title: Mercury dispersal to arroyo and coastal sediments from abandoned copper mine operations, el Boléo, Baja California.
abstract: Evidence for mercury dispersal in an arid coastal region of central Baja California (Mexico) suggests that abandoned copper mining operations are a noticeable source of mercury in the environment. There is a generally elevated level of mercury in alluvium of arroyos throughout the mining district (0.14-0.18 mg kg(-1)). In the first several dozen meters surrounding two of the biggest mines, mercury levels range from 0.26 to 3.16 mg kg(-1), forming a halo of anomalously high concentrations. The coastal marine sediments, particularly those close to the copper smelter in the town of Santa Rosalía, also display some mercury enrichment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Agricultural Experimental Center, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. fskot@tx.technion.ac.il
authors.forename: Fyodor
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kot
authors.forename: Evgueni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shumilin
authors.forename: Griselda Margarita
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Figueroa
authors.forename: Nicolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mirlean
mesh_terms: D002947:Cities; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D008800:Mexico; D008906:Mining; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D003300:Copper