Youtube 1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best) 6 min Understanding Mining Youtube 1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best) 6 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYWVqDLJCoo&feature=related Cobalt needs for US 2 min http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WfvoMinFvU

General Mining Law of 1872 Purpose was to encourage extraction of mineral resources Increases national wealth No environmental protections No royalties paid to U.S. government $5/acre for lode rock mining $2.50/acre for placer mining Must develop mine or lose lease. Different for Coal Mining

Abandon Mines Acid Mine Drainage Leaching of toxic chemicals from mine, spoil bank, and tailings Superfund sites– Government pays to clean up.

How do Minerals and Ores form? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIN3nc6RwJA

Types of Mines Surface Mines (Surface habitat destruction) Shaft Mines Placer Mining (Riparian Destruction) Strip Mining Pit Mining Mountain Top Removal Shaft Mines In situ Mines

Surface Mining Terms Overburden Spoil Bank Ore: Gangue and Mineral Tailings/Tailing Pile/Tailing Pond

More Terms Ore: Minerals and Gangue Placer Mining (Riparian destruction) Shaft (deep ore/small deposits) In Situ mining Surface mining (Shallow ore) Overburden Spoil Bank- silt/Toxin runoff

Processing (Refining) Separating Ore (Metal from Gangue) Gangue →Tailings Tailings (waste (gangue) from processed ore) Smelting using heat to separate minerals by melting or vaporization point Creates toxic air emissions Slag can be toxic Heap-Leach Method Uses acids and cyanide to dissolve and remove minerals.

Placer Mining

Placer Mining

Heap Leach Extraction

Heap Leach Extraction

Heap Leach Extraction

Open Pit Mining

Open Pit Mining

Underground and Surface Mines

Mountain Top Removal

Overburden

Overburden

In situ mining

In situ mining

Tailing Pile

Copper Tailing Pond Anaconda Mine in Montana: A Superfund site

Tailings Pond Overflow (Arizona)

Smelting

Copper Smelter in Utah

Scrubber

Acid Mine Drainage

Acid Drainage Remediation

AMD

AMD

Environmental Problems from Mining Acid mine drainage Toxins in surface and ground water Destruction of surface habitat Erosion/Deforestation Destruction of riparian habitat (Silt/Turbidity) Climate Change Human safety and health Particulates Acid Rain from SO2 Aesthetic destruction

Solutions/Mitigations

Mineral Substitution Plastic or glass for aluminum or steel containers Glass fiber optics instead of copper

Mitigation of Mining Damage Reclamation vs. Restoration http://www.onearth.org/blog/reclamation-restoration-and-mountaintop-removal Blog Restrict water infiltration (caps, plants, etc) Bioremediation Wetlands phytoremediation (using plants) Using bacteria Treatment of leachate Recycling/Reuse of metals and minerals Using less metals and minerals in products Finding non-metal and non-mineral substitutes for metals and minerals

Pebble Mine in Alaska “Dirty Gold” boycott http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH_TzBju8rU 3:00

Important Laws General Mining Law of 1872 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (Coal Only) CERCLA (Superfund) UN Conference on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Madrid Protocol (Antarctica) Clean Air Act Clean Water Act Endangered Species Act

Important Laws General Mining Law of 1872 Encouraged mining. No environmental protections Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act Coal Only requires reclamation of land after CERCLA (Superfund) The government uses this fund to clean up abandon mine sites UN Conference on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Sets national boundaries on undersea mineral extraction. International Seabed Authority (ISA) grants permits. Must share profits with poor countries

Madrid Protocol (Antarctica) Clean Air Act Prohibits mineral exploration in Antarctica Clean Air Act Sets limits, monitors air quality, levees fines, educates public. Clean Water Act Sets limits, monitors water quality, levees fines, educates public. Endangered Species Act Identifies endangered species Protects critical habitat

Bio Heap leach process Strip Mining Animation Reform the mining act http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62ndawMJPZY&feature=related 1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYWVqDLJCoo&feature=related Strip Mining Animation http://uccpbank.k12hsn.org/courses/APEnvironmentalScience/course%20files/multimedia/lesson47/animations/4b_Area_Strip_Mining.html  Borax Mine video http://uccpbank.k12hsn.org/courses/APEnvironmentalScience/course%20files/multimedia/lesson47/videos/4b_BoraxMining.html Ore processing http://uccpbank.k12hsn.org/courses/APEnvironmentalScience/course%20files/multimedia/lesson48/animations/4b_Ore_Processing.html Tailings dam break http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsi15QRUZ68 Dirty Gold boycott http://www.earthworksaction.org/PR_OBB_Ad54Jewelers.cfm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH_TzBju8rU Heap leach mining http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofN1aLMwcUI  Bio Heap leach process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nutaiy7R0og

Open pit mining slides (1:14) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VW54YjsgLM&feature=fvst Placer mine (5:00) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dqWTapAInA South Africa Mining Environmental Damage 17:00 Talky Overview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxF9l6bedZU Mitigating acid mine drainage (coal mines) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il0UOMa-WPA&feature=related Acid mine drainage problems in northern California http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GOcJSTLuAo&feature=related

Websites Good PDF Downloads http://www.agiweb.org/environment/publications/metals.html Environmental health publications http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109-10/innovations.html