Earth Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Sulfide Mineral Weathering On The Isotopic Signatures Of Fe And Cu In Metal-Rich Streams, Ana Lourdes Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The oxidative weathering of sulfide minerals, like pyrite, at the Earth's surface controls the formation of acid mine drainage sites as well as the Fe isotope composition of these areas and the main processes taken place. In this study, water and rock samples were collected from acidic drainages (most from abandoned mining sites) from the St. Juan Mountains in Colorado. The water samples were measured in-situ for dissolved oxygen, dissolved Fe(II), pH, and conductivity. Filtered acidified, unfiltered acidified, and Fe-oxide samples were analyzed for their metal concentrations. Ion-exchange chromatography was applied to both water and digested oxide fractions in order …