Ancient mining pollution in early to middle Holocene lake sediments from the Lake Superior region, USA

IF 3.3 2区 地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Kathryn Vall , Collin Murphy , David P. Pompeani , Byron A. Steinman , Kathryn M. Schreiner , Daniel J. Bain , Seth DePasqual , Zachary Wagner
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引用次数: 3

Abstract

Determining the timing and transport mechanisms (i.e. fluvial and/or atmospheric) of pollution associated with ancient copper mining on Isle Royale in Lake Superior (United States) is important for understanding the current and future trajectory of ecosystems affected by human activity. This study reports metal concentrations in sediment from two small, closed-basin lakes located on Isle Royale (Lily Lake and Pond 2) as a measure of the extent of heavy metal emissions from Indigenous, precontact mining and annealing activities associated with one of the world’s oldest metal working industries. Lily Lake and Pond 2 are both located near known mines, but neither lake contains mines in its catchment and thus could not have received pollution via fluvial transport. Elevated concentrations of lead in sediments dating to ∼6000 years ago at both lakes provide evidence of atmospheric transport of pollution associated with mining emissions. The age of ∼6000 years before present is consistent with the timing of elevated lead concentrations in sediment from McCargoe Cove on the northern shore of Isle Royale. Collectively, the data indicate that the peak in Archaic Period mining occurred on southwestern Isle Royale ∼6000 years ago and was preceded by periods that varied in intensity and location across the area. The discovery of pollution signals in lake sediments from the Lake Superior region provides clues as to the timing, spatial patterns, and magnitude of one of the world’s earliest large-scale metal mining efforts. These findings provide a basis for determining the transport mechanisms of ancient mining pollution and are a step toward assessing the full environmental impact of mining and metal working efforts by early human civilizations.

美国苏必利尔湖地区全新世早期至中期湖泊沉积物中的古采矿污染
确定与苏必利尔湖(美国)皇家岛古代铜矿开采有关的污染的时间和运输机制(即河流和/或大气),对于了解受人类活动影响的生态系统的当前和未来轨迹非常重要。本研究报告了位于皇家岛的两个封闭湖泊(百合湖和2号塘)沉积物中的金属浓度,以衡量与世界上最古老的金属加工工业之一有关的土著、接触前采矿和退火活动的重金属排放程度。百合湖和2号池都位于已知的矿山附近,但两个湖的集水区都不含矿山,因此不可能通过河流运输受到污染。这两个湖泊沉积物中铅浓度的升高可追溯到6000年前,这为与采矿排放有关的污染在大气中运输提供了证据。距今6000年前的年龄与皇家岛北岸麦戈湾沉积物中铅浓度升高的时间一致。总的来说,这些数据表明,古代期采矿的高峰发生在大约6000年前的皇家岛西南部,在此之前,该地区的强度和位置都有所不同。在苏必利尔湖地区的湖泊沉积物中发现的污染信号,为世界上最早的大规模金属采矿活动之一的时间、空间模式和规模提供了线索。这些发现为确定古代采矿污染的运输机制提供了基础,并为评估早期人类文明采矿和金属加工活动对环境的全面影响迈出了一步。
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来源期刊
Anthropocene
Anthropocene Earth and Planetary Sciences-Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
CiteScore
6.30
自引率
0.00%
发文量
27
审稿时长
102 days
期刊介绍: Anthropocene is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes peer-reviewed works addressing the nature, scale, and extent of interactions that people have with Earth processes and systems. The scope of the journal includes the significance of human activities in altering Earth’s landscapes, oceans, the atmosphere, cryosphere, and ecosystems over a range of time and space scales - from global phenomena over geologic eras to single isolated events - including the linkages, couplings, and feedbacks among physical, chemical, and biological components of Earth systems. The journal also addresses how such alterations can have profound effects on, and implications for, human society. As the scale and pace of human interactions with Earth systems have intensified in recent decades, understanding human-induced alterations in the past and present is critical to our ability to anticipate, mitigate, and adapt to changes in the future. The journal aims to provide a venue to focus research findings, discussions, and debates toward advancing predictive understanding of human interactions with Earth systems - one of the grand challenges of our time.
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