Large Scale Mining Vs Small Scale Mining

Mining, simply put, is the extraction or removal of minerals and metals from the earth. Manganese, tantalum, copper, tin, nickel, aluminum ore, iron ore, gold, silver, and diamonds are some of the commonly mined elements. It is worth knowing that mining is a profitable business where not only mining companies thrive, but the government also earns huge revenue.

It is well known that minerals and metals are highly valuable commodities and in great demand. It should be noted that manganese is a key component of inexpensive stainless steel. It is also used to bleach glass by removing greenish tones. Tantalum is used in cell phones, pagers, and laptop computers. Copper and tin are used to make pipes, kitchen utensils, etc. It goes without saying that silver and diamonds are used to make jewelry.

Mining is generally divided into two categories: large-scale mining and small-scale mining. Large-scale mining is often carried out by large companies that use many employees and a huge workforce. The company mines at large sites and continues operations until the ore or metal is completely excavated. A classic example of a large-scale mine, easily remembered, is the Serra Pelada mine in Brazil, which produced 29,000 tons of gold between 1980 and 1986 and employed 50,000 workers. Small-scale mining is done by a relatively small group of wandering men. They travel together and identify sites that they believe will produce gold or any other valuable metal or mineral. Small-scale mining occurs in places like Suriname, Guyana, and Central Africa, among other places. Some researchers believe that small-scale mining is more damaging to the environment and causes more social problems than large-scale mining.

There is no denying that both large and small scale mining are generally very destructive to the environment, as mining is one of the main causes of deforestation. Trees, plants, and all vegetation are cut down and burned to leave the ground completely bare for mining operations. Large scale mining also involves the use of huge bulldozers and bulldozers to extract the metals and minerals from the ground. In addition, to amalgamate the extractions, they use chemicals such as cyanide, mercury or methylmercury. These poisonous chemicals are often dumped into rivers, streams, bays, and oceans. This contaminates all living organisms within the water body and people who depend on fish and other marine creatures for their main source of livelihood are severely affected.

Small-scale mining is just as devastating to the environment. Groups of 5-6 men migrate from one mining site to another in search of precious metals, particularly gold. There are two types of small-scale mining: land dredging and river dredging.

Mining affects people’s health as they are exposed to toxic waste from tailings. They develop skin rashes, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. and the symptoms of mercury poisoning are very similar to the symptoms of malaria. Unfortunately, many people who cannot afford to see a doctor, or who live in a town where a doctor is not available, often do not receive treatment for their illnesses. If the water is contaminated, people cannot use it for bathing, cooking, or washing clothes.

Mining occurs regularly in many places around the world, including the US. In South America, mining is widely practiced in the Amazon region, Guyana, Suriname, and a few other countries. In Central Africa, mining devastated a National Park called Kahuzi-Biega in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). South Africa is internationally known for diamond mining. Mining also occurs in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries.

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