Chapter 13. Mineral resources. Summary

Transcription

1 Chapter 13 Mineral resources Summary Georgia is rich of mineral resources. Uncontrolled and unregulated mineral resource use could cause certain impact on the environment, and this especially concerns the metal mining industry. It is necessary to provide strict control on the activities of mining enterprises and rehabilitation measures to restore the environment, especially in areas of long-term impact, such as Chiatura, Kazreti, and Lukhumzi. Introduction Mineral resources are very important for the country economy. The mineral resource industry is potentially very harmful to the environment and it is very essential to develop the proper regulatory system. Legislation All mineral resources represent the state property. Any activity connected to the exploitation of mineral resources is subject to licensing. A special license on the exploitation of mineral resources should be obtained at the state auction. The license validity depends on the type of particular mineral resource and on the actual demand for it. Together with the obtained license the licensee obtains also the temporary right on land use necessary for processing operations After finalizing its activities, the company is obliged to conduct rehabilitation of the territory concerned and return it recovered to the state. During the whole period of exploitation of mineral resources the licensed companies should meet the appropriate environmental requirements and rules, adopted for the time being only in the field of ambient air protection. 2. The current situation Mineral resources supply Georgia is located at the edge of Eurasian and Afro-Arabian plates that determines its special geological features. The territory is quite diverse in its structure and geological development (Map 1), which stipulate diversity of mineral wealth. Intensity of geological processes, the area, and scale of development processes determine the deposit size and often its quality. Deposits of large sizes are not found in Georgia. Mostly there are deposits only of small and medium sizes. Map 1: Geological map of Georgia

2 Assessment-calculation of mineral resources supply is conducted based on scientific investigations of deposits. The State Interdepartmental Commission on Mineral Resources Supply of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources checks the geological information on all kinds of mineral deposits obtained for assessment purposes and approves the resource supplies. A conclusion of the Commission is the only base for taking the mineral resource to the state balance. Data on approved supplies are to be submitted to the State Information Fund of Mineral Resources (Legal Entity of Public Law the National Environmental Agency of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources) for registering the supplies in the Mineral Resource Fund. Thus, the Mineral Resources Fund represents the data base containing information on all deposits and mines located within the territory of the country and its economic zone, for which the state has approved supplies taken at its balance. This Fund represents a part of Resource Base, which according to its economic and industrial parameters can enter the market operations. The Solid Mineral Resources Fund of Georgia comprises 552 deposits for today. Metals are potentially the most harmful resources for the environment while mining and processing. Other kinds of solid mineral resources are comparatively inert (Table 1; Figure 1). Table 1 Deposits included into Mineral Resources Fund # Kind of Mineral Resource Quantity Dimension Supply Approved 1 Metals (ferrous, nonferrous, precious, rare) 52 tone ,00 Solid fuel resources 2 Coal 3 3 Peat 5 Facing stones Gabbro 5 Gabbro-diorite 6 Syenite tone ,00 tone ,00 m ,00 m ,00 m 3 660,00

3 Granite Tuff-breccia Dacite Teschenite Diabase Basalt Dolerite Marble Marble-like limestone Chemical industry raw stuff 44 Barytes Acid-resistant andesite Mirabilite Bentonite Mineral pigment Talc Calcite m ,00 m ,00 m ,00 m ,00 m ,00 m ,60 m ,00 m ,00 m ,00 tone 4 731,00 tone ,00 m ,00 tone 6 418,00 tone 437,00 tone 2 774,00 tones ,00 m ,00 Diatomite Building materials Detritus m ,00 24 Sand-gravel m ,00 25 Brick clays m ,00 26 Chalk m ,00 27 Limestone for lime ,00

