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Abstract: Concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, U and Pb, and stable Pb isotopes 206Pb, 207Pb and 208Pb were measured via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in sediments, water and freshwater mussels (Velesunio angasi) from two catchments in the Alligator Rivers Region, Australia. Sediment U and Pb concentrations were higher in Magela Creek downstream than upstream of the Ranger U mine due to the mineralised nature of the catchment and potential local input of sediment from the mine site. Water metal concentrations were highest in Georgetown Creek, which is a tributary of Magela Creek and part drains the Ranger mine site, but there was little difference in concentrations between the Magela Creek upstream and downstream sites. Metal concentrations in mussels collected immediately upstream and downstream of the mine site also showed little difference, whereas Pb isotope ratios displayed a very distinct pattern. The 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/207Pb isotope ratios were more uranogenic downstream than upstream of the site and also more uranogenic than ratios measured in Sandy Billabong, a reference billabong in a catchment not influenced by U mineralisation. Isotope ratios were also more uranogenic in younger mussels, potentially due to the increasing footprint of the mine site over the past decade. The most uranogenic ratios were found in mussels from Georgetown Creek and at a site approximately 2km downstream. At Mudginberri Billabong, approximately 12km downstream of the Ranger mine, the relative contribution of uranogenic Pb to the total Pb concentration in mussels was small and overwhelmed by the input of industrial Pb with a Broken Hill type Pb signature. Whereas metal uptake by and thus concentrations in mussel flesh are influenced by water chemistry, mussel condition and metabolic rates, Pb isotope ratios are independent of these factors and provide a powerful means of source apportionment of contaminants in mussels and waterways, in particular in an U mining environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Radon-222 exhalation from the ground surface depends upon a number of variables such as the 226Ra activity concentration and its distribution in soil grains; soil grain size; soil porosity, temperature and moisture; atmospheric pressure, rainfall and temperature. In this study, 222Rn exhalation flux density measurements within and around the Ranger uranium mine in northern Australia were performed to investigate the effect of these variables within a tropical region. Measurements were taken at the waste rock dumps, ore stockpiles, mine pits, and at sites where effluent water with elevated 226Ra concentration has been spray irrigated over land, as well as at sites outside the mine. The sites selected represented a variety of geomorphic regions ranging from uranium-bearing rocks to ambient soils. Generally, wet season rains reduced 222Rn exhalation but at a few sites the onset of rains caused a step rise in exhalation flux densities. The results show that parameters such as 226Ra activity concentration, soil grain size and soil porosity have a marked effect on 222Rn flux densities. For similar geomorphic sites, 226Ra activity concentration is a dominant factor, but soil grain size and porosity also influence 222Rn exhalation. Surfaces with vegetation showed higher exhalation flux densities than their barren counterparts, perhaps because the associated root structure increases soil porosity and moisture retention. Repeated measurements over one year at eight sites enabled an analysis of precipitation and soil moisture effects on 222Rn exhalation. Soil moisture depth profiles varied both between seasons and at different times during the wet season, indicating that factors such as duration, intensity and time between precipitation events can influence 222Rn flux densities considerably. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]