Sand mining
|
 |
The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (November 2011) |
Sand mining is a practice that is becoming an environmental issue as the demand for sand increases in industry and construction. Sand is mined from beaches and inland dunes and dredged from ocean beds and river beds. It is often used in manufacturing as an abrasive, for example, and it is used to make concrete. As communities grow, construction requires less wood and more concrete, leading to a demand for low-cost sand. Sand is also used to replace eroded coastline.[1]
Another reason for sand mining is for the extraction of minerals such as rutile, ilmenite and zircon, which contain the industrially useful elements titanium and zirconium. These minerals typically occur combined with ordinary sand, which is dug up, the valuable minerals being separated in water by virtue of their different densities, and the remaining ordinary sand re-deposited.
Sand mining is a direct and obvious cause of erosion, and also impacts the local wildlife.[2] For example, sea turtles depend on sandy beaches for their nesting, and sand mining has led to the near extinction of ghariyals (a species of crocodiles) in India. Disturbance of underwater and coastal sand causes turbidity in the water, which is harmful for such organisms as corals that need sunlight. It also destroys fisheries, causing problems for people who rely on fishing for their livelihoods.
Removal of physical coastal barriers such as dunes leads to flooding of beachside communities, and the destruction of picturesque beaches causes tourism to dissipate. Sand mining is regulated by law in many places, but is still often done illegally.[3]
[edit] Sand mining by country
[edit] India
Sand mining is a practice that is becoming an environmental issue in India. Environmentalists have raised public awareness of illegal sand mining in the state of Maharashtra and Goa of India. Sand mining is done by politically-controlled sand mafia.[citation needed] Conservation and environmental NGO Awaaz Foundation filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court seeking a ban on mining activities along the Konkan coast.
[edit] Australia
[edit] New South Wales
In the 1930s mining operations began on the Kurnell Peninsula (Captain Cook's landing place in Australia) to supply the expanding Sydney building market. It continued until 1990 with an estimate of over 70 million tonnes of sand having been removed. The sand has been valued for many decades by the building industry, mainly because of its high crushed shell content and lack of organic matter, it has provided a cheap source of sand for most of Sydney since sand mining operations began. The site has now been reduced to a few remnant dunes and deep water-filled pits which are now being filled with demolition waste from Sydney's building sites. Removal of the sand has significantly weakened the peninsula's capacity to resist storms. Ocean waves pounding against the reduced Kurnell dune system have threatened to break through to Botany Bay, especially during the storms of May and June back in 1974 and of August 1998.[4] Sand Mining also takes place in the Stockton sand dunes north of Newcaslte and in the Broken Hill region in the far west of the state.
[edit] Queensland
A large and long running sand mine in Queensland, Australia (on North Stradbroke Island) provides a case study in the (disastrous) environmental consequences on a fragile sandy-soil based ecosystem, justified by the provision of low wage casual labor on an island with few other work options.[5]
Sand mining contributes to the construction of buildings and development. However, the negative effects of sand mining include the permanent loss of sand in areas, as well as major habitat destruction.
[edit] United States
The current size of the sand mining market in the United States is slightly over a billion dollars per year. The industry has been growing by nearly 10% annually since 2005. The majority of the market size for mining is held by Texas and Illinois.[6]
[edit] New Zealand
Sand mining occurs in the Kaipara Harbour, off the coast at Pakiri and offshore from Little Barrier Island.[7]
A sand mine had operated at Whiritoa on the east coast of the North Island for 50 years extracting 180,000m3 of sand.[8] Coastal sand mines currently operate at Maioro and Taharoa to recover iron sand.[9]
When an application was lodged in 2005 to mine iron sands on the seabed of the coast of Raglan local residents organised in opposition to the scheme.[10] The application for the mining was turned down by Crown Minerals due to a lack of technical detail.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Battle lines in the sand". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 November 2005. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/battle-lines-in-the-sand/2005/11/01/1130823210734.html.
- ^ Green Left - Opposition to sand mining on Stradbroke
- ^ Land and Environment: Sand Mining
- ^ Kurnell - A Pictorial History
- ^ Victorian sand mining moves closer to full production :: ABC Western Victoria
- ^ Industrial Sand Mining Industry Trends and Market Size Research
- ^ Coastal projects: Sand mining on the East Coast and in the Kaipara Harbour - Auckland Regional council
- ^ Sand mining and management at Whiritoa Beach - Environment Waikato
- ^ Coast sand mining - Environment Waikato
- ^ "Raglan residents against iron sand mining". The New Zealand Herald. 30 March 2005. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10117793. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sand mining |
