Open pit mining, besides deforming

Open pit mining, besides deforming the surface , increases ground acidity and mineralization (Collier et al.,1970) as well as the sediment load of the streams in the stripped area. Since the stripped area consists of loose, man-made detritic material, it is easily attacked by precipitation, frost and thaw actions , as well as by wind, resulting in man-made bad lands. A region notorious for such badlands is the Messalirange,the iron ore mountains of Wisconsin. The formed pits are 8k long and 150 m deep, not unlike small “Grand Canyons”. Mining the lower grade taconite ore necessitates removal of 30 m cover, giving rise to formation of even greater pits. A taconite mine 8km long, 300 m wide, and 150 m deep, wil create over 570 million m³ of waste, which, when placed somewhere, creates a new. Man-made relief.