Dr
Steve Carver
Use of Pb/Zn contaminated mine tailings as a tracer for environmental change in north east Greenland
1. Mestersvig, North East Greenland - 72° 13'N 23° 52'W
http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/people/s.carver/noret.html
Project outline:
During the 1998 summer field season, the Noret Project took sediment cores from the Noret Inlet, Mestersvig and made extensive corrections to digital terrain models (DTM) of the inlet's catchment area using Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Sediment cores and DTM will be analysed to estimate long term sediment yields from the Noret watershed and establish the sequence of depositional environments over the late Quaternary period within the region. Additional information will be gained on recent environmental pollution within the catchment from lead and zinc mining operations at Blyklippen. Cores of up to 1 metre were retrieved from the deepest part of the inlet using a Mackereth compressed air corer. GPS and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) techniques were used to assist with fieldwork. The expedition team was made of researchers from the University of Leeds, Robert Gordon University, De Monford University and the University of Life. The project is collaborating with other research teams in UK and with Danish researchers at GEUS and RISØ.
Noret Inlet region
2. TUNNELELV RIVER PROJECT – 1989
MESTERS VIG, NORTH EAST GREENLAND - 72° 13'N 23° 51'W
http://www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/people/s.carver/gland89.html
The Tunnelelv River Project was a field research project aimed at assessing the impact of lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) mining operations on the sediments and floral communities within an Arctic braided river sytsem. The project expedition visited the Mesters Vig area of north east Greenland in July and August 1989 to carry out fieldwork on the Tunnelelv River and Blyklippen mine. Sediment samples brought back from Greenland have been analysed for both total and available Pb and Zn content. Results show interesting patterns of downstream dispersion and deposition of metal rich mine
a) Blyklippen b) Surveying
Lead and zinc were mined at the Blyklippen mine at Mesters Vig from 1956 until 1962. A total of 545,000 tons of ore (9.3% Pb, 9.9% Zn) was extracted (Harpoth et al., 1986). On site concentration provided 58,500 tons of lead concentrate (82.7% Pb) and 74,600 tons of zinc concentrate (63.7% Zn). Much of the resulting metal rich tailings were dumped directly onto the braid plain of the Tunnelev from where they have been eroded and dispersed downstream. Numerous glacio-fluvial deposits occur on both sides of the valley and these provide most of the sediment for the Tunnelelv river. In the reaches around the Blyklippen mine, and for 4km downstream, the river exhibits a braided morphology. This is characteristic of a river with a high sediment load and supply. A significant source of this sediment load, particularly the fine fraction, has been found to come from the metal rich mine tailings found near the mine site.
The results of these analyses indicate that substantial contamination of the active braid plain and delta system of the Tunnelelv river has occurred as a result of mining activity at Blyklippen. The initial impact caused aggradation of tailings in the stream channel draining the mine and a phase of contamination of channel and bar surfaces within the braid plain. After mining ceased, the channel incised the mine tailings and released large quantities of metal rich material into the river system downstream of the mine. Much of this sediment is currently stored as a veneer on bar surfaces and within the active channel.
The future behaviour of contaminated channels and bars within the Tunnelelv river system is of concern since the evidence suggests that incision has and is occurring at present. Incision leads to the abandonment of locally contaminated areas of soil, which in some instances has already been colonised by Chamonerion latifolium. Consequently, there exists the potential for the development of highly contaminated areas of sward (assuming the phytotocicity does not preclude colonisation) or if phytotoxic effects are revealed, then subtle alterations in the ecological succession of these areas may be observed.
Some related references:
CARVER, S., WOODWARD, J. AND MIKKELSEN, N. (2002) Long-term rates of mass wasting in Mesters Vig, Northeast Greenland: Notes on a re-survey. in Permafrost and Periglacial Processes. 13(3), 243-249.
WOODWARD, J., CARVER, S., KUNZENDORF, H. AND BENNIKE, O. (2002) Observations of surge periodicity in East Greenland using molybdenum records from marine sediment cores. in J.A.Dowdswell and Ó.Cofaigh (eds) Glacier influenced sedimentation in high-latitude continental margins. Geological Society Special Publication 203, 367-373. The Geological Society, London.
CARVER, S., SEAR, D. & VALENTINE, E. (1994) An observation of roll waves in a supra-glacial meltwater channel, Harlech Gletscher, East Greenland. in Journal of Glaciology 134, 177-180.
SEAR, D. & CARVER, S. (1996) Release and dispersal of Pb and Zn contaminated mining sediments in an Arctic braided river system. in Applied Geochemistry. 11, 187-195.