Nº 5 (2024)

Moisture exchange (water exchange) and mechanical transfer of mineral matter (lithodynamic flows) play the principal part in the development and functioning of natural morpholithosystems. Functioning of a system is controlled by external impacts and its internal capacities, including its morphological structure. Geomorphological analysis aims at assessing and predicting of (1) relief-forming processes, (2) relations between the relief and engineering structures (assessment of stability); and (3) establishing the optimal level of technogenic load on the geomorphological system (ensuring sustainability). Currently, the main concern is investigation of relations between modern and buried relief and modern relief-forming processes, on the one hand, and between architectural relief and human engineering activity, on the other. The article provides an algorithm (sequence) for the cycle of formation of geo-ecological conditions of an urban area: changes in natural relief and geological environment; creation of engineering structures; transformation of exogenous morpholithogenesis and the formation of anthropogenic genesis; the emergence and formation of urban landscapes and biogeocenoses, where human activity, as a bioactive participant in the formation of the urban environment and lithogenesis, plays an important role. The article shows that hydrogenous relations and processes determine to a great extent the conditions and functioning of the anthropogenic-geomorphological system and the processes of anthropogenic morpholithogenesis. Based on many years research in geomorphology of urban areas, Moscow, in particular, the authors have identified the main features of anthropogenic morpholithogenesis of urban areas. The urban area of Moscow is characterized by a profound depth of changes in the natural environment impacted by various technogenic loads and the intensive replacement of natural complexes by urban complexes. Urban morpholithogenesis is defined as the formation and functioning of the anthropogenic geomorphological system and urban biogeocenosis.

The paper proves the existence of a natural technology for self-organization of the geological environment with the formation of new structures, which is aimed at protecting the initial stress-strain state from local external impact. The specific features and advantages of this natural technology are considered upon the formation of landslide blocks. The regulatory role of the geological criterion 0.009 in the formation and functioning of protective structures is emphasized. The revealed regularities may be applied for the analysis of the collapse preparation at the Earth’s surface above a subsurface cavity as well as for the soil foundation deformation under technogenic load. The possible manifestation of this natural technology in the formation of local structures in the air and water environments, giant rings on the Lake Baikal ice, in particular, is discussed.

Within the framework of the task of assessing the landfill impact on groundwater pollution using numerical modelling of groundwater flow and transport, the forecast of groundwater pollution by chloride ion was performed in the area adjacent to the landfill in Dubna after its reclamation. Different variants of modelling hydrogeological setting and contaminant transport simulations and their influence on the forecast results were considered. Visual Modflow software package was used for modelling, which included the module for groundwater flow simulation MODFLOW 2000 and MT3DMS for pollutant transport calculation. To realize the boundary conditions on the upper model’s boundary under the landfill body, the results were used obtained earlier in the analysis of water and mass balance in the landfill. The leakage rate and chloride ion concentration in the leachate entering the groundwater during the landfill operation and after its reclamation were set.

The current sanitary and hygienic approach to assessing toxicity of various natural environments based on the comparison of numerical indices of pollutant concentrations with the standard permissible ones, does not meet the principles of modern environmental safety. This is especially true taking in consideration a constantly increasing number of potentially toxic compounds, the complexity of their composition and the variety of possible routes of their release into the environment. In this regard, the methods for assessing the quality and condition of natural environments based on the use of biological objects – biodiagnostics – are becoming acute in various areas of research. The methods for studying aquatic environments and soils are well developed; however, in relation to ground systems, there is still no clearly defined and generally accepted theory of environmental regulation of their condition, in particular the one based on the biotic concept. The article gives basic concepts and describes the main methods of biodiagnostics of the ecological status of natural environments in general and soil systems in particular used today. Taking into account the basic positions of soil and rock engineering, the features of assessing the ecological status of fine soils are characterized. Proceeding from the results of large-scale experimental studies conducted by the authors, the effectiveness of biotesting methods using hydrobionts, application and eluate phytotesting on various test cultures was assessed in relation to soil systems. The results of using chemical-analytical methods for ecotoxicological assessment of soils with biotesting methods were also compared. It is concluded that assessing the ecological state of fine soils with phytotesting methods, using the fine soil proper as a substratum is highly reliable. We suggest to improve biodiagnostics of the ecological state of fine soils, taking into account the characteristics of the object of study and possible routes of toxicant migration.

The rates of leaching of elements from B-Si glass with radionuclide simulators at 90°C after 14 days are reduced by 1–2 orders of magnitude due to the formation of a gel layer on its surface. The stability of glass in water after its contact with bentonite is lower than in distilled water. Alteration of the glass is determined by the diffusion of water into it, exchange of alkalis and protons, hydrolysis and breaking of bonds between atoms in the glass network, appearance of gel, saturation of the solution with silica and alumina, precipitation of secondary phases. Radionuclides remain in the gel layer and only B, alkalis, as well as U and Mo in higher oxidation states accumulate in the solution. A significant proportion of waste simulants in glass leaching products is found in form of colloids.

The article considers examples of experimental studies of natural and human-induced changes in the properties of cryolithozone with different lithology. Studies have shown that in order to control changes in the properties of an engineering geological section, geophysical monitoring of frozen rocks subject to degradation is of particular importance. An approach to the study of the state and properties of cryolithozone soils in situ is presented using the example of complex geophysical work at hydraulic engineering facilities in Western Yakutia, which helps us to understand the spatial and temporal patterns of the development of active thawed zones (taliks) over a relatively short time interval. Using the example of Bilibino NPP, built on permafrost, it is shown that the elastic properties of rocky frozen soils, usually fractured in the upper part of the section, depend not only on lithology, texture and structure, but also on the cryogenic state of rocks. The patterns of changes in the seismic properties of frozen hard rocks at this industrial site were analyzed as a result of the degradation of permafrost under the main structures associated with the heat release of reactor units for more than 30 years. It is shown that under the influence of the warming effect on the rocky frozen ground, the increment of seismic intensity can increase on average to +0.3 points relative to the surface of permafrost (initial conditions). The characteristics of seismic impacts (the values of PGA and the spectrum of the Sa_max reaction) change accordingly.