Language:

Hydrochemical evaluation of the influences of mining activities on river water chemistry in central northern Mongolia

Environmental science and pollution research international, 2017-01, Vol.24 (2), p.2019-2034 [Peer Reviewed Journal]

Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016 ;Environmental Science and Pollution Research is a copyright of Springer, 2017. ;ISSN: 0944-1344 ;EISSN: 1614-7499 ;DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7895-3 ;PMID: 27807785

Full text available

Citations Cited by

Actions
1. Add to My Research
2. Remove from My Research
3. E-mail
4. Print
5. Permalink
6. Citation
7. EasyBib
8. EndNote
9. RefWorks
10. Delicious
11. Export RIS
12. Export BibTeX

Title:
Hydrochemical evaluation of the influences of mining activities on river water chemistry in central northern Mongolia
Author: Batsaikhan, Bayartungalag ; Kwon, Jang-Soon ; Kim, Kyoung-Ho ; Lee, Young-Joon ; Lee, Jeong-Ho ; Badarch, Mendbayar ; Yun, Seong-Taek
Subjects: Agricultural management ; Agriculture ; Aluminum ; Aquatic ecosystems ; Aquatic Pollution ; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution ; Bank erosion ; Cadmium ; Contaminants ; Contamination ; Copper ; Dissolved organic carbon ; Earth and Environmental Science ; Ecotoxicology ; Environment ; Environmental Chemistry ; Environmental Health ; Environmental Monitoring ; Erosion ; Freshwater ; Gold ; Gold mines & mining ; Heavy metals ; Iron ; Livestock ; Manganese ; Metals, Heavy - analysis ; Mine drainage ; Mine wastes ; Mineral resources ; Minerals ; Mining ; Mongolia ; Research Article ; River banks ; Rivers ; Sediments ; Soil ; Soil contamination ; Soil erosion ; Stream pollution ; Sulfates ; Trans-boundary pollution ; Turbidity ; Waste Water Technology ; Water chemistry ; Water Management ; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis ; Water pollution ; Water Pollution Control ; Water Quality ; Watersheds ; Weathering
Is Part Of: Environmental science and pollution research international, 2017-01, Vol.24 (2), p.2019-2034
Description: Although metallic mineral resources are most important in the economy of Mongolia, mining activities with improper management may result in the pollution of stream waters, posing a threat to aquatic ecosystems and humans. In this study, aiming to evaluate potential impacts of metallic mining activities on the quality of a transboundary river (Selenge) in central northern Mongolia, we performed hydrochemical investigations of rivers (Tuul, Khangal, Orkhon, Haraa, and Selenge). Hydrochemical analysis of river waters indicates that, while major dissolved ions originate from natural weathering (especially, dissolution of carbonate minerals) within watersheds, they are also influenced by mining activities. The water quality problem arising from very high turbidity is one of the major environmental concerns and is caused by suspended particles (mainly, sediment and soil particles) from diverse erosion processes, including erosion of river banks along the meandering river system, erosion of soils owing to overgrazing by livestock, and erosion by human activities, such as mining and agriculture. In particular, after passing through the Zaamar gold mining area, due to the disturbance of sediments and soils by placer gold mining, the Tuul River water becomes very turbid (up to 742 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU)). The Zaamar area is also the contamination source of the Tuul and Orkhon rivers by Al, Fe, and Mn, especially during the mining season. The hydrochemistry of the Khangal River is influenced by heavy metal (especially, Mn, Al, Cd, and As)-loaded mine drainage that originates from a huge tailing dam of the Erdenet porphyry Cu-Mo mine, as evidenced by δ 34 S values of dissolved sulfate (0.2 to 3.8 ‰). These two contaminated rivers (Tuul and Khangal) merge into the Orkhon River that flows to the Selenge River near the boundary between Mongolia and Russia and then eventually flows into Lake Baikal. Because water quality problems due to mining can be critical, mining activities in central northern Mongolia should be carefully managed to minimize the transboundary movement of aquatic contaminants (in particular, turbidity, dissolved organic carbon, Fe and Al) from mining activities.
Publisher: Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Language: English
Identifier: ISSN: 0944-1344
EISSN: 1614-7499
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7895-3
PMID: 27807785
Source: MEDLINE
ProQuest Central

Back to results list


INSPIRE LIBRARY - TON DUC THANG UNIVERSITY	(84-028) 37 755 057	Feedback
19 Nguyen Huu Tho St. Dist.7, HCM	thuvien@tdtu.edu.vn	Feedback

Hydrochemical evaluation of the influences of mining activities on river water chemistry in central northern Mongolia

Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016 ;Environmental Science and Pollution Research is a copyright of Springer, 2017. ;ISSN: 0944-1344 ;EISSN: 1614-7499 ;DOI: 10.1007/s11356-016-7895-3 ;PMID: 27807785

Searching Remote Databases, Please Wait