Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

╳Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

Groups

Recent Images in Discussions

GeneralEthically Mined Crystals

28th Dec 2016 04:36 UTCkayma Englund

Hello! I am hoping for any leads on resources that can lead me to mines/crystal sellers around the globe that are ethically sound i.e. least environmental impact, civil working conditions and also if there are specific areas around the globe that are known for unethical mining of crystals and gemstones. I appreciate any help! Thank you.

28th Dec 2016 06:39 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Mining as a whole has a surprisingly insignificant environmental impact, because only a tiny proportion of the globe - less than 0.1% - has any minerals worth mining. The rest, 99.9%, has never been mined and never will be mined. Shocking photos are often distributed of polluted stream water, for example, caused by mining, but put in a global context such things are very local, of limited areal extent. And most of the worst impacts are from coal mining, which doesn't produce much in the way of gem or mineral specimens, probably followed by large open-pit mines for gold and copper porphyry deposits, which also don't produce much in the way of mineral specimens or gems. So, once you take those large-scale types of mining out of the picture, what's left is a truly insignificant part of the Earth's surface getting affected by mining.

Many small-scale mines actually produce ecological benefits by increasing the habitat diversity in their area after they are abandoned (bat habitat, for example).

As for the "civil working conditions" part, much depends on the wealth of the country one is talking about. Naturally miners in Sweden enjoy better working conditions than miners in the Congo. But again, put it into context: What are the miners' working conditions in country XYZ compared to the conditions of other workers in that country? I worked with miners in Bolivia for many years. It's a relatively poor country. Miners worked in what would be (to us) considered horrible conditions, but most of them were proud to be miners, and earned better money than farmers or other workers in Bolivia. Miners' kids went to better schools than rural farmers' kids did, and had better access to health care. So, although their standard of living would look miserable to someone from Copenhagen or Tokyo, they would have been very very angry if you tried to close down their mining operation and tell them to look for other work! (And you do NOT want to mess with angry Bolivian miners! ;-) )

28th Dec 2016 13:09 UTCkayma Englund

Thank you Alfredo! Much appreciated. I guess I have heard that some countries work slave labor and/or other unethical practices, but I completely understand the difference in working condition based on location in the world and how it could be perceived from the outsider. Again, thank you.

28th Dec 2016 14:19 UTCJeffrey Shallit

There have been allegations that the mineral trade in Afghanistan and Pakistan is being used to fund terrorism.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0427c669a4824bb9bbe5ab2a0f4341d2/afghan-mineral-wealth-being-looted-strongmen-experts-say

28th Dec 2016 14:45 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Hello Jeff,

The same can be said for oil and a lot of other different things. I think politics should be kept out of mineralogy. Besides, this subject is far to complex and out of the control of mineral collectors to worry about it.

28th Dec 2016 15:49 UTCChristian Auer 🌟 Expert

Alfredo mentioned the Congo. There exists a (non public) database at the Mining University of Leoben, Austria, where you can see problematic Coltan mines in that area. It works with a fingerprint system of inpurities within Coltan.

Some parts were published in 2011: https://pure.unileoben.ac.at/portal/de/publications/fingerprinting-of-conflict-minerals-from-central-africa-the-coltan-case(0835b383-c996-41af-846e-e551248ad9e1).html

28th Dec 2016 17:51 UTCWolfgang Hampel 🌟 Expert

Hello Kayma,

There are a couple of companies/cooperations offering "fair trade" gold, gemstones and sometimes minerals. Just put "fair trade gemstones" in the search machine of your choice. I work since almost 30 y in the mining/exploration/minerals sector, mainly in Africa, and have seen many small scale mining operations. To date I have never visited one of the "fair trade" mines, so I couldn't tell you how "fair" they are in reality.

"Conflict free/poor" operations are without any doubt Forschungsgemeinschaft Lengenbach in Switzerland, Rogerley in the UK, several pegmatite operations in the US, amethyst mining in Canada, or the work of professional "strahler" in Austria and Switzerland just to name a few.

Typically bad examples are mainly found in the poorest/most corrupt countries, and even there are exceptions. But again, it is a dilemma: in many cases these small scale mining operations help whole families to survive in regions where they would otherwise starve.

Chemical "fingerprinting" like the one mention by Christian is a well-intentioned idea, but not more than that. Coltan, i.e. columbite-tantalite, compositions may vary so widely within the same pegmatite occurrence, that this chemical fingerprinting becomes obsolete. Let alone the fact that the assay methods needed to study the "coltan" are never found in the questioned countries.

