Release of Potentially Toxic Elements during Weathering of the Black Shales Aq-Darreh Bala Abandoned Antimony Mine Area, Takab, NW Iran

Black shales of the abandoned antimony mine of Aq-Darreh Bala Village in northwest of Takab city, northwest Iran, contain high concentrations of toxic elements, especially As (4403–11883 ppm), Sb (405–1022 ppm) and Hg (30–58 ppm). Enrichment factor calculations revealed that some trace elements including As, Sb, Hg, Zn, U, Sr, Ni, V, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, and Zr have been depleted, while, Pb, Th, Ga, Rb, and Ta are enriched during weathering. Mass balance calculation results show the highest release percents (% loss) belongs to Cd, Zn, U, Sr, Ni, V, Cu, As, Mo, Tl, Zr, Hg and Sb respectively. The highest weight amount of released elements belongs to As, Sb, Sr, Zn, Ni, V, Zr, Cu, U, and Hg respectively. As a result, it can be concluded that the black shale outcrops in the Aq-Darreh Bala abandoned antimony mine area have a main role as a geogenic source in environmental contamination of downstream environments.