Preliminary report: Geology of the Orange County Copper District, Vermont

White, Walter S.; Eric, John H.

doi:10.3133/ofr4419

Cited by 12 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…The Vermont copper belt of east-central Vermont (White and Eric, 1944;Slack et al, 1993Slack et al, , 2001Kierstead, 2001) is a series of pyrrhotite-rich, Besshitype massive sulfide deposits within the Connecticut River watershed. The largest mine was Elizabeth, which was discovered in 1793 and was developed initially for copperas (melanterite) production from pyrrhotite ore by processes similar to those first described by Agricola (1556).…”

Section: Vermont Copper Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secondary sulfate minerals associated with acid drainage in the eastern US: recycling of metals and acidity in surficial environments

et al. 2005

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Weathering of metal-sulfide minerals produces suites of variably soluble efflorescent sulfate salts at a number of localities in the eastern United States. The salts, which are present on mine wastes, tailings piles, and outcrops, include minerals that incorporate heavy metals in solid solution, primarily the highly soluble members of the melanterite, rozenite, epsomite, halotrichite, and copiapite groups. The minerals were identified by a combination of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and electron-microprobe. Base-metal salts are rare at these localities, and Cu, Zn, and Co are commonly sequestered as solid solutions within Fe-and Fe-Al sulfate minerals. Salt dissolution affects the surfacewater chemistry at abandoned mines that exploited the massive sulfide deposits in the Vermont copper belt, the Mineral district of central Virginia, the Copper Basin (Ducktown) mining district of Tennessee, and where sulfide-bearing metamorphic rocks undisturbed by mining are exposed in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee.Dissolution experiments on composite salt samples from three minesites and two outcrops of metamorphic rock showed that, in all cases, the pH of the leachates rapidly declined from 6.9 to b3.7, and specific conductance increased gradually over 24 h. Leachates analyzed after 24-h dissolution experiments indicated that all of the salts provided ready sources), and base metals (N1000 mg L À1 for minesites, and 2 mg L À1 for other sites). Geochemical modeling of surface waters, mine-waste leachates, and salt leachates using PHREEQC software predicted saturation in the observed ochre minerals, but significant concentration by evaporation would be needed to reach saturation in most of the sulfate salts. Periodic surface-water monitoring at Vermont minesites indicated peak annual metal loads during spring runoff. At the Virginia site, where no winter-long snowpack develops, metal loads were highest during summer months when salts were dissolved periodically by rainstorms following sustained evaporation during dry spells. areas, persist in protected areas when temperature and relative humidity are appropriate, and contribute to metal loadings and acidity in surface waters upon dissolution, thereby causing short-term perturbations in water quality. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Section: Vermont Copper Beltmentioning

confidence: 99%

Secondary sulfate minerals associated with acid drainage in the eastern US: recycling of metals and acidity in surficial environments

et al. 2005

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“…The northernmost mines of the district, in the Pike Hill area, yielded less than 0.1 million tons of copper ore. The small Orange and Gove mines near Strafford and the Cookville mine south of Pike Hill have no recorded production (White and Eric, 1944).…”

Section: The Orange County Copper Districtmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Elizabeth, the largest mine, produced approximately 3.2 million tons of ore with an average grade of 1.8% Cu, 0.5% Zn, 0.16 oz/ton Ag, and 0.008 oz/ton Au (McKinstry and Mikkola, 1954;Howard, 1969;Annis and others, 1983). About 0.5 million tons of massive sulfide ore, probably with similar grades, was produced from the Ely or Copperfield mine (Smith, 1905;White and Eric, 1944). The northernmost mines of the district, in the Pike Hill area, yielded less than 0.1 million tons of copper ore.…”

Section: The Orange County Copper Districtmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gold in stream sediments from the Orange County copper district, east-central Vermont

Slack¹,

Whitlow²,

Annis³

1984

Open-File Report

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“…Mining of the Pike Hill area exploited a sheet-like ore zone that strikes a few degrees west of north and dips about 30° east (White and Eric, 1944). The deposits occur in the Silurian Waits River Formation, which consists of calcareous pelite, pelite, minor quartzose metalimestone and metadolostone and sparse calcite marble.…”

Section: Geologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If chemical similarities exist among the sites, remediation schemes developed by the USEPA for one site may be applied to the others. White and Eric (1944). Lower figures show regional locations of Pike, Ely, and Elizabeth mines.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Simulations of Long Term Unsaturated Flow and Acid Mine Drainage at Waste Rock Piles

Fala¹,

Molson²,

Aubertin³

et al. 2006

JASMR

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Abstract. The Pike Hill mines Superfund site consists of a group of mines that worked copper-rich Besshi-type massive sulfide deposits. The site contains the abandoned Smith, Eureka, and Union mines and was listed in 2004 as a Superfund site due to aquatic ecosystem impacts. This study is part of a larger project that includes mine waste characterization, surface-water geochemical studies, and documentation of downstream impacts on biota. It is intended to be a precursor to a formal remedial investigation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The goal of this paper is to provide a relative comparison of the various waste piles through characterization of bulk geochemistry, mineralogy, paste pH, acid-base accounting, and metal leachability. In addition, results were compared to similar studies of mine waste from the nearby Ely and Elizabeth Superfund sites. Mine-waste samples at the Pike Hill mines include flotation-mill tailings and waste rock that is composed of fine-grained to bouldersized host rock and mineralized rock. The waste is primarily composed of silicates, oxides, sulfates, and sulfides, including pyrrhotite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite. Samples locally contain native sulfur and calcite; efflorescent sulfate salts have been observed on waste piles and adit walls. Composite minewaste samples contain concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Fe that exceed USEPA Preliminary Remediation Goals (PRGs). The concentrations of Se are elevated relative to the average composition of eastern U.S. soils. All mine-waste samples, except the processed flotation-mill tailings, which contain calcite, have paste pH values of 4 or less and negative net-neutralization potentials indicating the samples are acid generating. Twenty-four-hour leachate tests, which use a solution that approximates eastern U.S. precipitation, indicate that potentially toxic trace elements and acidity can be released under simulated weathering conditions. Mine waste at Pike Hill mines is chemically and mineralogically similar to that at the Elizabeth and Ely mines. Also, metals are leached and acid produced in comparable concentrations. Based on the results of this study, mine waste at the Pike Hill Superfund site contaminates soils, is acid generating, and may release potentially toxic metals to streams. Additional

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Preliminary report: Geology of the Orange County Copper District, Vermont

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Secondary sulfate minerals associated with acid drainage in the eastern US: recycling of metals and acidity in surficial environments

Secondary sulfate minerals associated with acid drainage in the eastern US: recycling of metals and acidity in surficial environments

Gold in stream sediments from the Orange County copper district, east-central Vermont

Numerical Simulations of Long Term Unsaturated Flow and Acid Mine Drainage at Waste Rock Piles

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