Surface mining digs up a lot of earth and rock. After the desired ore is separated, where do the earth and rock mined go?
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3$\begingroup$ Tailings are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction (gangue) of an ore. Tailings are distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or other material that overlies an ore or mineral body and is displaced during mining without being processed. $\endgroup$– Keith McClaryCommented Oct 10, 2019 at 2:21
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1$\begingroup$ @KeithMcClary - You should make that an answer. You already have a reference, something Michael Walsby almost never has. $\endgroup$– David HammenCommented Oct 12, 2019 at 4:47
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1 Answer
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In opencast mining it is dumped on a huge spoil heap, and if the company is environmentally conscientious or wants to avoid penalties, it is used to fill in the hole left when the mining is finished. With underground mining it is also dumped on spoil heaps, and as it is not practical to infill the mine workings, in best practice the spoil heaps are later landscaped, or at least restored to nature so they are no longer unsightly and could become a nature reserve. Some mining companies are reckless with their waste and dump it into lakes and rivers, potentially causing pollution incidents, though not all mining waste is hazardous.
answered Oct 9, 2019 at 21:39
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Not all mining waste is hazardous- tell that to the people that died in the mudslide from the broken dams in Brazil. Or to the river eocosystem destroyed because the mud blocked the light and oxygenation of the riverwater - and destroyed the riverbed. Everything is a hazard in the wrong amount. $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 10, 2019 at 12:22 -
1$\begingroup$ Downvoted for lack of references. Even when your answers are correct they are lazily made, Michael, because you eschew providing references. $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 12, 2019 at 4:49
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$\begingroup$ I can see I'll have to do a bit of downvoting myself. So far I haven't done any because the system is so obviously open to abuse. $\endgroup$ Commented Oct 12, 2019 at 8:15