Mineralogy and geochemistry of sulfide-bearing tailings from silver mines in the Taxco, Mexico area to evaluate their potential environmental impact

Abstract

Six sulfide-bearing, flotation tailings dams and one waste-rock dump from epithermal Pb-Zn-Ag-Cu deposits in Taxco, Guerrero have been mineralogically and geochemically characterized to evaluate their potential environmental impact. Primary phases are dominated by quartz and rock fragments with scarce feldspar, barite and ferromagnesian. Calcite is found in the less oxidized tailings. Primary sulfides are pyrite and sphalerite with some pyrrothite, galena, chalcopyrite, Ag-sulfosalts and arsenopyrite. In oxidized zones, sulfides are low or absent. Secondary pilases are widespread and include gypsum, chalcocite, keoheite, nimite, hetaerolite, jarosite, smithsonite, bernalite, epsonite, rozenite, pickeringite, hexahydrite, bassanite, boyleite, hematite, scorodite, cryptocrystalline and amorphous precipitates and poorly crystallized Fe-oxyhydroxides. EDS analysis suggests that adsorption is important in the retention of metals.
All Taxco tailings and waste-rock dumps show high concentrations of total Ag (9.5 74.2 mg/kg), Cd (1.0-780 mg/kg), Cu (71.8-1320 mg/kg), Fe (2.49-25.1%), Mn (18.6-13 800 mg/kg), Pb (780-43 700 mg/kg), V (2.0-127 mg/kg), Zn (380->10 000 mg/ kg) and As (19.0-11 800 mg/kg) exceeding the regional background concentrations in crop soils. Contents of water-soluble metals are heterogeneous but contain significant amounts of toxic metals (e.g. Cd = <0.005-19.2 mg/L; Cu = <0.025-63 mg/L; Fe = >0.025-1105 mg/L; Pb = <0.025-0.655 mg/L; As = <0.010-1.79 mg/L), particularly from highly oxidized zones. The release is primarily controlled by pH. Sulfide oxidation and generation of AMD are coupled by dissolution, neutralization via calcite, reprecipitation and adsorption.