Dispersion of Heavy Metals in the Geochemical Environment around the Geumwang Gold-Silver Mine

금왕 금·은광산 주변 지구화학적 환경에서의 중금속 원소들의 분산

Soil, tailings, stream sediment and surface water samples collected in the vicinity of the Geumwang Au-Ag mine were analyzed in order to investigate the pollution level of heavy metals and to determine the dispersion patterns. Although the maximum concentrations of soils collected at the flotation plant and tailings dam were 9,270 ppm As, 17 ppm Cd, 1,480 ppm Cu, 10,080 ppm Pb and 18,400 ppm Zn, dispersion of heavy metals were limited in the vicinity of the flotation plant and tailings dam. This may be due to high pH values (> 8.0) of the soils by flotation solution for mineral processing. The pH values of water samples near the flotation plant and tailings dam were over 8.0 and Cd, Cu and Zn concentrations were not detected. The waters in the vicinity of Geumwang mine generally belong to a $Ca^{2+}-SO_{4}{^{2-}}$ $(HCO_3{^-})$ type.