SOIL

CONTAMINAT
ION DUE TO
MINING

Dr. Adnan Khan

Assistant Professor
Department of Geology
University of Karachi
Contact: 0300-3635848
 Sources of Metal Pollution Of Soil

1. Emission from metal mines.

2. Emission from metal smelters and refineries.
3. The disposal of wastes from metal mines, smelters, and refineries.
4. Emissions from metal processing factories.
5. Emissions from coal or oil combustion in power stations and various factories.
6. Emissions from municipal incinerators.
7. Emissions from moving sources, mainly automobiles.
8. The use of agricultural materials, such as agricultural chemicals, fertilizers, or
soil amendments.
9. Biomass burning such as combustion of fuel wood, forest fires, and agricultural
burning.
10. Natural sources such as mineralization and volcanic activities.
 How Does Mining Contaminate Soil?
• Soil contamination with heavy metals poses risks to ecological safety and
human well-being.

• Deliberate contamination can be the disposal of waste by on-site landfilling.

• A lot of mining companies have simply buried waste without considering

the long-term use or value of the land.

The contaminants at these sites include:

Petroleum Derivatives.
Chlorinated Solvents.
Explosives.
 How Does Coal Mining Harm Soil?
Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats
at the site of the mine when trees, plants, and topsoil are
cleared from the mining area.

This in turn leads to soil erosion and destruction of

agricultural land.

When rain washes the loosened top soil into streams,

sediments pollute waterways.
• Soil pollution by metals such as Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, As, and Hg has been
recognized in many countries.

• In recent years, it has become one of the most important environmental

problems in the developed countries.

• Soils are highly contaminated by residual tailings and previous mining

activities.

• Pb, Hg and Cd are the main pollutants in soils.

• High concentrations of Hg and Pb in grains and some vegetables leads to

high chronic risks.
 SOIL POLLUTION DUE TO MINING
Changes occur in physicochemical and microbiological properties of soil.

Removes vegetation and plants nutrient from site.

Soil organic carbon gets low.

Less P and N in mining area compared to natural forest.

Scraping with bulldozer/heavy machine deplete the soil fertility and productivity.

Blasting and machinery kills important soil organisms.

Nearly all mine substrates have low level of macro nutrients N,P, K.
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