Wolfgang

28th Dec 2016 18:34 UTCkayma Englund

Hi Wolfgang, thank you so much for this information. Very helpful! This might be an impossible question, but out of the large number of stones that are being sold in metaphysical shops around the world, what percentage do you think have been ethically mined vs. slave labor etc ? If you have insight, again, much appreciated! Thank you, Kayma

28th Dec 2016 20:09 UTCWolfgang Hampel 🌟 Expert

Hi Kayma,

I cannot prove what I am saying, but when it comes to "metaphysical" shops the percentage is very close to 0%. Their intention is to sell mostly completely overpriced junk to an ignorant clientele. As sad as it is, but this is the truth.

Wolfgang

28th Dec 2016 23:23 UTCUdo Behner

I remember once that tanzanite miners or dealers have been acused being responsible for financing islamistic terrorists in Afghanistan it was told that the "good guys (the Northern alliance have been financed by mining lapislazuli and the bhttp://www.mindat.org/msgboard-104."tbad guys"like the taliban have been financed through heroine production and smuggling

5th Jan 2017 16:04 UTCkayma Englund

Thank you for your insight! Very helpful.

5th Jan 2017 19:45 UTCMatt Ciranni

Tanzanite is mined in central-east Africa, thousands of miles from Afghanistan, so I don't see how there would be a connection between the tanzanite mines down there and Afghanistan, a whole continent away. There are multi-colored tourmaline deposits in Afghanistan though, which have been mined and sold, so I don't know how the income from that material is distributed.

5th Jan 2017 20:31 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Remember that in many impoverished parts of our planet there are few economic options available for any young man with a family to support. What to do? Go get a salary fighting for the local warlord? Get into the drug trade? Mining is one of very few honorable jobs available. To those misguided people who say, "Don't buy those minerals because some of the profits go to the Taliban", or wherever, I would ask them, "And what would you prefer the miners go do? Work security for some warlord, for the next heroin shipment?" Mining is, in my opinion, the most ethical option.

5th Jan 2017 22:19 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

I agree with Alfredo.

6th Jan 2017 03:11 UTCKeith Compton 🌟 Manager

Kayma

And don't forget there are also many specimens that have been collected illegally from various sites around the world, whether it be petrified wood from a protected national park, native silver from a mexican mine or any mineral from where ever. It is virtually impossible to guarantee that something has been "ethically" collected unless you have found it yourself ... but even then, did you find it on private land and without the owner's permission - even unknowingly!!. Probably all minerals collectors have at some time acquired/found minerals that have some doubt as to their true ethicality.

Perhaps there are degrees of ethics that we are able to tolerate !!

In my view, unless a government has placed a ban on any particular gems/minerals (such as for conflict diamonds) I don't think that I would worry too much.

In that sense, I'm with Alfredo.

Cheers

Keith

6th Jan 2017 03:15 UTCD. Peck

And,don't forget the specimens that are "found" in museums and mineral shows.

6th Jan 2017 12:41 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

If every specimen had to be collected completely legally the entire hobby would come to a standstill. For example, even picking up a rock along the side of the road is strictly speaking illegal without the permission of the highways department. Life is full of illegal activity, for example walking up the sidewalk to knock on your neighbour's door without permission is strictly speaking trespassing. Laws are not meant to govern every movement and activity that humans make, just deal with the ones that cause serious problems.

6th Jan 2017 23:04 UTCGregg Little 🌟

This issue of ethics in resource extraction is fraught with mis-information and mis-understanding. The only exception possibly being "blood diamonds" and the international governments' involvements.

Anecdotally, I was once chastised by friends for destroying the Amazon rain-forest after returning from a gold exploration project in the Dem. Rep. of Congo. Adding to the irony of her not knowing which continent I was on, her fingers sported a couple of diamond and gold rings and get this, to boot they were drinking a showy liquor with suspended fine gold flakes!!!

In our hobby one of the last things we should worry about is ethics as most of people would rather satisfy their only wants and desires before considering the ethics of their decisions. My country recently demonstrated this hypocrisy when my government only a month ago announced a coming comprehensive ban on asbestos even though they knew of its serious health effects for decades.

Mindat.org is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 19, 2024 21:57:36

Go to top of page