ABSTRACT
Gold has been mined since antiquity at numerous locations throughout the world (Kirkemo et al. 2001). The Republic of South Africa is the major commercial global producer of gold; secondary producers include the United States, the former Soviet Union, Canada, Australia, the People’s Republic of China, Brazil, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, Ghana, Tanzania, and Ecuador (Elevatorski 1981; Gasparrini 1993; Greer 1993). Underground gold mines are usually abandoned or closed owing to poor yields or adverse economic conditions. At present, the most environmentally responsible gold mining companies spend millions of dollars restoring the sites of closed mines and developing technologies to minimize the impact of active mines, although many attempts are ineffective (Fields 2001). Data are currently scarce or incomplete on the influence of inactive underground gold mines on the surrounding biosphere.
