Exploration

airborne and ground-based geochemical, and geophysical surveys, prospecting, claim staking, line cutting, stripping, drilling and trenching, road/trail building and/or helicopter transport, bulk sampling

land alienation from protection options, camp garbage, trail/road and trenching erosion, access-related over harvesting and fishing, habitat disruption, noise pollution, acid mine drainage

Mining and Milling

environmental impact assessment, mine design and construction, stripping/storing of "overburden" of soil and vegetation, ore extraction, crushing/ grinding of ore, flotation or chemical concentration of ore, mine and surface water treatment, storage of waste rock and tailings

wildlife and fisheries habitat loss, changes in local water balance, sedimentation, containment of toxins in tailings ponds and/or leaching solutions, tailings ponds or leaching pads stability failure, potential acid generation from waste rock and pit walls, heavy metal leaching from acid mine drainage, cyanide solution containment at heap leach operations, wind borne dust

Smelting and Refining

processing of mineral concentrate by heat or electro-chemical processes

sulphur dioxide emissions contribute to acid rain, toxic chemical (e.g., ammonia, sulphuric acid) use for processing, high energy requirement

Mine Closure

recontouring of pit walls, and waste dumps, covering of reactive tailings dumps, decommissioning of roads, dismantling of buildings, re-seeding/planting of disturbed areas, ongoing monitoring and possible water quality treatment

seepage of toxic solutions into ground and surface water contamination from acid mine drainage, wildlife and fisheries habitat loss, revegetation failure, wind borne dust, slope and tailings impoundment failure