Research Article Open Access

Formation of Vegetation Cover and Soil Quality Indicators at the Mine Sites of a Gold-Bearing Deposit (the Case of Kara-Agash, Kazakhstan)

Vadim Chashkov1, Aliya Bugubaeva2,3, Andrey Kuprijanov4, Aleksandr Bulaev5, Sergey Mamikhin3, Aidos Joldassov6, Aleksey Shcheglov3 and Tatiana Paramonova3
  • 1 Laboratory of Physicochemical and Technological Research of the Research Institute of Applied Biotechnology, A. Baitursynov Kostanay Regional University, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
  • 2 Research Institute of Applied Biotechnology, A. Baitursynov Kostanay Regional University, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
  • 3 Faculty of Soil Science, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
  • 4 Kuzbass Botanical Garden Russian Federal State Research Center of Coal and Coal Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
  • 5 Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
  • 6 Satbayev University, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Abstract

At present, the processes of natural recovery, vegetation coverage, and degraded lands of several coal, iron ore, uranium, and polymetallic mines and gold-bearing deposits are well-studied. The present study aims to identify opportunities to shape the soil layer and vegetation cover on reclaimed dumps/tailings of industrial waste and degraded land via artificial restoration. For this purpose, in July 2023, studies of overgrowth processes were conducted in the Kara-Agash gold-bearing field, Central Kazakhstan, which had been subjected to industrial impact. The deposit's territory has gold-bearing ore mining pits and primary processing areas, including leaching stacks. The processes of plant community formation at heap leaching sites and the technogenic impact caused by economic activity were investigated. Assessment of the floristic composition and density of the vegetation cover revealed a total of 47 species of higher vascular plants. General projective coverage in control plots on territory unaffected by economic activity reaches up to 80. The plant species that exhibit the most vigorous growth and initiate primary succession were identified. These species are endemics and can be used for artificial overgrowth of technogenically disturbed lands.

OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences
Volume 24 No. 4, 2024, 877-887

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ojbsci.2024.877.887

Submitted On: 22 January 2024 Published On: 16 September 2024

How to Cite: Chashkov, V., Bugubaeva, A., Kuprijanov, A., Bulaev, A., Mamikhin, S., Joldassov, A., Shcheglov, A. & Paramonova, T. (2024). Formation of Vegetation Cover and Soil Quality Indicators at the Mine Sites of a Gold-Bearing Deposit (the Case of Kara-Agash, Kazakhstan). OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences, 24(4), 877-887. https://doi.org/10.3844/ojbsci.2024.877.887

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Keywords

  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Heap Leaching
  • Floristic Composition
  • Plant Population
  • Ionizing Radiation