Mineralogical studies of mine waste

含金属硫酸盐矿物往往对采矿中心附近的水质产生重大影响。它们是由含硫矿石的氧化和水化作用形成的。当采矿活动产生细粒含硫化物的废物时，这个过程会急剧加速，这些废物可以与氧气和水相互作用。这些硫化物矿石加工过程中产生的矿山废弃物会产生非常复杂的地球化学问题，因为这些矿物会与矿区地表的大气相互作用，并污染地下水。这些问题只有在有许多硫酸盐矿物的详细矿物学信息的情况下才能被理解，这些硫酸盐矿物在加拿大气候的冻融循环中随着时间的推移而来来往往，随着时间的推移，随着废物的成熟。仅仅研究博物馆收藏的结晶良好的矿物是不够的，因为这些矿物通常与在活跃的矿山废料场发现的条件下形成的材料具有不同的性质。要了解矿物学关系，需要实地和实验室研究相结合。实地研究确定了在矿山废物环境中重要的特定矿物学相互作用。实验室实验在受控环境中模拟这些现有的相互作用，从而可以隔离个体影响和过程。这些不是来自有限地区的稀有矿物，而是广泛存在于各种自然和受干扰的环境中。它们的研究难度很大，因为它们的晶粒尺寸很细，而且在一个样品中有几个物种的密切混合。设计成功的矿山废物控制系统的能力要求对存在的矿物有透彻的了解。在这些研究中，学生有很大的机会在各个领域和实验室技术方面接受培训。

Metal-bearing sulfate minerals often have a significant impact on water quality near mining centers. They form through the oxidation and hydration of sulfur-containing ores. This process is accelerated dramatically when mining activity creates fine-grained sulfide-containing waste that can interact with oxygen and water. Mine waste from processing these sulfide ores creates very complex geochemical problems as the minerals interact with the atmosphere on the surface at a mine site and pollute the ground water. These problems can only be understood if there is detailed mineralogical information for the many sulfate minerals which come and go as the waste alters through the freeze/thaw cycle of the Canadian climate and over time as the waste matures. It is not enough to study well crystallized minerals from museum collections as these do not often have the same properties as materials that have formed under conditions found at active mine waste sites. To understand the mineralogical relationships a combination of field and laboratory studies are required. The field studies identify the particular mineralogical interactions which are important in mine waste settings. Laboratory experiments model these existing interactions in controlled settings so individual effects and processes can be isolated. These are not rare minerals from a restricted locality but are widespread in a variety of natural and disturbed environments. They are difficult to study because of their fine grain size and the intimate mixing of several species in one sample. The ability to design successful mine waste containment systems requires a thorough understanding of the minerals that are present. There is a tremendous opportunity for students to be trained in the various field and laboratory techniques during these studies.