Publication Date:
2012-03-01
Description:
We have discovered diffuse warm air vents at the surface of a chrysotile milling waste heap at the Black Lake mine, Thetford Mines, Québec, Canada. The venting areas are inconspicuous, except in winter when the vents form snow-free areas of unfrozen ground, each with a surface area of 1–15 m2. The temperature and chemical composition of the warm air vents have been monitored from March 2009 to July 2010. The temperature of the warm air and ground surface at the venting sites ranged from 6.6 to 20.0 °C, whereas that of the ambient air ranged from –13.2 to 20.0 °C. The difference between atmospheric and vent air temperatures is greater in cold-weather months. The warm air has low CO2 content, but has otherwise normal atmospheric gas composition. Warm air volumetric flow varies from 2.1 to 19.9 L/m2/s in winter, when it contains between
Print ISSN:
0091-7613
Electronic ISSN:
1943-2682
Topics:
Geosciences
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