Introduction: This study evaluates the effectiveness of soil reconstruction and restoration in the Jiangcang coal mining area on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, where harsh environmental conditions pose significant challenges to ecological restoration.Methods: Two phases of ecological restoration were implemented, with outcomes assessed based on vegetation coverage, species diversity, biomass, soil properties, and community similarity.Results: The results demonstrate that soil reconstruction significantly improved soil fertility, vegetation coverage, and community stability without noticeable degradation over time. The use of sheep manure increased species diversity by introducing native seeds, addressing the shortage of suitable grass species in alpine areas. Comparatively, the second phase of restoration, which included soil reconstruction, has elevated the vegetation coverage to 80%, matching natural background levels, and has also demonstrated superior outcomes in terms of soil stability, nutrient content, and other aspects compared to traditional methods. While aboveground biomass showed rapid recovery, belowground biomass lagged, indicating a need for longer-term restoration. Restored slopes exhibited higher similarity to natural alpine meadows compared to platforms, suggesting the dominance of the artificially seeded species on the platform areas hinders the reproduction of other species, which is unfavorable for the evolution of vegetation diversity.Discussion: This study emphasizes the effectiveness of soil reconstruction, organic amendment, and other restoration measures, providing important experience and reference for mine ecological restoration in similar high-altitude mining areas.

Precipitation-induced soil moisture dynamics are a key factor that plays a critical role in triggering slope failures and geological hazards. This study investigates the response of soil moisture in a high-fill slope to rainfall and explores the influence of the topographic conditions and rainfall characteristics on the soil moisture dynamics. The findings reveal that the topographic conditions significantly influence the soil moisture variability in the high-fill loess slope. The coefficient of variation (CV) follows a decreasing pattern, i.e., slope surface > slope step > flat terrain > slope foot, with the spatial variability diminishing as the depth increases. The response of moisture to rainfall is influenced by the rainfall characteristics. In this study, the peak lag time (PLT), which represents the time interval between the onset of rainfall and the occurrence of the peak cross-correlation coefficient (CCF) between soil moisture and rainfall, is analyzed. The results indicate that, under similar rainfall intensities, the PLT decreases with increasing rainfall amounts. Conversely, for comparable rainfall amounts, a higher rainfall intensity generally shortens the PLT at all positions except the slope step. On the slope scale, the temporal stability of soil moisture exhibits the order flat terrain > slope surface > slope step > slope foot, whereas, in the vertical profile, the temporal stability is positively correlated with the depth. This study provides valuable insights into the hydrological processes of loess high-fill slopes and contributes to understanding slopes’ hydrological transformation and evolution.

Mining activities in coal mining areas have exacerbated ecological and geological environmental risks. To explore the impact of mineral resources on the ecological and geological environment risk (EGER) in coal mining areas, we developed a novel ecological and geological risk assessment framework. This framework first quantifies the impact of mining activities on the surface of coal mining areas using remote sensing interpretation and Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) technology. Then, this framework selected six indicators, including subsidence, surface occupation and damage, FVC, RSEI, precipitation, and temperatures. The weights of the evaluation indicators were calculated using a coupled weighting model combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Entropy Method (EM). This approach was applied to the Wangwa mining area to assess its ecological and geological risks. The results show that the surface subsidence increase year by year. The EGER in the study area was medium and the change rate of the EGER index in Wangwa mining area from 2017 to 2022 was −0.460 to 0.598. The EGER index increased southwest of the study area but reduced in the pre-investigation area and north of the investigation area. This study can support decision-making to reduce the adverse environmental impact of coal mining activities.

Coal extraction in China is increasingly moving towards colder regions such as Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia. However, these mines face land restoration challenges due to a scarcity of fertile topsoil. This study explores the potential of coal gangue, a mining byproduct, as a viable substitute for topsoil. The study examines the effects of humidity fluctuations and freeze–thaw cycles, both individually and in combination, on the weathering disintegration of coal gangue. Coal gangue samples were subjected to controlled laboratory conditions simulating environmental factors. Fourteen interventions were analyzed, and the findings indicated that the combined application of humidity and freeze–thaw cycles significantly accelerated the disintegration process, outperforming the individual interventions. In addition, it was found that significant temperature variations caused the moisture and salts within the gangue to expand, which affected the rate of disintegration. The study showed that the rate of weathering disintegration was significantly higher in conditions of saturated humidity–freeze–thaw cycles compared to unsaturated humidity conditions. This highlights the essential role of ice crystals in accelerating the weathering process during temperature fluctuations. This study highlights the importance of humidity over temperature in the weathering and disintegration of coal gangue. It also suggests that freeze–thaw cycles can enhance this process. The study provides valuable insights for the management and utilization of coal gangue in cold and arid regions.

This study focuses on the alpine meadow ecosystem of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which plays a vital role in carbon sequestration and water resource protection. However, mining activities have severely damaged the ecosystem, posing challenges for ecological restoration. The study selected the Jiangcang mining area and analyzed the physical, chemical, and carbon characteristics and heavy metal content of soil samples from the slag platforms and slopes (0–20 cm), which were restored in 2015 and 2020 to explore the effects of different soil reconstruction methods on soil function and ecological resilience. The results show that the minimum data set (MDS) can effectively replace the total data set (TDS) in assessing soil quality. The assessment indicates good restoration effects in 2020, with some areas rated high in soil quality. Although issues such as high bulk density, high electrical conductivity, low moisture content, nitrogen deficiency, and low organic matter limit ecological restoration, the carbon sequestration capacity of the restored soil is strong. This study provides scientific evidence for ecological restoration in cold mining areas, indicating that capping measures can enhance soil resistance to erosion, nutrient retention, and carbon sink functions.

Inorganic and organic amendments regulated aggregate stability and aggregate-associated organic carbon sequestration in soil formation of bauxite residue.