The nature and extent of uranium contamination from tailings dams in the Witwatersrand gold mining area (South Africa)

Abstract

A major problem in the field of environmental contamination by uranium in South Africa is the lack of a synoptic overview of the nature and extent of the problem. At 14 selected sites within all seven goldfields of the Witwatersrand basin, mechanisms and the extent of tailings-related U-contamination were investigated. These sites are spread along the so-called Golden Arc stretching over a distance of approximately 300 km. Results suggest that U-pollution by slimes dams in South Africa is widespread and of extraordinary spatial dimension.