Browsing by Author "Neiva, A.M.R."
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- Assessment of metal and metalloid contamination in soils trough compositional data: the old Mortórios uranium mine area, central PortugalPublication . Neiva, A.M.R.; Albuquerque, M.T.D.; Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Carvalho, Paula; Santos, A.C.T.; Boente, Carlos; Cunha, Pedro Proença; Henriques, S.B.A.; Pato, R.L.Soils from the old Mortórios uranium mine area were studied to look for contamination, as they are close to two villages, up to 3 km away, and used for agriculture. They are mainly contaminated in U and As and constitute an ecological threat. This study attempts to outline the degree to which soils have been affected by the old mining activities through the computation of significant hot clusters, Traditional geostatistical approaches commonly use raw data (concentrations) accepting that the analyzed elements represent the soil's entirety. However, in geochemical studies these elements are just a fraction of the total soil composition. Thus, considering compositional data is pivotal. The spatial characterization, considering raw and compositional data together, allowed a broad discussion about not only the concentrations' spatial distribution, but also a better understanding on the possibility of trends of "relative enrichment" and, furthermore an insight in U and As fate. The highest proportions (compositional data) on U (up to 33%), As (up to 35%) and Th (up to 13%) are reached in the south-southeast segment. However, the highest concentrations (raw data) occur in north and northwest of the studied area, pointing out to a "relative enrichment" toward the south-southeast zone. The Mondego Sul area is mainly contaminated in U and As, but also in Co, Cu, Pb and Sb. The Mortórios area is less contaminated than the Mondego Sul area.
- Assessment of metal and metalloid contamination in the waters and stream sediments around the abandoned uranium mine area from Mortórios, central PortugalPublication . Neiva, A.M.R.; Carvalho, Paula; Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Albuquerque, M.T.D.; Santos, António; Cunha, Pedro Proença; Henriques, S.B.A.In the abandoned Mortórios uranium mine area there are quartz veins containing wolframite and sulphides and basic rock dykes with torbernite and autunite cutting a porphyritic granite. The basic rock dykes were exploited and produced about 27 t of U3O8, from 1982 to 1988. There are an open pit lake and nine dumps. Surface water and groundwater are contaminated in U, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb. Stream sediments are contaminated in U, As, Th and W, which are adsorbed by smectite, kaolinite and iron- and aluminium- oxy-hydroxides. The maximum U concentrations are of 1268 μg/L in the open pit lake, 100 μg/L in surface water, 103 μg/L in groundwater and 81.5 mg/kg in stream sediments all downstream of the open pit lake and dumps. Further downstream the U concentration in water decreases, due to the high mobility of U (VI), but the U concentration in stream sediments increases. Calcium uranyl carbonate dominates in the open pit lake, but uranyl carbonate complexes dominate in surface water and groundwater. The maximum As concentrations are 56.0 μg/L in the open pit lake, 63.4 μg/L in the surface water and 66.7 μg/L in the groundwater, both downstream of the open pit lake and dumps. The arsenic occurs as As (V). The Mortórios area is compared with two other areas exploited from open pits, all located in the uranium-bearing Beira area of central Portugal. Vale de Abrutiga produced 90 t of U3O8 between 1982 and 1989 and Mondego Sul produced 75 t of U3O8 from 1987 to 1991. The two mines consist of quartz veins containing sulphides, saleeite and meta-saleeite at Vale de Abrutiga and with sulphides, autunite, torbernite, meta-uranocircite and meta-saleeite at Mondego Sul cutting the Schist-graywacke Complex. The mine area of Vale de Abrutiga with the highest exploitation of U3O8 has strongly acidic to slight alkaline water, which is the most contaminated. Mortórios with the lowest exploitation presents a higher contamination of slightly acidic to alkaline water than that of acidic to alkaline water from Mondego Sul, but the former has As (V), whereas the latter has As (III), which is toxic. The stream sediments from Mortórios present the lowest contamination, except for Th that has a higher median value than that from Vale de Abrutiga. Stream sediments from Mondego Sul have higher U, Th, Pb and lower Co, Cr, Cu and Zn median values than those of Vale de Abrutiga.
