"Communities near the largest complex of bauxite mining tailings dams in the Amazon may be in danger. A report released in late May by the organization Voices on the dams of Mineração Rio do Norte (MRN) points to an underestimation of the risks posed by the structure."
#Brazil #bauxite #mining #Amazon #tailings #MRN #Glencore #Quilombolas
https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2026/06/13/30-barragens-de-bauxita-com-136-milhoes-de-m3-de-lama-estudo-alerta-para-risco-subestimado-a-ribeirinhos-e-quilombolas-na-amazonia/
Estudo alerta para risco subestimado a ribeirinhos e quilombolas com 30 barragens de bauxita em área de preservação na Amazônia

Comunidades próximas ao maior complexo de barragens de rejeitos de mineração de bauxita da Amazônia podem estar em perigo. Relatório divulgado no fim de maio pela organização Voices sobre as barragens…

Brasil de Fato
Alberta to hold consultation sessions this year on future plans for dealing with oilsands tailings ponds
The Alberta government has announced it will be launching engagement sessions this year as it develops a long-term plan to manage tailings ponds and mine wastewater from the oilsands.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-oilsands-tailings-mine-wastewater-consultation-9.7206761?cmp=rss
Alberta to hold consultation sessions this year on future plans for dealing with oilsands tailings ponds
The Alberta government has announced it will be launching engagement sessions this year as it develops a long-term plan to manage tailings ponds and mine wastewater from the oilsands.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-oilsands-tailings-mine-wastewater-consultation-9.7206761?cmp=rss
Alberta to hold consultation sessions this year on future plans for dealing with oilsands tailings ponds
The Alberta government has announced it will be launching engagement sessions this year as it develops a long-term plan to manage tailings ponds and mine wastewater from the oilsands.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-oilsands-tailings-mine-wastewater-consultation-9.7206761?cmp=rss
Alberta to hold consultation sessions this year on future plans for dealing with oilsands tailings ponds
The Alberta government has announced it will be launching engagement sessions this year as it develops a long-term plan to manage tailings ponds and mine wastewater from the oilsands.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-oilsands-tailings-mine-wastewater-consultation-9.7206761?cmp=rss
N.W.T. delegates join Keepers of the Water to protect against risks of oilsands tailings ponds
Leaders from the Northwest Territories are in Edmonton this week to discuss the risks and alternatives to treating oilsands tailings water at gathering hosted by Mikisew Cree First Nation and Keepers of the Water. The meeting will bring together Indigenous leaders, legal experts, scientists and youth to di...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-keepers-water-conference-edmonton-9.7140891?cmp=rss

🧪 The “Oversaturation Illusion” in Kryvbas Mine Waters

While modeling Kryvbas water chemistry (R + PHREEQC), I found a fundamental issue in how saturation is often evaluated.

We usually calculate calcite equilibrium from ion concentrations — fine for fresh water.
But Kryvbas mine waters are brines, where ionic strength and complexation dominate.

📉 Results from ~1000 samples (minteq.v4):
- Once salinity exceeds ~3 g/L, Ca²⁺ activity drops sharply.
- At 15–20 g/L, calcium activity coefficient is ≈ 0.35.

Meaning: more than half of the “calcium concentration” is inert — a dead load that cannot form precipitates.

This explains why traditional methods predicted oversaturation where the water was actually aggressive and dissolving rocks.

Modeling: PHREEQC + minteq.v4 (US EPA), Davis equation.

#Hydrogeochemistry #WaterChemistry #PHREEQC #Geochemistry #Groundwater
#Mining #Tailings #IonActivity #Thermodynamics #Kryvbas #OpenScience #RStats #SvystunovaGully

In the distant 2016, when I was a member of an environmental NGO in Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine), I started using satellite Earth Observation data to monitor the condition of large industrial tailings ponds.

At that time, environmental regulations required these storage facilities to be either flooded or at least kept moist to prevent dust storms.
Industrial operators often ignored these rules, leaving huge dry surfaces exposed — which created massive dust pollution affecting nearby communities.

Using Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 imagery with false-color composites, I developed a simple but effective method to map dry, moist, and water-covered zones of tailings ponds.

Local residents and journalists were absolutely delighted! Industrial companies, on the other hand… reacted very differently 🤣

These maps are from 2016–2017 and show several tailings facilities around #KryvyiRih.

#RemoteSensing #EarthObservation #Sentinel2 #OpenData #EnvironmentalMonitoring
#Tailings #Mining #DustPollution #GIS #QGIS #Ukraine #Landsat