Mining Overview
The General Mining Act (GMA, 1872)
• Signed by President Ulysses S. Grant.
• Allowed miners who claimed minerals on federal public land
to decide where, when, and how to mine.
• They had absolute right to mine without standards in place
for prudent mine operations, mine site cleanup, reclamation
or restoration, or financial responsibility.
• Put in place to promote development and settlement of
public owned land in the Western U.S.
Due to the impact on the environment, mining is the most
heavily regulated industry in the US.
Subsurface vs. Surface Mining
Determined by the resource location and formation
Subsurface
• Deposits ~100m
• Underground/mine
shafts
Surface
• Open Pit
• Strip Mining
• Mountaintop Removal
• Placer
Which of these do you think have the greatest impact
on human health? Environmental health?
Subsurface vs. Surface Mining
Determined by the resource location and formation
Subsurface
• Deposits ~100m
• Underground/mine
shafts
*Largest Impact on
Human Health
Surface
• Open Pit
• Strip Mining
• Mountaintop Removal
• Placer
*Largest Impact on
Environmental Health
Mining Methods
Determined by the resource location and formation
Subsurface mining
Mine shafts drilled down to ore deposit
Fisher Creek Mine, MT
Acid Mine Drainage
Bingham UT Cu Mine
Open Pit- Aerial View
Bingham UT Cu Mine
Deepest Open Pit in World- Overhead Aerial View
Terraces to expand the mine- make a series of
holes with a sticks of dynamite
Trucks load up ore and carry it away for processing
Dr. Walsh next to one of the massive trucks
Ore milling- crush the tailings to increase SA and
extract ore (w/acid)
Waste tailings slurry into pond storage
Anaconda Cu Mine, NV
Manmade holding pond with acid Cu waste
Remediation
Pump wet waste slurry
through limestone CaCO3
gravel sleuce channel.
Neutralized waste emptied
into artificial wetlands.
Artificial wetlands
Plants that take up Cu and other metals
Plants then have to be disposed as hazardous waste
Big Sky Mine, MT
Strip mining Coal
Victoria, Il
Old Coal Strip Mine- Aerial View
Closed prior to enactment of SMCRA
Limestone coal mine, Ca
Mountaintop Removal
Limestone mine, Ca
Terraces into hillside
California Gold Rush 1848-1855
Reprocessing Au mine tailings to recover “microgold”
that has become profitable to extract
Tailings reprocessing machine
Artificial pond- dump in tailings; has a large panning machine; pulls
in slurry at one end, dumps out waste at the other end.
Large microgold panning machine
Biggest Human Impacts
Subsurface Mining
Surface Mines
Big Environmental Impacts!
• Removal of topsoil and
vegetation
• Displacement of wildlife
• Disruption of groundwater
and surface water flow
• Contamination of soil, water,
air
• Noise pollution
Mining Regulations
• The Clean Water Act (CWA, 1972) &The Safe
Drinking Water Act (SDWA, 1974 )
– Regulates discharge of pollutants and quality
standards of surface waters in the U.S.
– Ensures the quality of drinking water
• The Comprehensive Response Compensation and
Liability Act (CRCLA, 1980)
– Regulates the release of hazardous substances
into air, soil, & water
• The Endangered Species Act (ESP, 1973)
– Protects threatened & endangered species and
their habitats
The Surface Mining control and
Reclamation Act (SMCRA, 1977)
• Signed by President Jimmy Carter
• Ensured reclaiming of the land- returning it to its original
or better condition after mining.
• Billions of dollars are spent to clean up abandoned
mines.
– Set standards to minimize the effects of coal mining on
environment
– Established funds used to reclaim land and water resources
adversely affected by mining
Mine Reclamation
Before
After
Before
After
Mining Methods
Determined by the resource location and formation