Non-iron ore areas

The metals sulfides are the most dangerous since after aerobic weathering they are transformed into water-soluble sulfates of different metals. Accordingly, in the areas of non-ferrous and rare metal ore exploration and treatments, the acid sulfate landscapes are formed with high content of toxic metals. The biogeochemical technogenic provinces are known, for instance, copper-nickel provinces in the Kola Peninsula, Fennoscandia molybdenum provinces in the Caucasian region, copper and chromium-nickel ones in the South Ural, poly-metal ones, in the Pacific coast of eastern Eurasia (Russia, China, and Korea), etc. 

In many mountain-industrial areas there are 3 1 landscape-functional zones with different extents of the anthropogenic transformation of natural environments. As a rule, the first zone is the spatial complex joining mines, pits and tails site area with almost whole degradation of soil and vegetation cover and high metal concentrations in dust, technogenic depositions, waters and plants. 

The third zone of strong pollution of air, soils, snow and plants in the plains occurs in the 3-5 km area surrounding the pollution source. The pollutant concentrations are lower as a rule by 1-2 orders of magnitude than in the first and second zones. In the mountains the most important is the slope exposition and downward direction of river valleys where the pollution is monitored in water and bottom sediments at distances of 10-15 km (Perelman, Kasimov, 1999). 

The forth zone of the moderate spatial pollution has unstable form and occurs in an area surrounding the pollution source from 3-5 up to 10-20 km. The background landscapes are spread usually further 15-20 km from the sources of mine emissions and runoffs (Perelman, Kasimov, 1999). 

In accordance with this zoning the environmental risk assessment procedure should be developed, especially those related to exposure pathway and risk characterization steps. 

---