DataVXMicroscopy and MicroanalysisPaper
journal article·2007-08

Morphological and Chemical Characteristics of Airborne Tungsten Particles of Fallon, Nevada

Paul R. Sheppard, Paul Toepfer, Elaine Schumacher, Kent Rhodes, Gary Ridenour, Mark L. Witten

Microscopy and Microanalysis· Volume 13· Issue 4
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Abstract

Morphological and chemical characteristics were determined for airborne tungsten particles in Fallon, Nevada, a town that is distinguishable environmentally by elevated airborne tungsten and cobalt. From samples of airborne dust collected previously at six different places in Fallon, tungsten-rich dust particles were isolated and analyzed with automated electron microprobe and wavelength-dispersive spectrometry. Representative W particles were further analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. Morphologically, Fallon W particles are angular and small, with minimum and maximum sizes of ≤1 μm and 5.9 μm in diameter, respectively. The number and size of tungsten-rich particles decrease in Fallon with distance from a hard-metal facility located near the center of town. Chemically, Fallon airborne W particles include mixtures of tungsten with cobalt plus other metals such as chromium, iron, and copper. No W-rich particles were identifiable as CaWO4(scheelite) or MnWO4(huebnerite). From d-spacings, Fallon particles are most consistent with identification as tungsten carbide. Based on these multiple lines of evidence, airborne W particles in Fallon are anthropogenic in origin, not natural. The hard-metal facility in Fallon processes finely powdered W and W-Co, and further investigation using tracer particles is recommended to definitively identify the source of Fallon's airborne tungsten.
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OpenAlex topics: Geochemistry and Geologic Mapping · Geochemistry and Elemental Analysis · Radioactive element chemistry and processing

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

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