Abstract Three tailings located in West Siberia and Transbaikal region are studied. They are the tailings of Salair Pb-Zn mine (Salagaev and Djukov ravines) and of Dzhida W-Mo plant (sulfide waste heaps). It has been shown that these tailings may be considered as the secondary deposits of nonferrous and precious metals, by their parameters (average contents and stores) approaching to the condition of natural ones. The oxidation degree of available sulfides and, as a consequence, the scale of heavy metal leaching mainly depend upon some parameters which are responsible for the type of geochemical environment. The major parameters are: degree of exposure to oxidizing agents, sulfide quantity, ratio of acid-producing to buffering minerals. Carbonate minerals of tailings are the main components decreasing the acidity of drain waters. Data of mineralogical research and physico-chemical modeling testify that oxidation processes are acting weakly in Salagaev ravine, containing 2-5% of pyrite and 10-12% of calcite and completely covered by water table. In contrast to it, Dzhida sulfide waste heaps, in which pyrite content reaches 90% and carbonate minerals are nearly absent, are treated by the intensive oxidation. Various mechanisms of metal migration were shown at the base of geochemical investigation of tailings vertical sections. At oxidizing galena grains Pb is deposited in situ as anglesite rims; Cu, Fe, Mg, and Ag are transported by draining waters to underlying beds and precipitate under the favorable conditions. Gravitation redistribution is characteristic for Au.