Mining
What is happening and how it needs to be changed.
11/7/2013
The Environmental Literacy Group
Jeffrey Ongley, Matt Ruiz, Jennifer Palacios, Keon Bowen, Connor Clark
Final Draft
Introduction
The effects mining is having on the earth are very detrimental to the earth’s health.
Instead of following rules shortcuts are taken for a profit and the environment has to deal with
the consequences. We need to find alternatives to mining and stop the devastation on the crust of
the earth. The purpose of this essay is to enlighten the public to the disastrous effects of mining
and show the options there are to preserve the environment and save the planet. This paper's goal
is to open the public’s eyes to the indecencies going on in the mining world and to inspire cause
in preserving our planet.
History and The Process of Mining
How long has mankind been trying to retrieve minerals from the earth’s crust? A mineral
is a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence, since these minerals have been occurring in
nature since the beginning of time, metallurgy, the branch of science concerned with metals and
their production and purification, actually dates back before the mining industry came around.
The Greeks developed some of the first known mines during the sixth century B.C.E. Methods
used to retrieve minerals underground are still in use today. Mining took place mostly where ores
were visible to the naked eye until about the beginning of the twentieth century. During the
California gold rush that lasted from 1848–1855, miners could only get gold that was already
visible and ready to be obtained. Or people would separate gold and silver from rivers and
stream beds they made claims on. But, once that was exhausted other methods of mining were
developed.
According to Student resources mining is the process by which commercially valuable
mineral resources are extracted from earth’s crust for a profit “Mining 1”. With mining being the
only way known to extract these needed minerals in bulk it's obvious that we as humans would
do whatever it takes to retrieve the minerals we need. But are the consequences of mining worth
the profit we make off the resources we dig up? Mankind is mining into the earth to retrieve the
much needed resources that are created in the earth’s crust. These resources include ores which
are minerals that usually containing metals such as iron, precious stones such as diamonds,
building stones such as granite, and solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Although many specific
kinds of mining operation have been developed like, they can all be classified into one of two
major categories: surface and subsurface mining.
The mining process is a very intricate process. According to Lauren Schneider, a geology
teacher at Serrano high school, geologists start the mining process with a topographic map with
no geologic information but contour lines. Consultation, where miners communicate all actions
and intentions with those who will be affected by mining sequence activities is how the process
starts “The Mining Sequences”. Then comes exploration, mining technicians gather data about
potential mineral deposits and acquire the rights to harvest those mineral deposits “The Mining
sequence”. “Companies go out to the area to get a hands-on look at the geologic structure to then
draw a cross-cut diagram of what the rock layers below would look like” said by Mr. Schneider.
Next comes evaluation and development, where mineral technicians determine which mineral
deposit has the most profit potential by taking rock samples and doing chemical test on them and
miners start construction of a mine or mines “The Mining Sequence”. Once all the test and maps
are complete mining companies decide if mining in this specific area is worth the millions of
dollars it will take to get the resources from under the earth’s surface. After production, which is
the operation of the mine or mines, closure can be achieved. Demolition of the mine or mines
and rehabilitation of all lands used for mining is how mines are dealt with after all resources
have been extracted “The Mining Sequence”.
Once mining companies have located what they believe to be a location “worth
[investing] millions of dollars” into they start the mining process (Schneider). Mining companies
need to clear all the vegetation that is overlying on top. Striping all the natural vegetation from
the land causes a major defect to the “landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the
mine this in turn leads to soil erosion and destruction of agricultural land” “Mining Impacts”.
The destruction that mining causes to the environment in which mining companies mine is not
acceptable by any means. The environment should not pay the ultimate price for people to have
their precious jewels. For humans to severely damage all the natural vegetation, animal habitats,
water supplies, and air quality all just for some “precious” minerals is unacceptable. These are
not just small chunks of land that are being affected by the cause of mining, these mining
perimeters extend for miles wide and or long. Furthermore, “in the United States, between 1930
and 2000, mining altered about 2.4 million hectares [5.9 million acres] of natural landscape, most
of it originally Forrest” “Mining Impacts”. The United States alone has done drastic destruction
to the environment by extreme measures. Something must be done to stop this horrific massacre
of earth’s beautiful natural landscapes.
