INACTIVE AND ABANDONED MINE LANDS— Deep Creek Mine, Northport Mining District, Stevens County, Washington by Fritz E. Wolff, Matthew I. Brookshier, and David K. Norman WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Information Circular 108 September 2008 N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S Stevens County site location
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INACTIVE AND ABANDONEDMINE LANDS—
Deep Creek Mine,Northport Mining District,
Stevens County, Washington
by Fritz E. Wolff,Matthew I. Brookshier,and David K. Norman
WASHINGTON
DIVISION OF GEOLOGY
AND EARTH RESOURCES
Information Circular 108September 2008
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Stevens Countysitelocation
INACTIVE AND ABANDONEDMINE LANDS—
Deep Creek Mine,Northport Mining District,
Stevens County, Washington
by Fritz E. Wolff,Matthew I. Brookshier,and David K. Norman
WASHINGTON
DIVISION OF GEOLOGY
AND EARTH RESOURCES
Information Circular 108September 2008
DISCLAIMER
Neither the State of Washington, nor any agency thereof, nor any of their em-ployees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liabilityor responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any informa-tion, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use wouldnot infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercialproduct, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or other-wise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation,or favoring by the State of Washington or any agency thereof. The views andopinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those ofthe State of Washington or any agency thereof.
WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OFNATURAL RESOURCES
Doug Sutherland—Commissioner of Public Lands
DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES
David K. Norman—Acting State GeologistJohn P. Bromley—Assistant State Geologist
Washington Department of Natural ResourcesDivision of Geology and Earth Resources
Mailing Address: Street Address:PO Box 47007 1111 Washington St SEOlympia, WA 98504-7007 Natural Resources Bldg, Rm 148
Olympia, WA 98501Phone: 360-902-1450Fax: 360-902-1785E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/Divisions/GER/
This and other DGER publications are available online at:http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Topics/GeologyPublicationsLibrary/Pages/pubs.aspx
The bibliography of the Washington Geology Library is at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/ResearchScience/Topics/GeologyPublicationsLibrary/Pages/washbib.aspx
There is no record of a mill ever having been in use at the Deep
Creek mine. However, Superfund Technical Assessment and
Response Team (START, 2002) investigators found areas of
fine-grained light-brown soil, thickness unknown, that might be
tailings, if a mill ever existed, or fines washed out of the waste
rock. We believe most of the ore produced prior to 1943 was
shipped directly to Cominco’s zinc plant at Trail, B.C. During
the major phase of mining operations, 1941 to 1956, ore from
the Deep Creek mine was trucked to the Sierra Zinc mill, and
concentrates went to the Bunker Hill plant at Kellogg, Idaho
(Waddell, 1963).
WASTE ROCK DUMPS
The waste rock dumps are light gray to white dolomite that ap-
pears barren to the naked eye except for occasional pyrite (Fig.
12). But analyses of screened fines from several dumps by
START (2002) investigators detected elevated levels of cad-
mium, lead, and zinc, that exceed state soil standards (see Ta-
bles 4 and 5). The dump material has been scavenged in the past
for maintenance of the mine access road and Aladdin Road
(Waddell, 1963). The estimated total volume of waste rock is
8000 cubic yards.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Names: Deep Creek, Gorien Zinc
MAS/MILS sequence number: 0530650412
Access: two-wheel drive
Status of mining activity: none
Claim status: There are no patented claims and no active
unpatented claims.
Current ownership: Stevens Co. tax parcels nos. 5065500
through 5065550 and 5065850 through 5065857 are 10- and 20-
acre parcels owned by private parties in the NE¼ sec. 26, less
55% mineral rights. Parcel 5065600, covering W½NE¼, is held
in a private estate trust. Parcel 5065860, covering E½ NW¼ sec.
26 is split ownership between Washington Resources, LLC, re-
taining 55% mineral rights only, and BLM.
Surrounding land status: BLM manages surface rights in all
the NW¼ of sec. 26 excepting the SW¼NW¼. The remainder of
sec. 26 is private land.
Location and map information: Table 2
Directions: On the east side of Franklin Roosevelt Lake, fol-
low SR 25 to the town of Northport. Take the Aladdin Road and
proceed southeast. At approximately 6 miles, the Black Rock
mine dump can be seen on the lefthand side, immediately above
the highway. The Deep Creek mine entrance road, paved in
white dolomitic marble, is reached in one additional mile on the
righthand side of the highway. The access road crosses Deep
Creek on a gated bridge.
