Identifying Arsenic Pathway Using Electrical Resistivity Survey with GIS based Flow Modeling

摘要

Arsenic contamination in the area around gold mine has been of very much concern for researchingand attempting to solve the problem. This research methodology employed arsenic content in soil, soilprofiles from electrical resistivity survey and flow modeling from GIS application, to find pathway ofarsenic. Total of 240 soil samples were collected from 48 locations of which 39 locations are in thecatchment where goldmine situates (called as inside catchment) and 9 locations are at nearbycatchment (called as outside catchment). With the Box-and Whisker diagram, arsenic content at 3locations inside catchment were considered as the extreme outliers. Intensive investigations wereplaced on location of high arsenic content to find out the most possible path of arsenic transportationand its potential source. By utilizing electrical resistivity survey, soil types and its profiles deeper intothe ground around the location of extreme arsenic content can be obtained. Then, with cooperation offlow modeling of GIS associated with the direction of the deposited coarse grained soils, the water linepassing through the interesting areas could be delineated. It indicated that water line initiated from theplace close to tailing of goldmine, laid down along the natural creek and come across the study field inrainy season toward some villages. Results of arsenic content in soil samples along this finding linecorroborated that the line was a significant path of arsenic transportation. Because of closing to minetailing, it would be most possible that this line is a carriage pathway of arsenic leakage from goldmine.