EA3005 - Minesite Rehabilitation

Credit points:	03
Year:	2010
Student Contribution Band:	Band 2
Administered by:	Sch of Earth & Environmental Sciences

Mining in Australia and its environmental challenges. Environmental degradation caused by historic mining activities and byregulated and unregulated mining practices. Environmental impacts on soils, sediments, water and air. Acid mine drainage. Minesite drainage and its evaluation, modelling, control and remediation. Mineralogy and geochemistry of waste rock dumps and the management of waste rock dumps using solid and wet covers. Tailings disposal and tailings dam failues. Cyanide and gold mining. Open pit hydrology and hydrogeochemistry. Radioactivity and environmental pollution at uranium mines. Environmental management in the industrial minerals industry. Contaminated land assessment.

Learning Outcomes

• to introduce students to simple management strategies of mine waters and mine waste materials;
• to provide a general background on current rehabilitation measures of disturbed or contaminated minesite environments;
• to understand the applicability of geochemistry and mineralogy in delineating and understanding minesite pollution problems;
• to understand the diversity of mining operations and the site specific problems of pollution and rehabilitation associated with them.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to think critically, to analyse and evaluate claims, evidence and arguments;
• The ability to adapt knowledge to new situations;
• The ability to define and to solve problems in at least one discipline area;
• The ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
• The ability to lead, manage and contribute effectively to teams;
• The ability to speak and write logically, clearly and creatively;
• The ability to calculate, produce, interpret and communicate numerical information;
• The ability to select and use appropriate IT tools;
• The ability to access and employ online technologies effectively;
• A coherent and disciplined body of skills, knowledge, values and professional ethics in at least one discipline area;
• The ability to use a variety of media and methods to retrieve, analyse, evaluate, organise and present information;
• The ability to reflect on and evaluate learning processes and products;
• The ability to learn independently and in a self-directed manner.

Prerequisites:	6 credit points level 2 EA subjects
Inadmissible Subject Combinations:	EA3003 EA5340

Availabilities
Townsville, Block, Study Period 8
Census Date 19-Aug-2010
Face to face teaching 25-Sep-2010 to 30-Sep-2010
Coordinator:	Professor Bernd Lottermoser
Contact hours:	24 hours lectures 18 hours practicals 10 hours fieldwork
Assessment:	end of semester exam (50%); quizzes or tests (15%); assignments (15%); field work (10%); seminars (10%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.