Geophysical Exploration of Mining Ponds – An Effective Tool for Their Geochemical Characterization

Aracil, E.; Martínez‐Pagán, Pedro; Faz, Ángel

doi:10.3997/2214-4609.20146585

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“…The physical and chemical properties of the coarse waste rock are intermediate between the fine tailings and bedrock, hence the exhibited ER is expected to be lower than that for bedrock, but higher than that for fine tailings. The resistivity sections from El Lirio and Brunita ponds corroborated previously held knowledge that the electrical resistivity in the first few meters of tailing ponds is lower than the substratum (Campbell and Fitterman, 2000;Shemang et al, 2003;Persson et al, 2006;Aracil et al, 2007). The trends with depth in electrical conductivity measured in this study coincide with the low and high resistivity in tailing materials and underlying bedrock, respectively, because of the reciprocal relationship between electrical conductivity and resistivity (Samouelian et al, 2005).…”

Section: Qualitative Relationship Between Eri and Soil Chemical Propesupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Previous studies (e.g., Faz et al, 2003a;Faz et al, 2006;Aracil et al, 2007) on other mining ponds, such as ''La Encontrada'' and ''El Descargador,'' have shown the conceptual utility and prospects of these integrated techniques in our study areas. The primary objective of this paper is to demonstrate the use of ERI as a non-invasive method to determine the structural and chemical composition of mine tailing ponds, thus enabling more efficient measures of environmental protection.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…Data acquisition followed the Schlumberger-Wenner configuration (Ward, 1988;Frangos, 1990) because it is sensitive to vertical and horizontal variations and a good intermediate between the Wenner and Dipole-dipole array configurations (Pazdirek and Blaha, 1996). The electrode spacing and the data acquisition method used in this study had been proven sufficient to provide the resolution and cover the width (,300 m) and depth (,30 m) of the mine tailing ponds in the study area (e.g., Aracil et al, 2007;Faz et al, 2006).…”

Section: Electrical Resistivity Measurements and Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Electrical Resistivity Imaging Revealed the Spatial Properties of Mine Tailing Ponds in the Sierra Minera of Southeast Spain

Martínez‐Pagán

Cano

Aracil

et al. 2009

JEEG

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Mine tailing ponds are environmental hazards because of high susceptibility to leaching and erosion by water and wind. Vegetation establishment is an effective technique to reclaim tailing ponds but requires knowledge of the spatial relationship between the structural composition and physical and chemical properties of soils. In this study we have demonstrated the use of electrical resistivity imaging (ERI), combined with soil chemical analyses, to determine the structural and chemical composition of mine tailing ponds to assess efficient measures of environmental protection. We used a Syscal R1 resistivity meter to generate twoand three-dimensional (2-D/3-D) ERI images from El Lirio and Brunita mine tailing ponds. Soil samples were collected at 1-m intervals to a depth of 15 m, and were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity and cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) contents. Results show that materials in the ponds can be classified into three categories: fine tailings -low ER (,8 Vm), coarse waste rock -intermediate ER (8-150 V-m), and bedrock -high ER (.150 V-m). Our interpretation of the 2-D/3-D ERI images with respect to the historical depositions of materials in the ponds show that at El Lirio, decant water outlet was initially at the center and advanced to the east of the tailing pond as the mining activities progressed. At Brunita, the intermediate ER values on the west side of the pond marked the deposition of coarse waste rock materials released during a pond breakage in 1972. The ERI helped us image the spatial distribution of tailings and its qualitative spatial correlation with chemical properties (i.e., pH, EC, metals content). Low ER values are related to high amounts of Zn, Pb, Cu and Cd. These qualitative relationships underlie the usefulness of the combined geophysical and soil chemical approaches to improve our understanding of the properties of mine tailing ponds in the Sierra Minera (and other parts of the world).

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Section: Qualitative Relationship Between Eri and Soil Chemical Propesupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Electrical Resistivity Measurements and Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Electrical Resistivity Imaging Revealed the Spatial Properties of Mine Tailing Ponds in the Sierra Minera of Southeast Spain

Martínez‐Pagán

Cano

Aracil

et al. 2009

JEEG

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Geophysical Exploration of Mining Ponds – An Effective Tool for Their Geochemical Characterization

Cited by 1 publication

References 0 publications

Electrical Resistivity Imaging Revealed the Spatial Properties of Mine Tailing Ponds in the Sierra Minera of Southeast Spain

Electrical Resistivity Imaging Revealed the Spatial Properties of Mine Tailing Ponds in the Sierra Minera of Southeast Spain

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