Electron microprobe analyses of sphalerite and hemimorphite from mine wastes from the Tar Creek Superfund Site, Tri-State Mining District, Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Electron microprobe analyses of sphalerite (ZnS) and hemimorphite (Zn4Si2O7(OH)2·H2O) from sampled historical waste piles were conducted with a specific focus on germanium (Ge). In mine wastes at the Tar Creek Superfund Site, Oklahoma, USA, Ge is associated with ZnS (sphalerite) as expected, but weathering in the waste piles has led to a significant amount of Ge being incorporated into a zinc-silicate, hemimorphite. Data and methods reported are part of a research study published here: White, S.J.O., Piatak, N.M., McAleer, R.J., Hayes. S.M., Seal, R.R. II, Schaider, L.A., Shine, J.P. Germanium redistribution during weathering of Zn mine wastes: implications for environmental mobility and recovery of a critical mineral"