Primary minerals of Zn-Pb mining and metallurgical dumps and their environmental behavior at Plombières,Belgium

The primary phases and minerals of the Plombières dumps include typical smelting furnace products such as metallic Fe, Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe-Zn alloys, carbides, phosphides, sulfides of Fe, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mn (alabandite), and FeAs. Spinels, mainly of Fe and Al, are common constituents of the primary assemblage; substitution by Zn, V, Cr, Ti, Mg, and Ca occurs. Primary phases also include the most common Zn-rich fayalite, Zn-rich Ca-Fe silicates, melilite, corundum, and apatite. Most of the Zn is incorporated in iron silicates, ZnO and ZnS. Lead occurs mainly as PbS, metallic lead, and is also present in coal residues. Cadmium is found mainly in metallic zinc and its alloys and in ZnO. The dumps also contain mining wastes composed of pyrite, melnikovite, and iron oxides produced by natural weathering of Zn-Pb ores. Melnikovite and iron oxides are rich in As, Pb, and Zn and possess an increased content of Tl. Leaching tests carried out on the surfaces of polished sections indicate that acid rain (solutions I and II) will mobilize mainly Zn and Cd and, to a much smaller extent, Pb and Sb. Leaching of metals by sulfate-chloride fluids present in the pore network of dumps (solutions III, IV, and V) depends on the pH, which in the dumps is controlled by the proportion of carbonates to sulfides. The more acid fluids leach both sulfides and silicates.     

Graphite in Kupferschiefer (Poland) and its genetic meaning

Graphite forms crystals up to 0.08 mm in size in carbonates or argillaceous carbonates directly under- and overlying black shale. Increased contents of Si, Al, Ca, and K in graphite are related to intercalations of graphite-montmorillonite and less to intercalations of graphite-illite. Quartz and gibbsite are also detected. The formation of graphite was probably a two-stage process:

1. Catalytic oxidation of organic matter. As a result of oxidation original organic matter has been enriched as aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene ring compounds) being most resistant to oxidation.
2. Ordering of conjugated benzene rings on the 001 montmorillonite plane as a matrix. As a result, the c₀ of dry montmorillonite increased to 1.678±0.020 or 2.450±0.050 nm. Primary layers of graphite became themselves matrices for the next layers of conjugated rings producing microscopically visible graphite.

To a less extent the process of dehydrogenesis and conjugation of aromatic rings took place in a reaction with Al, Si, and OH of phyllosilicates producing Al(OH)₃ (gibbsite), former H₄SiO₄ (now quartz), and H₂O.     

Changes in water chemistry along the newly formed High Arctic fluvial–lacustrine system of the Brattegg Valley (SW Spitsbergen,Svalbard)

Changes in water chemistry along the High Arctic fluvial–lacustrine system located in Wedel Jarlsberg Land in the SW Spitsbergen (Svalbard) were investigated during the summer season of 2010 and 2011. The newly formed river–lake system consists of three lakes connected with the Brattegg River. The first bathymetric measurements of these lakes were made by the authors in 2010. The Brattegg River catchment represents a partly glaciered Arctic water system. The studied lakes are characterized by low mineralization and temperature of water. The value of the electrolytic conductivity (EC) ranges from 30.2 to 50.5 μS cm^?1 and the temperature of surface water from 1.5 to 7.8 °C. The temperature increase takes place downstream starting from Upper Lake to the outflow from Myrktjørna Lake. The waters of lakes have higher temperatures than the stream. The predominant ions are HCO₃ ^? (up to 16.5 mg L^?1), Cl^? (6.66–8.53 mg L^?1), Ca²⁺ (2.40–4.45 mg L^?1) and Na⁺ (2.65–3.36 mg L^?1). The highest values of ammonium and DOC found in the lowest Myrktjørna Lake seem to be related to the presence of aquatic organisms and also birds. From the group of 10 analyzed microelements, increased concentrations of aluminum, up to almost 500 μg L^?1, are present in the lakes’ water. Water isotopic composition ranges for δ¹⁸O and δ²H, from ?10.6 to ?10.9‰ and from ?70.8 to ?72.3‰, respectively. The vertical zonality of lake waters is manifested in a decrease in the temperature and increase in EC and chemical elements concentrations.     

What Can be Expected from the GRACE-FO Laser Ranging Interferometer for Earth Science Applications?

