F.M. McEvoy

Sustainable Minerals Operations in the Developing World

The sustainable development of minerals, which are non-renewable resources, is a major challenge in today’s world. In this regard the true definition of sustainability’ is a debating point in itself: can such a concept exist with respect to non-renewable resources? Perhaps the ideal sustainability model is one that minimizes negative environmental impact and maximizes benefits to society, the economy and regional/national development. Developed and near-developed economies rely for commodity supplies on developing countries where major mining operations are often a mainstay of the domestic economy. Limited environmental regulation and low wages lead to charges of exploitation. Also, large numbers of people have no alternative to living by informal, often dangerous, ‘artisanal’ mining. This Special Publication gives examples from developing countries at all scales of mineral extraction. The volume reviews environmental, economic, health and social problems and highlights the need to solve these before sustainability can be achieved. The better solutions require mutual understanding, through full involvement of all stakeholders, education, training and investment so that small-scale ansd artisinal mines can grow into well-managed operations. At larger scales, most major interantional mining companies have now inoproved their practices and are monitoring their progress, although there is no room for complacency in this rapidly changing area.

Tectonic and climatic considerations for deep geological disposal of radioactive waste: A UK perspective.

Identifying and evaluating the factors that might impact on the long-term integrity of a deep Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) and its surrounding geological and surface environment is central to developing a safety case for underground disposal of radioactive waste. The geological environment should be relatively stable and its behaviour adequately predictable so that scientifically sound evaluations of the long-term radiological safety of a GDF can be made. In considering this, it is necessary to take into account natural processes that could affect a GDF or modify its geological environment up to 1millionyears into the future. Key processes considered in this paper include those which result from plate tectonics, such as seismicity and volcanism, as well as climate-related processes, such as erosion, uplift and the effects of glaciation. Understanding the inherent variability of process rates, critical thresholds and likely potential influence of unpredictable perturbations represent significant challenges to predicting the natural environment. From a plate-tectonic perspective, a one million year time frame represents a very short segment of geological time and is largely below the current resolution of observation of past processes. Similarly, predicting climate system evolution on such time-scales, particularly beyond 200ka AP is highly uncertain, relying on estimating the extremes within which climate and related processes may vary with reasonable confidence. The paper highlights some of the challenges facing a deep geological disposal program in the UK to review understanding of the natural changes that may affect siting and design of a GDF.

Potential for stratiform massive sulphide mineralisation in south-west England

Abstract This study provides an assessment of the potential for stratiform massive sulphide mineralisation in two parts of south-west England, the Central Area between Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, and North Devon. The Central Area was selected on the basis of its tectonic, stratigraphical and lithological similarities with the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB) where numerous volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits occur. North Devon is considered prospective on account of its similarities to the Harz Massif in Germany that hosts the major polymetallic sedimentary exhalative (Sedex) deposit at Rammelsberg. More than 60 stratiform mineral occurrences are known in the two areas and previous exploration, including extensive drainage geochemical surveys, geophysical surveying and drilling, has revealed stratiform mineralisation at some localities, including at Egloskerry, near Bodmin Moor, where up to 10% Pb over 4·5 m was recorded. In North Devon, stratiform mineralisation has been recorded from a borehole at Honeymead Farm, and further evidence of potential is provided by a distinct aeromagnetic anomaly parallel to the regional strike over the upland areas of Exmoor. The potential for the occurrence of stratiform sulphide deposits in North Devon and the Central Area has been assessed by GIS-based prospectivity analysis software, Arc-Spatial Data Modeller (Arc-SDM), using knowledge-driven and data-driven modelling techniques. This analysis used both new and legacy multivariate datasets including geophysics (aeromagnetic and gravity), geochemical data, mineral occurrences, and digital 1:50 000 geological linework. This has confirmed known occurrences as well as identifying new targets for stratiform mineralisation. Zones of high prospectivity in the Central Area occur along the northern edges of Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor, in the intervening ground underlain by Lower Carboniferous strata, and in the Lower Carboniferous strata on the eastern side of Dartmoor. In North Devon, prospective areas were identified at a number of localities in the Upper Devonian and Lower Carboniferous strata, with the highest potential occurring along strike from Combe Martin near Honeymead Farm.

