• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.53 no.2
• /
• pp.133-145
• /
• 2020

Soil in mine waste-rock fields, and at the pithead, sediments and farmlands around an abandoned mine in the Chungcheong Province of South Korea were investigated to assess the distribution of metallic elements and to understand the scope of the pollution. Reddening was observed from the mine up to a distance of 61 m. Losses of waste rock around the mine were assessed over a section of 1800 ㎥. Yellowish precipitates on the bottom of a stream were identified as ferrihydrite and goethite. For anions, a mean sulfate ion level over 773.6 mg/L was found during August in the river water samples. Mine drainage at the site was shown to have a pH of 4.9 and a sulfate concentration of 1557.8 mg/L during the August rainy season. A possible cause of the metallic element contamination in the mine is waste-rock loss, because mine waste-rock is located on the slope in this area. In conclusion, the total soil area to be treated, based on the amount that exceeded the recommended Korean soil pollution levels, was assessed to be 10,297 ㎡.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.474-481
• /
• 2010

This study was conducted to describe the characteristics of Non-point source (NPS) Pollution discharge from a coal mining area in Korea. The study areas is located on the Dogye site, Samchuk, Kangwon Province Coal Corporation and the Jangsung site, Taebaek, Kangwon Province Coal Corporation. The monitoring system was installed at a drainage channel and water samples and rainfall events were collected during March 2008 to February 2009. The collected water samples were analyzed with respect to SS, BOD, $COD_{Cr}$, $COD_{Mn}$, T-N, T-P, and TOC, respectively. It was observed that the runoff and water quality were largely influenced by mine drainage. Also a significant relationship was observed from the correlation between flow and water quality, flow and NPS. And estimated Event Mean Concentration (EMC), NPS pollution loads were Dogey coal mine and Taeback coal mine respectively. As the study progresses in the future, runoff and pollution loads will be updated.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.499-508
• /
• 1998

The Imgok Creek is located in the Gangreung coal field, which has been known that sulfides are more abundant than other coal fields in Korea, and it has been severly contaminated by acid mine drainage (AMD) discharging from the abandoned coal mines, such as the Youngdong, the Dongduk and the Waryong coal mines. The purposes of this study are to synthetically assess the contamination of natural water, stream sediment and cultivated soils, and to provide the basic data for AMD treatment. Geochemical samples were collected in December, 1996 (dry season) and April, 1997 (after three day's rainfall). TDS of the Youngdong mine water was remarkably higher than those of other mine waters. In the Imgok Creek, concentrations of most elements, except Fe decreased with distance by dilution caused by the inflow of uncontaminated tributaries. From the results of NAMDI and $I_{geo}$ calculation, the Youngdong coal mine was the main contamination source of the study area. Groundwater pollution was not yet confirmed in this study and the paddy and farm land soils were also not yet contaminated by mining activity based on the pollution index ranging from 0.27 to 0.47.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.123-135
• /
• 1997

In order to investigate the dispersion patterns and contamination level of heavy metals in the soil-ecosystem and to evaluate the efficiency of soil remediation by reversed soil method, soils and plants were collected from the Dongjin Au-Ag-Cu mine area and analysed for heavy metals. The dispersion patterns of heavy metals in soils and plants show that heavy metal pollutions caused by waste rump around Dongjin mine are mainly found in the vicinity of the waste rump and in the southward slanting of mine. Toxic metallic pollutants from the mine influence heavy metal contents in paddy soils in downstream area, and may be a potential sources of heavy metal pollution on crop plants. Soil samples collected from the remediated rice farming field by reversed method show similar levels of heavy metal content to those from the polluted rice farming field, but topsoil enrichment of heavy metals are not found. Heavy metal contents of the rice plants collected from remediated rice farming field are significantly lower than those from polluted rice farming field, and it suggests that the reversed soil method is effective for the reduction of bioavailability of heavy metals.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.619-626
• /
• 2009

The price fluctuation of minerals are commonly occurred through the change of market condition, and the redevelopment of closed mines are usually happened if commercial requirement can be satisfied. After 2003, as the price of most of metals increased very rapidly, Korea government tried to find the possibility of reopening for some closed metal mines. The purpose of this article is to suggest the proper ways how effectively to regulate the mine pollution concerning the redevelopment of closed mines. For this work, with the recent price trends of metals and reopening possibility of closed metal mines in Korea were reviewed. And analysing the problems of regulations for the mine development permission and mine pollution control and reclamation process of Korea, several amendments of environmental and mining regulation regimes for redevelopment of closed mines were proposed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 2001.04a
• /
• pp.19-21
• /
• 2001

