Geology topics

L.H. Filipek

Publications and source records attributed to L.H. Filipek.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2002

Interaction of acid mine drainage with waters and sediments of West Squaw Creek in the West Shasta Mining District, California

Acid mine drainage has acidified large volumes of water and added high concentrations of dissolved heavy metals to West Squaw Creek, a California stream draining igneous rocks of low acid-neutralizing capacity. During mixing of the acid sulfate stream waters in the South Fork of West Squaw Creek with an almost equal volume of dilute uncontaminated water, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Al remained in solution rather than precipitating or adsorbing on solid phases. Changes in the concentration of these generally conservative metals could be used to determine relative flow volumes of acid tributaries and the main stream. An amorphous orange precipitate (probably ferric hydroxides or a mixture of ferric hydroxides and jarosite) was ubiquitous in the acid stream beds and was intimately associated with algae at the most acid sites. Relative sorption of cations decreased with decreasing water pH. However, arsenic was almost completely scavenged from solution within a short distance from the sulfide sources.

California↗

USGS1991

Selectivity and effectiveness of extractants used to release metals associated with organic matter

Partial extraction procedures can be used to release metals associated with organic matter in natural materials. Reagents commonly employed for this purpose include hydrogen peroxide, Na hypochlorite and Na pyrophosphate. This study tested the selectivity of these reagents by comparing the amount of Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu they released from sulfide and oxide minerals and determined the ability of these reagents to release the same metals from peat. Sodium hypochlorite and Na pyrophosphate released between 0.2 and 8.7% of the total metal content of the Fe, Cu and Zn minerals. In contrast, three commonly used hydrogen peroxide reagents released significantly more metals from the oxides and sulfides. Percentages of Zn and Mn released from the peat samples were comparable for all extractions tested. Per cent Cu released from peat by Na pyrophosphate was very low compared to that released by hydrogen peroxide/HNO 3 or na hypochlorite. A smaller fraction of Fe was released from peat by Na hypochlorite than by the other reagents. Iron release by Na hypochlorite correlates with the organic carbon content of the peat samples. A universal extractant for metals associated with organic matter in all types of samples has not been identified. Sodium hypochlorite and Na pyrophosphate are better than hydrogen peroxide in selectively releasing metals bound to organic matter because they do not release significant amounts of metals from oxide and sulfide minerals.

Applied Geochemistry↗

USGS1990

Mechanisms controlling Cu, Fe, Mn, and Co profiles in peat of the Filson Creek Fen, northeastern Minnesota

Filson Creek Fen, located in northeastern Minnesota, overlies a Cu-Ni sulfide deposit. A site in the fen was studied to evaluate the hydrogeochemical mechanisms governing the development of Fe, Mn, Co, and Cu profiles in the peat. At the study site, surface peat approximately 1 m thick is separated from the underlying mineralized bedrock by a 6–12 m thickness of lake and glaciofluvial sediments and till. Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Co, and Cu in peat and major elements in pore water delineate a shallow, relatively oxidized, Cu-rich zone overlying a deeper, reduced, Fe-, Mn-, and Co-rich zone within the peat. Sequential metal extractions from peat samples reveal that 40–55% of the Cu in the shallow zone is associated with organic material, whereas the remaining Cu is distributed between iron-oxide, sulfide, and residual fractions. Sixty to seventy percent of the Fe, Mn, and Co concentrated in the deeper zone occur in the residual phase. The metal profiles and associations probably result from non-steady-state input of metals and detritus into the fen during formation of the peat column. The enrichment of organic-associated Cu in the upper, oxidized zone represents a combination of Cu transported into the fen with detrital plant fragments and soluble Cu, derived from weathering of outcrop and subcrop of the mineral deposit, transported into the fen, and fixed onto organic matter in the peat. The variable stratigraphy of the peat indicates that weathering processes and surface vegetation have changed through time in the fen. The Fe, Mn, and Co maxima at the base of the peat are associated with a maximum in detrital matter content of the peat resulting from a transition between the underlying inorganic sedimentary environment to an organic sedimentary environment. The chemistry of sediments and ground water collected beneath the peat indicate that mobilization of metals from sulfide minerals in the buried mineral deposit or glacial deposits is minimal. Therefore, the primary source of Cu to the peat at the study site is outcrops and shallow subcrops of the mineral deposit adjacent to the fen.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗

USGS1982

Comparison of hot hydroxylamine hydrochloride and oxalic acid leaching of stream sediment and coated rock samples as anomaly enhancement techniques

