Natural Resources Lab

    In this lab we are examining the effects of various types of mining on natural habitats. We all depend on the minerals and fuels being extracted from the earth in our everyday lives, but we may not take the time to comprehend just how these fuels and minerals are obtained, and the impact they have on our environment. The areas we will be examining are the Powder River Basin area of Wyoming where there has been a large increase in methane mining, the mountain-top removal coal mining method of West Virginia, and the leftover slag and "tailings pond" of mineral mining in Clarkdale, AZ.

    With the use of Google Earth, we are examining the aforementioned regions and then comparing them to similar nearby regions to see if the effects of mining are having an obvious impact on the environment. This was accomplished by finding nearby areas at approximately the same elevation and within the same kind of terrestrial region. Questions for the project were then addressed and pictures used to demonstrate the difference between mined or disturbed land and relatively non-disturbed land.

    The first region we examine is the Powder River Basin area of Wyoming. The area has been recognized to be rich in methane deposits. Methane is the primary component of natural gas used to provide power or heat for a large part of the population. In the Wyoming area these methane deposits are located in shale, which it not easily mined. The methane is then mined by pumping water, sand, and chemicals into the earth at high pressures. This form of mining known as hydraulic fracturing then breaks up the shale and allows the methane deposits to escape. In a study of the region using Google Earth, we can see that what would otherwise be a plains region is now covered with many roads and well pads. These well pads themselves can be sources of pollution.

Wyoming drill pad.

    Moving over about 80 miles to the West we finally come upon similar terrain that has not yet been crisscrossed with well pads. The area is still plains like, but without being broken up by mining roads. The effect is quite dramatic. Instead of being disturbed by industrial looking sludge, the land appears to be healthy.

Kaycee, Wyoming

    This mining also has an effect on the local wildlife. While antelope and deer are common in this region, they will most likely start avoiding large portions of the mined land due to contamination and the presence of man. The waste from the well pads can seep into the local streams and water table, which can effect things such as increasing the amount of brine in the water. Freshwater fish are conditioned for a certain pH level, and the increase in brine can increase the alkalinity of the water, causing large drops in the fish population.

    The methane, formed over millions of years by extreme heat and pressure transforming ancient organisms, is an important source of energy in our modern world. However we need to examine the long term effects of the well pad mining system and see if alternative methods can be used with less of an environmental impact.

    Next we look at a form of coal mining, referred to as Mountain Top Removal. The name indicates what happens to mountains. As layers of coal are discovered, mining companies, instead of digging into the sides of mountains and removing the coal, are now simply removing the layers of "overburden" covering the mine layer by blasting hundreds of feet off the top of the mountain. This waste is then pushed into the valleys surrounding the mountain, covering whatever previously existed.

    This of course has severe effects on the environment. The thin layers of top soil that provide the nutrients needed for vegetation is destroyed, and the "overburden" pushed into the valleys support vegetation poorly due to this lack of topsoil. The layers pushed into the valleys can actually be laden with toxins, coal, and arsenic. This in turn can lead to pollution of ground water and streams that escaped being buried. Without vegetation there are no producers which can then support other life in the area, so these Mountain Top Removal sites essentially become wastelands.

Mountain Top Removal aftermath.

    Lastly we will examine the "slag" heaps left over in the Clarkdale-Cottonwood area from smelting ore from the nearby Jerome mines. These slag heaps are what was left over from the Clarkdale smelting facility. The ore brought down from Jerome was heated in order to easily remove the metals within, mostly copper. The remaining molten rock was then dumped in large piles, and allowed to dry. The Clarkdale slag heap sits right on the banks of the Verde River. There is no real soil to speak off on the slag heap, as it is basically 20 million tons of glass.

Aerial view of 20 million tons of slag.

    There is easy access for animals and humans to the slag heap if anyone wanted to climb around on it, as you can see the fences are nearly non-existent.

Slag heap and dissolving retaining wall.

    The area is home to many varieties of wildlife, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and osprey. The fish in the Verde River consists of spikedace, gila trout, and Colorado squawfish. A water study in 1990 of the Verde river in this area revealed seepage into the river from the tailings pond (http://www.verde.org/asp/natural.html). Combined with the non-point pollution along the river from years of mining the water was considered overly acidic. This of course would have effects on the wildlife in the area, as the birds feed upon the fish, and drops in the fish population and eating contaminated fish would adversely affect the predator species in the area. Plants are plentiful along the Verde river, including Arizona cliffrose and Ripley wild buckwheat. The vegetation along the slag heap is noticeably less dense that other areas of the river.

    While the slag heap has been labeled non-toxic, there will be no removal effort, as it is believed to be covering highly toxic materials that would then be exposed to the environment if the slag heap was removed. So in essence there is a 20 million ton tomb of black slag that will be more or less permanent along the banks of the Verde river.

12 square mile map of Clarkdale, AZ.

20 square mile map of Big Lake, AZ.

    The first map shows the features of the Clarkdale slag heap area. The second map shows the Big Lake, AZ area. This area is in the same band of central Arizona mountains. While the elevation is slightly higher than the Clarkdale area, you can see the rich vegetation in the valley, and the relatively undisturbed body of water that is promoting a healthy environment in the area. The top-soil appears to be rich and fertile, and supports the expected mix of wildlife including deer, large cats, and hawks. Big Lake itself supports 30,000 fish, mostly trout.

Big Lake, AZ

    We have examined three common types of mining. Mountain top removal for coal, well pad drilling for natural gas, and smelting of ore for precious metal removal. While no one will argue that we depend on these natural resources, we have seen some of the damage caused to the environment.

    Examining similar terrain we see that the undisturbed environments provide natural beauty, support for various vegetation and wildlife, and fresh water supplies. While there is monetary gain in mining for natural resources, we need to make sure we are not selling short the benefits of having undisturbed environmental areas.

    While we are currently in need of the natural resources the earth provides to power our everyday lives, we can see the scars we are leaving on the earth in our haste to harvest these resources. While we appreciate the natural beauty in undisturbed areas, we should be trying to find more environmentally friendly ways of harvesting natural resources so that future generations of life on earth don't end up trying to survive in lifeless wastelands.