The acidic mine pit lakes of the Iberian Pyrite Belt: An approach to their physical limnology and hydrogeochemistry

doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2007.12.036

Applied Geochemistry

Volume 23, Issue 5, May 2008, Pages 1260-1287

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2007.12.036 Get rights and content

Abstract

This study examines some relevant limnological and hydrogeochemical characteristics of 22 mine pit lakes of the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB). The studied pit lakes include some of the largest and historically most important mines of the IPB (including Corta Atalaya and Cerro Colorado in Riotinto, Filón Norte, Filón Centro and Filón Sur in Tharsis, Aznalcóllar, or San Telmo) and many other of minor size. As a whole, these lakes constitute, at present, a large volume of highly acidic and metal-polluted water. Some of these pit lakes are very recent (e.g., Corta Atalaya, 2.5 a; Los Frailes, 6 a) and present a continuous hydrological and geochemical evolution, although many others were abandoned decades ago and show nearly constant water volume. Depth profiles obtained in several pit lakes (e.g., San Telmo, Confesionarios, Cueva de la Mora, Concepción) indicate that many of them have developed meromixis and show, at present, a permanent thermal and chemical stratification with a well defined chemocline separating an anoxic, Fe(II)-rich monimolimnion, and a well mixed, oxygenated and Fe(III)-rich mixolimnion. In the upper layer, the bacterial oxidation of Fe(II) competes with photoreductive processes which take place in the surface water, thus provoking diel cycles of Fe(II) concentration. The observed water chemistry reflects the oxidation and dissolution of pyrite and other sulphides and gangue aluminosilicates from the country rock. The pit lakes of the IPB cover a wide range of water compositions, from circumneutral and relatively low-metal (e.g., Los Frailes, pH 7.2, 0.07 mg/L Fe, 3.8 mg/L Mn, 30 mg/L Zn), to extremely acidic and metal(loid)-rich (e.g., Corta Atalaya, pH 1.2, 36.7 g/L Fe, 6.7 g/L Zn, 1.3 g/L Cu, 159 mg/L As). Most pit lakes, however, are comprised within the pH range of 2.2–3.6 and appear to be strongly buffered by the hydrolysis and precipitation of Fe(III) in the form of schwertmannite, which forms colloids that can sorb trace elements from the aqueous phase.

Section snippets

Introduction and scope

The intensive mining carried out in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) has left a legacy of mine pits with considerable size. Good examples of such pit size are those of Corta Atalaya-Riotinto (1200 m long × 900 m wide × 360 m high), Aznalcóllar (1320 m × 800 m × 275 m), or Filón Norte-Tharsis (970 m long × 550 m wide × 135 m high). Many of these mine pits were abandoned and flooded during the 1960–1990s. The flooding of these pits by groundwater and rainfall favored the oxidative dissolution of pyrite and a subsequent

Field measurements and sampling

The field measurements and water sampling were carried out in spring–summer of 2005 and 2006, under similar climatic and hydrological conditions.

Field parameters such as pH, Eh, temperature (T), dissolved O₂ (DO), and electric conductivity (EC), were measured at the water surface in all the studied pit lakes (n = 22). These data were obtained with HANNA portable instruments, specifically, with probe types HI 9025 (pH, Eh, T), HI 9145 (DO) and HI 9033 (EC), properly calibrated on site against

Location

Several pit lakes are located in some of the World’s largest and most famous massive sulphide mines (e.g., Corta Atalaya and Cerro Colorado in Riotinto, Filón Norte and Filón Centro in Tharsis, Aznalcóllar, San Telmo), although other lakes of minor size have been also formed in smaller mines such as Concepción, Herrerías, Confesionarios, Angostura or Tinto-Santa Rosa. The great majority of the pit lakes are located in the province of Huelva, with the exception of Aznalcóllar and Los Frailes,

Physical limnology: thermal and chemical stratification of the mine pit lakes

The data provided in Table 1 reflect a great variation of size, surface area and depth of the mine pit lakes. The surface area of the studied lakes ranges from less than 1 ha (10⁴ m²) in small lakes like Fronteriza, La Condesa, Herrerías I and Angostura, up to 11–28 ha (1.1–2.8 × 10⁵ m²) in greater lakes like Aznalcóllar, San Telmo and Los Frailes.

Depth profiles carried out in the pit lakes of Aznalcóllar, Los Frailes, San Telmo, Confesionarios, Cueva de la Mora, Concepción, Nª Sª del Carmen, Filón

Conclusions

The mining industry developed during the past in the IPB massive sulphide province has left, as a major legacy, a large number of pit lakes which constitute large reservoirs of (mostly) acidic and metal-polluted water that can not be used for agricultural or industrial purposes and represent a permanent source of AMD for surface water courses and groundwaters.

Depth profiles carried out during 2005 and 2006 in several mine sites suggest that many pit lakes in the IPB, as for example San Telmo,

Acknowledgments

This work has been financially supported with funds from Junta de Andalucía (Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa). We acknowledge the support provided by Jesús Reyes during the laboratory work, and the helpful and judicious comments made by Martin Schultze (UFZ-Centre for Environmental Research, Magdeburg, Germany) on a previous version of this manuscript. Finally, we appreciate the review made by Dr. Regina N. Tempel, which helped to improve the quality of the paper.

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The acidic mine pit lakes of the Iberian Pyrite Belt: An approach to their physical limnology and hydrogeochemistry

Abstract

Section snippets

Introduction and scope

Field measurements and sampling

Location

Physical limnology: thermal and chemical stratification of the mine pit lakes

Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Appl. Geochem.

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

Chem. Geol.

Appl. Geochem.

Appl. Geochem.

J. Geochem. Explor.

Appl. Geochem.

Res. Microbiol.

Appl. Geochem.

Chem. Geol.

Appl. Geochem.

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

Appl. Geochem.

Appl. Geochem.

Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta

Mar. Chem.

J. Hydrol.

Meromictic lakes and varved lake sediments in North America

US Geol. Surv. Bull.

Modeling spatial and temporal variations in temperature and salinity during stratification and overturn in Dexter Pit Lake, Tuscarora, Nevada, USA

Appl. Geochem.

Temperature dependence of hydroxyl radical formation in the hν/Fe3+/H2O2 and Fe3+/H2O2 systems

Chemosphere

Photoreduction of iron in the epilimnion of acidic lakes

Limnol. Oceanogr.

The photoreduction of Fe(III) in acid mine waters of the Iberian Pyrite Belt

Boletín Geológico y Minero

Physical limnology of existing mine pit lakes

Min. Eng.

The Geochemistry of Natural Waters

Surface complexation modeling-hydrous ferric oxide

Depth distribution of heavy metals in lake sediments from lignite mine pit lakes of Lusatia (Germany)

Studia Quaternaria

Natural and anthropogenic sulphuric acidification of lakes

Vertical and annual distribution of ferric and ferrous iron in acidic mining lakes

Acta Hydrochim. Hydrobiol.

Temperature dependence of hydroxyl radical formation in the hν/Fe³⁺/H₂O₂ and Fe³⁺/H₂O₂ systems