Weathering of galena: Mineralogical processes, hydrogeochemical fluid path modeling, and estimation of the growth rate of pyromorphite

Abstract

In many natural and anthropogenically affected environments, alteration of galena produces thermodynamically more stable secondary lead phases. These secondary minerals control the mobility of the toxic heavy metal lead in water. These textural, paragenetic, and stability relations have not been investigated in detail in the literature yet. An extensive petrographic study of 41 thin sections of weathered, zoned galena and adjacent country rock from the Schwarzwald mining area, southwest Germany, is presented. The observed textures were evaluated using PHREEQC fluid path modeling and sequences of stable secondary mineral assemblages were predicted.