sand mining

{{See also|Mining in Australia|Cronulla sand dunes, Kurnell Peninsula}}

In the 1940 mining operations began on the Kurnell Peninsula (Captain Cook's landing place in Australia) to supply the expanding Sydney building market. It continued until 1990 with an estimate of over 70 million tonnes of sand having been removed. The sand has been valued for many decades by the building industry, mainly because of its high crushed shell content and lack of organic matter, it has provided a cheap source of sand for most of Sydney since sand mining operations began. The site has now been reduced to a few remnant dunes and deep water-filled pits which are now being filled with demolition waste from Sydney's building sites. Removal of the sand has significantly weakened the peninsula's capacity to resist storms. Ocean waves pounding against the reduced Kurnell dune system have threatened to break through to Botany Bay, especially during the storms of May and June back in 1974 and of August 1998.{{Cite web |title=Kurnell – A Pictorial History |url=http://www.ssec.org.au/our_environment/our_bioregion/kurnell/history/industries/sandmining.htm}}

Sand Mining also takes place in the Stockton sand dunes north of Newcastle and in the Broken Hill region in the far west of the state.

File:The Saltwater Maribyrnong River c1910.jpg

A large and long-running sand mine in Queensland, Australia (on North Stradbroke Island) provides a case study in the environmental consequences on a fragile sandy-soil based ecosystem, justified by the provision of low wage casual labor on an island with few other work options.{{Cite web |title=Victorian sand mining moves closer to full production |url=http://www.abc.net.au/westernvic/stories/s1630536.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527033324/http://www.abc.net.au/westernvic/stories/s1630536.htm |archive-date=2006-05-27 |website=ABC Western Victoria}} The Labor state government pledged to end sand mining by 2025, but this decision was overturned by the LNP government which succeeded it. This decision has been subject to an allegation of corrupt conduct.{{Cite web |date=24 June 2014 |title=Queensland sandmining: Corruption watchdog asked to investigate donation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/24/queensland-sandmining-corruption-watchdog-asked-to-investigate-donation |website=The Guardian}}

From the 1850s to the early 20th century, sand was mined from the tall, cliff-like banks of the Maribyrnong River, in what is now suburban Melbourne.{{Cite web |title=Afton Street Conservation Park Master Plan |url=https://mvcc.vic.gov.au/my-council/upgrades-and-plans/afton-street-conservation-park-master-plan/ |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=mvcc.vic.gov.au}} The Maribyrnong Sand Company was set up in the early 20th century to transport the sand by barge downriver to the industrial areas of Footscray and Yarraville, for use in the production of glass, concrete and ceramics.{{Cite web |title=MARIBYRNONG SAND COMPANY JETTY AND TRAMWAY LOADING CHUTE |url=https://vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au/places/13774 |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=Victorian Heritage Database}}

Sand mining contributes to the construction of buildings and development. The negative effects of sand mining include the permanent loss of sand in areas, as well as major habitat destruction.

