Mining
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*Close-up of a gold dredge |
Alaska often conjures up images of gold - prospectors, miners and adventurers combing the creeks of the Interior searching for the next big discovery. The town of Fairbanks, and many of its surrounding communities, among them Ester, Fox and Chatanika, were founded because of placer gold discoveries on local creeks in the early 1900's. However, the communities that survived into this century survived because their economies diversified away from gold production; others - such as Meehan and Cleary - withered and died when the miners pulled out.
Alaska's Mineral Wealth
Gold and the stampedes it caused were critical factors in the European settlement of Alaska. Therefore, gold is the metal most often associated with this state's mineral resources.
Loading ore in the pit, Fort Knox mine |
However, Alaskan geology also hosts some of the world's largest and richest deposits of lead, zinc, silver and copper. Kennecott - one of the world's largest mining companies, got its start here with the Kennecott Copper mine (now a National Park) in the Wrangell Mountains, which mined one of the richest copper deposits ever found. And Teck-Cominco's Red Dog mine, located in the DeLong Mountains 50 miles northeast of the Native Village of Kivalina, currently holds the position as the world's largest lead-zinc mine. Platinum has also been mined here, and there are ongoing searches for the diamonds and sapphires that many prospectors are convinced lie undetected in stream gravels.
The Changing Face of Mining in Alaska
But while placer gold mining - where free gold is washed from stream gravels - dominated Alaskan mining from the early 1900's through the late 1950's, it now has been eclipsed by large, industrial hardrock mines operated by multinational companies. Small, private placer operations, most typically run by extended families with a few hired workers, still exist in Interior Alaska, but these operations are disappearing one by one. They have been replaced by mining companies staking large tracts of land, using sophisticated exploration techniques, and developing mines that can encompass open pits a mile wide, tailings impoundments several thousand acres in size, and mountains of waste rock.
And while the early placer mines certainly affected local economies and landscapes - the Parks Highway near Ester is several hundred feet below surrounding bluffs because gold dredges mined away all the gravel - present-day ones are too small and scattered to have quite the same effect. This not the case of the modern metal mines that are now replacing the "mom-and-pop" placer operations in Interior and Arctic Alaska.
Modern Metal Mining in Alaska
Tailings pond, Fort Knox mine |
"Alaska is the undiscovered third-world country.[P]eople are inspired to do exploration here."
-- A representative of Golden Phoenix Minerals, Inc.
While metal mining does occur in southeast Alaska (Greens Creek and Kensington mines, for example), and to a limited extent in south-central, the Interior and Arctic regions are the primary targets for the new mineral boom currently underway in the state. Started in the early 1980's, with the development of Red Dog, which is estimated to hold 25 million tons of zinc, and fanned to a fever pitch by the discoveries of the Fort Knox gold deposit near Fairbanks and the Pogo gold deposit near Delta, the last 20 years have seen rapid and aggressive claim staking and exploration by mining companies.
Additionally, during that time, in Interior and Arctic Alaska, six hardrock mines came into production - Ryan Lode (closed in 1993) Red Dog, Fort Knox and True North, Illinois Creek (now bankrupt) and Nixon Fork (closed due to falling gold prices). While these mines varied in size, from the quite small Ryan Lode, with a reserve of about 100,000 ounces of gold, to the very large Fort Knox mine, with, at time of permitting, 5. 2 million ounces of gold, to the gargantuan Red Dog, what was common to all of them was the modern mining technologies that set them apart from the placer mining process that used to be the hallmark of Alaskan mining.
The Costs of Mining
Truck hauling ore to the Fort Knox
mine near Cleary Summit subdivision |
Although Alaska mining law requires reclamation of mine sites, the impacts of bulk-tonnage mining are impossible to eradicate after mine closure. A mine site may be returned to functionality as wildlife habitat or recreational area, but the process takes decades. Acceptable reclamation may also be thwarted by ongoing environmental degradation, such as impacts to water quality from heavy metal leaching, which was not accounted for in the original mine/reclamation plan. For example, open pits are rarely filled in at closure; instead, groundwater is allowed to seep back into the pit, eventually creating a pit lake. Unfortunately, the heavy metals and salts that are typically associated with mineral deposits also end up in the water, so that perpetual water treatment is necessary if the lake were to be used for aquatic habitat or recreational purposes.
To date, in Alaska, no open pit mine has undergone complete reclamation or has been released by regulatory agencies as a completed, reclaimed mine project.
Beyond the Glitter
While the slumping price of gold and some base metals has caused the closure of two mines, cooled exploration expenditures and shelved other potential mine proposals, Alaska remains in the top ten, world-wide , as a favorable place for mineral investments (Fraser Institute Annual Mining Companies Survey, 2001/2002). World-class deposits, large tracts of unexplored land, a permissive regulatory environment and the political and economic stability of the United States all combine to make Alaska the place to be for major and junior mining companies alike. Additionally, local governments, fueled by effective public relations campaigns mounted by the mining industry, continue to view metal mining as significant component of the Alaskan economy and a primary source of jobs.
In reality, Alaskan metal mining is directly responsible for only 0.5% of Alaskan jobs and personal income (Power, 2002). In addition, the employment opportunities offered by modern metal mines are decreasing as technological advances shrinks the work force required by a mine (Power, 2002). The average mine-life of one of these mines is on the order of five to 15 years; Red Dog, because of its unusually rich mineralization, is the notable exception to the rule with a present estimated mine life 65 years (Power, 2002).
Given these economic factors, and the fact that these large mines permanently alter landscapes and often leave behind costly environmental problems, such as acid mine drainage, the message promoted by industry boosters - that Alaska mining is the future - needs critical examination. While our modern society depends heavily on metals to function, mining, like any other industry, must be done in a manner that is environmentally, socially and culturally protective. Not every metal deposit that can be mined should be mined - if it means that a community, sacred site or a river will be unduly impacted or harmed. And increasingly, places like Alaska that have pristine or minimally impacted natural landscapes are attracting both visitors and residents that value clean water and air, abundant wildlife, and outdoor recreation.
*1985-0093-00203, © Earl Beistline Collection, Alaska & Polar Regions Archives, Rasmuson Library, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
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