Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
6.0
3.0
Journals
Water
Special Issues
Hydrogeology of the Mining Area
water-logo
Submit to Water Review for Water Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Hydrogeology of the Mining Area

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Hydrogeology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 January 2026) | Viewed by 2621

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Abdelkabir Maqsoud

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Reserach Institute on Mining and Environment (RIME), University of Quebec (UQAT), Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada
Interests: mine site reclamation; hydrogeology; hydrochemistry; water quality; soil and water conservation; environmental geochemistry; water resource management; water analysis; environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ana Teresa Luís

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mining, Mechanic, Energetic and Construction Engineering, Higher Technical School of Engineering Scientific and Technological Center of Huelva (CCTH), University of Huelva, Huelva, Spain
Interests: water pollution; acid mine drainage; diatoms; biogeochemistry; pyrite mining; microbial corrosion; mining environmental sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The mining industry, through its activities, can face a number of environmental issues. Some of the issues faced by the mining industry are the management of mine waste, the reclamation of tailing storage facilities, air emissions, and water resources. With respect to water resources, open-pit and underground mining operations require extensive dewatering to keep facilities dry and to facilitate mining operations. This dewatering of open pits or underground galleries can in some cases result in a significant lowering of the groundwater table. The magnitude and extent of this drawdown is usually predicted in advance, using numerical modeling during the project feasibility stage. However, in cases where mining facilities are located in urbanized areas where the population has access to drinking water through domestic wells or surface water intakes, some local residents may be concerned that mining activities could lead to a deterioration in the quality of their drinking water and drastic drops in the piezometric level in their wells. Additionally, the filling of mine galleries with mine backfill (commonly used in the mining industry) may eventually lead to changes in the permeability of the rock mass and affect the hydrogeology of the site.

In the same way that the cessation of mining operations can lead to a rise in the aquifer’s water table, this rise could eventually lead to a number of problems related to possible underground contamination (oxidation and generation of acid mine drainage) and even modify the stresses to which the walls of the massifs are exposed.

This Special Issue aims to address all aspects of hydrogeology and hydrochemistry in and around underground and surface mining sites. It also aims to establish the hydrogeological behavior of these mining sites after the cessation of mining operations.

Dr. Abdelkabir Maqsoud
Dr. Ana Teresa Luís
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogeological characterization
  • hydrogeological modeling
  • dewatering
  • open pit
  • deep mining
  • hydrochemistry
  • backfill
  • environmental impact
  • mine site reclamation

