Characteristics of heavy metal distribution at spoil dump-fields of Cu-deposit Ľubietová (Slovakia)

Abstract

The mechanism of heavy metal distribution in the Podlipa and Reiner spoil dump-fields of the abandoned Cu-deposit of L'ubietova is influenced by the primary content of ores and individual metals in their substrate, geochemical properties of individual elements, their migration and sorption properties and pH/Eh values. The article presents mapping of Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, U, Th, Cd, As, Sb, Ag distribution at the studied dump-fields and study of the reasons and results of their individual migration process. The specific behaviour of individual metals at different localities is selective. These properties are reflected also by correlation relations. While at Podlipa were described correlations only among several few metal couples (Cu/Co, Fe/Ni, Ni/As, Zn/Cd, Zn/Pb, Pb/Cd, U/Th), at Reiner dump-field is the situation substantially different; there were proved several times more metal pairs showing high level of correlation. This result enable suggest that there were different environmental conditions influenced primarily by different rock composition and those also different natural sorbents effecting selective migration mechanism at these two close localities.