A hydrogeochemical survey for mineralized breccia pipes: Data from springs, wells, and streams on the Hualapai Indian Reservation, northwestern Arizona

Abstract

A water sampling survey on the Hualapai Indian Reservation delineated two areas as targets for possible clusters of mineralized breccia pipes. Samples were collected from all known flowing wells and springs on the Reservation-totalling 75. Statistical analyses, including mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficients, scatter plots, and R-mode factor analyses, were determined on the samples using 47 elements and other chemical parameters. Silver, Hg, Mo, and Pb, elements associated with uranium in breccia pipes, appear to be effective pathfinders for hydrogeochemical surveys for uranium-rich breccia pipes. Eight springs were found to be anomalous, and their recharge areas should be thoroughly searched for mineralized breccia pipes: Travertine Falls Spring, Lost Travertine Falls Spring, two seeps at the mouth of Separation Canyon, Beecher Spring (south of the Ridenour Mine), Horsehair Spring, Mohawk Spring, Warm Springs, and Pumpkin Spring. Of these eight anomalous springs, the two providing the best targets for exploration are Mohawk Spring and Beecher Spring. As a result of the hydrogeochemical survey in 1982, both areas were searched in detail for mineralized breccia pipes with considerable success. Several mineralized breccia pipes have been located near Beecher Spring; likewise several pipes have been found in the vicinity of Mohawk Spring, including one (the Mohawk Canyon pipe) that was drilled in 1984 and determined to contain anomalous concentrations of U (ore grade), Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Ag, Co, Ni, and Mo. Of the 75 sites, many are magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate waters which are within safe drinking standards for the inorganic chemical parameters tested in this report-these waters remain to be tested for organic compounds. Several spring sites located in the bottoms of canyons (such as Horsehair and Pumpkin) are sulfate and chloride waters, most of which are not potable. The aquifer providing water for the most sites sampled in this study was the Cambrian Muav Limestone. The next most common aquifers were the Tertiary and Quaternary gravels and conglomerates, particularly the Frazier Well gravel, and the Coconino Sandstone. It is also worth noting that one of the 5 springs (Upper Diamond Spring) with the greatest discharge on the Hualapai Reservation emanates from the Redwall Limestone.

Arsenic in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region and an evaluation of potential pathways for arsenic contamination of groundwater from breccia pipe uranium mining

“…Mining shafts installed at breccia pipe uranium mines in the Grand Canyon region may encounter perched groundwater, but the bottom of mine shafts are often hundreds of meters above the regional Redwall-Muav aquifer (Fig 2). Trace elements other than uranium including antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead, silver, strontium, vanadium, and zinc also may be enriched in mineralized breccia pipes in the region [29]. Many of these trace elements also occur at substantially lower concentrations in rock units and surface soils in the area [30].…”

Geochemistry and hydrology of perched groundwater springs: assessing elevated uranium concentrations at Pigeon Spring relative to nearby Pigeon Mine, Arizona (USA)

“…Before mine development at Pigeon Mine the Pigeon Spring had strongly anomalous uranium concentration of 44 μg/L in Billingsley et al 1983 and they state that a possibility exists that the water which emerges in Pigeon Spring has dissolved uranium from another mineralized collapse structure similar to the one at Pigeon Pipe. Wenrich et al 1994 noted that Pigeon Spring is topographically higher than the ore body at Pigeon Mine and that mineralized pipes tend to occur in clusters, so there is a good possibility that Pigeon Spring contains water that has flowed through one or more mineralized pipes. In addition to Pigeon Spring (elevation 1,512 m) discharging groundwater above the ore body at Pigeon Mine (1,169-1,329 m), the elevation of the contacts between rock layers exposed in Snake Gulch decrease in elevation to the west between Pigeon Spring and Pigeon Mine (Billingsley et al 2008).…”

Preliminary compilation of descriptive geoenvironmental mineral deposit models

“…References Hauptman (1956), Wenrich and others (1989), Wenrich andSutphin (1989), andFinch (1992), Finch and others (1992).…”

“…Environmental mitigation Environmental mitigation should include complete surface reclamation, as done in the area of the Hack and Pigeon, Ariz., mines (see photographs in Finch, 1994). Mines should be sealed, dumps and tailings should be backfilled into mines, and mine areas revegetated.…”