Search Results (19)

The Three Gorges Reservoir Area in China presents a critical conflict between industrial development and ecological conservation. It functions as a key hub for water management, energy production, and shipping, while also serving as a vital zone for ecological and environmental protection. Focusing on Zigui County, this study developed a 16-indicator evaluation system integrating geological, ecological, and socioeconomic factors. It utilized the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), coefficient of variation (CV), and the Real-Coded Accelerating Genetic Algorithm-Projection Pursuit (RAGA-PP) model for evaluation, the latter of which optimizes the projection direction and utilizes PP to transform high-dimensional data into a low-dimensional space, thereby obtaining the values of the projection indices. The findings indicate the following: (1) The RAGA-PP model outperforms conventional AHP-CV methods in assessing Zigui County’s eco-geological environment, showing superior accuracy (higher Moran’s I) and spatial consistency. (2) Hotspot analysis confirms these results, revealing distinct spatial patterns. (3) From 2000 to 2020, “bad” quality areas decreased from 17.31% to 12.33%, while “moderate” or “better” zones expanded. (4) This improvement reflects favorable natural conditions and reduced human impacts. These trends underscore the effectiveness of China’s ecological civilization policies, which have prioritized sustainable development through targeted environmental governance, afforestation initiatives, and stringent regulations on industrial activities. Full article

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. Full article

It is a common responsibility of all countries to protect the ecological environment and promote sustainable development. Eco-geology, which provides a basic guarantee for the rational utilization of natural resources, ecological protection and restoration, has gradually become a new hot spot of geological survey institutions in various countries. Eco-geological survey in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau plays an important role in regional ecological protection and global change research. Setting up workable budgets symbolizes the competence of geological survey organizations in fulfilling their responsibilities, and unreliable cost estimates can cause economic and political complications. The unclear scope definition and scarcity of project information available at early stages make it hard to generate reliable preliminary cost estimates. Hence, based on historical data and the practical experience of scientists who have been engaged in eco-geological survey in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau for a long time, this research aimed to develop a cost estimation model using statistical learning methods for geological survey organizations to forecast preliminary costs during the early stages of an eco-geological survey project to fulfill different cost control and managerial functions. This research makes full use of modern remote sensing technology and reasonably arranges the input of ground survey, drilling, geophysical exploration and other workloads, supplemented by the existing ecological monitoring station data. It comprehensively sorts out the work means and workload of field and office work needed to complete the map work, and it puts forward a consistent index system and preliminary cost calculation framework. On this basis, based on the principle of matching quantity and price, a reasonable budget standard or market price is selected to calculate the budget estimate of a single map sheet, and then, through the regional adjustment coefficient, the budget estimate of a map sheet covering the whole Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is extended and calculated. The budget estimate will provide effective support for the declaration of eco-geological survey projects in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and the calculation of the scale of project funds so as to ensure the smooth development of eco-geological surveying in the region. Full article

Water quality depends on its physicochemical and biological parameters. Changes in parameters such as pH, temperature, and essential and non-essential trace metals in water can render it unfit for human use. Moreover, the characteristics of the local environment, geological processes, geochemistry, and hydrological properties of water sources also affect water quality. Generally, groundwater is utilized for drinking purposes all over the globe. The surface is also utilized for human use and industrial purposes. There are several natural and anthropogenic activities responsible for the heavy metal contamination of water. Industrial sources, including coal washery, steel industry, food processing industry, plastic processing, metallic work, leather tanning, etc., are responsible for heavy metal contamination in water. Domestic and agricultural waste is also responsible for hazardous metallic contamination in water. Contaminated water with heavy metal ions like Cr (VI), Cd (II), Pb (II), As (V and III), Hg (II), Ni (II), and Cu (II) is responsible for several health issues in humans, like liver failure, kidney damage, gastric and skin cancer, mental disorders and harmful effects on the reproductive system. Hence, the evaluation of heavy metal contamination in water and its removal is needed. There are several physicochemical methods that are available for the removal of heavy metals from water, but these methods are expensive and generate large amounts of secondary pollutants. Biological methods are considered cost-effective and eco-friendly methods for the remediation of metallic contaminants from water. In this review, we focused on water contamination with toxic heavy metals and their toxicity and eco-friendly bioremediation approaches. Full article

