Are miners the bunnies or the bilbies of the rangelands?

2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 172 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Read
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Effects ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Relative Area ◽  
Environmental Implications ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Consistent Treatment ◽  
Regional Conservation ◽  
Olympic Dam

In order to be preferred land-users of the Australian rangelands, mining operations should legacy net environmental, social and economic benefits in the regions that they operate. The positive and negative environmental implications of the Olympic Dam mine in arid South Australia are compared in this study. Criteria assessed include the relative area of affected v. improved landscape, environmental research, pest control and the facilitation of proactive conservation and sustainable diversification outcomes. A call is made for consistent treatment of potential environmental impacts across all rangeland users and the adoption of biodiversity trading to improve regional conservation outcomes. A challenge is issued to miners and other rangeland land-users to demonstrate that, like bilbies, their net environmental effects are beneficial.

The Violence Prevention Program in South Australia: A Recidivism and Cost–Benefit Analysis Pilot Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 009385482110383
Author(s):  
Gene Mercer ◽  
Emma Ziersch ◽  
Shawn Sowerbutts ◽  
Andrew Day ◽  
Henry Pharo
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Violence Prevention ◽  
Prevention Program ◽  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Violent Recidivism ◽  
Correctional Systems ◽  
Violence Prevention Program

Rehabilitation of incarcerated men is a primary focus of correctional systems across the world. The present pilot study examined the effect of participation in the South Australian Violence Prevention Program (VPP) on recidivism trajectories. Individuals who participated in the VPP were significantly less likely to engage in violent recidivism, with the greatest effect observed between Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders relative to similarly matched comparators. In addition, the types of violent crimes committed were less severe for those who engaged in treatment relative to the comparison group. No differences were observed between groups in overall rates of reoffending, or the length of time following release before reoffending. The study also quantified the economic impacts of treatment and found it was associated with a positive cost–benefit ratio of Aus$1.13. The results provide evidence that the VPP does reduce the rate of violent recidivism, and that these results translate into economic benefits for society.

The ecology of sympatric scincid lizards (Ctenotus) in arid South Australia

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 617 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Read
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Arid Zone ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Local Species ◽  
Olympic Dam

Ctenotus skinks are the most diverse and abundant diurnal reptile genus at Olympic Dam, in the South Australian arid zone. The home range, demography, reproduction and diet of five syntopic Ctenotus species was studied over a 6-year period in chenopod shrubland. Longevity frequently exceeded three years in C. regius, four years in C. schomburgkii and five years in C. leonhardii, with a 7-year-old specimen of C. leonhardii being recorded. Females of most species tended to be larger and lived longer than males. Two eggs were typically laid by each species in early summer. Annual reproductive effort, particularly in C. leonhardii, varied considerably depending upon the prevailing environmental conditions. All local species apparently occupied home ranges, with maximum recapture radii in different species of 40–60 m. Ctenotus appear to be unspecialised insectivores, although plant material and lizards are sometimes eaten by the larger species.

Impacts of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining on Water Quality in Mozambique and Zimbabwe

2015 ◽  
pp. 101-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Never Mujere ◽  
Manuel Isidro
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Gold Mining ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Land Disturbance ◽  
Research Findings

Artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) is an informal economic activity. ASGM is the process of extracting gold ore from the ground in the absence of land rights, mining license, exploration or mining mineral exploration permit or any legitimate document that allows the operation. Its haphazard nature, location close to and dependence on water have negative effects on the physical, chemical and biological composition of water. The socio-economic benefits of small scale mining, which include employment and income generation, are seriously outweighed by devastating environmental costs and impacts. The objective of this chapter is to examine effects of ASGM on water quality in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Findings show that ASGM causes land disturbance, loss of biodiversity, deforestation and depletion of water resources, increased levels of siltation, turbidity and heavy metal content and the disturbance of aquatic life and its habitats. ASGM also negatively effects the health of people and animals. Based on the research findings, it is important to support and formalize, as much as possible, the mining operations so that it becomes environmentally friendly and sustainable.

