Sep 23 2014
Erosion is the process of removal of Earth’s surface material, such as rock debris and soil, and transporting these materials to other locations. Although erosion is a natural process, human activities, such as mining and farming, have increased it by 10 to 40 times the rate at which erosion occurs naturally.
Excessive erosion can lead to desertification, sedimentation of water channels and loss of the nutrient rich upper soil layers.
The key agents of erosion include wind, water, ice and gravity. Erosion in addition to sedimentation is an important environmental issue in the mining sites. When the Earth’s surface material is disturbed in large quantities during the mining process, significant amounts of sediment are transported through water erosion.
The sediment subsequently masses at certain point downstream from the erosive source. The degree of erosion generally depends on the rate to which the surface material is disturbed, the type of soil and the gradient of the slope.
The process of strip mining, which involves scraping away Earth’s surface material and rocks to obtain minerals buried near the surface, leads to soil erosion. When the top layer of soil is disturbed with heavy machinery in mines, there is an increased risk of water pollution, flooding and chemical contamination of ground water.
Erosion control structures can be built at the mining sites to prevent soil erosion during high stream flow or heavy rainfall. Two concrete structures supported on concrete blocks are constructed in the site to allow water to drop in elevation without causing the erosion of the soil bed.
Sources and Further Reading