Six thousand years of records of metal mining and utilization from lake sediments in central China

A sediment core from the Liangzhi Lake, Hubei Province in central China, was used to assess metal usage and accumulation in the past 6000＋ years in China. The concentrations of trace metals, including Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn, and major elements, Ca, Fe and Mg, in the ^14C-dated sediment core were analyzed. Historical trends of metal inputs to the Liangzhi Lake from 5000 B.C. to the present were recorded in the sediments, representing over 6000 years of metal mining and utilization history in China. The concentrations of Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn have increased gradually since 3000 B.C., indicating the start of the Bronze Age era in ancient China, until the period 467-76 B.C. During the period of 467-76 B.C., there had been a rapid increase in the concentrations of these metals in the sediments, indicating the enormous inputs of these metals at that time. This era corresponded well with the Warring States Period （475-221 B.C.） and early Hart Dynasty （206 B.C.-220 A.D.） of China, during which copper and lead were extensively used in making bronze articles, such as vessels, tools and weapons. During 1876 A.D. to the early 1900s, there was also a significant increase in the metal concentrations, such as Cu, Ni and Pb, which could probably reflect the impact of metal emissions during the early industrial development and wars in China. The Pb isotopic analysis showed that the surface and subsurface sediments had lower ^206Pb/^207Pb, and ^208Pb/^207Pb ratios than the deeper layers, affected by mining activities both during the Bronze Age era and modem times.

Six thousand years of records of metal mining and utilization from lake sediments in central China