The Hamersley Yandi Iron Ore Mine of Hamersley Iron Pty. Ltd. is located in the Pilbara region, Western Australia, approximately 90km north west of the town of Newman. The iron ore has accumulated in a palaeochannel as an enriched Channel Iron Deposit (CID). Mining in other parts of this palaeochannel has been practised since 1991. Named deposits in the province are, from west to east, Munjina, Pool, Meander, Western, Central, Eastern, Junction and the Billiard deposits.Presently the CID acts as an aquifer and transmits water through its fracture system. It is the main conduit for the regional groundwater. The Water and Rivers Commission of Western Australia considers the groundwater in the alluvial beds of the Weeli Wolli Creek overlying the CID to be a useful resource. The groundwater is currently used for stock watering so the quality should be preserved.Part of the four possible closure plans of the Yandi Mine is to backfill the excavated channel with waste rock from the mining operation. The waste material will consist of the uneconomic grade lateritic pisolite iron ore, together with colluvium and alluvium overburden. The closure plans will also leave behind two pit lakes.The impact of these closure plans vary but each plan will leave pit lakes containing water with high salinity and this may adversely affect the quality of the groundwater downstream of the lakes.The hydraulic conductivity of the shallow aquifer may be impaired by swelling clays found in parts of the waste material. This impact would be reduced if the chosen closure plan was one with hydrogeological flow management.The water quality downstream of the pit lakes will change and the environmental impact on the groundwater will depend on which closure plan is chosen. This thesis suggests a number of options for consideration.

A desativação de um empreendimento mineiro é uma etapa importante do planejamento de uma mina e o seu estudo tem a finalidade de reduzir ou eliminar o passivo ambiental após o fechamento de uma mina. Para isto, são necessárias ações e programas desenvolvidos durante a vida da mina, com a participação de todos os interessados. É também relevante a previsão dos gastos com recuperação e desativação na fase de viabilidade econômica por meio de índices confiáveis. Foram avaliadas três empresas com áreas desativadas: uma desativada totalmente, a outra com frente de lavra desativada e a terceira paralisada. Ficou evidente, neste trabalho, a falta de roteiros e normas na legislação ambiental para a preparação da desativação no início de uma mina. Esta falta induz o empreendedor a só se preocupar com a desativação e a preparação de um plano quando o fechamento da mina é iminente; neste momento, as empresas estão descapitalizadas e os custos com a recuperação serão elevados. Foram propostos, modelo de Plano de Desativação, a ser preparado na etapa de planejamento da mina, e um índice econômico que relaciona os custos de recuperação aos custos de produção da mina na fase de viabilidade econômica. / One of the most important stages in the mine planning is the closure of a mine. This study has the aim to minimize or eliminate the well-known environmental damage left after the closure of the mine site. In order to carry out the process of mine closure, some procedures and programs should be conducted during the mine life cycle, involving people who are interested in environment problems. It is also important, the previous calculation of the environmental cost and all the cost relate to the closure of the mine itself during the mine project by using reliable cost index. In this research, three different mining companies having abandoned areas were evaluated: the first being closed-down completely, the second one having an abandoned mining face and the third one was thoroughly paralyzed. It was demonstrated in this case-study that there aren't any procedures or specifications for mines closure which could be considered in beginning of the mining project. This lack of regulation and procedures related to mining closure makes mining company managers or mining company owners only take into consideration a closure mining plan in the final stage of the production when the mine site needs to be closed as soon as possible. However, at that stage, most mining companies are with lack of working capital and the cost of environment protection is very expensive. As result of this research, a Closure Mine Model was proposed, which should be prepared in the very beginning of the mining planning stage. It was also proposed an economic index that is related to the cost of environment protection to the mining production cost in the stage of the economical feasibility studies.

A desativação de um empreendimento mineiro é uma etapa importante do planejamento de uma mina e o seu estudo tem a finalidade de reduzir ou eliminar o passivo ambiental após o fechamento de uma mina. Para isto, são necessárias ações e programas desenvolvidos durante a vida da mina, com a participação de todos os interessados. É também relevante a previsão dos gastos com recuperação e desativação na fase de viabilidade econômica por meio de índices confiáveis. Foram avaliadas três empresas com áreas desativadas: uma desativada totalmente, a outra com frente de lavra desativada e a terceira paralisada. Ficou evidente, neste trabalho, a falta de roteiros e normas na legislação ambiental para a preparação da desativação no início de uma mina. Esta falta induz o empreendedor a só se preocupar com a desativação e a preparação de um plano quando o fechamento da mina é iminente; neste momento, as empresas estão descapitalizadas e os custos com a recuperação serão elevados. Foram propostos, modelo de Plano de Desativação, a ser preparado na etapa de planejamento da mina, e um índice econômico que relaciona os custos de recuperação aos custos de produção da mina na fase de viabilidade econômica. / One of the most important stages in the mine planning is the closure of a mine. This study has the aim to minimize or eliminate the well-known environmental damage left after the closure of the mine site. In order to carry out the process of mine closure, some procedures and programs should be conducted during the mine life cycle, involving people who are interested in environment problems. It is also important, the previous calculation of the environmental cost and all the cost relate to the closure of the mine itself during the mine project by using reliable cost index. In this research, three different mining companies having abandoned areas were evaluated: the first being closed-down completely, the second one having an abandoned mining face and the third one was thoroughly paralyzed. It was demonstrated in this case-study that there aren't any procedures or specifications for mines closure which could be considered in beginning of the mining project. This lack of regulation and procedures related to mining closure makes mining company managers or mining company owners only take into consideration a closure mining plan in the final stage of the production when the mine site needs to be closed as soon as possible. However, at that stage, most mining companies are with lack of working capital and the cost of environment protection is very expensive. As result of this research, a Closure Mine Model was proposed, which should be prepared in the very beginning of the mining planning stage. It was also proposed an economic index that is related to the cost of environment protection to the mining production cost in the stage of the economical feasibility studies.