- Caracterização e contaminação de águas associadas à mina da Fonte Santa (Bragança, Portugal).Publication . Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Gomes, M.E.P.; Neiva, A.M.R.Na região da mina de Fonte Santa ocorrem filões de quartzo mineralizados em W, com scheelite, que cortam quartzitos do Ordovícico Inferior aflorantes nas imediações de granitos Variscos, e que se relacionam com a zona de cisalhamento de Moncorvo-Bemposta. Alguns filões com scheelite têm quartzo recristalizado e brechificado e sulfuretos associados, tendo sido explorados para volfrâmio (W) entre 1942 e 1982. As águas relacionadas com a mina da Fonte Santa são pouco mineralizadas, com condutividade eléctrica < 965 μ S/cm, e classificadas como de tipo misto. A maioria dos valores de pH (pH = 5.0 - 8.5) indicam que não há drenagem ácida significativa associada às actividades mineiras e os valores mais ácidos (pH = 3.4) foram obtidos numa lagoa da mina. Nas águas associadas com os filões mineralizados e antigas explorações foram encontradas concentrações elevadas de Fe e Mn que proíbem o seu consumo humano e utilização na agricultura.
- Caracterização geoquímica de minerais de jazigos da região de Segura (Castelo Branco)Publication . Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Neiva, A.M.R.; Silva, M.M.V.G.A região de Segura é uma área mineira actualmente abandonada, tendo sido explorada para Sn, W, Ba, PB e Zn entre 1942 e 1953. Os jazigos minerais são filões de pegmatito granítico estanífero-litinífero, filões de quartzo com cassiterite e volframite e filões de quartzo com barite, galena e blenda. Os pegmatitos graníticos e os filões de quartzo mineralizados intruíram dominantemente o Complexo Xisto-Metagrauváquico, de idade Câmbrica, embora alguns atravessem também os granitos hercínicos. A cassiterite dos pegmatitos estanífero-litiníferos é zonada e possui exsoluções de mangano-columbite e de magano-ferrocolumbite, particularmente nas zonas escuras. A cassiterite dos filões de quartzo com cassiterite e volframite não é zonada e não apresenta exsoluções. A cassiterite destes filões de quartzo é mais rica em Ti e mais pobre em Nb e Nb+Ta do que a cassiterite dos pegmatitos. A volframite ocorre apenas nos filões de quartzo com cassietrite e volframite e é enriquecida na componente ferberite. Nestes filões de quartzo, foram, ainda, encontrados moscovite, pirrotite, arsenopirite, pirite, blenda, calcopirite, estanite, matildite e schapbachite. Nos filões de quartzo com barite, galena e blenda, ocorrem conjuntamente cristais de apatite, moscovite, clorite, cobaltite, pirite e calcopirite. A barite tem composição homogénea.
- Contaminação ambiental provocada pela antiga mina de urânio de Pinhal do Souto, centro de PortugalPublication . Neiva, A.M.R.; Carvalho, Paula; Antunes, I.M.H.R.A.; Silva, M.M.V.G.; Santos, A.C.T.; Pinto, M.M.S.C.; Cunha, Pedro ProençaA mina de urânio de Pinhal do Souto foi explorada subterraneamente entre 1978 e 1989, tendo produzido 93091 kg de U3O8. Na área ficaram duas escombreiras, parcialmente cobertas por vegetação natural. Nesta mina foi explorado um filão de quartzo contendo autunite e torbernite, que corta um granito de duas micas. A mina está a causar contaminação em U, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni e Pb nas águas, em Cr, Mn, Pb, Cd, Co, Fe, Th, Zn e, por vezes, em U nos sedimentos de corrente e em Cu, Pb, Zn, As, Cd e Sb nos solos. Os valores da mediana de Fe, As, Cd, Pb, Sb, Th, U, W e Zn destes solos são superiores aos dos solos dos países europeus dos dados FOREGS. forma complexos com nas águas que têm pH neutro a alcalino. As concentrações de U na água são superiores aos limites para uso humano nas épocas húmida e seca, mas são maiores na época húmida por os minerais secundários de U se dissolverem e o U ser libertado na água. Os teores de metais e As são maiores na água da época seca devido à evaporação. Os solos têm vermiculite e, por isso, retêm maiores concentrações de metais do que os sedimentos de corrente que possuem caulinite. Devido aos valores de pH ligeiramente ácidos a neutros das águas, há a ocorrência de precipitados de óxido de Fe, sobretudo nas saídas de galerias subterrâneas, que são ricos em óxidos-hidróxidos e matéria orgânica e que retêm grandes quantidades de metais U, Th e As.
