Objective The abandoned Orlovka mine district is situated within previously "closed territory" and provided strategic metal resources (Ta, Nb, Li, Be) for the FSU defence industries. Hence, it was inaccessible for study, despite the existing environmental hazards due to extensive pollution and disruption to nature caused by mining. The Orlovka mining and processing plant operated rare-metal ores of the Orlovka deposit since the early sixties. In 1993 the mining was temporarily stopped. However, significant reserves of unsold potentially economic products, as well as waste tailings are stored here. Ores of the Orlovka deposit are enriched in Ta, Nb, Li, and F. The list of toxic elements includes also Pb, As, Cd, U, Th, Se, Bi, Hg, Sb, Zn, Mo, and Be. Dispersion of the above-mentioned elements has lead to significant changes in the chemistry of soil, stream sediments, waste dumps and tailings and of associated waters. Near the ore processing plants are situated two towns, Novoorlovsky and Staroorlovsky with 40,000 inhabitants in total.We will use the abandoned Orlovka mine district as a "natural laboratory" to develop methods of risk prevention and to provide exploration companies and government agencies with information on potential prospects. We will critically review, compile and restructure the vast existing information on the deposit area, supplemented by our own new data. We will study the Orlovka district in the field and by state-of-the-art laboratory methods, will summarize all data obtained during the proposed programme in the form of environmental, mineralogical, and geochemical databases and develop a geoenvironmental model of the Orlovka deposit. The major product of this research will be a GIS based expert system created on the basis of envisaged project results including all thematic maps compiled, mathematical modelling, and experimental simulation (leaching, sorption/desorption, solubility, permeability). Such a modern expert system can be used for monitoring the transport and distribution of potentially toxic elements in the system: bedrocks - mineralised rocks - weathered rocks - soil - water - vegetation - air within the Orlovka contaminated lands. Programme(s) IC-INTAS - International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), 1993- Topic(s) 5 - Earth Sciences, Environment, Energy INTAS - INTAS Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Natural History Museum EU contribution No data Address Cromwell road SW7 5BD London United Kingdom See on map Total cost No data Participants (5) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all All-Russia Geological Research Institute Russia EU contribution No data Address Sredny prospekt 74 199106 St. petersburg See on map Total cost No data Ecoles des Mines de Paris France EU contribution No data Address Rue saint honor? 35 77305 Fontainebleau See on map Total cost No data GEOFORSCHUNGSZENTRUM POTSDAM Germany EU contribution No data Address Telegrafenberg 14473 Potsdam See on map Total cost No data Institute of Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Crystalchemistry of Rare Metals Russia EU contribution No data Address Veresaeva str. 15 121357 Moscow See on map Total cost No data Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address 142432 Chernogolovka, moscow district See on map Total cost No data