Chemical, Mineralogical and Physical Characteristics of a Material Accumulated on the River Margin from Mud Flowing from the Collapse of the Iron Ore Tailings Dam in Bento Rodrigues, Minas Gerais, Brazil
The rupture of an itabirito mining tailings dam at the headwaters of the Doce River Basin (Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, Brazil) caused the greatest environmental catastrophe of the planet Earth related to this activity. The tailings were deposited both in the bottom and on the riverside terrace of the rivers, causing silting and deep changes in the water quality and burial of the main agricultural areas of this basin. For these areas to return to pre-disaster levels, it is imperative that the material deposited on the river terraces be thoroughly characterized.