Cinnabar, or cinnabarite, is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining elemental mercury and is the historic source for the brilliant red or scarlet pigment termed vermilion and associated red mercury pigments.
Vallejo is a city in Solano County, California and the second largest city in the North Bay region of the Bay Area. Located on the shores of San Pablo Bay, the city had a population of 126,090 at the 2020 census. Vallejo is home to the California Maritime Academy, Touro University California and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.
Muncy Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Sullivan County and Lycoming County, at Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 34.5 miles (55.5 km) long. The watershed of the creek has an area of 216 square miles (560 km2). The creek's discharge averages 49 cubic feet per second (1.4 m3/s) at Sonestown, but can be up to a thousand times higher at Muncy. The headwaters of the creek are on the Allegheny Plateau. Rock formations in the watershed include the Chemung Formation and the Catskill Formation.
The Sulphur Bank Mine is located near Clearlake Oaks and Clear Lake in Lake County, California. The 150-acre (0.61 km2) mine became one of the most noted mercury producers in the world.
Nescopeck Creek is a 37.5-mile-long (60.4 km) tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. The creek is in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. The meaning of the creek's name is "deep black waters". The waters of Nescopeck Creek have difficulty ratings between Class I and Class III. However, during parts of the year, Nescopeck Creek is impossible to navigate due to rapids, flooding, and tight bends. Nescopeck Creek is home to a number of species of trout, although the waters are not always optimal for them. Nescopeck Creek's water is acidic, with a pH as low as 3.6 in some studies.
White Deer Creek is a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River in Centre County and Union County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) long and flows through Miles Township in Centre County and Hartley Township, Lewis Township, West Buffalo Township, and White Deer Township in Union County. The watershed of the creek has an area of 45.1 square miles (117 km2). Parts of the creek are designated as impaired. The creek's discharge near White Deer can be as low as 3 cubic feet per second (0.085 m3/s) or as high as 169 cubic feet per second (4.8 m3/s).
The Hastings Mine is a mineral extraction site approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeast of the city of Vallejo, Solano County, California. The Hastings site on Sulfur Springs Mountain was used for extraction of cinnabar until the year 1930. The Hastings Mine is classified as a medium priority mine from the standpoint of environmental oversight. In the last inspection of the Hastings Mine in 1997, sediments in a drainage below the mine were found to contain ten parts per million of mercury; furthermore, spring water below the mine exhibited a water concentration of .31 micrograms per liter. Miles of underground shafts were driven in the course of working the quicksilver deposits in the area. In 1989, Earth Metrics reviewed old 1918 maps of workings of the Hastings and St. John's Mines and found that mine shafts were not driven into the site prior to the year 1918.
The St John's Mine is a mineral extraction site approximately three miles north of the city of Vallejo in Solano County, California, United States. The St John's site was used for extraction of cinnabar in the early 1900s. The St. John's Mine is classified as a medium priority mine from the standpoint of environmental oversight. The last inspection of the Hastings Mine occurred in 1997 and found only slight erosion of the considerable mine tailings; however the tailings exceed 10,000 cubic yards (7,600 m3) of material, or one of the largest cinnabar tailings in the State of California. Furthermore, the drainage from St. John's Mine flows to receiving waters of Rindler Creek and thence to Lake Chabot. Miles of underground shafts were driven in the course of working the quicksilver deposits in the area. In 1989, Earth Metrics reviewed old 1918 maps of workings of the Hastings and St. John's Mines and found that mine shafts were not driven into the site prior to the year 1918.
Blue Rock Springs Creek is a 3.4-mile-long (5.5 km) stream that rises on Sulfur Springs Mountain in southwestern Solano County, California. A bicycle trail is positioned along the creekside in some of the lower reaches. Water quality is impaired in Blue Rock Springs Creek due to historic cinnabar extraction in this watershed. Blue Rock Springs Creek has been tested for the toxin diazinon and found to have attained an elevated value of 40.9 micrograms per liter; diazinon is a toxic pesticide associated with golf course maintenance. The 36-hole Blue Rock Springs Golf Course lies in this watershed; although diazinon has been banned for golf course use in the U.S., its persistence in the environment is quite high. The stream has had application of a hydrological transport model to analyze flooding potential and to aid in the design of certain stream channel modification carried out in the last quarter of the 20th century to accommodate urbanization of some of the lower reaches.
Rindler Creek is a stream that rises on Sulfur Springs Mountain in southwestern Solano County, California. A stream restoration project has been conducted to reverse the damage of cattle overgrazing. One goal of this project is to enhance habitat suitable for the endangered Northern Red-legged Frog. Water quality has been altered in Rindler Creek due to historic cinnabar extraction in this watershed.
Mahanoy Creek is a 51.6-mile-long (83.0 km) tributary of the Susquehanna River in Northumberland and Schuylkill counties, Pennsylvania. There are at least 35 sources of acid mine drainage in the creek's watershed. Anthracite was mined in the upper part of the Mahanoy Creek watershed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Mahanoy Creek's tributaries include Schwaben Creek, Zerbe Run, Little Mahanoy Creek, Shenandoah Creek, and North Mahanoy Creek. Little Mahanoy Creek and Schwaben Creek are two streams in the watershed that are unaffected by acid mine drainage. Schwaben Creek has a higher number and diversity of fish species than the main stem.
