Sidebar by Ed Quillen
Pollution – April 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine
IF MINE DUMPS consist of unprocessed rocks that were already present, albeit underground, how can they contribute to water pollution?
Most mineral deposits hereabouts are either sulfides or sit with sulfides, which are compounds of metals with sulfur. Molybdenite, the stuff that made Climax a profitable industry for several generations, is molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). Galena, the principal ore of lead, is lead sulfide (PbS). Argentite, a silver ore, is silver sulfide (Ag2S). Zinc’s main ore is sphalerite (ZnS). Gold seldom forms sulfides, but it’s often found with pyrite — iron sulfide (FeS2), better known as fool’s gold.