Mining companies need to understand what impact they may have on the soil and sediment quality around the operation and what impact this might have on people and the environment.  As part of the permitting process it is necessary to establish what the baseline is and to demonstrate that this will not be materially affected.  An assessment will need to be completed on all lands that are susceptible to impact from the mining operation.  When factors such as air emissions and water emissions are taken into account - this means that the footprint to be assessed can be hundreds of km². 

There are many different chemical and physical properties of soils and sediments that need to be characterised before mining can be permitted in order to assess what potential there is for mining to have an impact.

Relevant EO Products