The influence of dump rock of the granite quarry on the quality of soils of adjacent areas

Abstract

Goal. To assess the impact of storage of overburden by LLC Rybatskiy Karyer on the adjacent territories, including for agricultural purposes. The research methodology. To assess the technogenic impact from the storage of mining waste and the development of quarries on agricultural land, field, laboratory and analytical studies were carried out. According to standard methods, the physical parameters of soils from the dump body, adjacent land allotment territories and from an agricultural field were determined, namely: moisture and density of the solid phase of soils in accordance with the national standard ДСТУБВ.2.1-17:2009; biological activity of the soil by the "application" method; biotesting of the test object according to the method of assessing soil toxicity using the "Growth test". Sampling from the dump, at its foot and on agricultural land was carried out in accordance with the requirements of ДСТУISO 10381-2:2004. The calculation of the amount of dust deposited on agricultural land was carried out using analytical methods. Results of the research. According to various analytical methods, the amount of dust release from the dumps is estimated to be 4.73 tons/year, including from its southern part, taking into account the manifestations of suffusion and dips – more than 0.13 tons/year.According to the "Growth test", a "braking effect" was revealed in one of four soil samples taken from agricultural land, and a "norm" was also obtained in two samples taken in the southwestern part of the dump, where intensive spontaneous growth occurs.The results of assessing the biological activity of the soil by the "application" method showed a high rate of cellulose decomposition, which indicates the suitability of using soils for growing agricultural products. Despite the intensive spontaneous growth of the western part of the overburden dumps, the surface of the embankment is periodically opened due to manifestations of suffusion and, as a consequence, the "drunken forest", one of the reasons for the development of which is open-cast mining.The central and northern parts of the dumps are active. Based on visual inspection and the results of analytical studies, it was revealed that forest reclamation measures to minimize the technogenic load on agricultural land are still a relevant solution. A well-known example is the planting of a forest belt along the contour of the field from the side of the influence of dumps. The planting of a shelter belt is proposed in two rows, which increases the useful forest cover by 3.5%. Scientific novelty. The expediency of farming at a distance from overburden storage sites and an increase in the sanitary protection zone around such man-made objects have been substantiated. Practical meaning. It is advisable to provide for additional forest reclamation measures to prevent deterioration of soil quality, in particular for agricultural purposes, in areas adjacent to overburden dumps with intensive manifestations of self-overgrowing under conditions of intensive development of suffusion and failure phenomena.