Click download or read online button to get environmental impacts of mining activities book now. Mining is a very profitable business and it also creates employment opportunities. The social and environmental consequences of coal mining. Pdf environmental and social impacts of mining and their. There have been only few publications related to the topic. Pdf download environmental impacts of mining activities free. Some of the major effects of mining on the environment are as follows. Mining involves toxic substances like sulfuric acid, cyanide, and solvents to separate and process the mineral from the ore. Mining companies are also making efforts to reduce the environmental and social impacts of. Environmental effects of mercury how mercury contaminates the environment. Mining activities, including prospecting, exploration, construction, operation, maintenance, expansion, abandonment, decommissioning and repurposing of a mine can impact social and environmental systems in a. Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the mine when trees, plants, and topsoil are cleared from the mining area.
In the metal industry, production of cu, pb, and zn causes the greatest degradation of the environment. The upsurge in illegal gold mining activities, popularly known as galamsey operation has left in its wake, loss of ecosystems and increased poverty levels especially among peasant farmers who depend solely on environmental resources for a living. Human health and environmental impacts of coal combustion. Effects of mining on the environment and human health.
Mineral exploitation contributes significantly to economic growth and development in most world economies. University of oulu content of presentation mining pollutant and effluents water impact assessment. Evaluation of effects of mining in the environment. Solution depth of below surface size of the ore body shape of the. The environmental impact of mining is the influ ence that mining activities have. On the other hand, the number of studies focused on the impacts of mining and mineral processing on the environment and human health in africa have increased significantly. Environmental impacts of mining is a comprehensive reference addressing some of the most significant environmental problems associated with mining. At the most basic level, mining requires clearing of trees that hold soil in place. Environmental impacts of mining activities and methods to. Some of these can be quantified by estimates, others are difficult to estimate. Effects of mining on the environment a national overview. Environmental impacts of mining can occur at local, regional, and global scales through direct and indirect mining practices.
Although there are some regulations in place that are intended to minimize the damage, they are not enough to allow mining and wildlife to exist in harmony, especially in. Environmental impacts of mining activities download. Their multiple industrial, domestic, agricultural, medical and technological applications have led to their wide distribution in the environment. The impact of mining on the environment and the effects of mining techniques need to be more advanced with the utilization of modern equipment to be unintrusive to the environment. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Galamsey operators there is no doubt that illegal mining activities have caused a great harm to our environment. In africa, ghana is the second largest gold producer, contributing to about 5. Geological survey to enhance the management of agricultural landscapes land cover map of the conterminous united states from early 1990s data vogelmann and others, 2001. Mining industry can become more environment friendly and socially sustainable by integrating practices that reduce the environmental impact of mining operations and implementing corporate social. Environmental and occupational health impact of bauxite. Gold mining and its environmental impacts abstract this paper examines the economical, agricultural, and environmental effects of the california gold rush of 1848 and the following years.
The mining sector in ghana consists of both smallscale and largescale mining, each of which has varying environmental impacts. Through blows the minedout parts of ore veins reach the land surface and create an extensive depressed zones. Major minerals are copper and cobalt copper production stands at 465,000 mt, and is expected to reach about 700,000 mt by 2010. The effects of mining on the environment of high islands horizon ird. Impact of gold mining on the environment and human health. The impact of mining and smelting of metal ores on environmental quality is described. Mining can also trigger the formation of sinkholes. Mining is the extraction of minerals and other geological materials of economic value from deposits on the earth. Mines produce large amounts of waste because the ore is only a small fraction of the total volume of the mined material. The effects of mining coal persists for years after coal is removed.
This paper provides an exposition on the environmental impacts of mining activities in ghana. Environmental impacts and health aspects in the mining industry iii abstract this thesis work has analysed environmental impacts and health aspects in the mining industry of copper, uranium and gold with the aim of determining the relative performance, in a given set of parameters, of the uranium mining. Environmental impacts of large scale mining in zambia there are many environmental impacts resulting from mining activities. This book provides information on biological and physicochemical treatments of mining effluents, on factors affecting human health and on environmental effects. What is the environmental impact of the mining industry. Environmental impacts and health aspects in the mining. Effects of mining on the environment and human health impacts of strip mining. Effects of mining frequency n percentage % degradation of land and vegetation 72 29. Investigating the environmental effects of agriculture practices on natural resources scientific contributions of the u. Hydrothermal alteration associated with the mineral deposit has a major. Gold typically sits in ore and sediment that contains toxins such as mercury. Mining is an inherently destructive industry, and the mining effects of even a single operation can have a severe impact on the environment and the wildlife that lives nearby. Mining affects the environment by exposing radioactive elements, removing topsoil, increasing the risk of contamination of nearby ground and surface water sources, and acidification of the surrounding environment.
