MODULE 2 – LESSON 3

Activity:
1. What are three harmful environmental effects of mining and processing minerals?
 Pollution - Mining operations frequently pollute the environment, including the
atmosphere, surface waters, and ground water. Rainwater seeping through waste
piles may become highly contaminated, corrosive, or turbid, potentially wreaking
havoc on surrounding streams and rivers.
 Destruction of Land - Mining operations can result in significant land loss due to
chemical contamination, destruction of productive layers of soil, and, in certain
cases, irreversible scarring of the land surface. Large mining activities disrupt the
soil by removing material directly in some locations and dumping garbage in
others. There may be a significant loss of wildlife habitat.
 Impact on the Biological Environment - Physical changes in the land, soil,
water, and air caused by mining have an immediate and indirect impact on the
biological environment. Direct effects include the loss of plants or animals as a
result of mining activity, as well as contact with toxic soil or water from mines.
Changes in nutrient cycling, total biomass, species diversity, and ecological
stability are examples of indirect effects caused by changes in groundwater or
surface water availability or quality.
2. How are mining lands restored?
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires coal mining
companies to restore the areas on which they have mined; one program monitors active coal
mines, while the other reclaims abandoned mine grounds. Following the removal of the coal,
mine companies are legally required to rehabilitate the land, which usually means replacing the
exploded soil and rock—rubble—covering it with topsoil, and seeding it with anything that will
keep the ground together. Mountaintop removal has a substantial impact on the ecology and
environmental quality of vast areas even under perfect conditions.

Application
What is happening in this picture?
1. This is a foreign owned legally operating large-scale open-pit mining activity in Surigao del
Sur. What types of pollution do you see in this picture?
2. Do you think this sort of mining activity has greater or lesser effects because it is legally
operating? Explain your answer.

Answer:
The sorts of contamination that I notice in this photo include coal mining water pollution
and soil erosion from the legally owned foreign operating large-scale open pit mining operation
in Surigao del Sur. Compared to shaft mining, open-pit mining is far safer. Mining mortality
have decreased significantly as a result of better mining techniques, such as open-pit mining,
safer equipment, and a general improvement in safety awareness.