to legislative requirements, being merely governed by insufficient environmental regulations under the Mines and Works Act 27 (MWA) (Swart, 2003). In 1981 the Chamber of Mines (COM) published a document titled ‘The rehabilitation of land disturbed by surface coal mining’, which constituted the first notable contribution to environmental protection. This guideline was later referenced in the Min...

The Appalachian region of USA hosts diverse forests and abundant high-quality coal reserves. Surface mining methods are often used for coal extraction. Because common reclamation methods in past years have not restored forest vegetation, surface mining has created a diverse land base. Although some mined lands have been placed into managed uses, most have not. Little is known about the extent a...

Although land mine problems existed in many regions, Bosnia (1995) and Afghanistan (2001) gave the land mine issue a particular sense of urgency. Intended for warfare, these mines remain buried after the end of the conflict. These mines are triggered by civilians causing around 15,000-20,000 victims per year in 90 countries, ICBL (2006). The U.S. State Department estimates that there are around...

A numerical simulation is carried out to study the effect of the thin metal outer case of an antitank mine and the top air gap of an antipersonnel mine on the passive infrared imaging signature. In addition, an antipersonnel surface mine is also analyzed in the present investigation to show its effect on the soil thermal content. The effect of shortand long-wavelength radiation as well as the c...

A guide for those who wish to understand and to work with the hydro-geochemical equilibrium code CHESS together with introductory aspects of thermodynamic principles and surface com-plexation chemistry. The CHESS model was initially written at the Ecole des Mines de Paris within the framework of the R&D program on Management and Storage of Radioactive Waste

The study of faulting and earthquake processes requires direct and near-fi eld observations at the focal depth. Deep mines provide a unique opportunity to make such observations. The linked DAFSAM (Drilling Active Faults Laboratory in South African Mines)-NELSAM (Natural Earthquake Laboratory in South African Mines) projects focus on building an earthquake laboratory in deep gold mines in South...

Recent data from deep uranium mines in Czechoslovakia indicated that mines are exposed to other mutagenic factors in addition to radon daughter products. Mycotoxins were identified as a possible source of mutagens in these mines. Mycotoxins were examined in 38 samples from mines and in throat swabs taken from 116 miners and 78 controls. The following mycotoxins were identified from mines sample...

Australia has a long history of underground mining. Even with advances in open cut mining equipment, techniques and economics, many orebodies are still best mined by underground means. In addition, modern exploration tools are ‘uncovering’ orebodies that are at increasing depths. South African mines are currently producing from below 3 km, and developing down to 5 km depths – it is likely that ...