Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

Mining at Altitude

The same geological processes that have created the mountains of the world have also produced rich mineral belts including gold, copper, zinc, lead and coal. Today, mining is the most common heavy industry within mountainous regions of developing countries and includes a diverse range of operations and final products. Mining activities produce waste that can have serious impacts on the health and well-being of people and the environment. These impacts may continue for long after the mine has closed and any benefits exhausted (so-called legacy issues). Managing large amounts of mine waste is challenging in any environment, but is made especially difficult in mountain regions, where steep slopes, terrain instability, seismic activity and adverse weather conditions add another level of complexity and risk to mine safety and waste management.

Developing a mine, in what are often remote areas with limited infrastructure, difficult terrain and extreme climatic conditions can bring unique challenges. Waste is not only generated from the excavation and extraction of the mined material, but large amounts of waste rock and soil can be produced during the

initial development of the mine and associated infrastructure. More complex waste is produced by the mining community itself, any processing of the ore that occurs on site, transport of mined material and the natural hydrological and chemical processes that act on the disturbed terrain (including after the mine has closed).

SOUTH AMERICA'S HIGHEST ALTITUDE MINES

BRAZIL

PERU

Lima

Cusco

Altitude

Mine

Country

Type of mine

Minerals

Lake Titicaca

Raura

4800 m

PERU

Open-pit and underground

Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc

La Paz

Toromocho

4800 m

PERU

Open-pit

Copper, Molybdenum, Silver

Cochabamba

Solitaria

4800 m

PERU

Underground

Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc

BOLIVIA

Corihuarmi

4800 m

PERU

Open-pit

Gold

Santa Rosa

4850 m

PERU

Open-pit

Gold, Silver

1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 Altitude (m)

Caylloma

4850 m

PERU

Underground

Copper, Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc

CHILE

Acumulacion Mariela

4950 m

PERU

Open-pit

Gold

Bolivar

4950 m

BOLIVIA

Underground

Lead, Silver, Tin, Zinc

0 100 200 400 600 800

Aguilucho

5000 m

CHILE

Open-pit

Copper

Pascua-Lama

5000 m

CHILE

Open-pit

Copper, Gold, Silver

ARGENTINA

250 km

Source: www.mining.com

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