Ring of Fire

Ring of Fire is a swampland in Northern Ontario. The area, found within an aboriginal area, consists of boreal forest, lakes, and rivers. This area is covered by a treaty and is protected under Canadian aboriginal law. In 2006, large deposits of minerals were uncovered leading mineralogists to reach the conclusion that there would be large, deep deposits of Chromite, a key ingredient in stainless steel. With this discovery, it was established that the area would be mined for this valuable mineral.

The issue, however, is that there is also evidence of environmental impact issues, which may not be reversible. This paper will discuss these issues and recommend the best means of conducting an environmental impact analysis. The first issue that must be studied is the water-table system in the area. It is well established that mining typically impacts water-tables for hundreds of hectacres surrounding the entire site. The water-table in this area supplies both people and animals with fresh water.

Additionally, with so many rivers and streams running through the area, there is a greater need to keep the water pure. The primary concern that might prevent mining in the area is the release of chromium-6 into the water-table. Chromium-6 is a highly carcinogenic mineral that is naturally trapped in certain types of rock. When released, however, it causes cancer in both humans and animals. The second issue to study is the overall ecological stability of the area.

Canada is one of only three places in the world with boreal forest. This thinner, high altitude forest provides for a large portion of the world's trees and is the native home to numerous plants including spruce and norther pine. These trees can only grow in the harshest and coldest conditions. Mining the area would unearth many of these trees.

In fact, reports speculate that once mining is complete, the area would be an ideal area for moose, because the new horticulture would likely consist of bushes as opposed to trees. The final issue that must be considered is the impact the mine would have on local wildlife. Many animals call the boreal forest home including the snow elk, snow fox, and Atlantic salmon. Animals are sensitive to their surroundings, especially when new things are introduced into the environment. There are two new impacts that the mine would produce.

The first impact is that of noise. Mines are no longer dug into the faces of mountains. Instead, modern mines are dug directly into the ground by blowing out the rock layers, crushing the rock, and dumping it back into the environment. This entire process is extensively noisy and would likely cause all wildlife within earshot to relocate to quieter, safer parts of the forest. The second impact on the animals is safety. Along with the mine, there are also plans to build multiple roads to make transport easier.