Mining waste database
Contents
Mining waste database¶
Explore the mining waste database accross Canada built from Google Earth satellite imagery. The mining sites have been identified from the Global Tailings Portal and several other sources including Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), United States Geological Survey (USGS) and International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) databases.
Download
Feel free to explore and download the database .csv file in the github project after citing us!
Quick look at the database¶
The mining waste database references the mining waste disposal sites. Each site is identified by an unique id. The latitude and longitude columns could help to locate the site (expressed in decimal degrees). The surface of tailing storage facilities (TSF), waste rock piles (WRP) and open-pits (PIT) have been calculated in hectares. The province in which the mining site is located is also recorded.
(AB = Alberta, BC = British Columbia, MB = Manitoba, NB = New Brunswick, NL = Newfoundland and Labrador, NS = Nova Scotia, ON = Ontario, PE = Prince Edward Island, QC = Quebec, SK = Saskatchewan)
Example !
Here is an example for the 10 biggest mining sites in Quebec province (in total surface).
Note
Cite us: Dimech, A., Cheng, L.Z., Chouteau, M., Chambers, J.E., Uhlemann, S., & Wilkinson, P.B., Meldrum, P.I., Mary, B., Fabien-Ouellet, G., & Isabelle, A. (2022). A review on applications of time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography over the last 30 years : perspectives for mining waste monitoring. manuscript submitted.
Explore the ‘Canadian mining wastes’ database¶
Here is the total database containing over 400 mining sites accross Canada:
Important note!
Please note that quarry operations might have been included in the database since a quarry open-pit looks pretty much like a mine open-pit from satellite imagery. However, quarry operations do not cover significant surface when compared to mining operations, and the total contribution of quarries in terms of surface is expected to be negligible !
Please also note that some TSFs could have been identified as WRPs (or the contrary) !