What is the cause of Marcopper mining disaster?
The Marcopper mining disaster is one of the worst mining and environmental disasters in Philippine history. A fracture in the drainage tunnel of a large pit containing leftover mine tailings led to a discharge of toxic mine waste into the Makulapnit-Boac river system and caused flash floods in areas along the river.
Is Boac River dead?
Heavily silted with mine tailings, Boac and Mogpog rivers are both considered biologically dead. Even the coconut trees along Mogpog river have been slowly poisoned, dying one by one. Boac river is less acidic because of the mix of “mineral and criminal water” that it gets from two different tributaries.
Which Mining Company is involved in what many consider as the biggest mining disaster in the Philippines?
The Philex Padcal mine caused the largest mine tailing spill in terms of volumes of toxic tailings. Groups protest to stop the mine….Philex’s Padcal mine, the biggest mining disaster of the Philippines.
| Name of conflict: | Philex’s Padcal mine, the biggest mining disaster of the Philippines |
|---|---|
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
What are tailing piles?
Tailings consist of ground rock and process effluents that are generated in a mine processing plant. Tailings are generally stored on the surface either within retaining structures or in the form of piles (dry stacks) but can also be stored underground in mined out voids by a process commonly referred to as backfill.
Why is Marinduque prone in landslides?
The team determined that the increased groundwater seepage to be the primary cause of landslide. The secondary cause was the slope’s subsurface material, which is made from unconsolidated sediment instead from a more competent bedrock.
What is a tailing?
Tailings are the waste materials left after the target mineral is extracted from ore. They consist of: Crushed rock.
Who is the owner of Philex mining?
Eulalio B Austin
President/CEO, Philex Mining Corp.
Who owns mining in Philippines?
State
1.1 What regulates mining law? Mining law in the Philippines is regulated by the State policies laid down under the 1987 Constitution mandating that the State owns all natural resources.
Who owns the gold mines in the Philippines?
OceanaGold owns and operates the high-grade gold-copper Didipio mine, also located on Luzon. The company achieved commercial production at Didipio in 2013, and over its 16 year life the mine’s nominal production should be 100,000 ounces of gold and 14,000 tonnes of copper.
What is tailing dam failure?
Tailings dams are made up of mining residue deposits, and they represent a high risk, in terms of mechanical instability. In the event of collapse, the tailings in such dams may be released and flow over long distances, with the potential risk of extensive damage to property and life.
What is deposition mine tailing?
Mine tailings are the finely ground residue from ore extraction. Tailings are transported from the mill and are discharged into an impoundment as a slurry containing ∼30 wt. % solids. The method of deposition affects the distribution of tailings particles within the impoundment.
When did the Marcopper Mine start in Marinduque?
But even decades before the 1996 mine spill, Marinduque residents have been living amid toxic elements from the mine. Marcopper Mining Corp. began its mining operations in the Mt. Tapian ore deposit in 1969.
What was the date of the Marcopper disaster?
On March 24, 1996, a fracture in the drainage tunnel of Marcopper Mining Corporation’s Tapian pit spilled more than 1.6 million cubic meters of toxic mine tailings, flooding villages and poisoning the Boac River.
What was the environmental impact of the Marcopper Mine spill?
Catherine Coumans, research and Asia-Pacific program coordinator of Mining Watch Canada who had lived in Marinduque before the mine spill, said the worst environmental impact from Marcopper’s mining comes from the mine sites yet to be rehabilitated. She said the San Antonio pit has been filled up and overtopped with toxic water.
Where was the mining disaster in the Philippines?
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.
