Distribution of Mining-Related Trace Elements in Streambed and Flood-Plain Sediment along the

102 Pages·2017·4.85 MB·English

Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Distribution of Mining-Related Trace Elements in Streambed
and Flood-Plain Sediment along the Middle Big River and
Tributaries in the Southeast Missouri Barite District, 2012–15
Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5103
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Front cover. U.S. Geological Survey hydrologic technicians operating the geoprobe used in flood-
plain sampling. Coring rod used during flood-plain sampling (circular photograph). Flood plain of the
Fourche Renault Creek (background photograph).
Back cover. Upstream view of Mineral Fork Creek near its mouth at the Big River.
Distribution of Mining-Related Trace
Elements in Streambed and Flood-
Plain Sediment along the Middle Big
River and Tributaries in the Southeast
Missouri Barite District, 2012–15
By David C. Smith and John G. Schumacher
Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5103
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior
RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary
U.S. Geological Survey
James F. Reilly II, Director
U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2018
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Suggested citation:
Smith, D.C., and Schumacher, J.G., 2018, Distribution of mining-related trace elements in streambed and flood-plain
sediment along the middle Big River and tributaries in the Southeast Missouri Barite District, 2012–15: U.S. Geologi-
cal Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2018–5103, 89 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20185103.
ISSN 2328-0328 (online)
iii
Contents
Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1
Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1
Mining History .......................................................................................................................................3
Previous Studies ...................................................................................................................................3
Description of Study Area ...................................................................................................................4
Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................4
Methods...........................................................................................................................................................4
Streambed Sediment ............................................................................................................................4
Flood-Plain Sediment ...........................................................................................................................8
December 2015 Flood Deposits ........................................................................................................11
Quality Assurance and Quality Control ...........................................................................................11
Replicate and Split Replicate Samples ..................................................................................11
Check Standards ........................................................................................................................13
Blanks ..........................................................................................................................................16
Laboratory Confirmation Samples ..........................................................................................16
Distribution of Mining-Related Trace Elements in Streambed and Flood-Plain Sediment ..............20
Streambed Sediments ........................................................................................................................20
Flood-Plain Sediments .......................................................................................................................24
December 2015 Flood Deposits ........................................................................................................29
Summary and Conclusions .........................................................................................................................35
References ....................................................................................................................................................38
Tables 6–9 ......................................................................................................................................................41
Figures
1. Map showing approximate extent of mined areas in the Big River watershed and
locations of U.S. Geological Survey streamgage stations and streambed-sediment
sample locations along the Big River, Missouri, 2012 ............................................................2
2. Photograph showing stacked sieves in preparation of mechanical sieving process .....8
3. Process for splitting and sieving streambed-sediment and flood-plain sediment
samples ..........................................................................................................................................9
4. Map showing location of flood-plain core transects along tributaries draining the
Barite District and nearby Big River, Missouri, 2014 ............................................................10
5. Map showing location of samples collected from the middle and lower Big River
watershed of sediment deposited by the December 2015 flood, Missouri, 2016 .............12
6. Examples of fine-grained sediments deposited by the December 2015 flood in the
Big River watershed ...................................................................................................................13
7. Plots showing comparison of concentrations of barium, lead, and zinc in laboratory
subsamples and concentrations reported by the x-ray fluorescence analysis in
original samples ..........................................................................................................................20
8. Graphs showing average concentrations of selected metals in streambed-sediment
samples from the middle reach of the Big River and tributaries draining the Barite
District ..........................................................................................................................................21
iv
9. Graphs showing concentrations and mass ratios of selected constituents in the
less than 0.063-millimeter size fraction of streambed-sediment samples collected
by the U.S. Geological Survey during 1988–2012 and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service during 1980–81 in the Big River watershed .............................................................23
10. Images showing flood-plain core location along streams draining the Barite
