M. Benvenuti et al., Environmental mineralogy and geochemistry of waste dumps at the Pb(Zn)-Ag Bottino mine, Apuane Alps, Italy, EUR J MINER, 12(2), 2000, pp. 441-453
The Bottino mine (Apuane Alps, Tuscany) had been exploited for silver and l
ead since at least Renaissance times. Detailed field work has led to the re
cognition of several mine dumps which differ in size, age, and types (rock
waste dumps; jigging and handpicking wastes). In the dumps, the primary sul
fides are sphalerite, galena, and pyrite +/- variable amounts of chalcopyri
te, pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, and a wealth of other sulfides and sulfosalts
. These minerals are associated with gangue quartz, white micas, chlorite,
and carbonates, mostly of the siderite-magnesite and dolomite-ankerite seri
es, whereas calcite is scarce. Supergene alteration led to the development
of secondary minerals such as goethite, lepidocrocite, pyrolusite, cerussit
e, and clay minerals (kaolinite, montmorillonite, and vermiculite). Two mai
n types of supergene effects have been observed: (a) development in situ of
pseudomorphic replacement of primary minerals, and (b) leaching and dissol
ution. Acid generation and metal release are mainly produced by the replace
ment of pyrrhotite by iron hydroxides, the partial dissolution of siderite-
magnesite carbonates, and the extensive dissolution/replacement of galena a
nd sphalerite. Given the scarcity of calcite in the primary assemblage, the
most effective attenuators of acidity seem to have been dolomite-ankerite
and siderite-magnesite. The mainly unpolluted character of the Bottino wate
rs may be explained by a number of concurring factors, including the modera
te volume of wastes, their overall coarse sain size, the low abundance of a
cid-producing phases (pyrite and pyrrhotite) relative to acid-consuming pha
ses such as dolomite-ankerite, and the steep topography.