Why is open pit mining bad

Such pollution can impair the habitat of fish and other aquatic species, thereby reducing population levels. Even where species survive, toxic materials can lower reproduction and growth rates.

Strip mining also causes increased turbidity and siltation of streams and ponds, greater variation in stream flow levels and water temperature, and stream dewatering, all of which contribute to the endangerment of aquatic species. When fill material is replaced following a strip mining operation, it is heavily compacted to prevent it from eroding or sliding.

As a result, easily-planted grasses out-compete tree seedlings, whose growth is slowed by the compacted soil, and complete reforestation is unlikely. More effective reclamation techniques now exist and must be promoted.

The Appalachian Mountains, where northern and southern species converge, contain an incredible diversity of unique plants and animals. Reclaimed land can reconnect fragmented wildlife habitats, and properly replaced soil can encourage re-growth of high-value trees like the American Chestnut.

According to the U. Fish and Wildlife Service FWS , SMCRA effectively protects endangered species through provisions designed to minimize direct impacts on wildlife [30] -- but only when properly enforced. The Strip Mining Handbook. Search this site. About the Handbook. Foreward, Preface, About the Author. Chapter 1: Introduction. Chapter 5: Reviewing A Permit Application.

Chapter 6: Monitoring A Strip Mine. Chapter 7: Participating in Bond Release Proceedings. Appendix B: Permit Application Checklist. Appendix C: Mine Inspection Checklist. Appendix D: Bond Release Checklist. Appendix E: Sample Citizen Complaint. Appendix G: Glossary of Mining Terms. The Mechanics of Strip Mining. First, the surface vegetation trees, bushes, etc. Next, the operator removes the topsoil, usually by bulldozers or scrapers and loaders. The operator either stockpiles the topsoil for later use or spreads it over an area that already has been mined.

After removing the overburden, the exposed coal seam is usually fractured by blasting. The operator then loads the fractured coal onto trucks or conveyor belts and hauls it away.

Next, the operator dumps the overburden or spoil that was removed during the mining process on a previously mined area and grades and compacts it. Special handling may be necessary if any of the overburden contains toxic materials, such as acid or alkaline producing materials.

Any excess overburden that remains after the mined area is completely backfilled Eastern mines generally have substantial excess spoil is deposited in a fill. Finally, the operator redistributes the topsoil and seeds and revegetates the mined area.

While these basic steps are relatively consistent, the environmental impacts of the five main techniques vary significantly. When the operator reaches the last cut, the only spoil remaining to fill this cut is the overburden from the initial or box cut.

Yet, since the box cut spoil may lie several miles from the last cut, the operator generally finds it cheaper not to truck the box cut spoil to the last cut. Instead, he may decide to establish a permanent water impoundment in the last cut. These last cut lakes are commonplace in the coal regions of the Midwest but may pose environmental and land use problems. A later section of this handbook describes strategies for challenging these last cut lakes.

In contrast to open pit operators, contour operators frequently have too much spoil after mining is completed. When overburden is removed it breaks up and loses some of the compaction that occurred over the thousands of years that it laid undisturbed.

As a result, most contour miners must dispose of their excess spoil in another fill or disposal area. The most common disposal areas are at the heads of valleys, called valley fills or head of hollow fills. The construction of a fill means that additional land beyond that required for mining must be disturbed in order to accommodate that mining. The harmful effects of valley fills are discussed further under the section on mountaintop removal.

Auger mining usually takes place in conjunction with a contour mining operation. Once the contour operator reaches the point where the height of the highwall makes it uneconomical to remove further overburden, the operator may choose to extract further coal, before beginning reclamation, by drilling into the face of the highwall with a mining auger.

Large diameter drill bits, which can be broken into relatively small lengths, may bore as much as feet into a coal seam, thereby extracting as much as 60 percent of the coal resources. Because auger mining removes support for the materials above it, care must be taken to fill the auger holes after extracting the coal.

Failure to fill auger holes may cause tension cracks and other problems on the surface. After Mountaintop Removal. Underground Mining. Unless proper precautions are taken, any of these mining techniques will significantly harm the environment.

