List of gold mining disasters

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This is a list of gold mining disasters including environmental, such as those arising due to dam failure, cyanide leakage into the environment, as well as inappropriate environmental toxic waste discharge due to the gold cyanidation technique used in gold mining. Other disasters at gold mines such as those resulting in loss of life are also listed.

YearMineLocationMajority OwnerCompany LocationDetails
1882 Creswick Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia New Australasian Gold Mine disaster: Australia's worst below-ground gold mining disaster. [1]
1971 Certej Mine Flag of Romania.svg  Romania 1971 Certej dam failure: A dam failure resulted in the leak of 300,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated flood Certeju de Sus, resulting in 89 deaths.
1984-2013 Ok Tedi Mine Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea BHP Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Ok Tedi environmental disaster: Unrestricted waste discharges from the mine had strong effects on the environment and the 50,000 people who live downstream. Over 2 billion tons of untreated mining waste were thus discharged.
1984-2013 Summitville mine Flag of the United States.svg  USA Galactic ResourcesFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada A Canadian-based company used gold cyanidation process to extract gold, resulted in 610,000 m³ of stored toxic water. Following the company's bankruptcy, the US government spent over $155 million to clean the site.
1995 Omai mine Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana Omai Gold Mines (subsidiary of Cambior)Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 3 million cubic metres of cyanide-tainted waste was spilled into the Omai river and then the Essequibo river following a dam failure. [2]
1996Mt. TapianFlag of the Philippines.svg  The Philippines Marcopper MiningFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Marcopper mining disaster: A fracture of the drainage tunnel for a tailings pit led to discharge of toxic waste into Makulapnit-Boac river system, causing large-scale destruction of crops, burying one village with mud and requiring 20 other villages to be evacuated.
1998 Kumtor Gold Mine Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan Centerra GoldFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada A truck carrying 1,762 kg of sodium cyanide fell into the Barskaun River. An international independent group of experts studied the impact of the accident and concluded that no one was killed or poisoned as a result of the accident. [3]
2000Baia MareFlag of Romania.svg  Romania Esmerelda Exploration LimitedFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 2000 Baia Mare cyanide spill: A dam failure resulted in the leak of 100,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated water which spilled into the Someş and Tisza. Pollution flowed into Europe's second largest river, the Danube, and finally into the Black Sea, across six countries. Hungary asserted the spill killed 1,241 tonnes of fish in Hungary alone. [4]
2000Tolukuma gold mineFlag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea Dome ResourcesFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia A one-tonne cyanide crate fell from a helicopter into the jungle, while heavy rain in the area washed 100–150 kg of it into a river. [5]
2006Beaconsfield gold mineFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia Beaconsfield Mine collapse: 1 miner was killed and 2 were trapped underground for a fortnight. [6]
2009Ahafo gold mineFlag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Newmont Flag of the United States.svg  USA Overflow of process solution containing sodium cyanide occurred within the processing plant site at Newmont Ghana's open pit Ahafo Mine. This resulted in water contamination and fish mortality. [7]
5 August 2015Gold King MineFlag of the United States.svg  USA Flag of the United States.svg  USA 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill: In Silverton, Colorado, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel, along with workers for Environmental Restoration LLC, caused the release of toxic waste water into the Animas River watershed. [8]
2015Veladero mine, San Juan province Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina Barrick Gold Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 1,072 cubic meters of cyanide solution reached the Potrerillos River due to a valve failure. [9]
2019Kampine mine, Kampine town, Maniema Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Democratic Republic of the Congo 22 illegal miners dead in an illegally run mine. [10]
2020Kamituga mine, Kamitung town, South Kivu Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Democratic Republic of the Congo 50+ people died after a mine collapse due to heavy rain. Three tunnels to the mine were blocked as a result of the heavy flow of water. [11]
7 November 2021Kondago villageFlag of Niger.svg  Niger Flag of Niger.svg  Niger Niger gold mine collapse - 30+ miners killed. [12]
21 February 2022 Gbomblora Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso Informal siteFlag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso Gbomblora explosion - 60 people killed; over 100 people were injured. [13]
13 February 2024 Çöpler Gold Mine, İliç, ErzincanFlag of Turkey.svg  Turkey SSR Mining, Anagold Mining Flag of the United States.svg  USA, Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey 9 miners under cyanide containing soil landslide. [14]
2024Eagle Gold MineFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada Victoria Gold CorpFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada On June 24, 2024, 300,000 cubic metres of cyanide-contaminated water leaked from a heap leach failure in Victoria Gold Corp's Eagle Gold Mine site near Mayo, Yukon. The failure resulted in the company being forced into court ordered receivership and its stock being delisted from the TSX. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining</span> Extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth

