Origin and fate of toxic elements from abandoned mining activities in the Riotinto area (Iberian Pyritic Belt, Spain)
Emilio Galán, Departamento de Cristalografía, Mineralogía y Química Agrícola, Universidad de Sevilla, C/ Prof. García González nº1, 41012 Sevilla, Spain, Fax: +34-954557141, egalan@us.es, Phone: +34-954557140

The Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) is one of the largest metallogenic provinces of volcanic-hosted massive sulphide deposits in the world, which extends about 230km with a width of 35 to 50km (S. Portugal and S. Spain). During the last 5,000 years the IPB has been mined for Cu, Zn, Pb, Au and Ag. As a result of this intensive mining and smelting of sulphide ore bodies close to the mines, a huge volume of spoils of different types were produced and carelessly abandoned, generating a great number of polluted locations containing As and heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Mn, Fe). The AMD contributed to disseminate the toxic elements into rivers, sediments and soils. In this lecture a review of the knowledge achieved in the last years on the sources, causes, distribution, partitioning, mobility and bioavailability of the principal toxic elements of the Riotinto area is presented and discussed.