Spatial and temporal variability of surface water and groundwater before and after the remediation of a Portuguese uranium mine area

Neiva, A.M.R.; Carvalho, P. C. S.; Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Santos, Antonio Colmenar; Pinto, Marina M. S. Cabral

doi:10.1016/j.chemer.2015.06.001

Cited by 19 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…These correlations could be associated with the occurrence of these metals in the uranium mine areas and their geochemical behavior. Some of these correlations were also found in other Portuguese abandoned uranium mine area (Neiva et al 2015). The adsorption of arsenic by Fe oxides decreases above pH 7 (Goldberg 2002).…”

Section: Geochemistry Of Soilssupporting

confidence: 65%

Assessment of metal and metalloid contamination in soils trough compositional data: the old Mortórios uranium mine area, central Portugal

Neiva

Albuquerque

Antunes

et al. 2019

Environ Geochem Health

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Soils from the old Mortórios uranium mine area were studied to look for contamination, as they are close to two villages, up to 3 km away, and used for agriculture. They are mainly contaminated in U and As and constitute an ecological threat. This study attempts to outline the degree to which soils have been affected by the old mining activities through the computation of significant hot clusters, Traditional geostatistical approaches commonly use raw data (concentrations) accepting that the analyzed elements represent the soil's entirety. However, in geochemical studies these elements are just a fraction of the total soil composition. Thus, considering compositional data is pivotal. The spatial characterization, considering raw and compositional data together, allowed a broad discussion about not only the concentrations' spatial distribution, but also a better understanding on the possibility of trends of ''relative enrichment'' and, furthermore an insight in U and As fate. The highest proportions (compositional data) on U (up to 33%), As (up to 35%) and Th (up to 13%) are reached in the south-southeast segment. However, the highest concentrations (raw data) occur in north and northwest of the studied area, pointing out to a ''relative enrichment'' toward the south-southeast zone. The Mondego Sul area is mainly contaminated in U and As, but also in Co, Cu, Pb and Sb. The Mortórios area is less contaminated than the Mondego Sul area.

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Section: Geochemistry Of Soilssupporting

confidence: 65%

Assessment of metal and metalloid contamination in soils trough compositional data: the old Mortórios uranium mine area, central Portugal

Neiva

Albuquerque

Antunes

et al. 2019

Environ Geochem Health

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“…Indeed, this fact might explain the positive correlation with major ions. Conversely, U(VI) is much more soluble than U(IV) and may migrate as aqueous species in the environment (Arnold et al 2011; Ribeiro et al 2015). Thus, PC2 explains the more solubility of oxidized species of U, As, and Mo in groundwater of the MMA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of major ions and trace elements in groundwater supplied to the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León, Mexico

Mora

Mahlknecht

Rosales-Lagarde

et al. 2017

Environ Monit Assess

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The Monterrey metropolitan area (MMA) is the third greatest urban area and the second largest economic city of Mexico. More than four million people living in this megacity use groundwater for drinking, industrial and household purposes. Thus, major ion and trace element content were assessed in order to investigate the main hydrochemical properties of groundwater and determine if groundwater of the area poses a threat to the MMA population. Hierarchical cluster analysis using all the groundwater chemical data showed five groups of water. The first two groups were classified as recharge waters (Ca-HCO3) coming from the foothills of mountain belts. The third group was also of Ca-HCO3 water type flowing through lutites and limestones. Transition zone waters of group four (Ca-HCO3-SO4) flow through the valley of Monterrey, whereas discharge waters of group 5 (Ca-SO4) were found toward the north and northeast of the MMA. Principal component analysis performed in groundwater data indicates four principal components (PCs). PC1 included major ions Si, Co, Se, and Zn, suggesting that these are derived by rock weathering. Other trace elements such as As, Mo, Mn, and U are coupled in PC2 because they show redox-sensitive properties. PC3 indicates that Pb and Cu could be the less mobile elements in groundwater. Although groundwater supplied to MMA showed a high-quality, high mineralized waters of group 5 have NO3 − concentrations higher than the maximum value proposed by international guidelines and SO4 2−, NO3 −, and total dissolved solid concentrations higher than the maximum levels allowed by the Mexican normative.