A hot hydroxylamine hydrochloride (H-Hxl) extraction in 25% acetic acid is compared with the commonly used oxalic acid extraction as a method of anomaly enhancement for Cu and Zn in samples from two very different metal deposits and climatic environments. Results obtained on minus-80-mesh stream sediments from an area near the Magruder massive sulfide deposit in Lincoln County, Georgia, where the climate is humid subtropical, indicate that H-Hxl enhances the anomaly for Cu by a factor of 2 and for Zn by a factor of 1.5, compared to the oxalic method. Analyses of Fe oxide-coated rock samples from outcrops overlying the North Silver Bell porphyry copper deposit near Tucson, Arizona, where the climate is semi-arid to arid, indicate that both techniques effectively outline the zones of hydrothermal alteration. The H-Hxl extraction can also perform well in high-carbonate or high-clay environments, where other workers have suggested that oxalic acid is not very effective. Therefore, the H-Hxl method is recommended for general exploration use.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗

USGS1981

Factors affecting the partitioning of Cu, Zn and Pb in boulder coatings and stream sediments in the vicinity of a polymetallic sulfide deposit

A sequential extraction scheme is utilized to determine the geochemical partitioning of Cu, Zn and Pb among hydrous Mn- and Fe-oxides, organics and residual crystalline silicates and oxides in the minus-80-mesh (< 0.18 mm) sediments and in boulder coatings from a stream in Lincoln County, Georgia (U.S.A.). The stream drains an area containing a CuZnPb-sulfide deposit (Magruder Mine). The boulder coatings contain mainly Mn-oxides and organics, with minor hydrous Fe-oxides. In the sediment, the chemically active phases are mainly hydrous Fe-oxides and organics, probably because Mn is leaching out of the sediments and precipitating on the exposed surfaces of boulders. In the boulder coatings, competition among Fe- and Mn-oxides and organics for Cu, Zn and Pb follows the order: Cu, organics > Fe-oxides > Mn-oxides; Zn, Mn-oxides {reversed tilde equals} organics > Fe-oxides; Pb, Fe-oxides > organics > Mn-oxides. In the sediments, organics are the most efficient scavengers of all three ore metals. These results emphasize the importance of organics as sinks for the ore metals, even in environments with high concentrations of Mn- and Fe-oxides. Of the ore metals, Zn appears to be the most mobile, and is partitioned most strongly into the coatings. However, anomaly contrast for hydromorphic Zn, normalized to the MnFe-oxide or organic content, is similar in sediments and coatings. Cu shows the highest anomaly on the boulder coatings, probably due to precipitation of a secondary Cu mineral. In contrast, detrital Pb in the pan concentrates shows a better anomaly than any hydromorphic Pb component. ?? 1981.

Chemical Geology↗

USGS1981

Sequential extraction techniques applied to a porphyry copper deposit in the basin and range province

Samples of minus-80-mesh (<180 μm) stream sediment, rock containing exposed fracture coatings, and jarosite and chrysocolla were collected from an area surrounding the North Silver Bell porphyry Cu deposit near Tucson, Arizona. The samples were subjected to a series of extractions in a scheme originally designed for use on samples from humid or sub-humid environments, in which the following fractions can effectively be separated: (1) carbonates and exchangeable metals; (2) Mn oxides; (3) organic compounds and sulfides; (4) hydrous Fe oxides; and (5) residual crystalline minerals. Jarosite and chrysocolla, two major minerals of the North Silver Bell area, were found to dissolve over two or more steps of the extraction scheme. The results represent only a limited number of samples from one copper deposit. Nevertheless, they do suggest that in a semiarid to arid environment, where mechanical dispersion of such minerals predominates, uncritical assignment of unique phases, such as Mn oxides or organics to a given extraction would lead to false interpretations of weathering processes. However, the relative proportions of elements dissolved in each step of the jarosite and chrysocolla extractions could be used as a “fingerprint” for recognition of the presence of these two minerals in the stream-sediment and rock samples. The relative abundance of hydrous Fe oxide and jarosite and the alteration zoning could be mapped using data from jarosite and chrysocolla extractions. Manganese oxides were also found to have a greater influence on Zn than on Cu or Pb during supergene alteration. The rapid change in relative importance of the first (1 M -acetic acid) extraction for Cu, Zn, and Pb near the mineralized zone suggested the occurrence of minor hydromorphic processes within the stream sediments. Thus, the acetic acid extraction proved the most effective for pinpointing mineralization in sediments. In contrast, the residual fraction had the longest dispersion train, suggesting that total metal concentrations are most effective in arid environments for reconnaissance surveys.

Journal of Geochemical Exploration↗