IN SEARCH OF APPROPRIATE REHABILITATION STRATEGIES FOR ABANDONED NYALA MAGNESITE MINE, LIMPOPO

Mining operations have a disruptive effect on the environment and abandoned surface mines exacerbate the problem. Some of these historic mine sites are in a deplorable state and continue to cause damage to the environment and potential risks to human and animal health in the surrounding areas. The main aim of this research was to identify and evaluate practical rehabilitation strategies for addressing physical and environmental problems at an abandoned Nyala Magnesite Mine. The approach used involved characterization of tailings and spoil materials as well as water within the excavations, development of current and post-rehabilitation terrain models using RTK-GPS data, and selection and evaluation of alternative land uses for the mine used SWOT and QSPM analysis respectively. The mine waste characterization showed that the tailings are suitable for engineering purposes based on their physical properties and high silica content. The laboratory analysis of the water samples from the pit-lake showed that the water is highly alkaline with unacceptable levels of C