Mining is the extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a laboratory or factory. Ores recovered by mining include metals, coal, oil shale, gemstones, limestone, chalk, dimension stone, rock salt, potash, gravel, and clay. The ore must be a rock or mineral that contains valuable constituent, can be extracted or mined and sold for profit. Mining in a wider sense includes extraction of any non-renewable resource such as petroleum, natural gas, or even water.

Gold cyanidation is a hydrometallurgical technique for extracting gold from low-grade ore by converting the gold to a water-soluble coordination complex. It is the most commonly used leaching process for gold extraction. Cyanidation is also widely used in the extraction of silver, usually after froth flotation.

A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. Coal mining is considered much more hazardous than hard rock mining due to flat-lying rock strata, generally incompetent rock, the presence of methane gas, and coal dust. Most of the deaths these days occur in developing countries, and rural parts of developed countries where safety measures are not practiced as fully. A mining disaster is an incident where there are five or more fatalities.

Newmont Corporation is an American gold mining company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado. It is the world's largest gold mining corporation. Incorporated in 1921, it owns gold mines in Nevada, Colorado, Ontario, Quebec, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Australia, Ghana, Argentina, Peru, and Suriname. In addition to gold, Newmont mines copper, silver, zinc and lead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold mining</span> Process of extracting gold from the ground

Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galamsey</span> Ghanaian term for illegal mining

Galamsey refers to illegal small-scale gold mining in Ghana. The term is derived from the English phrase "gather them and sell". Historically, galamsey referred to traditional small-scale mining practices in Ghana, where local communities would gather and search for gold in rivers and streams. However, over time, the term has taken on a broader meaning, encompassing both legal and artisanal small-scale mining (ASM). In Ghana, those involved in these activities are called galamseyers, and in neighbouring Francophone countries such as Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, they are often referred to as orpailleurs. Ghana's widespread illegal mining activities have caused extensive destructing to the gold-rich West African country's forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gold Fields</span> South African mining company

Gold Fields Limited is one of the world's largest gold mining firms. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company is listed on both the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The firm was formed in 1998 with the amalgamation of the gold assets of Gold Fields of South Africa Limited and Gencor Limited. The company traces its roots back to 1887, when Cecil Rhodes founded Gold Fields of South Africa Limited. As of 2019, Gold Fields was the world's eighth-largest producer of gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mining industry of Romania</span>

Romania ranks tenth in the world in terms of the diversity of minerals produced in the country. Around 60 different minerals are currently produced in Romania. The richest mineral deposits in the country are halite.

The Marcopper mining disaster is one of the worst mining and environmental disasters in Philippine history. It occurred on March 24, 1996, on the Philippine island of Marinduque, a province of the Philippines located in the Mimaropa region. The disaster led to drastic reforms in the country's mining policy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Baia Mare cyanide spill</span> Leak of cyanide near Baia Mare, Romania, into the Someș River

The 2000 Baia Mare Cyanide spill was a leak of cyanide near Baia Mare, Romania, into the Someș River by the gold mining company Aurul, a joint-venture of the Australian company Esmeralda Exploration and the Romanian government.

The Mutanda Mine is an open-pit copper and cobalt mine in the Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the largest cobalt mine in the world. Accidents and spills at the mine have killed workers and polluted nearby rivers and fields. An NGO that has documented impacts of the mine concluded that spills have threatened community members' right to food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarkwa mine</span> Mine in Tarkwa, Western Region, Ghana

The Tarkwa mine is one of the largest gold mines in the Ghana and in the world. The mine is located in the south-west of the country in the Western Region. The mine has estimated reserves of 15.1 million oz of gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahafo mine</span> Mine in Brong-Ahafo Region, Ghana

