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«IZVESTIYA IRKUTSKOGO GOSUDARSTVENNOGO UNIVERSITETA». SERIYA «NAUKI O ZEMLE»
«THE BULLETIN OF IRKUTSK STATE UNIVERSITY». SERIES «EARTH SCIENCES»
ISSN 2073-3402 (Print)

List of issues > Series «Earth Sciences». 2023. Vol 45

Assessment of the Impact of Open-Cast Mining on the Vyvenka River Basin (Kamchatka Krai)

Author(s)
S. R. Chalov, K. N. Prokopeva, D. I. Shkolnyi, A. S. Tsyplenkov
Abstract
Geological exploration and mining operations have been conducted in the Vyvenka River basin on the Seinav-Galmoenan platinum deposit since 1994. The majority of the explored and prospective reserves are located in the valleys of spawning salmon tributaries, raising concerns about the environmental impact of mining activities. Despite the cessation of platinum mining in the 2010s, there has been a continuing impact on the river system in recent years, with extensive sediment plumes forming along the length of the rivers. This research aims to assess the dynamics of disturbed lands and determine the scale of sediment export into the river network from the territory of the ore mining sites of Vetvisty, Penisty, Ledyanoy, Yuzhny, and Levtyrinivayam. Field and satellite data were combined to analyze the suspended sediment discharge regime and the main sediment sources, i.e., the riverbank deformations along the mining sites. As of 2021, the total area of disturbed lands in the Vyvenka basin due to open-cast platinum mining is estimated to be 19.2 km2 corresponding to 0.15 % of the area of the Vyvenka River basin. Up to 75 % of the disturbed area consists of bare lands, making them prone to surface erosion. The largest amounts of sediment influx from the mining-affected river basins were observed in 2018 during the unevenly high freshet. The increased sediment discharge was due to the overflow of sedimentation ponds in certain areas. The study results indicate a prolonged anthropogenic impact on river ecosystems, manifested in the change of hydrological regime, activation of channel deformations, and the increased sediment influx to the river network from ore mining sites.
About the Authors

Chalov Sergey Romanovich, Doctor of Sciences (Geography), Associate Professor, Hydrology Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU), 1, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation, Senior Research Scientist, Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, 19, Okruzhnoi proezd, Moscow, 105187, Russian Federation, e-mail: srchalov@geogr.msu.ru

Prokopeva Kristina Nikolaevna, Junior Research Scientist, Laboratory for Soil Erosion and Fluvial Processes, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation, e-mail: prokris3@mail.ru

Shkolnyi Danila Igorevich, Senior Research Scientist, Hydrology Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1, Leninskie gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation, e-mail: thabigd@gmail.com

Tsyplenkov Anatolii Sergeevich, Candidate of Sciences (Geography), Senior Research Scientist, Laboratory for Soil Erosion and Fluvial Processes, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1, Leninskie Gory, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation, e-mail: atsyplenkov@geogr.msu.ru

For citation
Chalov S.R., Prokopeva K.N., Shkolnyi D.I., Tsyplenkov A.S. Assessment of the Impact of Open-Cast Mining on the Vyvenka River Basin (Kamchatka Krai). The Bulletin of Irkutsk State University. Series Earth Sciences, 2023, vol. 45, pp. 127-149. https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3402.2023.45.127 (in Russian)
Keywords
fluvial processes, soil erosion, plume, placer deposits, open-cast mining, Kamchatka.
UDC
556.535.6(571.66)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26516/2073-3402.2023.45.127
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