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Geological and anthropogenic influences on sediment metal composition in the upper Paracatu River Basin, Brazil

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Abstract

This work reports a geochemical study of sediments from the upper Paracatu River Basin. The objective is to define the influences of Au, Zn, and Pb mineral deposits and mining activities on the sediment metal sources, distribution, and accretion. The samples were analyzed using ICP/OES, AAS, and XRD techniques and were treated with principal components analysis and the geo-accumulation index. The main geochemical processes that control the sediment composition are pyrite oxidation, muscovite weathering, carbonate dissolution, and the erosion of oxisols enriched with Zn and Pb. The upper Rico Stream has high Al, Fe, Cu, Cr, Co, and Mn concentrations due erosion of oxisols and pyrite oxidation and muscovite alteration present in the parental rock. The artisanal alluvial gold mining increased the primary rock-minerals’ weathering and Hg sediment concentration. The lower Escuro River and Santa Catarina Stream are enriched with Zn and Pb due the erosion of metal-rich soils formed over galena, sphalerite, calamine, and willemite mineral deposits located upstream. Elements such as Ca, Mg, and Ba have low concentrations throughout the sampled area due the high solubility of these metals-bearing minerals. The dispersion of metals is limited by the basin geomorphology and their affinity to silt-clayey minerals and Fe and Mn oxides and hydroxides in circumneutral pH waters.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) that provided the project financial support and a Masters scholarship (CNPq-Process 555953-06-08). We thank Dr. Luis Fabrício Zara from Atomic Spectroscopy Laboratory of Catholic University of Brasilia and Dr. Olaf Malm from Radio Isotope Laboratory of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro for Pb and Hg measurements support.

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  1. Departamento de Geoquímica e Recursos Minerais, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de Brasília, Campus Universitário Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, DF, 70.910-900, Brazil

    Daniel Santos Mulholland, Geraldo Resende Boaventura & Daniel Ferreira Araújo

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  1. Daniel Santos Mulholland
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  2. Geraldo Resende Boaventura
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  3. Daniel Ferreira Araújo
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Correspondence to Daniel Santos Mulholland.

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Mulholland, D.S., Boaventura, G.R. & Araújo, D.F. Geological and anthropogenic influences on sediment metal composition in the upper Paracatu River Basin, Brazil. Environ Earth Sci 67, 1307–1317 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1574-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1574-6

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