St.

Anthony’s College
San Jose, Antique
High School DEPARTMENT

BEA SAMANTHA H. VELASCO STEM 11 - ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON

Activity # 2:
Direction: Open the Video and the Power Point in the google classroom. Analyze and understand, before answering the questions.

Answer the following: (50 points)

1. How do you describe mining? Is mining good or bad?  Discuss the advantages/benefits of mining.  (30 points)

Mining is the extraction of usable minerals from the Earth's surface. With a few exceptions, a mineral is an inorganic substance
found in nature that has a particular chemical makeup as well as distinct physical qualities or molecular structure. Mining can have
both beneficial and bad effects on local populations. Mined resources are essential to construct roads and hospitals, autos and
houses, computers and satellites, generate power, and supply a variety of other goods and services to consumers. Furthermore,
mining is economically significant to producing regions and countries. Although mining has a positive impact on our lives, it may
also contaminate the air and water we drink, destroy species and habitat, and irreversibly alter natural landscapes. Mining causes
erosion, sinkholes, deforestation, biodiversity loss, major use of water resources, dammed rivers and ponds streams, wastewater
disposal concerns, acid mine drainage, and contamination of soil, ground, and surface water all over the world, all of which can
lead to health problems. Mining is important to the production of goods, services, and infrastructure that enhance our quality of
life. As a developed society, we are fortunate to benefit from the numerous advantages that lignite, uranium, and industrial
minerals give. These advantages include low-cost, dependable electricity as well as the materials required to construct our homes,
schools, hospitals, roads, highways, bridges, and airports.

2. What are the environmental impacts of mining? (20 points)

Water Pollution, along with metal poisoning, higher silt levels in streams, and acid mine drainage, mining also pollutes water. The
main causes of water contamination include waste-disposal locations, active or abandoned surface or haulage roads, tailing
ponds, underground mines, processing industries, etc. Aquatic flora and fauna as well as terrestrial animals that depend on them
for sustenance are threatened by high levels of harmful substances in water bodies. Water that supports life may suffer
catastrophic consequences if its usual pH is lost.
Air Pollution, Mining operations have a negative impact on the quality of the air. When mineral resources are exposed on the
surface by mining, unrefined materials are liberated. Such contaminants go airborne due to surrounding motor activity and wind
erosion. People who live close to the mining site may suffer health problems because of these contaminants.
Damage to Land, Mining activities can result in the physical degradation of the land at the mining site by producing landscape
blots such as open pits and mounds of waste boulders. These alterations may hasten the decline of the local animals and plants. A
significant probability exists that many of the surface characteristics that existed before to mining operations won't be able to be
recreated after the procedure is complete. Deep underground drilling and soil layer removal may cause the earth to become
unstable, endangering nearby structures and roadways in the future.
Loss of Biodiversity. The harshest effects of mining operations are frequently noticed years after the process has ended. The
biodiversity of that area may be severely harmed by the destruction or significant alteration of the pre-mined terrain. Mining
causes a significant loss of habitat for a variety of plants and animals, from little soil microbes to huge mammals. The most
seriously impacted species are endemic ones since even minor changes to their habitat can cause them to go extinct or place
them at a very high danger of doing so. Entire populations of delicate species can be wiped out by toxins generated during mining.

3. Explain different ways how to minimize Impacts of Mineral Exploitation.

(20 oints) 
 1. REUSING MINING WASTE
Waste from mining, including tailings, boulders, and wastewater, is naturally produced in large quantities. When mining activities
end, corporations frequently leave waste behind or, in the case of tailings, deposit it in sizable structures like tailings dams, which
are prone to failure and, as a result, seriously harm the environment. Some recent technological advancements even make it
possible to continue mining from these tailings, reducing the overall volume of trash held in tailings dams while simultaneously
reducing the amount of minerals that are left behind in mining sites. However, not all submissions are financially viable at this
time.

2.  REHABILITATING MINING SITES

Numerous contemporary mining practices seriously harm the ecosystem by removing the topsoil layer that supports plant growth
and increasing the acidity of the soil and water, which prevents the area from supporting new vegetation and leaves it vulnerable
to soil erosion. What's worse is that this erosion frequently keeps happening years after a mining firm has packed up and left.
Numerous land rehabilitation approaches can be used by businesses to restore the productivity of mined land or quicken the
land's natural recovery. combined with other rehabilitation methods, such as filling excavated sections with waste rocks. The
interruption caused by mining can be greatly diminished.

3.  LOWER-IMPACT MINING TECHNIQUES

The environment can be severely harmed by conventional mining processes, and some of the most used ones, such as open pit
and underground mining, pose some of the greatest environmental concerns. Mining businesses can lessen their impact on the
environment by switching to new, low-impact mining methods like in-situ leaching. Companies may dramatically lessen surface
disturbance at mining sites, cut soil erosion, and transport less material that would need to be backfilled by utilizing many of these
processes. By lessening interference, a site can be prepared more quickly for revegetation or restoration and with less effort on
the ecosystem.

4. SHUTTING DOWN ILLEGAL MINING

For instance, analysts believe that approximately 14,000 persons are actively engaged in illicit mining in South Africa, a problem
that illegal mining poses to the sector. There, illicit mining frequently takes place without regard for laws that lessen the
environmental impact and on properties not suitable for large-scale mining. Preventing unlawful or uncontrolled mining
operations can help guarantee accountability and the application of the same environmental standards to all miners.

5. ECO-FRIENDLY EQUIPMENT

Mining businesses can transition to more environmentally friendly machinery if they want to lessen their influence on the
environment. Mining equipment powered by batteries can frequently take the place of diesel-powered machinery. Businesses
looking to become more resource-efficient could also upgrade to more sophisticated, long-lasting equipment, which reduces
machine turnover and lowers resource requirements. The environmental costs of damaged equipment, such as rubber or plastic
shed as a piece of equipment breaks down, can be decreased by improved durability. Simple changes, like switching to tires that
offer greater longevity and ROI in regions with plenty of rocks, can lower equipment expenses over time while also lowering the
amount of rubber and plastic that a mining company produces.

IMPROVING MINING SUSTAINABILITY

The mining business is still not sustainably profitable in many places, despite recent advancements and new technologies.
Fortunately, the industry may use a variety of technologies and procedures that are both in use and being developed to lessen its
impact on the environment. The negative effects that mining activities have on their immediate surroundings can be reduced by
using cutting-edge land rehabilitation techniques in conjunction with low-impact mining techniques and the reuse of mine waste.
Businesses can also employ new machinery with electric engines to lessen their carbon footprint and go green. These technologies
are not all yet cost-effective. However, it appears that the mining sector as a whole is heading toward sustainability. These
technologies should become more useful during the coming years.