The environmental impact of abandoned mining areas

The environmental impact of abandoned mining areas

We all agree about the importance of mines during the period of their cultivation. They are vital for extraction of mineral resources and for the community that work in, but after their abandonement without a proper reclamation strategy the mining sites may pose severe risks. During the mining activity, tons of mineral ore are removed from the hosting rocks, leading to landscape and ecosystem modification. For example, commercially worthless materials (gangue), dust and other tailings that have to be carefully considered for environmental safeguard, are produced.

Taking the less traveled by means innovation in mining closure.

Historically, extractive installations were often abandoned without any concern regarding potential risks to humans and to the environment, nor about perception of visual impacts, land-scape integration, and land-use modification. For the community of “miners”, mine closure can cause severe distress because of the threat of economic and social collapse, that can include the entire region in income at best, and a huge cost in terms of social and environmental mitigation at worst.

A proper environmental management after mines closure is essential!

In recent years, consciousness and social awareness of these issues have taken place, also via research projects. Governments and organizzations as World Health Organizations (WHO) have reported suggestions and laws trying to recognize the problem and to solve it. There is still much to do but the first step is to identify the problem and to recognise the path to follow.

Environmental scientists took the endless challenge, awaiting for
validating new processes for a cleaner production
or alternatives to the primary mining like Urban Mining.

Sine

I am a geochemist. I am editor for The Anthropic Times.

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