At abandoned sites, determining the extent and magnitude of mercury contamination is even more difficult. The environmental impact of iron ore mining, in all its phases of, from excavation to beneficiation to transportation, may include detrimental effects on air quality, water quality, and biological species. Socioenvironmental impacts of lithium mineral extraction. June 2002 impact of gold mining on the environment and human health. Investigating the environmental effects of agriculture. Mining is one of the top verticals and as such, this sector provides the local economy with muchneeded jobs and capital. However, these studies tended to be concentrated on the effects of mining and mineral processing at national levels and in specific mining districts without taking into account the overall impact. Potential environmental impacts of quarrying stone in karst. The effects of this damage can continue years after a mine has shut down, including the addition to greenhouse gasses, death of flora and fauna, and erosion of land and habitat. Economic valuation aspects of environmental impacts of. After gold ore is formed through hydrothermal deposition, it is near enough to the earths surface, that it can be. Environmental aspects of phosphate and potash mining. Illegal mining activities and its environment effects. This case study focuses on the costs of the environmental and social effects of coal mining in south africa, undertaken for export to the netherlands.
Environmental impacts of mining activities and methods to reduce. Coal mining imposes many external costs on its surroundings and the people who live in it. Background zambias major economic activity is mining, and as at 2005, mining contributed about 65% of export earnings. It benefits everyone including the government and that is why the mining industry is widely supported. Coal mining, the first step in the dirty lifecycle of coal, causes deforestation and releases toxic amounts of minerals and heavy metals into the soil and water. Potential environmental impacts of quarrying stone in. Impact of bauxite contents and bauxite mining on the environment bauxite mining has a direct impact on the environment by polluting air, water sources and soil table 1. Minerals are the natural resources which play an important role in the economic development of the country.
Environmental impacts of mining activities springerlink. Download environmental impacts of mining activities or read environmental impacts of mining activities online books in pdf, epub and mobi format. Unique composition which depends on bedrock ore, process used, water purification techniques, climate etc. Since the mining industry is still expanding, comprehensive information on the effects of mining activities on the environment is needed. Key environmental and social impacts environmental and social impacts of mining have been welldocumented and an ample. Overview of mining and its impacts environmental law alliance. But the extraction and mining of these natural resources leads to some adverse effect on our environment as well. Mining adversely affects the environment by inducing loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and contamination of surface water, groundwater, and soil.
Impacts can result in erosion, sinkholes, loss of biodiversity, or the contamination of soil, groundwater, and surface water by the chemicals emitted from mining processes. Environmental and other effects of mining and transport. The process can disturb the ground and wash the soil into waterways. Environmental impacts of metal ore mining and processing. If all mining ceased on the planet, society would cease to function. Pdf biomonitoring environmental contamination with metallic and methylmercury in. The paper mainly focused on the mining activities in prestea in the western region of the country. Mining is an inherently invasive process that can cause damage to a landscape in an area much larger than the mining site itself. This smallscale form of gold mining has little effect on the body of water, but the largescale practice of mining gold from ore can have tremendous negative effects on water quality. Due to its high energy generation potential, coal is widely used in power generation in different countries. Mining can leak pollutants into the environment that may lead to water contamination.
In this study, a choice has been made to focus on impacts with mostly local and sometimes regional effects. Effects of gold mining on the environment sciencing. The environmental pollution exerts indirect effects on the health of miners and nearby communities. In this way, mining activities account for serious consequences for the local. Economic growth is high on the agenda of leading countries, sustaining their sound and profound business and economic strengths. Heavy metals are naturally occurring elements that have a high atomic weight and a density at least 5 times greater than that of water. There are several negative effects of mining for the environment. Although, the presence of carbon, hydrogen and sulfur in coal facilitates the energy generation in coal combustion, some pollutants including cox, sox, nox, particulate matter pm and heavy metals are accumulated in air and water and lead to severe environmental and health impacts as a. Nevertheless, such largescale mining industries come with some negative environmental effects that impact the livelihoods of the communities, including polluting water resources and displacing people from their fertile lands to allow mining operations. Pdf mineral exploitation contributes significantly to economic growth and development in most world economies. In recent years, changes in management techniques have efficiently minimised many negative impacts. In addition, the legacy of mining has left thousands of sites in africa contaminated by mining and associated mine dumps such as tailings and slag material.