Abstract

This work presents the methodology to calculate the concentration of mercury that can be volatilized into the atmosphere of the city of Andacollo, which is present in tailings cakes from gold mining, which has been developed since the arrival of the Spanish to the present day. These cakes are found within the city. To calculate the amount of mercury that volatilizes, the modified Penman-Monteith equation was used for the evaporation of mercury which is the only liquid metal using, the thermodynamic variables of mercury and the climatological characteristics of the area where the city is located. Andacollo. The distribution of this element in the atmosphere of the city of Andacollo is predicted with the application of the Screen 3 computer program. It was determined that within the city of Andacollo there may be areas with a high concentration of mercury, which can affect the health of the population. The next stage of this project is the validation of the data obtained through the atmospheric measurement of this element.