MINE OPERATIONS DATA
Type of mine: underground
Commodities mined: zinc, lead, silver
Geologic setting: Isolated chimney-shaped deposits in Cam-
brian/Ordovician dolomite of the Metaline Formation. The host
rock has been deformed and recrystallized by regional metamor-
phism, which also appears to have mobilized and concentrated
the sulfides from their original stratabound occurrence. The
much younger Kaniksu batholith crops out 1200 feet south of
the mine, but is not thought to be the parent metalliferous
source.
Ore minerals: sphalerite, galena
Non-ore minerals: pyrite, tremolite
Host rock: dolomite
Period of production: 1914–1919, 1941–1956
8 INFORMATION CIRCULAR 108
Figure 11. Twenty-foot-diameter pond at the top of the North Zone
orebody’s flooded stope. Portal of adit 1 at top center. View is to the
west.
Figure 12. Typical waste rock dump showing excavation for road bal-
last.
Mine
property County Location
Decimal
latitude
Decimal
longitude
1:24,000
quad.
1:100,000
quad.
DeepCreek
Stevens N½NE¼NE¼sec. 26
48.86358 117.71510 Spirit Colville
Table 2. Location and map information.
Development: 8000 feet of total development
on eight levels, including stopes, raises, and
sublevels; shaft is 750 feet deep (Waddell, 1963)
Production: ~850,000 tons valued at
$12,000,000 at historic prices
Mill data: ore milled at the Sierra Zinc mine,
10 miles south
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES
Features: Table 3
Materials: none
Machinery: (a) Ingersoll-Rand Type 10 two-stage air
compressor; synchronous motor is Westinghouse/G.E. Type
HR, serial number 8151747, 250 H.P., 3 phase-60 cycle-2200
volts. (b) capacitor bank, Cornell Dublier Electrical Co.,
Model DBR-44, SN: AN-1, South Plainfield, N.J.
Structures: bunkhouse, office, and compressor building are
collapsed; headframe and hoist house have been removed
Waste rock dumps, tailings impoundments, highwalls, or
pit walls: waste rock dump
Analysis of waste rock dumps: Tables 4 and 5
Waste rock, tailings, or dumps in excess of 500 cubic
yards: two
Reclamation activity: electrical substation removed; no
other activity
Analysis of tailings and dumps: Table 4
VEGETATION
Knapweed, tansy, and thistle. Trees include inland Douglas fir,
larch, and birch.
WILDLIFE
White tailed deer, rocky mountain elk; rainbow trout in Deep
Creek (WDFW, 2003). See Table 6 for bat habitat information.
WATER QUALITY
Surface waters observed: Deep Creek
Proximity to surface waters: 0 feet
Domestic use: none
Acid mine drainage or staining: none
Surface water migration: infiltrates
Surface water data: Tables 7 and 8
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors thank our editors Jari Roloff and Karen Meyers for
helpful suggestions on the layout and content of this report.
Robert Berwick provided a digital reproduction of the map
IAML—DEEP CREEK MINE, STEVENS COUNTY, WASHINGTON 9
Description Condition
Fenced
(yes/no)
Length
(feet)
Width
(feet)
Height/depth
(feet)
True
bearing
Elev.
(feet)
Decimal
latitude
Decimal
longitude
inclined shaft flooded and blocked no – – – – – – 750 S17W 1877 48.86367 117.71499
pond – – – no 20 feet in diameter ���� N/A 1870 48.86348 117.71494
adit 1 sound/open no 150 4 5 W 1870 48.86348 117.71494
adit 2 caved no ~420 – – – – – – W 1870 48.86416 117.71475
exploration adit/outcrop open no ~15 4 5 W 2560 48.86480 117.72150
raise open no ~25 ~230 vertical 2100 48.86417 117.71647
Table 3. Mine features. – – –, no data.
Sample
location Arsenic Cadmium Copper Lead Zinc Mercury
waste rockdumps**
– – – 24.9–
25.2
– – – 558–
799
4220–
7780
0.14–0.25
brown soil/tailings**
– – – 23.8–425
– – – 632–
13,300
4240–
123,000
0.17–3.2
Table 4. Soil Analysis. Metal concentrations are mg/kg. – – –, no
data; **, data from START (2002). Analyses in bold indicate levels that
exceed one or more standard shown in Table 5.
