THURSDAY 29 SEPTEMBER, 2005 |

Mining Implications and Techniques

by Mario | post a comment

Mining Techniques and Ecological Implications

Different Mining Techniques

There are many different types of mining utilised throughout the globe. The types of mining employed by various different corporations, companies, small groups and individuals, depends on the mineral chosen for extraction, the scale of the operation, the locality of the dig and how deep the mineral may or may not be.

For Example gold mining comes in many different formats.

The first Argonauts of 1848 used quite primitive mining tools: knives, spoons, a shovel, and a pan for washing the gold. Since these miners could only dig out bigger Technical improvements such as the cradle, the rocker, the long tom, and river nuggets with such primitive equipment, they had to work on rich gold deposits.

damming, basically all known since the Middle Ages, were introduced by the Mexicans. Cradles and rockers both worked on the same principle: wooden boxes with the top and front piece missing and a sieve on the bottom side through which the dirt containing gold was washed. On the bottom horizontal wooden bars slowed the incoming water down and helped to separate dirt from gold. With a handle on the side of the box, the whole mechanism could be rocked. The rocker required 3 or 4 people to work, one to shovel the dirt into the machine, one responsible for the water supply, and a third one to move the handle. Contrary to the individual washing with the pan, this more efficient technique required miners to find partners, thus establishing small mining groups of 3 to 9 people.

River damming was the most advanced mining technique that also required groups of men to work together. The miners either stopped part of a river with a u-shaped dam, a so-called wing dam, or they led the whole river into a neighboring river or a valley.

The dry diggings required sinking a shaft into gold-bearing ground, usually a hillside, with a winch installed at the top of the shaft. Once the gold-bearing layers were reached, the miners dug a horizontal tunnel. Two men were able to work this mine with one digging in the tunnel and the other working the winch. They interrupted their work to wash the dirt. Since water proved crucial to the process of washing gold, the miners increasingly started to form water companies from 1851 onwards to secure water supply in the dry diggings.

Some of these operations can be handled by individuals and run with very little ecological implications, like gold panning in Rivers. Other operations include huge scales and include many techniques which can harm both the land, the people, the wildlife and the balance of ecology. As mining has become more common throughout the globe, these practises continue to affect our global and local ecologies on huge and detrimental scales.

Other types of mining include the very popular coal mining of the last two hundred years.

In the early days coal was obtained by digging it from where it appeared on the surface. Later the first small mines were sunk known as ‘bell pits’. As mining techniques constantly improved, working into deeper seams became possible. Different extraction methods were developed depending upon the geological formations of the coal. The three methods of extraction are opencast, drift, and deep mine. Each method requires different mining techniques and tools.

Since mining operations have all but ceased in the UK, we can look at the implications of these procedures. Many towns have grown up around these mining operations and now there are social implications. Whole communities are finding it difficult to find new work. Serious governmental investment is required to help these communities attract new industry and so bring new hope and economy to these areas which previously depended upon the coal mining industry. Also ecologically, financial assistance is required to begin to utilise the land in new ways. One increasingly common project, includes using this land as nature reserves, with lakes and bog land. These projects are bringing nature and ecology back to these areas. However, much of this land is unsuitable for building on due to high levels of subsidence, caused by the seams and mining operations under the ground.

Copper Mining.

Copper mining is one of the biggest industrial mining exploits of our time. There are a number of mines throughout the globe, including, Congo, Chile and USA. The human race requires huge amounts of copper for a multitude of reasons. The implications of these mining activities are huge and continue to leave land totally unuseable for any other purposes. The biggest copper mine in the world is Bingham Canyon Mine. This mine produces large amounts of copper, and also as a by product a great many minerals. These minerals were usually discarded, but these days with increased interest in minerals from both collectors and the New Age community, these minerals are being put to good use.

For 90 years, Kennecott Utah Corporation's Bingham Canyon Mine has been the granddaddy of all copper mines. Just how big is Bingham Canyon? Whether you're talking about metal production or the actual size of the mine, Bingham Canyon is simply the largest copper mine in the world.

