Environmental Management

Mining:
the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode,
vein, seam, reef or placer deposit.

Life cycle of a mine

B.
us
Finding the Ore
Ag
★ Geology: field surveys, and geologic mapping to determine areas favourable for mineral deposits.
★ Geophysics: searching for favourable mineral deposits using the physical properties of rocks, such as
magnetic intensity and electrical conductivity. aeromagnetic or gravity surveys, ground-penetrating
radar studies, or the use of seismic waves to show contrasting rock types.
★ Geochemistry: soil sampling, stream sediment sampling, and rock sampling; even plants are also
sampled in some studies.
★ Satellite Imagery: large-scale surveys of remote unexplored regions for the presence of geologic
structures and key minerals that may indicate areas favourable for mineral deposits.

How big is it? How much is it worth?

★ metallic commodity like gold ore grades: often expressed in weight percent. A higher
grade means more of the mineral per ton of rock.
★ non-metallic commodity (such as sand and gravel or limestone) the resource is identified in terms
of volume or weight.
Mining Methods:
The location and shape of the deposit, strength of the rock, ore grade, mining costs, and current market
price of the commodity are some of the determining factors for selecting which mining method is used.

Open Cast Mining:

This method is the cheapest. it obtains more minerals and it’s the fastest. The procedure of this extraction
is first inserting explosives on the mining area to blow up the surface and then, use heavy machinery to take all
the rocks so they have a clear mine to work on.
➢ Special surface mining methods include open pit mining and strip mining

Quarrying
Large blocks of rock are mined intact or the rock itself is the intended final product. The large blocks of
rock are mined by cutting them out of the deposit with saws. Then these blocks are lifted out with cranes,
loaded onto trucks, and shipped to a location where they are further cut to smaller blocks, slabs, or tiles, or, in
the case of limestone, ground to a powder.

B.
Placer Mining
Method used to recover precious metals such as gold or platinum and other metals such as tin from
sand or gravel at the surface in or near stream beds.The sand and gravel are mixed with water and swirled
and shaken so that the valuable heavy metals will sink, whereas the relatively light sand will stay on top
and be washed away.
us
Underground mining
This method is used if the mineral resource is of high quality and is buried deep within the Earth. Different
mines use different underground methods to extract the ore. The ore must be drilled, blasted, or excavated,
and transported above-ground, moving in various mechanised carriers or conveyor belts to the shaft, where it
is hoisted to the surface.

➢ Huge fans circulate fresh air through the mine tunnels. This is important to remove dust and gases
Ag

released during drilling.

➢ Groundwater constantly seeps into mines. The pumping out of water must go on all the time, if not
tunnels might flood.
➢ The walls must be supported to avoid cave-ins

Problems

➢ Gas explosions ➢ Dust

➢ Underground fires ➢ Noise
➢ Cave-ins ➢ Heavy Loads
➢ Floods ➢ Accidents with heavy machinery
 Processing minerals

B. Cyanide Heap leaching

us
Method used to extract low-grade gold from rock mined using open-pit methods.
Ag

Smelting
The heating process in pyrometallurgy is generally called smelting.In the smelting process, the ore
concentrate is mixed with other materials and then heated in furnaces until it melts. As the molten metals
separate from the other materials, they accumulate in the bottom of the furnaces and are removed. The other
constituents float to the top of the furnaces. After they are removed, they cool to a solid glassy substance
called “slag”
 Damage to the environment
The physical process of removing the ores from the ground is disruptive to the environment.radionuclides,
rare earth elements,and metal dust escapes the mines in different ways and they each have different
detrimental effects on the environment.
The environmental impact of mining Includes:
➢ Erosion
➢ formation of sinkholes
➢ loss of biodiversity
➢ contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water by chemicals from mining processes.

Restoration of mining areas

Today, in many countries, mining permits will not be granted without a complete mine closure plan. The
primary purpose of a mine reclamation plan is to minimize the impact to the local environment.

Mine Closure

B.
Mine closure is the final step in the mining cycle.These activities involve:
● reclaiming disturbed areas,
● removing facilities,
● mitigating safety hazards,
● cross-training employees,
● other activities that lead to environmentally benign and safe conditions
us
Reclamation Process
• The reclamation process takes place throughout the mining life cycle.
• The process of reclamation includes maintaining water and air quality and minimizing flooding, erosion, and
damage to wildlife and habitat caused during the mining life cycle.
• The final step in the reclamation process is often topsoil replacement and revegetation with suitable plant
species.
• Habitats must be maintained or restored to their prior condition once the mining process is completed.
Ag

• Water used during the milling process is collected and reused or cleaned before being restored to the
hydrosphere.
• Underground mines may be backfilled or sealed or may be preserved for bat habitat.
• Open-pit mines are often backfilled or reshaped to become natural areas or pit lakes suitable for waterfowl
and fish.
• Tailings ponds may be drained, covered and planted with vegetation, or turned into wetlands.

Steps
The steps for the land reclamation process can include:
1. • Landscape maintenance and design (e.g., map predicting topography, backfill as necessary,
examination of drainage)
2. • Management and restructuring of overburden and soil (e.g.,ensuring slope stability)
3. • Backfilling: Necessary in deep mines to avoid collapse and in surface mines to promote safety and
create a smooth landscape
4. • Topsoil management
5. • Management and reuse of waste materials
 Options for Mine Reclamation

➔ The optimal use of closed mining sites must be based on the needs of the local community.
➔ There are economic uses for the land (e.g.,industry or housing) as well as productive uses (cultivation,
grazing, fishing, parking, etc.).
➔ It could also be appropriate to open the reclaimed mine site to community use, such as a public park,
nature conservancy, etc.

Mining Impacts

Rocks & Rock Cycle

Rocks
★ Igneous Rocks: Igneous rocks form when magma (molten rock) cools and crystallizes, either at

B.
volcanoes on the surface of the Earth or while the melted rock is still inside the crust. All magma
develops underground, in the lower crust or upper mantle, because of the intense heat there.

★ Sedimentary Rocks: Sedimentary rocks are formed from deposits of pre-existing rocks or pieces of
once-living organism that accumulate on the Earth's surface. If sediment is buried deeply, it becomes
compacted and cemented, forming sedimentary rock.

★ Metamorphic Rocks: Metamorphic rocks started out as some other type of rock, but have been
us
substantially changed from their original igneous, sedimentary, or earlier metamorphic form.
Metamorphic rocks form when rocks are subjected to high heat, high pressure, hot mineral-rich fluids
or, more commonly, some combination of these factors. The changes in structure can be chemical,
physical or both.

Igneus Sedimentary Metamorphic

Ag

Made from liquid magma Made from other rock fragments Made from existing rock

Magma cools to form solid Rock fragments become buried The original rock is changed in
rock and increased pressure forms a form by heat and pressure
rock

Mineral crystals sometimes Crystals absent Mineral crystals present

present; the size of the
crystals depend on the speed
of cooling

No fossils present Fossils may be present No fossils present

Rock cycle

B.
us
Ag