Mining hazards are topic areas encompassing the spectrum of physical, chemical, geological, and operational risks inherent to mineral extraction and processing activities. They include ground control failures (rockbursts, subsidence, roof collapses), explosions (methane, coal dust), inundation and water inrush, ventilation deficiencies leading to asphyxiants or toxic gas exposure, and exposure to respirable dusts such as crystalline silica causing pneumoconioses. Additional hazards involve noise, vibration, thermal stress, equipment-related trauma, and chronic exposure to heavy metals and reagents. Research on mining hazards focuses on risk assessment, monitoring and prediction (e.g., geotechnical modeling, gas sensing), control technologies, and regulatory and management frameworks to reduce morbidity, mortality, and environmental impacts.
San Juan's once-sparkling rivers have shriveled due to drought, and residents in the rugged, western Argentine province fear that prospective mining projects in the Andes will make matters worse.
Environment
Jun 16, 2026
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Thai fisherman Somdet Singthong steered his metal skiff across the brown waters of the Mekong River, resigned to the pollution that has put his health and lifelong source of livelihood at risk.
Environment
Jun 16, 2026
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9
What is "undone science," and how does it affect environmental policy and regulation around the world? In a recent study published in Tapuya: Latin American Science, Technology and Society, Javiera Barandiarán, an associate ...
Environment
Jun 9, 2026
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12
Industrial-scale mining in Africa to support global supply chains is leading to unprecedented deforestation across the continent, with 34 hectares of forest removed for every single hectare of active mine site.
Environment
Jun 6, 2026
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Magnets for electric cars and wind turbines contain only a small amount of the rare earth metal dysprosium. Yet, this metal is responsible for a large share of the environmental impact and costs, according to research by ...
Environment
Jun 2, 2026
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13
Sitting at the northwestern edge of North America, Alaska stretches across a vast Arctic land of wilderness, culture, and wealth beneath the surface. Among its resources is the Donlin Gold deposit, located in southwestern ...
Earth Sciences
May 29, 2026
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52
Residents in the East Java province of Indonesia scattered flowers, paid their respects and prayed at the edge of a mud lake on Friday, the 20th anniversary of the eruption of the Lusi mud volcano that inundated villages ...
Environment
May 29, 2026
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10
There is a troubling contradiction at the heart of the global transition to a cleaner, greener, tech-driven future: Modern technologies—everything from AI to wind turbines, as well as cellphones, electric vehicles and defense ...
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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20
Perched on the bow of his long-tail fishing boat, 75-year-old Sukjai Yana untangled a handful of small fish from his net, disappointed by his catch and fretting over whether he can sell them.
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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13
Mining critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt fuels the "green" energy and digital transitions essential to meeting climate goals. But building the technologies that enable a sustainable future is generating severe, ...
Environment
Apr 29, 2026
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