Mobility of Metals in Sediments Contaminated with Historical Mining Wastes: Example from the Tri-State Mining District, USA

Gutiérrez, Mélida; Collette, Zachary J.; McClanahan, Anastasia M.; Mickus, Kevin L.

doi:10.3390/soilsystems3010022

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Similarly, sediments re-sampled after a 13-year interval in the TSMD Cherokee County Superfund site (Kansas), showed metal concentrations increasing in some sites and decreasing in others [19]. Table 3 lists the metal content in sediments of Turkey Creek and Center Creek reported by selected studies [18,43,44]. No trend in values is observed with time, which suggest that more time (a few decades) is needed for a decreasing trend to become evident.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Metal Content of Stream Sediments as a Tool to Assess Remediation in an Area Recovering from Historic Mining Contamination

et al. 2020

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Lead and zinc mining was booming in the early 1900s in and near Joplin, Missouri; a town within the Tri-State Mining District, USA. After the ore became depleted, mining companies moved out, leaving a profoundly disturbed land. Presently, over 90% of the land has been remediated. We collected sediment samples along two creeks flowing through the historically contaminated area that have been identified as major contributors of metals to downstream reservoirs, Center Creek (14 samples) and Turkey Creek (30 samples). Sediment metal content was determined by aqua regia extraction, the potentially bioavailable fraction by 0.11 M acetic acid extraction, and toxicity by ΣPEC-QCd,Pb,Zn. Zinc and lead content in sediments were high in both creeks notwithstanding remediation actions; e.g., median concentrations of 521 mg/kg Pb and 5425 mg/kg Zn in Center Creek, corresponding to 19 and 52 times the background concentration. The metals’ distribution followed no discernible pattern downstream. The potentially bioavailable fraction varied between 0.36% (Pb, Center Creek) and 4.96% (Zn, Turkey Creek). High toxicity was found in 40% of the samples in Turkey Creek and 78.5% of the samples in Center Creek. While this level of toxicity would likely affect aquatic organisms, its limited mobility under alkaline conditions suggests a lesser threat to humans. On the other hand, this high toxicity will likely persist in sediments for at least a few decades, based on their high metal content and low mobility.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The potentially bioavailable fraction, a parameter associated with toxicity risk, was determined by extracting metals from sediment using a 0.11 acetic acid solution [42,43].…”

Section: Sediment Toxicitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Metal Content of Stream Sediments as a Tool to Assess Remediation in an Area Recovering from Historic Mining Contamination

et al. 2020

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“…The acidic water, along with the dissolved metals, was then discharged into waterways causing chemical contamination throughout the district (Gutierrez et al 2019;Pope 2005;Christenson et al 1990).…”

Section: Acid Minementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The alkaline pH condition of the Missouri portion of the TSMD provided inadequate conditions to produce acid mine drainage due to the buffering capability of the limestone rocks present in the area. However, the Oklahoma portion of the TSMD has developed acid mine drainage due to the acid pH condition of the area (Gutierrez et al 2019).…”

Section: Acid Minementioning

confidence: 99%

The Legacy of Mining in Southwest Missouri: Past and Present Conditions of the Tri-State Mining District

McClanahan¹

2018

Geological Society of America Abstracts With Programs

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The historic Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) of southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and northeastern Oklahoma has a history of lead and zinc mining that extended over a hundred years. During the district's peak production period, the TSMD was one of the world's largest producers of lead and zinc. The mining activities in the TSMD produced economic growth that supported the local communities and were essential to the victory of the Allied Forces during World War I and World War II. Beginning in the 1920s, the mining activities in the district slowly began to cease due to depletion of metal ores and competition from imports. The last mine in southwest Missouri closed in 1957. Unfortunately, the negative consequences of the mining industry have had a lasting effect in the environment. Abandoned mining sites caused lead and zinc contamination in the soils, sediments, and streams throughout the district. Due to the high level of contaminants present, remediation efforts began in the 1980s and are still ongoing today. This study assists in identifying sites with contaminated levels of heavy metals in the sediment due to over a hundred years of lead and zinc mining centers in southwest Missouri. The metal content of sediments reported in literature were collected and added to a database used to build maps that would highlight their spatial distribution. The purpose of this study is to (1) provide an historical description of the mining activities in the Missouri part of the TSMD, (2) aid in further understanding the extent of contamination caused by the historic mining activities, and (3) aid in an understanding of the effectiveness of remediation.

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“…The most important contaminants are heavy metals in sediments of tailing ponds and heaps. The burden manifests itself across all components of the earth's land sphere [5][6][7][8][9][10] or within individual components: air [11], water [12][13][14][15], soil [11,12,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25], and flora and fauna [15,[26][27][28]. Last but not least, the negative effect of these or similar forms is also manifested in humans [10,19,29,30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmentally Degraded Mining Areas of Eastern Slovakia As a Potential Object of Geotourism

et al. 2020

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The paper deals with the possibilities of further use of environmentally degraded and polluted areas on the example of (mining and industrial) activities residues in the Central Spiš region in eastern Slovakia. On the example of the Slovinky mining tailing pond, the Markušovce mining tailing pond, and two mining dumps in Rudňany, we deal with the analysis of their condition in terms of heavy metal content, as well as the real and potential alternative use of these sites. Data were collected using field trips and field research in sediment sampling in all localities and by preparing a questionnaire for opinion polls. The content of heavy metals from all four places, the results of field trips, and the questionnaire were analyzed. The article points out the current state of these objects in terms of their load with heavy metals and considers their possible alternative uses, especially in terms of geotourism or education. The implementation of geotourism in the studied sites brings along benefits, not only for visitors and students, but also has a positive impact on sites themselves and on the local community. The results of such analyses should also serve as a basis (starting point) in planning the renewal and further development of such areas.

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Mobility of Metals in Sediments Contaminated with Historical Mining Wastes: Example from the Tri-State Mining District, USA

Cited by 7 publications

References 24 publications

Metal Content of Stream Sediments as a Tool to Assess Remediation in an Area Recovering from Historic Mining Contamination

Metal Content of Stream Sediments as a Tool to Assess Remediation in an Area Recovering from Historic Mining Contamination

The Legacy of Mining in Southwest Missouri: Past and Present Conditions of the Tri-State Mining District

Environmentally Degraded Mining Areas of Eastern Slovakia As a Potential Object of Geotourism

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