Open-pit mining: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Kittilä mine.jpg|thumb|Kittilä Gold Mine in [[Kittilä|Kittilä, Finland]] is the largest primary gold producer in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.avkvalves.eu/en/cases/water-cases/agnico-eagle-finland|title=Supplying more than 100 valves to the largest gold mine in Europe|publisher=AVK International|access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mining.com/agnico-has-kittila-operating-permit-restored-expects-30000-oz-of-additional-production/|title=Agnico operating permit restored for Kittila mine in Finland|first=Jackson|last=Chen|publisher=Mining.com|date=27 October 2023|access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref>]]

This form of mining carries several risks to the health and safety of miners, and can have a significant negative impact on the environment.

Open-pit mining is considered one of the most dangerous [[industrial sector|sectors in the industrial world]].{{cnl|date=March 2024}} It causes significant effects to miners' health, as well as damage to the ecological land and water. Open-pit mining causes changes to vegetation, soil, and bedrock, which ultimately contributes to changes in surface hydrology, groundwater levels, and flow paths.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Jianping|last2=Li|first2=Ke|last3=Chang|first3=Kuo-Jen|last4=Sofia|first4=Giulia|last5=Tarolli|first5=Paolo|date=2015-10-01|title=Open-pit mining geomorphic feature characterisation|journal=International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation|volume=42|pages=76–86|doi=10.1016/j.jag.2015.05.001|issn=0303-2434|hdl=11577/3159353|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Additionally, open-pit produces harmful [[pollutant]]s depending on the type of mineral being mined, and the type of mining process being used.

==Extraction==

{{missing information|section| the truck and shovel mining method with specific extraction steps: drilling into benches vertically, ammonium nitrate explosive deposition, blasting, removal of material from pit walls for extracting ore, horizontal? mine expansion due to extraction of ore from walls or bottom orof the pit, creation of new pits during a mine's life|date=February 2025}}

[[File:Sunrise Dam Gold Mine open pit 11.jpg|thumb|alt=Refer to caption.|Note the angled and stepped sides of the [[Sunrise Dam Gold Mine]], Australia.]]

[[File:Tagebau Garzweiler bei Otzerath Schaufelradbagger Januar2008.ogv|thumb|A bucket-wheel excavator extracting lignite from [[Garzweiler surface mine]] in Germany during 2008]]

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==Impacts==

Open-pit mining is considered one of the most dangerous [[industrial sector|sectors in the industrial world]].,{{cnl|date=March 2024}} Itand causescan cause significant effectsharm to miners' health,. asIt wellcan asalso damagehave tosignificant thenegative ecologicalenvironmental landimpact, anddepending water.on Open-pitthe miningtype causesof changesmineral tobeing vegetation, soilmined, and bedrock,the whichtype ultimatelyof contributesmining toprocess changesbeing inused. surface hydrology, groundwater levels, and flow paths.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Chen|first1=Jianping|last2=Li|first2=Ke|last3=Chang|first3=Kuo-Jen|last4=Sofia|first4=Giulia|last5=Tarolli|first5=Paolo|date=2015-10-01|title=Open-pit mining geomorphic feature characterisation|journal=International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation|volume=42|pages=76–86|doi=10.1016/j.jag.2015.05.001|issn=0303-2434|hdl=11577/3159353|hdl-access=free}}</ref> Additionally, open-pit produces harmful [[pollutant]]s depending on the type of mineral being mined, and the type of mining process being used.

===Waste===

Open-pit mines create a significant amount of waste. Almost one million tons of ore and waste rock can move from the largest mines per day, and a couple thousand tons moved from small mines per day.<ref name=eb /> There are generally four main operations in a mine that contribute to this load: [[drilling]], blasting, loading, and [[hauling]].

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===Pollutants===

Open-pit mining involves the process of disrupting the ground, which leads to the creation of air pollutants. The main source of air pollutants comes from the transportation of minerals, but there are various other factors including drilling, blasting and the loading and unloading of overburden.<ref name=impact>{{Cite journal |last1=Huertas |first1=José I. |last2=Huertas |first2=María E. |last3=Izquierdo |first3=Sebastián |last4=González |first4=Enrique D. |title=Air quality impact assessment of multiple open pit coal mines in northern Colombia |journal=Journal of Environmental Management |volume=93 |issue=1 |pages=121–129 |date=January 2012 |pmid=22054578 |doi=10.1016/j.jenvman.2011.08.007|bibcode=2012JEnvM..93..121H }}</ref> These typetypes of pollutants cause significant damage to public health and safety in addition to damaging the air quality. The inhalation of these pollutants can cause issues to the lungs and ultimately increase mortality.<ref name=impact /> Furthermore, the pollutants affect flora and fauna in the areas surrounding open-pit mines.

Open-pit gold mining is one of the highest potential mining threats on the environment as it affects the air and water chemistry. The exposed dust may be toxic or radioactive, making it a health concern for the workers and the surrounding communities.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Abdul-Wahab|first1=Sabah|last2=Marikar|first2=Fouzul|date=2012-01-01|title=The environmental impact of gold mines: pollution by heavy metals|journal=Open Engineering|volume=2|issue=2|page=304|doi=10.2478/s13531-011-0052-3|bibcode=2012CEJE....2..304A|s2cid=3916088|issn=2391-5439|doi-access=free}}</ref>

===Deforestation===

Open-pit [[Nickel mine|nickel mining]] has led to environmental degradation and pollution in developing countries such as the [[List of mines in the Philippines|Philippines]] and [[List of mines in Indonesia|Indonesia]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rick |first1=Mills |title=Indonesia and China killed the nickel market |url=https://www.mining.com/web/indonesia-and-china-killed-the-nickel-market/ |work=MINING.COM |date=4 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Land grabs and vanishing forests: Are ‘clean’'clean' electric vehicles to blame? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/14/land-grabs-and-cleared-forests-why-electric-vehicles-are-getting-a-bad-rep |work=Al Jazeera |date=14 March 2024}}</ref> In 2024, nickel mining and processing was one of the main causes of [[deforestation in Indonesia]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Indonesia’sIndonesia's massive metals build-out is felling the forest for batteries |url=https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-nickel-deforestation-rainforest-mining-tesla-ev-184550cddf1df6aad8e883862ab366df |work=AP News |date=15 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=EU faces green dilemma in Indonesian nickel |url=https://www.dw.com/en/eu-faces-green-dilemma-in-sourcing-nickel-from-indonesia/a-69681557 |work=Deutsche Welle |date=16 July 2024}}</ref> Open-pit [[Copper extraction|cobalt mining]] has led to [[Deforestation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo|deforestation]] and habitat destruction in the [[Mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of Congo]].<ref>{{cite news |title=How 'modern-day slavery' in the Congo powers the rechargeable battery economy |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/02/01/1152893248/red-cobalt-congo-drc-mining-siddharth-kara |work=[[NPR]] |date=1 February 2023}}</ref>

===Safety===

Open-pit mining is considered one of the most dangerous [[industrial sector|sectors in the industrial world]].{{cnl|date=March 2024}} and can cause significant effects to miners' health.

==Hydrology in mining==