Chemical data for rock, sediment, biological, precipitate, and water samples from abandoned copper mines in Prince William Sound, Alaska

In the early 20th century, approximately 6 million metric tons of copper ore were mined from numerous deposits located along the shorelines of fjords and islands in Prince William Sound, Alaska. At the Beatson, Ellamar, and Threeman mine sites (fig. 1), rocks containing Fe, Cu, Zn, and Pb sulfide minerals are exposed to chemical weathering in abandoned mine workings and remnant waste piles that extend into the littoral zone. Field investigations in 2003 and 2005 as well as analytical data for rock, sediment, precipitate, water, and biological samples reveal that the oxidation of sulfides at these sites is resulting in the generation of acid mine drainage and the transport of metals into the marine environment20世纪早期，阿拉斯加威廉王子湾峡湾及沿岸岛屿沿线的多处矿床，累计开采出约600万吨铜矿石。在比特森（Beatson）、埃拉马尔（Ellamar）与斯里曼（Threeman）矿区（图1），赋存铁（Fe）、铜（Cu）、锌（Zn）及铅（Pb）硫化物矿物的岩石，在废弃矿井作业区及延伸至潮间带的残余废石堆中发生化学风化作用。2003年与2005年开展的野外调查，以及针对岩石、沉积物、沉淀物、水体与生物样本的分析数据显示，上述矿区的硫化物氧化过程正产生酸性矿山排水，并导致金属元素向海洋环境迁移。