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This study was conducted to evaluate ecological impacts of metals in soil from the restored Panyi coal mining area of China. Zn, Cr, Ni, Pb and Cd had significantly accumulated in the studied soil compared with regional background values ( p < 0.05). Geo-accumulation indices indicate that the soil was at low risk for Cu, Zn, Ni and Pb contamination, while a low to moderate risk for Cr and Cd contamination existed. The ecological impact of all the selected metals was identified by ecological soil screening levels, apart from Cr, the impact of which was determined based on Dutch Target and Intervention Values. Results suggest that plants may be significantly affected by Ni, the avian population by Zn, Pb and Cd, while mammals are possibly influenced by Cd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional hydrogeochemical data and environmental stable isotopes are used to identify the recharge sources and the water-rock interactions in the groundwater-flowing direction within the multilayer groundwater system of the Sulin coal-mining district in the north Anhui province in China. δD and δO of groundwater in the mining district decrease along the groundwater-flowing direction in the recharge areas, yet in the runoff or discharge areas, they rise and fall along average δ values ( δO = −8.68 ‰, δD = −67.4 ‰), which are lower than average δ values of local atmospheric precipitation ( δO = −7.80 ‰, δD = −52.4 ‰). Principal component analysis is used to analyze the conventional hydrogeochemical data (K + Na, Mg, Ca, Cl, SO, HCO, CO) in the groundwater. The first and second principal components have large variance contributions, and represent 'pyrite oxidation or groundwater hardening' and 'desulfurization or cation exchange and adsorption,' respectively. From conventional hydrogeochemical data and environmental stable isotopes, it is demonstrated that groundwater of the Sulin coal-mining district is characterized by a mixing type, which is confirmed by three recharge end-members: fresh groundwater, leaching groundwater, and retained groundwater. By means of a sample dot-encompassed triangle in the scatter diagram of load scores for Component 1-Component 2, whose vertexes stand for the three end-members, a model for calculating groundwater mixing ratio is established and applied successfully to the evaluation and management of groundwater hazards in the coal-mining districts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]