Abstract: 　　【Objective】The development and utilization of mineral resources in the Yellow River Basin has a long history, the number of historically abandoned mine is large, and the task of restoration is arduous, lacking of systematic diagnosis of the ecological damage status and existing problems.【Methods】Through conducting a systematic investigation into the ecological damage status of historically abandoned mines along the Yellow River, the ecological damage status of historically abandoned mines of different mineral types, mining methods and abandonment situations were systematically analyzed, analyzing the main existing problems and put forward relevant suggestions.【Results】There are a total of over 30, 000 historically abandoned mine in the Yellow River, involving more than 70 cities and nearly 400 counties and districts, with a patch area of approximately 110, 000 hectares. Open-pit mining of building materials mines is the main type of historically abandoned mines in the Yellow River, and the loss of responsible persons is the main reason for the formation of the large numbers of historically abandoned mines.【Conclusions】The
　　destruction of land resources and soil damage are the main ecological damage problems existing of historically abandoned mines in the Yellow River. From the perspective of the basin scale, the middle reaches of the Yellow River have a large number of historically abandoned mines and more