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Outline The Problems Associated With The Extraction Of Rock And Minerals

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Outline the problems associated with the extraction of rock and minerals in mines
Many problems can occur as a result of mining, including erosion, formation of sinkholes and the contamination of groundwater, soil and surface water. These are all impacts which affect the surrounding environment, though more problems can occur directly in the mines. These include cave-ins, toxic/explosive gas releases, groundwater flooding, subsidy and explosions when coal mining.

Erosion in mining is mainly caused by the wearing away of sediment and subsequent water transportation afterwards. This can lead to many adverse effects, the main one being damage to the local ecosystem. Sinkholes can form when abandoned mines collapse. Contamination of groundwater, soil and surface water occurs when groundwater runs through the abandoned mineshafts and picks up traces of the chemicals and minerals left over. This could potentially lead to the water becoming contaminated and raising (or lowering) it’s Ph. If the groundwater seeps into the soil or surface water sources, it can be devastating to the local ecosystem. One such example of this is the Wheal Jane mine in Cornwall. …show more content…

Sinkholes and subsidy can happen as a result of this. Gas releases can happen when the minerals are mined. For instance, mining coal can release carbon dioxide and sulphur, both of which can cause suffocation and potentially explode when mixed with other chemicals (such as methane, which is also released). Groundwater flooding occurs when the water table rises after mining finishes (or the water has ceased to be pumped out). This can lead to the effects mentioned in the previous

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