• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.119-127
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• 2022

In recent years, the intensity of typhoons has increased due to climate change. It is presumed that the tailings and waste rock in the mining area harm the environment owing to flood damage. The Gangneung area has been affected by the largest typhoons in Korea, including No. 3,693 (1936), Rusa (2002), Maemi (2003), and Megi (2004). This study was based on a case in which high concentrations of arsenic were detected in the surroundings along a stream after floods caused by typhoons. Although the environmental damage-related law clarifies the responsibility of polluters, careful implementation is required in potential natural disaster areas. The pollutants from abandoned mines can be widely exposed due to typhoons as artificial causes may be mixed. To minimize the impact of natural disasters in these areas, it is necessary to improve and link relevant laws. This study is expected to help cope with mixed pollutants in downstream areas.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.113 no.1
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• pp.118-130
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• 2024

Rehabilitation of mining areas can reduce damage to ecosystems. However, the effects of rehabilitation on ecosystem services (ESs) and its contribution to local communities are not well known. Thus, the aims of this study were to clearly identify the ES beneficiaries affected by mining activities, to determine how the beneficiaries profit from surrounding areas in cooperation with local stakeholders, and to manage the rehabilitation areas for the ESs that the beneficiaries want. This study chose 18 ESs (4 provisioning, 7 regulating, 5 cultural, and 2 habitat services) based on The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity. A semi-structured questionnaire survey using an 11-point Likert scale was conducted among 87 community residents to investigate social awareness and identify key ESs. The survey results from two local communities showed high awareness and demands mainly on cultural (mental and physical health, aesthetic appreciation, and recreation) and regulating services (local climate and air quality, and moderation of extreme events). These services were related to the daily lives of residents in local communities, provided positive benefits, and potentially improved the residents' future livelihoods. However, the average questionnaire scores were limited to 6-7 points, indicating that the benefits to local communities were meager. The residents' awareness of provisioning service was negative, even if it provided goods and profit opportunities. This indicated a disconnection between local communities and provisioning services due to forest rehabilitation that did not consider local communities that traditionally relied on specific provisioning services before the onset of mining activities. Future forest rehabilitation in abandoned mine areas must consider the welfare of local communities for sustainable use of rehabilitated forests and enhancing ESs. In this study, only a qualitative evaluation based on frequency analyses was conducted. The quantification and valuation of key ESs are warranted in the future to promote ESs from forest rehabilitation in abandoned mine areas. The study results would be useful for developing site-specific ES promotion strategies for reforesting mine areas.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.509-519
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• 2004

The ground subsidence that occurred in the abandoned coal mining area, Gaeun, Korea, was observed using 25 JERS-1 SAR interferograms from November 1992 to October 1998. We carried out measurements on a subset of image pixels corresponding to point-wise stable reflectors(PS: permanent scatterer) by exploiting a long temporal series of interferometric phases and compared it with the distribution map of in situ examined crack level. PSs could be identified by means of amplitude dispersion index and coherence of the interferograms and the density of PS was much higher in an urban area than in a mountainous region. The measured subsidence rate represented the average velocity in a period of image acquisition and excluded complex nonlinear displacements such as an abrupt collapse. The mean line-of-sight velocity in the study area is 0.19cm/yr and the estimation error is 0.18cm/yr. The center of the abandoned Gaeun coal mine(0.49cm/yr) and the area opposite Gaeun station(1.66cm/yr) were observed as the most highly subsiding areas.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2011

Objectives: This study assessed the factors that have an influence on the residents exposed to heavy metals, and we utilized the findings to establish the proper management of abandoned metal mines in the future. Methods: For a total of 258 residents who lived close to abandoned mines in Gangwon-province and Gyeonggi-province, the exposure factors and biomarkers in their blood and urine were comparatively analyzed via multiple regression analysis. Results: The blood levels of lead and mercury and the cadmium levels in urine were found to be higher in the study group than that in the average Korean. For the blood levels of heavy metals according to each exposure factor, all of them were found to be significantly higher in both of the group residing for a longer period of time and the group living closer to the source of pollutants. Multiple regression analysis disclosed that all the heavy metals, except lead, in their blood were significantly reduced in proportion to the increased distance of inhabitancy from the mines. Their other biomarkers were within the normal ranges. Conclusions: We found that the distance between the residential village and the mines was a factor that affects the blood level of heavy metals in the villagers. This finding could be an important factor when developing a management model for the areas that surround abandoned metal mines. (ED note: I much like this important study.)

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.2 s.171
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• pp.101-111
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• 2005

The objectives of this study we to assess the extent and degree of environmental contamination and to draw general conclusions on the fate of toxic elements derived from mining activities in Korea. 인t abandoned mines with four base-metal mines and four Au-Ag mines were selected and the results of environmental surveys in those areas were discussed. In the base-metal mining areas, the Sambo Pb-Zn-barite, the Shinyemi Pb-Zn-Fe, the Geodo Cu-Fe and the Shiheung Cu-Pb-Zn mine, significant levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in mine dump soils developed over mine waste materials, tailings and slag. Furthermore, agricultural soils, stream sediments and stream water near the mines were severely contaminated by the metals mainly due to the continuing dispersion downstream and downslope from the sites, which was controlled by the feature of geography, prevailing wind directions and the distance from the mine. In e Au-Ag mining areas, the Kubong, the Samkwang, the Keumwang and the Kilkok mines, elevated levels of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in tailings and mine dump soils. These levels may have caused increased concentrations of those elements in stream sediments and waters due to direct dis-charge downstream from tailings and mine dumps. In the Au-Ag mines, As would be the most characteristic contaminant in the nearby environment. Arsenic and heavy metals were found to be mainly associated with sulfide gangue minerals, and mobility of these metals would be enhanced by the effect of oxidation. According to sequential extraction of metals in soils, most heavy metals were identified as non-residual chemical forms, and those are very susceptible to the change of ambient conditions of a nearby environment. As application of pollution index (PI), giving data on multi-element contamination in soils, over 1.0 value of the PI was found in soils sampled at and around the mining areas.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.372-380
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• 2007

