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METAL MINING and MERCURY METAL MINING and MERCURY Lab Setting-Water View 11/23/2009 METAL MINING AND MERCURY W. Charles Kerfoot & Noel Urban (Michigan Tech University), Ron Rossmann (EPA-Grosse Isle), John Robbins (NOAA-GLERL) Lab Setting-Water View 1 11/23/2009 Funding Sources ¾ NOAA/NSF KITES Project (NSF OCE) ¾ U.S. EPA Region V Grant to Baraga Tribal Council ¾ Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) ¾ U. S. ACE Vicksburg ERDC-EL (LiDAR CHARTS) Changing Beliefs ¾ Mining is a serious source of atmospheric mercury discharge in the world & U.S. (historic legacy, current practice) ¾ The mineral cinnabar (HgS) is present in the Lake Superior watershed ¾ Mercury is associated with metal mining (Copper, Iron) in the Upper Peninsula 2 11/23/2009 Solid Solution Substitution Of Hg For Zn In Sphalerite (Schwartz 1997) Exhalative deposits SEDEX VOLCEX 3 11/23/2009 Sources For Atmospheric Hg Discharges (2000 Environment Canada vs 1997 U.S. EPA Report To Congress) On Site Mercury Releases (atmospheric): 2001 EPA Region #9 4 11/23/2009 Mercury In Gold Ore Samples: Geographic Comparisons Mercury In Lake Sediment (Can. Geol. Survey) 5 11/23/2009 Lake Superior Watershed: Precious And Base Metal Mining Lake Superior Watershed: Cinnabar And Mercurian Sphalerite ¾ Hemlo Gold Deposit near Marathon:Williams, Golden Giant, David Bell Mines (Michibayashi 1995; Powell and Pattison 1997; Tomkins et al. 2004): Hg 6% in ore samples, 6.7% in concentrates ¾ Massive Sulfide Deposits (12 locations), includes Flambeau Mine, Ladysmith, Ws (Motti et al. 1999): 0.11% Hg in Cu, 1.13% in Ag 6 11/23/2009 Lake Superior Basin-Estimated Atmospheric Mercury Releases (kg/yr) 7 11/23/2009 Quincy Shafthouse ¾ Keweenaw National Park (Native Copper Mining) ¾ 140 Mines, 40 Stamp Mills ¾ 5 Smelters ¾ Torch Lake Superfund Site 8 11/23/2009 Keweenaw Peninsula: Smelter, Mine, Mill Sites Stamp Mills Keweenaw Peninsula Coring Sites 9 11/23/2009 Copper/mercury profiles (NSF/NOAA KITES Project) From Deep Water (LSDH) to L’Anse Bay 10 11/23/2009 Anthropogenic Copper Inventories: Spatial Pattern Anthropogenic Mercury Inventories: Spatial Pattern 11 11/23/2009 Mercury Concentrations In Ore Samples ¾ A) Keweenaw native copper and silver ores ¾ B) World (Cu, Au, Ag) ores and Sphalerite (ZnS) ¾ C) Solid solution substitution (native metal-natural amalgamation) or for Zn in Sphalerite 12 11/23/2009 Torch Lake Superfund Project 13 11/23/2009 Radioisotope Profiles: Keweenaw Waterway (Portage Lake) ¾ A) 137Cs dating ¾ B) 210Pb dating ¾ C) Varves (X-ray bdbands, Cu-rih)ich)- Insert Copper And Mercury Flux Profiles: Keweenaw Waterway (CG: Near Dollar Bay Smelter) 14 11/23/2009 Portage Lake Sediment Profile Torch Lake 210Pb Model ¾ Unsupported 210Pb profile (20m site) ¾ CIC-CRS model ¾ Modified CRS model 15 11/23/2009 Torch Lake Sediment Profile Stamp Sands Discharged By Stamp Mills Along Keweenaw Coastline 16 11/23/2009 Historical Erosion Of Tailings Cone ¾ 1938 air photo of the original stamp sand discharge pile (white) superimposed upon a 1999 air photo (red line, natural shoreline; inner pink line, 1999 shoreline of pile and reworked sands ; outer pink, estimated underwater 1999 dispersal of eroded stamp sands) Gay Stamp Sand Site ¾ The above-water and underwater extent of the Gay Stamp Sand tailings in Grand Traverse Bay, MI. Note the natural white sand beach to the south of the Traverse River (diagram after Army Corps 2001) 17 11/23/2009 Stamp Sands Threaten Buffalo Reef ¾ Bathymetry and substrate characterization around Buffalo Reef off Gay coastline, Keweenaw Bay. Studies conducted jointly by NWRI (National Research Institute Environment Canada) and GLIFWC (Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission). US Army Corps of Engineers (Detroit) Remediation ¾ Positions of proposed revetment, groin ¾ And dredging zone 18 11/23/2009 MSS Traverse River Jetty Tailings Are Washing Across Traverse & Tobacco Rivers 19 11/23/2009 Summary ¾ Historic mining is the dominant source of mercury to Lake Superior; voluntary industrial reppgjorting is just not working ¾ $15M Torch Lake Superfund Program covered interior stamp mill sites with soil layer; benthos not remediated (800+years); Hg methylation ¾ Mine tailings & smelter sites continue to contaminate many Lake Superior watersheds (U.S. & Canadian sides) ¾ Gay Site was not included in Torch Lake Project; tailings piles are currently contaminating miles of the Keweenaw Peninsula shoreline 20.
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