Jankulár M., Jurkovič Ľ. & Klimko T., 2010: Distribution of trace elements in soils at the abandoned Sb deposits of Dúbrava and Poproč. Acta Geologica Slovaca, 2, 1, 59–67. (in Slovak with English summary)

Distribúcia stopových prvkov v pôdach na opustených Sb ložiskách Dúbrava a Poproč

Distribution of trace elements in soils at the abandoned Sb deposits of Dúbrava and Poproč

Michal Jankulár¹, Ľubomír Jurkovič¹ & Tomáš Klimko²

¹Katedra geochémie, Prírodovedecká fakulta, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Mlynská dolina G, 842 15 Bratislava; jankular@fns.uniba.sk
²Katedra mineralógie a petrológie, Prírodovedecká fakulta, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Mlynská dolina G, 842 15 Bratislava

Abstract

Occurrence of the increased concentration of potential toxic elements (As, Sb, Pb, Zn) in soils is of a great environmental concern in the vicinity of the abandoned Sb deposits (Dúbrava and Poproč). We have shown that the soils are strongly impacted by the point sources of contamination (old mine drainages, tailing impoundments, and waste-rock dumps). Oxidation of sulphide minerals in the mine tailings may induce the other geochemical processes such as acidification and subsequent mobilization of trace elements into the surrounding environment. High Sb and As concentrations were observed in the soils collected at the Dúbrava and Poproč mine sites, reaching up to 9619 mg.kg^-1 (Dúbrava) and 2484 mg.kg^-1 (Poproč), respectively, but relatively high concentrations of Pb and Zn were also detected. Abundant secondary minerals consisting mainly of Fe, Sb(Fe) and Fe(Sb) oxyhydroxides with variable and high Sb, Fe and As contents in their structure were identified in the soil samples. Furthermore, these oxyhydroxides appear to be relatively stable, and thus they might reduce the mobility of trace elements through the soils horizons.

Key words: contaminated soils, antimony, arsenic, abandoned Sb deposit, Sb(Fe) oxyhydroxides

Manuscript received: 2010-03-11

Revised version accepted: 2010-04-16