Boulder River Research Articles

Analysis of Mountains Passes along the East-West Continental Divide and Other Drainage Divides Surrounding the Boulder River Drainage Basin, Jefferson County, Montana, USA

Detailed topographic maps of drainage divides surrounding the Jefferson County, Montana, Boulder River drainage basin were analyzed to determine the nature of drainage systems that preceded today’s Boulder River drainage system and how the Boulder River drainage system evolved from those earlier drainage systems. The Boulder River studied here drains in a north, east, and south direction to the Jefferson River, which at Three Forks, Montana joins the north-oriented Madison and Gallatin Rivers to form the north-oriented Missouri River. The North American east-west Continental Divide surrounds the Boulder River drainage basin western half and mountainous drainage divides with the Jefferson and Missouri Rivers surround the drainage basin’s eastern half. More than 25 deep mountain passes are notched into these drainage divides and provide evidence of the regional drainage system that preceded the present day Boulder River drainage system. Analysis of pass elevations and of orientations of valleys leading in opposite directions from those mountain passes shows that prior to Boulder River drainage system development immense volumes of south-oriented water moving in anastomosing complexes of diverging and converging channels flowed across the Boulder River drainage basin area and that the Boulder River drainage system evolved as deeper channels progressively captured flow from shallower channels. While not documented in detail crustal warping probably raised Boulder River drainage basin areas relative to adjacent valleys and basins as capture events took place. A water source was not determined, but may have been from a large North American continental ice sheet, although Boulder River drainage basin evolution probably occurred while mid Tertiary sediments were filling adjacent valleys and basins.

Remembered: Elisabeth G. Kaveggia.

Remembered: Elisabeth G. Kaveggia.

Metal contamination and post-remediation recovery in the Boulder River watershed, Jefferson County, Montana

ABSTRACT The legacy of acid mine drainage and toxic trace metals left in streams by historical mining is being addressed by many important yet costly remediation efforts. Monitoring of environmental conditions frequently is not performed but is essential to evaluate remediation effectiveness, determine whether clean-up goals have been met, and assess which remediation strategies are most effective. Extensive pre- and post-remediation data for water and sediment quality for the Boulder River watershed in southwestern Montana provide an unusual opportunity to demonstrate the importance of monitoring. The most extensive restoration in the watershed occurred at the Comet mine on High Ore Creek and resulted in the most dramatic improvement in aquatic habitat. Removal of contaminated sediment and tailings, and stream-channel reconstruction reduced Cd and Zn concentrations in water such that fish are now present, and reduced metal concentrations in streambed sediment by a factor of c . 10, the largest improvement in the district. Waste removals at the Buckeye/Enterprise and Bullion mine sites produced limited or no improvement in water and sediment quality, and acidic drainage from mine adits continues to degrade stream aquatic habitat. Recontouring of hillslopes that had funnelled runoff into the workings of the Crystal mine substantially reduced metal concentrations in Uncle Sam Gulch, but did not eliminate all of the acidic adit drainage. Lead isotopic evidence suggests that the Crystal mine rather than the Comet mine is now the largest source of metals in streambed sediment of the Boulder River. The completed removal actions prevent additional contaminants from entering the stream, but it may take many years for erosional processes to diminish the effects of contaminated sediment already in streams. Although significant strides have been made, additional efforts to seal draining adits or treat the adit effluent at the Bullion and Crystal mines would need to be completed to achieve the desired restoration. SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL Analytical data for all post-remediation samples is available at: http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18344.

Concentrations of Metals in Water, Sediment, Biofilm, Benthic Macroinvertebrates, and Fish in the Boulder River Watershed, Montana, and the Role of Colloids in Metal Uptake

To characterize the partitioning of metals in a stream ecosystem, concentrations of trace metals including As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were measured in water, colloids, sediment, biofilm (also referred to as aufwuchs), macroinvertebrates, and fish collected from the Boulder River watershed, Montana. Median concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in water throughout the watershed exceeded the U.S. EPA acute and chronic criteria for protection of aquatic life. Concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in sediment were sufficient in the tributaries to cause invertebrate toxicity. The concentrations of As, Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn in invertebrates from lower Cataract Creek (63, 339, 59, 34, and 2,410 microg/g dry wt, respectively) were greater than the concentrations in invertebrates from the Clark Fork River watershed, Montana (19, 174, 2.3, 15, and 648 microg/g, respectively), that were associated with reduced survival, growth, and health of cutthroat trout fed diets composed of those invertebrates. Colloids and biofilm seem to play a critical role in the pathway of metals into the food chain and concentrations of As, Cu, Pb, and Zn in these two components are significantly correlated. We suggest that transfer of metals associated with Fe colloids to biological components of biofilm is an important pathway where metals associated with abiotic components are first available to biotic components. The significant correlations suggest that Cd, Cu, and Zn may move independently to biota (biofilm, invertebrates, or fish tissues) from water and sediment. The possibility exists that Cd, Cu, and Zn concentrations increase in fish tissues as a result of direct contact with water and sediment and indirect exposure through the food chain. However, uptake through the food chain to fish may be more important for As. Although As concentrations in colloids and biofilm were significantly correlated with As water concentrations, As concentrations in fish tissues were not correlated with water. The pathway for Pb into biological components seems to begin with sediment because concentrations of Pb in water were not significantly correlated with any other component and because concentrations of Pb in the water were often below detection limits.

