Belgorod State University, Belgorod, Russia:

L. L. Novykh, Associate Professor, Candidate of Biological Sciences, novykh@bsu.edu.ru
L. I. Belousova, Associate Professor, Candidate of Geographic Sciences
I. E. Novykh, Senior Lecturer, Candidate of Geographic Sciences
A. V. Ovchinnikov, Associate Professor, Candidate of Engineering Sciences

Operation of mining and processing plants violates the hydrogeological conditions of the land, which can contribute to the hydrogenous transformation of landscapes and soils. The geological feature of the Belgorod Region is the presence of chalk eluvium as soil-forming rocks on hill slopes (3.6% of the territory). Soils are often underlain by chalk deposits which are characterized by significant microporosity and microfracturing. Five soil profiles were studied using the profile-genetic and morphological methods. The morphological indicators of the process of gleying are the color of the soil and the presence of glandular neoplasms. The catena included soils: gray forest soil-contact-gley on mantle loam underlain by chalk eluvium; soddy underdeveloped on eluvium chalk; soddy-carbonate medium washed out on the eluvium of chalk; soddy-reclaimed thin humus soil-gley on deluvial deposit. The appearance of gray forest gley soils nearby groundwater occurrence in flat areas in the upper parts of the slopes is due to the fact that the soils are underlain by carbonate rocks, which can contribute to moisture stagnation. The main cause of formation of hydromorphic soils on the upland slope is the occurrence and weathering of carbonates in combination with their water-lifting capacity. This leads to a violation of the law of similar topographic series. Thus, Cretaceous rocks make significant adjustments to the formation of soils and their distribution over the relief. When anomalous soil properties are detected, even in the industrial zones of mining plants, a detailed consideration of all possible causes of the observed phenomena, not only anthropogenic, but also natural, is necessary.

1. Asr E. T., Kakaie R., Ataei M., Tavakoli Mohammadi M. R. A review of studies on sustainable development in mining life cycle. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019. Vol. 229. pp. 213–231.
2. Zamotaev I. V., Ivanov I. V., Mikheev P. V., Belobrov V. P. Transformation and Contamination of Soils in Iron Ore Mining Areas (a Review). Eurasian Soil Science. 2017. Vol. 50, No. 3. pp. 359–372.
3. Ladonin D. V., Nizienko E. A. Heavy metals in soils and road dust in the Stoilo-Lebedinsky mining complex. Zhivye i biokosnye sistemy. 2017. No. 22.
4. Soltani N., Keshavarzi B., Moore F., Sorooshian A., Ahmadi M. R. Distribution of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in tailings, soils, and plants around Gol-E-Go har iron mine, a case study in Iran. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. 2017. Vol. 24, Iss. 23. pp. 18798–18816.
5. Solovichko V. D. Fertility and effective utilization of soil in the Belgorod Region. Belgorod : Otchiy kray, 2005. 291 p.
6. Ovchinnikov A. V. Composition and lithology of chalk : A case-study of Zelenaya Polyana deposit, Belgorod. Cretaceous System in Russia and in the Near Abroad : IX All-Russian Conference Proceedings. Belgorod : Politerra, 2018. pp. 204–207.
7. Fabricius I. L. Chalk: Composition, diagenesis and physical properties. Bulletin of the Geological Society of Denmark. 2007. Vol. 55. pp. 97–128.
8. Amour F., Nick H. M. Porosity and permeability variability across a chalk reservoir in the Danish North Sea: Quantitative impacts of depositional and diagenetic processes. Engineering Geology. 2021. Vol. 285. 106059. DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2021.106059
9. Pribylovskaya A. V. Assessment of the negative environmental impact of tailings from iron ore flotation enrichment products. GIAB. 2021. No. 1. Special issue 1. Safety and geoecology in mining-2. pp. 58–67.
10. Novikova N. M., Nazarenko O. G. Current hydromorphism: processes, forms, diagnostics in ecosystems. Arid Ecosystems. 2007. Vol. 13, No. 33-34. pp. 68–80.
11. Novykh L. L., Pelekhotse E. A., Smirnova L. G., Chuykova E. G. Secondary hydromorphism as the relevant direction of the chernozems transformation. Nauchnye vedomosti BelGU. Ser. Estestvennye nauki. 2016. No. 25(246). pp. 94–102.
12. Zaidelman F. R., Stepantsova L. V., Nikiforova A. S., Krasin V. N., Safronov S. B. et al. Genesis and degradation of chernozems due to excessive moistening in European Russia. The ways of their protection and improvement. Voronezh : Kvarta, 2013. 352 p.
13. Xiaoyang Liu, Huading Shi, Zhongke Bai, Wei Zhou, Kun Liu et al. Heavy metal concentrations of soils near the large opencast coal mine pits in China. Chemosphere. 2020. Vol. 244. 1 25360. DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.125360
14. Zaidelman F. R. Gleying as a factor of soil formation and degradation, protection methods. Eurasian Soil Science. 2017. No. 7. pp. 849–859.
15. Bedard-Haughn A. Gleysolic soils of Canada: Genesis, distribution, and classification. Canadian Journal of Soil Science. 2011. Vol. 91, No. 5. pp. 763–779.
16. Makeicheva M. A. Formation of composition and properties of carbonate rocks in the course of weathering. Moscow : Nedra, 1991. 142 p.
17. Ananko T. V., Gerasimova M. I. Dark-humus soils on the updated soil map of Russian Federation scale 1 : 2.5 m. Byulleten Pochvennogo instituta imeni V. V. Dokuchaeva. 2021. No. 108. pp. 31–54.
18. Goryachkin S. V., Mergelov N. S., Targulian V. O. Extreme Pedology: Elements of Theory and Methodological Approaches. Eurasian Soil Science. 2019. Vol. 52, No. 1. pp. 1–13
19. Dobrovolskiy G. V., Urusevskaya I. S. Geography of soils. Ser.: Classic university textbook. 2^nd enlarged and revised edition. Moscow : Izdatelstvo MGU, KolosS, 2004. 460 p.