for about 

78 percent of chat removed from all selected chat piles. The 

Sooner property had the greatest percent volume change with 

-21.43 percent change from the 2005 estimated volume (fig. 7, 

table 2). The Ta Mee Heh, Lucky Bill Humbah, Bird Dog, and 

St. Louis No. 6 properties had the smallest volume changes, 

each with less than 0.003 million yd3 of chat being removed 

(fig. 7, table 2). The total volume and mass removed from 

all selected chat piles for the period 2005 through 2010 were 

estimated to be 1.902 million yd3 and 2.151 ± 0.194 million 

tons, respectively.
Estimation of Changes in Chat Volumes and Masses for 2005 Through 2010 11

Sooner

Western

Lawyers

St. Joe

Skelton

Pioneer

Ottawa

Blue Goose

Woodchuck

Howe

Lucky Bill Humbah

Ta Mee Heh

Bird Dog

St. Louis No. 6

Ritz

OKO

Picher mining district property

Chat-pile volume change, in thousands of cubic yards

-1,300

-1.280

-1,260

-220

-200

-180

-160

-140

-120

-100

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

-1,460

-1.440

-200

-180

-160

-140

-120

-100

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

-240

-220

Chat-pile mass change, in thousands of tons

-21.43 -12.23 -2.54 -3.79 -6.03 -10.49 -7.75 -2.12 -7.40 -6.75 -3.75 -2.75 -9.46 -7.22 -10.09 -19.19

-21.43

EXPLANATION

2005–10 change estimate

2005–10 change estimate, in percent

Figure 7. Estimates of volume and mass changes for selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, 

Oklahoma, 2005 through 2010.
12 Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District

Summary

From the 1890s through the 1970s the Picher mining 

district (PMD) in northeastern Ottawa County, Oklahoma, was 

the site of mining and processing of lead and zinc ore. When 

mining ceased in about 1979, as much as 165–300 million 

tons of mine tailings, locally referred to as “chat,” remained 

in the PMD. Since 1979, some chat piles have been mined for 

aggregate materials and have decreased in volume and mass. 

Currently (2013), thousands of acres of land surface in the 

PMD are covered by chat, much of which remains on Indian 

trust land owned by allottees. The Bureau of Indian Affairs 

(BIA) manages these allotted lands and oversees the sale and 

removal of chat from these properties. To help the BIA better 

manage the sale and removal of chat, the U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the BIA, estimated the 

2005 and 2010 volumes and masses of selected chat piles 

remaining on allotted lands in the Picher mining district. The 

USGS also estimated the changes in volume and mass of these 

chat piles for the period 2005 through 2010.

Several datasets were needed to estimate the volume 

and mass of the selected chat piles. Required datasets were 

(1) digital elevation models (DEMs) of the land surface 

in 2005 and 2010, (2) footprints of the selected chat piles, 

(3) the chat-pile average altitude in each footprint, (4) the 

base altitude of each chat pile, and (5) the bulk density 

measurements of the chat piles. The volumes of selected chat 

piles were computed as the chat-pile average height (the chatpile average altitude minus the chat-pile base altitude) times 

the chat-pile footprint area. The masses of selected chat piles 

were computed as the chat-pile volume times the average chatpile bulk density.

The 2005 and 2010 chat-pile volume and mass estimates 

were computed for 34 selected chat piles on 16 properties in 

the study area. All computations of volume and mass were 

performed on individual chat piles and on groups of chat piles 

in the same property. The Sooner property (chat pile CP013) 

had the greatest estimated volume (4.644 million cubic yards 

[yd3]) and mass (5.253 ± 0.473 million tons) of chat in 2010. 