To begin with a few production statistics, the Bingham Canyon Mine has produced more copper than any other mine in history--about 14.5 million tons of the metal. Bingham Canyon is primarily a copper mine, but it has also yielded a bonanza in byproduct metals. These include 18.5 million troy ounces (about 620 tons) of gold, 157 million troy ounces (nearly 5,000 tons) of silver, 610 million pounds of molybdenum and significant amounts of platinum and palladium. The cumulative value of Bingham Canyon metals far exceeds the total worth of the Comstock Lode and the California and Klondike gold rushes combined. With production statistics like that, it's no wonder that the Bingham Canyon Mine has been nicknamed "the Richest Hole on Earth."

Bingham Canyon is also the biggest hole on earth. As the largest of all man-made excavations, Bingham Canyon is more than a half-mile deep. If the world's tallest building, the 1,454-foot-high Sears Tower, were placed at the bottom of the pit, it would reach only halfway to the mine's rim. The Bingham Canyon open pit stretches more than 2.5 miles across at the rim and covers 2,000 acres. Its immensity makes it the only manmade feature visible to the naked eye from the orbiting space shuttle.

Here the extraction of minerals have come as a by product of another mining scheme. Although the minerals would have been thrown away, there are considerable ecological problems associated with this type of mining.

Dedicated Gem Mining in Sri Lanka

Gem mining method in Sri Lanka is kept traditional and unique: Sri Lanka has been famous from time immemorial for the great variety and abundance of gem minerals. The secret of the sustenance of the gem mining industry for well over 2500 years rests on the unique traditional mining methods.

Gem mining brings income to the poor and the country: There are nearly 30,000 to 40,000 thousand gem pits being operated annually which provides additional income to nearly 150,000 people per mining season.

Most of the labor involved in the gemming industry is from low income groups while their efforts contribute to nearly 60% of the total income from mineral exploitation in Sri Lanka.

There are 2 common mining methods. One is pitting: Pitting shafts are made to reach levels from 10 to 12 feet of pay gravel exist. Tunnels are made to collect the pay gravel around the base. Walls are structured with timber species that resist water rot and fern. Pits are generally confined to marshy terrain and paddy lands. Flooding is the main hazard in pit mining and the workers of the present day genrally use water pumps to dewater.

The other is riverbed mining: Gems are also mined from riverbed material by using suction pumps for extraction of riverbed gravel for gems. Much harm can be done to riverbank stability by removal of gravel thus undermining the banks because there is no control of the operation. It is doubtful as to whether the fully mechanized methods will be practicable and sustainable for to the gem fields of Sri Lanka.

Gem mining is becoming large-scale and unsustainable to the environment and livelihood of people: Allocation of large tracts of land or river will deprive the people of the mining community of their opportunities of livelihood and the possible life time chances of alleviating their poverty through gemming activity in such terrain. The withholding of accessibility to potential gem fields where the commoner has interests can lead to unrest and increase the unemployment problem. I am of Sri Lankan origin and for me it is of the utmost importance that the miners are treated fairly and safely.This will be increasingly the case if we the buyers pay particular attention to these aspects when we are doing business. We are similarly prudent with our Brasilian suppliers, many of the miners we know and love.

Conclusions

These days it is important to find out where your stones are coming from and what techniques are being employed to bring them to you. As I have shown, there are many different techniques, some more environmentally and socially friendly than others.

There are certain stones which are by products of other mining, these almost have no implications as they would have been thrown away. It is the copper or coal mining which has caused the problems.

When we begin to look at dedicated Gem mining, then we must be careful to inquire as to how the stones have been mined. As can be seen from the report on Sri Lankan mining there are some operations that are more friendly than others. Going direct to the local miners is always the best policy if possible. We currently work with three family businesses, in Southern Brasil, Minas Gerais and in India. We are currently looking to make contact with a small, ecologically friendly business in Sri Lanka. As people involved with crystals, we can make a difference with regard to the mining industries if we choose to buy our crystals and minerals ethically and wisely. It’s just like organic food, if we buy more organic food, they will produce more food organically.

.

Other news for Thursday 29 September, 2005

• How Crystals and Minerals are Formed ?
• How can we Cleanse our Crystals ?
• A Glossary of Terms
• What is a Crystal ?

View all news for Thursday 29 September, 2005 on one page

News for Wednesday 28 September, 2005

• Buying Trip to Brasil, 2005

View all news for Wednesday 28 September, 2005 on one page

News archive