First lead isotopic data for cinnabar in the Almadén district (Spain): implications for the genesis of the mercury deposits

Higueras, Pablo; Munhá, José; Oyarzún, Roberto; Tassinari, Colombo Celso Gaeta; Ruiz, Izabel Ramos

doi:10.1007/s00126-005-0471-2

Cited by 26 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…2C), contamination by mercury is hardly a case restricted to the Las Cuevas mining complex, because it extends far beyond the complex premises for hundreds, even thousands of meters. In this respect, the soils from the Almadén district have anomalous contents of mercury (Higueras et al, 2003(Higueras et al, , 2006, which is not surprising if we take into account two major facts: 1) the area was subjected to major submarine hydrothermal processes during Silurian time (Higueras et al, 2005), which must have had a widespread impact on the regional geochemical background; and 2) the district has been mined for mercury since Roman times. Thus, the least we would expect is widespread contamination by mercury from natural and anthropic sources.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

The MERSADE (European Union) project: Testing procedures and environmental impact for the safe storage of liquid mercury in the Almadén district, Spain

Llanos

Higueras

Oyarzún

et al. 2010

Science of The Total Environment

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

The MERSADE (European Union) project: Testing procedures and environmental impact for the safe storage of liquid mercury in the Almadén district, Spain

Llanos

Higueras

Oyarzún

et al. 2010

Science of The Total Environment

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“…On Fig. 5B, the Meidsee Pb isotopic compositions are compared with potential lead sources: cinnabar from the Almaden district (Higueras et al, 2005), Spanish and English ingots representative of Pb extracted from those local ores during the first and second century, respectively (Labonne et al, 1998), Pb derived from the Harz Mountain ore bodies (Germany; Monna et al, 2000), and incinerator fly ash and European coal (data from Kylander et al, 2005). The Pb isotope systematics of Meidsee is therein separated into five chronostratigraphic units (Fig.…”

Section: Isotopic Composition Of Pbmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5B). Finally, the Pb isotope ratios for the industrial period (>AD 1850) are much more depleted in (Rosman et al, 1997), European coal fuel combustion and incinerator fly ash (data source: Kylander et al, 2005), archeological artifacts (Spanish and English ingots; Labonne et al, 1998), and cinnabar for Almaden district (Higueras et al, 2005) are reported for comparison. Errors bars have been multiplied by 0.2.…”

Section: Isotopic Composition Of Pbmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Pre-) historic changes in natural and anthropogenic heavy metals deposition inferred from two contrasting Swiss Alpine lakes

Thevenon

Guédron

Chiaradia

et al. 2011

Quaternary Science Reviews

112

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a b s t r a c tContinuous high-resolution sedimentary record of heavy metals (chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and mercury (Hg)), from lakes Lucerne and Meidsee (Switzerland), provides pollutant deposition history from two contrasting Alpine environments over the last millennia. The distribution of conservative elements (thorium (Th), scandium (Sc) and titanium (Ti)) shows that in absence of human disturbances, the trace element input is primarily controlled by weathering processes (i.e., runoff and erosion). Nonetheless, the enrichment factor (EF) of Pb and Hg (that are measured by independent methods), and the Pb isotopic composition of sediments from the remote lake Meidsee (which are proportionally more enriched in anthropogenic heavy metals), likely detect early mining activities during the Bronze Age. Meanwhile, the deposition of trace elements remains close to the range of natural variations until the strong impact of Roman activities on atmospheric metal emissions. Both sites display simultaneous increases in anthropogenic trace metal deposition during the Greek and Roman Empires (ca 300 BC to AD 400), the Late Middle Ages (ca AD 1400), and the Early Modern Europe (after ca AD 1600). However, the greatest increases in anthropogenic metal pollution are evidenced after the industrial revolution of ca AD 1850, at low and high altitudes. During the twentieth century, industrial releases multiplied by ca 10 times heavy metal fluxes to hydrological systems located on both sides of the Alps. During the last decades, the recent growing contribution of low radiogenic Pb further highlights the contribution of industrial sources with respect to wood and coal burning emissions.

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“…The mining district of Almadén is located at the Almadén Syncline, a Hercynian structure in the socalled Central Iberian Zone of the Iberian Massif (Hernández et al 1999;Higueras et al 2005;Higueras et al 2011). The syncline is mainly constituted by siliceous sedimentary-metasedimentary rocks, such as quartzite, sandstones, and slates ( Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Hydrochemistry of Ground Waters from Urban Wells in Almadén (Central Spain): Water Quality Around the World’s Largest Mercury Mining-Metallurgical Complex

Porcel

Lillo

Esbrí

et al. 2015

Water Air Soil Pollut

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This paper presents the results of a study on mercury distribution in urban wells from the town of Almadén (central Spain), a site that not only hosted the world's largest mercury mine but also a large roasting plant for cinnabar (HgS). The study includes data on Hg contents in the underground waters and also quality and physical-chemical parameters such as pH, conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), dissolved oxygen, and water temperature from 27 wells and 2 monitoring drill holes. An important proportion of the wells (16 %) display Hg concentrations above the European Union Commission (EUC) and Spanish threshold (at 1 μg L −1 ) and only 10 % exceeded the US EPA recommendation (at 2 μg L −1 ). As expected, the highest concentrations of dissolved and total Hg are found in wells near to the mine. Hydrochemical water types depend on geogenic and anthropogenic factors, for example, higher mercury concentrations are linked to water-rock interactions (e.g., oxidation, leaching) in sectors where soluble mercury compounds have formed. Hg concentrations show a decrease from 2013 to 2015, a fact that may be due to the encapsulation of the main calcines waste dump or to dilution effects related to strong rainfall events previous to the sampling survey.

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First lead isotopic data for cinnabar in the Almadén district (Spain): implications for the genesis of the mercury deposits

Abstract: Primeros datos de isótopos de plomo en cinabrio del distrito de Geogaceta, 37 (2005), 67-70

Cited by 26 publications

References 26 publications

The MERSADE (European Union) project: Testing procedures and environmental impact for the safe storage of liquid mercury in the Almadén district, Spain

The MERSADE (European Union) project: Testing procedures and environmental impact for the safe storage of liquid mercury in the Almadén district, Spain

(Pre-) historic changes in natural and anthropogenic heavy metals deposition inferred from two contrasting Swiss Alpine lakes

Hydrochemistry of Ground Waters from Urban Wells in Almadén (Central Spain): Water Quality Around the World’s Largest Mercury Mining-Metallurgical Complex

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