Arsenic mineralization,source, distribution,and abundance in the Kutahya region of the western Anatolia,Turkey |
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Authors: | Meral Dogan A Umran Dogan |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Geological Engineering, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey;(2) Present address: Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA;(3) Department of Geological Engineering, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey;(4) Present address: Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA |
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Abstract: | Environmental exposure to arsenic (As) in the Kutahya region of the western Anatolia, Turkey has been reported to cause various
types of arsenic-associated skin disorders (Dogan, Dogan, Celebi, & Baris, 2005). A geological and mineralogical study was conducted to find the sources and distribution of the As. Geogenic (background)
levels were measured in samples collected from various sources in the Gediz, Simav, Tavsanli, Emet, Yoncali, Yenicekoy, and
Muratdagi areas of the Kutahya region. Based on this analysis, we determined that natural sources are a domineering factor
affecting the distribution of As, which was found: (1) mainly in evaporitic minerals, including colemanite (269–3900 ppm)
and gypsum (11–99,999 ppm), but also in alunite (7–10 ppm) and chert (54–219 ppm); (2) in secondary epithermal gypsum, which
has a high concentration of As in the form of realgar and orpiment along fracture zones of Mesozoic and Cenozoic carbonate
aquifers; (3) in rocks, including limestone/dolomite (3–699 ppm) and travertine (5–4736 ppm), which are relatively more enriched
in As than volcanics (2–14 ppm), probably because of secondary enrichment through hydrological systems; (4) in coal (1.9–46.5 ppm)
in the sedimentary successions of the Tertiary basins; (5) in thermal waters, where As is unevenly distributed at concentrations
varying from 0.0–0.9 mg/l. The highest As concentrations in thermal water (Gediz and Simav) correlate to the higher pH (7–9.3)
and T (60–83°C) conditions and to the type of water (Na–HCO3–SO4 with high concentration of Ca, Mg, K, SiO2, and Cl in the water). Changes in pH can be related to some redox reactions, such as the cation exchange reactions driving
the dissolution of carbonates and silicates. Fe-oxidation, high pH values (7–9.3), presence of other trace metals (Ni, Co,
Pb, Zn, Al), increased salinity (Na, Cl), high B, Li, F, and SiO, high Fe, SO4 (magnetite, specularite-hematite, gypsum), and graphite, and the presence of U, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, and B, especially in the
Emet, Gediz, and Simav areas, are the typical indicators for the geothermally affected water with high As content. A sixth
source of As in this region is the ground (0.0–10.7 mg/l) and the surface waters (0.0022–0.01 mg/l), which are controlled
by water–rock interaction, fracture system, and mixing/dilution of thermal waters. The high As concentration in groundwater
corresponds to the areas where pathological changes are greatest in the habitants. Arsenic in ground water also effects ecology.
For example, only Juriperus oxycedrus and J. varioxycedrus types of vegetation are observed in locations with the highest concentration of As in the region. Branches and roots of these
plants are enriched in As. |
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Keywords: | Arsenic mineralization Groundwater Kutahya Messinian crisis Sources of arsenic Turkey Western Anatolia |
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