Temporal variation in discharge chemistry and portal flow from the 8-Level adit, Lynx Mine, Myra Falls Operations, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

The Lynx mine, currently inactive, has produced copper and zinc concentrates from massive sulfide deposits on a lease within the rainy, mountainous interior of Vancouver Island. Tailings, used to back-fill a mined-out stope, are being leached by percolating groundwater and the resulting acidic, metal-laden drainage is discharging from the portal of the 8-Level adit. Temporal variations in the flow rate, specific conductance and temperature of the discharge were monitored continuously over a 2-year period while effluent chemistry was sampled weekly. Conductivity was relatively constant throughout most of the year but peaked with the first autumn storm events as accumulated soluble sulfide oxidation products were flushed from the workings. Concentrations of sulfate and most metals were closely correlated with conductivity as were low pH values as stored acidity was released along with dissolved species. Variations in pH controlled the speciation and partitioning of metals between dissolved and particulate phases.     

Electrokinetic remediation of an electroplating site: design and scale-up for an in-situ application in the unsaturated zone

In-situ electrokinetic remediation of contaminated soils requires integrated approaches and adequately engineered setups to control relevant mass fluxes. Based on laboratory findings, this study presents the design of a pilot-scale remediation at an operating electroplating site. The fine-textured soil developed from Jurassic limestone exhibits a chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc contamination down to depths of more than 4 m. The feasibility of an electrokinetic remediation in the unsaturated zone was tested in a lab-scale experiment with subsoil material sampled at the site. The electrodes were placed in water-impermeable, ion-selective membrane wells. This construction allows the necessary watering of the electrodes, maintains unsaturated conditions in the soil compartment, and enables the transfer of contaminant ions into the wells. In addition, the soil is protected from pH changes caused by water electrolysis at the electrodes. The setup includes a watering and drainage system to compensate the electroosmotic water flux and impede desiccation of the anodic region. With a direct current of 70 V and an electric field strength of 2.2 V cm⁻¹, contaminant removal rates amounted up to 27% and 66% (w/w) of the initial zinc/copper and chromium/nickel concentrations. Copper, nickel, and zinc accumulated in the cathode well, while chromate species were enriched in the anode well. Given the successful lab-scale remediation, the pilot plant was designed for the in-situ treatment of a soil volume of 12 m³ below a production hall. A power of 500 V DC at a maximum current of 30 A is supplied by a transformer rectifier. This yields an electric field strength comparable to the lab-scale experiment and thereby similar contaminant transport velocities. A vacuum distillation unit is employed for process water reuse and to control electrolyte conductivity. To cope with chlorine gas generation at the anodes a gas absorber unit is employed. According to the lab-scale results, about 2, 9, 9, and 15 kg zinc, chromium, copper, and nickel, respectively, are expected to be removed from the field plot during an operation time of 10 months.     

Spatial variability of metals in the inter-tidal sediments of the Medway Estuary,Kent, UK

Concentrations of major and trace metals were determined in eight sediment cores collected from the inter-tidal zone of the Medway Estuary, Kent, UK. Metal associations and potential sources have been investigated using principal component analysis. These data provide the first detailed geochemical survey of recent sediments in the Medway Estuary. Metal concentrations in surface sediments lie in the mid to lower range for UK estuarine sediments indicating that the Medway receives low but appreciable contaminant inputs. Vertical metal distributions reveal variable redox zonation across the estuary and historically elevated anthropogenic inputs. Peak concentrations of Cu, Pb and Zn can be traced laterally across the estuary and their positions indicate periods of past erosion and/or non-deposition. However, low rates of sediment accumulation do not allow these sub surface maxima to be used as accurate geochemical marker horizons. The salt marshes and inter-tidal mud flats in the Medway Estuary are experiencing erosion, however the erosion of historically contaminated sediments is unlikely to re-release significant amounts of heavy metals to the estuarine system.     

Reconstructing the iron cycle from the horizontal distribution of metals in the sediment of Baldeggersee

In Baldeggersee, the distributions of solid phase Fe, Mn, V, Cr, As and Mo were determined in different sediment strata, deposited under various deep-water oxygen conditions. Iron concentrations are correlated with water depth when an anoxic sediment is in contact with an oxic water column. Benthic redox gradients trigger iron transport towards the deepest site (geochemical focusing) and loss of iron from the shallower parts through the outflow. Fe cycling in the lake is inhibited by oxygen penetration into the sediment. Vanadium and arsenic can be used as tracers for the internal Fe cycle. Their distribution patterns are highly correlated with iron. In case of a stable oxycline in the deep water, Mo is enriched in the sediment and correlates with Mn. The horizontal distribution patterns of Fe, V, As and the correlation of Fe and Mn with trace metals are promising proxy indicators for the reconstruction of deep-water oxygen conditions during deposition.     

Particulate metal speciation in surficial sediments from Loch Dee, southwest Scotland, U.K.

