The Return of Lands Disturbed by Mining Production to a New Economic Turnover – As the Final Stage of Mining Production (On the Example of Open-Pit Mining)

Intensive development of mining production inevitably leads to depletion of natural resources, disruption of natural processes and pollution of the natural environment, which entails negative consequences for the socio-economic development of the region after the end of mining. During the extraction of minerals, the integrity of the subsoil is violated, the lithosphere is polluted, wastewater is discharged into the hydrosphere, and dust and harmful gases are released into the air. Mining production can be attributed to natural-technical (technological) systems. The main technological process is associated with the extraction of minerals from the bowels, i.e. the impact on the bowels of the Earth with the help of various technical means and technologies. The subsoil, atmosphere, hydrosphere, soil are elements of the natural system. The complex of technologies and technical means is a technical (technological) system, the choice of which is determined by the properties of the field. Mining production has its own life cycle, which begins with the justification of the feasibility of mining, and ends with the liquidation of mining production and the transfer of disturbed lands to a new economic turnover. In order to return the disturbed lands to a new economic turnover, it is necessary to recultivate (restore) the lands disturbed by mining production. The study examines the conditions for the return of lands disturbed by mining production to a new economic turnover – as the final stage of mining (on the example of open-pit mining), taking into account the life cycle of mining production.