Mercury in soil gas and air--A potential tool in mineral exploration

McCarthy, Joseph Howard; Vaughn, W.W.; Learned, R.E.; Meuschke, J.L.

doi:10.3133/cir609

Cited by 28 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Mercury is a particularly severe heavy-metal pollutant [5][6][7][8], and is also an interesting geophysical tracer gas [9,10]. China uses 500-700 tons of mercury annually and has severe mercury pollution problems in certain areas [6][7][8]11].…”

Section: Atmospheric Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile lidar system for environmental monitoring

Zhao

Lian

et al. 2017

Appl. Opt.

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A versatile mobile remote sensing system for multidisciplinary environmental monitoring tasks on the Chinese scene is described. The system includes a 20 Hz Nd:YAG laser-pumped dye laser, optical transmitting/receiving systems with a 30 cm and a 40 cm Newtonian telescope, and electronics, all integrated in a laboratory, installed on a Jiefang truck. Results from field experiments on atomic mercury DIAL mapping and remote laser-induced fluorescence and break-down spectroscopy are given.

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Section: Atmospheric Monitoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile lidar system for environmental monitoring

Zhao

Lian

et al. 2017

Appl. Opt.

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“…The ability of Hg to volatilize from soils has long been known [e.g., McCarthy et al, 1969], and the natural emission of Hg from soils is an important contributor to the global Hg cycle [Carpi and Lindberg, 1998]. Mercury exists in soils in several forms, many of which (particularly Hg ø) exhibit relatively high elevated vapor pressures at background temperature.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increases in mercury emissions from desert soils in response to rainfall and irrigation

Lindberg¹,

Zhang²,

Gustin³

et al. 1999

J. Geophys. Res.

136

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Abstract. As part of an international Hg flux intercomparison at the Steamboat Springs, Nevada, geothermal area, several dynamic soil flux chambers and micrometeorological gradient systems were operated over desert soils in early September 1997. A series of unanticipated convective rain cells impacted the site with the first rainfall in -90 days, and the initial 4-cm rainfall increased soil moisture from -0.01 to 0.06% (vol/vol). Several chambers were operating prior to the events, and two were deployed over wet soils following rainfall. Rainfall resulted in an immediate and steep rise in ambient air Hg concentrations and soil Hg emissions which persisted for 12-24 hours. Fluxes increased most quickly and to a greater degree over the wettest soils, and the rate of increase was related to chamber design and flushing rate. The flux response was also apparent in the micrometeorological data. In general, soil emissions increased by an order of magnitude following the rain, and reached levels -6 times above those at the same time the previous day. These fluxes were significantly correlated with temperature, radiation, humidity, wind speed, and soil moisture. After drying for -40 hours, selected soil plots were manually irrigated with low-Hg-distilled water. Mercury emissions responded similarly across the

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“…The bulk leach extractable gold (BLEG) technique was developed in the 1980s to detect extremely low-level gold abundances (ppb) in stream sediment and soil samples. Airborne and ground detection of mercury as a vapour associated with mineralisation was tested in the 1960s (McCarthy et al, 1969), but was never widely adopted. A range of other, usually proprietary, geochemical prospecting techniques, commonly with partial or selective leach techniques, have been used to search for deep mineralisation, often under thick transported recent cover, but with uncertain success.…”

Section: Appendix To Section 3: Exploration Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%