Sustainable Minerals Operations in the Developing World: introduction

excerpt Sustainable development requires an appropriate abalance between social, economic and environme ntal well-being, now and for the future. Since most minerals are non-renewalble resources, sustainability of supply can only be addressed by extracting, processing and distributing raw in the least environmentally damaging ways, using minerals wisely, and recycling as much as possible. However, there also is significant scope for inproved sustainability in terms of economic and social aspects. Minerals are essential raw materials but high-quality deposits havem become depleted in many developed countries. These countries have increasingly turned to developing countries for supplies and it is in these that modt high-quality untapped futre prospect remain. for countries with limited export opportunities, minerals are often a mainstay of the domestic economy. However, low selling prices may reflect limited environmental regulation and low wages. This can lead to charges that the rich countries are exporting their environmental damage to, andexploiting, poorer countries. As more countries develop, the global demand for supplies of essential raw materials increases, and resources will be depleted more quickly. Therefore, sustainable minerals supply from the developing countries is an important global issue. In this Special Report, general aspects of sustainable minerals operations in the developing world are reviewed by Petterson et al., Hobbs, and Richards while the remaining papers consider specific issues in more detail. Hobbs, in particular, emphasizes the need to give proper weight each to human capital, financial capital, manufactured capital, and environmental capital in any full analysis as a context for sustainable development and effective.

Spatial modelling, GIS and network analysis for improving the sustainability of transporting aggregates in the UK

1 Applied geography: relevance and approaches 1 Robert Stimson and Kingsley E. Haynes 2 A geographic perspective on demographic evolution in Europe: the CEG participation in the ESPON 1.1.4 project 17 Diogo de Abreu 3 A national transport policy: the case of Pakistan 34 Roger R. Stough 4 Spatial modelling, GIS and network analysis for improving the sustainability of transporting aggregates in the UK 55 Chengchao Zuo, Mark Birkin, Graham Clarke, Fiona McEvoy and Andrew Bloodworth 5 SMILE: an applied spatial microsimulation model for Ireland 79 Karyn Morrissey, Cathal O’Donoghue, Graham Clarke, Dimitris Ballas and Stephen Hynes 6 Using GIS and spatial modelling to support school network planning in Estonia 95 Edgar Sepp and Jüri Roosaare 7 Spatial optimization: expanding emergency services to address regional growth and development 109 Alan T. Murray, Daoqin Tong and Tony H. Grubesic 8 Urban growth in the Brisbane–South East Queensland region and its implications for emergency services provision: a Geographic Information Systemsbased approach 123 Jonathan Corcoran, Robert Stimson, Prem Chhetri, David Rohde and Angela Higginson 9 Geographical dimensions of federal investment in small business development 144 Kingsley E. Haynes, Haifeng Qian and Sidney C. Turner 10 Geographical modelling, public policy and informing the ‘store wars’ sovereignty debate in Australia 160 Robert G.V. Baker and Stephen N. Wood

EO-MINERS: Monitoring the environmental and societal impact of the extractive industry using Earth Observation

The growing demand for mineral and energy resources over the last decade has placed the extractive industry under increasing pressure to monitor and reduce the environmental and societal impact throughout the life-cycle of mining operations. Despite the mounting pressure, the industry is still facing the challenge of how to define targets for, and monitor, the impact of mining. In 2010, the EU-funded EO-MINERS project (Earth Observation for Monitoring and Observing Environmental and Societal Impacts of Mineral Resources Exploration and Exploitation) was set up in an effort to help address this issue, specifically through the application of Earth Observation (EO) data. Furthermore, the aim was to help facilitate and improve interaction and dialogue between the mineral extractive industry and society in view of its sustainable development, while improving its societal acceptability. One of the primary project objectives was to develop novel yet objective EO products contributing to a constructive “trialogue” involving stakeholders such as industrialists (mining companies), regulatory bodies and the civil society. EOMINERS is scheduled to run until October 2013.

The need and context for sustainable mineral development

Abstract A special thematic conference was organized at the Geological Society of London in November 2003, aimed at bringing together experts in minerals development in the Developing Countries. Representatives of many aspects of mineral development attended, including mining companies, governments, aid agencies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academics and consultants. The opening address to the conference is given in this paper. Mining is an ancient human activity developed through essential societal demand. As society and technology have developed, they have inevitably become ever-more materials hungry. This demand will remain for the foreseeable future. Many areas of the Developed World have depleted high-grade mineral deposits, and remaining resources are subject to strong environmental constraints. This increases pressure on the Developing World to generate the mineral commodities upon which society depends. Mineral resources are also a potential source of capital over which Developing Countries can have their own decision-making powers (in contrast to aid money for example). Sustainable mineral development is all about balance. Achieving the dynamic balance between supply and demand, equitable capital distribution, good financial and environmental management and governance, economics, and social stability is the challenge the world faces in the twenty-first century and beyond.