NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: physical sciences, geology, mining impacts, soil, arsenic, chemistry

Objective(s): To understand why arsenic trioxide is still present in soils around Giant Mine, how long it will remain there, and if the set of circumstances leading to persistent arsenic trioxide rich soil may apply to any other places previously assumed to be arsenic trioxide free.

Project Description: The objective of this project is to understand why arsenic trioxide (As3+) is still present in soils around Giant Mine, how long it will remain there, and if the set of circumstances leading to persistent As3+-rich soil may apply to any other places previously assumed to be As3+-free. In terms of current mine remediation, future human contact with the site, and ecosystem health, it needs to be understood how long As3+ will be leaching into the water. The consequences of the ingestion and inhalation of As3+-bearing soil need to be better understood. The field methods for this program consist of a soil sampling program on the Giant Mine site and possibly in the very immediate vicinity of the boundaries of the site. The researcher and one field assistant will access the mine site over the period of a few weeks to sample soil. Soil will be sampled with equipment including: hand trowels for surface samples to be contained i... Show moren zip-lock bags; and approximately 1-meter long, 2-inch diameter aluminum tubes for longer soil core samples, to be driven into the sediment with a sledgehammer and. The ends of the tubes will be covered with parafilm to contain the soil within the tubes. None of the sampling equipment will be left in the field unaccompanied by the samplers. No in-situ tests will be done; all analysis and experimentation on the soil will happen at Queen's University or another analogous location. Local involvement possibilities include: economic benefits through aiding the large Giant Mine remediation process, eventually opening up land for industry; educational benefits through furthering the understanding of the specific environmental conditions at Giant Mine, as well as learning how they have shaped the current environmental problem and how to prevent it in the future; and cultural and social benefits through actively contributing vital information to a remediation process designed to turn a toxic mine site back to local use and benefit. The researcher will submit a field report to the local communities when field work is complete, and will also send them copies of any further reports and of final report. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 30, 2010 to July 21, 2010. Show less