toxic Mobilulum ore from their mine in the hinterlands of your
favourite NSW coastal holiday location for the past two decades.
They extract the ore, then transport it via large dump trucks to
the port facility on the coast. The ore is then taken to an
overseas production hub to be made into the electronic device
you’re currently reading this on.
Reports of birth defects in the families of the overseas
production workers have started to surface during the past couple
of years. Research has indicated that Mobilulum ore is effectively
insoluble in environmental conditions, so is unlikely to end up
dissolved in surface or groundwaters. However, the research has
also found that the ore is physically fragile and so can be easily
broken down into clay-sand sized particles by environmental
processes. These issues have raised community concern in NSW about
the potential for Mobilulum contamination arising from the mining
operation. After persistent community lobbying, new laws have just
been passed that have reduced the allowable concentrations of
Mobilulum in soils and sediments.
You are employed by the TLA environmental consulting company.
TLA has just won the job to investigate whether the Moneybags mine
and transport facilities have contaminated your local beach holiday
location, and if so, whether it would need to be rehabilitated
according to the new guidelines.
Your job is to devise a sampling program that will provide the
best chance of detecting any contamination and map its extent. You
will need to use your knowledge of landscape processes to determine
how material moves through the landscape, both above and below
ground.
- The Moneybags Mining Company Has Been Extracting The Moderately Toxic Mobilulum Ore From Their Mine In The Hinterlands O 1 (215.89 KiB) Viewed 54 times
processes that would have been active in the area prior to
anthropogenic influences, and the transport medium these require.
In the last column, colour in the sediment grainsizes that these
processes would be capable of transporting. The example of a
fluvial process has been provided in the top row.
Process
location
Transport medium or mechanism
Sediment grainsize transported
Clay
silt
sand
cobbles (+)
Fluvial
Trunk stream
Water
Question 5 (3%). On the landscape
map provided for Part A2, label the locations and draw arrows to
demonstrate transport directions that the processes in Question 4
would be acting.
Question 6 (3%). What are the possible sources of
anthropogenic contamination from the mining activities described in
the above scenario? E.g. which steps of the process could
potentially release Mobilulum into the environment? Describe where
the potential source are, and how the Mobilulum contamination would
likely travel and deposit in the landscape. (hint: consider how the
material may be accidentally lost to the environment during mining
and transport)
Question 7 (6%). Given that TLA is also in a profit-driven
business, you have been given a limited budget for your soil and
sediment sampling program. They have allowed you at most 50 soil
and sediment samples to complete your task. Where will you sample
to best ensure you have quantified the extent of the Mobilulum
contamination, ensuring you cover both natural and anthroprogenic
spread? Label these locations on the map and describe your sampling
strategy in 1-2 paragraphs.
Port Contour Water River Haul Road Mine Shipping Route