Magnetic particles in the sediments of the south Ukraine rivers as the marker of the technogenic impact on the hydroecosystems

Abstract

Long-term and large-scale man-made activity in the mining areas affects to all components of the biosphere. The result of mining impact on hydroecosystems is addition to natural sources of sedimentary material technogenic components in large volumes. Magnetic particles are one of technogenic components which come with surface run-off to the river bed. We have studied the content of magnetic particles in the sediments of the south Ukraine rivers: the Inhulets River and the Inhul River ‒ the tributaries of the Dnieper and the Southern Buh, respectively. The Inhulets River flows along the Kryvyi Rih iron ore deposit, parallel the river there is a chain of open-pits, mines, mining and processing plants, a metallurgical plant. The results of our research were demonstrated within the Kryvyi Rih industrial agglomeration a number of magnetic particles in the sediment samples varies from 59,5% to 2,1%. Upstream from the Kryvyi Rih city on 10-15 km a number of magnetic particles is within 1,5%. Based on numerous sources of literature and own researches, it has been determined that detection of magnetic particles and properties is a convenient, cheap, quick and informative method of technogenic pollution studying of river sediments and also mirror the industrial history of the region.