Mirny Mine Image: Zhivun
With explosions and massive machines scraping into the earth’s crust like a bad case of scabies, it’s small wonder open cast mining has made what many see as an unpleasant impact on the planet’s surface. The face of the earth is beleaguered with giant scars, scoured out in our ongoing bid to the plunder the planet of its natural resources. We’ve selected 10 of the holes most needing a bit of environmental ointment – where rehabilitation of the land could take some time.
10. Kalgoorlie Super Pit
Image: Kalgoorlie Consolidated Gold Mines via ABC
Threatening to devour the town: The Super Pit, Kalgoorlie
Image: The Super Pit
9. The Big Hole, South Africa
Image: johnbullas
Another open pit whose name leaves little to the imagination, the Big Hole in Kimberly, South Africa, is said to be the largest hole excavated by hand – despite recent claims that the nearby Jagersfontein Mine holds the some might say dubious title. While it was closed in 1914, during its 43-year lifetime, the 50,000 workers who broke their backs using picks and shovels shifted 22.5 million tonnes of earth, yielding almost 3 tonnes of diamonds for their jolly bosses, the de Beer brothers.
Water-filled earth wound: The Big Hole, Kimberley
Image: Irene2005
8. Diavik Diamond Mine
Image: johnbullas
Diavik Diamond Mine is located in Canada’s charmingly named North Slave Region – hopefully no reflection on the way the 700 workers here are treated. This is an open cast mine like no other. Gouged into a 20 square km island, 220 km from the Arctic Circle, there are particularly jaw-dropping views of this cold spot when the surrounding waters freeze over.
Snow hole: The Diavik Mine encircled by ice
Image: johnbullas
Connected by a treacherous ice road, this remote mine takes some getting to and so even has its own airport big enough to accommodate Boeing 747s. With a lifespan of 16 to 22 years, the owners will be happy as long as this yawning hole continues to throw up 8 million carats (1600 kg) of diamonds a year.
7. Ekati Diamond Mine, Canada
Image: All About Rocks
Another giant crater in the grizzled face of Canada, the Ekati Diamond Mine is North America’s first commercial diamond mine – having opened in 1998 – and those still dazzled by diamond rush fever no doubt hope it won’t be the last. It’s actually only a stone’s throw from the Diavic Mine just 20 km closer to the Arctic Circle – ensuring things here stay colder than a penguin’s pecker.
Iced up: The Ekati Mine in freezing winter temperatures
Image: whutch1 via Weather Underground
Like its brethren blemish in Diavic, the Ekati Mine is accessed by hair-raising ice roads and got its 15 minutes of fame on The History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers programme. Darned crazy canucks? Driven mad perhaps by the 40 million plus carats (8,000 kg) of diamonds the steady scouring has so far produced.
6. Grasberg Mine, Indonesia
Image: Alfindra Primaldhi
Opened in 1973, Indonesia’s Grasberg Mine is the world’s biggest gold mine and third largest copper mine. This industrial eyesore in the mountains of Papua employs a staggering 19,500 workers but is majority owned by smiling US subsidiaries. Built with permission it was not really the Indonesian government’s to give, the mine was attacked by the rebel Free Papua Movement in 1977.
Putting things in scale: Astronaut photo of the Grasberg Mine
Image: NASA
These days, steep aerial tramways ferry equipment and people in and out. In 2006, the mine coughed up 610,800 tonnes of copper and 58 tonnes of gold, but it doesn’t take much digging to find environmental controversy surrounding the site, with water contamination and landslides heading the list of concerns. Contentious.
5. Chuquicamata, Chile
Image: Luiswtc73
Chuquicamata in Chile is a colossus of a mine that has churned up a record total of 29 million tonnes of copper. Despite almost 100 years of intensive exploitation, it remains among the largest known copper resources, and its open pit is one of the biggest at a whopping great 4.3 km long, 3 km wide and over 850 m deep.
Strangely beautiful sight: Chuquicamata Mine from high in the air
Image: Owen Cliffe
4. Escondida, Chile
Image: Minera Escondida
The Minera Escondida Mining Co. runs twin open pit mines cut into the skin of the copper capital of the world that is Chile. Construction began in 1990, and this sucker recently overtook Chuquicamata as the world’s largest annual copper producer, with its 2007 yield of 1.48 million tonnes worth US$ 10.12 billion – a whole lot of dollar.
Escondida from space: The mine is at the bottom of the picture
Image: PD-USGOV-NASA
3. Udachnaya Diamond Mine, Russia
Image: Alexander Stepanov
Like the Sarlacc Pit on Steroids, the Udachnaya Mine in Russia is a gigantic open-pit diamond mine that plunges more than 600 metres into the earth’s crust. Yep, it’s one heck of a hole. Located in Russia’s vast but sparsely populated Sakha Republic, just outside the Arctic circle, it seems that mining for these precious stones demands a good set of thermal undies.
Into the depths: The Udachnanyay Mine from its southern side
Into the depths: The Udachnanyay Mine from its southern side
Image: Russian Author
2. Mirny Diamond Mine, Russia
Image: USMRA
Earth vortex: The Mir looks as if it might suck in houses as well as helicopters
Image: USMRA
1. Bingham Canyon Mine, USA
Image: johnbullas
The biggest yet: Bingham Canyon Mine laid bare
Image: Elmhurst
In the early 1900s, mining camps lined the steep canyon walls, but several of these were swallowed up by the ever-expanding mine. Now it employs 1,400 people and 50,000 tonnes of material are removed from it each day. What’s more, this giant earth scar and National Historic Landmark is growing – and will continue to until at least 2013.