Peat deposits as natural uranium filters? - First results from a case study in a dolomitic gold mining area of South Africa

Abstract

Associated with a karst spring which drains a large system of interconnected dolomitic aquifers the studied peatland is the single most important water source for a downstream municipality. Owing to the reported ability of peat to remove U and other heavy metals from polluted waters it is anticipated that the GMB peatland may potentially serve as a natural buffer between polluting mines upstream and downstream users. Based on long-term water quality trends, realtime observations and geochemical data indications for U-pollution at the peatland are presented and associated sources, pathways and transport mechanisms discussed.