Just got back from work
- Thread starter Hopper
- Start date
toodles
Wheel size expert
On top of a pile of money surrounded by many beautiful women.
Hmmm!
No disrespect meant to you Hopper, but do we really need another yellow cake
mine like Olympic dam? Which is investigating expanding to open cut.
Where you are is stunning and relatively pristine, without a doubt, as you have shown us.
How much of this stuff do we really need and at what cost?
Heres a link I got from a Google search; http://www.green.net.au/humpsnotdumps/olympic.htm
Yes I am fairly Green in my approach to life.
Thoughts/comments anyone?
No disrespect meant to you Hopper, but do we really need another yellow cake
mine like Olympic dam? Which is investigating expanding to open cut.
Where you are is stunning and relatively pristine, without a doubt, as you have shown us.
How much of this stuff do we really need and at what cost?
Heres a link I got from a Google search; http://www.green.net.au/humpsnotdumps/olympic.htm
Yes I am fairly Green in my approach to life.
Thoughts/comments anyone?
BM Epic
Eats Squid
Are you guy's looking for pitchblende,uranium?
Australia just seems to find more purer uranium every time they dig,any wonder our land is hot,all that radioactivity beneath our feet!!
And is it any wonder that every nuclear state wants our uranium,seeing that the belgian congo has literally dried up,and our purity cost's so much less to get our u235-u238 to weapons grade!
Australia just seems to find more purer uranium every time they dig,any wonder our land is hot,all that radioactivity beneath our feet!!
And is it any wonder that every nuclear state wants our uranium,seeing that the belgian congo has literally dried up,and our purity cost's so much less to get our u235-u238 to weapons grade!
I am in two minds about this. At the rate the all the species of the Flinders Ranges are decreasing (try and find a Carpet Python or Death Adder), the last thing we should be doing is even thinking about putting a mine there. There is definitely a place for mining in Australia, but unfortunately the places where the valuable gear occurs in high densities are normally places of high conservation value. It's a real catch 22.
Hopper, what is your job title? Do you work in the environmental side of things, or OHS?
Hopper, what is your job title? Do you work in the environmental side of things, or OHS?
Hopper
Likes Dirt
I am a university student doing Vacation Work/Work Experience with the company. The work I am doing is that of a Fieldy (mark core, take measurements, cut it, general camp maintenance, water duties, etc) I am also being taught how to geo-log the core like a field geologist.
I have thought about the ethics of Uranium mining and also mining in such an area. I am still slightly torn about Uranium mining but still see more positives than negatives. As unfortunate as it is, the Australian Government has put Australia into a hard position when it comes to electricity. Not until power storage is improved will green power be truly great. At least in SA, the coal fields we use to run the Port Augusta power plant will be depleted in about a decade. Lots of the coal we mine is also very dirty, full of Sulphur and radioactive elements which are emitted into the atmosphere. Lets also remember the need for Uranium for experimental reactors and medical isotope generation.
The government is putting itself into a hard position and I won't be surprised if a Nuclear power plant is created in Australia. As you can probably tell I am not anti-Nuclear power but I would prefer alternative power sources (the chances of a catastrophic disaster are almost zero but if it happens...). I am fine when it comes to storage of the waste ,it is a tough issue however I think that storing it in SA at Maralinga is one of the best places on Earth for it. Maralinga is already a prohibited zone due to nuclear testing in the 50's or 60's which has already caused the area to be radioactive. Also the geology of the area is amazingly stable. I believe that as major exporter of Uranium to the world we should hold some responsibility when it comes to managing the waste.
Coming to the ethics of mining in such an environment. Getting permission to open a mine in Australia is very difficult due to all the Environmental assessment the company must do. We will be responsible for Flora and Fauna surveys, we will need to create and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS will have to take into account everything you can think of, the natural environment, infrastructure, traffic, water supply, sound pollution, workers accommodation and much much more. The EIS will take around a year to write when that is done it will be put on public record for 2 months. After the public scrutiny we must respond to every comment, then the EIS goes to the State government and then the Federal Government for more scrutiny. If at any point it is deemed not well enough the plug can be pulled on the project. Not only will we need an EIS, we will have to have a complete action plan for how we will rehabilitate the area during and after the project, without this document permission cannot be given. I honestly believe that we can mine the area while causing minimal damage to the local ecosystem (if I did not believe this I would never have applied to work for the company) However the requirements set forward by the government make it almost impossible to create a mine that will be very damaging.
While I was in Arkaroola we had a State Liberal minister tour the site, he has been lobbied by some people to try and stop our operation, he stopped a mine in the area a couple of years ago. While touring he was actually surprised by our approach and was quite positive to us. We have already undertaken rehabilitation of the area that was left damaged by the old operations.
The bulk of the mineralisation we are searching for is uraninite and modified Pitchblende, we do however get quite a few secondary minerals which can be quite beautiful like torbenite.
I know that my views will not be shared by some (maybe many) of the people on this site and I am willing to answer questions if I can.
I have thought about the ethics of Uranium mining and also mining in such an area. I am still slightly torn about Uranium mining but still see more positives than negatives. As unfortunate as it is, the Australian Government has put Australia into a hard position when it comes to electricity. Not until power storage is improved will green power be truly great. At least in SA, the coal fields we use to run the Port Augusta power plant will be depleted in about a decade. Lots of the coal we mine is also very dirty, full of Sulphur and radioactive elements which are emitted into the atmosphere. Lets also remember the need for Uranium for experimental reactors and medical isotope generation.