Surface damage due to subsidence is an inevitable consequence of underground mining, which may be immediate or delayed for many years. The surface damage due to abandoned underground mine is observed to be two subsidence types such as simple sinkhole or trough formation to a large scale sliding of the ground from with in the subsided area. An evaluation of the risk of a subsidence occurrence is vital in the areas affected by mining subsidence. For a subsidence prediction or a risk evaluation, there has been used various methods using empirical models, profile functions, influence functions and numerical models. In this study, a simple but efficient evaluation method of subsidence hazard is suggested, which is based on a diffusion theory and uses just information about geometry of caving and topography. The diffusion model has an analogous relationship with granular model which can explain a mechanism of subsidence. The diffusion model is applied for the evaluation of subsidence hazard in abandoned metal and coal mines. The model is found to be a simple but efficient tool because it needs information of geometry of caving and gangway and the topography.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.56-64
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• 2013

After the law has been enacted for the prevention and recovery of mining damage in 2005, efforts of remediation have been started to recover heavy metal contaminated soils in agricultural land near mining sites. As part of an effort, the upper part of cultivation layer has been treated through covering up with clean soil, but the heavy metal contamination could be still spreaded to the surrounding areas because heavy metals may be remained in the lower part of cultivation layers. In this study, the most frequently occurring arsenic (As) contamination was selected to study in agricultural land nearby an abandoned metal mining site. We applied separation technologies considering the differences in the physical characteristics of soil particles (particle size, density, magnetic properties, hydrophobicity, etc.). Based on physical and chemical properties of arsenic (As) containing particles in agricultural lands nearby mining sites, we applied sieve separation, specific gravity separation, magnetic separation, and flotation separation to remove arsenic (As)-containing particles in the contaminated soil. Results of this study show that the removal efficiency of arsenic (As) were higher in the order of the magnetic separation, flotation separation, specific gravity separation and sieve separation.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.497-508
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• 2017

This study aimed to investigate correlations between concentrations of extractable Arsenic (As) with varying chemical solutions (0.1 M $Ca(NO_3)_2$, 0.1 M $(NH_4)2HPO_4$, 0.5 M EDTA, Mehlich 3, and 0.5 M $NaHCO_3$) and those of As in crops, and then to seek the most suitable soil extraction method for predicting the potential of As uptake in crops cultivated in soils contaminated with As. For a mesocosm experiment, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), and rice (Oryza sativa L.) were cultivated for three months in pots containing soils taken from the arable areas near abandoned mines in Korea. Following the cultivation, soil pH and DOC significantly increased by treatments of lime and lime plus compost, respectively, while insignificant influences in changing total and all extractable As concentrations were found in all soils. Arsenic concentration in edible part of all crops considerably depended on the extractable As concentration in the soils, particularly with Mehlich 3. All extractable As concentrations in the soils of C. annuum and G. max were significantly correlated with As concentration in their edible parts. For O. sativa, the extractable concentrations of Mehlich 3 ($R^2$: 0.18 at p: 0.006) and EDTA ($R^2$: 0.11 at p: 0.036) showed only marked relationships with As concentration in the edible part. These results may indicate that the Mehlich 3 and EDTA are soil extractants to determine phytoavailable As in soil that provide better prediction for As transfer from soil to crop.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 2007

An environmental survey from three abandoned metal mine areas was undertaken on to assess the risk of adverse health effects on human exposure to heavy metals influenced by past mining activities. Tailings contained high concentrations of heavy metals may have a impact on soils and waters around the tailing piles. In order to perform the human risk assessment, chemical analysis data of soils, rice grains and waters for As, Cd, Cu and Pb have been used. The HQ values for heavy metals via the rice consumption were significantly higher compared with other exposure pathways in all metal mine areas. The resulting HI values in three mine areas were higher than 9.0, and their toxic risk due to rice ingestion was strong in these mine areas. The cancer risk of being exposed to As by the rice consumption from the A, B and C mine areas was $5.1\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$, $6.8\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$ and $3.1\;{\times}\;10^{-3}$, respectively. The As cancer risk via the exposure pathway of rice ingestion from these mine areas exceeds the acceptable risk of 1 in 10,000 set for regulatory purposes. Thus, the daily intakes of rice by the local residents from these mine areas can pose a potential health threat if exposed by long-term As exposure.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 1999

This study was carried out to assess heavy metal pollution at 16 abandoned mining areas and to get basic data for phytoremediation. In most of surveyed area, there was no vegetation cover and soil reaction shows in low to moderate pH. Low CEC, low organic matter content were the general properties of these soils. Heavy metals content of these soils were exceed background level of unpolluted soil in Korea, especially Cu content was 2,634mg/kg at Jeil site, 3,415mg/kg Zn, 8.03mg/kg Cd at Yonhwa 2 site. This is far above tolerance limit In plant survey, very often observed plants were Pinus densiflora, and Rohinia psuedo-acacia in woody plant, Artemisia princeps, and Dianthus sinensis in herbs. Artemisia princeps had higher concentration of Zn, Cd and Dianthus sinensis had higher concentration than other plants. From the results, heavy metal concentration in plants and plant's ecotype properties, could be said that Artemisia princeps and Miscanthus sinensis have a potential of soil remediation plant. More studies are demanded to find the heavy metal tolerance species and to understand physiology property of tolerance plants, soil condition, climate etc., for successful soil remediation by plants.