environmental impacts of mineral exploitation
- Created by: Luke Mitchell
- Created on: 17-01-13 14:15
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- Environmental impacts of mineral exploitation
- Exploration
- 1). marine seismic surveys cause very loud vibrations and can disturb whales
- 2). exploration on land can involve land clearance and vegetation loss
- Land Impacts
- Extraction may cause conflicts with other land uses
- Land take: land area required larger than void, land needed for buildings, access routes, over burden dumping and buffer zones
- Habitat loss
- 1). loss of species where mineral is to be extracted is unavoidable
- 2). removing wildlife by capturing animals and transplanting plants to move them has been attempted and failed because either unsuitable habitat or over populated
- 3). habitat restoration when mining finished, or new habitats created e.g. wetland nature reserve in mine void
- 4). Loss of amenity: mining may cause aesthetic problems for local communities, reduced by landscaping + tree planting
- Pollution
- Turbid drainage water
- 2) high water turbidity blocks sunlight from reaching aquatic plants and chokes filter-feeding
- 3). turbidity of drainage water can be reduced by keeping it in holding lagoon, so suspended sediment settles out
- Noise
- Dust
- Dust: raised into atmosphere by blasting/ vehicle movements, removed by water srays
- Toxic leachate
- 1). toxic metal normally immobile in rocks may be oxidised in spoil heap and become soluble. drainage water carries it into river as toxic leachate and it kills aquatic life
- 2). In hot areas drainage water can be collected and evaporated. metal solution will become more and more concentrated until it may be possible to extract metal econimcally
- 3). many toxic metals soluble under acidic conditions. passing mine drainage water through filter bed of crushed limestone can immobilise metal and prevent it flowing into river
- Spoil disposal
- 1). Spoil heaps are often loosely compacted and instability can cause landslides
- 2). drainage of rainwater by pipes in base of spoil heap prevents it becoming waterlogged making it a risk of slipping, compaction of spoil prevents this risk
- Turbid drainage water
- Flooding
- 1). caused by drainage water if pumped out rapidly or stored behind poorly constructed dam which collapses
- 2). well constructed dams and carefully released water reduces risk
- Subsidence
- caused by poor spoil compaction, reduced by compaction and leaving support pillars in deep mines
- Traffic congestion
- road traffic from mine can cause congestion and road traffic accidents
- reduced by using routed that avoid urban areas by building seperate routes or using other transport links e.g. rail
- Exploration
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