Biomonitoring in the Boulder River Watershed, Montana, USA: Metal Concentrations in Biofilm and Macroinvertebrates, and Relations with Macroinvertebrate Assemblage

Portions of the Boulder River watershed contain elevated concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in water, sediment, and biota. We measured concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in biofilm and macroinvertebrates, and assessed macroinvertebrate assemblage and aquatic habitat with the objective of monitoring planned remediation efforts. Concentrations of metals were generally higher in downstream sites compared with upstream or reference sites, and two sites contained metal concentrations in macroinvertebrates greater than values reported to reduce health and survival of resident trout. Macroinvertebrate assemblage was correlated with metal concentrations in biofilm and macroinvertebrates. However, macroinvertebrate metrics were significantly correlated with a greater number of biofilm metals (8) than metals in invertebrates (4). Lead concentrations in biofilm appeared to have the most significant impact on macroinvertebrate assemblage. Metal concentrations in macroinvertebrates were directly proportional to concentrations in biofilm, indicating biofilm as a potential surrogate for monitoring metal impacts in aquatic systems.

Characterizing Aquatic Health Using Salmonid Mortality, Physiology, and Biomass Estimates in Streams with Elevated Concentrations of Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, and Zinc in the Boulder River Watershed, Montana

Abandoned tailings and mine adits are located throughout the Boulder River watershed in Montana. In this watershed, all species of fish are absent from some tributary reaches near mine sources; however, populations of brook trout Salvelinus fontitalis, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, and cut-throat trout O. clarki are found further downstream. Multiple methods must be used to investigate the effects of metals released by past mining activity because the effects on aquatic life may range in severity, depending on the proximity of mine sources. Therefore, we used three types of effects—those on fish population levels (as measured by survival), those on biomass and density, and those at the level of the individual (as measured by increases in metallothionein, products of lipid peroxidation, and increases in concentrations of tissue metals)—to assess the aquatic health of the Boulder River watershed. Elevated concentrations of Cd, Cu, and Zn in the water column were associated with increased mortality of trout at sites located near mine waste sources. The hypertrophy (swelling), degeneration (dying), and necrosis of epithelial cells observed in the gills support our conclusion that the cause of death was related to metals in the water column. At a site further downstream (lower Cataract Creek), we observed impaired health of resident trout, as well as effects on biomass and density (measured as decreases in the kilograms of trout per hectare and the number per 300 m) and effects at the individual level, including increases in metallothionein, products of lipid peroxidation, and tissue concentrations of metals.

Fighting Fire With Fire

BIOLOGICAL CONTROLWEST BOULDER RIVER, MONTANA-- As the menace posed by biological invaders grows, many scientists and governments are fighting fire with fire by importing natural enemies of exotic weeds and pests. But the good exotics may become problems themselves, attacking nontarget native species or reshuffling ecosystems in unwanted ways. And even biocontrol researchers admit that the long-term fate of introduced agents is often unknown.

Influence of Provenance on Detrital and Diagenetic Mineralogy of Small Tertiary Fans in Southwestern Montana: ABSTRACT

In the North Boulder River basin in southwestern Montana, alluvial fans of the Renova (Oligocene-Miocene) and the Sixmile Creek (Miocene) Formations were deposited on the flanks of north-south-trending uplifts that also supplied the detritus. The Elkhorn Mountain volcanics (78 m.y.) overlying the Boulder batholith make up the western highlands, a small patch of Precambrian Belt Group rocks occur in the southwest and Paleozoic siliciclastic and carbonate rocks forming the eastern margin. The fan sediments thus allow adequate control for studying the influence of source rocks on detrital and diagenetic mineralogy. Modal analysis of 6228 grains in 31 thin sections shows a decrease of VRF away from the igneous sources (37% to 1% in a north-south transect; 37% to 7% in a west-east transect) along with an increase in quartz (8% to 24% and 3% to 13%) and plagioclase (2% to 16% and 2% to 10%); orthoclase abundance is low except in the southwest. Volcanic ash and glass shards are found in the younger sediments in the northern part of the basin. Their data show a positive correlation between the abundance of orthoclase and kaolinite (north-south transect); between SRF and carbonate cement (west-east transect) and between glass shards and smectite (bothmore » north-south and west-east transects). They infer that the diagenetic mineralogy of these sands was controlled essentially by the detrital particles, which were strongly controlled by source rocks in this area.« less

A Comparison between the Modern and Composite Pleistocene Snow-lines, Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, Montana-wyoming, U.S.A.