The government is putting itself into a hard position and I won't be surprised if a Nuclear power plant is created in Australia. As you can probably tell I am not anti-Nuclear power but I would prefer alternative power sources (the chances of a catastrophic disaster are almost zero but if it happens...). I am fine when it comes to storage of the waste ,it is a tough issue however I think that storing it in SA at Maralinga is one of the best places on Earth for it. Maralinga is already a prohibited zone due to nuclear testing in the 50's or 60's which has already caused the area to be radioactive. Also the geology of the area is amazingly stable. I believe that as major exporter of Uranium to the world we should hold some responsibility when it comes to managing the waste.
Coming to the ethics of mining in such an environment. Getting permission to open a mine in Australia is very difficult due to all the Environmental assessment the company must do. We will be responsible for Flora and Fauna surveys, we will need to create and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EIS will have to take into account everything you can think of, the natural environment, infrastructure, traffic, water supply, sound pollution, workers accommodation and much much more. The EIS will take around a year to write when that is done it will be put on public record for 2 months. After the public scrutiny we must respond to every comment, then the EIS goes to the State government and then the Federal Government for more scrutiny. If at any point it is deemed not well enough the plug can be pulled on the project. Not only will we need an EIS, we will have to have a complete action plan for how we will rehabilitate the area during and after the project, without this document permission cannot be given. I honestly believe that we can mine the area while causing minimal damage to the local ecosystem (if I did not believe this I would never have applied to work for the company) However the requirements set forward by the government make it almost impossible to create a mine that will be very damaging.
While I was in Arkaroola we had a State Liberal minister tour the site, he has been lobbied by some people to try and stop our operation, he stopped a mine in the area a couple of years ago. While touring he was actually surprised by our approach and was quite positive to us. We have already undertaken rehabilitation of the area that was left damaged by the old operations.
The bulk of the mineralisation we are searching for is uraninite and modified Pitchblende, we do however get quite a few secondary minerals which can be quite beautiful like torbenite.
I know that my views will not be shared by some (maybe many) of the people on this site and I am willing to answer questions if I can.
Last edited:
Hopper
Likes Dirt
For more information about what an EIS is have a look at this website: http://www.olympicdameis.com/ . It is a site done by BHP about the EIS for the ODX project, it desbcribes what an EIS entails.
chuckies_here
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Me and you both toods.
BM Epic
Eats Squid
I don't really have a strong enviromental opinion on this hopper,i just have a massive interest in nuclear weapons,the history of uranium,the history of plutonium etc.
The arguments for and against are varied and strong,so i dont support it and i dont oppose it.To start up an argument would be to ask for trouble!
The arguments for and against are varied and strong,so i dont support it and i dont oppose it.To start up an argument would be to ask for trouble!
AngoXC
Wheel size expert
I have a shot like exactly like that! But its taken in the Southern Rangers near the Prairie Hotel...good times! I would love to go back there again! Hike out from North to south on the Highson Trail...i cant remember how its spelt...
beautiful place
MasterOfReality
After forever
But as its been pointed out before, most of the iron ore, gold, uranium and other base metals that we need occurs in these areas.
And a properly designed underground metal mine will have negligible impact on the surface environment.
Mate you should give up Mining engineering and get into the enviro consulting business with that kind of statement. You have "the gift".
MasterOfReality
After forever
Negligible surface impacts, after rehabilitation of courseMate you should give up Mining engineering and get into the enviro consulting business with that kind of statement. You have "the gift".
My specialty is surface subsidence, its prediction and optimisation of mine design to minimise surface impacts. Properly designed crown pillars in a metal mine will result in zero surface subsidence. Of course there is all the surface infrastructure, tailings dams, waste stockpiles, the prep plant etc etc, but at the end of the operation, thats all dismantled and the area rehabilitated over the next 10 or 20 years. I'm sure you know more about that than me, as I remember reading you were an enviro.
Although one of the mines I worked at had a massive crown pillar failure, which resulted in a sinkhole that extended from 600m below ground up to the surface. Now that was a sight to behold.
Hopper
Likes Dirt
The wanted designs for the mine will be a 7km straight incline from the flats around Frome Lake. This will also be the proposed location for the tailings dam and all infrastructure. Yes there will be impact on the underground life but every mine around the world does this. There has been life found in drill holes all over the world all depths drilled. The biosphere is larger than what scientists originally thought.
Where was this little mistake?
MasterOfReality
After forever
Western NSW.
I remember when I first started work there I was walking around underground doing ventilation inspections. I entered a level that was supposed to be barricaded but wasn't for some reason.
So I'm walking down the drive, thinking to myself that it looks like its been years since anybody has entered that level. Up ahead I can see what looks like a wall of rock and I'm thinking 'wtf is this?'.
So I keep walking and when I get to it, I have a look at my plans and realise I am standing at the edge of the cave zone. It had sheared straight through the roof and floor of that level. Thats when I felt uneasy as I remember the geotechnical engineer tellling me it was still seismic.
I went back to the surface and told the OHS guy that he might want to arrange for a new barricade. He just about had a heart attack when I told him I had walked up to the cave zone.
J
JaRedy
Guest
has anybody noticed this? it looks like there is a perfect sphere burried in the ground.
