The Effects of Gold Mining on the Environment
The Effects of Gold Mining on the Environment
Popular images of gold miners panning for gold nuggets in mountain streams or
pounding pick axes into deep veins of gold no longer portray the process of how
gold is mined today. Most of the rich veins of gold in existence have been
exhausted.
The rarity of gold requires gold to be extracted by creating large open pits
through blasting proceeded by the excavation of large amounts of ore. The ore is
pulverized into fine particles to loosen up any gold present from rocks. The
fine particles are like a powder that must be combined with water and treated
with a liquid solvent to dissolve the gold.
Cyanide, a highly poisonous chemical, is the only known chemical capable of
dissolving gold through a process called gold “cyanidation.” Gold “cyanidation”
rarely contaminates the surrounding environment through leaching, however the
cyanide containing waste produced from gold extraction must be disposed of often
exposing the environment to some traces of the chemical.
The greatest environmental concern in association with gold mining relates to
the altering of the environmental landscape created by mines. The Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 was passed to require mining sites to be
restored to their original contours. The act also requires a mining operator to
submit a restoration plan of the land and a plan for mitigating acid mine
drainage before a permit to mine is granted.
One of the most profound aspects of gold is that it can be recycled. In recent
years, with gold prices at an all-time high, people throughout the country have
been hosting gold parties in an attempt to recycle old gold jewelry. At a gold
party, old, broken, and rarely worn jewelry containing gold can be sold for cash
and transformed into new pieces of jewelry. The recycling of gold is not limited
to just jewelry. Many of your everyday electronic devices, such as computers and
cell phones, contain small amounts of recyclable gold as well.
Sam Rivers works in management at Generation Jewelers, a family-owned business
with over 75 years experience in the jewelry industry. Mr. Rivers is a noted
author and lecturer on selling and appraising gold and jewelry. He can be
reached at http://www.premieregoldparties.com
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