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J. R. Herring

Publications and source records attributed to J. R. Herring.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2007

Selenium and other elements in water and adjacent rock and sediment of Toll Gate Creek, Aurora, Arapahoe County, Colorado, December 2003 through March 2004

Streamwater and solid samples (rock, unconsolidated sediment, stream sediment, and efflorescent material) in the Toll Gate Creek watershed, Colorado, were collected and analyzed for major and trace elements to determine trace-element concentrations and stream loads from December 2003 through March 2004, a period of seasonally low flow. Special emphasis was given to selenium (Se) concentrations because historic Se concentrations exceeded current (2004) stream standards. The goal of the project was to assess the distribution of Se concentration and loads in Toll Gate Creek and to determine the potential for rock and unconsolidated sediment in the basin to be sources of Se to the streamwater. Streamwater samples and discharge measurements were collected during December 2003 and March 2004 along Toll Gate Creek and its two primary tributaries - West Toll Gate Creek and East Toll Gate Creek. During both sampling periods, discharge ranged from 2.5 liters per second to 138 liters per second in the watershed. Discharge was greater in March 2004 than December 2003, but both periods represent low flow in Toll Gate Creek, and results of this study should not be extended to periods of higher flow. Discharge decreased moving downstream in East Toll Gate Creek but increased moving downstream along West Toll Gate Creek and the main stem of Toll Gate Creek, indicating that these two streams gain flow from ground water. Se concentrations in streamwater samples ranged from 7 to 70 micrograms per liter, were elevated in the upstream-most samples, and were greater than the State stream standard of 4.6 micrograms per liter. Se loads ranged from 6 grams per day to 250 grams per day, decreased in a downstream direction along East Toll Gate Creek, and increased in a downstream direction along West Toll Gate Creek and Toll Gate Creek. The largest Se-load increases occurred between two sampling locations on West Toll Gate Creek during both sampling periods and between the two sampling locations on the main stem of Toll Gate Creek during the December 2003 sampling. These load increases may indicate that sources of Se exist between these two locations; however, Se loading along West Toll Gate Creek and Toll Gate Creek primarily was characterized by gradual downstream increases in load. Linear regressions between Se load and discharge for both sampling periods had large, significant values of r2 (r2 > 0.96, p < 0.0001) because increases in Se load (per unit of flow increase) were generally constant. This relation is evidence for a constant addition of water having a relatively constant Se concentration over much of the length of Toll Gate Creek, a result which is consistent with a ground-water source for the Se loads. Rock outcroppings along the stream were highly weathered, and Se concentrations in rock and other solid samples ranged from below detection (1 part per million) to 25 parts per million. One sample of efflorescence (a surface encrustation produced by evaporation) had the greatest selenium concentration of all solid samples, was composed of thenardite (sodium sulfate), gypsum (calcium sulfate) and minor halite (sodium chloride), and released all of its Se during a 30-minute water-leaching procedure. Calculations indicate there was an insufficient amount of this material present throughout the watershed to account for the observed Se load in the stream. However, this material likely indicates zones of ground-water discharge that contain Se. This report did not identify an unequivocal source of Se in Toll Gate Creek. However, multiple lines of evidence indicate that ground-water discharge supplies Se to Toll Gate Creek: (1) the occurrence of elevated Se concentrations in the stream throughout the watershed and in the headwater regions, upstream from industrial sources; (2) the progressive increase in Se loads moving downstream, which indicates a continuous input of Se along the stream rather than input from point sources; (3) the occurr

Colorado↗
USGS2004

Chapter 8 Petrogenesis and mineralogic residence of selected elements in the meade peak phosphatic shale member of the permian phosphoria formation, Southeast Idaho

The Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of the Permian Phosphoria Formation hosts the ore mined by the phosphate industry of southeast Idaho. It also hosts environmentally sensitive elements (ESE) such as Se, As, Hg, Ni, Cd, Zn, and Cr. Primary chemistry, elemental distribution patterns, and mineralogy within the Meade Peak were modified by element migration and possibly the introduction of elements. Fluids moved within the Meade Peak throughout its history, although the passage of fluids was highly variable in space and time, resulting in small domains of different rock chemistry and different mineralogy. Timing of major events affecting the Meade Peak and mineral habit are used to differentiate among detrital, diagenetic, epigenetic, and supergene mineral assemblages. Cross-cutting relationships among minerals are too rare to provide much paragenetic infor- mation. Carbonate fluorapatite (CFA) occurs in several forms, but dominantly as pelloids, some of which may have formed in situ during diagenesis. The other volumetrically signifi- cant form of CFA is interstitial cement that formed during diagenesis. Beginning during diagenesis and continuing intermittently, multiple generations of carbonate (dolomite and calcite) formed overgrowths and texturally complex carbonate cements. Movement and precipitation of silica followed a similar pattern. The ammonium feldspar buddingtonite, which generally rims orthoclase, also formed during diagenesis. Bacteria apparently played a significant role during diagenesis as well as during supergene processes, resulting in extreme fractionation of S isotopes and the possible bacterially mediated formation of minerals such as glauconite and sphalerite. Catagenesis, apparently culminating in oil generation, was the last significant diagenetic change. Thrusting accompanied by fluid (oil and brine) migration began during catagenesis in the Late Jurassic or Cretaceous and continued into the early Eocene. Fluorite ± carbonate ± barite± bitumen veins formed as a result of brittle deformation and accompanying fluid movement. This fracturing event may have been associated with a period of extension and normal faulting (Neogene to Holocene). Passage of the Yellowstone hot spot to the north of the area during the Neogene is marked by silicic domes and basaltic flows. The enrichment of Hg in fracture coatings might be the result of deposition from warm fluids associated with the emplacement of the silicic domes or a generally elevated, regional thermal gradient associated with the volcanism. Many of the fracture systems are still open and continue to provide fluid pathways that are the primary depositional sites for a wide variety of supergene minerals (such as Se, efflorescent salts) and element associations (such as Hg, Cd-S, Fe-Cr-O) in which many of the ESE are concentrated. Native Se is the most commonly identified host of Se in the studied samples. The largest concentration of Se occurs in open-fracture systems that cross-cut waste rock and ore units. The age(s) of native Se formation is not known; how- ever, the latest period of Se mobility is the present. Direct measurement of efflorescent “salts” forming on new mine faces indicate that several ESE, including both Se and Zn, are concentrated on the faces soon after they are exposed. Zinc is present as hydrous sulfates, but the residence of Se in these “salts” is unknown.

Idaho↗
USGS2002

Mineralogical characterization of strata of the Meade Peak phosphatic shale member of the Permian Phosphoria Formation: Channel and individual rock samples of measured section J and their relationship to measured sections A and B, central part of Rasmussen Ridge, Caribou County, Idaho

The Permian Phosphoria Formation of southeastern Idaho hosts one of the largest phosphate deposits in the world. Despite the economic significance of this Formation, the fine-grained nature of the phosphorite has discouraged detailed mineralogical characterization and quantification studies. Recently, selenium and other potentially toxic trace elements in mine wastes have drawn increased attention to this formation, and motivated additional study. This study uses powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), with Rietveld quantification software, to quantify and characterize the mineralogy of composite channel samples and individual samples collected from the stratigraphic sections measured by the U.S. Geological Survey in the Meade Peak Member of the Permian Phosphoria Formation at the Enoch Valley mine on Rasmussen Ridge, approximately 15 miles northeast of Soda Springs, Idaho.

Idaho↗
USGS2002

Geologic investigations in the Lake Valley area, Sierra County, New Mexico

At the request of the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the area of the historic Lake Valley mining district and townsite, Sierra County, New Mexico, for its potential for undiscovered mineral resources. The four chapters of this report describe the geology of the area, present the results of geophysical investigations carried out to aid in interpreting subsurface geology, describe the mining history and character of the region's ore deposits, and present geochemical data on potential for contamination from abandoned mine dumps in the mining district.

