The mining environmental impact includes erosion, drainage formation, loss of biodiversity, and contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water by chemicals from the mining process. In addition to creating environmental damage, contamination resulting from chemical leaks also affects the health of the local population. Mining companies in some countries must follow environmental codes and rehabilitation, ensuring that mined areas are returned to their home countries. Some mining methods may have significant environmental and public health impacts. Nuss and Eckelman (2014) provide an overview of the broad environmental impact of metal production associated with 62 metals in 2008.
Erosion from open hills, mine deposits, tailings dams and the resulting deposition of gullies, creeks and rivers can significantly impact the surrounding area, a prime example of the giant Okedi Tedi Mine in Papua New Guinea. In wilderness areas, mining may cause damage and disruption of ecosystems and habitats, and in agricultural areas may disrupt or damage productive grazing and farmland. In urban environments mining can produce noise pollution, dust pollution and visual pollution.
Video Environmental impact of mining
Problem
Water pollution
Mining can have adverse effects on the surrounding surface and groundwater if no protective measures are taken. The result may be an unusually high concentration of some chemicals, such as arsenic, sulfuric acid, and mercury above a significant or subsurface surface area. Overflow from soil or rock debris - even non-toxic - also damages surrounding vegetation. Stacking of runoff on the surface of the water or in the forest is the worst option here. Submarine tailing disposal is considered a better option (if the soil is pumped to a very deep depth). Ground storage and replenishment of mines after they run out have been better, if no forests need to be cleaned for storage of debris. There is the potential for massive contamination in the area around the mine due to the various chemicals used in the mining process as well as potentially damaging compounds and metals removed from the ground with ores. Large amounts of water produced from mine drainage, mine cooling, water extraction and other mining processes increase the potential of these chemicals to contaminate soil and surface water. In a well-regulated mine, hydrologists and geologists take careful measurements of water and soil to exclude all types of water contamination that can be caused by mine operations. Reduce or eliminate environmental degradation is enforced in modern American mining by federal and state law, by limiting operators to meet standards for protecting surface and ground water from contamination. This is best accomplished through the use of non-toxic extraction processes as bioleaching.
Drinking acid rock
Underwater mining often develops beneath the surface of the water, so water must continue to be pumped out of the mine to prevent flooding. When a mine is abandoned, pumping stops, and water floods the mine. The introduction of this water is the first step in most acid rock drainage situations.
Acid rock drainage occurs naturally in some environments as part of the weathering process but is aggravated by large-scale earth disturbances that are characteristic of mining and other major construction activities, usually in rocks containing many sulphide minerals. Areas where the earth has been disrupted (eg construction sites, subdivisions, and transport corridors) can create acid rock drainage. In many places, liquids flowing from coal stocks, coal handling facilities, coal washing, and coal waste tips can be very acidic, and in such cases treated as acid drainage (AMD).
The same type of reaction and chemical process can occur through the sulfuric acid disturbance formed under coastal or estuarine conditions after the last major sea level rise, and is a similar environmental hazard.
The five main technologies used to monitor and control the water flow at the mine site are diversion systems, reservoirs, groundwater pumping systems, subsurface drainage systems, and subsurface barriers. In the case of AMD, contaminated water is generally pumped into a treatment facility that neutralizes contaminants.
A 2006 review of the environmental impact statement found that "water quality prediction made after considering mitigation impacts undermines the apparent impacts on groundwater, seeps, and surface water."
Heavy metal
The dissolution and transport of heavy metals and metals by runoff and ground water are other examples of environmental problems with mining, such as the Britannia Mine, a copper mine near Vancouver, British Columbia. Tar Creek, an abandoned mining area in Picher, Oklahoma which is now the superfund site of the Environmental Protection Agency, is also suffering from heavy metal contamination. Water in mines containing dissolved heavy metals such as lead and cadmium leak into local groundwater, contaminate. Long-term tailings and dust storage can cause additional problems, as they can easily be flown by the wind, as happened at Skouriotissa, an abandoned copper mine in Cyprus.
Effect on biodiversity
Mine implantation is a major habitat modification, and minor disturbance occurs on a larger scale of exploitation sites, contamination of environmental waste residue residues for example. Adverse effects can be observed long after the end of mining activity. Damage or drastic modification of the original site and the release of anthropogenic substances can have a major impact on biodiversity in the area. Habitat destruction is a major component of biodiversity loss, but direct poisoning caused by materials extracted by the mine, and indirect poisoning through food and water, can also affect animals, plants and microorganisms. Habitat modifications such as pH and temperature modifications disrupt communities in the area. Endemic species are very sensitive, because they require very specific environmental conditions. Damage or slight modification of their habitat puts them at risk of extinction. Habitats can be damaged when there are not enough terrestrial products and non-chemical products, such as large rocks from mines dumped in the surrounding landscape irrespective of impact on natural habitats.
