Environmental impact of mining

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/environmental-impact-of-mining

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What happens to the land when we dig big open‑pit mines?Open‑pit mines can create huge artificial canyons. Underground mining can also cause the ground to sink, forming sinkholes.
2. How does mining affect water in rivers and streams?Removing soil and plants can cause erosion that silt rivers and streams. Runoff from mines can carry heavy metals and chemicals like cyanide or sulfuric acid into the water, and this pollution can last for centuries.

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): The outflow of acidic water from metal or coal mines, often containing heavy metals, which pollutes waterways.
Tailings Management: The safe storage and disposal of waste material (tailings) generated during the mining and processing of minerals.
Ecological Resilience: The capacity of an ecosystem to withstand disturbances and recover its structure and function.