Appendix Q

There are about a dozen major hydrogeochemical processes that can account for the chemical composition of most natural waters. One of these is the oxidation of pyrite, a process at least as important a source of sulfate in natural waters as seawater and sea spray, gypsum dissolution, and atmospheric emissions. The natural process of pyrite oxidation is fundamental to the super-gene alteration of ore deposits, the formation of acid-sulfate soils, and the development of acidity and metal mobilization in natural waters.

Pit lakes are an increasingly common legacy of modem, large-scale surface mining operations. Pit lakes formed in open pit metal mines, where base and precious metals are extracted from ore deposits hosted in predominantly igneous and metamorphic silicate rocks, comprise one category of pit lakes.

Chemical composition and equilibrium trends in mine pit lakes were examined to provide guidance for the application of geochemical models in predicting future lake water quality at prospective open pit mines. Composition trends show that elevated solute levels generally occur only at the extremes of acidic and alkaline pH conditions.