New petrographic and chemical data on the Garlitos pluton and other associated igneous rocks in the Almaden area have shown a high-K calc-alkaline character and clear similarities with other calcalkaline granitoids, in particular the lithotypes dominant in the Los Pedroches batholith. Similarities include petrographical, mineralogical and chemical features, as we/1 as a number of metamorphic xenoliths, suggesting that igneous rocks were generated from similar sources and emplaced through similar crustal segments.

Batholith

Xenolith

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Citations (1)

Alteración de materiales volcánicos Paleozoicos del Sinclinal de Almadén

Pablo Higueras Anselmo Acosta Echevarría

The volcanic rocks of the Almaden synclyne are affected by alteration processes, with carbonate (arkerite, chlorite and cripocrystaline, silica as main paragenetic minerals. In this paper, a study of the mineralogy and the geochemistry of the process is made, concluing that it is of the autometasomathic type, related with a high CO2 and H2O content of the magma.

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Spatial Distribution and Biomonitoring of Atmospheric Mercury Concentrations over a Contaminated Coastal Lagoon (Northern Adriatic, Italy)

Atmosphere (2020)

Federico Floreani Nicolò Barago Alessandro Acquavita Stefano Covelli Nicola Skert

The Marano and Grado Lagoon (Northern Adriatic Sea) has been affected by mercury (Hg) contamination coming from two sources, mining activity and discharges from a chlor-alkali plant (CAP). Sediments and water contamination have been previously well characterised, but little is known about the atmospheric compartment, where Hg is easily emitted and can persist for a long time as gaseous elemental mercury (GEM). In this work, atmospheric GEM levels and its spatial distribution over the lagoon were monitored at several sites by means of both continuous discrete instrumental measurements over several months and the determination of Hg bioaccumulated in lichens (Xanthoria parietina L.). Average GEM levels varied from 1.80 ± 0.74 to 3.04 ± 0.66 ng m−3, whereas Hg in lichens ranged between 0.06 to 0.40 mg kg−1. In both cases, the highest values were found downwind of the CAP, but excluding this point, spatial patterns of Hg in the atmosphere and lichens reflected the concentration of this metal in the sediments of the lagoon, showing a decrease moving westward. These results could indicate that the lagoon acts as a secondary source of Hg into the atmosphere: future work is needed to characterise the quantity of releases and depositions at different environments inside the lagoon.

Mercury

10.3390/atmos11121280

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Trace elements in farmland soils and crops, and probabilistic health risk assessment in areas influenced by mining activity in Ecuador

Environmental Geochemistry and Health (2023)

Paola Romero-Crespo Samantha Jiménez-Oyola Bryan Salgado-Almeida Johanna Zambrano Anchundia Cindy Goyburo-Chávez

Consumption of food grown in contaminated soils may be a significant human exposure pathway to pollutants, including toxic elements. This study aimed to investigate the pollution level of trace elements in farmland soil and crops collected in orchards from Ponce Enriquez, one of the Ecuador's most important gold mining areas. The concentration of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chrome (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) was analyzed in soil and crop samples (celery, chives, corn, herbs, lettuce, turnips, green beans, cassava, and carrots). In addition, a probabilistic human health risk assessment, in terms of hazard quotients (HQ) and cancer risk (CR), was conducted to assess the potential risk related to local crop ingestion. The contents of As, Cr, Cu, and Ni in soils exceeded the Ecuadorian quality guidelines for agricultural soils. The trace elements concentration in local crops was higher than the maximum permissible levels set by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The HQ and CR of local crop ingestion were several orders higher than the safe exposure threshold, mainly for lettuce, chives, and turnips. Our results revealed that inhabitants of the study area are exposed to developing carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects due to long-term food consumption with high trace elements. This study sheds light on the need to assess further the quality of agricultural soils and crops grown in mining areas with signs of contamination to guarantee consumer food safety.

Hazard quotient

10.1007/s10653-023-01514-x

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Effect of the addition of sewage sludge as a fertilizer on a sandy vineyard soil

Journal of Soils and Sediments (2015)

Sandra Bravo Francisco Jesús García Navarro José Ángel Amorós Ortíz-Villajos Caridad Pérez de los Reyes Pablo Higueras

Vineyard

Soil test

Sewage sludge

Trace element

10.1007/s11368-015-1102-x