How can quarrying harm the environment

Old tailings and spoil heaps contain low levels of minerals which were in the past too expensive to extract. Search the internet for images that show successful reclamation of land from spoil heaps and tailings. Under each photograph state the source of the image and give a date.

Disused gravel pits have been turned into havens for wildlife. Read about such a success story in Nottinghamshire:. Jump to main content Jump to main menu Jump to top menu. Print Friendly Page. Recommended by:. What's your opinion? Read comments jacscS this is incredible.

By the beard of zeus how is it that Copper mining has produced a hole of 7. Bookmark this page. MENU 1: Home. Concerns about the impact of quarrying are hardly new. Complaints about quarrying activities were voiced as far back as the s. The issues of concern haven't changed over time — visual intrusion, damage to landscapes, traffic, smoke, noise, dust, damage to caves, loss of land, and a deterioration in water quality.

Mining and quarrying have taken place on Mendip for well over years. Quarrying is very much part of the local heritage but most people in the area are only too well aware of the potentially negative impact of quarrying. However the industry has undergone tremendous changes especially over the last three decades and has sought to mitigate the worst impacts on the local community, but still fulfill the UK's demand for stone products.

A significant change has been the reduction in the number of operating quarries, coupled by a significant rise in the average output. In at least 54 working quarries were recorded in the area. Of these, twelve were operated by local Councils mainly for road repairs.