Some Mines of Interest - Mining and the Environment: From Ore to Metal - page 66

of the two rivers and portion of the harbour. Plans have been developed for remediation of
the contaminated areas, commencing with treatment of the acid mine drainage.
Mt NEWMAN
Located in the eastern Pilbara region of Western Australia, Mt Newman is one of the
world's largest iron ore projects. There are several mines involved, by far the largest being
at Mt Whaleback, where the elongated open pit, 5.5 km in length, produces more than
30 million tonnes of iron ore each year. The ore is transported by rail to Port Hedland.
CANADA'S OIL SAND
Nothing demonstrates the blurred boundary between fossil fuels and minerals extraction
better than oil sand mining in Canada, home of large oil sand deposits. The vast major-
ity of Canada's oil sand deposits are located in Alberta, and underlie an area larger than
Florida. Canada's oil sands represent the second largest hydrocarbon resource on Earth,
second only to the vast oil resources in Saudi Arabia.
OK TEDI
At one time the Ok Tedi gold and copper mine which began operating in 1984 pro-
vided close to half of the foreign export earnings of Papua New Guinea. Back when the
mine i rst opened a tailings dam had been under construction, but it was destroyed by a
landslide. The government subsequently issued a permit to dispose of tailings into the
Ok Tedi/Fly River system. Since its beginning the riverine tailings disposal system has
attracted world-wide negative publicity as a result of large scale environmental damage
in downstream areas. Eventually the mine operator was forced to set aside some US$ 100
million to rehabilitate the affected river system and to compensate affected communities.
RANGER MINE
The Ranger Mine, which has been producing uranium in Northern Australia since 1981,
is perhaps the most regulated mining operation in the world. Three major reasons for the
level of regulation exist: (1) The mine product, uranium oxide, is classed as a 'prescribed
substance'; (2) the mine is surrounded by Kakadu National Park which is listed on the
World Heritage register; and (3) the mine is on Aboriginal land.
RIO TINTO
The Rio Tinto ('Coloured River') in Spain, characterized by deep red water that is highly
acidic and rich in heavy metals, holds a signii cant role in history as the birthplace of the
Copper Age and Bronze Age. The i rst Rio Tinto mines were developed in 3000 BC. The
Romans made some of the i rst coins from Rio Tinto's silver and gold. The mines were