Relationship between ore deposits in river catchments and geochemistry of suspended particulate matter from six rivers in southwest France

Abstract

Here we present original data on the geochemical composition of fluvial particulate matter transported by the rivers of the Adour/Garonne basin, which drains one-fifth of the French land surface. Suspended particulate matter from the six main rivers in the basin, sampled at ‘normal’ flow and during a flood, is compared in terms of: grain size; particulate organic carbon; Fe; Mn; and trace element concentrations (e.g. Zn, Cd, Pb, Cu, Mo, Sn, Ni, Co, Cr, V, As, Hg, U, Th, W, Au, Ag, Ta). Three of the six studied rivers (Garonne, Dordogne and Isle Rivers) are the main tributaries of the Gironde estuary (southwest France), known for Cd pollution. The Adour and Gaves Rivers enter the Adour Estuary and the Charente River reaches the ocean by the Charente Estuary. Our data show, that Cd (and Zn) are not the only trace elements of eco-toxicological relevance transported into the Gulf of Biscay by these six rivers. Potentially toxic elements (e.g. As, Sn, U, Cu, Ag) show elevated concentrations in river particulates entering the estuaries, compared to world average concentrations [Martin and Whitfield, 1983, The significance of the river input of chemical elements to the oceans. In: C.S. Wong, E. Boyle, K.W. Bruland, J.D. Burton, E.D. Goldberg (editors), Trace Metals in Sea Water, Plenum, New York: pp. 265–296]. Comparing SPM sampled during ‘normal’ discharge and flood, the basin shows a distinct trace element composition of SPM mostly related to ore deposits in the upper basins (Massif Central and Pyreneans). This geochemical signal is partly masked during floods due to changes in grain size, but also due to increased erosion of the lower parts of the basins. This study proves pumping/centrifugation to be the most appropriate sampling/separation technique (recovery, representativity, contamination) by comparing different methods of SPM recovery.