Understanding Mining Youtube 1872 Mining Law and pollution

Understanding Mining Youtube 1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best) 6 min http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=LYWVq. DLJCoo&feature=related Cobalt needs for US 2 min http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=-Wfvo. Min. Fv. U

General Mining Law of 1872 • Purpose was to encourage extraction of mineral resources • Increases national wealth • No environmental protections • No royalties paid to U. S. government • $5/acre for lode rock mining • $2. 50/acre for placer mining • Must develop mine or lose lease. • Different for Coal Mining

Abandon Mines • Acid Mine Drainage • Leaching of toxic chemicals from mine, spoil bank, and tailings • Superfund sites– Government pays to clean up.

How do Minerals and Ores form? • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=j. IN 3 nc 6 Rw. JA

Types of Mines • Surface Mines (Surface habitat destruction) – Placer Mining (Riparian Destruction) – Strip Mining – Pit Mining – Mountain Top Removal • Shaft Mines • In situ Mines

Surface Mining Terms • • Overburden Spoil Bank Ore: Gangue and Mineral Tailings/Tailing Pile/Tailing Pond

More Terms • • • Ore: Minerals and Gangue Placer Mining (Riparian destruction) Shaft (deep ore/small deposits) In Situ mining Surface mining (Shallow ore) – Overburden – Spoil Bank- silt/Toxin runoff

Processing (Refining) • • Separating Ore (Metal from Gangue) Gangue →Tailings (waste (gangue) from processed ore) Smelting – using heat to separate minerals by melting or vaporization point – Creates toxic air emissions – Slag can be toxic • Heap-Leach Method – Uses acids and cyanide to dissolve and remove minerals.

Placer Mining

Heap Leach Extraction

Open Pit Mining

Underground and Surface Mines

Mountain Top Removal

Overburden

In situ mining

Tailing Pile

Copper Tailing Pond Anaconda Mine in Montana: A Superfund site

Tailings Pond Overflow (Arizona)

Smelting

Copper Smelter in Utah

Scrubber

Acid Mine Drainage

Acid Drainage Remediation

AMD

AMD

Environmental Problems from Mining • • • Acid mine drainage Toxins in surface and ground water Destruction of surface habitat Erosion/Deforestation Destruction of riparian habitat (Silt/Turbidity) Climate Change Human safety and health Particulates Acid Rain from SO 2 Aesthetic destruction

Solutions/Mitigations

Mineral Substitution • Plastic or glass for aluminum or steel containers • Glass fiber optics instead of copper

Mitigation of Mining Damage • Reclamation vs. Restoration http: //www. onearth. org/blog/reclamation-restoration-and-mountaintop-removal Blog • Restrict water infiltration (caps, plants, etc) • Bioremediation – Wetlands – phytoremediation (using plants) – Using bacteria • • Treatment of leachate Recycling/Reuse of metals and minerals Using less metals and minerals in products Finding non-metal and non-mineral substitutes for metals and minerals

Pebble Mine in Alaska • “Dirty Gold” boycott • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=QH_Tz Bju 8 r. U 3: 00

Important Laws • General Mining Law of 1872 • Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (Coal Only) • CERCLA (Superfund) • UN Conference on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) • Madrid Protocol (Antarctica) • Clean Air Act • Clean Water Act • Endangered Species Act

Important Laws • General Mining Law of 1872 – Encouraged mining. No environmental protections • Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act – Coal Only requires reclamation of land after • CERCLA (Superfund) – The government uses this fund to clean up abandon mine sites • UN Conference on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) – Sets national boundaries on undersea mineral extraction. International Seabed Authority (ISA) grants permits. Must share profits with poor countries

• Madrid Protocol (Antarctica) – Prohibits mineral exploration in Antarctica • Clean Air Act – Sets limits, monitors air quality, levees fines, educates public. • Clean Water Act – Sets limits, monitors water quality, levees fines, educates public. • Endangered Species Act – Identifies endangered species – Protects critical habitat

• Reform the mining act • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=62 ndaw. MJPZY&feature=related • • 1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=LYWVq. DLJCoo&feature=related • Strip Mining Animation • http: //uccpbank. k 12 hsn. org/courses/APEnvironmental. Science/course%20 files/multimedia/lesson 4 7/animations/4 b_Area_Strip_Mining. html • Borax Mine video http: //uccpbank. k 12 hsn. org/courses/APEnvironmental. Science/course%20 files/multimedia/lesson 4 7/videos/4 b_Borax. Mining. html • Ore processing • http: //uccpbank. k 12 hsn. org/courses/APEnvironmental. Science/course%20 files/multimedia/lesson 48/animations/4 b _Ore_Processing. html • Tailings dam break • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Qsi 15 QRUZ 68 • Dirty Gold boycott • • http: //www. earthworksaction. org/PR_OBB_Ad 54 Jewelers. cfm http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=QH_Tz. Bju 8 r. U • Heap leach mining • http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=of. N 1 a. LMwc. UI • Bio Heap leach process

• • • Open pit mining slides (1: 14) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=3 VW 54 Yjsg. LM&feature=fvst Placer mine (5: 00) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=-dq. WTap. AIn. A South Africa Mining Environmental Damage 17: 00 Talky Overview http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Ux. F 9 l 6 bed. ZU Mitigating acid mine drainage (coal mines) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=il 0 UOMa-WPA&feature=related Acid mine drainage problems in northern California http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=-GOc. JSTLu. Ao&feature=related

Websites • Good PDF Downloads • http: //www. agiweb. org/environment/public ations/metals. html • Environmental health publications • http: //ehpnet 1. niehs. nih. gov/docs/2001/10 9 -10/innovations. html