Five of the selected properties (Sooner, Western, Lawyers, 

Skelton, and St. Joe) contained estimated chat volumes 

exceeding 1 million yd3 and estimated chat masses exceeding 

1 million tons in 2010. Four of the selected properties (Lucky 

Bill Humbah, Ta Mee Heh, Bird Dog, and St. Louis No. 6) 

contained estimated chat volumes of less than 0.1 million 

yd3 and estimated chat masses of less than 0.1 million tons in 

2010. The total volume of all selected chat piles was estimated 

to be 18.073 million yd3 in 2005 and 16.171 million yd3 in 

2010. The total mass of all selected chat piles was estimated 

to be 20.445 ± 1.840 million tons in 2005 and 18.294 ± 1.646 

million tons in 2010.

All of the selected chat piles decreased in volume and 

mass for the period 2005 through 2010. Chat piles CP022 

(Ottawa property) and CP013 (Sooner property) had some 

within-property chat-pile redistribution, with both chat piles 

having net decreases in volume and mass for the period 2005 

through 2010. The Sooner property and the St. Joe property 

had the greatest volume (and mass) changes, with 1.266 

million yd3 and 0.217 million yd3 (1.432 ± 0.129 million 

tons and 0.246 ± 0.022 million tons) of chat being removed, 

respectively. The chat removed from the Sooner and St. Joe 

properties accounts for about 78 percent of chat removed from 

all selected chat piles. The total volume and mass removed 

from all selected chat piles for the period 2005 through 2010 

were estimated to be 1.902 million yd3 and 2.151 ± 0.194 

million tons, respectively. 

References Cited

AATA International, Inc., 2005, DRAFT—Remedial 

Investigation Report Tar Creek OU4 RI/FS Program: 

accessed December 4, 2012, at http://www.deq.state.ok.us/

lpdnew/Tarcreek/Redesign/Superfund%20Documents/

RI%20Reports/Draft_RI_Report_December_2005.pdf, 

178 p.

Aber, J.S., and Aber, S.W., 2009, Picher, Oklahoma—Legacy 

of mining: accessed December 4, 2012, at http://www.

geospectra.net/kite/picher/picher.htm.

Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005, Aerial lidar and photography survey 

of the Tar Creek area, Oklahoma, March 2005: Prepared 

for the U.S. Geological Survey Oklahoma Water Science 

Center. 

Brichta, L.C., 1960, Catalog of recorded exploration drilling 

and mine workings, Tri-State zinc-lead district, Missouri, 

Kansas, and Oklahoma: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information 

Circular IC7993, 13 p.

ESRI, Inc., 2012a, ArcGIS resource center—Raster calculator 

(spatial analyst): ArcGIS 10, accessed December 4, 2012, 

at http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.

html#//009z000000z7000000.htm.

ESRI, Inc., 2012b, ArcGIS resource center—Zonal statistics 

as table (spatial analyst): ArcGIS 10, accessed December 4, 

2012, at http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/

index.html#//009z000000w8000000.htm.

ESRI, Inc., 2012c, ArcGIS resource center—Buffer 

(analysis): ArcGIS 10, accessed December 4, 2012, at 

http://help.arcgis.com/en/arcgisdesktop/10.0/help/index.

html#//000800000019000000.

Photo Science, Inc., 2010, Aerial lidar survey of the Tar 

Creek area, Oklahoma, April 2010: Prepared for the U.S. 

Geological Survey Oklahoma Water Science Center.

State of Oklahoma, 2000, Governor Frank Keating’s Tar Creek 

Superfund Task Force—Final report: Oklahoma City, Okla., 

Office of the Secretary of Environment, accessed December 

4, 2012, at http://www.environment.ok.gov/documents/

TarCk/TarCreekTFFinalReport.pdf, 26 p.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2000, Census 2000—Incorporated 

places/Census designated places cartographic boundary 

files: accessed December 4, 2012, at http://www.census.gov/

geo/www/cob/pl2000.html.
Table 1. Characteristics of selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and altitude statistics for select2010.—Continued [BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; ft, feet; --, none]

BIA-approved 

property name

Alternate property 

name (AATA 

International, 

Inc., 2005)

