The ground-water system and possible effects of underground coal mining in the Trail Mountain area, central Utah

Lines, Gregory C.

doi:10.3133/ofr8467

Cited by 10 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Geology from Stokes and Madsen, 1961 Base from U.S. Geological Survey digital data, 1:100, 000,1980.1981 brown sandstone about 290 ft thick. The sandstone beds are massive and are composed mostly of medium-to coarse-grained sand (Lines, 1985). Numerous springs discharge at the base of the Castlegate Sandstone.…”

Section: Geologic and Hydrologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrology of the North Fork of the Right Fork of Miller Creek, Carbon County, Utah, before, during, and after underground coal mining

Slaughter¹,

Freethey²,

Spangler³

1995

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From 1988-92 the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, studied the effects of underground coal mining and the resulting subsidence on the hydrologic system near the North Fork of the Right Fork of Miller Creek, Carbon County, Utah. The subsidence caused open fractures at land surface, debris slides, and rockfalls in the canyon above the mined area. Land surface subsided and moved several feet horizontally. The perennial stream and a tributary upstream from the mined area were diverted into the ground by surface fractures where the overburden thickness above the Wattis coal seam is about 300 to 500 feet. The reach downstream was dry but flow resumed where the channel traversed the Star Point Sandstone, which forms the aquifer below the coal seams where groundwater discharge provides new base flow. Concentrations of dissolved constituents in the stream water sampled just downstream of the mined area increased from about 300 mg/L to more than 1,500 mg/L, and the water changed from primarily a magnesium calcium bicarbonate to primarily a magnesium sulfate type. Monitored water levels in two wells completed in the perched aquifer(s) above the mine indicate that fractures from subsidence-related deformation drained the perched aquifer in the Blackhawk Formation. The deformation also could have contributed to the decrease in discharge of three springs above the mined area, but discharge from other springs in the area did not change substantially; thus, the relation between subsidence and spring discharge, if any, is not clear. No significant changes in the chemical characteristics of water discharging from springs were detected, but the dissolved-solids concentration in water collected from a perched sandstone aquifer overlying the mined coal seams increased during mining activity.

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Section: Geologic and Hydrologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…No hydrologic-property values for or water levels in the Castlegate Sandstone are available. The Price River Formation is composed predominantly of medium-to coarse-grained sandstone (Lines, 1985) and is about 275 ft thick in the study area. Siltstone layers overlie the sandstone layers and form gentle slopes.…”

Section: Geologic and Hydrologic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrology of the North Fork of the Right Fork of Miller Creek, Carbon County, Utah, before, during, and after underground coal mining

Slaughter¹,

Freethey²,

Spangler³

1995

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“…Ground water in the Wasatch Plateau occurs in regional and localized aquifers. The Blackhawk Formation and Star Point Sandstone form a regional aquifer, the Blackhawk-Star Point aquifer, in the southern part of the Wasatch Plateau (Lines, 1985). The Blackhawk-Star Point aquifer is a localized aquifer in the Castle Valley Ridge area and many springs discharge from this aquifer on the east side of Castle Valley Ridge.…”

Section: Aguifer Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrology of Alkali Creek and Castle Valley Ridge coal-lease tracts, central Utah, and potential effects of coal mining

Seiler¹,

Baskin²

1988

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The Alkali Creek coal-lease tract includes about 2,150 acres in the Book Cliffs coal field in central Utah, and the Castle Valley Ridge coal-lease tract includes about 3,360 acres in the Wasatch Plateau coal field, also in central Utah. Both the Alkali Creek and Castle Valley Ridge coal-lease tracts are near areas where coal is currently (1987) mined by underground methods from the Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation.

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“…Economic coal deposits occur in the lower portion of the exposed stratigraphic column. The generalized overburden stratigraphy is shown in figure 3 (Lines 1985).…”

Section: Site Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Surface Springs to Longwall Coal Mining Wasatch Plateau, Utah

Kadnuck

1994

ASMR

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High-extraction longwall coal mining creates zones in the overburden where strata bend, fracture, or cave into the mine void. These physical alterations to the overburden stratigraphy have associated effects on the hydrologic regime. The U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) studied impacts to the local hydrologic system caused by longwall mining in the Wasatch Plateau, Utah. Surface springs in the vicinity of two coal mines were evaluated for alterations in flow characteristics as mining progressed. Fourteen springs located above the mines were included in the study. Eight of the springs were located over longwall panels, four were located over barrier pillars and mains, and two were located outside the area disturbed by mining. Flow hydrographs for each spring were compared to climatic data and time of undermining to assess if mining in the vicinity had influenced flow. Heights of fracturing and caving in the overburden resulting from seam extraction were calculated using common subsidence formulas, and used in conjunction with elevations of springs to assess if fracturing influenced the water-bearing zones studied. One spring over a panel exhibited a departure from a normally-shaped hydrograph after being undermined. Springs located over other mine structures, or outside the mine area did not show discernible effects from mining. The limited response of the springs was attributed to site-specific conditions that buffered mining impacts including the elevation of the springs above the mine level, and presence of massive sandstones and swelling clays in the overburden materials.

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The ground-water system and possible effects of underground coal mining in the Trail Mountain area, central Utah

Cited by 10 publications

References 2 publications

Hydrology of the North Fork of the Right Fork of Miller Creek, Carbon County, Utah, before, during, and after underground coal mining

Hydrology of the North Fork of the Right Fork of Miller Creek, Carbon County, Utah, before, during, and after underground coal mining

Hydrology of Alkali Creek and Castle Valley Ridge coal-lease tracts, central Utah, and potential effects of coal mining

Response of Surface Springs to Longwall Coal Mining Wasatch Plateau, Utah

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