1. Youtube 1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best) 6 min
Understanding Mining
Youtube 1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best) 6 min
Cobalt needs for US 2 min

2. 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

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

4. How do Minerals and Ores form?

5. 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

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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. Placer Mining

10. Placer Mining

11. Heap Leach Extraction

12. Heap Leach Extraction

13. Heap Leach Extraction

14. Open Pit Mining

15. Open Pit Mining

16. Underground and Surface Mines

17. Mountain Top Removal

18. Overburden

19. Overburden

20. In situ mining

21. In situ mining

22. Tailing Pile

23. Copper Tailing Pond Anaconda Mine in Montana: A Superfund site

24. Tailings Pond Overflow (Arizona)

25. Smelting

26. Copper Smelter in Utah

27. Scrubber

28. Acid Mine Drainage

32. Acid Drainage Remediation

33. AMD

34. AMD

36. 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

37. Solutions/Mitigations

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

39. Mitigation of Mining Damage
Reclamation vs. Restoration 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

40. Pebble Mine in Alaska “Dirty Gold” boycott
3:00

41. 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

42. 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

43. 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

44. Bio Heap leach process Strip Mining Animation
Reform the mining act
1872 Mining Law and pollution and restoration (best)
Strip Mining Animation
Borax Mine video
Ore processing
Tailings dam break
Dirty Gold boycott
Heap leach mining
 Bio Heap leach process

45. Open pit mining slides (1:14)
Placer mine (5:00)
South Africa Mining Environmental Damage 17:00 Talky Overview
Mitigating acid mine drainage (coal mines)
Acid mine drainage problems in northern California

46. Websites Good PDF Downloads
Environmental health publications