RT Journal Article
T1 Mineralogy of atmospheric dust impacting the Rio Tinto mining area (Spain) during episodes of high metal deposition
A1 Fernández Caliani, Juan Carlos
A1 Rosa Díaz, Jesús de la
A1 Sánchez de la Campa Verdona, Ana María
A1 González Castanedo, Yolanda
A1 Castillo, S.
AB This study is the first to investigate the mineral composition of the atmospheric particulate matterdeposited at Rio Tinto, Spain, an historical mining district of world-class importance, with emphasis onmetal-bearing particles and their environmental implications. The dustfall is composed of quartz,feldspars, phyllosilicates (mica, chlorite and/or kaolinite) and a variety of accessory heavy minerals,the most common being primary sulfides (pyrite, chalcopyrite with minor galena, sphalerite andbornite) and their oxidation products (notably goethite, hematite and jarosite). This mineral assemblagesuggests a local source of wind-blown dust and it is consistent with the large deposition levels ofsulfide-related elements (As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn) registered at the sampling site adjacent to themine waste dumps. However, the generation of potentially harmful dust particles is not restricted tomine wastes. Anthropogenic metallic compounds arising from a nearby hazardous waste disposalcentre can make a relevant additional contribution to the metal deposition, particularly for Fe, Ni, Crand Mn. Atmospheric fallout is a major mechanism for metal input to soils and plants around or nearthe mining area.
PB Mineralogical Society
SN 0026-461X
SN 1471-8022
YR 2013
FD 2013
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10272/13528
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10272/13528
LA eng
NO Fernández Caliani, J.C., Rosa Díaz, J., Sánchez de la Campa Verdona, A.M., González Castanedo, Y., Castillo, S.: "Mineralogy of atmospheric dust impacting the Rio Tinto mining area (Spain) during episodes of high metal deposition".  Mineralogical Magazine. Vol. 77, n. 6, págs.2793–2810, (2013). DOI: 10.1180/minmag.2013.077.6.07
NO This study was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Projects CRACCIE-CSD2007-0067 and CGL2008-06270-C02-02/CLI) and the Department of the Environment, and the Department of Innovation, Science and Enterprise (Projects RNM2007-02729 and RNM2009-5163M) of the Andalusia Autonomous Government. Karen Hudson-Edwards and an anonymous reviewer are thanked for their constructive comments and suggestions.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026