Manmade minerals in mixing area of river and acid mine water in the Kizel Coal Basin

The article discusses formation and transformation of minerals in bottom sediment in the Kosva River contaminated with mine water of the Kizel Coal Basin. Typomorphic minerals formed in mixing of acid mine water and river water are jarosite and goethite. The content of goethite in bottom sediments can reach 92% of all iron-bearing minerals, and the content of jarosite in a fraction of particle size to 0.01 mm reaches 55% of all minerals. In mixing of mine and river water, a suspension appears, precipitates later on and flows with the river course down the stream for great distances from a contamination source. Such suspension contains ferric minerals which are sorbents of microelements. For the further analysis of formation dynamics of suspension with pollutant components, the zone of its most intensive origination is comprehensively examined, and an optimal site for hydrochemical sensors is identified. All iron-bearing minerals transform into goethite in the course of time. Transformation of minerals includes the phase of their solution, and resultant goethite possesses weaker adsorption properties as compared with the initial minerals. For this reason, adsorbed microelements can enter the solution and become a source of secondary contamination. The study of the formation of manmade suspension using the data obtained from the hydrochemical sensors can make it possible to estimate the time history of inflow of contaminants.

Maksimovich N. G., Demenev A. D., Khmurchik V. Т., Berezina О. А., Mizev A. A. Manmade minerals in mixing area of river and acid mine water in the Kizel Coal Basin. MIAB. Mining Inf. Anal. Bull. 2025;(4):72-87. [In Russ]. DOI: 10.25018/0236_1493_2025_4_0_72.

The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, Grant No. 23-77-01081 (https://rscf.ru/project/23-77-01081).

N.G. Maksimovich¹, Cand. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Assistant Professor, Honored Ecologist of Russian Federation, Deputy Director for Scientific Work at the Natural Science Institute, e-mail: nmax@psu.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6220-2730,
A.D. Demenev¹, Cand. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Senior Researcher, e-mail: demenevartem@gmail.com, ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1086-178Х,
V.Т. Khmurchik¹, Dr. Sci. (Geol. Mineral.), Leading Researcher, e-mail: khmurchik.vadim@mail.ru, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7629-6168,
О.А. Berezina¹, Cand. Sci. (Geogr.), Assistant Professor, e-mail: berezina.olga16@gmail.com, ORCID ID: 0000-0001-6491-0722,
A.A. Mizev¹, Master's Student, e-mail: artem.mizev@bk.ru, ORCID ID: 0009-0008-0069-1207,
¹ Perm State National Research University, Perm, 614068, Russia.

О.А. Berezina, e-mail: berezina.olga16@gmail.com.

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