ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO MINING
Without mining we would have no cars and no computers or washing machines, but mining can also bring big environmental problems.
- Huge amounts of rock are dug up to get small amounts of ore. For example, 1,000 tonnes of rock may produce just 5 tonnes of copper. This leaves huge scars on the landscape (if it’s surface mining) or huge holes under ground.
- Holes from underground mining cause land to sink or subside. This is happening around the salt beds in Cheshire. The result is serve damage to buildings.