Geochemistry of minerals, waters and weathering from the Fonte Santa mine area, NE of Portugal

The quartz veins containing scheelite from Fonte Santa mine area were exploited for W between 1942 and 1982. At the end of November 2006, a flood event damaged the dam land of Fonte Santa mine and metal content of water increased. Fonte Santa mine area cuts the quartzites close to the Fonte Santa muscovite granite. The granite contains quartz, microcline, albite, muscovite, chlorite, columbite-tantalite, volframite, W-ixiolite and ilmenite. The quartz veins contain muscovite, chlorite, tourmaline, scheelite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena, arsenopyrite, magnetite, jarosite, phosphates of Pb, Fe and AI. The waters related to the Fonte Santa mine are poorly mineralized, with electrical conductivity < 965 ~S / cm, of mixed type or HCO3- and SO42- types. These waters have Fe and Mn contents that forbid to use that for human consumption and agriculture. Sodium, Mg and K water contents are associated with the alteration of albite, chlorite and muscovite of country rock, while Ca is related to the W-bearing quartz veins