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USGS2014

Comparative mineral chemistry and textures of SAFOD fault gouge and damage-zone rocks

Creep in the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) drillhole is localized to two foliated gouges, the central deforming zone (CDZ) and southwest deforming zone (SDZ). The gouges consist of porphyroclasts of serpentinite and sedimentary rock dispersed in a foliated matrix of Mg-smectite clays that formed as a result of shearing-enhanced reactions between the serpentinite and quartzofeldspathic rocks. The CDZ takes up most of the creep and exhibits differences in mineralogy and texture from the SDZ that are attributable to its higher shearing rate. In addition, a ∼0.2-m-wide sector of the CDZ at its northeastern margin (NE-CDZ) is identical to the SDZ and may represent a gradient in creep rate across the CDZ. The SDZ and NE-CDZ have lower clay contents and larger porphyroclasts than most of the CDZ, and they contain veinlets and strain fringes of calcite in the gouge matrix not seen elsewhere in the CDZ. Matrix clays in the SDZ and NE-CDZ are saponite and corrensite, whereas the rest of the CDZ lacks corrensite. Saponite is younger than corrensite, reflecting clay crystallization under declining temperatures, and clays in the more actively deforming portions of the CDZ have better equilibrated to the lower-temperature conditions.

California↗

USGS1998

Influence of an igneous intrusion on the inorganic geochemistry of a bituminous coal from Pitkin County, Colorado

Although the effects of igneous dikes on the organic matter in coal have been observed at many localities there is virtually no information on the effects of the intrusions of the inorganic constituents in the coal. Such a study may help to elucidate the behavior of trace elements during in situ gasification of coal and may provide insights into the resources potential for coal and coke affected by the intrusion. To determine the effects of an igneous intrusion on the inorganic chemistry of a coal we used a series of 11 samples of coal and natural coke that had been collected at intervals from 3 to 106 cm from a dike that intruded the bituminous Dutch Creek coal in Pitkin, CO. The samples were chemically analyzed for 66 elements. SEM-EDX and X-ray diffraction analysis were performed on selected samples. Volatile elements such as F, Cl, Hg, and Se are not depleted in the samples (coke and coal) nearest the dike that were exposed to the highest temperatures. Their presence in these samples is likely due to secondary enrichment following volatilization of the elements inherent in the coal. Equilibration with ground water may account for the uniform distribution of Na, B, and Cl. High concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Sr, and CO2 in the coke region are attributed to the reaction of CO and CO2 generated during the coking of the coal with fluids from the intrusion, resulting in the precipitation of carbonates. Similarly, precipitation of sulfide minerals in the coke zone may account for the relatively high concentrations of Ag, Hg, Cu, Zn, and Fe. Most elements are concentrated at the juncture of the fluidized coke and the thermally metamorphosed coal. Many of the elements enriched in this region (for example, Ga, Ge, Mo, Rb, U, La, Ce, Al, K, and Si) may have been adsorbed on either the clays or the organic matter or on both.Although the effects of igneous dikes on the organic matter in coal have been observed at many localities there is virtually no information on the effects of the intrusions on the inorganic constituents in the coal. Such a study may help to elucidate the behavior of trace elements during in situ gasification of coal and may provide insights into the resource potential of coal and coke affected by the intrusion. To determine the effects of an igneous intrusion on the inorganic chemistry of a coal we used a series of 11 samples of coal and natural coke that had been collected at intervals from 3 to 106 cm from a dike that intruded the bituminous Dutch Creek coal in Pitkin, CO. The samples were chemically analyzed for 66 elements. SEM-EDX and X-ray diffraction analysis were performed on selected samples. Volatile elements such as F, Cl, Hg, and Se are not depleted in the samples (coke and coal) nearest the dike that were exposed to the highest temperatures. Their presence in these samples is likely due to secondary enrichment following volatilization of the elements inherent in the coal. Equilibration with ground water may account for the uniform distribution of Na, B, and Cl. High concentrations of Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Sr, and CO2 in the coke region are attributed to the reaction of CO and CO2 generated during the coking of the coal with fluids from the intrusion, resulting in the precipitation of carbonates. Similarly, precipitation of sulfide minerals in the coke zone may account for the relatively high concentrations of Ag, Hg, Cu, Zn, and Fe. Most elements are concentrated at the juncture of the fluidized coke and the thermally metamorphosed coal. Many of the elements enriched in this region (for example, Ga, Ge, Mo, Rb, U, La, Ce, Al, K, and Si) may have been adsorbed on either the clays or the organic matter or on both.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗

USGS1989

The Relief Canyon gold deposit, Nevada: A mineralized solution breccia

The Relief Canyon gold deposit in the Humboldt Range of western Nevada is a low-grade, high-tonnage orebody of Tertiary or younger age. The host rocks include limestones of the Triassic Cane Spring Formation, which are overlain by shales of the Triassic Grass Valley Formation. The rocks were folded and metamorphosed to greenschist grade during Jurassic and Cretaceous regional tectonic activity. Mesozoic thrusting may have occurred along the shale-limestone contact, but evidence has been obscured by later hydrothermal activity. The sedimentary rocks were nominally offset along several Late Tertiary normal faults related to uplift of the range.The upper part of the Cane Spring Formation is composed of a poorly sorted breccia composed of limestone clasts with a clay matrix. Irregular pockets within this zone are filled with clay- to pebble-sized fragments derived from the Grass Valley shale. The enclosing limestone beds were tilted moderately to the southwest during Mesozoic deformation, whereas bedding within these pockets is generally horizontal, indicating post-tilting deposition of the sediments. The sediments show graded bedding and other sedimentary features that indicate deposition from flowing water. Thermally mature carbon derived from the limestone is also concentrated in small pockets in the matrix. The breccia unit is likely the product of low-temperature solution brecciation. Ground water dissolved much of the limestone directly beneath the shales, progressively creating irregular cavities and the breccia. Sediments derived from the overlying Grass Valley shale were fiuvially deposited as a matrix to the developing solution breccia.Episodic pulses of hydrothermal fluids were introduced along faults and possibly mixed with the ground water in the breccia zone. Initially, jasperoids formed along the faults, but later hydrothermal pulses introduced gold, silica, and fluorine into both the early jasperoids and the unconsolidated cave-fill sediments to form the orebody. Continued solution-related brecciation chaotically disrupted the gold deposit.Gold, fluorite, pyrite, silver, calcite, and fine-grained silica are the principal hydrothermal minerals in the deposit. Gold was deposited as micron-sized flakes of native gold and rarely as electrum during a relatively late stage of silicification of the jasperoids, the carbon-rich zones, and the clay-rich matrix of the breccia. Fluorite was deposited with and later than the gold in the jasperoids, and it in part replaced the clay-rich breccia matrix. Antimony, arsenic, mercury, and thallium are directly associated with gold in the orebody.The deposit formed at a relatively shallow depth. On the basis of fluid inclusion data, late-stage hydrothermal fluids related to gold and fluorite deposition were extremely dilute and had temperatures near 200 degrees C. The fluid inclusions in fluorite show no evidence for boiling, but porous crackle breccias in the jasperoids suggest that hydrobrecciation took place.

Economic Geology↗

USGS2011

Transient changes in shallow groundwater chemistry during the MSU ZERT CO2 injection experiment

Food-grade CO 2 was injected into a shallow aquifer through a perforated pipe placed horizontally 1–2 m below the water table at the Montana State University Zero Emission Research and Technology (MSU-ZERT) field site at Bozeman, Montana. The possible impact of elevated CO 2 levels on groundwater quality was investigated by analyzing 80 water samples taken before, during, and following CO 2 injection. Field determinations and laboratory analyses showed rapid and systematic changes in pH, alkalinity, and conductance, as well as increases in the aqueous concentrations of trace element species. The geochemical data were first evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA) in order to identify correlations between aqueous species. The PCA findings were then used in formulating a geochemical model to simulate the processes likely to be responsible for the observed increases in the concentrations of dissolved constituents. Modeling was conducted taking into account aqueous and surface complexation, cation exchange, and mineral precipitation and dissolution. Reasonable matches between measured data and model results suggest that: (1) CO 2 dissolution in the groundwater causes calcite to dissolve. (2) Observed increases in the concentration of dissolved trace metals result likely from Ca +2 -driven ion exchange with clays (smectites) and sorption/desorption reactions likely involving Fe (hydr)oxides. (3) Bicarbonate from CO 2 dissolution appears to compete for sorption with anionic species such as HAsO 4 −2 , potentially increasing dissolved As levels in groundwater.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2010

