Establishing geochemical baselines in forest soils for environmental risk assessment in the Montague and Goldenville gold districts, Nova Scotia, Canada

Parsons, Michael B.; Little, Megan

doi:10.4138/atlgeol.2015.017

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…Parsons and Little (2015) reported As and Hg concentrations in near surface (0-5 cm, <2 mm size fraction) soils collected from 85 sites at the Montague and Goldenville gold districts to be 2-273 mg/kg (median 23 mg/kg) and 39-490 µg/kg (median 137 µg/kg), respectively. The elevated As and Hg burdens documented in the tailings and intertidal zone samples at Wine Harbour suggest that they could present a risk to human and ecosystem health (CCME 1999(CCME , 2001).…”

Section: Tailings Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of historical gold mining activities on marine sediments in Wine Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada

Little

Parsons

Law

et al. 2015

atgeol

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Past investigations at historical gold (Au) districts in Nova Scotia, Canada have identified elevated concentrations of arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) in nearby sediments and waters. These metal(loid)s are derived from erosion of mineralized bedrock, and the disposal of mine tailings into the environment during early operations. The Wine Harbour gold district is located along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia, and produced 1329 kg of Au from 75 581 tonnes of crushed rock from 1862 to 1939. The gold occurs in arsenopyrite-bearing quartz-carbonate veins and was extracted using stamp milling and Hg amalgamation. Historical maps document tailings deposits near former stamp mill sites; however, the extent to which these mine wastes influence environmental quality in the adjacent marine environment is uncertain. In this study, we measured metal(loid) concentrations in tailings, marine sediments, and surface waters to assess the lateral and vertical extent of mining-related impacts on Wine Harbour. Chemical analyses of terrestrial and intertidal tailings reveal high concentrations of both As (86-196 000 mg/kg) and Hg (444-320 000 µg/kg). Analyses of marine sediments show a wide range in both As (4-568 mg/kg) and Hg (<5-7430 µg/kg) concentrations. In general, the highest metal(loid) concentrations in sediments were recorded down-gradient of stamp mill sites. Elevated concentrations were also detected in sediments underlying an active mussel aquaculture operation at the western end of the harbour. Results from this study have been used to help assess potential ecosystem and human health risks associated with historical gold mine wastes in the Wine Harbour area. rÉsUMÉ Les investigations antérieures réalisées dans les anciens champs d' or (Au) de la Nouvelle-Écosse, au Canada, ont mis en évidence des concentrations élevées d'arsenic (As) et de mercure (Hg) dans les eaux et les sédiments avoisinants. Ces éléments chimiques non métalliques proviennent de l' érosion du substratum minéralisé et des résidus miniers rejetés dans l' environnement au début des activités d' exploitation. De 1862 à 1939, le champ d' or de Wine Harbour, situé le long de la côte est de la Nouvelle-Écosse, a produit 1 329 kg d' Au à partir de 75 581 tonnes de pierres concassées. Présent dans des filons de quartz-carbonates riches en arsénopyrite, l' or a été extrait au moyen de techniques de bocardage et d'amalgamation au Hg. Les cartes historiques font état de dépôts de résidus à proximité des sites de bocardage. Cependant, la mesure dans laquelle ces déchets miniers influent sur la qualité environnementale du milieu marin adjacent est incertaine. Dans le cadre de la présente étude, nous avons mesuré les concentrations d' éléments chimiques non métalliques dans les résidus miniers, les sédiments marins et les eaux de surface afin d' évaluer l' étendue latérale et verticale des incidences de l' exploitation minière sur Wine Harbour. Les analyses chimiques des résidus miniers terrestres et intertidaux révèlent de fortes concentrations d' As (de 86 mg/kg ...

