Formation of Vegetation Cover and Soil Quality Indicators at the Mine Sites of a Gold-Bearing Deposit (the Case of Kara-Agash, Kazakhstan)

Abstract

At present, the processes of natural recovery, vegetation coverage, and degraded lands of several coal, iron ore, uranium, and polymetallic mines and gold-bearing deposits are well-studied. The present study aims to identify opportunities to shape the soil layer and vegetation cover on reclaimed dumps/tailings of industrial waste and degraded land via artificial restoration. For this purpose, in July 2023, studies of overgrowth processes were conducted in the Kara-Agash gold-bearing field, Central Kazakhstan, which had been subjected to industrial impact. The deposit's territory has gold-bearing ore mining pits and primary processing areas, including leaching stacks. The processes of plant community formation at heap leaching sites and the technogenic impact caused by economic activity were investigated. Assessment of the floristic composition and density of the vegetation cover revealed a total of 47 species of higher vascular plants. General projective coverage in control plots on territory unaffected by economic activity reaches up to 80. The plant species that exhibit the most vigorous growth and initiate primary succession were identified. These species are endemics and can be used for artificial overgrowth of technogenically disturbed lands.