Metals
Arsenic
III Cadmium Copper Lead Zinc Mercury
unrestricted landuse
20 25 100 220 270 9
industrial orcommercial use
20 36 550 220 570 9
Table 5. Soil quality standards for unrestricted land use. WAC 173-
340-900, Model Toxics Control Act, Table 749-2: Priority contaminants
of ecological concern for sites that qualify for the simplified terrestrial
ecological evaluation procedure (partial data). Concentrations are milli-
grams/ kilogram. Levels for silver, gold, and iron are not specified.
Opening Aspect
Air temp.
(°F) at
portal
Air flow:
exhaust
Air flow:
intake
Multiple
interconnected
openings
Bats or bat
evidence
open adit 1 atcliff base
east 55 no no no no
Table 6. Bat habitat information.
Description Flow (gpm)
Conductivity
(�S/cm) pH Bed color
Temp.
(°F)
pond at adit 1portal
none 530 8.4 clear 54
Table 7. Surface water field data. Sample taken July 22, 2003.
shown in Figure 5, which was extremely helpful in visualizing
the distribution of orebodies in the mine.
REFERENCES CITED
Bush, J. H.; Morton, J. A.; Seward, P. W., 1992, Depositional andstratigraphic interpretations of the Cambrian and OrdovicianMetaline Formation, northeastern Washington: WashingtonGeology, v. 20, no. 1, p. 27-35.
Campbell, C. D., 1946, Lead-zinc deposits in part of the Northportdistrict, Wash.: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report, 10sheets.
Fulkerson, F. B.; Kingston, G. A., 1958, Mine production of gold, sil-ver, copper, lead, and zinc in Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties,Wash., 1902–56; Annual totals by mines, districts, and counties:U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 7872, 51 p.
Huntting, M. T., 1956, Inventory of Washington minerals; Part II—Metallic minerals: Washington Division of Mines and GeologyBulletin 37, Part II, 2 v.
Jenkins, O. P., 1924, Lead deposits of Pend Oreille and Stevens Coun-ties, Washington: Washington Division of Geology Bulletin 31,153 p.
Klobusicky, Tibor, 1971, Evaluation of the Deep Creek mine, North-port, Washington: unpublished report, 10 p. [DGER mine file]
Lucas, J. M., 1976?, Deep Creek Mine, Stevens County, Washington:Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources unpub-lished report, 13 p. [DGER mine file]
Mills, J. W., 1977, Zinc and lead ore deposits in carbonate rocks,Stevens County, Washington: Washington Division of Geologyand Earth Resources Bulletin 70, 171 p.
Norman, D. K., 2000, Washington’s inactive and abandoned metalmine inventory and database: Washington Geology, v. 28, no. 1/2, p. 16-18.
Patty, E. N., 1921, The metal mines of Washington: Washington Geo-logical Survey Bulletin 23, 366 p.
START (Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team),2002, Preliminary assessments and site inspections report upperColumbia River mines and mills, Stevens County, Washington:Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team unpub-lished report submitted to Region 10 EPA, 18 p.
Waddell, G. G., 1963, Mining methods and costs, Deep Creek zinc-lead mine, Goldfield Consolidated Mines Co., Stevens County,Washington: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8174,39 p.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), 2003, Habitatand species map: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlifedigital report [generated February 2003], 1 plate, 1:24,000-scale
Weissenborn, A. E.; Armstrong, F. C.; Fyles, J. T., editors, 1970,Lead-zinc deposits in the Kootenay arc, northeastern Washingtonand adjacent British Columbia; Society of Economic Geologists1970 Northwest field conference guidebook: Washington Divi-sion of Mines and Geology Bulletin 61, 123 p.
Yates, R. G., 1970, Geologic background of the Metaline and North-port mining districts, Washington. In Weissenborn, A. E.;Armstrong, F. C.; Fyles, J. T., editors, Lead-zinc deposits in theKootenay arc, northeastern Washington and adjacent British Co-lumbia: Washington Division of Mines and Geology Bulletin 61,p. 17-39.
10 INFORMATION CIRCULAR 108
PART 1: ANALYSIS BY USEPA METHOD 6020, INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA/MASS SPECTROMETRY
Sample location Arsenic Cadmium** Copper** Iron Lead** Mercury Zinc** Hardness