Abstract
High arsenic concentrations are common in the water and soils in Tibet. In this study, arsenic concentrations were found to be below detection limits in natural river water, although the high background concentrations of HCO3− and the pH all favor arsenic release. Lake water had the highest arsenic concentrations due to intense evaporation. The impact of mining on arsenic release was assessed using a mixing model composed of three end-members: KS02 (a post-mining sample), R07 (a river water sample), and S12 (spring water that contains arsenic). The results indicated that mining operations are likely responsible for a small proportion (2.0%) of direct release of arsenic from deep thermal water, and that most arsenic was released by desorption from Fe oxyhydroxides. The mixing model also revealed that so far, mining operations have accelerated carbonate dissolution, but have not led to arsenopyrite oxidation. Therefore, HCO3− concentrations increased during mining, which along with the pH (> 7.0), led to desorption of arsenic from Fe oxyhydroxide.
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