There are many different types of mining that can take place depending on the type of
environment the company is mining in, but “all mining operations have a disruptive effect on the
environment” “The Strip Mining”. Strip mining or “open cast” is the most commonly used
method for mining “Mining Impacts”. When companies begin to dig into the Earth’s crust “the
dust and particles from mining roads, homes, stockpiles, and lands disturbed by mining are a
significant source of air pollution.” (The Strip Mining Handbook) So where does all this dirt go
that the mining companies dig up? They are left as high stacked piles containing both topsoil and
underground soil. When the job is not done correctly, “soil [can be] be damaged if reclamation
operations mix the topsoil with subsoil, diluting matter in the surface soil “The Strip Mining
Handbook”.Once top and subsoil have been degraded, it no longer benefits the natural landscape
to grow vegetation, following no vegetation comes non-existence animal habitats and will take
years even decades to be restored.
Mining Regulations
The Department of Natural Resources, DNR, should make stricter consequences for
mining companies so they follow the laws in place or charge mining company fines. Even
though many companies are aware that mining is harming the environment and prefer to do harm
just to earn money and provide resources. Since November 2011, the Department of Natural
Resources has issued 20 notices of violation to 19 companies. Also, “five companies alone
violated their storm-water permits in April and May, when rain and melting snow washed out
debris into streams and wetlands in Barron and Trempealeau countries (Bergquist). Mining is
destroying the land formation of earth and by violating these laws and The Department of
Natural Resources is causing worst damage. Not only is mining affecting earth’s formation but
mining is also polluting the water because companies are violating their storm water permits.
Polluting the water will not only be harmful to people, but the animals that drink that water.
Companies acknowledge what mining is doing to affect the earth and landscapes but are not
trying to help the environment and are not following the regulations of safe mining, this is a huge
tragedy that can and should be prevented.
Alternatives
With all of the harm that terrestrial mining can cause to the environment, some people
have recently decided that mining the ocean floor will be a viable option in the future, and if
done right, mining the sea floor could have little effect on the oceans ecosystems. This form of
mining commonly referred to as deep sea mining in most cases begins with finding deposits in
"seams spread along the seafloor where natural hydrothermal vents eject rich concentrations of
metals and minerals"(Miner). These seams are not only relatively easy to find but they "can yield
as much as ten times the desirable minerals as a seam that's mined on land"(Miner). The process
continues with the operators sending down several mechanical robots that are specially equipped
and adapted to break up and harvest the nodules on the ocean the floor. These robots are built
and conditioned to withstand the immense pressure that can be found on the ocean floor. They
are expensive to produce and run but the yield they are projected to bring is many times the cost.
The ocean may hold the key to a whole new world of mineral harvesting due to terrestrial mining
yielding lower quality and worth much less money. "The deep sea contains enough minable gold
that there's nine pounds of it for every person on earth”(Miner) This is an incredible amount
gold, a volume worth about $150 trillion, and that is just gold alone. There is a total of 16 other
valuable earth metals that can be found on the sea floor. Even though deep sea mining, however,
is not a perfect solution. This type of mining may disrupt some of the very fragile life that resides
in the ecosystems on the ocean floor. Experts that specialize in studying the organisms found
near the ocean floor believe that the seafloor hydrothermal vents could “be the most ancient sites
of life on Earth” “Deep-sea”. The organisms that live near the ocean floor are very fragile and
need to be studied before being altered. One of the main concerns with deep sea mining
operations is the dumping of “considerable amounts of fine sediment into the water column--a
serious problem for vent organisms that feed by filtering the water in their habitat” “Deep-sea”.
To help protect the ecosystem, advancements in oceanic robotic technology has "made the idea
of seafloor mining viable" robotics would make mining the seafloor much safer than terrestrial
mining with virtually no risk for the loss of human life but, they are still not a perfect solution
(Dillow).
