Geochemistry and stable isotope investigation of acid mine drainage associated with abandoned coal mines in central Montana, USA

Gammons, Christopher H.; Duaime, Terence E.; Parker, Stephen R.; Poulson, Simon R.; Kennelly, Patrick

doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2009.05.026

Cited by 87 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Biological processes fractionate both the S and O isotope composition of SO 4 . Therefore, both isotopes have been used in combination in several studies to identify the occurrence of biological processes (Van Donkelaar et al, 1995;Clark and Fritz, 1997;Krouse and Mayer, 2000;Gammons et al, 2010).…”

Section: Sulfur and Oxygen Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic evidence of enhanced carbonate dissolution at a coal mine drainage site in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA

Sharma

Sack

Adams

et al. 2013

Applied Geochemistry

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Editorial handling by A. Kolker a b s t r a c t Stable isotopes were used to determine the sources and fate of dissolved inorganic C (DIC) in the circumneutral pH drainage from an abandoned bituminous coal mine in western Pennsylvania. The C isotope signatures of DIC (d 13 C DIC ) were intermediate between local carbonate and organic C sources, but were higher than those of contemporaneous Pennsylvanian age groundwaters in the region. This suggests a significant contribution of C enriched in 13 C due to enhanced carbonate dissolution associated with the release of H 2 SO 4 from pyrite oxidation. The Sr isotopic signature of the drainage was similar to other regional mine waters associated with the same coal seam and reflected contributions from limestone dissolution and cation exchange with clay minerals. The relatively high d 34 S SO4 and d 18 O SO4 isotopic signatures of the mine drainage and the presence of presumptive SO 4 -reducing bacteria suggest that SO 4 reduction activity also contributes C depleted in 13 C isotope to the total DIC pool. With distance downstream from the mine portal, C isotope signatures in the drainage increased , accompanied by decreased total DIC concentrations and increased pH. These data are consistent with H 2 SO 4 dissolution of carbonate rocks, enhanced by cation exchange, and C release to the atmosphere via CO 2 outgassing.

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Section: Sulfur and Oxygen Isotopesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic evidence of enhanced carbonate dissolution at a coal mine drainage site in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA

Sharma

Sack

Adams

et al. 2013

Applied Geochemistry

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“…They reported that most sulfates in these waters were derived by oxidation of pyrite in the coal with δ 34 S-SO 4 and δ 18 O-SO 4 values ranging from À16.1 to À9.3‰ and from À12.5 to À9.1‰, respectively, while pyrite samples in coal from drill cuttings produced δ 34 S values from À27.2 to À19.6‰. Bacterial sulfate reduction is known to cause extreme fractionation of S isotopes ( [84] and references therein). The fact that the mine waters and pyrite samples in this study are strongly depleted in 34 S suggests that bacterial sulfate reduction played an important role in the formation of the high-S coals.…”

Section: Application Studies To Groundwater and Surface Watersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is well assessed that the exposure of pyrite and other metal sulfides to weathering under atmospheric conditions produces sulfuric acid, with subsequent mobilization of other toxic substances (metals, metalloids) into groundwater and surface water (e.g., [91] and references therein). The Great FallsLewistown Coal Field in central Montana contains over 400 abandoned underground coal mines, many of which are discharging acidic waters with serious environmental consequences [84]. In this respect, Gammons et al [84] examined the spatial and temporal changes in the chemistry of the mine waters and used the stable isotopes to address the sources of water and dissolved sulfate in the abandoned coal mines, as well as the surrounding sedimentary aquifers.…”

Section: Application Studies To Groundwater and Surface Watersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Great FallsLewistown Coal Field in central Montana contains over 400 abandoned underground coal mines, many of which are discharging acidic waters with serious environmental consequences [84]. In this respect, Gammons et al [84] examined the spatial and temporal changes in the chemistry of the mine waters and used the stable isotopes to address the sources of water and dissolved sulfate in the abandoned coal mines, as well as the surrounding sedimentary aquifers. They reported that most sulfates in these waters were derived by oxidation of pyrite in the coal with δ 34 S-SO 4 and δ 18 O-SO 4 values ranging from À16.1 to À9.3‰ and from À12.5 to À9.1‰, respectively, while pyrite samples in coal from drill cuttings produced δ 34 S values from À27.2 to À19.6‰.…”

Section: Application Studies To Groundwater and Surface Watersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These isotopes can provide meaningful information about various potential sources of sulfate in the watershed (e.g., dissolution of sulfate-bearing evaporitic minerals, such as gypsum and anhydrite, mineralization of organic matter, oxidation of sulfide minerals, infiltration from anthropogenic sources, atmospheric deposition) (e.g., [82,83]). In recent years, the use of stable sulfur isotopes has been expanded to address diverse surface water and groundwater issues, e.g., cycling of sulfur in agricultural watersheds, origin of salinity in costal aquifers, groundwater contamination by landfill leachate plumes, and acid main drainage (e.g., [84][85][86][87]). …”

Section: Background Principlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Groundwater Contamination Studies by Environmental Isotopes: A review

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Ḏotsika

2014

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Water demand for urban, industrial, and agricultural purposes is a major concern in developed and third world countries. A careful evaluation for an appropriate and sustainable use of water resources is a priority. Geochemical processes can lead to measurable variations of the aquatic environment, which can be studied through the analysis of the dissolved solutes. Even if this review is not meant to be exhaustive, it is intended to give a view on the importance of environmental isotopes in the context of groundwater quality assessments. This is done by briefly recalling some basic notions for each described system, followed by relevant applications and reports about some significant case studies. This review includes well-established isotopic systematics, such as those of O and H in water, C in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), S and O in sulfates, and N and O in nitrates and those of boron and Sr, which in the last lustrums have found large application in the field of water geochemistry. This chapter ends with some examples related to nontraditional isotopes, i.e., Fe, Cr, and Cu, in order to highlight the potential of the environmental isotopes to trace sources, fate, and behavior of different solutes and metals in surface water and groundwater.

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Geochemical Kinetics via Computational Chemistry

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2016

Molecular Modeling of Geochemical Reactions

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Geochemistry and stable isotope investigation of acid mine drainage associated with abandoned coal mines in central Montana, USA

Cited by 87 publications

References 31 publications

Isotopic evidence of enhanced carbonate dissolution at a coal mine drainage site in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA

Isotopic evidence of enhanced carbonate dissolution at a coal mine drainage site in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA

Groundwater Contamination Studies by Environmental Isotopes: A review

Geochemical Kinetics via Computational Chemistry

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