Chemical composition and ecogeochemical assessment of water in quarry lakes of the Zavitinskоyе and Ermakovskoye beryllium deposits (Russia)

Abstract

The study presents the results of research on the chemical composition of water in quarry lakes of the lithium-beryllium Zavitinskоyе and fluorite-beryllium Ermakovskoye deposits located in the Eastern and Western Transbaikalia, respectively. Currently, the mines are abandoned, and the quarry lakes are actively used by the population of nearby villages for domestic and recreational purposes. It was found that the water in the quarries of these deposits is brackish and fresh, belonging to the sulfate-magnesium-calcium and hydrocarbonate-sulfate-magnesium-calcium types with a neutral and slightly alkaline reaction and high contents of sulfates and certain metals (Li, Be, Zn, Al, Mn, Fe, Sr, etc.). Significant variations in the concentrations of trace elements in the identified types of water indicate the significant role of the hydrogeochemical environment (pH, Eh, mineralization, etc.) in their dispersion or accumulation. The beryllium content in the water of Zavitinskоyе deposit quarries ranges from 0.35 to 10.1 μg/l, while in the Ermakovskoye quarry it ranges from 0.024 to 0.026 μg/l. The content of some regulated components in the water exceeds the maximum permissible concentrations established for fishery ponds and sanitary-hygienic norms by several orders of magnitude.