The results of the monitoring of the contents of potentially toxic elements (PTE) in sediments (2013, 2017, 2020) and waters (2017, 2020) of the Meža River and its tributaries, which drain mining ...waste deposits, are presented. A total of 13 sample sites were established in a sample scheme that enables long-term observation of the impact of mining waste deposits. In the sediments, the content of PTE, especially Pb, Zn, Cd, Mo and As, is greatly elevated and fluctuates with time. The study area is affected by more than 300 years of mining and ore processing industry. The differences in the contents in various years are most pronounced in the Meža River tributaries, which drain the mining waste dumps. Hydrological conditions have a significant influence on the contents in sediments, as PTE content increases with higher water level and higher water flow. Water erosion of mining waste dumps has a significant impact on the discharge of contaminated material into watercourses. In contrast, in the upper part of the Meža River, we did not observe strong influence of higher water level on the content of PTE in the sediments. Fluctuations in the content between individual years and fluctuations between various hydrological conditions are higher again in the middle part of the the Meža river, downstream from Žerjav. The presented results demonstrate that the contents of Pb, Zn, Cd, Mo and As in the sediments of the Meža River and its tributaries are very high and that they by far exceed the legislative critical value for the soil. PTE contents in the surface water are elevated in some locations and do not change significantly over time. The local concentrations of Pb, Cd and Zn exceed the legislative guidelines. We estimate that the dynamics of the sediment load in the Meža River along the towns of Črna na Koroškem, Žerjav and Mežica is very complex. In addition to mining waste deposits, the content of PTE in sediments and waters is also affected by scattered sources in the environment, such as contaminated soil and floodplains and their varying degrees of pollution, as the environment has been burdened by long-term mining, ore processing and smelting activities. Current industrial activity may also have an additional environmental impact.
The Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) Pb–Zn ore district at Mežica is hosted by Middle to Upper Triassic platform carbonate rocks in the Northern Karavanke/Drau Range geotectonic units of the Eastern ...Alps, northeastern Slovenia. The mineralization at Mežica covers an area of 64 km
2
with more than 350 orebodies and numerous galena and sphalerite occurrences, which formed epigenetically, both conformable and discordant to bedding. While knowledge on the style of mineralization has grown considerably, the origin of discordant mineralization is still debated. Sulfur stable isotope analyses of 149 sulfide samples from the different types of orebodies provide new insights on the genesis of these mineralizations and their relationship. Over the whole mining district, sphalerite and galena have
δ
34
S
values in the range of –24.7 to –1.5‰ VCDT (–13.5 ± 5.0‰) and –24.7 to –1.4‰ (–10.7 ± 5.9‰), respectively. These values are in the range of the main MVT deposits of the Drau Range. All sulfide
δ
34
S
values are negative within a broad range, with
δ
34
S
pyrite
<
δ
34
S
sphalerite
<
δ
34
S
galena
for both conformable and discordant orebodies, indicating isotopically heterogeneous H
2
S in the ore-forming fluids and precipitation of the sulfides at thermodynamic disequilibrium. This clearly supports that the main sulfide sulfur originates from bacterially mediated reduction (BSR) of Middle to Upper Triassic seawater sulfate or evaporite sulfate. Thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) by organic compounds contributed a minor amount of
34
S-enriched H
2
S to the ore fluid. The variations of
δ
34
S
values of galena and coarse-grained sphalerite at orefield scale are generally larger than the differences observed in single hand specimens. The progressively more negative
δ
34
S
values with time along the different sphalerite generations are consistent with mixing of different H
2
S sources, with a decreasing contribution of H
2
S from regional TSR, and an increase from a local H
2
S reservoir produced by BSR (i.e., sedimentary biogenic pyrite, organo-sulfur compounds). Galena in discordant ore (–11.9 to –1.7‰; –7.0 ± 2.7‰,
n
= 12) tends to be depleted in
34
S
compared with conformable ore (–24.7 to –2.8‰, –11.7 ± 6.2‰,
n
= 39). A similar trend is observed from fine-crystalline sphalerite I to coarse open-space filling sphalerite II. Some variation of the sulfide
δ
34
S
values is attributed to the inherent variability of bacterial sulfate reduction, including metabolic recycling in a locally partially closed system and contribution of H
2
S from hydrolysis of biogenic pyrite and thermal cracking of organo-sulfur compounds. The results suggest that the conformable orebodies originated by mixing of hydrothermal saline metal-rich fluid with H
2
S-rich pore waters during late burial diagenesis, while the discordant orebodies formed by mobilization of the earlier conformable mineralization.
Two approaches, factor analysis (FA) and self-organising maps (SOM), have been used for the determination of geochemical associations in the two case studies evaluated here. In both case studies, ...different associations of elements, derived from different anthropogenic sources (smelters, ironworks, and chemical industry), are presented, together with natural associations of elements, all representing different geological environments. FA and SOM give similar results, despite some differences. Most similarities were achieved with the group of elements affected by strong pollution caused by smelting activities. The biggest difference between the two is that SOM can combine different groups into one, especially in the case of associations of elements connected with mild pollution (ironworking, chemical industry). The biggest advantage of SOM as opposed to FA is that SOM allow us to process variables, which are not normally distributed, or even of attributive nature. The use of such variables in SOM classification to prove the origins of associations of elements is also demonstrated here.
The paper presents holothurian sclerites from the 2nd clastic horizon of the “Raibl Beds” in the Mežica area. Thefauna is dominated by genus Theelia, represented by T. immisorbicula Mostler, T. ...planorbicula Mostler and T. ex gr.variabilis Zankl in association with species Priscopedatus ploechingeri Mostler. Julian age of the holothurian-bearingbed is defined by conodont apparatus Nicoraella ? budaensis Kozur & Mock.
V dvanajstih vzorcih tal iz okolice vrtcev, šol, zelenjavnih vrtov in dvorišč v Mežiški dolini, s koncentracijami Pb od 469 do 4333 mg kg-1 in Zn od 313 do 8670 mg kg-1, smo določili mobilnost in ...biodostopnost Pb in Zn. Koncentracija Pb je v enajstih vzorcih presegla kritično vrednost, koncentracija Zn pa v devetih (glede na uredbo v Ur.l.RS št. 68, 1996). Mobilnost Pb in Zn določena s TCLP metodo (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure) je pokazala, da nobeden od vzorcev ni presegal vrednosti, ki bi tla po metodologiji EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) uvrščala med nevarne odpadke. Koncentacije Pb in Zn v testni rastlini solati (Lactuca sativa L.) so bile pod mejo detekcije instrumenta (atomski absorpcijski spektrofotometer). S fiziološko osnovanim PBET ekstrakcijskim testom (Physiologically Based Extraction Test) smo vzorcem in talnim prašnim delcem določili delež Pb, ki je biodostopen v človeškem prebavnem sistemu. Iz simulirane želodčne faze je bilo dostopnega 2,8 - 22,8 %, iz črevesne pa 1,2 - 9,0 % celokupnega Pb v tleh. Koncentracije biodostopnega Pb so bile v prašnih delcih manjše kot v vzorcih tal.
In the Meža valley, lead – zinc ore has been exploited and processed for more than 300 years, which has strongly influenced the environment. Previous investigations have shown increased ...concentrations of lead and some other metals. At the end of the 20th century, the Meža River was considered a stream with the highest concentrations of heavy metals in Slovenia. When the mine and processing plants ceased to operate, the direct transfer of heavy metals into the environment has strongly decreased. However, the deposits of poor ore and wastes from ore processing have remained as an indirect source of heavy metal pollution. From those places heavy metals have been washed out into the nearby streams, and carried into the Meža River and further into the Drava River. Chemical analysis of the Meža River and its tributaries has shown heavy pollution of the upper Meža River sediments with lead, zinc, molybdenum and cadmium, and partly with arsenic. In the lower Meža valley, those concentrations are mildly decreased. Concentrations of cobalt, chrome, copper and nickel are increased in the area around Ravne as a result of the ironworks industry. Mu{enik and Jan~arjev potok, both tributaries of the Meža River, contribute a high portion of heavy metal load to the Meža River. A specific case is Helenski potok, in which the concentrations of heavy metals strongly surpass the concentrations measured at all other locations. Although more than 10 years have passed since the mine and ore processing plant in the upper Meža valley were closed, the production has ceased and the rehabilitation measures have been taken, the environment in the upper Meža valley is still highly polluted.