The Shiheung mine was closed in 1972 and has been abandoned since then. Although some restoration work has been done, there still remain mine failings in and around the mine, posing a potential environmental hazard. Mine tailings and the porewater extracted from the tailing were investigated to see any evidence of elemental release and migration to adjacent groundwater and soil in the field. The pHs of the tailing range from 6.24 to 7.23. Calcite in the studied area seems to influence on such neutral pH range. Depth profile of mine tailing demonstrate elements have been leached and removed as a consequence of weathering during disposal. This is also supported by the findings from porewater analysis, corresponding the trends in the mine tailings. The concentrations of Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn in the tailing porewater exceed the standard value of EPA for drinking water and this implies groundwater can be contaminated through infiltration of the porewaters, which ultimately will be discharged as leachate from the mine tailing. Groundwater samples collected near the mine area do not show high metal concentrations, except for Fe, which were detected over drinking water standard.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.81-90
• /
• 2010

In this study, primary investigation for evaluation of abandoned metal mine effect on watershed has been done. 64 abandoned mines have been selected for primary investigation through literature and field survey. 216 soil and 90 water samples were collected and metal pollution concentrations were analyzed. 24 mines have mine water in the pits and acid water below pH 5 was not observed. Soils from 35 mines were over the soil basis of concern and 16 mines were over the soil basis of action. Arsenic average concentration was 188 times of average concentration of the natural background. Drinking water samples from 3 mines were over the drinking water standard and surface water samples from 12 mines were over the river water standard. Integrated pollution index, which was resulted from the integration of field survey, soil and water pollution concentration, showed that, abandoned metal mines had affected on watershed greatly in the order of Samgeum, Daedeok, Cheongdalgeum, Heungsin, Yeongdae and Myeongbong mines.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.7 no.5
• /
• pp.623-631
• /
• 1998

Pyrite contained in wasted ore dumps induces a strong acid environment when it contacts oxygenated rainfall. Present research was designed to evaluate the pollution of an area that is supposedly contaminated by pyrite of ore wasted dumps form in Chonju Il Mine. Measured are the pH and selected heavy metal elements in the supposedly polluted hydrologic system. The samples include three types : those collected from the stream waters; those from the stream sediments; and those from the rice field soil scattered over the area. The dispersion path of the pollution source was also traced. The pH of the hydrologic system ranged from 3.44 to 5.46, which clearly indicates that the area is on the acid environment. The pH tends to rise as the distance from the minehead increases. The content of heavy metal elements dissolved in the stream water varies as follows; Mn=69.73~1.99ppm, Cd=0.02~0.03ppm, Zn=0.77~1.18ppm, Cu=0.04~0.13ppm, Pb=0.22~0.32ppm. The stream water in this state may induce serious heavy metal pollution to the agricultural land and the water for human life especially in the villages down the stream. The content of heavy metal elements dissolved in the stream sediment varies as follows; Mn=245.0~4685.0ppm, Cd=10.0~15.0ppm, Zn=105.0~210.0ppm, Cu=65.0~155.0ppm, Pb=90.0~150.0ppm. The content of heavy metal elements dissolved in the rice field soil varies as follows; Mn=185.0~260.0ppm, Cd=10.0~15.0ppm, Zn=135.0~180.0ppm, Cu=65.0~90.0ppm, Pb=100.0~130.0ppm. The pollution index in the stream sediment and the rice field sell is 1.36~2.03, which shows that pollution had already begun all over the area where the samples were collected.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.15 no.6
• /
• pp.29-36
• /
• 2010

Several mines including Namil, Solim and Jungbong which are located in the Gyeonggi and Kangwon province have been abandoned and closed since 1980 due to "The promotion policy of mining industry". An enormous amount of mining wastes was disposed without proper treatment, which caused soil pollution in tailing dam and ore-dressing plant areas. However, any quantitative assessment was not performed about soil and water pollution by transporting mining wastes such as acid mine drainage, mine tailing, and rocky waste. In this research, heavy metals in mining wastes were analyzed according to leaching method which used 0.1 N HCl and total solution method which used Aqua-regia to recognize the ecological effect of distance from hot spot. We sampled tailings, rocky wastes and soils around the abandoned mine. Chemical and physical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), soil texture and heavy metal concentration were analyzed. The range of soil's pH is between 4.3 and 6.4 in the tailing dam and oredressing plant area due to mining activity. Total concentrations of As, Cu, and Pb in soil near ore dressing plant area are 250.9, 249.3 and 117.2 mg/kg respectively, which are higher than any other ones near tailing dam area. Arsenic concentration in tailing dams is 31.0 mg/kg, which is also considered as heavily polluted condition comparing with the remediation required level(RRL) in "Soil environment conservation Act".

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.17-25
• /
• 2018

The Boroo area in Mongolia is known to have been contaminated with heavy metals due to irregular gold mining activities and the release of mercury from gold extraction process. Soil and mine tailings were collected to analyze contamination patterns of heavy metals in the Boroo area. Analyses revealed that mercury, arsenic and cadmium concentrations exceeded the regulatory standard of the nation (Mongolia National Standard). In case of mercury, about 80% of the survey area was over the limit and the concentration distribution heavily influenced by influx of mercury through water transport. Soil contamination by arsenic was most severe that the concentration exceeded the regulatory limit in almost entire survey area, showing peak concentrations at nearby streams and river along with ore processing facilities. For cadmium, about 20% of the survey area was over the limit with the concentration distribution similar to that of arsenic.