Abstract # 71888: STUDYING MICROFUNGI-MINERAL INTERACTIONS IN SULPHIDE-BEARING WASTE-ROCK DUMP: A 7 YEARS SURVEY IN THE LIBIOLA MINE, NORTH-EASTERN LIGURIA, ITALY MarescoG P.1, Cecchi G.2, Di Piazza S.2, LuccheG G.1, ZoG M.2 1) DISTAV - Dipar/mento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, University of Genova (Italy) 2) Laboratory of Mycology - DISTAV - Dipar/mento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e della Vita, University of Genova (Italy) Corresponding author:
[email protected] The waste-rock dump environment
The Libiola Mine
Mine waste-rock dumps are ar3ficial landforms built up during exploita3on and beneficia3on processes over tens of years from the accumula3on of heterogeneous rocks and ore- fragments with metal concentra3on below the economic cut-off. Together with the peculiar physical proper3es of the sulphide waste-rock dumps (steep s l o p e s , l o w m o i s t u r e r e t a i n a b i l i t y , impermeabiliza3on due to cemen3fica3on and hardpan forma3on), the high metal concentra3ons, the low pH values (induced by Acid Mine Processes), and the low availability of essen3al macronutrients (such as K and P) are among the most important limi3ng factors for plant growth and species selec3on
Open-pits Study area
Rio Boeno
Rio Cattan
The mine comprises 18 galleries, 7 open pits, 30 ver3cal shaYs, and 5 major waste-rock dumps. The en3re mining area falls within the Jurassic ophiolites of the Northern Apennines (Vara Supergroup) and is mainly characterised by pillow basalts with minor serpen3nites and ophioli3c breccias. The sulphide ores (pyrite-rich and chalcopyrite-rich mineraliza3ons) mainly occur as massive lenses (25–35 wt% sulphides) and stockwork-like epigene3c veins (