Mine tailings contain the waste material from mining operations. They remain managed at retired mine sites because some of its minerals contain toxic elements that can adversely affect environmental and human health if unleashed into the surroundings.
Climatic variation such as annual rainfall and seasonal temperatures affect weathering processes in the tailings, which can change the composition of the materials and potentially expose toxic elements. These climatic forcings vary throughout the western United States.
A University of Arizona doctorate student will receive a stipend to take samples collected from tailings sites at several sulfide ore mines. The student will conduct experiments on these samples to help reveal how weathering caused changes in the geochemical makeup of the material. The student also will study how the changes are mediated by water and gas flows through tailing columns.
Researchers will use the data to create a model that predicts the evolution of mine tailings material based on different climate scenarios. This could help inform companies on how to best manage these structures.
The work complements a larger National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences effort to collect the field samples and characterize them. The institute funded the UArizona effort to do this part of its modeling study.
For more information on this project, please contact: Jon Chorover