Geochemical and mineralogical evidence for Sahara and Sahel dust additions to Quaternary soils on Lanzarote, eastern Canary Islands, Spain

Africa is the most important source of dust in the world today, and dust storms are frequent on the nearby Canary Islands. Previous workers have inferred that the Sahara is the most important source of dust to Canary Islands soils, with little contribution from the Sahel region. Soils overlying a late Quaternary basalt flow on Lanzarote, Canary Islands, contain, in addition to volcanic minerals, quartz and mica, exotic to the island's bedrock. Kaolinite in the soils also likely has an exotic origin. Trace-element geochemistry shows that the soils are derived from varying proportions of locally derived basalt and African dust. Major-element geochemistry, clay mineralogy and interpretation of satellite imagery suggest that dust additions to the Canary Islands come not only from the Sahara Desert, but also from the Sahel region. ?? Published 2010. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Terra Nova↗

USGS1959

Core logs from Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, California

Forty-one drill holes in the saline deposit on Searles Lake, San Bernardino County, Calif., were cored and logged. Drill holes averaged about 100 feet in depth; the majority are located around the margins of the dry lake. The saline deposit consists of an upper salt body about 39 square miles in area, of which 12 square miles are exposed in the central part of the lake, and a lower salt body of approximately the same areal extent found at greater depth. The 2 salt bodies are separated by a seam of clay or marl averaging about 12 feet thick. Isopach maps show the salt bodies are slightly elongated to the north; maximum thicknesses of the upper and lower salt bodies are 95 and 54 feet, respectively. Core logs, in written and graphic form, show the chief minerals of the saline bodies are halite, trona, hanksite, borax, and burkeite; relatively minor quantities of 13 additional minerals are described. The 41 drill-hole logs are shown graphically in columnar sections which give thicknesses, mineralogy, and mineral percentages; 15 representative written logs are published in full.

Bulletin↗

USGS2015

REE enrichment in granite-derived regolith deposits of the southeast United States: Prospective source rocks and accumulation processes

The Southeastern United States contains numerous anorogenic, or A-type, granites, which constitute promising source rocks for REE-enriched ion adsorption clay deposits due to their inherently high concentrations of REE. These granites have undergone a long history of chemical weathering, resulting in thick granite-derived regoliths, akin to those of South China, which supply virtually all heavy REE and Y, and a significant portion of light REE to global markets. Detailed comparisons of granite regolith profiles formed on the Stewartsville and Striped Rock plutons, and the Robertson River batholith (Virginia) indicate that REE are mobile and can attain grades comparable to those of deposits currently mined in China. A REE-enriched parent, either A-type or I-type (highly fractionated igneous type) granite, is thought to be critical for generating the high concentrations of REE in regolith profiles. One prominent feature we recognize in many granites and mineralized regoliths is the tetrad behaviour displayed in REE chondrite-normalized patterns. Tetrad patterns in granite and regolith result from processes that promote the redistribution, enrichment, and fractionation of REE, such as late- to post- magmatic alteration of granite and silicate hydrolysis in the regolith. Thus, REE patterns showing tetrad effects may be a key for discriminating highly prospective source rocks and regoliths with potential for REE ion adsorption clay deposits.

Conference Paper↗

USGS1964

Bottom sediments of Saginaw Bay, Michigan

Saginaw Bay is a southwest extension of Lake Huron on the east shore of the Southern Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shallow-water derivative of the Pleistocene Lake Saginaw. Sixty-one bottom samples were collected on a semigrid pattern and analyzed physically. Findings were treated statistically. Sediments range in size from large pebbles to clay. Medium- to fine-grained clear quartz sand is common to all parts of the bay. Currents and wave action are primarily responsible for both median diameter and sorting distribution patterns. Only a very general correlation can be established between depth and median diameter. Heavy minerals occur in abundance locally and show an affinity to shallow-water areas subject to prevailing currents. Shape also locally determines heavy mineral concentrations. Only general conclusions can be established from roundness and sphericity and acid-soluble content. Increased organic content is correlative with quiet water environments. The shallow-water, heterogeneous nature of Saginaw Bay is not conducive to the recognition of sedimentary criteria suitable for correlations in other than a local environment.

