Spoil bank
Encyclopedia
The term "spoil bank" refers to a pile of refuse, created by excavation of earth materials from a site, or by removing excess surface materials from a site.
Spoil banks can also refer to refuse heaps formed from removal of excess surface materials. For example, along side livestock lots spoil banks are formed of manure and other slurry periodically removed from the surface of the livestock lot areas.
. During the industrial revolution era
mining activity was generally unregulated in the United States, and spoil banks produced by mining activities were first generated, then left behind when the mining effort became unprofitable and the site was abandoned
. These mining sites in general and the spoil banks in particular have produced environmental problems
over years, which include surface runoff
of silt
, and leaching of noxious chemical compounds from spoil banks exposed to weathering
. These cause contamination
of ground water, and other problems. Today in the United States forward looking state and federal mining regulations require that the earth materials from excavations be removed in such a fashion that they can be replaced after the mining operations cease in a process called mine reclamation
, with oversight of mining corporations, including requiring adequate bonds to guarantee a completion of the reclamation process when mining becomes unprofitable or stops. (See for example, Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
).
Common usages of the term
Most commonly the term is used for the piles of waste earth materials removed during an excavation process.- In surface miningSurface miningSurface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
(commonly called strip miningSurface miningSurface mining , is a type of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed...
) for coalCoalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
or other underground deposits, earth materials removed to expose the targeted deposit are piled up along side the excavation site (commonly a strip mining pit) in spoil banks. - A dredge in placer miningPlacer miningPlacer mining is the mining of alluvial deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment....
is used to dig up volumes of gravel and other earth materials which are then sent through sluices to remove gold or other minerals, and the remaining earth materials("tailingsTailingsTailings, also called mine dumps, slimes, tails, leach residue, or slickens, are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the uneconomic fraction of an ore...
") are deposited behind the dredge in spoil banks. - In hydraulic miningHydraulic miningHydraulic mining, or hydraulicking, is a form of mining that uses high-pressure jets of water to dislodge rock material or move sediment. In the placer mining of gold or tin, the resulting water-sediment slurry is directed through sluice boxes to remove the gold.-Precursor - ground...
high-pressure jets of water dislodge earth materials which are put through sluices to sort out gold or other minerals, and the residuary earth materials are left in spoil banks. - The excavation of ditches and canals results in spoil banks being left along the side of the canalCanalCanals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
or ditchDitchA ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
.
Spoil banks can also refer to refuse heaps formed from removal of excess surface materials. For example, along side livestock lots spoil banks are formed of manure and other slurry periodically removed from the surface of the livestock lot areas.
Similar terms
In England the term "spoil heap" or "pit bank" is used for the pile of refuse of excavation from a coal mine, or open coal pit.Etymology
The phrase originates from the French word "espoilelier", a verb conveying the meaning: to seize by violence, to plunder, to take by force.Environmental issues
Spoil banks are closely related to environmental issuesEnvironmental issues in the United States
As with many other countries there are a number of environmental issues in the United States.-Climate change:The United States is the second largest emitter, after China, of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. The energy policy of the United States is widely debated; many call on the...
. During the industrial revolution era
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
mining activity was generally unregulated in the United States, and spoil banks produced by mining activities were first generated, then left behind when the mining effort became unprofitable and the site was abandoned
Abandonment
The term abandonment has a multitude of uses, legal and extra-legal. This "signpost article" provides a guide to the various legal and quasi-legal uses of the word and includes links to articles that deal with each of the distinct concepts at greater length...
. These mining sites in general and the spoil banks in particular have produced environmental problems
Environmental issues in the United States
As with many other countries there are a number of environmental issues in the United States.-Climate change:The United States is the second largest emitter, after China, of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. The energy policy of the United States is widely debated; many call on the...
over years, which include surface runoff
Surface runoff
Surface runoff is the water flow that occurs when soil is infiltrated to full capacity and excess water from rain, meltwater, or other sources flows over the land. This is a major component of the water cycle. Runoff that occurs on surfaces before reaching a channel is also called a nonpoint source...
of silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
, and leaching of noxious chemical compounds from spoil banks exposed to weathering
Weathering
Weathering is the breaking down of rocks, soils and minerals as well as artificial materials through contact with the Earth's atmosphere, biota and waters...
. These cause contamination
Contamination
Contamination is the presence of a minor and unwanted constituent in material, physical body, natural environment, at a workplace, etc.-Specifics:"Contamination" also has more specific meanings in science:...
of ground water, and other problems. Today in the United States forward looking state and federal mining regulations require that the earth materials from excavations be removed in such a fashion that they can be replaced after the mining operations cease in a process called mine reclamation
Mine reclamation
Mine reclamation is the process of creating useful landscapes that meet a variety of goals, typically creating productive ecosystems from mined land...
, with oversight of mining corporations, including requiring adequate bonds to guarantee a completion of the reclamation process when mining becomes unprofitable or stops. (See for example, Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 is the primary federal law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the United States....
).