This study was conducted in the territory of the industrial site of the Udachny Mining and Processing Division (Yakutia, northeast Russia). The objects of study were permafrost soils and two species of shrubs (Betula middendorffii T. and Duschekia fruticose R.). Soil and plant samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectrometry for the presence of PTEs (Pb, Ni, Mn, Cd, Co, Cr, Zn, Cu, and As). The bioaccumulation factor (BAF), frequency of occurrence (Hi), pollution index (PI), and pollution load index (PLI) were calculated. The PI and PLI are calculated for both soil and two plant species for the first time in this study. The results showed that the soils have a high Ni, Cr, Co, As, and Mn content. It has been established that high soil pollution naturally leads to an increase in the concentration of elements in the leaves of shrubs. The soils and vegetation are dominated by elements associated with trap magmatism—Cr, Co, Cu, and dolerite dikes—Mn and Zn. For Betula middendorffii, the PLI was classified as unpolluted to moderately polluted, and Duschekia fruticosa. was classified as unpolluted. The high level of contamination is typical for areas located near industrial sites, such as waste dumps, kimberlite pipes, tailings ponds, and roads. The BAF results confirmed that the leaves of Betula middendorffii are able to accumulate more PTEs and have the highest level of resistance to PTE contamination in mining environments. This analysis showed that the consistent application of the PI, PLI, and BAF indices is very efficient in the ecological and biogeochemical assessment of the situation in industrial development areas.

This article presents the results of long-term research and monitoring of the soil cover exposed to the impact of the mining and processing plant developing diamond deposits in the northeast of Siberia. The soil collection includes 436 samples of different types of Cryosols. Soil pH; soil organic carbon (SOC); granulometric composition; and mobile forms of Pb, Ni, Mn, Cd, Co, Cr, Zn, Cu, and As were identified in the samples. Multivariate statistics of the correlation matrix, clustering analysis (CA), and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to determine the sources of heavy metals. The intensity of the accumulation of chemical elements in the soil was assessed using calculated concentration coefficients (K_c) and the index of total contamination of the soil cover (Z_c). In the study area, Cryosols are characterized by biogenic accumulation of Ni, Mn, and Cd in the upper soil layer and Cr, Ni, Co, Mn, and Cu in the suprapermafrost horizon. Correlation matrix, CA, and PCA revealed three distinct sources that could be considered for the investigated potentially toxic elements (PTEs): anthropogenic, lithogenic, and the source which comes from a mixed contribution of anthropogenic and lithogenic factors. The most anthropogenic contribution in the heavy metals in the study area appears in Zn, Cd, As, and Pb. The assessment interpreted that origin of Mn in the area is most likely to be a natural source. The content of Co, Cr, and Ni are controlled by both lithogenic control and anthropogenic sources. Active accumulation of mobile forms of Mn, Zn, and Ni with anomalously high concentration coefficients can be traced in the soils in the impact zone of mining operations. Anthropogenic soil contamination is spread over an area of 260 km².

The study relevance is caused by the intensive development of the mining industry in the study area, during which the environment is polluted with chemical substances in the conditions of the spread of permafrost. First, this is soil pollution with pollutants, which remain in the soil for many years, even after removing pollution sources. Therefore, this study makes it possible to identify the geochemical specificity of soils under the influence of anthropogenic activity. The main aim: study of the elemental composition and their vertical distribution in the permafrost soils of North-West Yakutia exposed to technogenic impact in the conditions of diamond mining. Objects and Methods. This article presents the results of the work performed for the period from 1994 to 2019 on the territory of the Daldyn kimberlite field, where the kimberlite pipes Udachnaya and Zarnitsa are being mined, and where the Udachny mining and processing plant of AK Alrosa (PJSC) is located. The object of study is the permafrost soils of the north-taiga landscapes of North-West Yakutia. The soils of this region reflect the general patterns of soil cover formation in the study area. They are part of the East Siberian permafrost-northern taiga region of the boreal soil belt of Russia. In field observations, a profile approach was applied, involving the collection of samples from all soil genetic horizons to the boundary of the seasonally thawed layer. The sign contents of 23 chemical elements were determined by the method of spectral-semiquantitative analysis. Results. The geochemical studies of permafrost soils on the territory of the Udachninsky mining and processing plant are presented. To characterize the geochemical environment of soils, the coefficient of technogenic concentration (K-c) and the coefficient of accumulation (K-0-K-3) of the studied elements were calculated. Accumulative series reflecting the geochemical specifics of the study area were built. Each of the studied soil types is characterized by the originality of the microelement spectrum. Polyelement associations are created as a result of the geochemical influence of the soil-forming substrate. It was revealed that the territory of the Daldyn-Alakit region is characterized by increased concentrations of Cr, Ni, Co, V, Cu, Pb, Li, Sr in soils.

This study was conducted in the territory of the industrial site of the Udachny Mining and Processing Division (Yakutia, Russia). The objects of study were permafrost soils and two species of shrubs (Betula middendorffii T. and Duschekia fruticose R.). Soil and plant samples were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry for the presence of potentially toxic elements (Pb, Ni, Mn, Cd, Co, Co, Cr, Zn, Cu, and As). The bioaccumulation factor for each element was also calculated. In the studied plants, the investigated elements were arranged in the following descending row in terms of their content: Mn > Zn > Cr > Ni > Cu > Pb > As > Co > Cd, but in terms of bioaccumulation degree, they decrease in the following row: Cr > Zn > Ni > Mn > Pb > Cu > Cd > Co—for Betula middendorffii, Cr > Zn > Ni > Pb > Cu > Mn > Mn > Cd > Co—for Duschekia fruticose. The bioaccumulation factor results confirmed that Betula middendorffiii and Duschekia fruticosa are resistant to high concentrations of Cr, Ni, Co, Cu, Mn, and Zn elements coherent to kimberlites.