Arsenic contamination of soils and sediments from tailings in the vicinity of Myungbong Au mine, Korea

Abstract

Geochemical characteristics of As contamination in the Myungbong gold mine area in Korea were investigated, and the mine tailings were found to contain high concentrations of As (2,500–6,420 mg/kg). The mine tailings are an obvious candidate for the source of contamination in the study area. From the sequential, and oxalate, extraction analyses the majority of the As in the tailings was found to be associated with Fe oxides produced when sulfide minerals are oxidised. Mineralogical examinations showed the formation of poorly crystalline Fe oxides on a rim of pyrite, onto which the As was retained. The sediments of two ponds affected by the tailings also contained significant levels of As. High concentrations of dissolved As were also found in pond and stream waters. It has been suggested that the mobility of the As was increased by the reductive dissolution of Fe oxides under reducing conditions in the pond. Agricultural fields, located beneath the tailing dumps, have been contaminated by the continuous use of contaminated stream water and groundwater for irrigation.