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

22 pages, 3390 KB  
Article
Performance Assessment of Low-Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Barriers Made of Clay and Clay-Amended Materials for Mine Site Reclamation
by Abdelkabir Maqsoud, Alejandro Granados, Mamert Mbonimpa and Tikou Belem
Water 2026, 18(5), 619; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18050619 - 5 Mar 2026
Viewed by 368
Abstract
Low-saturated hydraulic conductivity covers (LSHCC) or hydraulic barriers are one of the reclamation techniques used to control the acid mine drainage generation (AMD). These covers are intended to limit the infiltration of water into reactive tailings. Compacted clays are among the materials used [...] Read more.
Low-saturated hydraulic conductivity covers (LSHCC) or hydraulic barriers are one of the reclamation techniques used to control the acid mine drainage generation (AMD). These covers are intended to limit the infiltration of water into reactive tailings. Compacted clays are among the materials used as LSHCC. The performance of clay-based hydraulic barriers can be affected by their geotechnical and hydrogeological properties. Freeze–thaw cycles can increase their saturated hydraulic conductivity (ksat). However, these effects can be minimized by adding amendments. To evaluate the performance of these clay-based covers, four field experimental cells were built. The first one simulates a cover composed entirely of clay, the second a clay–silt mixture, the third a clay–sand mixture and the last two layers of clay with an intermediate layer of silt. Each cell has been equipped with a monitoring station with continuous measurements of volumetric water content, suction and temperature. In situ permeability tests were also conducted to assess field hydraulic conductivity. Numerical simulations were also conducted to evaluate the water balance for each cover scenario. The laboratory results showed low-saturated hydraulic conductivity values meeting waterproofing criteria, whereas field measurements and calibrated model values were consistently higher and exceeded the waterproofing criteria. Infiltration monitoring indicated that 15 to 40% of precipitation infiltrated the covers, with possible overestimation due to preferential flow. Discrepancies between laboratory and field-saturated hydraulic conductivity values were mainly attributed to inadequate compaction, unfavorable weather conditions, and excessive water content during cover installation. Variations in saturated hydraulic conductivity over time were generally within statistical variability, although differences among cells and responses to wetting–drying cycles highlight the influence of construction conditions on field performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogeology of the Mining Area)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 25855 KB  
Article
Applying the One Health Framework to Historical Mining Activities: Interconnected Ecosystem and Community Health Impacts of Acid Mine Drainage in the Witwatersrand
by Vasile Grama, Zeynep Ceylin Ecer and Chris Curtis
Water 2026, 18(4), 520; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18040520 - 22 Feb 2026
Viewed by 832
Abstract
Gold mining in South Africa’s Witwatersrand Basin represents a critical case study of mining-induced environmental degradation affecting interconnected ecological and human systems. While the cascading effects of acid mine drainage (AMD), originating from a legacy of approximately 270 tailings dams containing 6 billion [...] Read more.
Gold mining in South Africa’s Witwatersrand Basin represents a critical case study of mining-induced environmental degradation affecting interconnected ecological and human systems. While the cascading effects of acid mine drainage (AMD), originating from a legacy of approximately 270 tailings dams containing 6 billion tons of FeS2 waste and 600,000 tons of residual uranium, are widely documented, this evidence often remains fragmented. This study applies a systematic, framework-based analytical approach that integrates multidisciplinary evidence from geochemical, ecological, agricultural, and public health research within a One Health/EcoHealth perspective. Qualitative field observations are used to contextualize and validate the analytical synthesis along the water–soil–food–human continuum. A four-pathway conceptual model, including environmental dispersion, biotic uptake, trophic transfer, and direct human exposure, is developed to structure and interpret the integrated findings. The results demonstrate that mining-derived contaminants propagate through interconnected pathways, leading to persistent contamination of water resources, agricultural systems, and human communities, particularly within the Wonderfonteinspruit watershed. Evidence synthesized across pathways reveals extreme bioaccumulation and exposure levels and elevated uranium levels in the hair of local children. The study concludes that the impacts of acid mine drainage constitute a systemic socio-ecological failure driven by cumulative and interacting exposure pathways that cannot be effectively addressed through sectoral or single-medium interventions. The principal contribution of this research is the development of an operational, transferable framework that enables integrated risk assessment and supports evidence-based management and remediation strategies in post-mining landscapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogeology of the Mining Area)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 6142 KB  
Article
Migration and Heating Mechanisms of Deep-Cyclogenic Thermal Water in Geothermal-Anomaly Mines
by Tao Peng, Mengmeng Wang, Xin Gao, Shaofei Cai, Yuehua Deng, Shengquan Wang, Ziqiang Ren and Yue Chen
Water 2025, 17(22), 3298; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17223298 - 18 Nov 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 773
Abstract
Identifying the causes and mechanisms of heat hazards in mining operations is essential for effective heat hazard prevention and control. In recent years, hydrothermal phenomena have frequently occurred in the eastern part of the Chenghe Mining Area, located in the central Weibei Coalfield. [...] Read more.
Identifying the causes and mechanisms of heat hazards in mining operations is essential for effective heat hazard prevention and control. In recent years, hydrothermal phenomena have frequently occurred in the eastern part of the Chenghe Mining Area, located in the central Weibei Coalfield. However, research on the geothermal fluid migration patterns and heat generation mechanisms in this region remains limited. This study comprehensively explores the geothermal field characteristics in the area, based on well temperature logging data, rock thermal conductivity, temperature control models, temperature curve analysis, and numerical simulations. It reveals the key controlling factors and mechanisms behind the formation of geothermal anomalies in the region. The results show that the overall geothermal heat flow trend in the area is characterized by low heat in the northwest and high heat in the southeast. The formation of geothermal anomalies is primarily influenced by water-conducting faults and coal seams. Based on this, the temperature control models are classified into two types: the fault + deep circulating thermal water uplift model and the coal seam heat-resistant-folded temperature control model. Heat transfer occurs through groundwater convection along the F1 fault and its secondary faults, which transport heat. The heat generation mechanism in the study area involves the heating of groundwater during deep circulation, followed by the upward migration of the heated water along the F1 fault, which adds an additional heat source to the surrounding rock of the fault, creating localized thermal anomalies. The findings of this study provide direct guidance for safe production in the Chenghe Mining Area and offer a universal theoretical framework for understanding the causes of heat hazards in mining areas with strong tectonic activity in northwestern China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogeology of the Mining Area)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop