Caracterização geoquímica das drenagens afetadas pelo beneficiamento de ouro no distrito aurífero de Ginebra, departamento del Valle Del Cueda, Colômbia

Abstract

The gold-bearing district of Ginebra shows regionally three well defined geological units: the Amaime formation (tectonized pillow-laves), the ophiolitic massif of Ginebra (sequency of peridotites, gabros, metabasalts, plagio-granites and micro-breccias) and the Buga”s batolith (quartz diorite varying to tonalite). The Buga”s batolith intrusion in the ofiolitic massif of Ginebra produced a hydrotermal alteration and a gold bearing sulfide mineralization in the contact zone, resulting a stockwork-like gold-bearing deposit surrounded by gold-bearing veins. The local miners have explored and exploted the district for almost a century, using rudimentar tecniques. A part of the ore and the tails are dispersed by gorges flowing into the Guabas river, from where the water for the municipal aqueducts of Ginebra e Guacarí is taken. This 1s the importance of this study. To obtain the geochemical evaluation of the heavy metal levels in the drainages of the zone, 27 water samples were collected in the district and analysed for As, Au, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb. Aditionally, 28 sediment samples (27 of stream sediments and 1 of suspension sediment) from the same zone were analysed for Ag, As, Au, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The statistical treatment applied to the results showed local anomalies related to the dispersion of mining tails. 4 Anomalous concentrations for As, Au, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Pb, as metals in solution in the waters, were detected near to the input of the effluents of mine to the gorges, due to a decay of the pH by oxidation of the sulfides within it. The pH background, varying from slightly basic to basic, is a geochemical barrier that decreases the anomalous concentrations of metals to normal levels in the waters, increasing their concentrations in the sediments. The stream sediments showed local anomalies for As, Au, Co, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. The mercury detected in the district has an antropogenic source. This metal is used for gold amalgamation. Dangerous emissions of mercury to the stream sediments and the air are released by losses of amalgama”s recoverying and amalgama”s burning (to recover the gold). The airbomne transport of mercury was deduced by the observation of a vertical variation of the Hg concentrations in the soils. The possibility of higher antropogenic changes on the pH and Eh conditions in the waters of the district gorges, the mechanical remobilization of the sediments with high heavy metal concentrations and the airborne transport of mercury justify a continuous monitoring of the concentrations of heavy metals in solution in the waters for domestic use at the municipalities of Ginebra and Guacarí and the suspension sediments within it. These analysis must be accompanied by technical directions for the use of mercury and recovering of gold, for the miners of the district, minimizing the environmental agressions.