The concentrations of heavy metals are known to decrease with distance from the mine, and effects on biodiversity follow the same pattern. Impacts can vary greatly depending on the mobility and bioavailability of contaminants: the less mobile molecules will remain stationary in the environment while highly mobile molecules will easily move into other compartments or taken up by organisms. For example, the speciation of metals in sediments can alter their bioavailability, and thus their toxicity to aquatic organisms.
Biomagnification plays an important role in the polluted habitat: the impact of mining on biodiversity must, assuming that the concentration level is not high enough to directly kill the exposed organism, is greater in the species above the food chain due to this phenomenon.
The adverse mining effect on biodiversity depends on the nature of the contaminant, the level of concentration at which it can be found in the environment, and the nature of the ecosystem itself. Some species are quite resistant to anthropogenic disorders, while others are completely lost from the contaminated zone. Time alone does not seem to allow the habitat to recover fully from contamination. Remediation takes time, and in many cases will not allow the restoration of the original diversity that existed before the mining operation took place.
Aquatic organism
The mining industry can affect aquatic biodiversity through various means. Direct poisoning is the first, and the risk is higher when contaminants move in sediment or bioavailable in water. Mine drainage can modify the pH of the water, and it is difficult to distinguish the direct impact on the organism from the impact caused by pH change. Fixed effects can be observed and proven to be caused by pH modification. Contaminants can also affect aquatic organisms through physical effects: streams with high concentrations of light suspended sedimentary borders, thereby reducing algae biomass. Metal oxide deposition may limit biomass by coating the algae or its substrate, thus preventing colonization.
Factors affecting mine site communities vary temporarily and seasonally: temperatures, precipitation, pH, salinity and quantity of metals are all variations in appearance over the long term, and can greatly affect communities. Changes in pH or temperature can affect the solubility of metals, and thus the bioavailable quantities that directly affect the organism. In addition, contamination persists: ninety years after the closure of the pyrite mine, the pH of the water is still very low and the population of the microorganism consists mainly of acidophil bacteria.
Microorganisms
The algae community is less diverse in acidic water containing high zinc concentrations, and mine drainage stress decreases their primary production. The Diatoms community is heavily modified by chemical changes. a collection of phytoplankton pH, and high metal concentrations reduce the abundance of planktonic species. Some diatom species may grow in high-concentration metal deposits. In sediments close to the surface, cysts suffer from corrosion and heavy coating. In highly polluted conditions, total algae biomass is quite low, and the planktonic diatom community is lost. However, in terms of functional complementarity, the possibility of mass phytoplankton and zooplankton remain stable.
macroorganism
The community of water insects and crustaceans is modified around the mine, which results in low levels of trophic and predator-dominated communities. However, the biodiversity of macro invertebrates can remain high, if sensitive species are replaced by tolerant ones. As diversity diminishes, sometimes there is no effect of flow contamination on abundance or biomass, suggesting that tolerant species that fulfill the same function replace sensible species in contaminated sites. Decreasing pH in addition to high metal concentrations may also have adverse effects on macroinvertebrate behavior, suggesting that direct toxicity is not the only problem. Fish are also influenced by pH, temperature and chemical concentration variations.
The terrestrial organism
Vegetation
Soil texture and water content can be greatly modified in disturbed locations, leading to changes in plant communities in the area. Most plants have low concentration tolerance for metals in the soil, but the sensitivity differs among species. Total grass and total cover is less affected by high concentrations of contaminants than forbs and shrubs. Material waste spills or traces due to mining activity can be found around the mine, sometimes quite far from the source. Established plants can not move from distractions, and eventually die if their habitats are contaminated by heavy metals or metalloids at too high a concentration for their physiology. Some species are more resilient and will survive at this level, and some non-native species that can tolerate this concentration in the soil, will migrate on adjacent mines to occupy an ecological niche.
Plants can be affected through direct poisoning, for example arsenic soil content reduces bryofita diversity. Acidification of soil by decreasing pH by chemical contamination can also lead to reduced number of species. Contaminants can modify or interfere with microorganisms, thus modifying the availability of nutrients, causing loss of vegetation in the area. Some tree roots avoid deeper soil layers to avoid contaminated zones, and therefore lose anchors and may be uprooted by the wind when their shoot height and weight increase. In general, root exploration is reduced in contaminated areas compared to non-polluted ones. Even in the habitat of reclamation, plant species diversity is lower than in undisturbed areas.
Cultivated plants may be a problem near the mine. Most plants can grow in poorly contaminated sites, but the yield is generally lower than would occur under regular growth conditions. Plants also tend to accumulate heavy metals in their aerian organs, possibly causing human intake through fruits and vegetables. Regular consumption can cause health problems caused by long-term metal exposure. Cigarettes made from tobacco grown in contaminated places may also have adverse effects on the human population, since tobacco tends to accumulate cadmium and zinc in the leaves.
