Characteristics of heavy metal migration in the natural-anthropogenic anomalies of the North-Western Altai

The abundances and migration characteristics of the main ore and accompanying metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Fe, and Hg) were investigated in the natural and technogenic landscapes of the North-Western Altai. Elevated metal concentrations (compared with the background and guideline values) were observed in the material of tailings of the Altai Mining and Processing Complex and Zmeinogorsk Gold Recovery Plant, as well as in the waters of anthropogenic lakes, snow cover, and vegetation. It was found that Zn and Cd are more actively transported into solutions than Pb and Cu during the oxidation dissolution of sulfides in waste heaps. The spatial migration of heavy metals was evaluated. Species-dependent features were determined in the accumulation of elements by plants in the phytocoenoses of anthropogenic ecosystems.