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Colonialism and the environment: The pollution legacy of the Southern Hemisphere’s largest copper mine in the 20th century
The Anthropocene Review ( IF 2.8 ) Pub Date : 2020-11-17 , DOI: 10.1177/2053019620968133
Larissa Schneider 1 , Niamh Shulmeister 1 , Michela Mariani 1, 2 , Kristen K Beck 3 , Michael-Shawn Fletcher 4 , Atun Zawadzki 5 , Krystyna M Saunders 5 , Marco A Aquino-López 6 , Simon G Haberle 1
Affiliation  

Mining has been a major contributor to economic development in Australia since British arrival in the late 1700s, with little to no thought regarding the long-term environmental consequences. This study assesses the metal pollution legacy caused by different smelting methods and mining activities during the British colonialism in western Tasmania. This region was the largest copper producer in the Southern Hemisphere during the 20th century. Lake sediments from Basin Lake and Owen Tarn, 12 and 5 km from Queenstown’s mines, respectively, were used to reconstruct historical metal contamination. Temporal changes in metal concentrations (iron, copper, arsenic, selenium and lead) were assessed in relation to the scale of mining activities and the technologies used. Sedimentation rates and metal influxes increased from 1900, reflecting the beginning of copper mining in Mount Lyell. Observed metal concentrations peaked after 1930, coinciding with the introduction of large-scale open-cut operations and an expansion of the mining machinery used. All elements underwent at least minor enrichment (EF 1-3) during the lifespan of the mine, with lead and copper undergoing extremely severe enrichment (EF > 50). Although smelters contributed to metal increases in the lakes, large open-cut large operations in the 1930s contributed most to metal contamination. Local metal deposition from mining-related activities decreased significantly once operations decreased, with selenium and arsenic decreasing nearly to background levels within 50 years. Lead and copper, the elements which underwent major enrichment, have not yet reached background values. The ecological consequences include the current degraded local landscape, poor water quality and disrupted local biota. Knowledge about the environmental impacts of mining in western Tasmania is less known compared to other sites around the world with a similar history. Our results demonstrate the urgent need to develop better policies and remediation programs that can mitigate the consequences of metal pollution from abandoned mines in Australia.



中文翻译:

殖民主义与环境:20世纪南半球最大的铜矿的污染遗产

自从英国于1700年代末到位以来,采矿一直是澳大利亚经济发展的主要贡献者,对长期的环境后果几乎没有想到。这项研究评估了在塔斯马尼亚西部英国殖民主义时期,不同的冶炼方法和采矿活动所造成的金属污染遗留问题。该地区是20世纪南半球最大的铜生产国。来自昆士敦矿山的贝斯湖和欧文塔恩湖的沉积物分别距昆斯敦的矿山12公里和5公里,用于重建历史金属污染。根据采矿活动的规模和所使用的技术,评估了金属浓度(铁,铜,砷,硒和铅)的时间变化。从1900年开始,沉积速率和金属流入量增加,反映了莱尔山铜矿开采的开始。观察到的金属浓度在1930年后达到峰值,这与大规模露天开采的引入和所用采矿机械的扩展相吻合。在矿山的寿命期内,所有元素均至少进行了少量富集(EF 1-3),而铅和铜则经历了极其严重的富集(EF> 50)。尽管冶炼厂促使湖泊中的金属增加,但1930年代的大型露天开采导致金属污染最多。一旦作业减少,与采矿有关的活动中的局部金属沉积将显着减少,而硒和砷在50年内将几乎降至本底水平。铅和铜是经历了重大富集的元素,尚未达到背景值。生态后果包括当前当地景观退化,水质差和当地生物群破坏。与世界上历史相似的其他地点相比,对塔斯马尼亚西部采矿对环境的影响的了解较少。我们的结果表明,迫切需要制定更好的政策和补救计划,以减轻澳大利亚废弃矿山造成的金属污染的后果。

更新日期:2021-01-14
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