OPENING THE MAGMATIC-HYDROTHERMAL WINDOW: HIGH-PRECISION U-Pb GEOCHRONOLOGY OF THE MESOPROTEROZOIC OLYMPIC DAM Cu-U-Au-Ag DEPOSIT, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 115 (8) ◽  
pp. 1855-1870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Courtney-Davies ◽  
Cristiana L. Ciobanu ◽  
Simon R. Tapster ◽  
Nigel J. Cook ◽  
Kathy Ehrig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Precision ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Magmatic Zircon ◽  
Ionization Mass ◽  
Temporal Window ◽  
Precision Data ◽  
Iocg Deposit ◽  
Olympic Dam

Abstract Establishing timescales for iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposit formation and the temporal relationships between ores and the magmatic rocks from which hydrothermal, metal-rich fluids are sourced is often dependent on low-precision data, particularly for deposits that formed during the Proterozoic. Unlike accessory minerals routinely used to track hydrothermal mineralization, iron oxides are dominant components of IOCG systems and are therefore pivotal to understanding deposit evolution. The presence of ubiquitous, magmatic-hydrothermal U-(Pb)-W-Sn-Mo–bearing zoned hematite resolves a range of geochronological issues concerning formation of the ~1.6 Ga Olympic Dam IOCG deposit, South Australia, at up to ~0.05% precision (207Pb/206Pb weighted mean; 2σ) using isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). Coupled with chemical abrasion-ID-TIMS zircon dates from host granite and volcanic rocks within and enclosing the ore-body, a confident magmatic-hydrothermal chronology is defined. The youngest zircon date from the granite intrusion hosting Olympic Dam indicates magmatism was occurring up until 1593.28 ± 0.26 Ma. The orebody was principally formed during a major mineralizing event following granite uplift and during cupola collapse, whereby the hematite with the oldest age is recorded in the outer shell of the deposit at 1591.27 ± 0.89 Ma, ~2 m.y. later than the youngest documented magmatic zircon. Hematite dates captured throughout major lithologies, different ore zones, and the ~2-km vertical extent of the deposit support ~2 m.y. of hydrothermal activity. New age constraints on the spatial-temporal evolution of the formation of Olympic Dam are considered with respect to a mantle to crustal continuum model. Cyclical tapping of magma reservoirs to maintain crystal mushes for extended time periods and incremental building of batholiths on the million-year scale prior to main mineralization pulses can explain the ~2-m.y. temporal window temporal window inferred from the data. Despite the challenge of reconciling such an extended window with contemporary models for porphyry deposits (≤1 m.y.), formation of Proterozoic ore deposits has been addressed at high-precision and supports the case that giant IOCG deposits may form over millions of years.

scholarly journals Multivariate Statistical Analysis of Trace Elements in Pyrite: Prediction, Bias and Artefacts in Defining Mineral Signatures

Minerals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Dmitrijeva ◽  
Nigel J. Cook ◽  
Kathy Ehrig ◽  
Cristiana L. Ciobanu ◽  
Andrew V. Metcalfe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trace Elements ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Trace Element ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Large Datasets ◽  
Ore Deposits ◽  
Partial Replacement ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Olympic Dam

