NDLI: Pre-Colombian Mercury Pollution Associated with the Smelting of Argentiferous Ores in the Bolivian Andes

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Cooke, Colin A. Balcom, Prentiss H. Kerfoot, Charles Abbott, Mark B. Wolfe, Alexander P.
Copyright Year	2010
Abstract	The development of the mercury (Hg) amalgamation process in the mid-sixteenth century triggered the onset of large-scale Hg mining in both the Old and New Worlds. However, ancient Hg emissions associated with amalgamation and earlier mining efforts remain poorly constrained. Using a geochemical time-series generated from lake sediments near Cerro Rico de Potosí, once the world’s largest silver deposit, we demonstrate that pre-Colonial smelting of Andean silver ores generated substantial Hg emissions as early as the twelfth century. Peak sediment Hg concentrations and fluxes are associated with smelting and exceed background values by approximately 20-fold and 22-fold, respectively. The sediment inventory of this early Hg pollution more than doubles that associated with extensive amalgamation following Spanish control of the mine (1574–1900 AD). Global measurements of [Hg] from economic ores sampled world-wide indicate that the phenomenon of Hg enrichment in non-ferrous ores is widespread. The results presented here imply that indigenous smelting constitutes a previously unrecognized source of early Hg pollution, given naturally elevated [Hg] in economic silver deposits.
Starting Page	18
Ending Page	25
Page Count	8
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00447447
Journal	AMBIO
Volume Number	40
Issue Number	1
e-ISSN	16547209
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2010-08-17
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Mercury Andes Smelting Amalgamation Colonial Environmental Engineering/Biotechnology Environmental Management Physical Geography Meteorology/Climatology Ecology Environment
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Geography, Planning and Development Ecology Environmental Chemistry Medicine

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Pre-Colombian Mercury Pollution Associated with the Smelting of Argentiferous Ores in the Bolivian Andes

Pre-colombian mercury pollution associated with the smelting of argentiferous ores in the bolivian andes.

Pre-Colombian Mercury Pollution Associated with the Smelting of Argentiferous Ores in the Bolivian Andes

Report pre-colombian mercury pollution associated with the smelting of argentiferous ores in the bolivian andes (2010).

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