The older mining areas of Appalachia testify daily to this reality. In Appalachia alone, thousands of square miles of mountainous terrain have been scarred by strip mining and left unreclaimed. Erosion increases dramatically when the protective plant cover is removed and the remaining soil is not stabilized.

Studies show that water flows from selected mines carry sediment loads up to 1, times greater than flows from unmined areas. SMCRA has helped eliminate many of these more obvious abuses.

But long-term damage to the soil, water and wildlife continues despite Congress' efforts to control it. In the western United States the arid or semiarid conditions of that region may increase the damage to soils caused by mining. Once the natural vegetation is removed, erosion may increase dramatically. One of the most persistent problems at western mines is establishing a "diverse, effective, and permanent vegetative cover But because revegetation using native species is often difficult and expensive, many operators choose non-native species, which stabilize the soil over the short-term.

More than Subpages 1 : Chapter 2 Footnotes. The Mechanics of Strip Mining This section describes the five main types of surface coal mining techniques: area mining, open pit mining, contour mining, auger mining , and mountaintop removal. Responsible surface mining attempts to limit the side effects of this removal through several basic steps: First, the surface vegetation trees, bushes, etc. Area Mining Area mining is the technique most often employed in the flat or gently rolling countryside of the Midwest and western United States.

Open Pit Mining Open pit mining is similar to area mining. Auger Mining Auger mining usually takes place in conjunction with a contour mining operation. Mountaintop Removal The final method of surface coal extraction to be described here is aptly called mountaintop removal.

Underground Mining Despite its title, SMCRA's provisions apply not only to surface mining, but also to the surface effects of underground mining. For example: the US company Molycorp spent 10 million USD on its paste-tailings operation, but the water and chemical reagents it was able to recycle saved have already paid for the installment, in addition to generating less waste. Mission 's plan will increase recycling efforts, greener mining and refining techniques, reduce the cost of environmental damage on the surrounding community, and increase government involvement in the regulation of dirty mining practices.

Betournay, M. Underground Mining and Its Surface Effects. Danelski, D. Expansion in works for S. County mine with troubled environmental past, The Biz Press. Division of Mineral Resources. Solution Salt Mining. Eisler, R. Cyanide hazards to fish, wildlife, and invertebrates--A synoptic review. Fish and Wildlife Service Biological Report 85 1. Engels, J. What Are Tailings?

Gruber, P. Global lithium availability: A constraint for electric vehicles? Journal of Industrial Ecology, 00 International Atomic Energy Agency. Guidebook on environmental impact assessment for in situ leach mining projects. King, B. The rare earth saga — more entertaining than a soap opera…. Long, K. The principal rare earth elements deposits of the united states—a summary of domestic deposits and a global perspective.

Miranda, M. Molycorp, Inc. Molycorp Molycorp innovations. Norman, D. What is iso ?. Paul, J. Investigating rare earth element mine development in epa region 8 and potential environmental impacts R Environmental Protection Agency. Reichardt, C. Ruiz, O. Recycling of an electric arc furnace flue dust to obtain high grade zno.

Some Roman mines in Spain still drain acid. The acid drainage can only be treated. Globally, mining also dumps mining waste directly into lakes, rivers and oceans: over million tonnes each year. Mine waste, known as tailings , is often impounded behind enormous earthen dams.

These tailings have to remain onsite after the mine closes — and the dams can fail catastrophically, releasing vast amounts of mine waste downstream. A tragic dam collapse in killed people and destroyed the town of Brumadinho, Brazil. The disaster followed tailings dam failures at the Mount Polley mine in Canada and the Samarco mine in Brazil, among others. And the problem is getting worse. Half of serious tailings dam failures in the last 70 years occurred between and Nineteen catastrophic failures are predicted globally from and Across the world, communities in the shadow of large tailings dams live in a state of perpetual fear.

These communities often are Black, brown, Indigenous, poor, and otherwise already marginalized. They have little access to any political power that could keep them safe, and when the dams fail, they have no way to demand adequate reparations. The guidelines aim to protect communities, workers and the environment from the risks posed by thousands of mine waste storage facilities, which are failing more frequently and with more severe outcomes.

Approximately half of gold mined from to comes from the traditional territories of indigenous people. Because few countries have codified the principles of free, prior and informed consent FPIC , much of this gold was mined coercively.