Pyrite is the most common sulphide in a wide range of ore deposits and well known to host numerous trace elements, with implications for recovery of valuable metals and for generation of clean concentrates. Trace element signatures of pyrite are also widely used to understand ore-forming processes. Pyrite is an important component of the Olympic Dam Cu–U–Au–Ag orebody, South Australia. Using a multivariate statistical approach applied to a large trace element dataset derived from analysis of random pyrite grains, trace element signatures in Olympic Dam pyrite are assessed. Pyrite is characterised by: (i) a Ag–Bi–Pb signature predicting inclusions of tellurides (as PC1); and (ii) highly variable Co–Ni ratios likely representing an oscillatory zonation pattern in pyrite (as PC2). Pyrite is a major host for As, Co and probably also Ni. These three elements do not correlate well at the grain-scale, indicating high variability in zonation patterns. Arsenic is not, however, a good predictor for invisible Au at Olympic Dam. Most pyrites contain only negligible Au, suggesting that invisible gold in pyrite is not commonplace within the deposit. A minority of pyrite grains analysed do, however, contain Au which correlates with Ag, Bi and Te. The results are interpreted to reflect not only primary patterns but also the effects of multi-stage overprinting, including cycles of partial replacement and recrystallisation. The latter may have caused element release from the pyrite lattice and entrapment as mineral inclusions, as widely observed for other ore and gangue minerals within the deposit. Results also show the critical impact on predictive interpretations made from statistical analysis of large datasets containing a large percentage of left-censored values (i.e., those falling below the minimum limits of detection). The treatment of such values in large datasets is critical as the number of these values impacts on the cluster results. Trimming of datasets to eliminate artefacts introduced by left-censored data should be performed with caution lest bias be unintentionally introduced. The practice may, however, reveal meaningful correlations that might be diluted using the complete dataset.

Carbonates at the supergiant Olympic Dam Cu-U-Au-Ag deposit, South Australia. Part 1: Distribution, textures, associations and stable isotope (C, O) signatures

2020 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 103775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga B. Apukhtina ◽  
Kathy Ehrig ◽  
Vadim S. Kamenetsky ◽  
Maya B. Kamenetsky ◽  
Karsten Goemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Olympic Dam

Mineralization-alteration footprints in the Olympic Dam IOCG district, South Australia: The Acropolis prospect

2019 ◽  
Vol 205 ◽  
pp. 106333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marija Dmitrijeva ◽  
Cristiana L. Ciobanu ◽  
Kathy J. Ehrig ◽  
Nigel J. Cook ◽  
Andrew V. Metcalfe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Australia ◽  
Olympic Dam

scholarly journals O2C.5 Increasing costs of occupational injuries in association with high ambient temperatures in adelaide, south australia, 2000–2014

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A17.2-A17
Author(s):  
Jianjun Xiang ◽  
Alana Hansen ◽  
Dino Pisaniello ◽  
Peng Bi
Keyword(s):  
Older Workers ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Retail Trade ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Workers Compensation ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Compensation Claims ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Compensation Costs

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of ambient temperature on compensation costs due to work-related injuries, and to provide an evidence base about the economic benefits of developing workplace heat prevention strategies in a warming climate.MethodsWorkers’ compensation claims obtained from SafeWork South Australia for 2000–2014 were transformed into daily time series format and merged with meteorological data. The relationship between temperature and compensation costs were estimated using a generalized linear model after controlling for long-term trends, seasonality, and day of week. A piecewise linear spline function was used to account for non-linearity.ResultsA total of 4 64 139 workers’ compensation claims were reported during the 15 year period in South Australia, resulting in AU$14.9 billion dollars compensation payment. Overall, it is a reversed V-shaped temperature-cost association. A 1°C increase in maximum temperature was associated with a 1.1% (95% CI, 0.2%–2.0%) increase in daily injury compensation expenditure below 35.2°C. Specifically, significant increases of injury costs were observed in males (1.4%, 95% CI 0.3%–2.5%), young workers (3.0%, 95% CI 1.2%–4.9%), older workers≥65 years (2.4%, 95% CI 0.5%–4.4%), labourers (2.7%, 95% CI 0.5%–4.8%), machinery operators and drivers (3.5%, 95% CI 1.6%–5.3%) and the following industries: agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (12.3%, 95% CI 2.2%–23.3%); construction (7.8%, 95% CI 0.02%–16.3%); and wholesale and retail trade (2.4%, 95% CI 0.5%–4.4%). Costs for compensating occupational burns and ‘skin and subcutaneous tissue diseases’ increased by 3.1% (95% CI 1.2%–5.1%) and 2.7% (95% CI 0.1%–5.4%) respectively, with a 1°C increase in maximum temperature.ConclusionThere is a significant association between temperature and work-related injury compensation costs in Adelaide, South Australia for certain subgroups. Heat attributable workers’ compensation costs may increase with the predicted rising temperature.

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