Migration and accumulation of heavy metals in disturbed landscapes in developing ore deposits, East Kazakhstan

Abstract

This paper studied the contents of heavy metals and their accumulation in the disturbed landscapes in ore deposits of East Kazakhstan. A total of 14 sites were examined in Zyrynovsky and Tishinsk deposits and Ridder town, and 50 soil samples were taken. Results indicated that the contents of heavy metals in the soil reached the maximum permissible concentration. Emissions of the zinc plant negatively affected the soil of nearby territories. In the remediated areas, a high concentration of heavy metals was observed at a depth where the bulk soil borders the rock. Accumulation of heavy metals on the surface of the remediated areas occurred due to biological accumulation in the plant. Plants transmitted heavy elements through the root system to the upper vegetative organs, making them accumulate in the upper layers of the soil. The heavy metals migrated and accumulated from the lower layers to the surface layers of the soil. The absence of soil meso-fauna resulted in the contamination of soil by heavy metals. The analysis of water samples, taken from the waste storages and the waste waters with heavy metals in the Zyryanovsk deposit and Ridder town, revealed severe water contamination. © 2013 Science Press, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.