Tracing Copper Migration in the Tongling Area through Copper Isotope Values in Soils and Waters
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15464688 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jingwen Su (0000-0002-7158-3157, China Geological Survey), Ryan Mathur (0000-0001-9095-8527, Juniata College, corresponding author), Glen Brumm (Juniata College), P D'Amico (Juniata College), Linda Godfrey (0000-0001-7879-2755, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey), Joaquín Ruiz (University of Arizona), Shiming Song (China Geological Survey) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 2661-2661 |
| Publication date | 2018-11-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph15122661 |
| PMID | 30486379 |
| OpenAlex | W2902063320 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 2 |
Copper mining in Tongling has occurred since the Bronze Age, and this area is known as one of the first historic places where copper has been, and is currently, extracted. Multiple studies have demonstrated, through concentrated work on soils and waters, the impact of mining in the area. Here we present copper isotope values of 13 ore samples, three tailing samples, 20 water samples (surface and groundwater), and 94 soil samples (15 different profiles ranging in depth from 0−2 m) from proximal to distal (up to 10 km) locations radiating from a tailings dam and tailings pile. Oxidation of the copper sulfide minerals results in isotopically heavier oxidized copper. Thus, copper sourced from sulfide minerals has been used to trace copper in mining and environmental applications. At Tongling, higher copper isotope values (greater than 1 per mil, which are interpreted to be derived from copper sulfide weathering) are found both in waters and the upper portions of soils (5−100 cm) within 1 km of the source tailings. At greater than 1 km, the soils do not possess heavier copper isotope values; however, the stream water samples that have low copper concentrations have heavier values up to 6.5 km from the source. The data suggest that copper derived from the mining activities remains relatively proximal in the soils but can be traced in the waters at greater distances
Copper · Copper mine · Geochemistry · Groundwater · Pyrite · Soil water · STREAMS · Sulfide · Sulfide minerals · Tailings · Weathering · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Heavy metals in environment · Mine drainage and remediation techniques · Radioactive element chemistry and processing · Environmental Chemistry · Geology · Soil Science
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,25 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |