Research Project for BSc Degree

Impacts of Gold Mining in Zarshouran Gold

Deposit and Suggesting Methods for

Remediating and Rehabilitating the Mine Area

Ali Sadighi, BSc in Mining Engineering

Supervisor: Dr. Ezzeddin Bakhtavar

Urmia University of Technology

September 2014

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Acknowledgments: The author would like to oblige all

the help and favors that he has received form people in

Urmia University of Technology and Zarshouran Gold

Mine, especially Dr. Ezzeddin Bakhtavar, Mr. Mahmoud

Yekani, Mr. Reza Alvan, Mr. Ahmad Eftekari, Mr. Kaveh

Kalantari and Mr. Armin Fallahi.

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Table of Contents

Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 4

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 6

1-1. Location and Geography ...................................................................................................... 7

1-2. Climate ................................................................................................................................. 9

1-3. Vegetation ............................................................................................................................ 9

1-4. Wildlife ............................................................................................................................... 10

1-5. Geology .............................................................................................................................. 11

2. Impacts of Arsenic and Gold Mining in Zarshouran ......................................................... 14

2-1. Impacts on human life ........................................................................................................... 14

2-2. Impacts on wildlife ................................................................................................................. 15

2-3. Impacts on plant life .............................................................................................................. 15

2-4. Impacts on the environment (air, water and soil) ................................................................. 15

2-4-1. Air ....................................................................................................................................... 16

2-4-2. Water .................................................................................................................................. 16

2-4-3. Soil ...................................................................................................................................... 19

3. Suggested Technologies and Solutions for Remediation and Reclamation in Zarshouran 21

3-1. Remediating the region from mineral contaminations ......................................................... 21

3-2. Rehabilitating the mine area ................................................................................................. 24

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 26

Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 27

Appendix 1 – Geology Map of Zarshouran Gold Mine Area ......................................................... 29

Appendix 2 – Applications of Arsenic Treatment Technologies for Soil, Waste and Water ........ 30

Appendix 3 – Zarshouran final pit illustration on Google Satellite Image .................................... 31

Appendix 4 – Map of the final pit of Zarshouran Gold Mine ........................................................ 32

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Preface

In our very first BSc semester we, mining engineering students, get to take a lesson named

General Geology or Fundamentals of Geology. Geology has always been my favorite field of study

but there was something very disappointing in our lesson. General Geology, written by Hassan

Madani, was taught by the lecturer, but without its very vital basics. The first chapter of the book,

which was about Astronomy, was thoroughly skipped. My classmates never got to know the real

genesis of everything around them.

Either geologists or miners, we all need to have a more top-down main definition of this top-

down sight. In 1990, NASA received a pretty simple but meaningful image from their Voyager 1

spacecraft. The pale blue dot in the image you see on this page

is our home, the Earth, photographed from a 6.5-billion

kilometer distance on edge of our solar system. That’s us,

wandering about a small star among hundreds of billions of

other stars living their lives in a very medium sized galaxy, which

lives among some other hundreds of billions of galaxies, named

the Milky Way galaxy. We, our home planet and our entire solar

system are nothing but a grain of sand on an infinite shore.

This absolutely basic fact has always been neglected by us,

human beings, geologists and especially miners. In 2012 I was

accepted as a trainee to enter Zarshouran Gold Deposit. By that

time and based on incomplete exploration data, the deposit was

the largest in the Middle East. I was pretty much tempted by

this title, but when I entered the area, I saw nothing but an

absolutely unique nature. They hadn’t begun mining by that time yet, so I had the chance to see

a real exploration project for the first time. In my three months of traineeship in Zarshouran,

besides the tons of things I learnt about my future career, I picked up quite a lot of information

about my future colleagues. They had literally no idea what was going on above their heads!

Most of them had absolutely no respect toward the nature around them, their home. This turned

into a huge concern in me, one with no solution but to try hard to hide this reality like others did

and help them with their earth-destroying work.

Later, in 2013 I was lucky enough to take my second traineeship in an oil exploration project near

Masjed-Soleiman, Khoozestan. In my two months of stay in that region things were pretty much

the same as Zarshouran. Land was destroyed and air was polluted by oil companies. No one had

the slightest concerns about nature. Nobody cared about his home!

I had heard some my university teachers and professors talk about mine reclamation, and that in

most countries laws were very strict about hazards caused by mining activities, but I’d never

gotten the chance to involve myself in this subject up until the time I had to choose this topic for

my BSc thesis.

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Chapter 1

Introduction

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1. Introduction

Zarshouran Gold Deposit, located in South-East of Azarbaijan-e-Gharbi (West Azarbaijan), has

been known as the largest gold deposit in the Middle East (Figure 1). (ParsKaniCo. &

KavoshgaranCo., 2011)

It has been home to Gold and Arsenic miners since Sassanid’s time and it has been subject to

several geological surveys and gold exploration projects since 1840. The current target ore is

called “invisible gold”, which has been left form hydrothermal activities in the host rocks. The

average grade of gold in the ore is about 4.5 parts per million and the mine has been estimated

to produce about 110 tons of gold in its 20 years of exploitation.

The mine area and the surrounding regions are habitats of a wide range of plant species and wild

life, and often serves people from nearby villages and towns as a recreational resort. Springs

originating from the mine, which carry high amounts of Arsenic contaminations, easily enter

drinking water streams that flow down to villages located in the downstream parts.

In this article we are going to discuss the influences of mining activities on the environment and

suggest applicable and effective methods of reclamation during the mine’s activity and after its

closure.

Figure 1 Location of Zarshouran village

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1-1. Location and Geography

Zarshouran Gold Mine is located 5 kilometers North to North East of Zarshouran Village (aerial

distance) and 26 kilometers north of the town of Takab (Figure 2).

The mine area is a rectangle within the coordinates mentioned

in Table 1.

The average height of the area is about 2350 meters above sea

level, with a minimum of 2200 meters in the mine valley and a

maximum of 2796 meters on top of Chaldagh Mountain.

The mine can be accessed through either of the roads below:

a) Tehran > Zanjan > Bijar > Takab > Zarshouran Village > Zarshouran Deposit (630km)

b) Tehran > Zanjan > Dandi > Takht-e-Soleiman > Zarshouran Village > Zarshouran Deposit

(530km) (ParsKaniCo. & KavoshgaranCo., 2011)

Corners X Y

A 690658/8 4066835

B 690086 4066259

C 691422 4064911

D 692004 4065486

Table 1 Coordinates to the four corners around the area.

Figure 2 Detailed Location Map of Zarshouran Gold Mine

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The processing factory is located about 2 km away from Zarshouran village and 5 km away from

the deposit itself. It consists of crushing, grinding and processing buildings, accommodations,

offices and facility buildings. The tailing storage area has been founded in the valley next to the

factory as seen in Figure 3.

Figure 3 Locations of the deposit, the factory and the tailing dam.

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1-2. Climate

Zarshouran Deposit is located on the heights of ImanKhan anticline with an average elevation of

2300 meters above sea level. Therefore the climate of the area can be categorized as Cold and

Mountainous in which there is much precipitation in forms of rain and snow, as a result mining

is not feasible during four months of frost in the region. The coldest and hottest months of year

are December (-32°C) and June (44°C) respectively. According to the climatological data the

wettest season is spring and the driest is summer. Snow usually begins in early November and

ends in late March. The average precipitation of the region is about 434 millimeters. (ParsKaniCo.

& KavoshgaranCo., 2011)

1-3. Vegetation

Considering the fairly high amount of precipitation, the suitable weather conditions and the thick

soil layers in the region, vegetation is very diverse in Zarshouran. It’s mainly seen in forms of

shrublands and meadows and forests can only be seen in limited areas along some valleys. Such

forests often include trees like Ghareaghaj and Hazelnut which are pretty common in Northern

and Western Takab. Pasture plants such as Gramineae, Legume and Umbelliferae naturally grow

in the region. In valleys containing spring water, grass and reed can also be noted which create

spectacular views in places like Kabkan Valley and the valley across. (ParsKaniCo. &

KavoshgaranCo., 2011)

Figure 4 Zarshouran Mine Area in September (left) and March (right)

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1-4. Wildlife Due to being close to Angouran Protected Area, Zarshouran hosts a diverse wildlife. Species such

as bears, pigs, wolves, foxes, rabbits, eagles, falcons, partridges, quails, sparrows, pigeons, crows,

lizards, crabs, salamanders and snakes have frequently been sighted in and around the mine area.

