Concrete, used in everything from streets to skyscrapers, needs sand, often mined from active rivers in developing countries with little oversight. Researchers can now use satellites to keep watch.
mining
Posted inNews
Mercury-Based Gold Mining Haunts Peruvian Rain Forests
In Peru, gold mining harms rain forests and human health. Satellite data can now track forest recovery in protected areas and the migration of informal miners to less regulated areas.
Posted inNews
Community Input Drives Superfund Research
Researchers identified geochemical tracers for lead and investigated Oklahomans’ concerns at the Tar Creek Superfund site.
Posted inNews
New Sensor Aids Rare Earth Extraction from Acid Mine Drainage
Rare earth elements appear in more than 200 consumer products. The race is on to source these elements from abundant and environmentally damaging mining waste.
Posted inNews
New Contamination Concern for Colorado Streams
Abandoned hardrock mines and climate change cause metals and other elements to leach into streams. They also put rare earth elements into the water, a new study finds.
Posted inScience Updates
Geological Surveys Unite to Improve Critical Mineral Security
A three-nation consortium is pooling geological expertise and resources to address vulnerabilities in supplies of these crucial natural resources.
Posted inNews
Contamination of Medicinal Plants: Implications for Indigenous Health
A new study will trace the legacy of uranium mining on commercially available medicinal plants.
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Urbanization, Agriculture, and Mining Threaten Brazilian Rivers
Harder to analyze and quantify, diffuse pollution is often overlooked when it comes to water quality assessments.
Posted inNews
Pensando en el Zinc: Mitigando la Exposición al Uranio en la Nación Navajo
En un innovador ensayo clínico se estudia el impacto del zinc en la mitigación de los efectos sobre la salud relacionados con la minería de uranio. Éste se lleva a cabo mediante la “participación bidireccional” entre los Navajos y las comunidades médicas.
Posted inNews
Cratons Mark the Spot for Mineral Bonanzas
A new map of the thickness of Earth’s lithosphere contains clues to large deposits of key metals.