[en] Aboriginal land rights and water supply have long been issues raised in relation to the Olympic Dam Mine at Roxby Downs. Now a native title claim has revealed the vulnerability of the water supply. The author reports that the mine's owner, Western Mining Corporation, has to confront issues it has inflamed by favouring one interest group claiming to represent Aboriginal interests 8 refs

[en] While environmental issues are constantly changing and becoming increasingly regulated, the key to high performance in environmental management is the application of best practice - best practicable technology of sites - specific standards, practices and procedures. The author also emphasised that the application of best practice in environmental management of mine sites is a dynamic process and that requires a combination of efficient environmental management and efficient production. Timing of application of technology and social factors are also determining factors in this process. The particular case of the Ranger uranium mine site is presented were the major environmental issues relate to water management, tailing management and rehabilitation. The management procedure used at Ranger for a research project proposal is outlined

[en] The draft Environmental Impact Statement (ESI) for the proposed uranium mines at Jabiluka, about 20 Km north of the existing Ranger mine in the Northern Territory was released on 17 October 1996. The EIS concluded that any impact of the proposed mine will be localised, small-scale and temporary. Jabiluka will contribute some $3.8 billion to national economic welfare over the project's predicted 28-year life

[en] A collaborative research agreement between the Supervising Scientist for the Alligator Rivers Region (OSS) and the Northern Territory University (NTU) aims to develop and assess a computer-based Geographic Information System (GIS) to integrate terrain and geological data for risk-hazard analysis and modelling. This paper outlines initial design and development of the prototype GIS including the input of trial data of various types. It is recognised that the GIS must be flexible enough to accommodate change and provide a base for a variety of research needs. Such functionality is likely to be provided best by an initially small, generic prototype GIS to which functions and data are added as required. Properties of the prototype identified as critical to its usefulness include integration of different types of data into the system, understanding and accommodating inconsistencies between data sets and the recognition and recording of error. Various types of data (elevation data, maps and images) available at the outset of the project are outlined together with a brief discussion on their source, integration into the database, derivative products and the potential usefulness of, and problems associated with, the different data formats. The analytical possibilities offered by the trial data will be explored next and the results of the first development cycle presented by the end of 1992. Subsequently, additional data will be incorporated into the database, analytical techniques will be used to build models, and user-driven development will enable the GIS to begin to support a decision research process. 20 refs

[en] The approach to safety and a safety management system which resulted in Ranger Mine being rated in the top ten percent of safe industrial sites in Australia is outlined. ill

[en] The extent and frequency of the flooding at Magela Creek can be predicted from a mathematical/computer model describing the hydrological phases of surface runoff. Surface runoff involves complex water transfer processes over very inhomogeneous terrain. A simple mathematical model of these has been developed which includes the interception of rainfall by the plant canopy, evapotranspiration, infiltration of surface water into the soil, the storage of water in surface depressions, and overland and subsurface water flow. The rainfall-runoff model has then been incorporated into a more complex computer model to predict the amount of water that enters and leaves the Magela Creek flood plain, downstream of the mine. 2 figs., ills

[en] The waste products from the mining and milling processes at Ranger include waste rock (containing <0.02%U) and tailings which are contained in a one square kilometer tailings dam. Ranger's preferred strategy for rehabilitation of the minesite involves construction of a 5 square kilometre landform from waste rock and low mineralised material to contain the tailings dam and operational areas of the mine. The objective is to produce a rehabilitated landscape that will release contained elements at a rate and loading that is not significantly different from the natural landforms of the region, which is naturally highly mineralised. Ranger's five-year rehabilitation plan shows the proposed development of below cut-off grade stockpiles in line with the final landform plan and in accordance with planned mining tonnages from the mill and mine five year plans. Progressive revegetation plans, water management aspects of stockpile development and tailings deposition plans are also incorporated into this plan. Some examples of completed research projects are presented. ills

[en] The Jabiluka and Ranger unconformity-type uranium deposits, Northern Territory, Australia, share a similar geologic setting and suite of alteration minerals, but Ranger is approximately 300 million years older than Jabiluka. At Ranger, the U-Pb isotopic age indicates that mineralization preceded deposition of the clastic sediments of the middle Proterozoic Kombolgie Formation that overlie a regional unconformity. In contrast, the U-Pb isotopic age at Jabiluka is clearly younger than that of the Kombolgie Formation. The Jabiluka deposit is the larger of the two deposits and may contain uranium that was remobilized from smaller Ranger-like deposits. The alteration zones at Jabiluka and Ranger are similar and contain many of the minerals found in the altered zones around Canadian unconformity-type deposits: magnesium-rich chlorite that has low oxide and cation totals, white mica, dravite, quartz, apatite, carbonaceous matter, and at Jabiluka, 7A-amesite. At both Jabiluka and Ranger, the overlying sandstone of the Kombolgie Formation is altered. Our study indicates that unconformity-type deposits formed during both the early and middle Proterozoic eras, and that, for deposits such as Ranger, the presence of the middle Proterozoic sandstone was not necessary for ore concentration. The presence of altered sandstone at Ranger indicates that in unconformity-type deposits, fluids repeatedly moved through the deposits. In contrast to the Canadian deposits, the fluid moving through the Australian deposits did not deposit significant amounts of uranium in the middle Proterozoic sandstone. 21 refs, 7 figs

[en] The work demonstrates that there are a number of methods available for cost allocation, the pros and cons of which are examined. The study investigates potential proportional and incremental methods in some depth. A recommendation in principle to use the latter methodology is given. It is concluded that a 'fair assumption' is that the potential allocation of costs for 'the RMA Leaching Hall' probably is small, in relation to the total costs, and estimated to be not more than about 175 kSEK, plus any costs associated with decommissioning/ disposal of a number of small pieces of equipment added by the current operator

[en] In keeping with the rehabilitation contract, the aim of environmental monitoring is to optimize land rehabilitation by making qualitatively reliable data available. This results in an environmental monitoring that covers an extensive area and is also related to specific objects and processes in the sectors to be protected, i.e. soil, water, air and biosphere, during and after rehabilitation in the environment and on plant sites and plants respectively. The obligation of Wismut Co. Ltd. to carry out environmental monitoring is based on legal and official specifications. Furthermore, a social obligation is incumbent on the Company as regards environmental monitoring and absolute disclosure of all the obtained data. Submitted findings determined during environmental monitoring for air and water show that all the legally and officially specified limit values were complied with in 1995 and 1996. As regards subject-matter, environmental monitoring has been divided into basic monitoring and rehabilitation monitoring. By means of basic monitoring the monitoring programmes to be carried out irrespective of rehabilitation activities are achieved at regular intervals at fixed measuring points and according to specific methods. The purpose of rehabilitation monitoring is to ensure that rehabilitation measures are carried out and to monitor them with the aid of technical measurements. The data obtained during environmental monitoring are stored in a central data bank. The latter operates on the basis of ORACLE. It is connected to a geo-information system which enables thematic charts to be produced. In order to ensure the qualitative reliability of the data to be stored, an internal data reliability system consisting of four stages was set up. These stages comprise checking and approval of technical measuring methods, sampling, primary data editing and data transfer. As regards efficiency and reliability, the analysis methods and results are of standard equal to those of commercial laboratories in this field. (orig./MSK)