Solutions
The government and citizens of America know that mining is killing our planet, but how
else can we get the resources that are needed from the earth’s interior. There are really no other
ways to get these resources but through the mining process. The only thing that people can do is
help reduce the mining so that they are not digging as many holes in the Earth as their already
are. An example is that miners dig up about 220 tons of dirt just to retrieve one ton of resources.
With the technology that the United States has, mines can be designed so that when they are dug
they produce less waste and toxic chemicals, this would results in less pollution in the air, and
water that animals and people drink and breath.
Some alternatives to mining are to recycle and cut back on the materials that we use to
build the things that we use in our daily lives like cars, electronics, appliances, and a lot more.
Also the metals that we use for soda cans and the steel in buildings. Recycling these resources
will cut back on how much that we have to mine for gold, coal, and everything else that America
uses. Also structural beams might be designed to be equally strong while using less steel “What
You Can”. Buildings already use a lot of steel and other resources, so trying to build these
buildings in a more efficient way to use less steel would also help to cut back on the mining of
minerals and other metals. Furthermore, people can reduce the consumption of goods they use or
the content of minerals in manufactured processes can be reduced “What You Can”. For
example, instead of building more cars, we could rely more on public transit more often "What
You Can”. Something else that can help is the mining companies cleaning up all the mining
debris that they dig out and replanting the plants that they tear out of the ground. This is actually
a law that the government made to help keep the environment from being damaged further.
There aren't any real solutions to the problems mining is causing, only alternatives. People can
cut back on the minerals that they use and start recycling more than they already do. If the world
does not start cutting back on the consumption of minerals and start recycling more, this planet is
going to be destroyed more and more with each passing day.
Conclusion
Clearly the damages caused from mining are too outrageous and neglected, and
something needs to be done. The devastation on the earth is unimaginable and is not acceptable
by any means. The way mining companies treat the areas they mine in is terrible. The killing of
innocent animals in their natural habitats and the pollution of the air and water is not right. Not
only governments, but also people of the world must stand up and make their voices heard in the
communities, to help stop mining companies from destroying huge percentages of Earth’s
natural beauty. If nothing is changed,us as humans could be the key factor in the destruction of
our own planet. What options will there be when the earth’s natural resources are fully depleted?
Works Cited
Berguist, Lee. “Sand mines in Wisconsin unearth environmental problem.” Journal, 4 August
2010. Web 10 September 2013.
Broad, Williams J. “Mining the Seafloor for Rare-Earth Minerals.” The New York Times, 8
November 2010. Web 19 September 2013.
Dillow, Clay . “With Limited Deposits of Rare Earth Metals on the surface,
Eyes turn to the Seafloor.” Popsci, 12 November 2010. Web 19 September 2013.
“Diamond Mining.” Environmental Literacy Council. Web 19 September 2013.
Miner, Meghan. "A mile beneath the ocean's waves waits a buried cache beyond any treasure
hunter's wildest dreams: gold, copper, zinic, and other valuable minerals." National
Geographic, 1 February 2013. Web 19 September 2013.
“Mining.” Student Resources I Context-Document, 2 September 2010.Web 19 September 2013.
“Mining Impacts.” Greenpeace International, 15 April 2010. Web 24 September 2013.
Redford, Robert . “Robert Redford’s plea: Save Bristol Bay.” LA times, 24 May 2013. Web 19
September 2013.
"Shnieder, Luren" Serrano Highschool, 27 September 2013.
"The Mining Process." The Superpit, 27 September 2013. Web. 27 September 2013.
“The Mining Sequence.” Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. Web 19
September 2013.
“The Strip Mining handbook.” The Environment Effetrip Mining. Web 19 September 2013
University of Toronto. “Deep-sea Mining May Pose Serious Threat To Fragile Marine
Ecosystem, According To Study.” Science Daily, 21 May 2007. Web 3 October 2013.
“What you can do to reduce Mining’s Environmental Impacts.” Eco Network. Web 29
September 2013.