Impact of tailings from the Kilembe copper mining district on Lake George, Uganda |
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Authors: | Michael Owor Tina Hartwig Andrew Muwanga Dieter Zachmann Walter Pohl |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geology, Makerere University, P.O. Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda;(2) Institute of Environmental Geology, Technical University, P.O. Box 3329, 38023 Braunschweig, Germany |
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Abstract: | The abandoned Kilembe copper mine in western Uganda is a source of contaminants, mobilised from mine tailings into R. Rukoki
flowing through a belt of wetlands into Lake George. Water and sediments were investigated on the lakeshore and the lakebed.
Metal associations in the sediments reflect the Kilembe sulphide mineralisation. Enrichment of metals was compared between
lakebed sediments, both for wet and dry seasons. Total C in a lakebed core shows a general increment, while Cu and Co decrease
with depth. The contaminants are predominant (> 65%) in the ≤ 63 μm sediment size range with elevated Cu and Zn (> 28%), while
Ni, Pb and Co are low (< 18%) in all the fractions. Sequential extraction of Fe for lakeshore sediment samples reveals low
Fe mobility. Relatively higher mobility and biological availability is seen for Co, Cu and S. Heavy metal contents in lake
waters are not an immediate risk to the aquatic environment. |
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Keywords: | Copper mining Heavy metals Aqueous geochemistry Lake George Uganda |
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