Castle Rock Springs was a resort Lake County, California built around a group of mineral springs, including one hot spring with relatively high volumes of water.
Little Nescopeck Creek is a tributary of Nescopeck Creek in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and flows through Butler Township, Sugarloaf Township, and Conyngham. The watershed of the creek has an area of 14.0 square miles (36 km2). The creek is acidic and receives mine water from the Jeddo Tunnel. The main rock formation in the watershed is the Mauch Chunk Formation. However, the Pottsville Formation also appears in some areas. Soil series in the drainage basin include the Arnot Series, the Basher Series, and various other soil types.
Lower Little Swatara Creek is a tributary of Swatara Creek in southern Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, US. The creek is 11 miles (18 km) long. The creek starts on Blue Mountain and flows west-southwest into Swatara Creek near the community of Pine Grove. Fishing and canoeing are the primary recreational activities on the creek. Significant amounts of phosphorus and sediment flow through the creek.
South Branch Roaring Creek is a tributary of Roaring Creek in Columbia County and Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 16.8 miles (27.0 km) long. The upper reaches of the creek are located in Weiser State Forest, between Big Mountain and Little Mountain. The creek is home to some trout and is considered a high-quality coldwater fishery. The Chemung Formation occurs in the creek's watershed. The watershed is 25 square miles in area.
The Catawissa Tunnel is a mine drainage tunnel in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Its properties include the discharge, the pH, the chemical hydrology, and the water temperature. A total of 30 different metals and metalloids have been observed in the tunnel's waters. The hydrological data comes from a gauge on the tunnel at a location of 40°54'39" north and 76°03'59" west and an elevation of 1,440 feet (440 m) above sea level. Some of the most abundant metals in the waters of the tunnel include iron, aluminum, and manganese. These metals have concentrations on the order of several milligrams per liter. A number of other metals have concentrations on the order of micrograms per liter and some metals are found in even lower concentrations. Nonmetals such as nitrates, sulfates, fluorides, chlorides, and silica are also present in the tunnel. The concentrations of such nonmetals range between several micrograms per liter and several milligrams per liter.
Nanticoke Creek is a tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 4.4 miles (7.1 km) long and flows through Hanover Township and Nanticoke. The watershed of the creek has an area of 7.57 square miles (19.6 km2). The creek has one named tributary, which is known as Espy Run. Nanticoke Creek impaired by pH and metals due to abandoned mine drainage. Abandoned mine drainage discharges in the creek's watershed include the Truesdale Mine Discharge and the Askam Borehole. The creek is located in the Northern Middle Anthracite Field and is in the Anthracite Valley Section of the ridge and valley physiographic province. The main rock formations in the watershed include the Mauch Chunk Formation, the Pottsville Group, and the Llewellyn Formation. The surficial geology consists of coal dumps, surface mining land, alluvium, Wisconsinan Outwash, Wisconsinan Till, urban land, and bedrock.
Roaring Brook is a tributary of the Lackawanna River in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long and flows through Covington Township, Madison Township, Moscow, Roaring Brook Township, Elmhurst Township, Dunmore, and Scranton. The watershed of the stream has an area of 56.3 square miles (146 km2). Its named tributaries include Little Roaring Brook, Rock Bottom Creek, White Oak Run, Van Brunt Creek, Bear Brook, and East Branch Roaring Brook. It has a high level of water quality for much of its length. However, it is affected by abandoned mining land, stormwater, and other impacts in its lower reaches. Reservoirs in the watershed include the Hollister Reservoir, the Elmhurst Reservoir, and others. The stream also flows through the Nay Aug Gorge and passes over the Nay Aug Falls, which are on the National Register of Geologic Landmarks. It flows through a concrete channel in its lower reaches. The topography of the watershed contains rolling hills in its upper reaches and the mountainous land of the Moosic Mountains in its lower reaches.
Wilson Creek is a tributary of the Lackawanna River in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 3.7 miles (6.0 km) long and flows through Fell Township. The watershed of the creek has an area of 3.82 square miles (9.9 km2). The creek is impaired by metals and pH from abandoned mine drainage. Some reaches of it also experience total flow loss. There are three discharges of acid mine drainage entering the creek: the Upper Wilson Outfall, the Lower Wilson Outfall, and the Molensky Slope Outfall. The watershed of the creek is in the Appalachian Mountain section of the Ridge and Valley physiographic province. The main rock types in the watershed are interbedded sedimentary rock and sandstone. The creek flows past areas of disturbed mining land.
South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is a tributary of Tunkhannock Creek in Lackawanna County and Wyoming County, in Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is approximately 22.5 miles (36.2 km) long and flows through Scott Township, Benton Township, North Abington Township, and La Plume Township in Lackawanna County and Clinton Township, Factoryville, and Tunkhannock Township in Wyoming County. The watershed of the creek has an area of 98.3 square miles (255 km2). The creek's named tributaries include Trout Brook, Ackerly Creek, and Kennedy Creek. South Branch Tunkhannock Creek is not designated as an impaired waterbody and has relatively good water quality.
