Mining is the extraction of minerals and other geological materials of economic value from deposits on the Earth. Mining adversely affects the environment by inducing loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, and contamination of surface water, groundwater, and soil. Mining can also trigger the formation of sinkholes.

Mining can impact local communities both positively and negatively. While positive impacts such as employment and community development projects are important, they do not off-set the potential negatives. We have found mining can negatively affect people by: forcing them from their homes and land.

Some miners were injured in explosions or electrocuted. Others fell off ladders, slipped on rocks, inhaled silica dust, or suffered from mercury, lead or arsenic poisoning. Many got sick from drinking dirty water and living too close together.

Top 10 Mining Pros & Cons – Summary List

The legislation requiring land to be restored after mining makes mining more expensive by imposing certain rules and regulations to the mining company asking it to take responsibility of their land degradation and reclaim the land to its initial form.

It would be better to mine in a wilderness area rather than a developed area. Cons: Mining in the wilderness would result in soil erosion, lower biodiversity, and the destruction of the natural environment.

Like most resources, minerals are distributed unevenly around the world. – No, I do not think the minerals were evenly distributed throughout the cookie. I think this applies to the real world because it is the same for in a real mine. The minerals won’t be evenly distributed.

Were your ore materials evenly distributed throughout the cookie mine? Do you think this is a realistic simulation? Yes, the chocolate chips were fairly evenly distributed throughout the cookie. This is not a realistic simulation because ore is not typically distributed in real life.

3.Do you think the mining process is faster when you know in advance that the land must be restored? No, because without knowing that the land had to be restored before mining, miners would carelessly remove minerals without taking into consideration the damage to the land.

Strip mining, as it removes enormous quantities of vegetation and frequently dumps it, along with topsoil and rock, into streams and rivers and sometimes threatens endangered species of land and aquatic animals in areas that have been designated “hot spots for rarity and richness” (NatureServe).

Strip mining is the process of removing a thin strip of overburden (earth or soil) above a desired deposit, dumping the removed overburden behind the deposit, extracting the desired deposit, creating a second, parallel strip in the same manner, and depositing the waste materials from that second (new) strip onto the …

Surface mining (another name for “strip mining”) can severely erode the soil or reduce its fertility; pollute waters or drain underground water reserves; scar or altar the landscape; damage roads, homes, and other structures; and destroy wildlife.

List of Pros of Strip Mining

• It is much more efficient compared to underground mining. Those who advocate for strip mining believe that the recovery rate of materials is higher using the method.
• It is lower in cost.
• It is safer than underground mining.
• It is hazardous to human health.
• It is harmful to the environment.

Strip mining destroys landscapes, forests and wildlife habitats at the site of the mine when trees, plants, and topsoil are cleared from the mining area. This in turn leads to soil erosion and destruction of agricultural land. When rain washes the loosened top soil into streams, sediments pollute waterways.