The area is also home to a diversity of insects. Unfortunately, exploration operations have caused

Figure 5 Examples of Shrublands (left) Meadows (middle) and Valleys (right) in the mine area.

Figure 6 Examples of wildlife in Zarshouran (The photo of the bears has been taken in Angouran Protected Area.).

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the migration of some species such as bears that tend to quiet and safe habitats and the only

return to the area for food and hunting.

1-5. Geology

Zarshouran mine area is part of the south-eastern anticline illustrated in the 1:100000 Takht-e-

Soleiman sheet, which generally includes series of heights and V-shaped valleys. The project area

has been highly influenced by the tectonics of the region, hydrothermal mineral fluid activities

and also volcanic activities (Which can be seen as quartz porphyry to rhyolitic rock outcrops in

the area.) and has been severely intermingled by these factors. On the other hand, intense

weathering has resulted in thick layers of soil which makes mapping the area painstakingly hard,

especially when it adds up to the vast vegetation covering most parts.

Imankhan schist, Chaldagh limestone and the Zarshouran Black Shale unit (Figure 7), which are

believed to date back to the Precambrian, have been uplifted by a lifting force then covered by

younger Neogene units and a long stratigraphic gap. The area has been altered in several places

under the influence of atmospheric and penetrating water, quartz porphyry intrusions and also

the activities of mineralization phases, which can be seen in many parts around the ore deposit

(Figure 8). The geology map has been provided in Appendix 1 – Geology Map of Zarshouran Gold

Mine Area. (ParsKaniCo. & KavoshgaranCo., 2011)

Figure 7 Geology of the deposit.

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Figure 8 Some alteration out crops along the trenches in Zarshouran Gold Mine.

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Chapter 2

Impacts of Arsenic and Gold Mining in

Zarshouran

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2. Impacts of Arsenic and Gold Mining in Zarshouran

As mentioned in the introduction section, Zarshouran has always been mined throughout the

known history of the region. There are signs of ancient placer gold mining which are thought to

date back to the Sassanid’s time. The present gold deposit had also been mined as an

underground Arsenic mine until 1991. The tunnels and shafts left from the Arsenic mining times

still remain and are considered as one of the main sources of water contamination in the region

(Figure 9). Since 1991 Zarshouran had been under exploration operations up until 2014, in which

the mine stripping and exploitation began along with the activity of the processing factory.

Impacts of mining in any area can be generally categorized into the four types listed below which

have been briefly discussed in this research:

1. Impacts on human life;

2. Impacts on wildlife;

3. Impacts on plant life;

4. Impacts on the environment (air, water and soil).

2-1. Impacts on human life

The most considered impact of every mining project is the impact of the activity on human life in

the societies around the mine, and there are both positive and negative effects to every mining

activity.

The most obvious positive impact of the mining operations in Zarshouran is involvement and

employment of hundreds of work force who reside in nearby villages, towns, cities and provinces.

Mining has also helped the improvement of life quality in Zarshouran and the nearby village,

Aloucheloo, by bringing technology, public health service and wealth in the region.

Figure 9 Old Arsenic Mining tunnels.

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Despite its positive impacts, mining in Zarshouran has had few negative outcomes, too. People

used to work on farms, keep livestock, produce dairy, etc. But now they are changing jobs

according to the current needs in the area. This can be avoided by providing and supporting job

opportunities that are in danger of extinction. On the other hand contaminations caused by

mining directly affect the human life in Zarshouran (Discussed in 2-4. Impacts on the environment

(air, water and soil).)

The mining area also includes lands that host ancient cemeteries and archeological sites.

Trenches dug along the exploration phase have destroyed parts of these historical lands.