{{See also|Sand mining in India}}

Sand mining is an environmental problem in India. Environmentalists have raised public awareness of illegal sand mining in the states of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,{{Cite web |title=Illegal mining flourishes in Madhya Pradesh, even after IPS officer's murder |url=http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/illegal-mining-flourishes-in-madhya-pradesh-even-after-ips-officer-s-murder-186938 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121007173001/http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/illegal-mining-flourishes-in-madhya-pradesh-even-after-ips-officer-s-murder-186938 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-10-07 |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=NDTV.com | date= 2012 }} Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu{{Cite web |title=Sand mafias silence journalists in India |url=https://forbiddenstories.org/sand-mafias-silence-journalists-in-india/ |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=forbiddenstories.org |author1= Marion Guégan | author2= Cécile Schilis-Gallego|date=17 June 2019 }}{{pb}}{{Cite web |title=Collusion of Officials with Beach Sand Miners Revealed in Internal Repor |url=https://www.thelede.in/the-green-blood-project/2019/06/20/collusion-of-officials-with-beach-sand-miners-revealed-in-internal-report | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210310131722/https://www.thelede.in/the-green-blood-project/2019/06/20/collusion-of-officials-with-beach-sand-miners-revealed-in-internal-report | archive-date= 10 March 2021 | url-status=dead | date= 20 June 2019 | author =Sandhya Ravishankar }}{{pb}}{{Cite web |title=Minung the Coasts of Tamil Nadu |url=https://www.thelede.in/the-green-blood-project/2019/06/20/mining-the-coasts-of-tamil-nadu | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201125025517/https://www.thelede.in/the-green-blood-project/2019/06/20/mining-the-coasts-of-tamil-nadu| archive-date= 25 November 2020 | date = 20 June 2019 | url-status=dead |author =Sandhya Ravishankar }} and Goa.{{Cite news |last=Rajadhyaksha |first=Radha |date=10 January 2010 |title=No attacker brought to book so far |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/No-attacker-brought-to-book-so-far/articleshow/5429367.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231162659/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-01-10/mumbai/28118792_1_activists-anandini-thakoor-sand-mining-mafia |archive-date=31 December 2013}}{{pb}}{{Cite news |last=Viju |first=B |date=24 March 2011 |title=Creeks and rivers up for sale |work=The Times of India |url=http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Second-Nature/entry/creeks-and-rivers-up-for |access-date=22 April 2013}}{{pb}}{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Vijay |date=3 April 2012 |title=NCP leader waves gun at tehsildar |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/NCP-leader-waves-gun-at-tehsildar/articleshow/12511563.cms |url-status=live |access-date=22 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231162152/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-03/mumbai/31280601_1_sand-mining-tehsildar-sand-mafia |archive-date=31 December 2013}}{{pb}}{{Cite news |last=Viju |first=B |date=27 October 2009 |title=Sand mining issue haunts Naik |work=The Times of India |url=http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=9§id=edid=&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=24-10-2009&pubname=Times%20of%20India%20-%20Mumbai&edname=&articleid=Ar00901&publabel=TOI |access-date=22 April 2013}} Conservation and environmental NGO Awaaz Foundation filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court seeking a ban on mining activities along the Konkan coast.{{Cite news |last=Viju |first=B |date=25 September 2010 |title=HC bans sand mining across Maharashtra |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/HC-bans-sand-mining-across-Maharashtra/articleshow/6623432.cms |url-status=live |access-date=22 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103182308/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-09-25/mumbai/28251944_1_sand-mining-sand-extraction-crz-areas |archive-date=3 November 2012}} Awaaz Foundation, in partnership with the Bombay Natural History Society also presented the issue of sand mining as a major international threat to coastal biodiversity at the Conference of Parties 11, Convention on Biological Diversity, Hyderabad in October 2012.{{Cite web |title=Effects of Sand mining in coastal bio diversity |url=http://www.cbd.int/kb/record/sideEvent/2682?RecordType=sideEvent&Event=COP-11 |publisher=Convention on Biological Diversity}}{{Cite web |title=Sand |work= India Environment Portal |url=http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/32604/thesaurus/sand/ |access-date=2023-01-16 }} D. K. Ravi, an Indian Administrative Service officer of the Karnataka state, who was well known for his tough crackdown on the rampant illegal sand mining in the Kolar district, was found dead at his residence in Bengaluru, on 16 March 2015. It is widely alleged that the death was not due to suicide but caused by the mafia involved in land grabbing and sand mining.{{Cite news |last=Mondal |first=Sudipto |date=17 March 2015 |title=IAS officer who took on sand mafia found dead in Bengaluru residence |work=Hindustan Times |url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ias-officer-who-took-on-sand-mafia-found-dead-in-bengaluru/article1-1327089.aspx |url-status=dead |access-date=17 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317102424/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ias-officer-who-took-on-sand-mafia-found-dead-in-bengaluru/article1-1327089.aspx |archive-date=17 March 2015}}{{pb}}{{Cite web |date=16 March 2015 |title=IAS Officer, Who Took on the Sand Mafia, Found Dead in Bengaluru |url=http://www.ndtv.com/bangalore-news/ias-officer-who-allegedly-received-threat-calls-from-sand-mafia-found-dead-in-bengaluru-747123 |access-date=16 March 2015 |publisher=NDTV}}

