Types of Mines
Underground
open-surface (pit)
in-situ mining
Citations
Benefits
Disadvantages
Ways to mitigate the harmful effects
able to reach deeper deposits.
expensive
Benefits
Disadvantages
Ways to mitigate the harmful effects
usage
Productive
Size of equipment are not limited
the ore body is too deep that open-pit mining is no longer profitable
cost-efficient
usage
Land destructions
Unused mountains of soil left on ground
Floods
Reclamation
Soil treatments
Control gas emissions
placer
Benefits
Disadvantages
Ways to mitigate harmful effects
usage
No machinery needed
No organizations required
Easier to locate deposits
cause damage to water sheds
effects local fish health
destruction of the fertile layer of topsoil on agricultural territories
pollute drinking water to local people and livestocks
Stream Channel design
Runoff control
Erosion control
recovering heavily eroded minerals from gravel or sand
uses mineral's high density which causes the metal sink to sink quickly from moving water
When ores located near under the land surface
need sopisticated equipments
Mine explosions
Surface decline
benefits
Disadvantages
usage
Ways to mitigate the harmful effects
no noise
no dust or green house gas emission
minimal visual disturbance
mine radioactive minerals
risk of spreading leached minerals
Ground water pollution
Heavy metal pollutions
does not require process of chemical explosions
Efficient water usage
Grow plants that can absorb radiations or heavy metals
Use other ways of mining to extract heavy metals out of soil
Radiation pollution
Preventing acid rock drainage
mines higher quality ores
less ground footprint
Controlling gas emissions
Soil treatment
in-situ treatment zones where reactive materials or electric currents are placed and water passing through would be treated