CHARACTERIZATION OF ZINC, LEAD, AND CADMIUM IN A MINE WASTE IMPACTED AREA: IMPLICATIONS FOR FATE AND TRANSPORT

Mine waste piles in the Tar Creek Superfund Site located in the Northeastern region of Oklahoma, formerly part of the Tri-State Mining District contain elevated levels of Zn (9100 ± 2500 ppm), Pb (650 ± 360 ppm), and Cd (42 ± 10 ppm). We have sampled different environmental media to access the fate and transport of these metals in the environment. We found that flood plain soils in the area contain levels of Zn (5100 ± 1900 ppm), Pb (220 ± 80 ppm) and Cd (30 ± 10 ppm) accounting for in respective order 56%, 34%, and 71% of the metals found in the mine waste piles by weight percent, indicating that the flood plain soils are important for metal deposition. Sediment cores provide temporal evidence of Zn, Pb, and Cd deposition in Tar Creek, the watershed located in the mining impacted area. Second order analysis of ratios in metals and elements of interest, trace elements, and mineralogical phases can provide further evidence of the chemical and transportation processes governing this system. Ratio trends across different media suggest that Zn, Pb, and Cd have different lability and are governed by different chemical processes.