- Contaminação de águas associadas a mineralizações de W de Fonte Santa, NE PortugalPublication . Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Gomes, M.E.P.; Neiva, A.M.R.; Silva, P.B.; Rodrigues, A.M.O.Na região da mina de Fonte Santa ocorrem filões de quartzo mineralizados em W, com scheelite, que cortam os quartzitos do Ordovícico Inferior e estão relacionados com a zona de cisalhamento de Moncorvo-Bemposta. Alguns filões com scheelite têm quartzo recristalizado e brechificado e sulfuretos, tendo sido explorados para W entre 1942 e 1982. As águas relacionadas com a mina da Fonte Santa são pouco mineralizadas, com condutividade eléctrica < 965 μ S/cm, e classificadas como de tipo misto. A maioria dos valores de pH (pH = 5.0 - 8.5) indicam que não há drenagem ácida significativa associada às actividades mineiras e os valores mais ácidos (pH = 3.4) foram obtidos numa lagoa da mina. Nas águas associadas com os filões mineralizados e antigas explorações foram encontradas concentrações elevadas de Fe e Mn que proíbem o seu consumo humano e utilização na agricultura.
- Contaminated water, stream sediments and soils close to the abandoned Pinhal do Souto uranium mine, central PortugalPublication . Neiva, A.M.R.; Carvalho, Paula; Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Silva, M.M.V.G.; Santos, A.C.T.; Pinto, M.M.S.C.; Cunha, Pedro ProençaThe Pinhal do Souto mine exploited a quartz vein containing uranium minerals, mainly autunite and torbernite. This vein intersects a two-mica granite containing 10 ppm U and uraninite. The mine was exploited underground and produced 93091 kg U3O8 between 1978 and 1989 and was then closed down. Two dumps were left in the mine area and these are partially covered by natural vegetation. Groundwater and surface water have a similar slightly acid-to-alkaline pH. The 2 2 UO is abundant and complexed with 2 3 CO , under neutral to alkaline pH. Metals and arsenic concentrations in the water increase during the dry season due to the evaporation. Uranium concentration in the water increases (up to 104.42 g/l) in the wet season, because secondary uranium minerals are dissolved and uranium is released into the water. Soils tend to retain a higher concentration of several metals, including U (up to 336.79 mg/kg) than stream sediments (up to 35.68 mg/kg), because vermiculite from the former could adsorb it more easily than could kaolinite from the latter. The Fe-oxides precipitate retains the highest concentrations of several metals, including U and Th (up to 485.20 and 1053.12 mg/kg, respectively) and the metalloid As, because it is richer in oxyhydroxides and organic matter than stream sediments and soils. The median concentrations of Fe, As, Cd, Pb, Sb, Th, U, W and Zn in soils from this area are higher than in European soils of the FOREGS data. Waters from dry and wet seasons, stream sediments and soils are contaminated and must not be used. This area was compared with another Portuguese abandoned uranium mine area. The former mine caused a lower environmental impact attributable to it having lower sulfide concentration and mineral alteration than in the latter.
- Contamination of soils and waters related to cassiterite-wolframite and baryte-galena-spharelite mineralization from Segura, PortugalPublication . Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Neiva, A.M.R.; Silva, M.M.V.G.Contamination of soils and waters related to cassiterite-wolframite and baryte-galena-spharelite mineralization from Segura, Portugal.
- Contamination of waters related to abandoned W-Sn mines (Murçós, NE Portugal)Publication . Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Gomes, M.E.P.; Neiva, A.M.R.; Teixeira, R.J.S.Contamination of waters related to abandoned W-Sn mines (Murçós, NE Portugal)
- Environmental contamination associated with some abandoned mines in Central PortugalPublication . Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Neiva, A.M.R.; Silva, ManuelaAt Segura, aplite-pegmatite veins with casserite and lepidolite, Sn-W, and Ba-Pb-Zn quartz veins were exploited; mine tailings were left exposed. Sn, W, B, As, and Cu anomalies in stream sediments and soils are related to the Sn-W quartz veins, while Ba, Pb and Zn anomalies are associated with the Ba-Pb-Zn veins. Soils are contaminated in Sn, B, As, and Ba and must not be used for agriculture and human residences or industry. The waters are contaminated in As, Fe and Mn and should not be used for human and agricultural activities. Sn, B, Cu, and Pb were not detected in waters.