4 tone 28 Gypsum tone ,00 29 Cement clays m ,00 30 Cement limestone tone ,00 31 Sheetrock m ,00 32 Slate tiles m ,00 33 Light stuffs m ,00 34 m ,00 Wall rocks 35 Silica sand m ,00 36 Pearlite m ,00 Subsidiary raw material for metallurgy Dolomite tone ,00 38 Fire-clay m ,00 39 Molding (forming) send m ,00 40 Spongolite m , Fluxing limestone Supply of industrial materials Teeming basalt 2 Lithographic stone 1 Semi-precious stones 3 Raw materials for 9 agriculture Peat Zeolite tone 1 700,00 m ,00 m 3 120,00 tone 919,80 tone ,00 tone ,00

5 Clay gypsum Raw materials for ceramic industry Ceramic clay Trachyte Loamy gypsum 9 tone 3 460,00 m ,00 m 3 945,00 tone 2 232,00 Ferrous metals Georgia does not belong to any important world basins of ferrous-containing basins. However, there are some of the forecasted supplies and 4 quite significant deposits of ferrous metals, such as Poladauri, Dzama, Tkibuli-Shaori, and Supsa-Natanebi (Figure 1, Map 2). Alongside with the ordinary deposits, we have rich sea magnetite-titanomagnetite mines which form the considerable deposits in the estuaries of the rivers Supsa and Natanebi. For the time being the ferrous deposits are not exploited in Georgia, though today the related investigations are underway and the processing operations will be carried out in the nearest future. Map 2 Distribution of metals in Georgia

6 vercxli rkina vercxliswyali bismuti alumini manganumi spilenzi TuTia tyvia surma darisxani kadmiumi teluri seleni indiumi oqro kobalti volframi Figure 1 Supply of metals and rare elements in Georgia Georgia started to extract manganese in the end of IX century in Chiatura and since that this province is considered as one of the main sources of manganese (Table 2; Map 2). Table 2 Manganese deposits, supply, and mining. Region Deposit Supply Processing or not (thosand tone) C h i a t u r a C h i a t u r a Processing T e r j o l a Zestafoni Chkhari- Ajameti Riv. Kvirila depression (Rodinauli district ) 5000 Processing Not processing

7 Oni Shkmeri 1576 Temporarily not processing Map 3 Distribution of noble, non-ferrous, and light metal mineral resources in Georgia. Rare metals and elements Rare metals are concentrated in the areas of small deposits of arsenic, mercury, tungsten, and molybdenum located on the Caucasian main ridge. Gold-arsenic, arsenic and gold-stibium deposits in Georgia are of international importance. Lukhumi gold-arsenic stratiform deposit should be separately noted because of its especially harmful impact on the environment. Due to improper extraction and processing operations, it is dangerous to all living organisms (Table 3, Map 3). Besides that, complete rehabilitation of contaminated soil and water is virtually impossible. Table 3 Arsenic and the associated metals Region Deposit Dimension Supply Processing or not Lukhumi tone 8,7 Ceased Amrolauri 0,9 Lentekhi Tsana 30,225 Ceased tone 19,987 Lentekhi Chorokhi tone 1,85/2,63 Not processing Extraction and processing of chemical, agrochemical, ceramic, semi-precious, inert, metallurgic and construction materials are not so harmful to the environment, and in case of proper exploitation are not dangerous for human life, though still are the sources of pollution. Map 4 Distribution of non-metal mineral resources in Georgia

