TY - JOUR A1 - Reith, F. A1 - Rea, M.A.D. A1 - Sawley, P. A1 - Zammit, C.M. A1 - Nolze, Gert A1 - Reith, T. A1 - Rantanen, K. A1 - Bissett, A. T1 - Biogeochemical cycling of gold: Transforming gold particles from arctic Finland N2 - (Bio)geochemical cycling of gold (Au) has been demonstrated in present-day (semi)-arid, (sub)-tropical and temperate environment. Hereby biofilms on Au-bearing mineral- and Au-particle surfaces drive Au dispersion and reconcentration, thereby (trans)forming the particles. However, it is unknown if biogeochemical cycling of Au occurs in polar environments, where air temperatures can reach −40 °C and soils remain frozen for much of the year. Therefore, placer Au-particles, soils and waters were collected at two placer mining districts in arctic Finland, i.e., the Ivalojoki and Lemmenjoki goldfields. Sites were chosen based on contrasting settings ((glacio)-fluvial vs. glacial-till deposits) and depths (surface to 5m below current surface). Gold particles were studied using a combination of tagged 16S rRNA gene next generation sequencing and electron microscopic/microanalytical techniques. Across all sites a range of Au-particle morphologies were observed, including morphotypes indicative of Au dissolution and aggregation. Elevated Au concentrations indicative of Au mobility were detected in placer particle bearing soils at both districts. Typically Au-particles were coated by polymorphic biofilm layers composed of living and dead cells embedded in extracellular polymeric substances. Intermixed were biominerals, clays and iron-sulfides/oxides and abundant secondary Au morphotypes, i.e., nano-particles, microcrystals, sheet-like Au, branched Au networks and overgrowths and secondary rims. Biofilms communities were composed of Acidobacteria (18.3%), Bacteroidetes (15.1%) and Proteobacteria (47.1%), with β-Proteobacteria (19.5%) being the most abundant proteobacterial group. Functionally, biofilms were composed of taxa contributing to biofilm establishment, exopolymer production and nutrient cycling, abundant taxa capable of Au mobilization, detoxification and biomineralization, among them Cupriavidus metallidurans, Acinetobacter spp. and Pseudomonas spp., were detected. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that placer Au-particle transformation and Au dispersion occur in cold, arctic environments. This corroborates the existence of biogeochemical Au cycling in present-day cold environments. KW - Gold KW - Bacteria KW - Biogeochemistry KW - Mobility KW - Finland KW - Cupriavidus metallidurans KW - NGS PY - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2018.03.021 SN - 0009-2541 VL - 483 SP - 511 EP - 529 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-44805 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nolze, Gert A1 - Saliwan Neumann, Romeo A1 - Reith, F. A1 - Etschmann, B. A1 - Kilburn, M. R. A1 - Brugger, J. T1 - Unravelling the formation histories of placer gold and platinum-group mineral particles from Corrego Bom Successo, Brazil: A window into noble metal cycling N2 - Gold and platinum-group-metals (PGM) are cycled through Earth's environments by interwoven geological, physical, chemical and biological processes leading to the trans/neoformation of metallic particles in placers. The placer deposit at Corrego Bom Successo (CBS, Brazil) is one of the few localities worldwide containing secondary gold- and PGM-particles. Placer gold consists of detrital particles from nearby hydrothermal deposits that were transformed in the surface environment. Processes that have affected these particles include shortdistance transport, chemical de-alloying of the primary Gold silver, and (bio)geochemical dissolution/reprecipitation of Gold leading to the formation of pure, secondary gold and the Dispersion of gold nanoparticles. The latter processes are likely mediated by non-living organic matter (OM) and bacterial biofilms residing on the particles. The biofilms are largely composed of metallophillic β- and γ-Proteobacteria. Abundant mobile gold and platinum nanoparticles were detected in surface waters, suggesting similar mobilities of these metals. Earlier hydrothermal processes have led to the formation of coarsely-crystalline, arborescent dendritic potarite (PdHg). On potarite surfaces, biogeochemical processes have then led to the formation of platinum- and palladium-rich micro-crystalline layers, which make up the botryoidal platinum palladium aggregates. Subsequently potarite was dissolved from the core of many aggregates leaving voids now often filled by secondary anatase (TiO2) containing biophilic elements. The presence of fungal structures associated with the anatase suggests that fungi may have contributed to ist formation. For the first time a primary magmatic PGM-particle comprising a mono-crystalline platinum palladium-alloy with platinum iridium osmium inclusions was described from this locality, finally defining a possible primary source for the PGM mineralisation. In conclusion, the formation of modern-day placer gold- and PGM-particles at CBS began 100s ofmillions of years ago bymagmatic and hydrothermal processes. These provided the metal sources for more recent biogeochemical cycling of PGEs and gold that led to the trans/neoformation of gold- and PGM-particles. KW - Gold KW - Platinum-group-metals KW - Biogeochemical cycling KW - Magmatic and hydrothermal processes KW - Biomineralisation PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2019.07.003 SN - 1342-937X VL - 76 SP - 246 EP - 259 PB - Elsevier AN - OPUS4-48657 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -