Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina

Autores
Murray, Jesica María; Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk; Dold, Bernhard; Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde
Año de publicación
2021
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Pan de Azúcar is an inactive Pb–Ag–Zn mine in the semi-arid Puna region of NW Argentina at 3600 m above sea-level. The mine is situated in Los Pozuelos basin, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Substantial pyrite and few carbonate minerals are present in the tailings. The generated acid mine drainage (AMD) has low pH (1.92–4.06) and is mainly Fe–Zn–SO4 type water with high concentrations of metals that in order of relative abundance vary as: Al ≫ Cd > As(T) > Ni > V > Cu > Co > Sb > Cr > Pb > Sn > Ag. The strong annual cycle of dry and wet seasons in the Puna generates a significant influence on AMD geochemistry. In the dry season, there is no runoff and AMD drains mainly in the form of seepages with low pH (1.92–2.21), high concentrations of metals, and the formation of metal-rich soluble efflorescent salts is favored by strong evaporation. At the beginning of the wet season, the efflorescent salts rapidly dissolve and metals concentrations in AMD increase significantly, creating the most hazardous period for the surrounding fluvial environment. At the end of the wet season the pH increases (3.44–4.06) and the concentration of metals decreases, especially arsenic associated with ferric iron precipitates. As a consequence of the DC3 dam restoration, a large volume of AMD is retained forming an acid pond, in which processes of AMD mixing, secondary minerals precipitation, and sulfide oxidation were quantified by inverse modeling with mixing. Jarosite and schwertmannite precipitates in the surface of the pond and favors the attenuation of As and Pb. However, subaqueous oxidation of sulfide minerals, hydrolysis of silicates, and mixing with upstream AMD seepage increases the concentrations of SO42-, Fe(II), and the other metals in the seepage of the pond that migrates downstream. The results of this study indicate the necessity to improve the remediation methods of Pan de Azúcar mine. It is expected that other sulfide mines in the Puna region will have a similar variability of the AMD geochemistry, which should be considered for mine closure, remediation, and monitoring of water quality in mining.
Fil: Murray, Jesica María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; Argentina
Fil: Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk. United States Geological Survey; Estados Unidos
Fil: Dold, Bernhard. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú; Perú. Sustainable Mining Research & Consultancy ; Chile
Fil: Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; Argentina
Materia
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
GEOCHEMICAL MODELING
PUNA
SEASONAL VARIATION
TAILINGS IMPOUNDMENTS
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/
Repositorio
CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Institución
Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
OAI Identificador
oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/173623

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network_name_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
spelling Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, ArgentinaMurray, Jesica MaríaNordstrom, Darrel KirkDold, BernhardKirschbaum, Alicia MatildeACID MINE DRAINAGEGEOCHEMICAL MODELINGPUNASEASONAL VARIATIONTAILINGS IMPOUNDMENTShttps://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1Pan de Azúcar is an inactive Pb–Ag–Zn mine in the semi-arid Puna region of NW Argentina at 3600 m above sea-level. The mine is situated in Los Pozuelos basin, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Substantial pyrite and few carbonate minerals are present in the tailings. The generated acid mine drainage (AMD) has low pH (1.92–4.06) and is mainly Fe–Zn–SO4 type water with high concentrations of metals that in order of relative abundance vary as: Al ≫ Cd > As(T) > Ni > V > Cu > Co > Sb > Cr > Pb > Sn > Ag. The strong annual cycle of dry and wet seasons in the Puna generates a significant influence on AMD geochemistry. In the dry season, there is no runoff and AMD drains mainly in the form of seepages with low pH (1.92–2.21), high concentrations of metals, and the formation of metal-rich soluble efflorescent salts is favored by strong evaporation. At the beginning of the wet season, the efflorescent salts rapidly dissolve and metals concentrations in AMD increase significantly, creating the most hazardous period for the surrounding fluvial environment. At the end of the wet season the pH increases (3.44–4.06) and the concentration of metals decreases, especially arsenic associated with ferric iron precipitates. As a consequence of the DC3 dam restoration, a large volume of AMD is retained forming an acid pond, in which processes of AMD mixing, secondary minerals precipitation, and sulfide oxidation were quantified by inverse modeling with mixing. Jarosite and schwertmannite precipitates in the surface of the pond and favors the attenuation of As and Pb. However, subaqueous oxidation of sulfide minerals, hydrolysis of silicates, and mixing with upstream AMD seepage increases the concentrations of SO42-, Fe(II), and the other metals in the seepage of the pond that migrates downstream. The results of this study indicate the necessity to improve the remediation methods of Pan de Azúcar mine. It is expected that other sulfide mines in the Puna region will have a similar variability of the AMD geochemistry, which should be considered for mine closure, remediation, and monitoring of water quality in mining.Fil: Murray, Jesica María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaFil: Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk. United States Geological Survey; Estados UnidosFil: Dold, Bernhard. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú; Perú. Sustainable Mining Research & Consultancy ; ChileFil: Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; ArgentinaElsevier2021-08info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/11336/173623Murray, Jesica María; Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk; Dold, Bernhard; Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde; Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina; Elsevier; Journal of South American Earth Sciences; 109; 8-2021; 1-500895-9811CONICET DigitalCONICETenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0895981121000444info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103197info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas2025-09-29T09:37:41Zoai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/173623instacron:CONICETInstitucionalhttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/Organismo científico-tecnológicoNo correspondehttp://ri.conicet.gov.ar/oai/requestdasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:34982025-09-29 09:37:41.755CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicasfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
title Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
spellingShingle Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
Murray, Jesica María
ACID MINE DRAINAGE
GEOCHEMICAL MODELING
PUNA
SEASONAL VARIATION
TAILINGS IMPOUNDMENTS
title_short Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
title_full Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
title_fullStr Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
title_full_unstemmed Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
title_sort Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Murray, Jesica María
Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk
Dold, Bernhard
Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde
author Murray, Jesica María
author_facet Murray, Jesica María
Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk
Dold, Bernhard
Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde
author_role author
author2 Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk
Dold, Bernhard
Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv ACID MINE DRAINAGE
GEOCHEMICAL MODELING
PUNA
SEASONAL VARIATION
TAILINGS IMPOUNDMENTS
topic ACID MINE DRAINAGE
GEOCHEMICAL MODELING
PUNA
SEASONAL VARIATION
TAILINGS IMPOUNDMENTS
purl_subject.fl_str_mv https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1.5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/1
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Pan de Azúcar is an inactive Pb–Ag–Zn mine in the semi-arid Puna region of NW Argentina at 3600 m above sea-level. The mine is situated in Los Pozuelos basin, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Substantial pyrite and few carbonate minerals are present in the tailings. The generated acid mine drainage (AMD) has low pH (1.92–4.06) and is mainly Fe–Zn–SO4 type water with high concentrations of metals that in order of relative abundance vary as: Al ≫ Cd > As(T) > Ni > V > Cu > Co > Sb > Cr > Pb > Sn > Ag. The strong annual cycle of dry and wet seasons in the Puna generates a significant influence on AMD geochemistry. In the dry season, there is no runoff and AMD drains mainly in the form of seepages with low pH (1.92–2.21), high concentrations of metals, and the formation of metal-rich soluble efflorescent salts is favored by strong evaporation. At the beginning of the wet season, the efflorescent salts rapidly dissolve and metals concentrations in AMD increase significantly, creating the most hazardous period for the surrounding fluvial environment. At the end of the wet season the pH increases (3.44–4.06) and the concentration of metals decreases, especially arsenic associated with ferric iron precipitates. As a consequence of the DC3 dam restoration, a large volume of AMD is retained forming an acid pond, in which processes of AMD mixing, secondary minerals precipitation, and sulfide oxidation were quantified by inverse modeling with mixing. Jarosite and schwertmannite precipitates in the surface of the pond and favors the attenuation of As and Pb. However, subaqueous oxidation of sulfide minerals, hydrolysis of silicates, and mixing with upstream AMD seepage increases the concentrations of SO42-, Fe(II), and the other metals in the seepage of the pond that migrates downstream. The results of this study indicate the necessity to improve the remediation methods of Pan de Azúcar mine. It is expected that other sulfide mines in the Puna region will have a similar variability of the AMD geochemistry, which should be considered for mine closure, remediation, and monitoring of water quality in mining.