The Ahafo mine is one of the largest gold mines in the Republic of Ghana and in the world. The mine is located in the center of the country in Brong-Ahafo Region. The mine has estimated reserves of 17 million ounces of gold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill</span> Environmental disaster near Silverton, Colorado

The 2015 Gold King Mine waste water spill was an environmental disaster that began at the Gold King Mine near Silverton, Colorado, when Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) personnel, along with workers for Environmental Restoration LLC, caused the release of toxic waste water into the Animas River watershed. They caused the accident by breaching a tailings dam while attempting to drain ponded water near the entrance of the mine on August 5. After the spill, the Silverton Board of Trustees and the San Juan County Commission approved a joint resolution seeking Superfund money.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana dam disaster</span> 2015 environmental disaster near Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The Mariana dam disaster, also known as the Bento Rodrigues or Samarco dam disaster, occurred on 5 November 2015, when the Fundão tailings dam at the Germano iron ore mine of the Samarco Mariana Mining Complex near Mariana, Minas Gerais, Brazil, suffered a catastrophic failure, resulting in flooding that devastated the downstream villages of Bento Rodrigues and Paracatu de Baixo, killing 19 people. The extent of the damage caused by the tailings dam collapse is the largest ever recorded with pollutants spread along 668 kilometres (415 mi) of watercourses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tailings dam failure</span>

The structural failure of tailings dams and the ensuing release of toxic metals in the environment is a great concern. The standard of public reporting on tailings dam incidents is poor. A large number remain completely unreported, or lack basic facts when reported. There is no comprehensive database for historic failures. According to mining engineer David M Chambers of the Center for Science in Public Participation, 10,000 years is "a conservative estimate" of how long most tailings dams will need to maintain structural integrity.

The Niger gold mine collapse occurred on 7 November 2021 when a manually dug well collapsed at the Garin-Liman mining area of Maradi region, Niger. The day of the mine disaster left 18 people dead on the spot, 7 injured and hospitalised, and dozens of miners buried underground waiting to be rescued. However, equipment limitations have slowed the rescue process. On 9 November 2021, two days after the mine disaster, rescuers found more bodies in the collapsed mine. Eventually, the number of people killed in the accident rose to 32. Since the incident took place on the border between Niger and Nigeria, a large number of Nigerians work in the area. According to reports, among the victims, 13 were Nigerians.

References

  1. ↑ Design, UBC Web. "Australasian Mining Disaster | Creswick Museum". www.creswickmuseum.org.au. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  2. ↑ Cyanide from mine threatens Guyana river The Independent August 23, 1995
  3. ↑ "The International Scientific Commission's Assessment of the Impact of the Cyanide Spill at Barskaun, Kyrgyz Republic, May 20, 1988" (PDF). www.centerragold.com. 1988. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  4. ↑ "Hungary to sue Australian company over cyanide spill". ABC. 2000-07-11. Retrieved 2014-12-21.
  5. ↑ "Cyanide seeps into PNG rivers", BBC, March 23, 2000
  6. ↑ "Grave concerns held for trapped miners. 26/04/2006". ABC News . 2006-04-27. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  7. ↑ "Newmont Gold Mine to Pay Ghana Millions for Cyanide Spill". Environment News Service. 2010-01-22. Retrieved 2014-12-21.
  8. ↑ "Silverton to seek federal cleanup help after Gold King Mine disaster - 7NEWS Denver TheDenverChannel.com". 2015-09-06. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  9. ↑ "Barrick's cyanide spill five times larger". Buenos Aires Herald . 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2015-09-24.
  10. ↑ Adebayo, Bukola (3 October 2019). "At least 22 killed in Congo gold mine collapse, authorities say". CNN News .
  11. ↑ "At least 50 killed in collapsed gold mine in east Congo, says NGO". The Guardian . 12 September 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "Niger gold mine death toll rises to 32". The Ghana Report. 2021-11-09. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  13. ↑ "About 60 killed in blast at informal gold mine -Burkina Faso state TV". Reuters . 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  14. ↑ "Video. Video: Massive landslide in Turkey captured on camera". euronews. 2024-02-14. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  15. ↑ Hong, Jackie (July 30, 2024). "'We're not out of the woods yet': Victoria Gold CEO speaks publicly for 1st time since heap leach failure". CBC News .
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