Cover photo: Overview of the Tintic Mining District using Landsat-8 imagery.
EGI Research Scientist Dr. Bryony Richards along with Senior Geologist Dr. Stephanie Mills from the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) were recently awarded the chance to embark on a vital project to carry out mine waste characterization in the Greater Tintic Mining area. The Tintic District is Utah’s second most productive mining region, surpassed only by the Bingham district, operated owned Rio Tinto. Dr Bryony Richards will act as the scientific lead of the project, with Dr. Stephanie Mills of the UGS, the project Principal Investigator (PI). In addition to Bryony and Stephanie, multiple students and technical staff from the University of Utah and UGS will be involved in the project.
This initiative, which targets the East Tintic, Main Tintic, and North Tintic mining districts, is a significant step forward in understanding and harnessing the potential of mine waste for critical mineral resources. The project falls under the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (EarthMRI), The goal of Earth MRI is to improve our knowledge of the geologic framework in the United States and to identify areas that may have the potential to contain undiscovered critical mineral resources. Enhancement of our domestic mineral supply will decrease the Nation’s reliance on foreign sources of minerals that are fundamental to our security and economy.
Mining in the Greater Tintic area dates to 1869, with activity peaking in the early 20th century. The area has historically produced substantial amounts of copper, gold, silver, lead, zinc, and other valuable minerals. While large-scale production dwindled by the late 20th century, the Trixie gold mine resumed operations in 2021, signaling a resurgence of interest in the region’s mineral wealth.
Given its rich mining history, the Greater Tintic area is not only a repository of valuable metals but also a region with significant mine waste. This waste, now viewed as a byproduct, may hold untapped resources crucial for modern technological applications. The EGI and the UGS aim to explore this potential by starting their investigation at the Burgin mill tailings, where significant zinc and manganese deposits have been identified. Additional sites, including the Mammoth mill tailings and historic heap leach areas at North Lily and Swansea, have been prioritized for further study.
The proposal’s approach is comprehensive. The project will employ surface composite sampling, subsurface sampling using hand augers or existing drill holes, UAV lidar surveys for detailed geomorphological mapping, and multi-scale hyperspectral analysis for precise mineral characterization. These techniques will not only quantify the volumes of mine waste but also provide critical insights into the mineralogical and geochemical composition of the tailings. This data is essential for assessing the economic viability of extracting critical minerals from these sites.
The outcomes of this project are hoped to be far-reaching. All mine waste sites within the Greater Tintic area will be cataloged into a mine waste database, which will be accessible to the public. The UGS will publish a comprehensive report detailing the volumetric, mineralogy, and geochemical findings, along with a critical mineral resource estimate. Accompanying this report will be a GIS database that includes sampling locations, geochemical results, and UAV survey data. These resources will support future environmental studies, inform mine waste remediation efforts, and provide a foundation for economic development centered on the sustainable use of mine waste.
This project aligns with key federal and state priorities, including the acceleration of renewable energy development, environmental justice, and the responsible development of critical minerals. By characterizing the mine waste in the Greater Tintic area, EGI and the UGS is not only addressing environmental concerns but also paving the way for economic revitalization in a region with a storied mining past and a promising future. The collaboration with local industry partners, combined with the region’s accessible infrastructure, enhances the potential for this project to yield impactful results that benefit local communities, the environment, and the economy alike.
As the EGI-UGS partnership, led by Dr. Stephanie Mills and Dr. Richards, progresses with this groundbreaking work, the data and insights generated will play a critical role in shaping the future of mining and mineral resource management in Utah, ensuring that the legacy of the Tintic district continues to contribute to the state’s prosperity in innovative and sustainable ways.
More information:
Earth Mapping Initiative (EarthMRI): https://www.usgs.gov/earth-mapping-resources-initiative-earth-mri
Utah Geological Survey (UGS): https://geology.utah.gov/
Dr. Bryony Richards
Research Scientist
Dr. Bryony Richards is a research scientist at the Energy & Geoscience Institute (EGI), University of Utah. Her research focuses on economic geology using advanced imaging techniques from satellite to nanoscales. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of London, where her research focused on petrography, geochemistry, and thermochronology, shedding light on the evolution of the eastern Gondwana margin.
Overview of the Tintic Mining District using Sentinel-2 imagery.
Initial Sentinel-2 geological mapping of tailings at the Burgin Mine.