A satellite shot of the Panguna mine GETTY IMAGES Mining giant Rio Tinto is facing accusations that a mine it abandoned in Papua New Guinea two decades ago is leaking poisonous waste into rivers. More than 150 people living in Bougainville have filed a complaint with the Australian authorities. They […]
More than 60 percent of Alaskans oppose the proposal, which would develop an area known for the largest sockeye salmon run in the world. Male sockeye salmon are among the prized resources in the proposed site of the Pebble Mine. Bjorn Dihle Editor’s note: Bjorn Dihle is a lifelong resident of […]
Initial forest loss at a gold mining site at Mahdia, Guyana 2016. Credit: Michelle Kalamandeen 2016 Gold mining significantly limits the regrowth of Amazon forests, greatly reducing their ability to accumulate carbon, according to a new study. The researchers warn that the impacts of mining on tropical forests are long-lasting […]
Context map of Chang’e-4 landing site showing ejecta from Finsen and Alder craters. Credit: AIR China’s Chang’e-4 probe achieved the first soft landing within the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, which is the oldest, largest and deepest basin on the lunar farside. Technologies and software have been used in the Chang’e-4 […]
Decades of mining in southern West Virginia have filled streams with chemical contaminants. A study finds that spiders eating their normal diet of stream insects ingest the contaminants at levels that could be toxic to other animals up the food chain. Credit: Duke University Since the 1980s, a sprawling mountaintop […]
Satellite images used in the study show deforestation and elevated suspended sediment (orange/brown water) due to gold mining operations in the Rio Inambari and Rio Colorado watersheds in Peru. Credit: Images are from NASA LandSat. Figure compiled by Evan N. Dethier. A Dartmouth study finds that artisanal-scale gold mining is […]
Once one of Senegal’s most beautiful baobab forests, Bandia is being devoured by limestone quarries One hour’s drive from Senegal’s capital Dakar, demand for cement is turning a protected baobab forest into a lifeless moonscape of open mines, dust clouds and lorry traffic. The bulbous trees are a national symbol […]
Australia’s major mining companies are significant contributors to global emissions. Global Warming Images. Credit: University of New South Wales There are many reasons for Australia’s absence from the podium of the the United Nations Climate Action Summit this week. No doubt it would send a poor message if emission reduction […]
Foulden Maar formed 23 million years ago and contains tens of thousands of fossils of extinct plants and animals. Supplied, CC BY-ND An Australian company’s application to mine a fossil-rich site in the south of New Zealand has been met with fierce criticism and a campaign to protect it in perpetuity. Foulden […]
The Brumadinho dam collapsed without warning in January REUTERS Brazil’s mining firm Vale has warned that another dam is at risk of bursting months after the collapse of a similar structure killed more than 230 people. The dam near the south-eastern city of Barão de Cocais could burst next week […]