Assessment of soil-ecological status of post-technogenic diamond mining landscapes in Yakutia

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the soil-ecological status of self-restoring diamond mining spoils of Yakutia for the optimization of reclamation activities.

Location and time of the study. In Northern and Western Yakutia, waste rock spoils formed during the  placer and primary mining were studied. The spoils differ significantly in relief, bed rock and other properties. The experimental material was obtained as part of the research work of the Scientific Research Institute of Applied Ecology of the North named after prof. D.D. Savvinov of the North-Eastern Federal University in 2007–2024.

Methods. To assess the soil-ecological status of technogenic landscapes in the cryolithozone, the bonitation approach developed by the Institute of Soil Science and Agrochemistry (SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia) was modified and used.

Results. The integrated assessment of individual specificity of diamond mining spoils is presented to determine the prospects for self-restoration of the most important soil-ecological functions. The purpose of this assessment was to develop novel or adapt existing technologies for reclamation in the permafrost zone of Yakutia. In order to improve the accuracy of the soil-ecological status assessment, a modification of the calculations is proposed, namely, a) a two-stage calculation of the specificity coefficient for physical clay, and b)  entering into the formula for calculating the soil-ecological indicators related to the status of soil microbiota and vegetation.

Conclusions. A gradation of the soil-ecological status of post-technogenic landscapes of Yakutia is proposed, allowing an integrated assessment of the status of a wide range of diamond mining spoils for better targeting reclamation technologies.