Biogeochemical expression of a classic dispersal train of metalliferous till near Hopetown, Ontario

Abstract

Picea mariana (black spruce), Abies balsamea (balsam fir), Juniperus communus (juniper), Acer saccharum (sugar maple), Populus tremuloides (aspen), grasses, and their till substrate were sampled at a site of zinc mineralization in marble of the Grenville Province of southeastern Ontario. A classic dispersal train derived from the mineralization is defined by the distribution of mineralized boulders and by the areal extent of till that is enriched in zinc and cadmium; it is 70–200 m wide and at least 400 m long.The spatial distributions of zinc levels in leaf tissue of P. mariana, A. Balsamea, and grasses are also effective maps of the dispersal train. This results from strong relationships between plant metal levels and till metal levels across the full range of till metal levels. Metal levels in tree rings show a persistent decrease from older to younger wood.