Scientific Research Institute of Applied Ecology, Amosov’s North-Eastern Federal University (Yakutsk, Russia):

Legostaeva Ya. B., Head of Laboratory, Candidate of Biochemical Sciences, e-mail: ylego@mail.ru
Ksenofontova M. K., Researcher, Candidate of Geological Sciences
Dyagileva A. G., Junior Researcher

The article presents long-term observation data on the soil cover in the area of industrial site of Nyurba Mining and Processing Integrated Works, ALROSA Co., that is a reference site of ecological and geochemical monitoring, where the ecological and geochemical research has been conducted from the early development phase in the area. Background parameters of total forms of microelements are calculated based on spectral semiquantitative analysis, mobile forms of microelements of hazard classes I–II and III are defined using the data of the atomic absorption analysis. The ecological–geochemical condition of the area is assessed using the cumulative index of soil contamination. The industrial site of Nyurba Mining and Processing Integrated Works is situated in the limits of the Khannya-Nakynsky interstream area where Nakynsk kimberlite field lies, including the following commercial deposits: Botuobinskaya and Nyurbinskaya pipes, Markha kimberlite body and a variety of ancient buried and contemporary alluvium placers within the vast aggradational plain. The determining influence is exerted on the modern eluvial-dealluvial formations in the Khannya-Nakynsky interstream area by landwaste of trappean rocks, which shows itself in origination of natural geochemical abnormalities in the soil cover and is well identified by materials of secondary leakage fluxes. A geochemical feature of the Nakynsk kimberlite field is the increased concentration of coherent elements of Cr, Co, Ni, Mn and kimberlite-untypical minor elements of Li, Be, Sn. Possessing high sorption capacity, the dominant types of soil of the Khannya-Nakynsky interstream area accumulate chemical elements both of natural and industrial origin. Within the observation period, the soil and land of the Nyurba Mining and Processing Integrated Works industrial site have suffered irreversible alterations due to construction and operation of the MPIW units and progressive infrastructure. The resultant industry-generated landscapes have not only caused destructure of the local natural soil cover but also changed chemicophysical properties of soil in the adjacent areas.

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