Transformation and contamination of soils in iron ore mining areas (a review)

Current concepts of soil transformation and contamination in iron ore mining areas have been reviewed. Changes of soils and ecosystems in the mining areas are among the largest-scale impacts of economic activity on the nature. Regularities in the radial differentiation, spatial distribution, and acc...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Eurasian soil science 2017-03, Vol.50 (3), p.359-372
Main Authors: Zamotaev, I. V., Ivanov, I. V., Mikheev, P. V., Belobrov, V. P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Conservation of Soils
Degradation
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Ecosystems
Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences
Heavy metals
Iron
Iron ores
Microbial activity
Mining
Rehabilitation
Soil contamination
Soil microbiology
Soil pollution
Soils
Spatial distribution
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Summary:Current concepts of soil transformation and contamination in iron ore mining areas have been reviewed. Changes of soils and ecosystems in the mining areas are among the largest-scale impacts of economic activity on the nature. Regularities in the radial differentiation, spatial distribution, and accumulation of heavy metals in soils of different natural zones are analyzed. The effects of mining technogenesis and gas–dust emissions from enterprises on soil microbial communities and fauna are considered. In zones of longterm atmotechnogenic impact of mining and processing plants, the stable state of ecosystems is lost and/or a new technoecosystem different from the natural one, with own microbial cenosis, is formed, where communities of soil organisms are in the stress state. In the ore mining regions, embriozems are formed, which pass through specific stages of technogenically-determined development, as well as technosols, chemozems, and technogenic surface formations with variable material compositions and properties. Technogenic soils and soil-like bodies form a soil cover differing from the initial one, whose complexity and contrast are not related to the natural factors of differentiation.
ISSN:1064-2293
1556-195X
DOI:10.1134/S1064229317030127