Environmental monitoring at the Seqi olivine mine 2010

• Main Authors: Søndergaard, Jens, Asmund, Gert
• Format: Book
• Language: English
• Published: National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University 2011
• Subjects: Greenland
• Online Access: https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/environmental-monitoring-at-the-seqi-olivine-mine-2010(f66b4546-ebaf-4525-97f0-7d14e18a131f).html; http://www2.dmu.dk/Pub/FR813.pdf

The olivine mine at Seqi in West Greenland operated between 2005 and 2010. Since 2004, environmental monitoring studies have been conducted at Seqi every year in order to assess premining conditions and subsequently the impact from mining during operation. This report contains the results from monitoring studies conducted in 2010. Results from previous years have shown that operation of the mine caused levels of some elements, particularly chromium and nickel, to increase in lichens, blue mussels and seaweed within the surrounding area compared to pre-mining conditions. The main source of contamination is considered the generation and spreading of metal-contaminated dust from the roads and the ore-crushing facility. Results from 2010 show that levels of chromium and nickel in lichens are still elevated but that dust deposition rates have decreased from 2008 to 2010. Similarly, levels of chromium and nickel in seaweed and blue mussels have decreased from 2008/2009 to 2010 at the few previously impacted stations near the mine and were in 2010 no longer significantly above concentrations measured prior to mining. Similar to the previous years, no contamination was measured in fish (shorthorn sculpin) in 2010. Consequently, the environmental impact of the mine at Seqi has decreased and is considered insignificant for the Niaquungunaq fjord system.