New Mexico↗
USGS2001

Chemical composition of strata of the Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of the Permian Phosphoria Formation: Channel-composited and individual rock samples of measured section J and their relationship of measured sections A and B, central part of Rasmussen Ridge, Caribou County, Idaho

This study, one in a series, reports bulk chemical composition of rock samples collected from a core, referred to as Measured Section J, drilled at a site that subsequently was developed into the Enoch Valley phosphate mine in southeastern Idaho. The core is continuous and cuts through the entire thickness of the Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation. The steeply dipping Meade Peak extends from 182 to 495 feet below the ground surface, which is the greatest below-ground depth of rock that has been sampled to date. The core was drilled before the start of mining, and the rocks consequently have not been exposed to the atmosphere or surficial weathering processes or fractured as a result of mining as are the rocks from other described sections. Hence, this section of the Meade Peak in the core is the least altered section of this member sampled in this series of studies. The channel-sampled rocks from Section J form a set of contiguous intervals across the entire thickness of the Meade Peak. These channel samples characterize?in ascending order?the lower phosphate ore, interlayered middle waste shale, upper phosphate ore, and upper waste shale units of the member. The Section J channel-sample suite includes 3 composite samples of the uppermost 7 feet of the Grandeur Tongue of the Permian Park City Formation, a dolomitic unit that directly underlies the Meade Peak. It also includes an analysis of a 0.1 foot section of chert directly overlying the Meade Peak. The concentrations of the chemical elements in the channel samples are compared with those of Measured Sections Aand B that were obtained from the same mine. In addition to the channel samples, 85 rock samples were selected from the core to address specific geochemical questions that resulted from examination of the core. For example, several of these samples correspond to cored rock that had unusual concentrations of various elements that were determined using a hand-held, x-ray fluorescence instrument. Other individual samples consist of several samples taken within a short interval of the core that leads to an abrupt change in lithology. Overall, the rocks from Measured Section J exhibit the least alteration from interaction with ground water compared with rocks from any of the measured sections that have been described in our previous studies.

Idaho↗
USGS2001

Stratigraphic section and selected semiquantitative chemistry, Meade Peak phosphatic shale member of Permian Phosphoria Formation, central part of Rasmussen Ridge, Caribou County, Idaho

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has studied the Permian Phosphoria Formation in southeastern Idaho and the entire Western U.S. Phosphate Field throughout much of the twentieth century. In response to a request by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, a new series of resource, geological, and geoenvironmental studies was undertaken by the USGS in 1998. To accomplish these studies, the USGS has formed cooperative research relationships with two Federal agencies, the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, tasked with land management and resource conservation on public lands; and with five private companies currently leasing or developing phosphate resources in southeastern Idaho. The companies are Agrium U.S. Inc. (Rasmussen Ridge mine) , Astaris LLC (Dry Valley mine), Rhodia Inc. (Wooley Valley mine, inactive), J.R. Simplot Company (Smoky Canyon mine), and Monsanto Co. (Enoch Valley mine). Some of the mineralogical research associated with this project is supported through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Geology and Geological Enginee ring, University of Idaho. Present studies consist of integrated, multidisciplinary research directed toward (1) resource and reserve estimations of phosphate in selected 7.5-minute quadrangles; (2) elemental residence, mineralogical and petrochemical characteristics; (3) mobilization and reaction pathways, transport, and fate of potentially toxic elements associated with the occurrence, development, and societal use of phosphate; (4) geophysical signatures; and (5) improving the understanding of deposit origin. Because raw data acquired during the project will require time to interpret, the data are released in open-file reports for prompt availability to other workers. Open-file reports associated with this series of studies are submitted to each of the Federal and industry cooperators for comment; however, the USGS is solely responsible for the data contained in the reports.

Idaho↗