nuclear-news

Earthquake close to planned vast uranium mine in Australia

26 March 12 BHP Billiton’s planned new mega uranium mine at Olympic Dam in South Australia will be the world’s largest man-made hole. The planned open-pit mine would be  4.1 kilometres long, 3.5 kilometres wide and 1 kilometre deep. It is hard to imagine the size of this thing, and of its impact on the environment.

Just for one consideration –  Australian airway flight paths will have to be changed, because this gigantic hole will have such an effect on the weather as to change the wind patterns in the region!

But – for another consideration – this uranium orebody  it is situated on an earthquake fault.  The current succession of earthquakes must surely cause South Australia to reconsider the wisdom, or otherwise, of siting the monster mine there! – Christina Macpherson

SEISMIC SURGE IN FAR NORTH: 3.9 EARTHQUAKE NEAR ROXBY DOWNS, Coober Pedy Regional Times,  26 March 12, A 3.9 magnitude earthquake has struck near Olympic Dam in South Australia’s Mid – Far North overnight,   in addition to a spate of 4 separate earthquakes in the Far North of the state in the past week.

The succession of medium to significant earthquakes has promted  Geoscience Australia to begin setting up seismic monitoring equipment in the Far North where three of the earthquakes occured last week including a 6.1 magnitude quake….. The most recent earthquake which occured overnight is not far from the townships of Roxby Downs and Andamooka near the Stuart Highway, and situated within relatively close proximity to a number of the state’s mining and prospecting operations including the Olympic Dam uranium mine, whose massive orebody engulfs the 35km Masher’s Fault. …… http://cooberpedyregionaltimes.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/seismic-surge-in-far-north-3-9-earthquake-near-roxby-downs/

March 26, 2012 - Posted by Christina MacPherson | AUSTRALIA, safety