8 The following deposits are especially significant in Georgia: among the metal deposits Chiatura manganese and Madneuli (Bolnisi ore district) deposits. Nonmetallic deposits of zeolite containing (Dzegvi, Tedzami, Akhaltsikhe, and others) deposits and building-facing materials are of the same importance. Impact of extraction of mineral resources on the environment Extraction and processing-treatment of mineral resources is very essential for economic development of the country, though these processes are associated with significant impact on the environment, such as soil deterioration and destruction of distinctive landscapes and ecosystems, water and air pollution. Open cast mining is especially harmful to the environment, as it causes pollution of the adjacent areas, deterioration and destruction of the soil. The mining companies often use the outdated, improper technologies, which are especially harmful to the environment. Manganese extraction is one of the most significant pollution sources in Georgia. According to the license conditions issued for exploitation of the manganese deposit, t of metals should be extracted in In the following years the extracted amount should be tones. The minimal amount is defined as tones. The license for exploitation of the Chkhari-Ajameti deposit is issued for 27 year use with the sum extraction of tones. The extraction processes cause pollution of river Kvirila. Starting from the extraction point, the complete downstream of the river and all adjacent lands are contaminated. All living organisms inhabiting the river, as well as the ground waters, which are often connected to the surface waters, are exposed to high risk. Activities connected to poly-metal ore extraction in Bolnisi are also very harmful to the environment. Madneuli obtained 20-year license for complex processing of goldcooper-barite-poly-metal deposit in Bolnisi district and carries out the open cast mining works. Boring and exploding activities, as well as intensive traffic of big trucks, cause considerable air pollution. Polluted air masses are transferred a long distances from the emission center, especially the fractions of fine, smaller particulates that in its turn contaminates the soil and ground waters. Besides the extraction works, processing operations also have negative impact on the environment. In particular, there are problems connected to insufficient treatment of polluted waters discharged into the river Kazretula and to the tailing dumps around which the soil is very contaminated and completely lost for agricultural purposes. Deposits and mines where extraction works are temporarily ceased are also quite harmful. Despite the conservation of these units, chances of dissemination of the harmful substances are still high, for instance they could be carried away by ground waters. It is especially alarming in case of pollution with mercury, arsenic and other heavy poisoning substances. The license for extraction works

9 of Lukhumi deposit is issued for 25 years. According to the license conditions, the sum extraction of arsenic is tones. At the Lukhumi and Tsana deposits the works are ceased for the time being (Table 3). Expectable lifetime of any deposit is determined by its supply volume and the conditions of the issued license defining the annual extraction values. Besides that, the license dates for mining set according to the types of mineral wealth are also very important (the mining licenses are issued for beginning from 2-5 year up to 25 year long period, and even more) and according to the resource species. In particular, survey and extraction of metals, or solid fuel resources generally take much more time to compare with the extraction of row construction materials. Accordingly, there is the difference in times and scales of the impacts caused by different mining operations. The time needed for complete rehabilitation of the impacted environment is also different (in case it is possible at all). 3. Main challenges The main environmental problems connected to the mining of mineral resources are air, water and soil pollution, as well as frequent landslides. The State conducts control and mitigation measures to minimize these impacts through the Environmental Inspectorate. The Environmental Inspectorate is responsible also for pollution fact findings, their elimination, and control on the compliance with license conditions. Taking into account the specificity of mining works, it is necessary to establish control on pollution caused by mining operations. Particularly, special attention should be paid to the fact that different kinds of solid mineral resources are processed in different ways, specific for each resource, and accordingly, the related environmental problems would be also different. Taking into account the above mentioned, for investigation and minimization of the environmental problems associated with extraction of mineral resources, it is necessary to establish environmental monitoring on mining activities. It should not be limited by controlling only the particular working areas, or their particular parts, such as for instance, water quality of the nearest rivers. It should cover the tributaries of the concerned rivers, lands (surface, as well as deeper layers at cm depth, and even more in case of need), air quality at longer distances from the immediate working areas. Except the establishment of the mining monitoring system, it is necessary to carry out the relevant rehabilitation works in those working areas, where the facts of soil, air, and ground water pollution were found, in particular in Chiatura, Kazreti, and Lukhumi. It is necessary to conduct the environmental impact risk assessment of those works, which are still in the survey study and where the mining operations have not been started yet. That would give us possibility to determine the potential

10 impact on the environment and to develop the appropriate preventive measures. The risk assessment procedures are significant not only for the mining works conducted in the continental part of the country, but also for the survey-extraction mining works at the Blek Sea shelf.