THE KOUNRADSKY MINE TAILINGS CEMENTING LAYER THAT PREVENTS DEFLATION: MINERAL COMPOSITION, GEOCHEMICAL FEATURES

The paper is devoted to the study of composition of the surface matter of the man-made mineral formation (MMMF), namely, tailings of the Kounradsky mine (Konyrat, Karaganda region, the Republic of Kazakhstan), and the comparison of its geochemical characteristics with the composition of aerosols. The deposit is located in an arid area of steppe zone, which is characterized by wind-formed processes, therefore, an assessment of the degree of exposure of tailing substance to them is one of the important geoecological tasks. Most of the surface of the MMMF tailings of the Kounradsky mine is composed of coarse-grained material. At the sampling points the fraction content greater 1 mm amounted to 58.7–82.5%. The moisture content for the sampling period ranged from 1.9% to 4%. It is shown that the process of an oxidation leaching of sulphide-containing substance of MMMF led to the formation of acid sulphate detached waters, which dry out quickly in dry climates, that brings about the formation of sulphate efflorescences on the surface of tailings and cementing layer. It has been determined that cement is a complex and consists of newly formed kaolinite and/or illite, jarosite, gypsum and water-soluble sulphates of Fe, Ca, Al, Mg, Na and Cu. Comparison of geochemical characteristics of aerosols collected directly at tailings and at the background point with geochemical characteristics of MMMF of the Kounradsky mine shows that today tailings are not a source of air pollutants. The source of high concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Ad, Cd in aerosols recorded at one of the points is industrial enterprises of Balkhash.