What are tailings in mining?

Tailings are the waste materials left after the target mineral is extracted from ore. They consist of: Crushed rock. Water.

Why are tailings so controversial?

Research from Canada’s environmental agency has shown that tailings ponds in the tar sands region have leached potentially deadly toxins into land and groundwater, and First Nations tribes and environmentalists have blamed those leaching chemicals from the tar sands on rare cancer clusters.

What happens to tailings after mining?

Many mines put the tailings back into the original mining pit. Some large mines use entire existing valleys sealed off with earthen dams, and others store tailings in natural lakes. In most cases, disposal pits are covered with water, forming an artificial lake which reduces the rate of acid formation.

What are coal tailings?

These tailings contain large amounts of pyrite (FeS2) and Iron(II) sulfide (FeS), which are rejected from the sought-after ores of copper and nickel, as well as coal.

What are the different types of mine tailings?

Mine Tailings Disposal Methods. As discussed previously, the primary types of solid wastes generated by the mining industry are overburden and waste rock from surface mining, waste rock from underground mining, bulk tailings from metal-ore and non-metal mineral beneficiation and milling processes and refuse from coal preparation-plant processes.

What kind of mines are at Cook Colliery?

Cook Colliery is an underground mine that currently only exploits the Argo Seam. Conventional retreating longwall mining was previously used to mine some of the reserve, with inseam development by continuous miners used to develop longwall panels.

What happens to tailings from copper and uranium mines?

Tailings from copper and uranium mining often produce measurable levels of radioactivity. Some mining wastes become very fine after they have been ground up during processing. The fine particles are then generally mixed with water and piped into impoundments as a slurry or sludge.

How are tailings ponds used in the mining industry?

Mine tailings are usually produced from the mill in slurry form, which is a mixture of fine mineral particles and water. Tailings ponds are used to store the waste made from separating minerals from rocks, or the slurry produced from tar sands mining.