Abstract
Trace elements in river waters can give information about chemical weathering and aqueous environments, but the systematics of trace elements in river waters have been poorly understood. Here, concentrations of dissolved trace elements were determined to investigate factors controlling their seasonal and spatial variations in the Han River Basin (HR), South Korea. Two major branches, the North Han River (NHR) and South Han River (SHR), differed largely in concentrations of their trace elements (e.g., As, B, Co, Li, Ni, and U), with the NHR having low concentrations and the SHR having high concentrations. This difference can be mainly attributed to the underlying lithology of the watersheds, namely, silicates in the NHR and carbonates plus clastic sediments containing black slate rich in trace elements in the SHR. Seasonally, concentrations of trace elements such as Al, Co, Fe, and Rb in the NHR were higher in summer, indicating that these trace elements exist as a colloid-borne form because of intensive physical weathering in the NHR. In contrast, the SHR showed little or no seasonal variation in concentrations of those trace elements.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdi H, Williams LJ (2010) Principal component analysis. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Comput Stat 2:433–459
Adriano DC (2001) Trace elements in terrestrial environments: biogeochemistry, bioavailability, and risks of metals, 2nd edn. Springer, Germany
Berner EK, Berner RA (2012) Global environment: water, air, and geochemical cycles, 2nd edn. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Cheong CS, Jeong GY, Kim H, Choi MS, Lee SH et al (2002) Early Permian peak metamorphism recorded in U-Pb system of black slates from the Ogcheon metamorphic belt, South Korea, and its tectonic implication. Chem Geol 193:81–92
Cidu R, Biddau R (2007) Transport of trace elements under different seasonal conditions: effects on the quality of river water in a Mediterranean area. Appl Geochem 22:2777–2794
Dupré B, Gaillardet J, Rousseau D, Allègre C (1996) Major and trace elements of river-borne materials: the Congo basin. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 60:1301–1321
Dupré B, Viers J, Dandurand JL, Polvé M, Bénézeth P et al (1999) Major and trace elements associated with colloids in organic-rich river waters: ultrafiltration of natural and spiked solutions. Chem Geol 160:63–80
Elbaz-Poulichet F, Seyler P, Maurice-Bourgoin L, Guyout JL, Dupuy C (1999) Trace element geochemistry in the upper Amazon drainage basin (Bolivia). Chem Geol 157:319–334
Gaillardet J, Dupré B, Louvat P, Allegre CJ (1999) Global silicate weathering and CO2 consumption rates deduced from the chemistry of large rivers. Chem Geol 159:3–30
Gaillardet J, Viers J, Dupré B (2003) Trace elements in river waters. In: Drever JI (ed) Treatise on Geochemistry, vol 5. Surface and groundwater, weathering and soils. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 225–272
Jeong GY (2006) Mineralogy and geochemistry of metalliferous black slates in the Okcheon metamorphic belt, Korea: a metamorphic analogue of black slates in the South China block. Miner Deposita 41:469–481
Jung MC (2001) Heavy metal contamination of soils and waters in and around the Imcheon Au-Ag mine, Korea. Appl Geochem 16:1369–1375
Jung MC, Thornton I (1997) Heavy metal contamination and seasonal variation of metals in soils, plants and waters in the paddy fields around a Pb-Zn mine, Korea. Sci Total Environ 198:105–121
Jung MC, Thornton I, Chon HT (2002) Arsenic, Sb and Bi contamination of soils, plants, waters and sediments in the vicinity of the Dalsung Cu-W mine in Korea. Sci Total Environ 295:81–89
Kim JH (1989) Geochemistry and genesis of the Guryongsan (Ogcheon) uraniferous black slate. Econ Environ Geol 22:35–63
