This past summer I visited the ruins of a shut down Manitoba gold mining operation. Most striking, of course, was the tailings pond and run off area - a stretch of forest where cyanide salt laced water/dust slurry was poured out by the megaliter for years. The photos below - regrettably taken from a camera phone - chronicle the damage. As gloomy a scene as this strange, yellow, poisoned wasteland is, it gets a level more alarming when you find out that this mine was shut down over 80 years ago: this field of chemical putrefaction has sat more or less unchanged since the mine was closed in the 1920's.

Cyanide leaching has since been replaced with less harmful and hazardous (Greenpeace: PDF) methods for gold extraction, although it is still in use globally today and continues to cause problems. Initiatives continue to encourage miners, particularly in developing economies, to mine safely and sustainably.

I believe this is the site of the mine on Google Maps; the white area is the tailings field photographed below.

One: The archetypal river of death - still flowing after 80 years. How far does the run off go?

Two: A bit of a perspective shot; the area of ruin covers many acres, as seen on Google Maps:

Three: Remains of the original works persist in the muck:

Four: Bioremediation attempts have not been successful; here a test plot of dead saplings:

Five: Industrial leavings add their own rusty flavour to the ecology:

This is a real heart breaker. I have worked at placer gold mining and its not at all as devastating chemically as this..does upset the natural balance in other ways..environment always pays the price for greed driven enterprise.. which is about the total cost of industry..an easy choice for the souless. We the people pay in many ways too.. health.. happiness..a natural resource destroyed for a few elites..left to their own devices resource companies will leave the entire planet just like this..its already a greatly poisoned and dying world..the future is grim if we allow this to continue for short term gain..

It would be interesting to research what neutralises these chemicals and perhaps with dams apply the antidotes..? If we can pave and entire continent we can recover the wasted areas of nature.. we simply need the will, organisation and funding..class actions work well in many areas..why not this crime against nature and humanity ?
If we dont slow down and take a breath in our headlong flight into economic collapse it will soon be to late..
Many Nations globally already enjoy the fruits of unconstrained progress.. desertification, polluted aquafers, dead soils..extinct flora and fauna..sick dying people..we are missing the lessons of history yet again and reproducing the actions that have left entire civilisations and environments dead.
The eco refugees will only compound our problems by increased stress on our remaining resources and hasten our demise as well..reclaimation is a global requirement..govts and industry who made the mess are responsible to not only reverse the damages.. but prevent further misuse of our finite home. The people have a voice.. we need the will.
All that glitters is not gold.

Posted by: William Lawson on December 20, 2006 4:32 PM