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Virginia T. McLemore
Projects: Mine-related Environmental Issues

INACTIVE/ABANDONED (AML) MINE SITES

Significance of the study--effect of weathering on mine wastes and distribution of mines

  • Summary

  • What have we learned from Mine Accidents and Failures in New Mexico? NMGS Spring 2016
  • Geologic Processes Affecting the Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Acid Potential on Particle Size Fractions: Examples from Waste Rock Piles in New Mexico, USA Animas Conference May 2016
  • Geologic Setting and History of Mining in the Animas River Watershed, southern Colorado Animas Conference May 2016
  • THE CHARACTERIZATION OF ABANDONED URANIUM MINES IN NEW MEXICO Animas Conference May 2016
  • MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF MINE WASTE ROCK PILES IN MINING DISTRICTS IN SOUTHERN COLORADO AND NEW MEXICO Animas Conference June 2018

Mining-related Environmental Papers/Books

  • ICARD paper McLemore, V.T., 2012, Geologic Processes Affecting the Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Acid Potential on Particle Size Fractions: Examples from Waste Rock Piles in New Mexico, USA: Proceedings 9th ICARD, Ottawa, Canada, May 20-26, 2012, 12 p.
  • ICARD presentation
  • Basics of Metal Mining Influenced Water (ed. V.T. McLemore, Society forf Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration)
  • McLemore, V.T., Smith, K.S., Russell, C.C., editors, 2014, Management Technologies for Metal Mining Influenced Water, volume 6: Sampling and monitoring for the mine life cycle: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., Littleton, CO.

  • See uranium resources for uranium-related papers

Questa Project

  • Significance of the study--The effects of weathering on the stability on the rock piles at the Questa molybdenum mine, Taos County, NM (MOLYCORP PROJECT)

  • Papers
  • Abstracts
  • Thesis
  • SOPs
  • DRAs

Environmental impacts of Pecos mine, Pecos River, NM

  • McLemore et al., 1993, A reconnaissance study of mercury and base metal concentrations in water, stream and lake-sediment samples along the Pecos River, eastern NM: Guidebook 44
  • McLemore et al., 1995, The effect of particle size distribution on the geochemistry of stream sediments from the upper Pecos River, San Miguel County, NM: Guidebook 46
  • McLemore et al., 1995, A preliminary summary of multi-disciplinary studies in the upper Pecos River area, Santa Fe and San Miguel Counties, NM: Guidebook 46
  • Johnson and Deeds, 1995, Summary of environmental issues at El Molino mill, north-central NM: Guidebook 46
  • McLemore, 1995, Mineral resources of the southern Sangre de Cristo Mts: Guidebook 46
  • Popp, C. J., Brandvold, D. K., Kirk, K., Brandvold, L. A., McLemore, V. T., Hansen, S., Radtke, R., and Kyle, P., 1996, Reconnaisance investigation of trace metal sources, sinks, and transport in the upper Pecos River Basin, New Mexico: U. S. Bureau of Reclamation, Report No. 3-FC-4D-13830, 224 pp.
  • Brandvold, L. A., McLemore, V. T., and O’Connor, C., 1995, Distribution and partitioning of copper, lead and zinc in stream sediments above and below an abandoned mining and milling area near Pecos, New Mexico: The Analyst, v. 120, p. 1485-1495.
  • Brandvold, L. A. and McLemore, V. T., 1998, A study of the analytical variation of sampling and analysis of stream sediments from mining and milling contaminated areas: Journal of Geochemical Exploration, v. 64, pp. 185-196, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0375-6742(98)00032-6
  • Carey, E. A., Brandvold, L. A., and McLemore, V. T., 2001, Base metal and trace element concentrations in stream sediments along the Pecos River, from the southern Pecos Wilderness to Brantley Dam, north of Carlsbad, eastern New Mexico: American Society for Surface Mining and Reclamation, 18th annual meeting, 2001 proceedings volume 1, pp. 246-254.
  • McLemore et al., 2001, Long-term monitoring of the geochemistry of water and stream-sediment samples from the upper Pecos River, from the southern Pecos Wilderness to Brantley Dam, north of Carlsbad, eastern New Mexico: year nine: Guidebook 52

  • McQuillan, D., McLemore, V., and Robinson, P., 2016, Remediation of the Terrero Mine and El Molino Mill, San Miguel County, New Mexico (abstr.): Examples from Waste Rock Piles in New Mexico, USA: Environmental Conditions of the Animas and San Juan Watersheds with Emphasis on Gold King Mine and Other Mine Waste Issues, Farmington, May (WRRI)

Asbestos occurrences in New Mexico

Radon in New Mexico

  • Geologic evaulation of radon availability in New Mexico, OF-345
  • US EPA website
  • NM Environment Department website

Updated February 22, 2024