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Theses/Dissertations

Geology

2010

Copper

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Application Of Copper And Zinc Isotopes To Fingerprint Metal Sources And Identify Attenuation Mechanisms In The Abandoned Waldorf Mine Area, Clear Creek County, Colorado, Suzan Aranda Luna Jan 2010

Application Of Copper And Zinc Isotopes To Fingerprint Metal Sources And Identify Attenuation Mechanisms In The Abandoned Waldorf Mine Area, Clear Creek County, Colorado, Suzan Aranda Luna

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Acid rock drainage (ARD) is caused by the oxidative weathering of sulfide minerals. Sulfur is oxidized by dissolved oxygen or Fe(III) and sulfate ions, metals, and protons are released into the environment. Hence, the pH of nearby water and soils often decreases in response to ARD while metal concentrations increase. Because a large part of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado are highly mineralized (i.e., the Colorado Mineral Belt), ARD is a serious problem in this region. Moreover, the many abandoned mining areas in the Rocky Mountains that include waste rock piles, tailings impoundments, and surface disturbances add to the problem …


Investigations Of Grade Control, Macarthur Mine, Yerington, Nevada: An Oxidized Porphyry Copper System, Joseph Daniel Louis Lori Jan 2010

Investigations Of Grade Control, Macarthur Mine, Yerington, Nevada: An Oxidized Porphyry Copper System, Joseph Daniel Louis Lori

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Supergene enriched, low-grade oxidized porphyry copper deposits are of great economic value. Oxidized porphyry sections are economic targets because even low-grade prospects have the potential to produce low-cost copper in an environmentally friendly fashion due to easy leachability and high recovery rates of the oxide mineralization. The MacArthur Mine, in the historic Yerington mining district of Nevada, is the focus of this study. The MacArthur is a tilted oxidized porphyry deposit, partially mined by open pit methods, hosted in the Jurassic Bear Quartz Monzonite of the Yerington batholith. The objective of the study is to define controls of copper oxide …