Black Angel mine tailings (Affarlikassaa fjord)
West Greenland, Maarmorilik, Greenland
Mine tailings and waste rock
- Type
- Mine tailings and waste rock
Over 8 Mt of tailings (over 22,000 t of Pb) discharged from 1973 to 1990 into this small 2 km² fjord. After closure, dissolved bottom-water lead dropped by a factor of 1000; waste rock dust remains the main source. Lichens, seaweed and mussels show binary mixing between this mining lead and natural lead: nearly 100 % mining lead within 1 km, still 40 to 60 % in seaweed at 35 km. Indicative coordinates.
207Pb/206Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 981
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.955 ± 0.002 | 5 | Published mean and standard deviation, 5 samples, Table 1 (Pb 3500 ± 500 mg/kg, 204Pb/206Pb = 0.0621 ± 0.0002). | Søndergaard et al. (2010), Pb isotopes as tracers of mining-related Pb in lichens, seawee… |
208Pb/206Pb isotope ratio, no unit Values of the same system
Standard : NIST SRM 981
| Value | Range | n | Mineral or matrix | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.253 ± 0.006 | 5 | Published mean and standard deviation, 5 samples, Table 1 (Pb 3500 ± 500 mg/kg, 204Pb/206Pb = 0.0621 ± 0.0002). | Søndergaard et al. (2010), Pb isotopes as tracers of mining-related Pb in lichens, seawee… |
Deposits of the same type
- Hourcade metallurgical site slags France
- Viviez plant metallurgical tailings (Dunet and Igue de Mas heaps) France
- Nikel smelter (Zapolyarny concentrate and slag) Russia
- Antamina experimental waste rock drainage Peru
- Niquelândia ferronickel plant (Codemin) Brazil
- Barro Alto ferronickel plant Brazil
- San José mine waste Bolivia
- Vinto smelter slag Bolivia
Cite this page
IsoFind Atlas (2026). Black Angel mine tailings (Affarlikassaa fjord), isotope signatures. https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/sites/residus-de-la-mine-black-angel-fjord-d-affarlikassaa/ (accessed 2026-10-13).
@misc{isofind2026blackangelminetailingsaffarli,
title = {Black Angel mine tailings (Affarlikassaa fjord), isotope signatures},
author = {{IsoFind Atlas}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://www.isofind.tech/isotopes/en/sites/residus-de-la-mine-black-angel-fjord-d-affarlikassaa/},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-13}
}Updated : 2026-10-13