{{See also|Mining in New Zealand}}

Sand mining occurs in the Kaipara Harbour, off the coast at Pakiri and offshore from Little Barrier Island.[http://www.arc.govt.nz/environment/coastal-and-marine/coastal-projects/sand-mining-on-the-east-coast-and-in-the-kaipara-harbour.cfm Coastal projects: Sand mining on the East Coast and in the Kaipara Harbour] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014144109/http://arc.govt.nz/environment/coastal-and-marine/coastal-projects/sand-mining-on-the-east-coast-and-in-the-kaipara-harbour.cfm |date=14 October 2008 }} - Auckland Regional council A sand mine had operated at Whiritoa on the east coast of the North Island for 50 years extracting 180,000m³ of sand.[http://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/Environment/Natural-resources/coast/Coastal-case-studies/Sand-mining-and-management-at-Whiritoa-Beach/ Sand mining and management at Whiritoa Beach] - Environment Waikato Coastal sand mines currently operate at Maioro and Taharoa to recover iron sand.[http://www.ew.govt.nz/environmental-information/Our-coast/Coastal-pressures/Coastal-sand-mining/ Coast sand mining] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603083056/http://www.ew.govt.nz/Environmental-information/Our-coast/Coastal-pressures/Coastal-sand-mining/ |date=3 June 2010 }} - Environment Waikato When an application was lodged in 2005 to mine iron sands on the seabed of the coast of Raglan local residents organised in opposition to the scheme.{{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10117793|title=Raglan residents against iron sand mining|date=30 March 2005|work=The New Zealand Herald|accessdate=9 August 2010}} The application for the mining was turned down by Crown Minerals due to a lack of technical detail. A proposal to begin sand mining in Bream Bay was among 149 initiatives invited to apply for resource consent in a streamlined process under the Fast-track Approvals Act 2024, an inclusion which drew widespread opposition amongst the local community.{{cite news |last1=de Graaf |first1=Peter |title=Fast-track legislation stirs up opponents of Northland sand mining plan |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/539920/fast-track-legislation-stirs-up-opponents-of-northland-sand-mining-plan |access-date=6 February 2025 |work=RNZ |date=25 January 2025 |language=en-nz}}

Activists and local villagers have protested against sand mining on Sierra Leone's Western Area Peninsula. The activity is contributing to Sierra Leone's coastal erosion, which is proceeding at up to 6 meters a year.{{Cite web |date=30 July 2012 |title=Unsustainable Sand Mining in Sierra Leone |url=http://www.enviro-news.com/news/unsustainable-sand-mining-in-sierra-leone.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120801210608/http://www.enviro-news.com/news/unsustainable-sand-mining-in-sierra-leone.html |archive-date=1 August 2012 |publisher=Enviro-News.com}}

The current size of the sand mining market in the United States is slightly over a billion dollars per year. The industry has been growing by nearly 10% annually since 2005 because of its use in hydrocarbon extraction. The majority of the market size for mining is held by Texas and Illinois.{{Cite web |title=Industrial Sand Mining Industry: Statistics, Forecasts, Company Data |work= Pell Research |url=https://www.pellresearch.com/mining-quarrying-oil-gas-extraction/industrial-sand-mining |access-date=2023-01-16 }}

File:Frac sand facility.jpg]]

File:Frac sand mine in the Town of Oakdale 03.jpg mine in the Town of Oakdale, Wisconsin with a large looped track with 3 rail lines]]

