How Did Mining Affect The Simpson Desert

Mining Threatens Desert 270 million years ago, massive glaciers covered the entire area of what is now Simpson Desert, Australia. It was not until 225 million years ago that the glaciers retreated and left many depressions on the surface. These depressions filled with water from the receding glaciers and became great lakes. These lakes were eventually covered with sediment and became basins such as the Great Artesian Basin that still support the environment of the Simpson Desert (Monroe). Today the Simpson Desert is covered in some of the largest sand dunes in the world and supports biodiversity with its creeks and basins. These environmental stabilitators are threatened by the demands of mining companies. Mining could affect the Simpson Desert

Water seeps from the basin up to the surface through cracks in rocks. This water pools in shallow water tables, creeks, springs and rivers that all provide permanent water sources in the dry and inhospitable desert (“Great”). It has been known for many years that there is coal far underneath the basin, but it is of low grade. For many years, mining companies have begged for access to the deserts coal fields, but it was denied because it was not economically or environmentally feasible (“The”). With fossil fuels on the decline, however, the demand for access is getting higher. The environment in the desert would not handle any sort mining well, though, and could be damaged beyond repair (“Simpson”). As it is, the stability of the Great Artesian Basin is already threatened by agricultural practices such as boring holes into it to obtain water for crops and livestock. These holes which were first drilled in the 1990’s create seams for water to escape, which wastes a large amount of water for every hole drilled. There is also no easy way to manage the water that is brought up, because even using the very best management, 95% of all the water controlled can be wasted because of evaporation. Adding mining to the desert would only make this already receding basin disappear all the

This type of mining can be very dangerous both to the environment and to the people mining (Betournay). When mining, sediment is often released into the water and can easily contaminate it. Water can also be poisoned with mercury when it is used for extracting minerals from the ground and not disposed of properly (“Environmental”). There are multiple streams and creeks in the Simpson Desert that feed off the Great Artesian Basin, including the Warburton, Macumba, Kallakoopah, and Eyre creeks. When these creeks combine they “...form one of the last near-natural desert river systems left in the world” (“Threats”). If even one of these creeks became contaminated, it could prove catastrophic for the biodiversity of the desert