The Mexican government has formally closed a gold and silver mine belonging to Canadian firm New Gold, ordering the firm to reduce pollution after
legal authorities revoked New Gold's license.
The San Xavier mine, located in the central Mexico state San Luis Potosi, has been ordered by Mexico's Environment Ministry to halt work earlier, but
New Gold had continued excavating at historic site Cerro San Pedro until government officials arrived.
The mine was sealed by workers dispatched by the Federal Environmental Protection Prosecutor, backed by federal police and a regional political group,
the Broad Opposition Front.
Originally posted by David K
But we can't turn iron (or anything else) into gold... Where do you propose we get gold from, if not in an area that has already been mined since the
1700's?
Seems to me to be better to continue mining in a mining region, than to dig up brand new areas to get the gold!??? How is that enviromentally
friendly?
I agree with this but the area in question here is the watershed for a large population.
Are you sure? The topo map shows the arroyo coming down from the region is over 5 miles north of Todos Santos... and are not new mines better than all
the old mines that are in that same area... have any ranchers or animals been poisoned over the past 240 years downstream of those mines? Is there a
reason for the hysteria or is this stuff just being made up to serve the desires of a certain special interest group that is fueling the hysteria?
That big arroyo is what charges the aquifer that the domestic and agricultural water are pumped from in the
Todos Santos area. The surface and groundwater in the San Antonio/ El Triumfo area are already contaminated with dangerous levels of arsenic and heavy
metals from previous mining operations. The only special interest group here locally opposed to the mine appears to be the majority of the population.
WATER IS BORN IN THE SIERRA. While regions like La Paz, Todos Santos and Los Cabos get only a little less than 4 inches of rain every year, in the
high parts of the Sierra the average yearly rainfall is around 40 inches. The Sierra de la Laguna is the main source of water for the southern part of
our state.
THE SIERRA DE LA LAGUNA HAS THE ONLY PINE FOREST IN THE STATE. The biodiversity of the Sierra de la Laguna is unique in the world. This forest
contains the highest number of species of any terrestrial ecosystem in the state, including species that exist nowhere else in the world, like 86
endemic species of vascular plants.
THE SIERRA IS UNDER THREAT. In June 1994, the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve was created, in order to protect this important piece of our
natural heritage. Nonetheless, plans are currently underway to build an open- pit gold mine inside this protected area, in the Paredones Amarillos
region. Because of its location and the technology it would use, the construction of this mine would represent a significant threat to the Sierra de
la Laguna, its biodiversity, and its role as the water source of thousands of people.
A GOLD MINE IS FAR OUTLIVED BY THE WASTE AND POLLUTION IT GENERATES. The Paredones Amarillos gold mine plans to operate for only 9.5 years. The
impacts generated by the mine’s waste and the chemicals used in its operation remain toxic for a long time and can last hundreds of years.
GOLD MINES ARE VERY POLLUTING. Extracting gold from stones is a process that uses and generates extremely toxic chemicals that can pollute water
sources, this process also relies heavily on daily detonations that have very harmful effects on wildlife. The deadliest of these chemicals include
cyanide, arsenic, sulfuric acid, lead, mercury and other heavy metals that can have dramatic effects on human health and on ecosystems.
MOST NEW GOLD IS USED FOR JEWLERY. A very small percentage of newly minted gold is destined for technology or medicine-related uses. Worldwide, a
large portion of gold production; more than 80% according to some of the reviewed sources, is used in the jewelry industry. The production of
a single gold ring, for example, generates up to 20 tons of waste.
OPEN-PIT GOLD MINING CREATES MOUNTAINS OF WASTE. LITERALLY. The Paredones Amarillos mine plans to extract around 40 tons of gold during the 9.5 year
operation of the mine. Producing this amount of gold, according to the mine’s own calculations, will generate a ton of waste, per each gram of gold.
This represents the production, during 9.5 years, of 40 million tons of waste; roughly 11,000 tons every day.
GOLD MINES LEAVE BEHIND GIANT CRATERS WHERE ECOSYSTEMS USED TO BE. The Paredones Amarillos mine plans to dig a 58.7 hectare crater in the Sierra. This
is roughly equivalent to the 36 city blocks, or 54 football fields.
Gee that's not too bad considering how many rings one gets out of it.. 2 million wedding rings .. or just enough to cover weddings for 9-10 months in
the United States..
Thanks for the information about the area and those are some amazing statistics on the production of various components and their ultimate use..
never thought about it that way... interesting
Always thought of big bars setting in a bank vault in Fort Knox.. wow.
Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Suippy and demand? It's those gawdanm rappers and their freakin' bling! Who gives a ratsass how many shiny yellow hubcaps you can hang on yer neck?
What's wrong with electroplate?
Fer Gwds sake, didn't even think of that.. your right.. if the style keeps up, there will be no mountains left, even the himalayan mountains's range
is in danger.. .. really like the hubcaps.. that is a keeper.. and that funny I
don't care you are, that is funny..
Originally posted by audiobaja
Speaking of which, the entire environmentalist argument needs an extreme make over.
Every time one of them tells me I need to stop this or stop that, it makes me want to rape and pillage the planet.
I dunno, instead of wanting to rape and pillage the planet, perhaps spending an hour reading about the issue would be a good thing to do. The Internet
makes becoming informed on just about any issue real easy.
"the entire environmentalist argument needs an extreme make over"
"If it were lush and rich, one could understand the pull, but it is fierce and hostile and sullen.
The stone mountains pile up to the sky and there is little fresh water. But we know we must go back
if we live, and we don't know why." - Steinbeck, Log from the Sea of Cortez
"People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." - Theodore Roosevelt
"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who they think can do nothing for them or to them." - Malcolm Forbes
"Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others
cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you." - Jim Rohn
"The best way to get the right answer on the internet is not to ask a question; it's to post the wrong answer." - Cunningham's Law
Thankyou to Baja Bound
Mexico InsuranceServices for your long-term support of the BajaNomad.com Forums site.
Emergency Baja Contacts Include:
Desert Hawks;
El Rosario-based ambulance transport; Emergency #: (616) 103-0262
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