Langmuir D (1978) Uranium solution-mineral equilibria at low temperatures with applications to sedimentary ore deposits. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 42:547–569
Lee MS, Chon HT (1980) Geochemical correlations between uranium and other components in U-bearing formations of Ogcheon Belt. Econ Environ Geol 13:241–246
Lee DS, Yun S, Lee JH, Kim JT (1986) Lithological and structural controls and geochemistry of uranium deposits in the Ogcheon black-slate formation. Econ Environ Geol 19:19–41
Lee CK, Chon HT, Jung MC (2001) Heavy metal contamination in the vicinity of the Daduk Au-Ag-Pb-Zn mine in Korea. Appl Geochem 16:1377–1386
Levine IN (2001) Physical Chemistry, 5th edn. McGraw-Hill, Boston
Mangini A, Sonntag C, Bertsch G, Muller E (1979) Evidence for a higher natural uranium content in world rivers. Nature 278:337–339
Ollivier P, Radakovitch O, Hamelin B (2006) Unusual variations of dissolved As, Sb and Ni in the Rhône River during flood events. J Geochem Explor 88:394–398
Ryu JS, Lee KS, Kim JH, Ahn KH, Chang HW (2006) Geostatistical analysis for hydrogeochemical characterization of the Han River, Korea: identification of major factors governing water chemistry. B Environ Contam Tox 76:1–7
Ryu JS, Lee KS, Chang HW (2007) Hydrogeochemical and isotopic investigation of the Han River basin, South Korea. J Hydrol 345:50–60
Ryu JS, Lee KS, Chang HW, Shin HS (2008) Chemical weathering of carbonates and silicates in the Han River Basin, South Korea. Chem Geol 247:66–80
Ryu JS, Lee KS, Chang HW, Cheong CS (2009) Uranium isotopes as a tracer of sources of dissolved solutes in the Han River, South Korea. Chem Geol 258:354–361
Sarin MM, Krishnaswami S, Somayajulu BLK, Moore WS (1990) Chemistry of U, Th, and Ra isotopes in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system: weathering processes and fluxes to the Bay of Bengal. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 54:1387–1396
Shiller AM (1997) Dissolved trace elements in the Mississippi River: seasonal, interannual, and decadal variability. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 51:4321–4330
Shiller AM, Boyle EA (1987) Dissolved vanadium in rivers and estuaries. Earth Planet Sci Lett 86:214–224
Shiller AM, Mao L (2000) Dissolved vanadium in rivers: effects of silicate weathering. Chem Geol 165:13–22
So CS, Kang JK (1978) Mineralogy and geochemistry of uranium- bearing black slates in the Ogcheon Group, Korea. J Geol Soc Korea 14:93–102
Spence J, Telmer K (2005) The role of sulfur in chemical weathering and atmospheric CO2 fluxes: evidence from major ions, δ13CDIC, and δ34SSO 4 in rivers of the Canadian Cordillera. Geochim Cosmochim Ac 69:5441–5458
WHO (2011) Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 4th edn. WHO Press, Geneva
Yao QZ, Zhang J, Wu Y, Xiong H (2007) Hydrochemical processes controlling arsenic and selenium in the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) system. Sci Total Environ 377:93–104
Yeghicheyan D, Carignan J, Valladon M, Bouhnik Le Coz M, Le Cornec F et al (2001) A compilation of silicon and thirty one trace elements measured in the natural river water reference material SLRS-4 (NRC-CNRC). Geostand Newslett 25:465–474
Zanker H, Richter W, Huttig G (2003) Scavenging and immobilization of trace contaminants by colloids in the waters of abandoned ore mines. Colloid Surface A 217:21–31
Zhang J, Huang WW (1993) Dissolved trace metals in the Huanghe: the most turbid large river in the world. Water Resour 27:1–8
Acknowledgments
The authors thank Y. Park and W. J. Shin for assistance in the field. This work was supported by the KBSI grants (F33610 & C3371A).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ryu, JS., Lee, KS. & Shin, H.S. Lithological controls of dissolved trace elements: carbonate versus silicate. Carbonates Evaporites 30, 119–125 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-013-0178-x
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13146-013-0178-x