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Vibrational, X-ray absorption, and Mössbauer spectra of sulfate minerals from the weathered massive sulfide deposit at Iron Mountain, California

Juraj Majzlan·Charles N. Alpers·Christian Bender Koch·R. Blaine McCleskey·Satish B.C. Myneni·John M. Neil
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Abstract

The Iron Mountain Mine Superfund site in California is a prime example of an acid mine drainage (AMD) system with well developed assemblages of sulfate minerals typical for such settings. Here we present and discuss the vibrational (infrared), X-ray absorption, and Mössbauer spectra of a number of these phases, augmented by spectra of a few synthetic sulfates related to the AMD phases. The minerals and related phases studied in this work are (in order of increasing Fe 2 O 3 /FeO): szomolnokite, rozenite, siderotil, halotrichite, römerite, voltaite, copiapite, monoclinic Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 , Fe 2 (SO 4 ) 3 ·5H 2 O, kornelite, coquimbite, Fe(SO 4 )(OH), jarosite and rhomboclase. Fourier transform infrared spectra in the region 750–4000 cm −1 are presented for all studied phases. Position of the FTIR bands is discussed in terms of the vibrations of sulfate ions, hydroxyl groups, and water molecules. Sulfur K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra were collected for selected samples. The feature of greatest interest is a series of weak pre-edge peaks whose position is determined by the number of bridging oxygen atoms between Fe 3+ octahedra and sulfate tetrahedra. Mössbauer spectra of selected samples were obtained at room temperature and 80 K for ferric minerals jarosite and rhomboclase and mixed ferric–ferrous minerals römerite, voltaite, and copiapite. Values of Fe 2+ /[Fe 2+ + Fe 3+ ] determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy agree well with those determined by wet chemical analysis. The data presented here can be used as standards in spectroscopic work where spectra of well-characterized compounds are required to identify complex mixtures of minerals and related phases.

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Chemical GeologyArticle
90° N90° S · 180° W ← longitude → 180° E
Source-reported bounding extent: 33.96158628979907° to 34.1890858311724° latitude; -115.4443359375° to -115.0872802734375° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Juraj Majzlan, Charles N. Alpers, Christian Bender Koch, R. Blaine McCleskey, Satish B.C. Myneni, John M. Neil. 2014. Vibrational, X-ray absorption, and Mössbauer spectra of sulfate minerals from the weathered massive sulfide deposit at Iron Mountain, California. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2011.03.008

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