Abstract
Long-term underground exploitation of Zn-Pb ores has led to drainage of the area and formation of a huge dumping ground in the form of a pile. In its vicinity, processes of acid drainage have developed as a result of contamination of soils and groundwater. Geochemical transformations of mineral contents of waste can significantly affect physical and chemical properties of the soils and the bedrock. At the prospect of termination of the mining activity in the near future, determining the routes of the pollution migration, ability to monitor acid drainage processes and assessment of the risk of heavy metal pollution are really crucial. The paper presents a proposal for solving this problem by means of geophysical methods: Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Time Domain-Induced Polarisation (TDIP), Frequency Domain Electromagnetics (FDEM) and shallow-depth magnetometric surveys combined with geochemical investigations. The obtained results of geophysical surveys have been confirmed by geochemical investigations. The applied ERT and TDIP methods make it possible to identify the spread of the zones of pollution around the tailing pile, but their effectiveness depends on humidity of the ground. Soil magnetometry and shallow-depth induction profiling are a good tool to identify the medium contaminated with minerals redeposited by aeolian processes and allow to determine the range of the dust spread from the pile. It has been shown that the range of impact of the geochemical changes around the tailing pile is high and depends not only on directions and dynamics of water flow from the pile but also on aeolian transport.
Highlights
Large-scale exploitation and processing of Cu and Zn-Pb ores which has lasted for the last 50 years has led to production of waste, which constitutes about 20% of all industrial wasteResponsible editor: Philippe GarriguesFaculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, 60 Będzińska St., PL-41-200 Sosnowiec, PolandInstitute of Environmental Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, 34 Skłodowskiej-Curie St., PL-41-819 Zabrze, Poland deposited in Poland
Integrated geophysical and geochemical methods applied in this study enabled identification of different threats related to underground water infiltration, acid waste drainage and dusting processes
Correct identification of zones contaminated with unstable metalliferous minerals should be carried out using the complex of methods: Frequency Domain Electromagnetics (FDEM), Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Time Domain-Induced Polarisation (TDIP) and soil magnetometry
Summary
Large-scale exploitation and processing of Cu and Zn-Pb ores which has lasted for the last 50 years has led to production of waste, which constitutes about 20% of all industrial wasteResponsible editor: Philippe GarriguesFaculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia, 60 Będzińska St., PL-41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland. Geochemical transformations of mineral components of the waste, especially in fine-grained fractions, as well as appreciable share of metal-bearing Fe, Zn and Pb sulphides can have a significant impact on the local ecosystem including bedrock, soil, air, groundwater and its biotic elements. Electrical resistivity and electromagnetic methods are successfully used to identify zones of acid drainage related to exploitation and processing of metal ores (Vanhala et al 2004; Chouteau et al 2006; Cabala et al 2008; Iacob and Orza 2008; Gómez-Ortiz et al, 2010; Nearing et al 2013; Acosta et al 2014; Olenchenko et al 2016; Epov et al 2017) and of hard coal (Ladwig 1983; Pierwola and Kowalska 2012; Pierwoła 2013; Power et al 2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