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“…In general, it occurs in granites, pegmatites, and associated quartz veins. Uraninite is unstable in acid and oxidizing conditions such as those found in acid hydrothermal and meteoric fluids; it is easily dissolved, and is probably the most important source of dissolved U in groundwater emanating from weathered granite terrains [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. Other minerals from magmatic rocks (e.g., thorite, huttonite, thorianite, monazite, titanite, xenotime, allanite, zircon) host uranium, and their alteration by acid hydrothermal or meteoric fluids is also a source of dissolved U in hydrothermal fluids or surface waters and groundwater; many uranium deposits are derived from them [10,[13][14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Release, Migration, Sorption, and (Re)Precipitation of U during Peraluminous Granite Alteration under Oxidizing Conditions in Central Portugal

et al. 2018

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In this work, in order to study the release, migration, sorption, and (re)precipitation of uranium (U) during alteration under oxidizing conditions, we carried out a systematic study using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray maps, and electron microprobe analyses on uranium minerals-such as uraninite, coffinite, saleeite, meta-saleeite, and thorite-and U-bearing minerals-such as xenotime, monazite, apatite, and zircon-from unaltered and altered Variscan peraluminous granites and related hydrothermal brecciated uranium-quartz veins. The paragenetic sequence of the granite and the mineralized quartz veins from Vale the Abrutiga is presented. Uraninite is magmatic in origin and occurs mainly in unaltered granite; it is rare in altered granite, and was not found in the mineralized quartz veins. Uraninite from the altered granite was fractured and hydrated; it had radioactive damage halos filled with late pyrite, US bearing phases, and Fe oxyhydroxides; its analytical totals were also lower than in the uraninite from the unaltered granite. The alteration zones and crystal rims were poorer in U (86.7 wt. % UO 2) than in the cores and unaltered zones (90.2 wt. % UO 2), and some uraninite crystals were replaced by coffinite, which resulted from uraninite alteration. The U contents in the coffinite crystals ranged between 65.0 wt. % UO 2 in the rims to 84.0 wt. % UO 2 in the cores of the crystals. Thorite was found in all of the granite samples, and its composition was variable from 0.5 wt. % UO 2 to 10.4 wt. % UO 2. Some thorite seemed to be primary, whereas the other thorite was related to the granite alteration, replaced apatite and monazite, was associated with xenotime, and filled the fractures of several minerals. In the altered granite, thorite had low UO 2 contents (0.46 wt. %) in the fractured crystal zones. Monazite from the altered granite had a pervasive porosity; some crystals were formed by the alteration of apatite, and were frequently replaced by thorite. Monazite and xenotime from the altered granite and hydrothermal veins had lower U contents than these minerals from the unaltered granite. In the altered granite, xenotime crystals were zoned, and their cores were richer in U than the rims. Apatite from the altered granite was fractured, showed dissolution, and had lower U and P contents than the apatite from the unaltered granite. In the quartz veins, apatite crystals were replaced by uranium phosphates and had high U contents (~1.1 wt. % UO 2). In the quartz veins, zircon rims had an extraordinary U enrichment (up to 18 wt. % UO 2). The most altered rims of chlorite and anatase from the quartz veins were partially replaced by U-bearing Fe oxyhydroxides containing up to 5.7 wt. % UO 2. Meteoric water warmed by deep circulation through granite faults, shear zones, and quartz veins became enriched in U, P, and Mg due to the solubilization of mainly uraninite, coffinite, thorite, monazite, apatite, and chlorite. Uranium from these solutions was later adsorbed on Fe oxyhydroxides and the weathered surfaces o...

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Spatial and temporal variability of surface water and groundwater before and after the remediation of a Portuguese uranium mine area

Cited by 19 publications

References 24 publications

Assessment of metal and metalloid contamination in soils trough compositional data: the old Mortórios uranium mine area, central Portugal

Assessment of metal and metalloid contamination in soils trough compositional data: the old Mortórios uranium mine area, central Portugal

Assessment of major ions and trace elements in groundwater supplied to the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León, Mexico

Release, Migration, Sorption, and (Re)Precipitation of U during Peraluminous Granite Alteration under Oxidizing Conditions in Central Portugal

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