Seasonal variations of natural radionuclides, minor and trace elements in lake sediments and water in a lignite mining area of North-Western Greece

The active collision of the Apulian continental lithosphere with the Eurasian plate characterizes the tectonics of the Epirus region in northwestern Greece, invoking crustal shortening. Epirus has not experienced any strong earthquakes during the instrumental era and thus there is no detailed knowledge of the way the active deformation is being expressed. In March 2020, a moderate size (Mw 5.8) earthquake sequence occurred close to the Kanallaki village in Epirus. The mainshock and major aftershock focal mechanisms are compatible with reverse faulting, on NNW-ESE trending nodal planes. We measure the coseismic surface deformation using radar interferometry and investigate the possible fault geometries based on seismic waveforms and InSAR data. Slip distribution models provide good fits to both nodal planes and cannot resolve the fault plane ambiguity. The results indicate two slip episodes for a N337° plane dipping 37° to the east and a single slip patch for a N137° plane dipping 43° to 55° to the west. Even though the area of the sequence is very close to the triple junction of western Greece, the Kanallaki 2020 activity itself seems to be distinct from it, in terms of the acting stresses.

Download Full-text

Determination of minor and trace elements in aluminium and aluminium alloy by acid pressure decomposition/ICP-AES.

BUNSEKI KAGAKU ◽

10.2116/bunsekikagaku.41.5_t59 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 41 (5) ◽

pp. T59-T63 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Fumiaki YOKOTA

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Aluminium Alloy ◽

Minor And Trace Elements

Download Full-text

Trace element contamination in the mine-affected stream sediments of Oued Rarai in north-western Tunisia: a river basin scale assessment

Environmental Geochemistry and Health ◽

10.1007/s10653-021-00887-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jamel Ayari ◽

Maurizio Barbieri ◽

Yannick Agnan ◽

Ahmed Sellami ◽

Ahmed Braham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Ecological Risk ◽

Risk Index ◽

Potential Ecological Risk ◽

Stream Sediments ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Contamination Level ◽

North East ◽

Basin Scale ◽

North Western

AbstractHigh-quality and accurate environmental investigations are essential for the evaluation of contamination and subsequent decision-making processes. A combination of environmental geochemical indices, multivariate analyses and geographic information system approach was successfully used to assess contamination status and source apportionment of trace elements (Ag, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Sb, V and Zn) in surface stream sediments from the Oued Rarai basin in north-western Tunisia, containing various metal and metalloid ores. The contamination level reported in this study indicates a non-negligible potential ecological risk, mainly related to sediment transport along the river. Antimony (concentrations ranged from 0.02 to 297 mg kg−1 and Igeo > 5), arsenic (from 0.5 to 1490 mg kg−1 and Igeo > 5), lead (from 2.9 to 5150 mg kg−1 and Igeo > 5) mercury (from 0.05 to 54.4 mg kg−1 and Igeo > 5) and silver (from 0.05 to 9.4 mg kg−1 and Igeo > 5) showed the most crucial contamination. Besides, potential ecological risk index values were maximum for arsenic with a median of 302, indicating a very high to serious ecological risk (> 160). Results from correlation analysis and principal component analysis revealed three main geochemical associations related to lithologic, tectonic and anthropogenic sources. V, Cr and Cu mainly originated from natural bedrock and soil. Ag and Cd were more controlled by both natural and mining enrichments. Mercury and Pb were mostly influenced by the ancient ore-related activities at the Oued Rarai site and north-east–south-west trending faults. Finally, Sb, As, Ni and Zn were largely controlled by the siliciclastic continental Neogene sequences. Finally, the physical and chemical dynamics of the watershed system, lithological properties, mineralisation, tectonic settings and mobilisation of subsurface sediments largely controlled both concentrations and spatial patterns of trace elements in the study basin. These results need to be considered in the strategies of suitable environmental management at former and current mining sites in north-western Tunisia.

Download Full-text