Chat-pile 

identification 

number1

Legal description Chat-pile footprint area Chat-p

(Photo S

(section-township-range) (acres) (yd2) Minimum (ft) 

Bird Dog -- CP004 13-T29N-R22E 1.80 8,716 831.37 Blue Goose -- CP072A 30-T29N-R23E 29.39 142,246 829.08 Blue Goose -- CP072B 30-T29N-R23E 4.12 19,923 836.99 Blue Goose -- CP079 30-T29N-R23E 0.19 934 832.61 Blue Goose -- CP080 30-T29N-R23E 0.13 622 835.51 Blue Goose subtotal 33.83 163,725Howe -- CP021 17-T29N-R23E 10.37 50,174 811.78 Howe -- CP025 17-T29N-R23E 0.93 4,511 818.48 Howe subtotal 11.30 54,685Lawyers -- CP061 28-T29N-R23E 28.67 138,765 825.46 Lucky Bill Humbah -- CP077 30-T29N-R23E 3.03 14,649 811.84 OKO -- CP036 20-T29N-R23E 7.72 37,357 806.40 Ottawa -- CP020 17-T29N-R23E 12.45 60,258 833.37 Ottawa -- 2CP022 17-T29N-R23E 13.48 65,247 841.92 Ottawa -- CP023 17-T29N-R23E 2.32 11,222 836.44 Ottawa -- CP024 17-T29N-R23E 1.38 6,680 840.31 Ottawa subtotal 29.63 143,406Pioneer -- CP006A 25-T29N-R22E 14.36 69,509 822.21 Pioneer -- CP006B 25-T29N-R22E 5.66 27,372 828.50 Pioneer -- CP006C 25-T29N-R22E 5.06 24,493 829.93 Pioneer -- CP006D 25-T29N-R22E 3.33 16,122 832.89 Pioneer -- CP006E 25-T29N-R22E 3.17 15,348 833.37 Pioneer subtotal 31.58 152,844

Table 1. Characteristics of selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and altitude statistics for select2010.[BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; ft, feet; --, none]
Table 1. Characteristics of selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and altitude statistics for select2010.—Continued [BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; ft, feet; --, none] BIA-approved property name Alternate property name (AATA International, Inc., 2005) Chat-pile identifi- cation number1 Legal description Chat-pile footprint area Chat-p

(Photo S

(section-township-range) (acres) (yd2) Minimum (ft) 

Ritz -- CP073 30-T29N-R23E 8.72 42,193 827.24 Skelton -- CP066 29-T29N-R23E 31.15 150,750 817.65 Sooner -- 2CP013 16-T29N-R23E 97.37 471,287 828.92 St. Joe -- CP033 20-T29N-R23E 24.75 119,807 822.49 St. Joe Slim Jim CP037 20-T29N-R23E 3.34 16,179 814.01 St. Joe Premier CP039 20-T29N-R23E 2.96 14,319 814.12 St. Joe Vintage (East) CP038 20-T29N-R23E 3.17 15,349 825.02 St. Joe Vintage (West) CP041 20-T29N-R23E 1.71 8,257 825.94 St. Joe subtotal 35.93 173,911 St. Louis No. 6 -- 3CP200 17-T29N-R23E 0.93 4,512 827.47 St. Louis No. 6 -- 3CP201 17-T29N-R23E 0.53 2,552 825.44 St. Louis No. 6 subtotal 1.46 7,063 Ta Mee Heh Tam-ah-hah CP008 36-T29N-R22E 4.70 22,746 821.93 Western Anna Beaver CP029A 19-T29N-R23E 43.87 212,349 827.93 1Woodchuck -- CP074 30-T29N-R23E 7.30 35,323 810.62 Woodchuck -- CP076 30-T29N-R23E 4.19 20,268 812.80 Woodchuck -- CP075 30-T29N-R23E 0.78 3,796 822.85 Woodchuck subtotal 12.27 59,387 TOTAL 383.02 1,853,834
Table 1. Characteristics of selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and altitude statistics for select2010.—Continued[BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; ft, feet; --, none]

