REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF HEAVY METALS IN PODZOLS SURROUNDING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY COPPER SMELTING SITES OF THE BETTS COVE OPHIOLITE, NORTHEASTERN BAIE VERTE PENINSULA, NEWFOUNDLAND

During the late 1800's, copper mining was an important industrial enterprise on the northeastern Baie Verte Peninsula. The mineral occurrences were Cyprus-type, ophiolite-hosted volcanogenic copper deposits, located in the Betts Cove ophiolite. While most of the ore gleaned from the mines was shipped to Swansea, Wales for processing, there were local smelting operations. These operations in both Betts Cove and Tilt Cove were short lived, as they turned out to be both costly and inefficient. These industrial areas are unique in that they are isolated and the only anthropogenic pollution that they have been subjected to was related to the smelting and mining activities.

To determine long term impacts on the surrounding environment, 54 soil samples were collected over a 2 km radius around the smelter ruins at the Tilt Cove study area, and 40 soil samples were collected within a 1.8 km radius of the smelting and mining activity at the Betts Cove site. The soils were seived to <2mm fractions and analyzed geochemically using a combination of X-Ray Fluorescence and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (after acid digestion). The ICP and XRF data in the study areas have shown that there are elevated levels of lead, zinc, copper, nickel and arsenic in the surface soil horizons surrounding the smelting operation sights. The results of the analysis indicated enrichment factors of 7 times for zinc, 19 times for lead, 39 times for nickel, 67 times for copper and 108 times for arsenic. The concentrations of these elements are all well above background levels and above the levels deemed safe by the Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines.

The distributions of concentrations in the area reflect distance from the smelter sites, the topography, and the prevalent wind direction at the time of deposition. If these concentrations were present in a populated area, remediation would likely be an environmental priority.