RT Journal Article
T1 Hydrogeochemical characteristics of the Tinto and Odiel Rivers (SW Spain). Factors controlling metal contents
A1 Ruiz Cánovas, Carlos
A1 Olías Álvarez, Manuel
A1 Nieto Liñán, José Miguel
A1 Miguel Sarmiento, Aguasanta
A1 Cerón García, Juan Carlos
AB The Tinto and Odiel Rivers are strongly affected by acid mine drainage (AMD) due to the intense sulphide mining developed in their basins over the past 5000 years. In this study the results obtained from a weekly sampling in both rivers, before their mouth in the Ría of Huelva, over three and a half years of control are analysed. In the Tinto River, the concentrations of sulphates, Al, Cd, Co, Li and Zn are double to those of the Odiel as a consequence of lower dilution. However, the concentration of Fe in the Odiel River is 20 times lower, since the precipitation of Fe oxyhydroxysulphates caused by neutralisation processes is more intense. Lower As, Cr, Cu and Pb concentrations are also found in the Odiel River as, to a greater or lesser extent, they are sorbed and/or coprecipitated with Fe. Other elements such as Be, Mn, Ni and Mg show similar values in both systems, which is ascribed to lithological factors. The seasonal evolution of contaminants is typical of rivers affected by AMD, reaching a maximum in autumn due to the dissolution of evaporitic salts precipitated during the summer. Nevertheless, in the Tinto River, Ca, Na and Sr show a strong increase during the summer, probably due to a greater water interaction with marly materials, through which the last reach of the river flows. Barium has a different behaviour from the rest of the metals and its concentration seems to be controlled by the solubility of barite. Iron, As and Pb show different behaviours in both rivers, those for Fe and As possibly linked to the prevalence of different dissolved species of Fe. The different Pb pattern is probably due to the control of Pb solubility by anglesite or other minerals rich in Pb in the Tinto River.
PB Elsevier
SN 0048-9697
SN 1879-1026 (electrónico)
YR 2006
FD 2006
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/22868
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/22868
LA eng
NO Cánovas, C. R., Olías, M., Nieto, J. M., Sarmiento, A. M., & Cerón, J. C. (2007). Hydrogeochemical characteristics of the Tinto and Odiel Rivers (SW Spain). Factors controlling metal contents. In Science of The Total Environment (Vol. 373, Issue 1, pp. 363–382). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.11.022
NO The authors wish to thank the Guadiana Hydrographic Confederation, and the Environmental Council of the Andalusia Regional Government for the information provided for this study, which has been financed through the project “Mining contamination evaluation, acid mine drainage treatment, hydrologic modeling of the Odiel River basin and study of the contaminant load to the Huelva estuary”, financed by the Environmental Council of the Andalusia Regional Government, and REN2003-09590-C04-03 financed by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science. The original manuscript was notably improved thanks to the comments and suggestions of two anonymous reviewers.
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 1 jun 2026