slgwv

slgwv club

Posted: 03 Mar 2011


Taken: 01 Jul 2009

3 favorites     3 comments    353 visits

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Silver Surfers Silver Surfers


Mining Heritage Mining Heritage


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California
USA
Superfund
Leviathan Mine
acid-mine drainage
US EPA


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Leviathan Mine, CA

Leviathan Mine, CA
An abandoned sulfur mine in California, just over the state line from Nevada. It's now a Superfund site due to sulfuric acid formed by the oxidizing sulfur. Not only has the acid itself had a deleterious effect on draining into the local streams, but the acidity also leaches metals into solution up to toxic levels. This is a textbook case of "acid mine drainage" from abandoned mines.

tiabunna, , have particularly liked this photo


Comments
 slgwv
slgwv club
Thanks! You've been right by this area.
10 years ago.
 tiabunna
tiabunna club
God shot and explanation, Steve. The same problem applies at Captains Flat (my recent series).
Silver Surfers.
9 years ago.
 slgwv
slgwv club
Thanks, George. I looked at your Captains Flat pix again, and all the metals you mention typically occur as sulfides or associated with them (most commonly pyrite, FeS2). So that's a classic setting for AMD (yeah, it even has an acronym!) AMD also often occurs with coal mines because of associated pyrite. So, yeah, it's a common "mining legacy" issue worldwide!
9 years ago. Edited 9 years ago.

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