Mine tailings that were produced during the exploitation of the Ulveryggen siliciclastic sediment-hosted Cu deposit in northern Norway were disposed into the inner part of Repparfjorden from 1972 to 1978/1979. This study focuses on the mineralogy and geochemistry of the submarine mine tailings and underlying natural marine sediments from the inner part of Repparfjorden, as well as on the primary Ulveryggen ore. The ore mineralization from the neighboring Nussir carbonate sediment-hosted Cu deposit was studied too, due to the forthcoming mining of both deposits. Bornite and chalcopyrite are the major Cu-sulfides, and are characterized by low concentrations of potentially toxic elements including Cd, Hg, and As. The tailing material occupies the uppermost 9 cm of Repparfjorden sediments. It is characterized by predomination of a silty component with elevated Cu (up to 747.7 ppm), Ni (up to 87 ppm), and Cr (up to 417 ppm) concentrations. The high Cu concentration is related to the deposition of mine tailings. In contrast, Ni and Cr concentrations are close to those in naturally occurring stream sediments from the feeding river, Repparfjordelva, reflecting the compatibility of these elements with hosting mafic volcanics, which are widely spread in the Repparfjord Tectonic Window. Copper in the uppermost part of the sediments is bound to the acid-soluble fraction while Ni and Cr are bound to the residual fraction. Artificial placement of large masses of fine-grained material, i.e., smothering, resulted in a diminished biological activity and/or physical distortion of mostly benthic fauna, which was reflected in total organic carbon (TOC) values as low as 0.15% in the uppermost strata. Sulfide minerals are found both in natural marine sediments and in the mine tailings. They are generally well-preserved with an exception for chalcopyrite from the uppermost part of the submarine tailing, which shows signs of incipient weathering. Thermodynamic modeling confirmed that redox potential and pH are important factors in the weathering of sulfides. Available ligands contribute to the Cu speciation. In near-neutral to slightly alkaline conditions a presence of carbonates can lead to the mobilization of Cu in form of CuCO₃ complexes.

The ice caps that covered large parts of the continents of the northern hemisphere during the Pleistocene glaciations drained huge quantities of meltwater. In several places the erosive power of the meltwater rivers has led to the formation of ice-marginal valleys (IMVs). A much-debated question is whether sediments deposited in IMVs by proglacial and extraglacial streams can be distinguished on the basis of their heavy-mineral content. This question was assessed by an inventory of the heavy-mineral assemblages from the middle part of the Toruń-Eberswalde IMV in northwest Poland, two sandurs that supplied sediment from the north and the pre-Wisła river system that supplied sediment from the south; all these streams fed the IMV. The largely similar heavy-mineral compositions and sediments concentrations of the middle part of the IMV and sandurs suggest that the sediment in the IMV was supplied almost entirely by the streams on the sandurs but also that some sediments were eroded from the Miocene subsoil of the IMV itself and for a small part from the south by the pre-Wisła river system. The only heavy mineral in the pre-Wisła sediments for which the percentage is significantly different from those in the sediments of the sandurs and the IMV terrace is epidote. The difference, however, is not seen in the sediments of the IMV so it can be concluded that the sediment supply to the middle part of this IMV by streams from the south was insignificant. This is in contrast with what was hitherto commonly assumed.