Journal of Sedimentary Petrology↗

USGS1998

Landslide Hazards in Glacial Lake Clays - Tully Valley, New York

At approximately midday on April 27, 1993, a large landslide occurred along the foot of Bare Mountain in LaFayette, Onondaga County, New York, about 12 miles south of Syracuse (figs. 1, 2). The slide moved rapidly east toward the middle of the Tully Valley and impacted approximately 50 acres of land, destroyed three homes, and resulted in the evacuation of four other homes. Debris from the slide, consisting mostly of remolded clay, covered Tully Farms Road with up to 15 feet of earth for a length of some 1,200 feet. Springs that developed near the top of the slide discharged either freshwater or brackish water, which contained concentrations of dissolved evaporites (salt and gypsum) and other minerals. The total volume of earth moved by the slide is estimated to be about 1.3 million cubic yards. According to the New York State Geological Survey, this slide is the largest to have occurred in the State in more than 75 years. Most residents were away from their homes at the time of the slide, and so there were no fatalities or serious injuries caused by the slide.

Fact Sheet↗

USGS1956

Geology of the Ralston Buttes district, Jefferson County, Colorado: a preliminary report

The Ralston Buttes district in Jefferson County is one of the most significant new uranium districts located east of the Continental Divide in Colorado. The district is east of the Colorado Front Range mineral belt, along the east front of the range. From November 1953 through October 1956, about 10,000 tons of uranium ore, much of which was high-grade pitchblende-bearing vein material, was shipped from the district. The ore occurs in deposits that range in size from bodies containing less than 50 tons to ore shoots containing over 1,000 tons. The only other mining activity in the area has been a sporadic production of beryl, feldspar, and scrap mica from Precambrian pegmatites, and quarrying of dimension stone, limestone, and clay from sedimentary rocks. Most of the Ralston Buttes district consists of complexly folded Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks - gneiss, schist, quartzite, amphibolite, and granodiorite. Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks crop out in the northeastern part of the district. These rocks are cut by northwesterly-trending fault systems of Laramide age and by small bodies of intrusive rocks that are Tertiary in age. The typical uranium deposits in the district are hydrothermal veins occupying openings in Laramide fault breccias or related fractures that cut the Precambrian rocks. Pitchblende and lesser amounts of secondary uranium minerals are associated with sparse base-mental sulfides in a gangue of carbonate minerals, potash feldspar, and, more rarely, quartz. Less common types of deposits consist of pitchblende and secondary uranium minerals that occupy fractures cutting pegmatites and quartz veins. The uranium deposits are concentrated in two areas, the Ralston Creek area and the Golden Gate Canyon area. The deposits in the Ralston Creek area are located along the Rogers fault system, and the deposits in the Golden Gate Canyon area are along the Hurricane Hill fault system. Two geologic factors were important to the localization of the uranium deposits: (1) favorable structural environment and (2) favorable host rocks. The deposits in each of the two major areas are located where a northwesterly-trending Laramide fault system splits into a complex network of faults. Also, most of the deposits appear to be localized where the faults cut Precambrian rocks rich in hornblende, biotite, or garnet and biotite. The ore controls recognized in this relatively new uranium district may have wider application in areas of similar geology elsewhere in the Front Range.

Colorado↗

USGS1998

Additional descriptive models of industrial mineral deposits

This report includes previously written, but unpublished descriptive industrial mineral deposit models not released in earlier reports (Cox and Singer, 1986; Orris, 1992; Orris and Bliss, 1991, 1992). Although some of the models are preliminary, recent and repeated requests for several of the models has led to their release in this compilation. Initial drafts of the clay models were written for individual U.S. deposits or districts by J.W. Hosterman2 of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in the late 1980/s. All of the models in this report have been modified from their original unpublished versions; for most models, the modifications have consisted of additional geologic detail, economic information, and (or) health and environmental considerations related to the deposit type. More extensive alterations have been made to the clay models written by Hosterman, which were put into standard format and extensively revised by G.J. Orris. As much as two-thirds of the information in the current versions of the models post-dates Hosterman's contributions and these models are shown as jointly authored.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2005

Direct observation of heavy metal-mineral association from the Clark Fork River Superfund Complex: Implications for metal transport and bioavailability