Silica sand mining business has more than doubled since 2009 because of the need for this particular type of sand, which is used in a process known as hydraulic fracturing. Wisconsin is one of the five states that produce nearly 2/3 of the nation's silica. As of 2009, Wisconsin, along with other northern states, is facing an industrial mining boom, being dubbed the "sand rush" because of the new demand from large oil companies for silica sand. According to Minnesota Public Radio, "One of the industry's major players, U.S. Silica, says its sand sales tied to hydraulic fracturing nearly doubled to $70 million from 2009 to 2010 and brought in nearly $70 million in just the first nine months of 2011."{{Cite web |title=MPR News Primer: Frac sand mining |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2012/03/08/frac-sand-mining-mpr-news-primer |access-date=2023-01-16 | author1= Paul Tosto |website=MPR News |date= March 2012}} According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), there are currently 34 active mines and 25 mines in development in Wisconsin. In 2012, the WDNR released a final report on the silica sand mining in Wisconsin titled Silica Sand Mining in Wisconsin. The recent boom in silica sand mining has caused concern from residents in Wisconsin that include quality of life issues and the threat of silicosis. According to the WDNR (2012) these issues include noise, lights, hours of operation, damage and excessive wear to roads from trucking traffic, public safety concerns from the volume of truck traffic, possible damage and annoyance resulting from blasting, and concerns regarding aesthetics and land use changes.

As of 2013, industrial frac sand mining has become a cause for activism, especially in the Driftless Area of southeast Minnesota, northeast Iowa and southwest Wisconsin.{{Why|date=October 2020}}

File:Red River valley between Manhao and Lianhuatan - P1380201.JPG, in Jinping County, Yunnan]]

Much sand is extracted by dredges from the bottom of rivers such as the Red River in Yunnan, or quarried in dry river beds. Due to the large demand for sand for construction, illicit sand mining is not uncommon.{{Cite web |title=Crackdown planned on illegal river sand mining |url=http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2012-08/08/content_15651006.htm | author= Xu Jingxi|access-date=2023-01-16 |website=China Daily| date = August 2012}}{{Better source needed|date=April 2021}}

In 2020 the Coast Guard Administration of the neighboring country of Taiwan expelled or detained nearly 4,000 Chinese sand dredging vessels.{{Cite news |date=25 January 2021 |title=Taiwan expels thousands of Chinese dredgers from its waters |work=The Straits Times |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/taiwan-expells-thousands-of-chinese-dredgers-from-its-waters |access-date=29 January 2021 }} Illegal sand dredging by Chinese vessels causes environmental damage in Taiwan{{Cite web |last=Jensen |first=Sally |title=Illegal Offshore Sand Mining Around Taiwan Destroys Ocean Habitats |url=https://www.theoxygenproject.com/post/illegal-offshore-sand-mining-around-taiwan-destroys-ocean-habitats/ |access-date=29 January 2021 |website=The Oxygen Project | date= September 2020 }} as well as the Philippines.{{Cite web |last=Sutton |first=H I |title=Satellites Show Scale of Suspected Illegal Dredging in South China Sea |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hisutton/2020/05/12/satellites-show-scale-of-suspected-illegal-dredging-in-south-china-sea/?sh=70671f6f4310 |access-date=29 January 2021 |website=Forbes | url-access=subscription}}

{{Excerpt|sand theft}}

• Beach theft
• Environmental issues with mining
• Heavy mineral sands ore deposits
• Resource depletion
• Sand mining in Kerala
• Sand mining in Tamil Nadu

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Sand mining}}

• [http://www.blacksands.org.nz/ Kiwis Against Seabed Mining] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002020350/http://www.blacksands.org.nz/ |date=2 October 2008 }}
• [http://www.newskarnataka.com/features/newskarnatakas-undercover-operation-exposes-cops-sand-mafia-nexus/ Exposes Cops-sand mafia nexus in India]
• {{Cite web |last=Villioth |first=Jakob |date=2014-08-05 |title=Building an economy on quicksand |url=http://www.ejolt.org/2014/08/building-an-economy-on-quicksand/ |publisher=ejolt |quote=Sand has by now become the most widely consumed natural resource on the planet after fresh water}}

{{Natural resources}}

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Category:Environmental impact of mining

Category:Surface mining

Mining