No abstract

This paper provides an overview of the physical and chemical landscape changes that have occurred at four reference sites due to historical mining and smelting activities within Slovenia, and their comparison with similar sites around the World. Literature review has been made with the intention to identify major pollutant sources, its dispersion control factors, and effects. The four reference sites are Idrija, with more than 500‐year Hg mining and ore smelting history, the Meža Valley, also with a 500‐year PbZn mining and smelting history, the Celje area where Zn was smelted for 100 years and the Drava River alluvial plain, which is contaminated because of historical PbZn mining upstream. Based on the comparison between the four abovementioned reference sites and similar sites around the world that are situated in different landscapes and climates, we identified major sources of contamination, which are the erosion of mine and ore processing wastes, and atmospheric emissions of metal‐containing particles from smelters. In the first case, major control factors are rainfall pattern and river gradient, controlling erosion and sediment deposition patterns. In the second case, the prevailing control factors are topography and the dominant wind directions.

The Krim Mountain and its surroundings are characterized by Upper Triassic to Middle Jurassic rocks, which were deposited on the northern margin of the Dinaric Carbonate Platform. Upper Triassic beds are represented by Main dolomite that exhibits supra-to subtidal Lofer facies. The uppermost Triassic is characterized by approximately 40 m thick horizon of dolomitic breccia. Upper Triassic beds pass gradually into Lower Liassic dolomitic breccia, coarse-grained dolomite and micritic limestone. Presence of dolomitic breccias and absence of supra-intertidal sedimentary structures indicate sea-level rise. Middle Liassic beds consist of oolitic-oncolitic and lithiotid limestones deposited in alternating restricted lagoonal and open shallow-water environment. Upper Liassic beds are characterized by oolitic-oncolitic limestones, bituminous dolomitized limestones and dolomitic breccia deposited in high-energy shallow-water environment. Middle Jurassic beds consist of oolitic, oolitic-oncolitic and micritic limestones, formed predominantly in high-energy subtidal environment. Izvle~ek Ozemlje Krima in okolice gradijo zgornjetriasne, spodnje in srednjejurske kamnine, ki so nastale na severnem robu Dinarske karbonatne platforme. Zgornjetriasne plasti predstavlja glavni dolomit v loferskem razvoju. V njegovem zgornjem delu se pojavlja tudi okrog 40 m debel horizont dolomitne bre~e. Zgornjetriasne plasti prehajajo v spodnjeliasno dolomitno bre~o, zrnati dolomit in mikritni apnenec. Dolomitna bre~a in odsotnost nadplimskih in medplimskih sedimentnih tekstur nakazujeta poglabljanje morja. Spodnjeliasnim plastem sledi menjavanje srednjeliasnih ooidno-onkoidnih in litiotidnih apnencev, ki so nastali v zaprtem, lagunskem do ob~asno odprtem plitvovodnem okolju. Zgornjeliasne plasti sestavljajo ooidno-onkoidni apnenec, bituminozni dolomitizirani apnenec in dolomitna bre~a, ki so bili odloženi v vi{jeenergijskem plitvovodnem okolju. Srednjejurske plasti so zastopane z ooidnimi, ooidno-onkoidnimi in mikritnimi apnenci, ki so nastali pretežno v visokoenergijskem podplimskem okolju.

Solid particles in snow deposits, sampled in mining and Pb-processing area of Žerjav, Slovenia, have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Identified particles were classified as geogenic-anthropogenic, anthropogenic, and secondary weathering products. Geogenic-anthropogenic particles were represented by scarce Zn- and Pb-bearing ore minerals, originating from mine waste deposit. The most important anthropogenic metal-bearing particles in snow were Pb-, Sb- and Sn-bearing oxides and sulphides. The morphology of these particles showed that they formed at temperatures above their melting points. They were most abundant in snow sampled closest to the Pb-processing plant and least abundant in snow taken farthest from the plant, thus indicating that Pb processing was their predominant source between the last snowfall and the time of sampling. SEM/EDS analysis showed that Sb and Sn contents in these anthropogenic phases were higher and more variable than in natural Pb-bearing ore minerals. The most important secondary weathering products were Pb- and Zn-containing Fe-oxy-hydroxides whose elemental composition and morphology indicated that they mostly resulted from oxidation of metal-bearing sulphides emitted from the Pb-processing plant. This study demonstrated the importance of single particle analysis using SEM/EDS for differentiation between various sources of metals in the environment.

Heavy metals represent a ubiquitous constituent of the near-surface environment, present in widely varying concentrations that typically have little impact on human behaviour and health. However, the mining of metals and use of these metals in industrial processes has produced significant anthropogenic inputs of metals to both local and global environments. As such, a rigorous overview of the current accumulation of heavy metals and knowledge of mineralogy of heavy metal-bearing phases is important for understanding their stability, solubility, mobility, bioavailability and toxicity. These data are of fundamental importance for environmental risk assessment and evaluation of future scenarios. Since conventional geochemical analyses provide limited information, other analytical methods have to be utilized for the characterisation of heavy metal-bearing phases. Significant analytical method for identification and characterisation of heavy metals in environmental media is a scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDS), an apparatus for qualitative and semi-quantitative chemical analysis at microne level, newly introduced to Geological Survey of Slovenia. Use of SEM/EDS was already introduced to environmental studies world-wide. In Slovenia, SEM/EDS analyses of environmental media were firstly carried out on the Meža River stream sediments and snow deposits from Ljubljana urban area.Heavy metal-bearing phases in the Meža River stream sediments were apportioned to three source areas: Mežica mining/smelting area (geogenic-technogenic origin), Ravne ironworks area (technogenic origin) and the Meža River catchment area (geogenic origin), which corresponds to data obtained by conventional geochemical and multivariate statistical methods.Airborne particles, identified in urban snow deposits, were interpreted as geogenic particles, represented by fragments of heavy metal-bearing minerals, and technogenic particles that originate from combustion of solid and liquid fuels, iron and steel melting processes and road traffic emissions.SEM/EDS proved to be a very useful analytical method for the study of heavy metal-bearing phases and characterisation according to their sources and genesis. Izvle~ekTežke kovine predstavljajo naravno navzo~e sestavine v Zemljini skorji in na njeni povr{ini, prisotne v zelo razli~nih koncentracijah. V splo{nem imajo majhen vpliv na zdravje ~loveka. Rudarjenje teh kovin in njihova uporaba v industriji pomembno prispevajo k antropogenemu vnosu kovin v okolje. Natan~en pregled obstoje~ih nakopi~enj težkih kovin v naravnih okoljih in poznavanje mineralnih faz, ki vsebujejo težke kovine je zatorej bistvenega pomena za opredelitev njihove stabilnosti, topnosti, mobilnosti, dostopnosti za živa bitja in toksi~nosti ter za oceno tveganja in napoved možnih scenarijev v prihodnosti. Ker obi~ajne geokemi~ne metode nudijo le omejene informacije, je potrebno za opredelitev faz težkih kovin uporabiti druge analiti~ne metode. Pomembna metoda za prepoznavanje in ...