Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) are developing drone technology to quickly and safely identify environmental hazards caused by mine dumping at the former Hercules Mine in Tasmania’s Mt Read.
Outdated mine dumping practices led to 100 years of accumulated mine waste being dumped from the side of the mountain, leading to oxidising waste rock in creeks and creating acid mine drainage (AMD) spots.
Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR) Director, Peter Erskine, and UQ Associate Professor, Steven Micklethwaite (BRC) have begun developing drone solutions that can identify and monitor the resulting environmental and health hazards.
“The miners of the day built lots of holes, and the holes now allow water into them [causing AMD] – and no one mapped those holes. MMG is trying to work out how to solve those legacy issues,” Dr Erskine said.
Data from drones, combined with high-quality mineralogical and geochemical information, will soon provide 3D information about plant health, high-risk spots for erosion, and likely source places for AMD.
Further than gathering data, Dr Erskine may assist with management decisions about how companies might solve those rehabilitation problems, develop experiments that address stabilising the very steep site to do so, and oversee how it is set up for success.
