Sulfur Springs Mountain
Encyclopedia
Sulfur Springs Mountain is a mountain in southwestern Solano County, California
. The slopes can be accessed via hiking trail
s emanating from Blue Rock Springs Park in the city of Vallejo
. Cinnabar
deposits were extracted from this location in the early 1900s at Hastings Mine
and St. John's Mine
. Both mines are classified as medium priority mine from the standpoint of environmental oversight for California inactive mines. The highest peak on Sulfur Springs Mountain stands at an elevation of 1112 ft (339 m), and affords expansive views of the northern San Francisco Bay
as well as the Napa River
. The rock outcrop
pings which occur in the Sulphur Springs area are composed of basalt
ic lava
; however, there are also serpentine outcrops, which soils are known to provide habitat for many rare
and endangered species
in Northern California
.
and Blue Rock Springs Creek
. 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). Prior hydrology modeling has been performed using the HEC-2 formalism to analyze flows in both Rindler Creek and Blue Rock Springs Creek; these studies were conducted to evaluate flooding potential and in order to conduct certain channel alterations associated with urban development on the lower slopes of Sulfur Springs Mountain.
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, sediment
s 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 (a violation of the State of California standard for receiving waters of .05 micrograms per liter). Miles of underground shafts were driven in the course of working the quicksilver
deposits in the area.
Solano County, California
Solano County is a county located in Bay-Delta region of the U.S. state of California, about halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento and is one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. The county's population was reported by the U.S. Census to be 413,344 in 2010...
. The slopes can be accessed via hiking trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s emanating from Blue Rock Springs Park in the city of Vallejo
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
. Cinnabar
Cinnabar
Cinnabar or cinnabarite , is the common ore of mercury.-Word origin:The name comes from κινναβαρι , a Greek word most likely applied by Theophrastus to several distinct substances...
deposits were extracted from this location in the early 1900s at Hastings Mine
Hastings Mine
The Hastings Mine is a mineral extraction site approximately 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...
and St. John's Mine
St. John's Mine
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...
. Both mines are classified as medium priority mine from the standpoint of environmental oversight for California inactive mines. The highest peak on Sulfur Springs Mountain stands at an elevation of 1112 ft (339 m), and affords expansive views of the northern San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
as well as the Napa River
Napa River
The Napa River, approximately 55 miles long, is a river in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region, called the Napa Valley, in the mountains northeast of San Francisco. Milliken Creek is a tributary of the Napa River....
. The rock outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
pings which occur in the Sulphur Springs area are composed of basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
ic lava
Lava
Lava refers both to molten rock expelled by a volcano during an eruption and the resulting rock after solidification and cooling. This molten rock is formed in the interior of some planets, including Earth, and some of their satellites. When first erupted from a volcanic vent, lava is a liquid at...
; however, there are also serpentine outcrops, which soils are known to provide habitat for many rare
Rare species
A rare species is a group of organisms that are very uncommon or scarce. This designation may be applied to either a plant or animal taxon, and may be distinct from the term "endangered" or "threatened species" but not "extinct"....
and endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
.
Hydrology
The Earth Metrics research found that in excess of 100,000 gallons per day was produced by the principal sulfur spring on this mountain as recently as 1927; by the 1940s this flow was all but attenuated, due to extensive mine shaft construction. Streams that drain the mountain slopes include Rindler CreekRindler Creek
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...
and Blue Rock Springs Creek
Blue Rock Springs Creek
Blue Rock Springs Creek is a 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...
. Blue Rock Springs Creek has been tested for the toxin
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
diazinon
Diazinon
Diazinon , a colorless to dark brown liquid, is a thiophosphoric acid ester developed in 1952 by Ciba-Geigy, a Swiss chemical company...
and found to have attained an elevated value of 40.9 micrograms per liter (Diazinon is a toxic pesticide associated with golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
maintenance). Prior hydrology modeling has been performed using the HEC-2 formalism to analyze flows in both Rindler Creek and Blue Rock Springs Creek; these studies were conducted to evaluate flooding potential and in order to conduct certain channel alterations associated with urban development on the lower slopes of Sulfur Springs Mountain.
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, sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s in a drainage below the mine were found to contain ten parts per million of mercury
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
; furthermore, spring water below the mine exhibited a water concentration of .31 micrograms per liter (a violation of the State of California standard for receiving waters of .05 micrograms per liter). Miles of underground shafts were driven in the course of working the quicksilver
Mercury (element)
Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
deposits in the area.
See also
- List of summits in the San Francisco Bay Area
- MercuryMercury (element)Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
- TailingsTailingsTailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
- Water pollutionWater pollutionWater pollution is the contamination of water bodies . Water pollution occurs when pollutants are discharged directly or indirectly into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove harmful compounds....