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Section: Tailings Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of historical gold mining activities on marine sediments in Wine Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada

Little

Parsons

Law

et al. 2015

atgeol

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“…In this study, samples were not sieved and only gently ground prior to analysis to preserve materials as they would be encountered in the field and to reduce the potential of screening out important As mineral hosts. Analytical efforts were focused on the samples from the upper 5-cm of the soil column (N = 407), referred to here as the Public Health layer after Parsons and Little (2015) and consistent with the surface layer of soil that contributes to incidental human exposure (Health Canada, 2010). All surface materials were left in place during sampling, including leaf litter, mosses and surface vegetation, but large sticks and woody material were removed if present.…”

Section: Field Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The quantification of background, however, can be ambiguous, because of the confounding effects of natural variability and past anthropogenic activities in a region (Matschullat et al, 2000;. The identification of background is also difficult because of inconsistency in terminology and methodological approaches (Matschullat et al, 2000;Parsons and Little, 2015;. Matschullat et al (2000) aimed to clarify some of these issues and proposed that the term geochemical background reflect a relative measure to distinguish natural element concentrations from anthropogenically impacted concentrations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Matschullat et al (2000) aimed to clarify some of these issues and proposed that the term geochemical background reflect a relative measure to distinguish natural element concentrations from anthropogenically impacted concentrations. The term geochemical baseline, is often used interchangeably, yet is distinct and refers to ambient soil conditions in a region impacted by both geogenic processes and legacy anthropogenic impacts without distinguishing between the two (Parsons and Little, 2015). It is not realistic to consider geochemical background as a single value, since natural processes can lead to large ranges in element concentrations in unimpacted soils.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regions impacted by point sources of pollution, such as smelters and refineries, present a complex environment for the determination of natural background, because of unknowns about the distribution and fate of pollutants in the environment and the natural presence of these elements in local soils and bedrock (Díez et al, 2007;Parsons and Little, 2015;Reimann et al, 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental processes that control the chemical recovery of arsenic impacted northern landscapes

Palmer¹

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Arsenic (As) is a contaminant of global concern because of its toxic and carcinogenic properties.Waste streams associated with gold mining activities have resulted in extensive As pollution of landscapes worldwide. The Yellowknife area in the Northwest Territories, Canada was contaminated by more than half a century of As-bearing atmospheric mining emissions from the roasting of arsenopyrite ore during historical gold ore processing . The environmental footprint from legacy mining emissions persists on the landscape and questions remain about the distribution and fate of As in the local environment. The principal objective of this thesis was to improve our understanding of the environmental processes that control the chemical recovery of As impacted landscapes. Individual field studies were designed to address: a) the distribution, source, and solid-phase speciation of As in Yellowknife area soils; b) the seasonal variation of As in surface waters of shallow lakes; c) the influence of contrasting winter hydrology on the geochemical cycling of As in a shallow lake; and d) the seasonal contributions of terrestrial and aquatic fluxes of As in a contaminated watershed. The combination of mineralogical, geospatial, and statistical tools provided a novel method for determination of geochemical background in soils for areas impacted by legacy mining emissions, including recent unambiguous identification of anthropogenically impacted soils. Year-round investigations of surface waters, sediments, and sediment porewaters provided new insights into seasonal and under-ice processes that influence the mobility and geochemical cycling of As. The evaluation of terrestrial and aquatic As fluxes across a contaminated watershed revealed continued transport of legacy arsenic from catchment soils to lakes, and hydrology mediated within-lake processing and export of arsenic. Thus, climate and hydrology were found to play a fundamental role in the chemical recovery of As impacted lakes.

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Mineralogical, geospatial, and statistical methods combined to estimate geochemical background of arsenic in soils for an area impacted by legacy mining pollution

Palmer

Jamieson

Radková

et al. 2021

Science of The Total Environment

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Establishing geochemical baselines in forest soils for environmental risk assessment in the Montague and Goldenville gold districts, Nova Scotia, Canada

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

Impact of historical gold mining activities on marine sediments in Wine Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada

Impact of historical gold mining activities on marine sediments in Wine Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada

Environmental processes that control the chemical recovery of arsenic impacted northern landscapes

Mineralogical, geospatial, and statistical methods combined to estimate geochemical background of arsenic in soils for an area impacted by legacy mining pollution

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