District, Missouri, 2014 ...............................................................................................................25
11. Graphs showing concentrations of barium, lead, and zinc determined by x-ray
fluorescence from selected flood-plain bulk core and selected size-fraction
samples, Missouri, 2014 .............................................................................................................27
12. Graphs showing concentrations of barium, lead, and zinc determined by x-ray
fluorescence in bulk cores collected from two locations on the Mineral Fork Creek
flood plain and one shallow core on the Big River flood plain near transect MFC-A,
Barite District, Missouri, 2014 ...................................................................................................28
13. Graphs showing concentrations of barium, lead, and zinc determined by x-ray
fluorescence in bulk cores collected from two locations on the Mill Creek flood
plain ...............................................................................................................................................30
14. Graphs showing concentration of barium, lead, and zinc and location of bulk
samples collected from sediment deposited by the December 2015 flood in the
middle and lower Big River watershed, Missouri, 2016 .......................................................31
15. Graphs showing ratios of selected elements in deposited sediments from the
December 2015 flood and streambed-sediment samples ....................................................36
16. Graphs showing ratios of selected elements in deposited sediments from the
December 2015 flood and streambed-sediment samples ....................................................37
Tables
1. Location of streambed-sediment samples, flood-plain sediment samples, and
sediment deposited on the flood plain during the December 2015 flood and
underlying soils, and flood-plain cores collected from the middle Big River and its
tributaries and tributaries draining the Barite District, Missouri, 2012–16 .........................5
2. Relative percent difference between original and split replicate
streambed-sediment samples analyzed by the laboratory ..................................................14
3. Results of analyses of standard reference materials by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency x-ray fluorescence unit ...........................................................................17
4. Results of analyses of standard reference materials by the x-ray fluorescence unit ....18
5. Concentrations of major and trace elements in quality assurance blank samples
processed through sample splitting and sieve equipment ..................................................19
6. Comparison of concentrations of selected trace elements in various size fractions
of flood-plain core samples analyzed by the laboratory and U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency x-ray fluorescence unit ...........................................................................42
7. Concentrations of major and trace constituents determined by laboratory analysis
of various size fractions of streambed-sediment collected from the middle Big
River and tributaries draining the Barite District, Missouri, 2012 .......................................48
8. Select trace element concentrations determined using x-ray fluorescence in
various size fractions of sieved samples from flood-plain boreholes along
tributaries draining the Washington County Barite District, Missouri, 2014 ....................55
v
9. Select trace-element concentrations determined using x-ray fluorescence in bulk
samples from flood-plain cores along tributaries draining the Washington County
Barite District, Missouri, 2014 ...................................................................................................65
10. Concentrations of select trace elements determined by x-ray fluorescence in
sediment deposited on the flood plain from the December 2015 flood and in
underlying soils, Missouri, 2016 ...............................................................................................32
Conversion Factors
U.S. customary units to International System of Units
Multiply By To obtain
Length
inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm)
inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm)
foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)
mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)
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 mile (mi2) 259.0 hectare (ha)
square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2)
Volume
gallon (gal) 3.785 liter (L)
gallon (gal) 0.003785 cubic meter (m3)
gallon (gal) 3.785 cubic decimeter (dm3)
cubic yard (yd3) 0.7646 cubic meter (m3)
Mass
ounce, avoirdupois (oz) 28,350 milligrams (mg)
ounce, avoirdupois (oz) 28.35 gram (g)
pound, avoirdupois (lb) 0.4536 kilogram (kg)
ton, short (2,000 lb) 0.9072 megagram (Mg)
ton, long (2,240 lb) 1.016 megagram (Mg)
Flow rate
cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)
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International System of Units to U.S. customary units
Multiply By To obtain
Length
centimeter (cm) 0.3937 inch (in.)
millimeter (mm) 0.03937 inch (in.)
meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft)
kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)
Area
square meter (m2) 0.0002471 acre
hectare (ha) 2.471 acre
square hectometer (hm2) 2.471 acre
square kilometer (km2) 247.1 acre
hectare (ha) 0.003861 square mile (mi2)
square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2)
Volume
liter (L) 0.2642 gallon (gal)
cubic meter (m3) 264.2 gallon (gal)
cubic decimeter (dm3) 0.2642 gallon (gal)
cubic meter (m3) 1.308 cubic yard (yd3)
Mass
milligram (mg) 35.27 ounce, avoirdupois (oz)
gram (g) 0.03527 ounce, avoirdupois (oz)
kilogram (kg) 2.205 pound avoirdupois (lb)
megagram (Mg) 1.102 ton, short (2,000 lb)
megagram (Mg) 0.9842 ton, long (2,240 lb)
Flow rate
cubic meter per second (m3/s) 35.31 cubic foot per second (ft3/s)
Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as
°F=(1.8×°C)+32.
Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the Universal Transverse Mercator
projection, Zone 15.
vii
Abbreviations
< less than
> greater than
CMERSC Central Mineral and Environmental Resources
Science Center
DQO data quality objective
EPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
HWM high water mark
ICP–AES inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission
spectrometry
ICP–MS inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry
MOWSC Missouri Water Science Center
MPV most probable value
MSL Missouri Sediment Laboratory
NIST National Institute of Standards and Technology
PEC probable effects concentration
RCRA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
RPD relative percent difference
RSD relative standard deviation
USGS U.S. Geological Survey
XRF x-ray fluorescence