Mercury-tainted overbank sediment from past gold mining in north Georgia, USA |
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| Authors: | D S Leigh |
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| Institution: | (1) University of Georgia , Department of Geography, Athens, GA 30602-2502, USA, GE |
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| Abstract: | Gold was discovered in 1829 and mined until about 1940 in north Georgia, particularly within an area known as the Dahlonega
mining district. The mining operations there, which involved mercury amalgamation in stamp mills and sluices, delivered significant
quantities of mercury waste to streams. This paper focuses on the downstream dispersal and storage of mercury in streambank
sediments of two watersheds near Dahlonega, Georgia. Mercury concentrations for individual samples of historical sediment
range from 0.02 to 12.00 ppm, with average values in streambanks near the core of the mining district ranging from 0.2 to
0.6 ppm. Mercury levels rapidly decrease in the downstream direction to concentrations that are slightly above a background
level of 0.04±0.02 ppm. Mercury concentrations also appear to decrease with increasing distance from streambanks. Similar
levels of mercury contamination from former gold mines probably exist in many other parts of the gold-bearing rocks of the
Piedmont of the eastern United States. The bioavailability and environmental hazard posed by the contaminated sediment is
not certain.
Received: 8 January 1996 · Accepted: 29 May 1996 |
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| Keywords: | Mercury Stream sediment Contamination Gold mining |
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