The primary objective of the gravity recovery and climate experiment follow-on (GRACE-FO) satellite mission, due for launch in August 2017, is to continue the GRACE time series of global monthly gravity field models. For this, evolved versions of the GRACE microwave instrument, GPS receiver, and accelerometer will be used. A secondary objective is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a laser ranging interferometer (LRI) in improving the satellite-to-satellite tracking measurement performance. In order to investigate the expected enhancement for Earth science applications, we have performed a full-scale simulation over the nominal mission lifetime of 5 years using a realistic orbit scenario and error assumptions both for instrument and background model errors. Unfiltered differences between the synthetic input and the finally recovered time-variable monthly gravity models show notable improvements with the LRI, on a global scale, of the order of 23 %. The gain is realized for wavelengths smaller than 240 km in case of Gaussian filtering but decreases to just a few percent when anisotropic filtering is applied. This is also confirmed for some typical regional Earth science applications which show randomly distributed patterns of small improvements but also degradations when using DDK4-filtered LRI-based models. Analysis of applied error models indicates that accelerometer noise followed by ocean tide and non-tidal mass variation errors are the main contributors to the overall GRACE-FO gravity model error. Improvements in these fields are therefore necessary, besides optimized constellations, to make use of the increased LRI accuracy and to significantly improve gravity field models from next-generation gravity missions.     

Detailed compositional analysis of hydrocarbons in soil gases above multi-horizon petroleum deposits – A case study from western Poland

A surface geochemical survey was carried on in an area with a cluster of petroleum deposits in western Poland. The largest of these accumulations is the Papro?-Cicha Góra dry gas deposit reservoired in the Rotliegend sediments. Other, similar gas deposits are: the Papro? gas field discovered in the top part of the Carboniferous formation and the Papro? W, Papro? N, and Nowy Tomy?l gas fields localized in the Zechstein Limestone reef structures. Moreover, the Papro? gas-condensate and the Jastrz?bsko oil deposits were found at shallower depths, in the Main Dolomite formation. This paper aims to analyze the variability of composition and distribution of near-surface gaseous hydrocarbons in relation to hydrocarbon accumulations reservoired in various stratigraphic units at depths.     

Peloids in stratabound Zn-Pb deposits and their genetic importance

Peloids from sediment-hosted Zn-Pb deposits in Belgium, Ireland and Poland are composed of Zn-calcite, siderite, smithsonite, silica, pyrite, melnikovite, sphalerite, galena, thiosulphates and Zn-As-bearing limonite. The size of peloids is between 7 and 60 m. The core and the shell of peloids are composed of different minerals and the shell is usually coarsely crystalline. Peloids are present in collapse breccias of karst cavities, stromatactis cavities, debris-flow breccias, and fractures cross-cutting carbonates hosting the mineralization. In places peloids form a major microtexture of the sulfide mineralization. Peloids are cemented and replaced by sulfides. Organic acids extracted from sulfide peloids are composed of amido-acids considered to be characteristic of bacterial origin. The size and specific texture of peloids are independent of mineralogy, location and age of the mineralization. Therefore the peloids disussed are considered as forms induced by bacterial activity rather than forms precipitated inorganically.     

Precious metal alloys and organic matter in the Zechstein copper deposits,Poland

Summary Au-and PGE-bearing samples¹ from organogenic limestone located in the western part of the Lubin mine have been investigated. They contain: Au–Ag–Pt–Hg alloys, native Pd, sobolevskite (PdBi), native lead and plumbian gold which is related to an admixture of AuPb₂, electrum (Ag₂Au). Clausthalite also occurs in this association and contains up to 1% Ir. Kerogen is an important member of the association and contains, among others, 700 ppm Pt, 400 ppm Pd, 600 ppm Ir and 1100 ppm Au.These alloys are closely associated with nests of secondary calcite with dark brown internal reflections due to admixture of organic compounds. Organic matter colouring calcite II contains: ketones (chiefly diketones), nitrogen derivatives, phenols, probably tertiary alcohols and aromatic hydrocarbons. Metal carbonyls were also recorded. The organic substances investigated contain oxidation retarding derivatives.

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Edelmetall-Legierungen und organische Substanz in den Kupferlagerstätten des Zechstein (Kupferschiefer), Polen

Zusammenfassung Gold und PGE-führende Proben von organogenem Kalkstein aus dem Westteil der Grube Lubin enthalten Au–Ag–Pt–Hg-Legierungen, gediegen Pd, Sobolevskit (PdBi), gediegen Blei und bleireiches Gold. Letzteres ist mit einer AuPb₂–Ag₂Au-Verwachsung assoziiert. Außerdem konnte Clausthalit (PbSe) mit 1% Ir nachgewiesen werden.Kerogen ist ein wichtiges Glied der Edelmetall-Paragenese und enthält selbst u.a. 700 ppm Pt, 400 ppm Pd, 600 ppm Ir und 1100 ppm Au. Die Edelmetall-Legierungen sind eng mit «Nestern» von sekundärem Calcit vergesellschaftet, dessen dunkelbraune Innenreflexe auf Beimischung organischer Verbindungen zurückgehen.Letztere umfassen: Ketone (vorwiegend -Diketone), Stickstoff-Derivate, Phenole, und wohl auch tertiäre Alkohole und aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe. Metall-Karbonyl-Verbindungen konnten ebenso nachgewiesen werden. Die untersuchten organischen Verbindungen enthalten Oxydations-verzögernde Derivate.

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With 6 Figures