Vol. 337 No. 10 (2026)
DOI https://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/10/5373
Ecological assessment of tailings dumps substrates and soils pollution with main ore (Zn, Pb, Cd) and mineralization-associated (Cd) metals in the North-West Altai mining landscapes technogenic impact zone
Relevance. The need for continuous monitoring of abandoned and dried-out tailings dumps as sources of environmental pollution, understanding the mechanisms of toxicant migration as a result of erosion and deflation processes on the tailings dumps, and identifying the role of reclamation measures in reducing the negative impact on the environment. Aim. To investigate the concentrations of priority heavy metals in the upper layers of tailings substrates of the Altai Mining and Processing Plant and in the soils of its vicinity, and to provide the integral ecological assessment of their contamination. Methods. Determinations of heavy metals in soils upper layers are carried out by the method of atomic absorption spectrometry on a Quantum-2mt device, with preliminary sequential samples treatment with acids (HCl, HNO3, HF, H2SO4). The data were processed using statistical methods. Individual and integrated indexes of soil and ground metal contamination were calculated. Results and conclusions. It is established that concentrations of primary ore metals (Zn, Cu, Pb) and mineralization-associated metals (Cd) in the substrates of the Altai Mining and Processing Plant tailing dumps significantly exceed both the estimated permissible concentrations and the background levels in the chernozems of North-Western Altai. The upper layers of the old and new tailing dumps differ significantly in their saturation with heavy metals. Thus, the soil-like ground of the new tailing dump reclaimed areas sown with forbs contains on average 250±41 mg/kg of zinc, 98±17 mg/kg of copper and 102±15 mg/kg of lead, whereas in the substrate of the perimeter of the old tailing dump under single plant specimens, the metal content is noticeably higher, on average 444±76 (up to 642) mg/kg of Zn, 332±68 (up to 1516) mg/kg of Cu and 175±26 (in some cases up to 1828) mg/kg of Pb. Zinc, with low PI and Igeo, poses the least threat to the soil cover of the study area. The upper horizons of meadow soils in landscapes geochemically subordinated to tailings dumps, containing material washed from the eroded sides of tailings dumps, are characterized by the highest concentrations of Cu and Pb. These soils exhibit the highest degree of integrated soil contamination according to the Nemerov index (NPI=22), as well as extremely hazardous (Zc=165) and high (Zc=79) values of total metal contamination. The highest Zn and Cd contents were found in the substrate on the surface of the new tailing dump near the illegal municipal waste dump. The dispersion of Altai Mining and Processing Plant tailing dump and the airborne migration of toxic dust extend up to 2 km (in the direction of prevailing winds), which is confirmed by the contamination of the upper soil layers of adjacent natural ecosystems with copper, zinc, lead, and cadmium. At a distance of 3 km from the Altai Mining and Processing Plant tailing dumps, soil contamination with heavy metals is no longer detectable.
For citation: Baboshkina S.V., Puzanov A.V., Balykin S.N., Saltykov A.V., Rozhdestvenskaya T.A., Troshkova I.A. Ecological assessment of tailings dumps substrates and soils pollution with main ore (Zn, Pb, Cd) and mineralization-associated (Cd) metals in the North-West Altai mining landscapes technogenic impact zone. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering, 2026, vol. 337, no. 10, pp. 159–171. http://doi.org/10.18799/24131830/2026/10/5373
Keywords:
Altai Mining and Processing Plant, zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, tailings dumps, soil pollution indexes, reclamation
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