Three clastic marly-shaly horizons occur within the Carnian carbonate rocks near Mežica and Črna na Koroškem, Slovenia. The marly-shaly beds directly overlie oolitic and oncoidal limestones. In the ...lowermost of these clastic horizons, several cephalophod species,including the most common Carnites floridus (Wulfen), were collected. In addition, bivalves, gastropods and sparse vertebrate remains are present.Within the second clastic horizon, there is a distinctive layer characterized by numerous specimens of the bivalve Hoernesia sturi (Wöhrmann), which was also found, though less commonly, in the lowermost clastic horizon. No fossil macrofauna was found in the third, uppermost clastic horizon.The oolitic and oncoidal layers at the base of all three clastic horizons also contain abundant echinoids and crinoids, as well as rare earliest thecideide brachiopods.The lithostratigraphic associations of the Carnian beds in the Mežica area express the same eustatically-driven cyclicity that is exhibited regionally in the “Raibl group” of the Eastern Alp
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V Mežici noč in nad njo teče svinec. Rudarji so ...nam povedali, da je bil napovedan mežiškemu rudniki in topilnici konec že leta 1949, vendar se je produkcija do danes stalno večala. Lani so odkrili nova rudišča pod Uršljo goro in to je kolektiv še bolj prepričalo, da so velika lastna sredstava, ki jih vlagajo v modernizacijo obratov dobro naložena. Velike bobnaste peči so v lanskem letu dale 16.325 ton svinca, kmalu pa bodo dajale letno še 5.000 ton več.
Iz topilnice v žerjavu potiskajo veliki ekshaustorji škodljive pline v bližno dolino, ki jo na pol za šalo domačini imenujejo tudi »Dolina smrti«. Škodljivi vpliv sega 5 km daleč in vso škodo v gozdartvu in poljedeljstvu so ocenili na več kot 10 milijonov dinarjev letno. Če bi jim uspela investicija ene milijarde dinarjev bi tu lahko zgradili donosen obrat za pridobivanje žveplene kisline in natrijevega sulfata.- Information:- The town of Mežica: environmental pollution with noxious gases from the mercury smelting plant; the Žerjav smelting plant, masked workers and destroyed forests in the Mežica Valley.- Original language summary:
Mežica: onesnaževanje okolja s strupenimi plini iz topilnice svinca; topilnica Žerjav, delavci z maskami, gore, uničeni gozdovi v Mežiški dolini.- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
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Prispevek ob ekološki katastrofi v Mežici, z izjavami Avgusta Osojnika, ribiškega čuvaja, Marte Šisemik, okoljevarstvene inšpektorice in Mateje Vidmar, TAB (Tovarna akumulacijskih baterij) Mežica.
The clip presents the background and some opinions regarding the ecological catastrophe in Mežica, with statements from Avgust Osojnik, head of a fishing watch, Marta Šisemik, the environmental inspector and Mateja Vidmar, representative for TAB Mežica.- Information:- Factory of batteries, Mežica caused an ecological disaster with omissions from production waste acid into the river Meža, causing a massive rate of fish mortality in the river.- Original language summary:
Tovarna akumulatorjev baterij Mežica je ob izpustu kisline v reko Mežo povzročila ekološko katastrofo in pogin rib.- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
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Večstoletno rudarjenje in predelava svinca je uničilo naravno okolje v Mežiški dolini. Uničeni gozdovi so alpsko dolino spremenili v dolino smrti. O problemih življenja v onesnaženi dolini govorijo prizadeti domačini in strokovnjaki, pevec Marjan Smode pa je o dolini napisal nekaj pesmi (med njimi je v Sloveniji najbolj znana Mrtva reka - Dead River); izjave Andrej Šertel, vodja za gojenje in varstvo gozdov Lesna Slovenj Gradec, Karl Markovič, predsednik lovske družine Bistra, Pavel Srebre, Martin Srebre, Marija Šepul, ing. Peter Sovan, vodja projektne skupine za okolje Rudnik Mežica, dr. Bojan Jezernik, zdravnik ZD Ravne na Koroškem, Filip Šepul, kmet.
The consequences of hundreds of years of lead mining in the valley of the river Meža; destroyed forests and have changed the valley into a valley of death. The affected citizens and experts talk about the issues arising from living in the polluted valley. The singer Marjan Smode wrote several songs about the polluted valley (most recognizable of them entitled, Mrtva reka - Dead River). Statements by Andrej Šertel, head of the section for cultivation and protection of the forest Lesna Slovenj Gradec, continuing with Karl Markovič, head of the hunting family Bistra, and participants of the project group for the preservation of Mežiška dolina, Pavel Srebre, Martin Srebre and Marija Šepul as their project leader, the engineer Peter Sovan, a statement by the medical doctor Bojan Jezernik, ending the clip with a statement by a local farmer Filip Šepul.- Information:- Eliminating the consequences of centuries of mining, saving the natural forest and the heavily polluted environment of Mežiška dolina.- Original language summary:
Odpravljanje posledic večstoletnega rudarjenja, reševanje gozdov in naravnega okolja v močno onesnaženi Mežiški dolini.- All metadata published by Europeana are available free of restriction under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. However, Europeana requests that you actively acknowledge and give attribution to all metadata sources including Europeana
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