The geochemical partitioning of ten elements in stratified Holocene sediments from Loch Dee, southwest Scotland, has been established by use of a five-stage sequential extraction procedure. Samples from below 15 cm sediment depth show minimal evidence of modification by anthropogenic contamination or active diagenesis and hold Fe, Mg, Cu, Cd, Co, Pb, and Ni primarily in detrital silicates or organic complexes, while Mn, Ca, and Zn reside largely in adsorbed and reducible oxide phases. In the uppermost ca 15 cm of sediment, enhanced total concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Pb reflect increased atmospheric deposition during the postindustrial period. Of these metals, only Pb displays any notable adjustment of partitioning in the enriched zone, showing disproportionate accumulation in labile oxides and organic-Pb phases. The lack of Pb and Zn carbonates in the contaminated horizon may reflect inherent thermodynamic instability under the acid surface and pore-water conditions of Loch Dee. Increments to total Mn and Co in the surficial ca 5 cm of sediment are attributable to the accumulation of secondary oxides and adsorbed species, consistent with precipitation from the interstitial pore-waters across a sedimentary redox front. The presence of metals such as Zn and Cd in soluble or acid-volatile phases in the interfacial sediment has implications for the future management of the Loch Dee basin, with leaching into the overlying waters likely, given the continuation of current trends of lake acidification.     

腾冲铜厂山矽卡岩型铅锌矿床

腾冲西北部滇滩—燕洞一带，燕山晚期花岗岩活动强烈，矽卡岩型矿床发育，形成众多铁、铜、铅、锌矽卡岩型矿床，是腾冲西北部重要成矿区，本文介绍的腾冲铜厂山矽卡岩型铅锌矿即是其中之一。矿床形成与燕山晚期黑云二长花岗岩关系密切，矿体位于上二叠统碳酸盐岩外接触带矽卡岩中。地层、岩石、构造对矽卡岩及矿体都有控制作用。最后提出矿床成因见解。     

金属矿山井下热源分析

金属矿山井下生产过程中，对劳动者最直接的危害因素主要为温度、湿度、矿尘、有毒有害气体等，导致温湿度变化的主要因素是去下热源及热应力，因此对井下热源进行调查分析就成为我们改善井下环境的首要任务。     

热液金刚石压腔在地质流体研究中的应用

热液金刚石压腔(HDAC)是专为模拟地壳温压条件下的地质作用而设计的，它尤其适用于观测水或其它流体与地质物质之间的相互作用。HDAC可时-190～1200℃，0～10GPa的热液体系进行实验，并可在实验的温压条件下．用各种先进的光学方法分析样品，更可以把实验的全程录像存档。充满流体的HDAC本身就可当做是一个人工合成的流体包裹体。因此它可以用来研究流体的状态方程和相关系。它又可时其它流体包裹体样品施加外压力，因此在热分析的过程中可免除包裹体的膨胀或爆破的困境。HDAC可应用到颇为宽广的温压范围，它已被广泛地用来观测各种化学体系的临界现象，包括在地质方面特别有用的含水硅酸盐体系。HDAC也可与同步辐射X光源相结合，而取得各种金属或稀土元素水溶液的x射线吸收精细结构(X-ray absorption fine structure；XAFS)光谱，因而时在热液里的金属或稀土元素络合物的组分和结构提供了最基本的资料。然而，X光的强度在透过金刚石时，因绕射和吸收而大大地减弱，因此应用一般的HDAC来获取那些吸收边在10keV以下的元素的XAFS光谱颇为困难。目前已有两种改良式的HDAC解除了这方面的困难，而时在元素周期表上的第一排过渡性金属元素和稀土元素的水溶液，提供清晰的XAFS光谱。这些资料可用来研究金属或稀土元素络合物在地质热液里的特性，及其在元素迁移和成矿作用方面的效应。而这些元素在地质应用方面特别重要。     

Applicability of Single and Sequential Extractions for Assessing the Potential Mobility of Heavy Metals in Contaminated Soils

Heavy metal polluted sites are bearing an acute hazardous risk for the groundwater, but also a potential one. While the acute risk can be assessed directly via seepage water measurements, determination of the potential risk is much more complex. It results from the sum of all reactions that are capable to mobilize heavy metals under worst case environ-mental conditions. Using a fourfold sequential extraction (SE₄) such a worst case was simulated for four soils highly contaminated with Pb, Zn, and Cu. The resulting potential mobilizable amounts ϕ_pm have been compared with those derived from 6 single extractions. By means of variance analyses, it is shown that ϕ_pm of lead can be represented by a single extraction with NH₂OH. In contrary, ϕ_pm of zinc can be represented using the pH_stat test or an extraction with aqua regia, while ϕ_pm of copper can be represented only by aqua regia extraction. The water-soluble amounts deriving from the DEV-S4 test do not correlate with the potential mobilizable amounts of any metal. Therefore, an assessment of contaminated sites should include an aqua regia extraction additionally to the seepage water analysis.     

Sources, input pathways, and distributions of Fe, Cu, and Zn in a Chesapeake Bay tidal freshwater marsh

Tidal freshwater marshes exist at the interface between watersheds and estuaries, and thus may serve as critical buffers protecting estuaries from anthropogenic metal pollution. Bi-weekly samples of newly deposited marsh sediments were collected and analyzed for Cu, Zn, and Fe concentrations over 21 months from July 1995 to March 1997 in five distinct habitats at the head of Bush River, Maryland. Bi-weekly anthropogenic metal enrichments ranged from 0.9–4.7. Anthropogenic excess metal loadings averaged over 1996 ranged from 6–306 and 25–1302 μg cm⁻² year⁻¹ between sites for Cu and Zn, respectively. Based on Fe-normalized trace metal signatures, Susquehanna River sediment does not significantly contribute to upper Bush River. Organic matter was found to dilute total metal concentrations, whereas past studies suggested organics enhance labile metal content. Analysis of metal input pathways shows that marsh metals are primarily imported from nearby subtidal accumulations of historic watershed material by tidal flushing. Received: 29 April 1999 / Accepted: 7 December 1999