Abstract.
Active sediments from the Elqui River in Chile were sampled 4 times at 10 sites during 2000. Concentrations of Ag, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Hg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sr, Ti, V, Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Na, P, and S were normal. Zinc levels were clearly high, and those of Cu (hundred to thousands ppm) and As (tens to hundreds ppm) were highly anomalous. Dissolved Cu (0.1-12.7 ppm) and Zn (0.2-2.2 ppm) levels were also very high. The anomalies of the upper tributaries are due to the El Indio–Tambo Au-Cu-As district and large hydrothermal alteration zones at altitudes between 3500–4500 m. Lower on the river, old and active tailing waste deposits and on-going mining operations in the Talcuna Cu (Pb) district are responsible. Partially eroded tailing deposits in the alluvial plain of the Elqui River and its tributaries, and especially in the El Indio-Tambo district, after mine closure in 2000, warrant special attention.
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Oyarzún, J., Maturana, H., Paulo, A. et al. Heavy Metals in Stream Sediments from the Coquimbo region (Chile): Effects of Sustained Mining and Natural Processes in a Semi-arid Andean Basin. Mine Water and the Environment 22, 155–161 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-003-0016-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-003-0016-9