Isotopic imprints of mountaintop mining contaminants.
Abstract
Mountaintop mining (MTM) is the primary procedure for surface coal exploration within
the central Appalachian region of the eastern United States, and it is known to contaminate
streams in local watersheds. In this study, we measured the chemical and isotopic
compositions of water samples from MTM-impacted tributaries and streams in the Mud
River watershed in West Virginia. We systematically document the isotopic compositions
of three major constituents: sulfur isotopes in sulfate (δ(34)SSO4), carbon isotopes
in dissolved inorganic carbon (δ(13)CDIC), and strontium isotopes ((87)Sr/(86)Sr).
The data show that δ(34)SSO4, δ(13)CDIC, Sr/Ca, and (87)Sr/(86)Sr measured in saline-
and selenium-rich MTM impacted tributaries are distinguishable from those of the surface
water upstream of mining impacts. These tracers can therefore be used to delineate
and quantify the impact of MTM in watersheds. High Sr/Ca and low (87)Sr/(86)Sr characterize
tributaries that originated from active MTM areas, while tributaries from reclaimed
MTM areas had low Sr/Ca and high (87)Sr/(86)Sr. Leaching experiments of rocks from
the watershed show that pyrite oxidation and carbonate dissolution control the solute
chemistry with distinct (87)Sr/(86)Sr ratios characterizing different rock sources.
We propose that MTM operations that access the deeper Kanawha Formation generate residual
mined rocks in valley fills from which effluents with distinctive (87)Sr/(86)Sr and
Sr/Ca imprints affect the quality of the Appalachian watersheds.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Carbon Compounds, InorganicCarbon Isotopes
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments
Mining
Rivers
Selenium
Strontium
Strontium Isotopes
Sulfates
Sulfur Isotopes
Water Pollutants, Chemical
West Virginia
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/8304Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1021/es4012959Publication Info
(2013). Isotopic imprints of mountaintop mining contaminants. Environ Sci Technol, 47(17). pp. 10041-10048. 10.1021/es4012959. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/8304.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Richard T. Di Giulio
Research Professor of Environmental Toxicology in the Division of Environmental Science
and Policy
Dr. Di Giulio serves as Director of Duke University's Integrated Toxicology Program
and the Superfund Basic Research Center.
Dr. Di Giulio's research is concerned with basic studies of mechanisms of contaminant
metabolism, adaptation and toxicity, and with the development of mechanistically-based
indices of exposure and toxicity that can be employed in biomonitoring. The long term
goals of this research are to bridge the gap between mechanistic toxicological research
and the development of usef
Avner Vengosh
Nicholas Distinguished Professor of Environmental Quality
Avner Vengosh is a Distinguished Professor and Nicholas Chair of Environmental Quality
at the Nicholas School of the Environment. He is the chair of the Division of Earth
and Climate Sciences. Professor Vengosh and his team have studied the energy-water
nexus, conducting pioneer research on the impact of hydraulic fracturing and coal
ash disposal on the quantity and quality of water resources in the U.S. and China.
He has also investigated the sources and mechanisms of water contaminati
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