Contenido de As, Ba, y Cu en sedimentos y su asociación con depósitos minerales en el noreste de Chihuahua

As, Ba, and Cu content in sediments and their association with mineral deposits of northeast Chihuahua

Abstract

Concentrations of arsenic (As), barium (Ba) and copper (Cu) in arroyo sediments were statistically and spatially analyzed to determine their relationship with mineral deposits occurring in northeast Chihuahua. The study utilized 1,016 arroyo sediment samples and 11 river sediment samples. Their spatial distribution, obtained using ArcGIS, was compared to the geographical location of known sulfates, sulfide (Pb-Zn-Cu) and Mn-oxide mineral deposits. The natural background concentration values corresponded to values <80% percentile while anomalous values were identified as those larger than the mean plus two times the standard deviation. The rest of the values (non-anomalous values >80% percentile) were labeled as naturally enriched. The distributions of natural, enriched and anomalous concentrations yielded a different pattern for each element. A pattern common to all elements was that anomalous concentrations clustered mineral deposits. Natural background concentrations and background enriched concentration can be used as reference values to monitor chemical changes that may occur due to agriculture or mining activities, while the identification of anomalous concentrations should be considered as a location where pollution is taking place and where a containment or remediation treatment is required.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54167/tecnociencia.v2i2.73