Description:
A 10-month study of surface waters in Canadian Creek (Ballarat, Victoria, Australia) showed the significant influence of historic gold mining waste material. The investigation focussed on the hydrogeochemistry of the surface waters and soils in order to: (1) document the levels and seasonal trends in major, minor and trace elements in the creek, (2) identify the process by which As is released from the soil/waste mining material to surface waters. For most dissolved major and trace elements (Na, Ca, Mg, K, and As) in surface waters, the concentrations decreased with the increasing rainfall and flow conditions except for Al and Fe. Two sites selected along the creek (<1 km apart) allowed evaluation of the possibility that mining waste material is contributing to the elevated As concentrations (up to 145
Description:
The clay mineralogy and heavy metal/metalloid (As, Pb and Cu) contents of soils developed on the various rock units in a central highlands environment in Victoria (Creswick, Australia) have been investigated. The clay minerals identified showed an order of abundance as: kaolinite - illite > smectite > mixed-layer (ML) ≈ vermiculite. The soil clay mineralogy did not change systematically with depth (0- 10, 10- 20 and 20- 30 cm) and showed large variations spatially. The high proportion of kaolinite was probably due to the removal of 2:1 phyllosilicates by the formation of 1:1 kaolinite through weathering, which also reduced the cation exchange capacity (CEC) and electrical conductivity (EC, soil: water ratio of 1:5) of soils by aging. Soils were classified as silty loam to loam with a low clay size (≤ 2
Description:
This paper reports on the major cations (Ca, Mg, Na and K) and arsenic (As) compositions of surface waters collected from major creeks, rivers and lakes in Central Victoria (Australia). The surface waters were found to be neutral to alkaline (pH 6.7-9.4), oxidised (average redox potential (Eh) about 130 mV) and showed variable concentrations of dissolved ions (EC, about 51-4386
Description:
"Three sampling campaigns were conducted in the Ballarat, Creswick and Maldon areas. The sampling area is part of the Golden Triangle region where significant gold-mining activities took place from the 1850s to the present day. [...] Locations were chosen to evaluate arsenic distribution in soils, surface waters and plants in different environments. Easy access to sampling locations allowed detailed scientific sampling, especially in the seasonality study. The different range of environments such as agricultural, state forest, mining, urban and rural provided an opportunity to compare the concentrations of arsenic and other elements in the study area. The study of the three selected areas combined provided further understanding of possible exposure and pathways through which arsenic can get into the food chain. "The objective of the study is to measure levels of heavy metals/metalloids in soils, water and plants in various environments, identify whether the heavy metals/metalloids are mobile and bioavailable and understand the importance of clays and oxide complexes in the fixation of metals."
Description:
"Three sampling campaigns were conducted in the Ballarat, Creswick and Maldon areas. The sampling area is part of the Golden Triangle region where significant gold-mining activities took place from the 1850s to the present day. [...] Locations were chosen to evaluate arsenic distribution in soils, surface waters and plants in different environments. Easy access to sampling locations allowed detailed scientific sampling, especially in the seasonality study. The different range of environments such as agricultural, state forest, mining, urban and rural provided an opportunity to compare the concentrations of arsenic and other elements in the study area. The study of the three selected areas combined provided further understanding of possible exposure and pathways through which arsenic can get into the food chain. "The objective of the study is to measure levels of heavy metals/metalloids in soils, water and plants in various environments, identify whether the heavy metals/metalloids are mobile and bioavailable and understand the importance of clays and oxide complexes in the fixation of metals."