Digital Database of Mining-related Features at Selected Historic and Active Phosphate Mines in Idaho, USGS OFR 01-142

This is a spatial database that delineates mining-related features in areas of
historic and active phosphate mining in the core of the southeastern Idaho
phosphate resource area. The data has varying degrees of accuracy and
attribution detail. The breakdown of areas by type of activity at active mines
is detailed; however, the disturbed areas at many of the closed or inactive
mines are not subdivided into specific categories detailing the type of
activity that occurred.

Nineteen phosphate mine sites are included in the study. A total of 5,728 hc
(14,154 ac), or more than 57 km2 (22 mi2), of phosphate mining-related surface
disturbance are documented in the spatial coverage of the core of the southeast
Idaho phosphate resource area. The study includes 4 active phosphate minebsDry
Valley, Enoch Valley, Rasmussen Ridge, and Smoky Canyobnand 15 historic
phosphate minebsBallard, Champ, Conda, Diamond Gulch, Gay, Georgetown Canyon,
Henry, Home Canyon, Lanes Creek, Maybe Canyon, Mountain Fuel, Trail Canyon,
Rattlesnake Canyon, Waterloo, and Wooley Valley. Spatial data on the inactive
historic mines is relatively up-to-date; however, spatially described areas for
active mines are based on digital maps prepared in early 1999. The inactive Gay
mine has the largest total area of disturbance: 1,917 hc (4,736 ac) or about 19
km2 (7.4 mi2). It encompasses over three times the disturbance area of the next
largest mine, the Conda mine with 607 hc (1,504 ac), and it is nearly four
times the area of the Smoky Canyon mine, the largest of the active mines with
497 hc (1,228 ac).

The wide range of phosphate mining-related surface disturbance features
(approximately 80) were reduced to 13 types or features used in this studbyadit
and pit, backfilled mine pit, facilities, mine pit, ore stockpile, railroad,
road, sediment catchment, tailings or tailings pond, topsoil stockpile, water
reservoir, and disturbed land (undifferentiated). In summary, the spatial
coverage includes polygons totaling 1,114 hc (2,753 ac) of mine pits, 272 hc
(671 ac) of backfilled mine pits, 1,570 hc (3,880 ac) of waste dumps, 26 hc (64
ac) of ore stockpiles, and 44 hc (110 ac) of tailings or tailings ponds. Areas
of undifferentiated phosphate mining-related land disturbances, called bed
land,b site-specific studies to delineate distinct mine features will allow
modification of this preliminary spatial database.