naa a22 4500 510752403 CHVBK 20180411083109.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130201xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11270-012-1415-y doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11270-012-1415-y Particulate and Dissolved Trace Element Concentrations in Three Southern Ecuador Rivers Impacted by Artisanal Gold Mining [Elektronische Daten] [Gregory Carling, Ximena Diaz, Marlon Ponce, Lester Perez, Luis Nasimba, Eddy Pazmino, Abigail Rudd, Srinivas Merugu, Diego Fernandez, Bruce Gale, William Johnson] Water and sediment samples were collected along river transects at three artisanal gold mining areas in southern Ecuador: Nambija, Portovelo-Zaruma, and Ponce Enriquez. Samples were analyzed for a suite of major and trace elements, including filtered/unfiltered water samples and stream flow measurements to determine dissolved/particulate loads. Results show that the Q. Calixto, Calera, and Siete rivers (corresponding to Nambija, Portovelo-Zaruma, and Ponce Enriquez mining areas, respectively) have substantial trace element contamination due to mining inputs. Dissolved concentrations were elevated at Calera and Siete relative to Q. Calixto, possibly reflecting the input of soluble cyano-metal complexes in mining zones where cyanidation is used in ore processing. A negative correlation was found between MeHg:THg ratios and pH, indicating an inverse relationship of mercury methylation with cyanidation (since cyanidation increases water pH). This was the first comprehensive study to examine an extensive suite of trace elements in both water and sediment at the three main gold mining areas of southern Ecuador, including dissolved and particulate loads, and the first study to report MeHg concentrations in the mercury-contaminated rivers. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht, 2013 Cyanidation nationallicence Methyl mercury nationallicence Trace metals nationallicence Particulate loads nationallicence Dissolved loads nationallicence Ecuador nationallicence Carling Gregory Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut Diaz Ximena Department of Extractive Metallurgy, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador aut Ponce Marlon Instituto Nacional de Investigación Geológico Minero Metalúrgico, INIGEMM, Quito, Ecuador aut Perez Lester Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología, INAMHI, Quito, Ecuador aut Nasimba Luis Instituto Nacional de Investigación Geológico Minero Metalúrgico, INIGEMM, Quito, Ecuador aut Pazmino Eddy Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut Rudd Abigail Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut Merugu Srinivas Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut Fernandez Diego Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut Gale Bruce Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut Johnson William Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Springer Netherlands 224/2(2013-02-01), 1-16 0049-6979 224:2<1 2013 224 11270 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1415-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-012-1415-y text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Carling Gregory Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Diaz Ximena Department of Extractive Metallurgy, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Ponce Marlon Instituto Nacional de Investigación Geológico Minero Metalúrgico, INIGEMM, Quito, Ecuador aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Perez Lester Instituto Nacional de Meteorología e Hidrología, INAMHI, Quito, Ecuador aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Nasimba Luis Instituto Nacional de Investigación Geológico Minero Metalúrgico, INIGEMM, Quito, Ecuador aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Pazmino Eddy Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Rudd Abigail Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Merugu Srinivas Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Fernandez Diego Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Gale Bruce Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Johnson William Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Water, Air, & Soil Pollution Springer Netherlands 224/2(2013-02-01), 1-16 0049-6979 224:2<1 2013 224 11270 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer