| ID |
2302 |
| Citation |
Lussier, C., Veiga, V. & Baldwin, S. 2003. The geochemistry of selenium associated with coal waste in the Elk River Valley, Canada, Environmental Geology, 44: 905. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00254-003-0833-y |
| Organization |
University of British Columbia |
| URL |
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00254-003-0833-y |
| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Selenium (Se) concentrations more than 12 times greater than the provincial freshwater quality guideline (2 Ķg/L) were detected in the Elk River downstream from the five open-pit coal mines in southeastern British Columbia's Elk River Valley. To identify possible sources of Se to the Elk River, samples from the coal-bearing Mist Mountain Formation were studied using X-ray diffraction, elemental and oxide analyses, sequential extractions and heavy liquid separation. Between 2.5 and 21.3% of the total Se in the five types of materials studied is water-soluble and 1.0 to 10.6% is associated with hydrous ferric and manganese oxides. Se associated with sulphides and organic material varies between 60 and 84% of the total Se and Se in the silicate structure varies from 5.9 to 24.7%. The ratio of sulphides to the total of organic carbon is well-correlated with the amount of Se in materials closely associated with coal seams containing less than 6 mg/kg of Se (r=0.916). This may suggest that the amount of organic matter present during deposition affects the amount of Se incorporated into sulphides. Selenium; Coal; Mineralogy; Sulphides; Total organic carbon; British Columbia, Canada |
| Information Type |
Article |
| Regional Watershed |
Elk River |
| Sub-watershed if known |
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| Aquifer # |
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| Project status |
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