Abstract The modern and composite Pleistocene snow-lines of the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, Montana-Wyoming, were established from a population of 135 north-facing cirques and cirque glaciers distributed across Boulder River, Stillwater River, Rosebud, and Rock Creeks. The 3110 m elevation of the modern snow-line was established by connecting the accumulation-area ratios of 35 existing cirque glaciers. The composite Pleistocene snow-line was established by joining the mean floor elevations of the lowest abandoned cirques. Comparison of the modern and composite Pleistocene snow-lines indicates that the composite Pleistocene snow-line was depressed, at minimum, 305 m during the Pleistocene. The 305 m depression suggests that the mean Pleistocene temperatures were, at a minimum, 1.9 deg lower than the present mean annual temperatures found in the study area. Both the modern and Pleistocene snow-lines slope towards lower elevations in the Boulder and Stillwater drainages than in the Rosebud–Rock Creek drainages. Modern precipitation rates also show greater precipitation in the Boulder–Stillwater drainages than the Rosebud–Rock Creek drainages. The parallelism of the modern and composite Pleistocene snow-lines, and present precipitation rates suggest that temperature rather than precipitation is the controlling factor causing the depression of the snow-lines. The distribution of cirque elevations indicates that snow-lines fluctuated a minimum of four times during the Pleistocene.

A Comparison between the Modern and Composite Pleistocene Snow-lines, Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, Montana-wyoming, U.S.A.

AbstractThe modern and composite Pleistocene snow-lines of the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains, Montana-Wyoming, were established from a population of 135 north-facing cirques and cirque glaciers distributed across Boulder River, Stillwater River, Rosebud, and Rock Creeks. The 3110 m elevation of the modern snow-line was established by connecting the accumulation-area ratios of 35 existing cirque glaciers. The composite Pleistocene snow-line was established by joining the mean floor elevations of the lowest abandoned cirques.Comparison of the modern and composite Pleistocene snow-lines indicates that the composite Pleistocene snow-line was depressed, at minimum, 305 m during the Pleistocene. The 305 m depression suggests that the mean Pleistocene temperatures were, at a minimum, 1.9 deg lower than the present mean annual temperatures found in the study area.Both the modern and Pleistocene snow-lines slope towards lower elevations in the Boulder and Stillwater drainages than in the Rosebud–Rock Creek drainages. Modern precipitation rates also show greater precipitation in the Boulder–Stillwater drainages than the Rosebud–Rock Creek drainages. The parallelism of the modern and composite Pleistocene snow-lines, and present precipitation rates suggest that temperature rather than precipitation is the controlling factor causing the depression of the snow-lines.The distribution of cirque elevations indicates that snow-lines fluctuated a minimum of four times during the Pleistocene.

Dr. Clay Emery Giffin

HomeRadiologyVol. 1, No. 2 PreviousNext ArticlesDr. Clay Emery GiffinPublished Online:Oct 1 1923https://doi.org/10.1148/1.2.121MoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In AbstractMembers of the Radiological Society will be grieved to know of the loss from their ranks of Dr. Clay Emery Giffin of Boulder, Colorado. It seems unusually sad to have one of our brother members cut off at the age of 41 years from the midst of work which seemed more than hopeful but uncompleted. Just as he must sacrifice the pleasure of providing for and directing his young children to maturity so must his family and our science sacrifice the blessings his life would have given them.Dr. Giffin died as he had always lived, for others. The incidents of his death are extremely pathetic. He had arranged an outing for his family in the mountains. His wife and he were preparing a picnic lunch on the banks of the Boulder River and his thirteen-year-old son was wading in the river when suddenly the doctor saw his son stumble and fall, being immediately swept out into the swift current of the stream. The father, realizing his son's danger, instantly plunged to his assistance with the tragic result that he gave his life to save his son.Dr. Giffin enjoyed the distinction of graduating from the Colorado School of Medicine while his father was Dean of that institution. His short career was marked by rapid progress, he having been president of his local medical society, chief of the staff of the Community and an officer in other organizations.It is a cause of universal regret that Dr. Giffin should have been taken at the very pinnacle of his greatest usefulness to his family and to the science of Radiology.Article HistoryPublished in print: Oct 1923 FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsRecommended Articles RSNA Education Exhibits RSNA Case Collection Vol. 1, No. 2 Metrics Altmetric Score PDF download

Stratigraphic relations of the Livingston Formation of Montana; Part II, Area between Boulder River and Bridger Range

Stratigraphic relations of the Livingston Formation of Montana; Part II, Area between Boulder River and Bridger Range