BIA-approved 

property name

Chat-pile 

identification 

number1

Chat-pile altitude 2005

(Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005) Chat-pile relief (ft)

2010

Chat-pile buffer altitude

2010 (Photo Science, Inc., 2010) 2005 

Minimum 

(ft)

Maximum 

(ft)

Average 

(ft)

Minimum 

(ft)

Maximum 

(ft)

Average 

(ft)

Minimum 

(ft)

Bird Dog CP004 831.54 866.73 847.28 34.59 830.47 849.29 838.67 830.78 Blue Goose CP072A 828.15 886.69 847.14 56.95 827.36 856.03 837.61 828.28 Blue Goose CP072B 838.00 860.08 845.41 21.00 835.27 858.87 843.73 836.63 Blue Goose CP079 832.98 844.66 838.31 10.15 832.24 841.89 833.52 832.71 Blue Goose CP080 835.75 854.73 841.34 11.65 835.11 837.59 836.15 835.17 Howe CP021 811.34 872.00 834.43 60.42 810.35 860.07 817.07 810.26 Howe CP025 819.38 842.78 828.57 23.85 818.41 826.92 821.54 818.73 Lawyers CP061 825.15 967.46 879.79 140.88 823.63 876.90 833.00 823.85 Lucky Bill Humbah CP077 812.01 840.61 824.02 28.36 811.77 823.12 816.70 811.61 OKO CP036 806.62 878.39 833.63 71.52 805.77 817.57 811.02 806.31 Ottawa CP020 833.51 849.10 841.63 15.35 833.17 845.33 837.42 833.26 Ottawa 2CP022 842.14 918.94 867.13 76.12 840.80 858.79 846.52 840.74 Ottawa CP023 836.57 879.19 852.24 42.04 836.28 848.08 841.10 836.23 Ottawa CP024 840.44 887.12 852.52 46.68 839.97 850.14 843.26 840.21 Pioneer CP006A 823.14 887.62 846.42 65.54 819.99 844.64 828.40 820.18 Pioneer CP006B 828.30 894.03 860.16 64.63 827.65 859.75 839.36 827.81 Pioneer CP006C 830.60 846.52 838.80 16.72 829.71 840.94 833.04 829.52 Pioneer CP006D 831.40 906.92 870.08 73.73 830.30 882.37 841.74 829.87 Pioneer CP006E 833.59 882.76 857.95 49.04 833.05 858.98 840.26 833.43 
Table 1. Characteristics of selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, and altitude statistics for select2010.—Continued [BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; ft, feet; --, none] BIA-approved property name Chat-pile identifi- cation number1 Chat-pile altitude 2005 (Aero-Metric, Inc., 2005) Chat-pile relief (ft) 2010 Chat-pile buffer altitude 2010 (Photo Science, Inc., 2010) 2005 

Minimum (ft) Maximum (ft) Average (ft) Minimum (ft) Maximum (ft) Average (ft) Minimum (ft) 

Ritz CP073 827.56 878.18 849.04 50.33 826.59 856.47 833.35 826.97 Skelton CP066 818.15 960.92 859.15 142.44 813.99 857.18 825.27 816.41 Sooner 2CP013 828.71 975.99 877.59 138.96 828.77 855.69 839.97 827.53 St. Joe CP033 822.33 971.20 862.51 129.61 820.53 855.58 829.90 820.88 St. Joe CP037 813.93 896.84 839.38 81.98 813.62 835.65 818.91 813.77 St. Joe CP039 814.48 893.69 846.84 79.25 812.14 857.49 820.06 812.30 St. Joe CP038 823.75 914.37 863.68 57.00 822.68 835.13 826.62 822.83 St. Joe CP041 826.55 887.89 845.75 62.03 825.48 833.77 828.66 825.85 St. Louis No. 6 3CP200 827.76 840.64 833.54 12.79 826.87 835.23 830.64 827.62 St. Louis No. 6 3CP201 826.28 859.57 836.48 33.52 824.72 833.06 828.47 825.02 Ta Mee Heh CP008 822.23 845.61 829.82 23.45 821.71 836.95 825.80 822.07 Western CP029A 828.67 1,008.20 880.92 179.16 826.71 846.17 835.67 827.41 Woodchuck CP074 811.62 895.98 843.02 84.63 809.09 849.43 818.00 809.41 Woodchuck CP076 811.26 887.42 836.63 73.98 812.60 825.15 815.56 811.49 Woodchuck CP075 824.00 877.75 840.00 51.33 821.71 831.34 827.38 822.43 

