All Earth (Dec 2024)

A multi-criteria assessment system for the influence of mining on the geological environment: a case study of the Huodong mining area in Shanxi Province, China

  • Tongchun Qin,
  • Chao Zhang,
  • Di Ning,
  • Haigang Wang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/27669645.2024.2380223
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 36, no. 1
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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Long-term mining activities without proper protections can cause geo-environmental problems. These problems have negative effects on the environment and agriculture, and also pose risks to the safety of local residents. This paper aims to propose an assessment system with authority and practicality for evaluating the influence of mining on the geo-environment in China. The proposed assessment system is based on the national technical specification and considers the natural conditions of the mining area. The study area for this research is the Huodong Mining Area (HMA) in Shanxi Province, China. To evaluate the impact of mining activities on the geo-environment, an assessment system with 5 criteria and 17 factors was established. The weights of the criteria and factors were calculated using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The membership degrees of impact factors to the evaluation grades were determined using the Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) method. The evaluation results of each divided element were then combined to obtain the final evaluation results for the entire study area. The final results demonstrate that the geo-environment in the HMA has been significantly affected by mining activities.

Keywords