Mercury contents in the vertical profiles through alluvial sediments as a reflection of mining in Idrija (Slovenia)

Gosar, Mateja; Žibret, Gorázd

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2011.03.008

Cited by 49 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Metal containing particles can be transported over large distances by water, as is in the case of Idrija area, where effects of mining are recorded in the marine sediments as far as 500 km away from the source (Foucher et al, ), or several hundred kilometres away from the mines as is in the case of Drava River. In both cases, geomorphological factors (i.e., past or present floodplain and terraces), rather than the distance from the source, determine the level of contamination (Gosar & Žibret, ; Šajn et al, ). Similar patterns can be observed in the case of The Big River (catchment area of 2,500 km 2 ), which drains the Old Lead Belt mining district (SE Missouri).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Leaching tests showed that although lower total Hg concentrations are found in the younger dumps, their long-term risk potential is higher than that of the older ones, which contain mostly immobile cinnabar (Biester et al, 1999). (Biester et al, 2000;Gosar, 2008;Gosar, Pirc, Šajn, et al, 1997;Gosar & Žibret, 2011).…”

Section: Idrija Hg Minementioning

confidence: 94%

“…Because of its high average gradient of 4.35 m km −1 between Idrija and Most na Soči, the Idrijca River carried the material downstream to the Soča River and Adriatic Sea. For this reason, the Idrijca River sediments have high mercury contents (Biester et al, ; Gosar, ; Gosar, Pirc, Šajn, et al, ; Gosar & Žibret, ). During high water levels, Hg‐rich material was deposited on the floodplains in the lower part of the Idrijca and Soča Valley (Figure ).…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…), which lead to changes in the chemical composition of the natural environment. Although minerals are naturally present in the environment due to outcrop weathering and erosion, mining and related activities can produce increased levels of certain elements in the environment that exceed natural levels up to 1,000‐times (Gosar, Šajn, & Teršič, ; Gosar & Žibret, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of mining and smelting activities on environment and landscape degradation—Slovenian case studies

et al. 2018

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Idrija Hg Minementioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of mining and smelting activities on environment and landscape degradation—Slovenian case studies

et al. 2018

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“…There are still large quantities of potentially bioavailable mercury. Due to the forest ore roasting in this period mercury contamination of riverine sediments does not start at Idrija but some kilometres upstream (Č ar and Terpin 2005; Gosar and Č ar 2006;Kavčič 2008;Gosar and Ž ibret 2011;Gosar and Teršič 2012). In the 1650s iron vessels for ore smelting were introduced, and a smelting plant was located in Idrija.…”

Section: Mercury Mining and Pollutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical impacts of mercury mining and stocking of non-native fish on ichthyofauna in the Idrijca River Basin, Slovenia

Torkar

Zwitter

2015

Aquat Sci

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Mercury mining in Idrija has profoundly changed environmental conditions in the Idrijca River basin. Impacts of mining-related activities on the river system and its ichthyofauna from circa 1490 until World War I were analysed. Literature and archival sources were both studied. Heavy water pollution with mercury and its components, the floating of wood using splash dams in order to create artificial flood waves, fishing and stocking of non-indigenous fish species were the factors identified contributing to major impacts on ichthyofauna. Fish statistics make clear that after four centuries of mercury production ichthyofauna in the Idrijca was by no means the most industrially affected one in Carniola and that there were huge differences among various sections of the Idrijca and its tributaries. We presented the history of fish hatcheries operating from 1876 onward in order to reduce the damage inflicted by mercury mining and related activities and reviewed its impacts on hybridization between marble and brown trout. Introduction of non-native fish was the major threat for the ichthyofauna in comparison to the other mentioned impacts of mercury mining, conducted over long periods but with comparably minor consequences for the survival of the native ichthyofauna.

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Urban sediment contamination in a former Hg mining district, Idrija, Slovenia

Bavec

Biester

Gosar

2013

Environ Geochem Health

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Road sediments from gully pots of the drainage system and stream sediments from local streams were investigated for the first time in the urban area of Idrija town, the central part of the second largest and strongly contaminated Hg mining district in the world. Hg concentrations in road sediments were lower than in stream sediments. They ranged from 16 to 110 mg/kg (Md = 29 mg/kg) for <0.125 mm particles and from 7 to 125 mg/kg (Md = 35 mg/kg) for <0.04 mm particles, while Hg concentrations in stream sediments ranged from 10 to 610 mg/kg (Md = 95 mg/kg) for <0.125 particles and from 10 to 440 mg/kg (Md = 105 mg/kg) for <0.04 mm particles. High Hg loadings in stream sediments were successfully linked with identified mercury sources (rocks containing mercury ore, areas of former ore roasting sites, ore residue dumps), because they are located in the drainage areas of streams, from which the sediments were collected. Links between Hg loadings in road sediments and identified mercury sources were not recognized. Solid phases of Hg were determined by thermo-desorption technique and are similar for both types of sediments. Results show the occurrence of three different forms: elemental mercury, mercury bound to matrix components and cinnabar. Approximately 50 % of Hg in samples consist of non-cinnabar fractions. This is important, since they are potentially bioavailable. An interesting new discovery according to previous research of environmental media from Idrija area by solid-phase Hg thermo-desorption technique is that elemental mercury was determined in almost all investigated sediments in minor amounts (Md = 3 %).

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Mercury contents in the vertical profiles through alluvial sediments as a reflection of mining in Idrija (Slovenia)

Cited by 49 publications

References 37 publications

Impacts of mining and smelting activities on environment and landscape degradation—Slovenian case studies

Impacts of mining and smelting activities on environment and landscape degradation—Slovenian case studies

Historical impacts of mercury mining and stocking of non-native fish on ichthyofauna in the Idrijca River Basin, Slovenia

Urban sediment contamination in a former Hg mining district, Idrija, Slovenia

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