Two sets of samples from riverbeds and adjacent floodplains, separated by 80 river kilometers, were collected from the Clark Fork River Superfund Complex, Montana, (the largest Superfund site in the United States), and studied primarily with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) with several supporting techniques to determine heavy metal-mineral association. Seven of the eight samples studied were strongly influenced by material that once resided in mining and smelting dumps and impoundments; this material was transported downstream sometime during the last century and a half from the Butte/Anaconda areas. The eighth sample was from a deeper floodplain level and dates to premining days. The TEM observations afford a direct look, down to the nanometer level, at secondary mineral formation as a result of the breakdown of sulfides and silicates in the acid environment of this massive mine-drainage system. In the shallow, oxic floodplain sediments, heavy metals of concern in this system (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn) are taken up by the formation of sulfates (particularly Pb in jarosite), as well as hydrous metal oxides (As, Cu, Pb, and Zn in and on ferrihydrite, and a possibly new vernadite-like mineral). The oxides are long-lived in these systems, as they were also found in the anoxic riverbeds. Metals are also taken up by the formation of sulfides in sulfate-reducing environments as observed in the formation of nanoclusters of chalcopyrite and sphalerite. In all samples, clays make up between 5 and 20% of the sediment and carry significant amounts of Cu and Zn. The hydrous oxides, secondary sulfides, and clays provide several routes for metal transport downstream over long distances. Besides the potential bioavailability of heavy metals exchanged on and off the hydrous metal oxides and clays, nanometer-sized sulfides may also be highly reactive in the presence of biologic systems. Copyright ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗

USGS2006

An exploratory method to detect tephras from quantitative XRD scans: Examples from Iceland and east Greenland marine sediments

Tephras, mainly from Iceland, are becoming increasingly important in interpreting leads and lags in the Holocene climate system across NW Europe. Here we demonstrate that Quantitative Phase Analysis of x-ray diffractograms of the < 2 mm of marine sediment fraction (ie, sand, silt and clay) from Iceland and East Greenland can detect peaks in volcanic glass concentrations (weight%) even though discrete tephra layers are not visible; thus it provides a rapid overview of the probable location of volcanic glass within sediment sequences. Experiments in spiking samples from Baffin Bay and an artificial mixture of minerals with known weight% fractions of an Icelandic tephra (Hekla 4) demonstrate a significant correlation (r2 = 0.92 and 0.97) between known and estimated weight percentages, although the slope of the measured to observed weight% is around 0.65 and not 1.0 as expected. In core B997-321PC off North Iceland we identify tephras from point counting in the > 150 um fraction and identify these same peaks in XRD scans - two of these correlate geochemically and chronologically with Hekla 1104 and 3. At a distal site to the WNW of Iceland, on the East Greenland margin (core MD99-2317), the weight% of volcanic glass reaches values of 11% at about the time of the Saksunarvatn tephra. The XRD method identifies the presence of volcanic glass but not its elemental composition; hence it will assist in focusing attention on specific sections of sediment cores for subsequent geochemical fingerprinting of tephras. ?? 2006 SAGE Publications.

Holocene↗

USGS2021

Groundwater hydrology and chemistry of Jamestown Island, Virginia—Potential effects of tides, storm surges, and sea-level rise on archaeological, cultural, and ecological resources

