Concept of eliminating past environmental damage in the area of mining industry of the North Caucasus

Abstract

The article presents the results of many years research on the surface infrastructure influence of mining industry of the North Caucasus on biosphere components in its area of activity. Considering that industrial mining of ores on the eastern slope of Caucasus Mountains (Sadonskoe silver-zinc deposit) began in the middle of the nineteenth century by Belgian industrialists and continues to the present. The accumulation of heavy and toxic metals in the soil horizon is shown (2.5-3.5 MAC), creating a real threat to health and livelihoods of the population living here. Fragmentary variability of landscapes, leading to the depletion of biological diversity, up to the disappearance of its various types has been revealed. According to the intensity of dust emission and the share of negative sources participation in the overall balance of dust pollution of the area atmosphere, it has been found that man-made deposits of ore processing waste are potential foci of catastrophic processes in the destruction of fencing dams by mountain streams, as they are located on terraced areas of mountain valleys. It is analytically established that safety, both general and environmental, can be achieved only by eliminating these sources from potentially dangerous places.