Animal
Habitat destruction is one of the main problems of mining activities. Large areas of natural habitat are destroyed during mine construction and exploitation, forcing animals to leave the site.
Animals can be poisoned directly by the product and the residue of the mine. Bioaccumulation in plants or smaller organisms that they eat can also cause poisoning: horses, goats and sheep exposed in certain areas for potent toxic concentrations of copper and lead in the grass. They have fewer ant species in the soil containing high copper content, around the copper mine. If fewer ants are found, most likely other organisms that leave in the surrounding landscape are strongly influenced also by this high level of copper, because ants are a good environmental control: they live on the ground and are thus quite sensitive to environmental disturbances..
Microorganisms
Because of their size, microorganisms are very sensitive to environmental modifications, such as pH modification, changes in temperature or concentration of chemicals. For example, the presence of arsenic and antimony in the soil causes a decrease in total soil bacteria. In addition, as in water, small changes in soil pH can provoke contaminant remobilization, in addition to a direct impact on pH-sensitive organisms.
Microorganisms have a variety of genes among their total population, so there is a greater possibility of species survival due to resistance genes or tolerance in some colonies, as long as modifications are not too extreme. However, survival under these conditions would imply a large loss of genetic diversity, thereby reducing the potential for adaptation to subsequent changes. The presence of some soils developed in areas contaminated with heavy metals may be a sign of reduced activity by soil microfauna and microflora, indicating reduced number of individuals or reduced activity. Twenty years after the disturbance, even in rehabilitation areas, microbial biomass is still greatly reduced compared to undisturbed habitats. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are very sensitive to the presence of chemicals, and the soil is sometimes so disturbed that they can no longer relate to root plants. Some fungi have contaminant accumulation capacity, soil clearance capacity by altering unacceptable contaminants, and can protect plants from chemical-induced damage. Their presence in contaminated sites may prevent biodiversity loss due to mine waste contamination, or allow bioremediation, ie, removal of unwanted chemicals from contaminated soil. In contrast, some microbes can damage the environment: which means an increase in SO4 in water can also increase the production of microbial hydrogen sulfide, toxic to many plants and aquatic organisms.
Human mine pollution effects
Humans are also affected by mining. There are many diseases that can come from pollutants that are released into the air and water during the mining process. For example, during smelting operations of large amounts of air pollutants, such as suspended particles, SO x , arsenic and cadmium particles, emitted. The metal is usually emitted into the air as a particulate.
There are also many occupational health hazards. Most miners suffer from various respiratory and skin diseases. Miners working in various types of mines suffer from asbestosis, silicosis, or black lung disease. Humans are also affected by the occurrence of landslides and floods.
Coal mining
Deforestation
With open pit mining, overburden, which may be covered with forests, should be disposed of before mining can commence. Although deforestation due to mining may be small compared to the total amount that can cause species extinction if there is a high local endemic level.
Oil shale
Deforestation of mountain peaks
Sand mining
Sand mining and gravel mining creates huge holes and loopholes on the surface of the earth. Occasionally, mining can extend deep so that it affects groundwater, springs, underground wells, and water tables.
Subsidence
Salt mining and salt domes collapsed at Assumption Parish, Louisiana causing Bayou Corne's ambles in 2012. In August 2013, the drain pit continued to stretch.
Tailing and destructive
- Tailing
- Trick tip
Maps Environmental impact of mining
Mitigation
To ensure the completion of reclamation, or restoration of mine land for future use, many governments and authorities around the world require mining companies to post bonds to be stored in escrow until reclaimed land productivity has been demonstrated conclusively, even if cleaning procedures are more expensive than size the bond, the bond may be left behind. Since 1978 the mining industry has reclaimed more than 2 million acres (8,000 km²) of land in the United States alone. This reclaimed land has renewed vegetation and wildlife in previous mining areas and can even be used for agriculture and livestock.
Site specific
- My Tui is in New Zealand
- Stockton Mine in New Zealand
- Pirit Northland Mine in Temagami, Ontario, Canada
- The Sherman Mine in Temagami, Ontario, Canada
- Ok Tedi Mine in West Province, Papua New Guinea
- The Berkeley Pit
- Wheal Jane Mines
Movies and literature
- Burning the Future: Coal in America
- Coal River
- Mountain Top Removal
- Mountains Move: How A Woman and Her Community Win Justice From Big Coal
- Tar Creek
- Trou Stories
See also
- The impact of deep-sea mining environment
- Environmental impact of placer mining
- The impact of the gold mining environment
- Environmental impact of zinc mining
- List of environmental issues
- Appalachian Voices, lobby group in the United States
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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