Groundwater function zoning is an important means to ensure that groundwater plays its various functions, which can provide a scientific basis for the protection and development of groundwater resources. Water resources are scarce in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration (CPUA), so it is of great significance to evaluate groundwater vulnerability and to zone groundwater function in this area. In this study, the resource supply function (RSF), eco-environment function (EEF), and geo-environment function (GEF) of groundwater were analyzed using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), maximum method, and dominant mark method, so as to divide the shallow groundwater function in the plain of the CPUA. The results show that the reservation areas (32.0%) are distributed in the areas from Luoning County to Yanjin County, Changyuan County to Xinzheng County, and the areas near mountainous in the south of the CPUA. The geological-disaster-prone areas (29.5%) are distributed in the areas from Ruyang County to Luohe City, Weihui County to Jiyuan City, Xingyang County to Changge County, Changyuan County to Yuanyang County, and Kaifeng City. The development and utilization areas (6.4%) are distributed near mountainous areas in the CPUA. The ecologically vulnerable areas (7.5%) are distributed in the east of Kaifeng City and the northeast of Xinxiang City. The conservation areas (24.6%) are distributed in the areas from Ruyang County to Wuyang County, Xinzheng County to Xingyang County, the north of Xuchang City, the east of Luohe City, Kaifeng City, and Xinxiang City. In order to better manage the groundwater, this study evaluates the vulnerability of the groundwater using the DRASTIC model and makes a single indicator sensitivity analysis. The results show that the accuracies of indicators D, A, and I are particularly important for this vulnerability evaluation. According to the groundwater vulnerability and the land use types, some suggestions were put forward. The research results can provide a reference for groundwater management and development in the CPUA and other areas. Full article

This study evaluated the eco-geological environment quality of Hunjiang District, Baishan City, Jilin Province. Fifteen indicators were selected from geological, ecological, and social aspects to make the eco-geological environmental quality assessment more comprehensive. On the basis of improved game theory, two weighting methods of FAHP-CV (Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process and Coefficient of Variation) were used to calculate the weight, and finally ArcGIS was used to intuitively understand the eco-geological environment quality of the study area. According to a threshold value, the eco-geological environment quality of the study area was divided into five types: better, good, medium, bad, and worse, and the results show that the overall eco-geological environment quality of the study area is in the middle and upper levels. The eco-geological environment quality of a small part of the area is poor. The classification of the eco-geological environment quality of Hunjiang District provides a scientific basis for the establishment of reasonable eco-geological environment protection and urban planning in the future. Full article

Coal mining inevitably brings some negative impacts, such as surface subsidence, aquifer breakage, and land degradation, to the eco-geological environment in the mining area. Among these impacts, coal mining-induced ground deformation is the most serious and has threatened the geological, ecological, and human settlement securities of mining areas. Efforts existing in the literature apply to ground deformation identification in mined-out areas at the meso-/micro and short-time scales. However, when looking back at coal mining history, there are few ways to quickly and accurately quantify ground deformation at the regional and long-time scales. In this context, we propose a method for identifying ground deformation patterns in coal mining areas using historical high-precision digital elevation models (DEMs), including data preprocessing, DEM subtraction operations, interpretation, and fitting correction. This method was applied to the Yulin National Energy and Chemical Base and successfully identified the ground deformation characteristics of the Yulin coal mining area from 2015 to 2019. By determining surface subsidence displacement, excavation depth, stacking height, and the position of the goaf suspended roof area, the objective situation of ground deformation in Yulin mining area was obtained, and the mining methods and distribution characteristics of different surface deformations were analyzed and determined. The research results are of great significance for the development of mineral resources in mining areas, reducing geological disaster risks, protecting the ecological environment, and achieving the goal of coordinated development in mining areas. Full article

Energy consumption worldwide has undergone a recent shift, with hydrocarbons, coal, and new energy sources taking center stage. However, fossil fuels face criticism due to their negative impacts on the environment through air pollution. Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable, and eco-friendly alternative that can be harnessed for power generation. The Lunayyir volcanic field is located in the western part of Saudi Arabia and has been identified as a potential geothermal resource. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of the gravity, magnetic, and land surface temperature data collected over the study area is conducted to investigate the geothermal potential. The gravity data are processed using standard techniques to correct for instrument drift, diurnal variations, and topographic effects and to filter out high-frequency noise. The magnetic data are processed using standard procedures. Analysis of the gravity data shows that the Lunayyir volcanic field is characterized by a series of gravity anomalies, which can be interpreted as indicative of the presence of subsurface geologic structures that are similar in geothermal areas, such as faults, fractures, and intrusions. The magnetic data, on the other hand, show that the volcanic field has a relatively low magnetic susceptibility, which is consistent with the presence of volcanic rocks implying shallow heat sources. Landsat satellite data are utilized to calculate the land surface temperature through the use of GIS software. Additionally, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is calculated using the near-infrared and red bands of the Landsat satellite. The land surface temperature of the year 2007 shows the relatively high temperature at the surface as compared to 2000 and 2021, which is an indication of volcanic activities in the subsurface. It is suggested that these structures may provide conduits for hot fluids, which could potentially be exploited for geothermal energy production. The obtained results emphasize the importance of combining different geophysical datasets to obtain a better understanding of underground geology and geothermal systems. In general, this study improves the assessment of the Lunayyir volcanic field in the western part of Saudi Arabia for geothermal energy. Full article

(1) Background: The Henan section of the Yellow River Basin plays an important role in the economic zone of the middle reaches of the Yellow River. However, ecological environmental geological problems such as soil erosion have seriously affected the lives of residents and economic development, resulting in increasingly prominent conflicts between humans and the environment. Therefore, this paper made use of remote sensing images and other reference data, integrated image classification, remote sensing inversion and statistical analysis methods to explore the ecological environmental geological problems and their causes in the Henan section of the Yellow River Basin. (2) Results: the main eco-environmental geological problems in the Sanmenxia–Zhengzhou section are serious soil erosion, degradation of water conservation function and being prone to geological disasters. The main eco-environmental geological problems in the Zhengzhou–Puyang section are poor water and soil conservation function, degradation of water conservation function and poor biodiversity maintenance function. In the last 19 years, the eco-environmental geological problems in the Henan section of the Yellow River Basin have shown a significant improvement trend as a whole. Along the main stream of the Yellow River in Sanmenxia, Luoyang, Jiyuan, Jiaozuo, Zhengzhou and other areas, the eco-environmental geological problems are still prominent; altitude, vegetation and rainfall are the key driving factors of eco-environmental geological problems in the Sanmenxia–Zhengzhou section and rainfall, vegetation and land-use type are the key driving factors in the Zhengzhou–Puyang section. (3) Conclusions: This study comprehensively considered the three aspects of ecology, environment and geology in a total of five research topics. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics and driving factors of ecological environmental geological problems in the Yellow River Basin were analyzed, which could provide technical support for ecological environmental protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. Full article

Engineering site and shaft pillars are excavated to prolong the life of collieries and excavate more underground coal. The Jinggezhuang colliery (‘JGZ’) is a resource-exhausted coal mine in eastern China. It was determined that the industrial site and shaft pillar of JGZ would be extracted in 2008. This study excavated an experimental panel to examine the effect of pillar excavation on surface buildings in complicated geological conditions. A new pillar design was proposed based on surface monitoring to increase the recovery ratio. To maintain the safety of the shaft and engineering facilities, panel 0091 was mined and surface deformation was monitored during the experiment. The deformation characteristics and parameters were obtained using a back analysis method. A new pillar was designed using the parameters measured from panel 0091. The design maintained the safety of the shaft but relaxed the restriction of the influence of constructions at the engineering site. The prediction results of the surface subsidence and the deformation of the main building were analyzed. The maximum subsidence of the surface was 7419 mm, but the surface subsidence of the shafts was less than 10 mm. The shafts were weakly influenced by the pillar excavation. The prediction results can be used as basic information for the monitoring and maintenance of buildings in the future. Using the new pillar design, 2.54 million tons of coal resources were mined. This study provides an engineering example and a reference for shaft pillar excavation in the future. Full article

Ecological characteristics are very important for the Earth’s environment and human lives. Recently, more attention has been paid to the ecological problems in the world. The soil and its parent materials/rocks serve as the supporting materials for the ecological system on the Earth’s surface. The ecological characteristics in one region are associated with or even dependent on the soil-forming process. Thus, the study of the weathering process of parent materials/rocks is important for our understanding of the geological genesis of ecological problems. In this study, three typical ecological problems in China are introduced: land salinization in the north, the desertification of land in the northwest, and Karst rocky desertification in the south. We chose 23 typical profiles for observation and sampling. The soil-forming processes in these areas were investigated by geochemical research, and eco-geology models were subsequently established to explain the profound relationship between vegetation cover and the soil-forming process. Our work first focuses on the geochemical methods used to explore these ecological issues, emphasizing the contribution of the geological genesis to the ecological characteristics. Using geochemical methods, such as the chemical index of alteration (CIA), major element and trace element distribution characteristics, the formation processes, and characteristics of bedrock-weathering soils under diverse epigenetic geological settings were determined. Eco-geology models were then developed by evaluating the vertical structure and material composition of soil, the characteristics of elemental migration during soil formation, and the enrichment and loss of elements in the supporting layers and their repercussions. Full article