1Chat-pile identification number from AATA International, Inc. (2005), unless otherwise noted. 2Chat-pile boundary modified from AATA International, Inc. (2005). 3New chat-pile identification number and boundary were generated for this report. 
Table 2. Estimates of volume, mass, and change in volume and mass for selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa Count2010.—Continued [BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; yd3, cubic yards; ft, feet; --, none; ±, plus or minus]

BIA-approved 

property name

Alternate 

property 

name (AATA 

International, 

Inc., 2005)

Chat-pile 

identification 

number1

Legal description

(sectiontownship-range)

Chat-pile 

footprint area

Bulk 

density (AATA 

International, Inc., 

2005) average 

(ton/yd3)

Estimates of vo

20

(acres) (yd2)

Average 

height

(ft)

Volume 

(yd3)

Bird Dog -- CP004 13-T29N-R22E 1.80 8,716 1.1313 8.61 25,020 

Blue Goose -- CP072A 30-T29N-R23E 29.39 142,246 1.1313 9.53 451,850 

Blue Goose -- CP072B 30-T29N-R23E 4.12 19,923 1.1313 1.68 11,150 

Blue Goose -- CP079 30-T29N-R23E 0.19 934 1.1313 4.79 1,492 

Blue Goose -- CP080 30-T29N-R23E 0.13 622 1.1313 5.19 1,078 

Blue Goose subtotal 33.83 163,725 465,569 Howe -- CP021 17-T29N-R23E 10.37 50,174 1.1313 17.36 290,333 

Howe -- CP025 17-T29N-R23E 0.93 4,511 1.1313 7.04 10,578 

Howe subtotal 11.30 54,685 300,911 Lawyers -- CP061 28-T29N-R23E 28.67 138,765 1.1313 46.80 2,164,522 

Lucky Bill Humbah -- CP077 30-T29N-R23E 3.03 14,649 1.1313 7.32 35,747 

OKO -- CP036 20-T29N-R23E 7.72 37,357 1.1313 22.60 281,461 

Ottawa -- CP020 17-T29N-R23E 12.45 60,258 1.1313 4.22 84,725 

Ottawa -- 2CP022 17-T29N-R23E 13.48 65,247 1.1313 20.61 448,287 

Ottawa -- CP023 17-T29N-R23E 2.32 11,222 1.1313 11.14 41,673 

Ottawa -- CP024 17-T29N-R23E 1.38 6,680 1.1313 9.26 20,612 

Ottawa subtotal 29.63 143,406 595,297 Pioneer -- CP006A 25-T29N-R22E 14.36 69,509 1.1313 18.02 417,496 

Pioneer -- CP006B 25-T29N-R22E 5.66 27,372 1.1313 20.80 189,796 

Pioneer -- CP006C 25-T29N-R22E 5.06 24,493 1.1313 5.76 46,991 

Pioneer -- CP006D 25-T29N-R22E 3.33 16,122 1.1313 28.34 152,304 

Pioneer -- CP006E 25-T29N-R22E 3.17 15,348 1.1313 17.69 90,491 

Pioneer subtotal 31.58 152,844 897,078 

Table 2. Estimates of volume, mass, and change in volume and mass for selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa Count2010.[BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; yd3, cubic yards; ft, feet; --, none; ±, plus or minus]
Table 2. Estimates of volume, mass, and change in volume and mass for selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa Count2010.—Continued [BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; yd3, cubic yards; ft, feet; --, none; ±, plus or minus] BIA-approved property name Alternate property name (AATA International, Inc., 2005) Chat-pile identi- fication number1 Legal description (section- township-range) Chat-pile footprint area Bulk density (AATA International, Inc., 2005) average (ton/yd3) Estimates of vo

200

(acres) (yd2) Average height (ft) Volume (yd3) 

Ritz -- CP073 30-T29N-R23E 8.72 42,193 1.1313 15.69 220,711 

Skelton -- CP066 29-T29N-R23E 31.15 150,750 1.1313 33.87 1,702,074 

Sooner -- 2CP013 16-T29N-R23E 97.37 471,287 1.1313 37.62 5,909,666 

St. Joe -- CP033 20-T29N-R23E 24.75 119,807 1.1313 32.61 1,302,327 

St. Joe Slim Jim CP037 20-T29N-R23E 3.34 16,179 1.1313 20.47 110,403 

St. Joe Premier CP039 20-T29N-R23E 2.96 14,319 1.1313 26.78 127,844 

St. Joe Vintage (East) CP038 20-T29N-R23E 3.17 15,349 1.1313 37.06 189,625 

St. Joe Vintage (West) CP041 20-T29N-R23E 1.71 8,257 1.1313 17.09 47,039 

St. Joe subtotal 35.93 173,911 1,777,237 St. Louis No. 6 -- 3CP200 17-T29N-R23E 0.93 4,512 1.1313 2.90 4,360 

St. Louis No. 6 -- 3CP201 17-T29N-R23E 0.53 2,552 1.1313 8.02 6,818 

St. Louis No. 6 subtotal 1.46 7,063 11,177 Ta Mee Heh Tam-ah-hah CP008 36-T29N-R22E 4.70 22,746 1.1313 4.02 30,461 

Western Anna Beaver CP029A 19-T29N-R23E 43.87 212,349 1.1313 45.25 3,202,672 

Woodchuck -- CP074 30-T29N-R23E 7.30 35,323 1.1313 25.02 294,596 

Woodchuck -- CP076 30-T29N-R23E 4.19 20,268 1.1313 21.07 142,365 

Woodchuck -- CP075 30-T29N-R23E 0.78 3,796 1.1313 12.62 15,974 

Woodchuck subtotal 12.27 59,387 452,935 TOTAL 383.02 1,853,834 18,072,538 2
Table 2. Estimates of volume, mass, and change in volume and mass for selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa Count2010.—Continued[BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; yd3, cubic yards; ft, feet; --, none; ±, plus or minus]

BIA-approved 

property name

Chat-pile 

identification 

number1

Estimates of volume and mass 2010 Estimates of changes in volum

Volume

Average 

height 

(ft)

Volume 

(yd3)

Mass 

(tons) (yd3) (percent)

