Unit 6 Part 3: Mining Impacts and Regulations

Unit 6 Part 3: Mining Impacts and Regulations

Multiple Choice

Which type of mining occurs when gold is panned from a stream?

• open pit
• placer
• strip
• solution

Multiple Choice

Mining that is done above ground is called...

• surface mining.

• subsurface mining.

Multiple Choice

Sedimentary rock results from 

• heating
• melting
• erosion
• pressure

Multiple Choice

a naturally occurring solid material from which a metal or valuable mineral can be profitably extracted.

• Minerals

• Ore

• Oil

• Water

Multiple Choice

A rock formed from heat and pressure is

• igneous
• metamorphic
• sedimentary

Lesson Objectives

• Describe the negative impacts of mining on the environment and society

• Explain how mining is regulated

• Describe ways that mineral use can become more responsible

Negative Impacts of Mining

• Mining is an important industry but still hurts the environment

  • destroys forests, leaves chemicals behind

  • Increases Erosion

• Even years after mining ceases, some sites can still have damage

Increased Erosion and Movement of Sediments

• Most types of Mining increase Erosion

  • Strip Mining involves clearing ground cover

  • Placer mining disturbs stream banks

  • Mountaintop Removal leaves areas vulnerable to landslides

• Mining disturbs sediments and can lead to clogged waterways

  • Can increase the risk of flooding and cut off lakes from water sources

  • Can also block sunlight in aquatic systems

Water Pollution

• Stip, Surface, and Open pit mining leaves rock exposed to air

  • When rock is exposed, remaining minerals can react with oxygen and water and increase the rate of acid production

• Acid Drainage: when acids and metal leach from rock and seep into the groundwater

  • Is a natural process, but mining speeds it up

• Tailings are stored in processing sites but can leak into the soil and groundwater

Air Pollution

• Open-pit mining releases metal particles into the air

• Miners are most exposed

  • Subsurface miners inhale toxic fumes and coal dust

    • Black lung Disease has killed around 76,000 miners since 1968

Possible Impacts of Undersea Mining

• Studies on the Effects of undersea mining are still ongoing

• Some scientists fear that it may disturb ocean habitats or release toxic substances into the water

Social Impacts

• Mining can cause damage to personal and public property

• Effects from water damming and collapsed mines can destroy homes and businesses

• Violent Conflicts and wars arise over who has the right to land with ore on it

Multiple Choice

Acid mine drainage is the result of 

• ash and air debris creating acid rain
• boulders and debris blocking the flow of rivers/streams
• toxins in tailings leaching into the soil

• minerals from mining being left behind creating pollution

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT environmental impacts of mining?

• Destroys natural communities over large areas.
• Acid drainage pollutes groundwater.
• Creates minimal dust.
• Mass wasting is common when overburden is loosened.

Multiple Choice

Acid mine drainage causes

• air pollution
• water pollution 
• subsidence
• erosion

Mining Regulation

• Many people became rich through the discovery of ores in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century

• Laws were limited

  • As the Mining industry and technologies developed, the effects in a location began to spread and laws became more necessary to protect people and land

General Mining Law of 1872

• Was created in response to the Gold Rush

• Created rules to both manage and promote mining

• Governs the mining of metallic minerals on public lands

  • Also manages uranium and diamonds

• few changes have been made since its creation

  • Prohibits mining in national parks

• Allows citizens to stake a claim on a piece of land and own the sole right to the minerals on the land

Amending the General Mining Law

• Critics of current mining policy feel that it gives valuable resources away to people for free

• Supporters argue that the mining companies take significant financial risks to locate and recover materials

• Hardrock Leasing and Reclamation Act of 2019: would require miners to pay the government 8% of their profits for current mines and 12.5% of profits for any new mines

  • Money is meant to go towards environmental clean-up

  • Would also decrease the amount of land available for claims

Mineral Leasing Act of 1920

• Governs the leasing of public lands for mining of fossil fuels, phosphates, sodium, and sulfur

  • These materials are more valuable, so they are not managed by the General Mining Law

• Requires those that lease the land to pay rental fees and royalties on what they extract

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977)

• Requires that coal mining companies must reclaim/restore land after mining

  • Before mining can begin, they need to post bonds to cover the restoration cost

• Restoration includes removing any structures built, replacing soil and rocks, fill in shafts, and plant vegetation

  • Does not necessarily prevent acid drainage

  • Does not require the use of native plants, which can disrupt the ecosystem

Mining Safety

• Protecting miners from job hazards has been handled from laws

  • 1891: established ventilation requirements for coal mining and prohibited children younger than 12 from working in the mines

• 1977: 273 miners died in accidents

• Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977: Updated safety regulations for modern mining methods

  • dropped the number of deaths in mining accidents

Responsible Mineral Use

• Minerals are considered Nonrenewable resources because of the long time it takes for them to form

• Changes in technologies have increased the demand for some minerals and decreased the demand for others

• Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling helps reduce the need for mining

  • More than 600 million unused cell phones are stored in homes and offices in the US

Multiple Choice

Reclamation is.....

• not required in the US.
• a process that causes significant environmental damage.
• returning the land back to its original condition after mining
• required for every country and every type of mine in the world.

Multiple Choice

Which regulation allowed miners to claim any land, even government owned and mine it

• General Mining Act of 1872
• Mineral Leasing Act of 1920
• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act