Regions: North Slave Region
Tags: physical sciences, mining, geology, arsenic
| Principal Investigator: | Wrye, Lori A (1) |
| Licence Number: | 14135 |
| Organization: | Queen's University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2007
|
| Issued: | Mar 16, 2007 |
Objective(s): To examine the speciation of arsenic in soils around the Giant Mine. The research will include developing and testing methods to distinguish between natural and anthropogenic arsenic sources in order to understand the impact of arsenic in the soil as a result of human activity.
Project Description: The aim of this research project is to examine the speciation of arsenic in soils around the Giant Mine, and to distinguish if the arsenic is of natural or anthropogenic sources. Soils in the study area are naturally enriched in arsenic as well as from the mining of gold. The results will help understand how much of the arsenic is the result of human impact, how bioavailable it is, and how it moves through the environment. To determine the speciation of arsenic in the Giant Mine soils, shallow cores (approx. 3cm in diameter and 50cm in depth) will be taken from areas most impacted by activities, as well as from areas most likely to be used recreationally, and analyzed. Results will be submitted to the Giant Mine Remediation Team (a part of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada). They will make this information available to the public in the form of reports and community meetings. Interested employees may be able to learn about the project and how to conduct soil sampling. Fieldwork will be carried out from July 2-23, 2007 in the Giant Mine area.
