Atmospheric Mercury in Abandoned Mine Structures
and Restored Mine Buildings at Mt. Amiata, Italy
R. FERRARA, B.E. MASERTI, B. MAZZOLAI, F.Di FRANCESCO, H. EIJNER,
S. SVANBERG, and E. W ALLINDER
Mt. Amiata, located in central italy, is characterized by the presence of large deposits of cinnabar
(mercury sulfide) from which mercury has been extracted since ancient Roman times. The Abbadia
San Salvatore mining and smelting plant was the largest in the Amiata district until it was
permanently shut down in 1982. About 2 million flasks of mercury (34.5 kg each) were produced in the
80-year period the plant was in use. At present, this zone is the site of abandoned mine structures, and
in 1990 some buildings were restored and converted for commercial activities. A mercury flux of
100 g/h from the mine structures was estimated in July 1995 using the LIDAR remote sensing
technique. Using point monitors, a map was made of the distribution of air mercury levels around
these structures, showing very high values (1000~15 000 ng/m') near the old furnaces and cooling
towers. The air mercury concentrations inside the restored mine buildings range from 200 to 2200 ng/
m-', with higher values in the winter months due to decreased ventilation.
1
Introduction
Until the 1980s, mining for mercury production showed strong growth due to the
high market price of this metal (Nriagu 1979).
Large mining centers sprang up in cinnabar-rich areas characterized by
geologic anomalies such as that in the Mediterranean basin, where over 500 000
tons of mercury were produced, approximately 50% of the world production
(Bargagli 1990; Ortega Girones and Hernandez Sobrino 1992; Palinkas et al. 1995).
Mercury prices began to decline in the 1970S when falling demand, due to
emerging toxicological problems with mercury use and production and
heightened public awareness with regard to environmental issues, caused many
mines to close.
The mining and processing operations often left behind desolate landscapes.
Huge deposits of roasted cinnabar resembling small hills often surround the
abandoned mines and smelting plants.
The Mediterranean basin still contains the world's largest active installation,
that of Almaden (Spain), while those at Idrija (Slovenia) and Mt. Amiata (Italy)
have been closed.
At Idrija the landscape is returning to normal thanks to an ongoing cleanup
program; only traces of the smelting plant remain. There are no banks of roasted
cinnabar because, during the period the plant was in operation, processing
residues were dumped into the Idrijca River, which empties into the Adriatic Sea
(Kosta et al. 1978).
Environmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
!j) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999
and Restored Mine Buildings at Mt. Amiata, Italy
R. FERRARA, B.E. MASERTI, B. MAZZOLAI, F.Di FRANCESCO, H. EIJNER,
S. SVANBERG, and E. W ALLINDER
Mt. Amiata, located in central italy, is characterized by the presence of large deposits of cinnabar
(mercury sulfide) from which mercury has been extracted since ancient Roman times. The Abbadia
San Salvatore mining and smelting plant was the largest in the Amiata district until it was
permanently shut down in 1982. About 2 million flasks of mercury (34.5 kg each) were produced in the
80-year period the plant was in use. At present, this zone is the site of abandoned mine structures, and
in 1990 some buildings were restored and converted for commercial activities. A mercury flux of
100 g/h from the mine structures was estimated in July 1995 using the LIDAR remote sensing
technique. Using point monitors, a map was made of the distribution of air mercury levels around
these structures, showing very high values (1000~15 000 ng/m') near the old furnaces and cooling
towers. The air mercury concentrations inside the restored mine buildings range from 200 to 2200 ng/
m-', with higher values in the winter months due to decreased ventilation.
1
Introduction
Until the 1980s, mining for mercury production showed strong growth due to the
high market price of this metal (Nriagu 1979).
Large mining centers sprang up in cinnabar-rich areas characterized by
geologic anomalies such as that in the Mediterranean basin, where over 500 000
tons of mercury were produced, approximately 50% of the world production
(Bargagli 1990; Ortega Girones and Hernandez Sobrino 1992; Palinkas et al. 1995).
Mercury prices began to decline in the 1970S when falling demand, due to
emerging toxicological problems with mercury use and production and
heightened public awareness with regard to environmental issues, caused many
mines to close.
The mining and processing operations often left behind desolate landscapes.
Huge deposits of roasted cinnabar resembling small hills often surround the
abandoned mines and smelting plants.
The Mediterranean basin still contains the world's largest active installation,
that of Almaden (Spain), while those at Idrija (Slovenia) and Mt. Amiata (Italy)
have been closed.
At Idrija the landscape is returning to normal thanks to an ongoing cleanup
program; only traces of the smelting plant remain. There are no banks of roasted
cinnabar because, during the period the plant was in operation, processing
residues were dumped into the Idrijca River, which empties into the Adriatic Sea
(Kosta et al. 1978).
Environmental Science
Mercury Contaminated Sites (ed. by R. Ebinghaus et al.)
!j) Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1999