Abstract
Understanding the origin of acid mine drainage (AMD) in a closed mine and groundwater flow system around the mine aids in developing strategies for environmental protection and management. AMD has been continuously collected and neutralized at Osarizawa Mine, Akita Prefecture, Japan, since the mine was closed in the 1970s, to protect surrounding river water and groundwater quality. Thus, water samples were taken at the mine and surrounding groundwaters and rivers to characterize the chemical properties and environmental isotopes (δ2H and δ18O). The results showed that the quality and stable isotope ratios of AMD differed from those of groundwater/river water, indicating that the recharge areas of AMD. The recharge area of AMD was evaluated as the mountain slope at an elevation of 400–500 m while that of the surrounding groundwater was evaluated at an elevation of 350–450 m, by considering the stable isotopes ratios. This indicates that the groundwater affected by AMD is limited to the vicinity of the mine and distributed around nearby rivers.
Highlights
Thomas Pabst and David WilsonAcid mine drainage (AMD) is generally characterized by low pH and high concentrations of sulfate, heavy metals, and metalloids, and is a serious environmental problem at many active, closed, and abandoned mines worldwide [1,2,3,4]
Indepth studies of the impact of mining on the groundwater environment have recently been conducted worldwide. Based on this historical background, we focused on the relationship between acid mine drainage (AMD) and groundwater around mines
The geochemical and isotopic properties of water samples collected from the Osarizawa mine area and the surrounding areas are summarized in Tables 1 and 2
Summary
Thomas Pabst and David WilsonAcid mine drainage (AMD) is generally characterized by low pH and high concentrations of sulfate, heavy metals, and metalloids, and is a serious environmental problem at many active, closed, and abandoned mines worldwide [1,2,3,4]. Japan has a long history of metal mining, and was a global metal producer in the 17th to 19th centuries, with some 5000 mines extracting mineral resources. Sulfide minerals such as pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and galena were mined, and the remaining minerals in excavated areas react with groundwater and the atmosphere to generate AMD, even today after mines were closed or abandoned [5]. From the beginning of the 20th century to the 1960s, acidification of river water caused by the inflow of untreated AMD became a social problem in many parts of Japan, with contamination of agricultural land downstream of mines by copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) being problematic and, in some cases, leading to human health problems. As many mines in Japan were still in operation up to the 2000s, Received: 31 July 2021
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