Fil: Murray, Jesica María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; Argentina
Fil: Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk. United States Geological Survey; Estados Unidos
Fil: Dold, Bernhard. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú; Perú. Sustainable Mining Research & Consultancy ; Chile
Fil: Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; Argentina
description Pan de Azúcar is an inactive Pb–Ag–Zn mine in the semi-arid Puna region of NW Argentina at 3600 m above sea-level. The mine is situated in Los Pozuelos basin, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Substantial pyrite and few carbonate minerals are present in the tailings. The generated acid mine drainage (AMD) has low pH (1.92–4.06) and is mainly Fe–Zn–SO4 type water with high concentrations of metals that in order of relative abundance vary as: Al ≫ Cd > As(T) > Ni > V > Cu > Co > Sb > Cr > Pb > Sn > Ag. The strong annual cycle of dry and wet seasons in the Puna generates a significant influence on AMD geochemistry. In the dry season, there is no runoff and AMD drains mainly in the form of seepages with low pH (1.92–2.21), high concentrations of metals, and the formation of metal-rich soluble efflorescent salts is favored by strong evaporation. At the beginning of the wet season, the efflorescent salts rapidly dissolve and metals concentrations in AMD increase significantly, creating the most hazardous period for the surrounding fluvial environment. At the end of the wet season the pH increases (3.44–4.06) and the concentration of metals decreases, especially arsenic associated with ferric iron precipitates. As a consequence of the DC3 dam restoration, a large volume of AMD is retained forming an acid pond, in which processes of AMD mixing, secondary minerals precipitation, and sulfide oxidation were quantified by inverse modeling with mixing. Jarosite and schwertmannite precipitates in the surface of the pond and favors the attenuation of As and Pb. However, subaqueous oxidation of sulfide minerals, hydrolysis of silicates, and mixing with upstream AMD seepage increases the concentrations of SO42-, Fe(II), and the other metals in the seepage of the pond that migrates downstream. The results of this study indicate the necessity to improve the remediation methods of Pan de Azúcar mine. It is expected that other sulfide mines in the Puna region will have a similar variability of the AMD geochemistry, which should be considered for mine closure, remediation, and monitoring of water quality in mining.
publishDate 2021
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2021-08
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/11336/173623
Murray, Jesica María; Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk; Dold, Bernhard; Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde; Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina; Elsevier; Journal of South American Earth Sciences; 109; 8-2021; 1-50
0895-9811
CONICET Digital
CONICET
url http://hdl.handle.net/11336/173623
identifier_str_mv Murray, Jesica María; Nordstrom, Darrel Kirk; Dold, Bernhard; Kirschbaum, Alicia Matilde; Seasonal fluctuations and geochemical modeling of acid mine drainage in the semi-arid Puna region: The Pan de Azúcar Pb–Ag–Zn mine, Argentina; Elsevier; Journal of South American Earth Sciences; 109; 8-2021; 1-50
0895-9811
CONICET Digital
CONICET
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/url/https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0895981121000444
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103197
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ar/
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Elsevier
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
instname:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
reponame_str CONICET Digital (CONICET)
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instname_str Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.name.fl_str_mv CONICET Digital (CONICET) - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
repository.mail.fl_str_mv dasensio@conicet.gov.ar; lcarlino@conicet.gov.ar
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