The Past Is Never Dead: Soil Pollution from Mining in the Copiapó River Basin (Northern Chile)

Abstract

This short paper analyses the concentrations of two major components (Fe, S) and eight trace elements (As, Au, Co, Cu, Hg, Ni, Mn, Zn) in soils and tailings from Tierra Amarilla (northern Chile) using ICP-Ms analysis. The levels of As, Au, Cu, Fe and S are very high and come from polymetallic sulphides from nearby mines, together with minor contributions of Co, Ni and Mn. Hg has its origin in the extreme seasonal flows of the Copiapó River, which erodes the dumps of old precious metal mines. These high concentrations require further analysis of possible metal immobilisation techniques, bioavailability or analysis in cultivated plants.