Characteristics and environmental significance of sulfur isotope signatures in the water environment of typical pyrite mines

Abstract

Contaminants in the water environment of different pyrite mines have varying characteristics due to different geological origins. Sulfur isotope (δ34S) is an effective tool to reveal the mechanism of water environment contamination, but no investigations have yet analyzed the characteristics and environmental significance of the δ34S in the water environment of different pyrite mines. This study involved a field investigation of four typical pyrite mines in China (representing volcanic, skarn, sedimentary-metamorphic, and coal-deposited types) and the analysis of the hydrochemistry of aqueous samples and the δ34S of both pyrite and dissolved sulfates. The S isotopes in minerals of different types of mines were associated with the deposit genesis, and S isotopes in the water environment were affected by sulfide minerals and indicative of the contaminant sources, types of contaminants, and contaminant transport processes. The environmental significance of δ34S in the water environment was further explored and a contamination model for pyrite mines established based on S isotope data. The study offers a theoretical foundation for further research on the prevention, control, and management of water pollution at various types of pyrite mines.