Tailings from mining operations turn nearby soil and rock red as the ponds created to contain them dry up. Near Vale in Sudbury.


Pollution has blackened exposed rock and tailings from mining operations turn nearby soil and rock red as the ponds created to contain them dry up in Sudbury near the Vale Mining operations. Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Orange stained dirt and rocks as a tailings pond partially dries up. New growth struggles to survive in this barren wasteland devastated by acid rain and clear cut logging in the 19th and 20th centuries. Acid rain was caused by the emergence of mining processes beginning in the early 20th century.


Size: 5428px × 3684px
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.
Photo credit: © James Hackland / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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