With the widespread recognition and in-depth implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), especially in the context of global climate change, the ecological environment of Belt and Road Initiative regions might be confronted with pressures and challenges with rapid socioeconomic development. In response to those potential environmental challenges, China has put forward Green BRI and enriched the new Silk Road with more environmental connotations, aiming to reduce the conflict between economic development and eco-environmental protection. Currently, there is a lack of systematic and holistic research on eco-environmental issues in BRI regions. In addition, feasible solutions to enhance BRI’s contribution to the eco-environment remain insufficient. Having systematically reviewed the relevant literature on the eco-environment in BRI regions, we found that most regions along the BRI routes are in sensitive zones of climate and geological change, with fragile eco-environments and strong vulnerability to climate change, natural disasters and human activities. The main eco-environment status of the BRI regions is as follows: (1) The total water resources in BRI regions account for only 36% of the global total, with uneven distribution and complex spatial precipitation, posing higher pressure on water security. (2) Vegetation varies significantly from region to region. The vegetation in South Asia is the richest, with its mean annual NDVI exceeding 0.7. The NDVI in East Europe, Russia and South China are between 0.4 and 0.7, and that in Central Asia and West Asia are below 0.2. (3) The BRI regions are abundantly blessed with natural resources, with the total recoverable oil reserves, natural gas reserves and the total mining area reaching 66%, 65.5% and 42.31% of the world’s total, respectively, but severe overexploitation and overconsumption of those resources degrade their eco-environment. Accordingly, future research directions, such as target on integrated, interdisciplinary and coordinated studies on eco-environmental issues in BRI regions, are proposed in this paper to achieve optimization of BRI’s contribution to eco-environment protection in BRI regions. Full article

The urbanization rate in China has been increasing in recent years, and along with the increasing intensity of human engineering activities, ecological and geological (eco-geological) degradation have become key factors impeding sustainable urban development. Taking the concentrated mineral exploitation area of Tonghua City as an example, the distribution of mines in the area is concentrated and the spatial heterogeneity is significant. This paper includes 14 evaluation indicators in three aspects: eco-geological environment background, anthropogenic and mining engineering activities, and environmental pollution. Then, based on game theory combined with ANP-CV (Analytic Network Process and Coefficient of Variation), two empowerment methods, GIS spatial calculation is used to evaluate the eco-geological environment quality (EEQ). The results showed that the EEQ was divided into grades I–V from high to low, with areas of 21.13%, 30.35%, 27.00%, 14.30%, and 7.22%, respectively; the EEQ of the Hun River basin has a high spatial autocorrelation and low EEQ, and the EEQ grade of mines was divided on this basis; the hot spot analysis is useful for determining the EEQ, as well as for allocating mine restoration resources in a sensible manner. Finally, we propose countermeasures to improve EEQ, and this study can provide a scientific basis for ecological construction and geological environmental protection in Tonghua City. Full article

The article considers the main sources of pollutionin the territory of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania. A study of environmental geophysical factors in the city of Vladikavkaz was carried out at 126 points; indicators of noise pollution, electric fields and the level of gamma radiation were measured. A geoaccumulation index of heavy metals in soils and indices of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were calculated and corresponding maps were constructed. The obtained data supporting a high level of carcinogenic risk are consistent with a high level of cancer morbidity in the city, which indicates a close relationship between morbidity and the carcinogenic risk index. It has been determined that emissions from road transport are greater by an order of magnitude than stationary sources emissions, while there is a steady trend towards an increase in air pollution as a result of the increasing negative impact of motor vehicle emissions. It has been established that the most hazardous way for heavy metals to enter the human body from the soil is by inhalation. It has been determined that in areas where environmental pollution with heavy metals is higher, cancer morbidity is also higher. Full article

Gradual instability of coal pillars left behind underground with room mining is one of the main reasons for sudden roof caving in the gob, surface subsidence, and other significant hazards. Moreover, room mining implies great losses of coal resources. In this paper, the main failure mode and room mining coal pillar process were analyzed according to the coalfield regional engineering geological and hydrogeological conditions. A numerical model was adopted to study the effect of different sizes of coal mining pillars and progressive instability failure of coal pillar on the plastic zone’s evolution characteristics and stress field of coal pillars in the stope. The proposed technologies of cemented paste backfilling and reinforcement of residual coal pillars are applied, and a numerical simulation model is established to study the strata movement characteristics and analyze the stability degree of residual coal pillar and key aquiclude strata in the Pliocene series of Neogene. Consequently, the performance and application prospect were evaluated. The results obtained substantiate a new method for the long-term stability control of coal pillars in room mining and protecting the ecological environment in China’s western eco-environmental frangible area. Full article