As the site of the first permanent English settlement in North America in 1607, Jamestown Island, Colonial National Historical Park (COLO), Virginia, contains a rich archaeological record that extends from the Paleoindian period (15,000 to 8,000 years ago) through the 20th century. The island is located on the lower James River near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. Jamestown Island vegetation is dominated by upland forests surrounded by tidal, freshwater-to-oligohaline marshes. Along the Virginia coast, relative sea-level rise was more than 2.5 times the global average during the 20th century. Consequently, the National Park Service (NPS) has identified COLO as one of the 25 national parks most threatened by climate change. Surface waters across the island are hydraulically connected to the laterally continuous Surficial aquifer. The land-surface altitude of the island is low, with two-thirds of the island less than 5 feet (ft) above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Consequently, sea-level rise, combined with tides and storm surges, threatens the island and its resources as surface-water and groundwater levels rise, saltwater enters the Surficial aquifer, and groundwater chemistry changes. The impact of sea-level rise on the island’s surface-water resources has been well studied, but groundwater effects have been largely ignored. Quantifying the effects of tides, storm surges, and sea-level rise on groundwater levels and chemistry is essential to developing an effective strategy for managing climate-induced changes. The first step in developing a response strategy includes a parkwide general risk assessment for archaeological sites on the island, so that sites can be prioritized for management actions. The U.S. Geological Survey and the NPS began a study in 2015 to develop a long-term groundwater-monitoring program to evaluate this risk and to develop an updated management strategy. The groundwater-monitoring program consists of 45 wells and piezometers in two individual clusters and three transects across the island in different hydrologic and chemical settings. Samples for water quality were collected from the wells and piezometers from October 2015 through September 2018 at variable time intervals. Results of the monitoring identified disparate hydrologic and chemical responses to saltwater intrusion across the island. Specific conductance (an indicator of salinity) of groundwater beneath several marshes responded differently to changes in James River salinity. Groundwater response to changes in James River specific conductance appeared to be controlled by land-surface altitude and slope, differences in lateral and vertical sediment characteristics, distance from surface waters, and the degree of surface water/groundwater connectivity between channels and the aquifer. Groundwater chemistry data from monitoring wells at Black Point, a low-altitude, upland setting, are in contrast with conditions observed in Island House observation wells, a high-altitude, upland setting. Specific conductance (less than 200 microsiemens per centimeter [μS/cm]) and pH (greater than 5.0) of groundwater beneath much of the uplands that characterize the Island House observation wells are typical of groundwater in noncarbonate sedimentary aquifers recharged by precipitation. At Black Point, specific conductance ranged from 2,490 to 15,200 μS/cm, and pH ranged from 3.1 to 6.6 standard units. At the Black Point observation wells, the most saline and dense water was at the water table rather than deeper in the aquifer, causing a density inversion that persisted throughout the study. The density inversion likely resulted from differences in permeability between the shallow clay and fine-grained sands and the deeper coarse-grained sand and gravel. Groundwater with the lowest pH was at the water table. As saline groundwater flows through organic sediment beneath the marshes, bacterial biodegradation of organic matter creates anoxic conditions. Continued biodegradation concomitantly reduces iron-oxide minerals in the sediment and sulfate in saline water. When oxygen is reintroduced into groundwater, iron and sulfur can reoxidize to form sulfuric acid, locally lowering the pH of the water. This report describes the groundwater monitoring network design, rationale for site selection, monitoring approach, and results of monitoring from October 2015 through September 2018. Maps of inundation at selected water-level altitudes are included to identify the risk to archaeological, cultural, and ecological resources. The monitoring results of the hydrology and chemistry data are interpreted, and the different hydrologic and chemical settings are described. The implications of the study results for management decisions are presented, and suggestions for improving the monitoring network are included.

Virginia↗

USGS1985

Experimental chemical weathering of various bedrock types at different pH-values. 1. Sandstone and granite

Experimental chemical weathering of the so-called Old Rag Granite and Massanutten Sandstone, Virginia, U.S.A., has produced a comparison with the natural environment, and prediction of the effect of acid precipitation. The experimental results of the release of elements, dissolution of minerals, total rock weathered and the degree of weathering as function of volume of leachate were plotted. These data were compared with the natural environment. The use of the plots to predict the effect of high levels of rain acidity on weathering of these rocks is demonstrated. A nonexpandable 14-Å clay was developed from the alteration of biotite during the experimental chemical weathering of the granite at pH 4. This interstratified Al(OH)—mica clay resembles those of the soil developed on the granite and sandstone. Hydroxy-Al may be precipitating between the mica interlayers and producing a 14-Å spacing. Development of this clay by chemical alteration of biotite may change the current hypotheses about its origin in the soils of northeastern U.S.A. While Al-hydroxide seems to regulate Al concentrations in stream waters at the present level of rain acidity, it was found that at lower pH and in the presence of high sulfate concentrations, Al solubility may be controlled by Al-sulfate phase(s).

Virginia↗

USGS1993

Heavy metal anomalies in the Tinto and Odiel River and estuary system, Spain

The Tinto and Odiel rivers drain 100 km from the Rio Tinto sulphide mining district, and join at a 20-km long estuary entering the Atlantic Ocean. A reconnaissance study of heavy metal anomalies in channel sand and overbank mud of the river and estuary by semi-quantitative emission dc-arc spectrographic analysis shows the following upstream to downstream ranges in ppm (??g g-1): As 3,000 to <200, Cd 30 to <0.1, Cu 1,500 to 10, Pb 2,000 to <10, Sb 3000 to <150, and Zn 3,000 to <200. Organic-rich (1.3-2.6% total organic carbon, TOC), sandysilty overbank clay has been analyzed to represent suspended load materials. The high content of heavy metals in the overbank clay throughout the river and estuary systems indicates the importance of suspended sediment transport for dispersing heavy metals from natural erosion and anthropogenic mining activities of the sulfide deposit. The organic-poor (0.21-0.37% TOC) river bed sand has been analyzed to represent bedload transport of naturally-occurring sulfide minerals. The sand has high concentrations of metals upstream but these decrease an order of magnitude in the lower estuary. Although heavy metal contamination of estuary mouth beach sand has been diluted to background levels estuary mud exhibits increased contamination apparently related to finer grain size, higher organic carbon content, precipitation of river-borne dissolved solids, and input of anthropogenic heavy metals from industrial sources. The contaminated estuary mud disperses to the inner shelf mud belt and offshore suspended sediment, which exhibit metal anomalies from natural erosion and mining of upstream Rio Tinto sulphide lode sources (Pb, Cu, Zn) and industrial activities within the estuary (Fe, Cr, Ti). Because heavy metal contamination of Tinto-Odiel river sediment reaches or exceeds the highest levels encountered in other river sediments of Spain and Europe, a detailed analysis of metals in water and suspended sediment throughout the system, and epidemiological analysis of heavy metal effects in humans is appropriate. ?? 1993 Estuarine Research Federation.

Estuaries↗

USGS2011

Aqueous mineralogy and stratigraphy at and around the proposed Mawrth Vallis MSL Landing Site: New insights into the aqueous history of the region

In this work, we have confirmed the mineralogical stratigraphy previously inferred by other authors, but also demonstrate the presence of additional minerals, including a possible acid-leaching product near the top of the sequence, an Mh-OH bearing phyllosilicate at the to of the sequence, and potentially a Ca-sulfate at the bottom of the phyllosilicate sequence. The latter has important implications regarding the relative timing of sulfate vs clay formation on Mars.

Mars, The International Journal of Mars Science an↗

USGS2008

Geochemical controls of elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater, Ester Dome, Fairbanks district, Alaska

Ester Dome, an upland area near Fairbanks, Alaska, was chosen for a detailed hydrogeochemical study because of the previously reported elevated arsenic in groundwater, and the presence of a large set of wells amenable to detailed sampling. Ester Dome lies within the Fairbanks mining district, where gold-bearing quartz veins, typically containing 2–3 vol.% sulfide minerals (arsenopyrite, stibnite, and pyrite), have been mined both underground and in open cuts. Gold-bearing veins on Ester Dome occur in shear zones and the sulfide minerals in these veins have been crushed to fine-grained material by syn- or post-mineralization movement. Groundwater at Ester Dome is circumneutral, Ca–HCO 3 to Ca–SO 4 type, and ranges from dilute (specific conductance of 48 µS/cm) to more concentrated (specific conductance as high as 2070 µS/cm). In general, solute concentrations increase down hydrologic gradient. Redox species indicate that the groundwaters range from oxic to sub-oxic (low dissolved oxygen, Fe(III) reduction, no SO 4 reduction). Waters with the highest Fe concentrations, as high as 10.7 mg/L, are the most anoxic. Dissolved As concentrations range from < 1 to 1160 µg/L, with a median value of 146 µg/L. Arsenic concentrations are not correlated with specific conductance or Fe concentrations, suggesting that neither groundwater residence time, nor reductive dissolution of iron oxyhydroxides, control the arsenic chemistry. Furthermore, As concentrations do not covary with other constituents that form anions and oxyanions in solution (e.g., HCO 3 , Mo, F, or U) such that desorption of arsenic from clays or oxides also does not control arsenic mobility. Oxidation of arsenopyrite and dissolution of scorodite, in the near-surface environment appears to be the primary control of dissolved As in this upland area. More specifically, the elevated As concentrations are spatially associated with sulfidized shear zones and localities of gold-bearing quartz veins. Consistent with this interpretation, elevated dissolved Sb concentrations (as high as 59 µg/L), also correlated with occurrences of hypogene sulfide minerals, were measured in samples with high dissolved As concentrations.

Chemical Geology↗