article · Eurasian Soil Science
An abandoned zinc and lead mine in northeastern Algeria continues to release contaminants, causing severe degradation in adjacent soils. An assessment of soil quality near the site evaluated nutrient balance, physicochemical properties, and heavy metal concentrations, including lead, zinc, iron, cadmium, copper, and nickel. Soils closest to the mine site showed extreme acidity with a pH of 2.4, high electrical conductivity, and elevated organic content, alongside heavy contamination dominated by lead and zinc. These conditions caused noticeable disruptions in carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus balances and stoichiometric ratios. Standardised ecological and geochemical risk indices classified the surrounding land as extremely polluted, with lead posing the greatest ecological threat, followed by cadmium, copper, zinc, and nickel.
Abandoned mines can persist as active sources of environmental harm long after operations cease. Heavy metals leach into surrounding land, creating extreme acidity and disrupting essential nutrient cycles. Demonstrating the extent of geochemical degradation provides essential baseline data required to evaluate ecological risks and protect surrounding ecosystems from continuing contamination.
The findings provide baseline environmental risk and geochemical data that could inform remediation specialists, environmental monitoring agencies, and land reclamation planners. However, the abstract describes an observational assessment without evaluating specific remediation technologies or deployment tools, indicating that direct commercial or operational applications remain at an early diagnostic stage.
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Despite its abandonment, a former Zn–Pb mine in northeastern Algeria continues to emit contaminants into the surrounding environment, contributing to local soil degradation. This study assesses the impact of heavy metal contamination on soil quality, focusing on nutrient balance and pollution levels. The analysis covered physicochemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, elemental stocks (C, N, P), and concentrations of trace metals (Pb, Zn, Fe, Cd, Cu, Ni). Standardized indices evaluated contamination levels using a combination of geochemical enrichment (enrichment factor) and ecological risk (geoaccumulation index, contamination factor, and ecological risk index). Results show that most soil samples are classified as Arenosols, with those nearest to the mine exhibiting a highly acidic pH (2.4), elevated salinity (1463 µS/cm), and increased organic content along with heavy metals, mainly Pb (2813 mg/kg) and Zn (337.45 mg/kg). The imbalances in elemental ratios reflect significant disruptions in nutrient cycling. Pollution indices categorize the area as extremely polluted, with Pb presenting the highest ecological threat, followed by Cd, Cu, Zn, and Ni. These findings underscore the ongoing environmental risks associated with abandoned mining activities.
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DOI: 10.1134/s1064229325601271
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