Application of Remotely Sensed Data and GIS in Assessing the Impact of Mining Activities on the Environment

ABSTRACT: Primary industries such as mining form the backbone of developing economies throughout much of the world. A century of production driven, environmentally insensitive policies however, are leading to massive soil degradation and contamination, toxic vegetation, groundwater {surface and subsurface) pollution, mine dump disposal and landscape defacement around the mining areas. A systematic and multi-disciplinary approach of mapping, monitoring and controlling the impact caused by the mining activities is necessary so as to understand the character and magnitude of these hazardous events in an area. This paper first addresses the issues concerning mining and its impact on the environment and on goes to assess the various remotely sensed geo-İnformatioo tools available nowadays for capturing up-to-date and detailed earth observation data, processing and interpretation in mining induced environmental problems.