A vast man-made crater in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region is gradually being transformed into a safer landscape. The open pit, where brown coal was mined for more than 80 years, is now being filled with a mixture of rock and water. Open fires have been extinguished, self-heating zones have been brought under control, and the reclamation project is expected to continue for another two decades.
The Korkinsky open-pit mine operated from 1934 to 2017. After closure, the site became a persistent environmental problem, with internal fires and hazardous emissions affecting the air quality in nearby communities. Active reclamation began in 2019. By 2023, open burning had been completely eliminated and dangerous self-heating areas had been brought under control.
The project is now in its third stage. The mined-out space is being backfilled with material transported from the neighboring Tominsky Mining and Processing Plant (GOK). Waste rock left over from ore processing is mixed with water and pumped through a 14-kilometer pipeline into the open pit. The solid fraction settles at the bottom and helps stabilize the pit slopes, while clarified water is returned to the processing plant’s production cycle.
Slope stability is being monitored from the air. Industrial drones survey the pit walls and landslide-prone areas, after which specialists create 3D models and track even minor ground movements. This allows engineers to respond to potential deformation before it becomes a serious problem.
Full reclamation of the Korkinsky site is scheduled for 2047. Years of systematic work remain, but the most urgent environmental threat has already been addressed: the region’s most serious source of smoke and harmful emissions is no longer burning.
The Korkinsky open pit is evolving from a symbol of environmental damage into an example of how waste from one industrial operation can be used to restore another. The production loop is effectively being closed: waste rock from Tominsky GOK helps seal the abandoned mine, while the water remains within the industrial cycle.
Source: @Coala_russia
Image: Valery Zvonarev
