Particulate trace metal speciation in stream sediments and relationships with grain size: Implications for geochemical exploration

Sediment samples were collected from streambeds in an undisturbed watershed in eastern Quebec (Gaspé Peninsula). Two sampling sites were located on a stream draining an area of known mineralization (Cu, Pb, Zn) and two on a control stream. The sediment samples were separated into 8 distinct size classes in the 850 μm to <1 μm size range by wet sieving, gravity sedimentation or centrifugation. Each sediment subsample was then subjected to a sequential extraction procedure designed to partition the particulate heavy metals into five fractions: (1) exchangeable; (2) specifically adsorbed or bound to carbonates; (3) bound to Fe-Mn oxides; (4) bound to organic matter; (5) residual. The following metals were analyzed in each extract: Cu, Pb, Zn; Fe, Mn.Comparison of samples from the mineralized area with control samples revealed the expected increase in total concentrations for Cu, Pb and Zn. Non-detrital metals were mainly associated with Fe oxides (specifically adsorbed; occluded) and with organic matter or resistant sulfides. For a given sample, variation of trace metal levels in fractions 2 and 3 with grain size reflected changes in the available quantities of the inorganic scavenging phase (FeOx/MnOx); normalization with respect to Fe and Mn content in fraction 3 greatly reduced the apparent dependency on grain size.The results of this study suggest that a single reducing extraction (NH₂OH.HCl) could be used advantageously to detect anomalies in routine geochemical surveys. A second leaching step with acidified H₂O₂ could also be included, as the trace metal concentrations in fraction 4, normalized with respect to organic carbon content, also showed high {anomaly/background} ratios.