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Acid mine drainage also affects the wildlife living within the affected body of water. Aquatic macroinvertebrates living in streams or parts of streams affected by acid mine drainage show fewer individuals, less diversity, and lower biomass. Many species of fish also cannot tolerate the pollution. [15]
A creek affected by abandoned mine drainage. Abandoned mine drainage (also known as AMD [1]) is a form of water pollution involving water that has been polluted by contact with mines, typically coal mines. [2] Although it is sometimes called "acid mine drainage", not all abandoned mine drainage is acidic. [3] [4]
Acid mine drainage in Portugal. Acid rock drainage occurs naturally within some environments as part of the weathering process but is exacerbated by large-scale earth disturbances characteristic of mining and other large construction activities, usually within rocks containing an abundance of sulfide minerals. Areas where the earth has been ...
The spill was expected to cause major problems for farmers and ranchers who rely on the rivers for their livelihoods. [28] The long-term impacts of the spill are unknown, as sedimentation is expected to dilute the pollutants as the spill cloud moves downstream. [29] The acid mine drainage temporarily changed the color of the river to orange. [30]
This can happen in open pit mines as well as in underground mines. Large problems are also developing with abandoned mines that have accumulated acid mine drainage that are growing to become a larger problem as the water sits in the mine and reacts with the exposed rock. [12] There can be mitigation through proper management and with enough ...
Acid mine drainage from the mines leads to severe environmental problems because the acidity (low pH) dissolves heavy metals into the water. It is not clear how much acid drainage has come from natural processes and how much has come from mining. There are severe environmental concerns over the pollution in the river. [2]
Acid mine drainage results when surface and ground water combine with sulfuric rock from the mines, causing a sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid causes leaching of iron, manganese, lead, copper, zinc and cadmium from the rock it interacts with. [3] Acid mine drainage is caused by both abandoned mines and mines in current excavation.
Acid rock drainage is created when water and oxygen interact with sulphur-bearing minerals and chemicals in rocks. [17] Sulphuric acid is the most common chemical reaction that results from mining activities as the beneficiation process requires dissolving the minerals surrounding the ore, which releases metals and chemicals previously bound up ...