Thursday, August 15, 2013

What's Wrong With Mining?

  Sage Capistrano, Emilio Artadi, Gabe Natividad F-9C

What Is Mining?



According to Wikipedia, mining "is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth from an orebody, lode, vein, seam, or reef, which forms the mineralized package of economic interest to the miner." Mining might seem like just digging and collecting ores, but there is more to it than you know.

Mining is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Miners have to deal with treacherous tunnels and mine shafts, dangerous and uneven platforms, and intense heat. Mining requires patience, as much as it needs dedication and perseverance.

Mining also is one of the leading causes of habitat loss, due to the fact that they have to blast holes into the earth to start mining. Because of this, much of the local area's biodiversity is lost, and when we lose biodiversity, we interrupt the ecological balance of the area.

 Why Should We Stop Mining?





 Again, Mining cause a loss in biodiversity, whether it be flora and fauna, in the environment, which cause interruption in the ecological balance. Mining also is very dangerous and can cause the death to many of the miners, if the area is not properly secured.

One example of a good reason to stop mining is the Chile Mining Accident of 2010. The 33 miners were trapped underground for a period of 69 days due to the weakened land 6 months after the series of destructive Chilean earthquakes occured.
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SOME QUESTIONS FROM ACTUAL INTERVIEW WITH ONE OF THE CHILEAN MINERS FROM THE ACCIDENT:

Q: What did you feel when the area fell apart?
A: I was afraid, but I knew it would've happened sooner or later because of the previous earthquakes around the area. I didn't know what to do, so I came close to God, and did not surrender to death.

Q: What do you think you should have done to prevent this calamity from happening?
A: I definitely think they should have scouted the area before we continued with our project. This really would have made a difference.

Q: Do you think that mining affects the area around you?
A: Well, yes, but, I didn't really think about it until after the accident.
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What Is Ecological Balance?

 
 

Ecological balance is a balance within a stable community developed through time. Balanced by population control and the relationship of one species and another. Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given species, ecosystem, biome, or planet. 

 Biodiversity affects the ecological balance, as biodiversity is the balance of life, the ecosystem will flow more freely and populations will be balanced. If the biodiversity would be removed, predators will have no prey, decreasing their overall population, and prey might have no predators, increasing their population and such. It turn, destroying the ecological balance.



 

Problems

  Negative effects of mining on areas located near mining sites

  • Saltiness, aridity and scarcity of water caused by the waste of enormous amounts of fresh water during the extraction process.
  • Heavy metals which are liberated and migrate into the ecosystem.
  • The dislocation of thousands of tons of ore causes for sedimentation in rivers and susceptibility to both eolic and water erosion.
  • Ecological passiva after exploitation and the complete destruction of the original local ecosystem.
  • Migration of highly toxic cyanide into the subsoil and surface waters as well as the whole ecosystem.
  • Acid drainage, which especially in the case of sulphite winning is a major risk.  
Generally, mining will impact the environment by means of erosion, formation of sinkholes, and contamination of soil, groundwater and surface water by chemicals from mining processes. Mining also has a way of affecting the health of the local population through leakage of chemicals.

What Can We Do To Help?

 

  • Based on the interview with a miner, we should increase the safety. .precautions around the mine and test whether or not the area is suitable or ready for this type of work.
  • Find a good area that would cause the least harm to the area, such as deserted areas and such.
  • If it is absolutely necessary to mine in a densely populated area with a large environment, it is best to keep the harming factors at a minimum.
  • Sustainable Developent: Reduce consumption of energy and water and reduce all environmental emissions.


 In Summary...

 

 

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