Background and geochemical baseline values of chalcophile and siderophile elements in soils around the former mining area of Abbadia San Salvatore (Mt. Amiata, southern Tuscany, Italy)

Meloni, Federica; Nisi, Barbara; Gozzi, Caterina; Rimondi, Valentina; Cabassi, Jacopo; Montegrossi, Giordano; Rappuoli, Daniele; Vaselli, Orlando

doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2023.107324

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Amiata volcanic rocks [40]. Waters with Sb concentrations >5 µg/L were numerically greater than those showing As >10 µg/L and only refer to a few piezometers, e.g., S1N, S6N, S42, S106, S118, and S124 (Figure 6), which are located close to waste mining materials from other mines (e.g., Morone and Siele) containing a significant amount of stibnite, realgar, and orpiment [41]. Except for S106, where the Sb contents resulted in being >5 µg/L until January 2017, followed by a significant decrease, those of S6N and S1N remained almost constant over time.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical Surveys of Ground and Surface Waters in the Abandoned Hg-Mine of Abbadia San Salvatore (Central Italy): A Preparatory Investigation before Remediation

Meloni,

Montegrossi,

Cabassi

et al. 2024

Water

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Since 2013, 34 surveys of surface and ground waters within and outside the former Hg-mine of Abbadia San Salvatore (Italy), which is currently under remediation, were performed for determining Hg, As, Sb, and main and minor solutes. The water quality is rather poor since most waters show relatively high Hg concentrations (up to 695 µg/L). Differently, As and Sb only overcome the Italian law thresholds in a few sites. A high geochemical variability was observed for most groundwaters without any clear relationship between wet and dry periods. The main source of chalcophile elements is likely related to: (i) the interaction between meteoric waters and soils contaminated by the previous production of mercury; or (ii) the interaction between meteoric waters and the anthropic filling material of a former paleo-valley near the furnaces edifices. While the remediation is expected to be concluded in 2025, the aquifer contamination still remains a problem. Our investigation, including geochemical/hydrogeological modeling, is prodromal to future activities aimed at reducing the Hg content. Currently, the construction of a hydraulic barrier is apparently the most suitable solution to minimize the interaction processes between water–rock and man-made material, which are responsible for the 10-year concentration variability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%