Bird Dog CP004 7.74 22,495 25,449 ± 2,290 -2,524 -10.09 Blue Goose CP072A 8.67 411,073 465,047 ± 41,854 -40,777 -9.02 Blue Goose CP072B 0.56 3,712 4,199 ± 378 -7,438 -66.71 Blue Goose CP079 4.02 1,252 1,417 ± 128 -239 -16.04 Blue Goose CP080 3.42 709 802 ± 72 -369 -34.21 Blue Goose subtotal 416,746 471,465 ± 42,432 -48,823 -10.49 Howe CP021 16.96 283,611 320,849 ± 28,876 -6,722 -2.32 Howe CP025 5.99 9,014 10,198 ± 918 -1,564 -14.79 Howe subtotal 292,625 331,047 ± 29,794 -8,286 -2.75 Lawyers CP061 45.80 2,118,645 2,396,824 ± 215,714 -45,877 -2.12 Lucky Bill Humbah CP077 6.79 33,165 37,519 ± 3,377 -2,582 -7.22 OKO CP036 21.76 270,918 306,490 ± 27,584 -10,542 -3.75 Ottawa CP020 3.89 78,222 88,492 ± 7,964 -6,504 -7.68 Ottawa 2CP022 19.15 416,533 471,224 ± 42,410 -31,753 -7.08 Ottawa CP023 10.09 37,743 42,699 ± 3,843 -3,930 -9.43 Ottawa CP024 7.49 16,671 18,860 ± 1,697 -3,941 -19.12 Ottawa subtotal 549,169 621,275 ± 55,915 -46,128 -7.75 Pioneer CP006A 17.29 400,583 453,179 ± 40,786 -16,914 -4.05 Pioneer CP006B 20.08 183,203 207,257 ± 18,653 -6,593 -3.47 Pioneer CP006C 5.63 45,952 51,986 ± 4,679 -1,039 -2.21 Pioneer CP006D 24.39 131,045 148,252 ± 13,343 -21,258 -13.96 Pioneer CP006E 16.07 82,198 92,991 ± 8,369 -8,292 -9.16 Pioneer subtotal 842,981 953,664 ± 85,830 -54,097 -6.03 
Table 2. Estimates of volume, mass, and change in volume and mass for selected chat piles on properties in the Picher mining district, Ottawa Count2010.—Continued [BIA, Bureau of Indian Affairs; yd2, square yards; yd3, cubic yards; ft, feet; --, none; ±, plus or minus] BIA-approved property name Chat-pile identifi- cation number1 Estimates of volume and mass 2010 Estimates of changes in volum

Volume 

Average height (ft) Volume (yd3) Mass (tons) (yd3) (percent) Ritz CP073 14.63 205,803 232,824 ± 20,954 -14,908 -6.75 

Skelton CP066 32.59 1,637,529 1,852,537 ± 166,728 -64,545 -3.79 Sooner 2CP013 29.56 4,643,474 5,253,163 ± 472,785 -1,266,191 -21.43 -1St. Joe CP033 29.68 1,185,315 1,340,947 ± 120,685 -117,011 -8.98 St. Joe CP037 19.54 105,400 119,239 ± 10,732 -5,003 -4.53 St. Joe CP039 24.79 118,346 133,885 ± 12,050 -9,498 -7.43 St. Joe CP038 21.01 107,508 121,624 ± 10,946 -82,117 -43.30 St. Joe CP041 15.74 43,321 49,009 ± 4,411 -3,718 -7.90 St. Joe subtotal 1,559,890 1,764,704 ± 158,823 -217,347 -12.23 St. Louis No. 6 3CP200 2.41 3,619 4,094 ± 368 -741 -16.99 St. Louis No. 6 3CP201 6.36 5,414 6,124 ± 551 -1,404 -20.59 St. Louis No. 6 subtotal 9,033 10,219 ± 920 -2,145 -19.19 Ta Mee Heh CP008 3.64 27,580 31,201 ± 2,808 -2,881 -9.46 Western CP029A 44.10 3,121,272 3,531,095 ± 317,799 -81,400 -2.54 Woodchuck CP074 23.17 272,851 308,677 ± 27,781 -21,745 -7.38 Woodchuck CP076 19.72 133,194 150,682 ± 13,561 -9,171 -6.44 Woodchuck CP075 10.57 13,382 15,139 ± 1,363 -2,592 -16.23 Woodchuck subtotal 419,427 474,498 ± 42,705 -33,509 -7.40 TOTAL 16,170,752 18,293,972 ± 1,646,457 -1,901,786 -2

1Chat-pile identification number from AATA International, Inc. (2005), unless otherwise noted. 2Chat-pile boundary modified from AATA International, Inc. (2005). 3New chat-pile identification number and boundary were generated for this report. 
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Smith—Estimation of Volume and Mass and of Changes in Volume and Mass of Selected Chat Piles in the Picher Mining District—SIR 2013–5011