FY2024 utah geological survey earth MRI mine waste projectproject period: 8 1 2024 through 7 31 2026PROJECT purpose: the utah geological survey (UGS) provides timely, objective scientific…

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) awarded a $353,413.46 Cooperative Agreement to the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) under the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (CFDA 15.073) program. The project aims to create an initial inventory of mine waste in western central Utah, focusing on several major mining districts, and to conduct a detailed characterization study of mine waste in the Tintic mining area. Key deliverables include a GIS database of mine waste locations, extents, and compositions, as well as a UGS publication reporting on the volumetric, mineralogical, and geochemical analysis of the Tintic mine waste, including a critical mineral resource estimate. The UGS will collaborate with researchers at the University of Utah's Energy Geoscience Institute to lead the analytical work. This project supports the Earth MRI program's objectives of advancing geological mapping and critical mineral resource identification across the United States.

Activities

The UGS proposes to begin building a GIS inventory for mine waste in an area of juab, salt lake, tooele, and utah counties. The proposed area contains many of utahs most significant mining districts and mines (past and present), including bingham canyon, ophir, mercur, tintic, and spor mountain. The selection of the proposed area is based on the relevance and importance of the contained mineral districts and the potential for significant critical mineral enrichment. Additionally, the UGS proposes a mine waste characterization study in the greater tintic mining, including the burgin and mammoth mill tailings piles. Waste piles will be composite sampled and have additional subsurface samples taken. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lidar surveys and multi-scale hyperspectral analysis will assist with volume characterizations and investigate the potential for rapid surface characterization of mine waste by hyperspectral methods.deliverables and expected outcomes: deliverables proposed from this project include a mine waste inventory in GIS database format detailing the location, extent, and composition of mine waste in the proposed area of west central utah a UGS publication report on the volumetric, mineralogical, and geochemical results of the mine waste characterization study in the greater tintic mining area with critical mineral resource estimate for all features characterized and an accompanying GIS database with all sampling locations and UAV survey extents for the mine waste characterization study.intended beneficiary(IES): the information published through this project is intended to benefit industry, consultants, government agencies (federal, state, tribal, and local), academia, educators, students, and the public.

Subrecipient activities

To ensure the involvement of mine waste experts in the state of utah, we will collaborate with research scientists at the energy geoscience institute at the university of utah, located in salt lake city, utah, to lead the analytical work and interpretation of geochemical, mineralogical, and hyperspectral results from the mine waste characterization study.