Abstract:
The environmental hazards arising from active and
abandoned mine tailings are a cause for concern. We report on the
presence of mineral-related environmental hazards in both Glynn
Lydenburg and Nestor mine tailings, approximately 6 km apart and
located in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Based on XRD,
shows a wide range of minerals: pyritic sulphide, quartz and mica. The
XRF results showed that quartz was the dominant oxide in both the
mine tailings; followed by Fe2O3 and Al2O3. Furthermore, trace
elements, such as As, Cr, Cu, Pb, V and Zn, were also found which are
hazardous to the environment.
