Environmental Monitoring at the Nalunaq Gold Mine, South Greenland, 2011

• Main Authors: Bach, Lis, Asmund, Gert, Søndergaard, Jens
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: Aarhus University, DCE - Danish Centre for Environment and Energy 2012
• Subjects: Greenland; Nalunaq; Nanortalik
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/environmental-monitoring-at-the-nalunaq-gold-mine-south-greenland-2011(049d57b4-0260-4ce1-9766-aa9070c952e7).html

This eighth environmental monitoring programme was conducted in the Nalunaq area, about 40 km from Nanortalik, South Greenland, from 29 August to 12 September 2011. The environmental monitoring program is conducted to trace and avoid unwanted impacts of the mining industry to the environment. Since the monitoring in 2010, the mining company Gold Angel Mining A/S is breaking new ore, but is also carrying previously broken ore with low grade back to the mine with vehicles with limited speed and load capacity. The gold is recovered by the use of chemical extraction (carbon-in-pulp) using cyanide. Due to the use of cyanide to extract gold from the ore, strict control with the outfl ow of cyanide from the mine to the Kirkespir Valley is performed. The described impact on the environment of the Kirkespir Valley, both terrestrial, freshwater and marine, is considered to be minor, and is generally lower than during the operation in 2004-2009.