Availability of Cu, Pb and Zn in Canal Caveira and São Domingos mine areas from Iberian Pyrite Belt

Abstract

Several mining areas are abandoned in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) leading to important points of environmental con­tamination. The potential and immediate environmental risk and impact on public health of hazardous elements from soil can be estimated from availability analy­sis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the availability of Cu, Pb and Zn in São Domingos and Canal Caveira mining ar­eas located in the IPB.

Both mining areas had high soil ele­mental total concentrations. Metals avail­ability changed with plots and, is related with soils characteristics. In Canal Caveira mine area, the Pb available frac­tion in soils was higher than in São Domingos soils however, the opposite was observed for Zn. The fractions of available Cu, in both mine soils, are <0.6 % of the total concentration. In both min­ing areas, Cu and Zn are mainly associ­ated with the residual fraction, while Pb is associated with residual fraction in São Domingos and with organic matter in Ca­nal Caveira soils.