2-2. Impacts on wildlife

Wild life is often highly sensitive to changes in the environment. Same thing goes with Zarshouran

mine area. As mentioned in Chapter 1, a diversity of wild animals live in the region, most of which

have migrated to neighboring lands as a result of mining activities. Another harm that threats the

wildlife in Zarshouran is chemical and mineral contaminations around the prospecting boreholes

and trenches, tailing storage area and the processing factory.

The wildlife residing in the valleys around the mine has also faced another major problem which

is water. Water from springs along Karbalai Abbas valley has been plumbed to Yaraziz village and

the camp site near Zarshouran village.

2-3. Impacts on plant life

Imankhan Mountain, which contains the main part of the deposit, is covered with several types

of plant species which have different values. Acanthus, Rhubarb, Savory, Thyme, Stachys,

Oregano, Hollyhock, Wild Almonds, Wild Plums and many other species are commonly used by

the locals for food and medicinal purposes. Farm animals are often fed bythe grass and shrubs

from the mountains around the Mine Mountain. Any contamination in soil or water can enter

the human food cycle through the vegetation in the area.

2-4. Impacts on the environment (air, water and soil)

Zarshouran can be named as “Paradise of Geologists” due to the enormous variety of minerals

that can be found in and around the deposit. But this paradise can turn into hell if some of these

minerals find way into civilization or wildlife. Realgar, Orpiment, Cinnabar, Gechelite, Galena,

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Pyrite, Arsenopyrite, Sphalerite, Tremolite, Actinolite, Serpentine, Barite, Fluorite, Gypsum,

Anhydrite, Seresite, Chlorite, Clay Minerals, etc. are some of the minerals found in Zarshouran.

Some of these minerals contain elements that can be extremely harmful to living creatures. Take

Arsenic, Mercury, Lead and Zinc as examples and imagine what harms they could do to the

workers and locals of Zarshouran.

There are three main ways in which mining contaminants can enter the body of a living creature,

Air, Water and Soil. Here we discuss the impacts of mining on these three elements.

2-4-1. Air

Wind can be a good carrier for dust and chemicals raised from the mine and the factory. Silica,

Arsenic, Lead, Zins and especially asbestos minerals such as Actenolite and Tremolite can cause

severe health problems like Lung Cancer if breathed, and they can easily travel through wind.

Hopefully wind generally blows in the West-East direction which is good since there is no

civilization along this direction, plus there are hills and mountains that can block such air

convections, but it can still act as a very harmful factor in distributing toxic minerals on the soils

around the Mine Mountain.

2-4-2. Water

Old Arsenic mining tunnels, new exploration trenches and cuttings left around boreholes are the

main sources of water and soil contamination in Zarshouran. Atmospheric water washes down

everything on surface of the ground and leads it into the streams. Springs inside the deposit on

the other hand wash out minerals and carry them into the streams flowing toward the

downstream villages. Orpiment crystals can easily be observed in sediments of the streams

flowing around the deposit, especially streams which are formed from spring waters originated

in the former Arsenic mining tunnels (Figure 12).

Figure 10 Left to Right -Specimens of Realgar, Orpiment & Realgar on Quartz, Weathered Orpiment on Chaldagh Limestone, and Tremolite found in Imankhan Schist.

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Hydrothermal deposits generally contain

elements such as Au, As, Ag, Pd, Zn, Sb, Hg,

Cd, Si, S, F, Cl, Pb, Zn, etc. Zarshouran deposit

lacks none of these elements! The one which

has made all of the world concerned is

Arsenic (As). According to statistics and as it

can be seen in the diagram in front, Arsenic is

the second contamination of concern in the

US. (EPA, 2004)

Streams running down the mine valley

toward the farms, gardens and Zarshouran

village contain obvious concentrations of As and several local people have reported symptoms pf

toxicity in their farm animals which had drunk the stream water. Also some mine workers have

experienced kidney and liver failures during their years of work in Zarshouran, but no official

statistics on the effects of Arsenic in the region have been released until today.

A research in India has revealed some of the symptoms that can be caused by Arsenic. The disease

mentioned in the research are Bowen’s, Cancer, Gangrene, Bronchitis, Melanosis and Keratosis.

Figure 11 presents information and pictures of three individuals suffering from chronic As

toxicity. (Chakrabortia, et al., 2012)

Such studies need to be done in Zarshouran, Alouchelou and Yaraziz villages as well, in order to

avoid an Arsenic Crisis in the entire region.

Figure 11 Characteristics of three individuals from Kiradalli Tanda, India suffering from chronic As toxicity.

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Figure 12 Images showing trenches, tunnels, springs, streams and stream sediments which are evidently contaminated with Arsenic and probably other toxic minerals washed down

from the deposit.

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2-4-3. Soil Beside Air and Water contamination, Soil contamination is a much more serious issue that needs

to be avoided and taken care of. Trenches and streams in the mine area have distributed toxic

minerals all over the mine area, which is still a limited part of the region and makes the

contamination more controllable. If soil is contaminated, wind and precipitation spread the toxic

elements all over the region and contaminate more soil and more land which will trigger an

enormous crisis scenario. Yet there are techniques and solutions that deal with such problems.

Chapter 3 introduces solutions and technologies for remediating polluted soil and water.

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Chapter 3

Suggested Technologies and Solutions for

Remediation and Reclamation

in Zarshouran

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3. Suggested Technologies and Solutions for Remediation and

Reclamation in Zarshouran

The main purpose behind this research is to present an example of what can be done but has

always been neglected. Providing base materials for industries and producing wealth for the

country is something, and keeping the humanity and environment safe and healthy is another,

which is hardly ever taken into consideration in countries like Iran.

So far, we have learnt some about Zarshouran gold mine and discussed the impacts of mining in

the area. In this chapter we introduce and suggest some methods for remediating and

rehabilitating Zarshouran Gold Mine during and after the mining process.

3-1. Remediating the region from mineral contaminations

As mentioned in chapter 2, the mine area has been highly contaminated during the former

Arsenic mining activities and along the exploration process. There are several technologies for

different Arsenic removal conditions that have been utilized in many places around the world.

Each technology has got its own strong and weak points that are briefly explained below.

Hera are 13 technologies applicable to Arsenic-contaminated soil, waste, and water.

Technologies are considered applicable if they are used at a full scale to treat Arsenic (EPA,

2004) .

Soil and Waste Treatment Technologies:

Solidification/Stabilization

Vitrification

Soil Washing/Acid Extraction

Pyrometallurgical Recovery

In Situ Soil Flushing

Water Treatment Technologies:

Precipitation/Coprecipitation

Membrane Filtration

Adsorption

Ion Exchange

Permeable Reactive Barriers

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Soil, Waste, and Water Treatment Technologies:

Electrokinetics

Phytoremediation

Biological Treatment

In Appendix 2 – Applications of Arsenic Treatment Technologies for Soil, Waste and Water,

diagram D1 shows the number for technologies applicable to soil and waste based on available

data. The most frequently used technology for soil and waste containing Arsenic is

solidification/stabilization. The available data show that this technology can effectively meet

regulatory cleanup levels, is commercially available to treat both soil and waste, is usually less

expensive, and generates a residual that typically does not require further treatment before

disposal. Other Arsenic treatment technologies for soil and waste are typically used for specific

applications.

Vitrification may be used when a combination of contaminants are present that cannot be

effectively treated using solidification/stabilization. It has also been used when the vitrification

residual could be sold as a commercial product. However, Vitrification typically requires large

amounts of energy, can be more expensive than S/S, and may generate off-gasses containing

Arsenic.

Soil washing/acid extraction is used to treat soil primarily. However, it is not applicable to all

types of soil or to waste.

Pyrometallurgical treatment has been used primarily to recycle Arsenic from industrial wastes

containing high concentrations of Arsenic from metals refining and smelting operations. These

technologies may not be applicable to soil and waste containing low concentrations of Arsenic.

In situ soil flushing treats soil in place, eliminating the need to excavate soil. However, no

performance data were identified for the limited number of full-scale applications of this

technology to Arsenic.

Diagram D2 shows the number of treatment projects identified for technologies applicable to

water. For water containing Arsenic, the most frequently used technology is

precipitation/coprecipitation. Based on the information gathered, precipitation/ coprecipitation

is frequently used to treat Arsenic contaminated water, and is capable of treating a wide range

concentrations of Arsenic. The effectiveness of this technology is less likely to be reduced by

characteristics and contaminants other than Arsenic, compared to other water treatment

technologies. It is also capable of treating water characteristics or contaminants other than

Arsenic, such as hardness or heavy metals.

The effectiveness of adsorption and ion exchange for Arsenic treatment is more likely than

precipitation/ coprecipitation to be affected by characteristics and contaminants other than

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Arsenic. Small capacity systems using these technologies tend to have lower operating and

maintenance costs, and require less operator expertise.

Membrane filtration is used less frequently because it tends to have higher costs and produces a

larger volume of residuals than other Arsenic treatment technologies.

Permeable reactive barriers are used to treat groundwater in situ. This technology tends to have

lower operation and maintenance costs than ex situ (pump and treat) technologies, and typically

requires a treatment time of many years.

Diagram D3 shows the number of treatment projects identified for technologies applicable to

soil, waste, and water. Three Arsenic treatment technologies are generally applicable to soil,

waste, and water: electrokinetics, phytoremediation, and biological treatment. These

technologies have been applied in only a limited number of applications.

Electrokinetic treatment is an in situ technology intended to be applicable to soil, waste and

water. This technology is most applicable to fine-grained soils, such as clays. Phytoremediation is

an in situ technology intended to be applicable to soil, waste, and water. This technology tends

to have low capital, operating, and maintenance costs relative to other Arsenic treatment

technologies because it relies on the activity and growth of plants. However, this technology

tends to be less robust. The references identified for this report contained information on one

full-scale application of this technology to Arsenic treatment. Biological treatment for Arsenic is

used primarily to treat water above-ground in processes that use microorganisms to enhance

precipitation/ coprecipitation. Bioleaching of Arsenic from soil has also been tested on a bench

scale. This technology may require pretreatment or addition of nutrients and other treatment

agents to encourage the growth of key microorganisms. (EPA, 2004)

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In a case study in Thailand, Phytoremediation was used for Arsenic removal from lands

contaminated by old mine tailings. Of 36 plant species studied in the research, only two species

of ferns, Pityrogramma calomelanos and Pteris vittata, a herb, Mimosa pudica, and a shrub,

Melastoma malabrathricum, seemed suitable for phytoremediation. The ferns were by far the

most proficient plants at accumulating arsenic from soil (Figure 13). (Visoottiviseth & Sridokchan,

2002)

Such plants might not be suitable for the climate of Zarshouran, so a full study of the plants and

vegetation of the region needs to be undertaken in order to find candidates with the best

performances before planning a Phytoremediation project. Such plants can also be very useful in

the reclamation phase of the project.

3-2. Rehabilitating the mine area

Zarshouran Gold Mine has been planned to be excavated using the Open-Pit method, through

which it’s going to end up with a nearly 300 meter deep pit in 20 years. There’s also going to be

a nearly 100,000 square meter insulated tailing storage area and an overburden storage area.

Zarshouran Gold Mine Reclamation Plan should describe the reclamation of the disturbed land

from mining and ore processing operations to a stabilized condition that will provide for the long

term protection of land and water resources for post-mining land uses. Additional goals include:

Figure 13 Pityrogramma calomelanos (top left), Pteris vittata (top

right), Mimosa pudica (bottom left), and

Melastoma malabrathricum (bottom right)

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Reducing the environmental impacts of mining;

Utilizing simultaneous reclamation where appropriate throughout the mining process;

Minimizing the need for long-term active water management requirements through the

conversion to and use of passive treatment technology at the tailing storage area and the

overburden storage area; and

Decreasing the generation of Acid Rock Drainage from the sulfide materials exposed as a

result of the mining operations. (SchlumbergerWaterServices, 2013)

In the reclamation stage, these features must be considered:

historic sites and burial grounds

wildlife

erosion control

re-vegetation (YukonGovernment, 2006)

Re-establishing vegetation on impacted lands will be essential for preventing erosion, restoring

surface stability, providing site productivity, and providing wildlife forage and cover opportunities

as well as visual values at Zarshouran Gold Mine during operations and reclamation. Appropriate

seeds and saplings should be prepared and planted over the area. The primary goal of

revegetation is soil stabilization while a secondary goal is to provide a habitat for wildlife and the

natural succession of vegetation.

Based on the assumption that the overburden has been separated into different groups (3 at

least) according to its acid generating potential, and since the pit of Zarshouran Gold Mine isn’t

a large one, it’s a good idea to have it backfilled using the non-acidic overburden. Occasional large

boulders that are uncovered during re-grading may be left on the surface to provide topographic

diversity, microhabitats for wildlife and vegetation, and to break the linear appearance of the

final slope. The surface of the pit backfill will be seeded using an approved seed mix and

appropriate seeding methods.

A general approach for reclamation of the overburden facilities is described below. Additional

details related to the individual OSAs are presented in the following sections.

Concurrent re-grading of overburden storage slopes, followed by installation of storm

water controls and revegetation.

All overburden storage areas should be revegetated using an approved seed mix and

appropriate seeding methods.

Construction of storm water conveyance channels to direct storm water off the re-graded

overburden storage area face.

Final reclamation of the overburden storage areas should minimize impoundment of

storm water. The top of the overburden storage areas should be sloped towards a number

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of armored storm water conveyance channels constructed on each overburden storage

area to move storm water off of the area while minimizing erosion.

The reclaimed overburden storage areas will have potential future land use of

recreation/hunting.

Acidic overburden should be covered with a layer of geomembrane and then covered with soil

and vegetation. It can be used for recreation but it needs to be monitored.

(SchlumbergerWaterServices, 2013)

And finally for the Tailing Storage Area, there are different approaches that are used for insulating

the toxic material stored there. The key point is that no ground water should seep or pass into

the storage area. And defects in the isolation system of the Tailing Storage Area can have

irrecoverable consequences.

Conclusion Zarshouran Gold Mine has been located in a spectacular natural and geological paradise which needs to

be treated much more carefully. In order to keep the environment safe from hazards resulted from mining

operations, the mine can choose, modify and utilize the technologies introduced in this research for

remediating the area from present and probable future contaminations. The key factor that can help a lot

in the area of the mine is the vegetation which can stabilize the soil and remove the contamination as

well. Zarshouran Gold Mine also requires a well-organized plan for post-mining land use in the area to

reclaim the environment. Separating the overburden based on acid generation potentials is also a vital

step toward rehabilitating the area.

It should be noted that indifference can end up getting stock in the middle of a humanitarian crisis in the

region which might last for generations. But an eco-friendly mining plan can help avoid such nightmares

for our descendants.

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Bibliography

Chakrabortia, D., Rahmana, M. M., Murrilla, M., Dasa, R., Siddayya, S. P., Sarkar, A., . . . R. Ahmed,

K. K. (2012). Environmental arsenic contamination and its health effects in a historic gold mining

area of the Mangalur greenstone belt of Northeastern Karnataka, India. Journal of Hazardous

Materials.

EPA, U. S. (2004). Arsenic Treatment Technologies for Soil, Waste, and Water.

ParsKaniCo., & KavoshgaranCo. (2011). Zarshouran 1:1000 Geological Map Report. IMIDRO.

SchlumbergerWaterServices. (2013). Haile Gold Mine EIS Reclamation Plan.

Visoottiviseth, P., & Sridokchan, W. (2002). The potential of Thai indigenous plant species for the

phytoremediation of arsenicc ontaminated land. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION.

YukonGovernment. (2006). HANDBOOK OF RECLAMATION TECHNIQUES AND MINING LAND USE.

Yukon Government.

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Appendices

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Appendix 1 – Geology Map of Zarshouran Gold Mine Area

Page | 30

Appendix 2 – Applications of Arsenic Treatment Technologies for Soil,

Waste and Water (EPA, 2004)

D1

D2

D3

Page | 31

Appendix 3 – Zarshouran final pit illustration on Google Satellite Image

Page | 32

Appendix 4 – Map of the final pit of Zarshouran Gold Mine

Page | 33