Gold and mineral mining in and near rivers across the tropics is degrading waterways in 49 countries, according to a Dartmouth-led study. Published in Nature , the findings represent the first physical footprint of river mining and its hydrological impacts on a global scale. River mining often involves intensive excavation, which results in deforestation and increased erosion. Much of the excavated material is released to rivers, disrupting aquatic life in ecosystems nearby and downstream. This inorganic sediment, particles of clay, silt, and sand, is carried by rivers as "suspended sediment," transmitting the environmental effects of mining downstream.

https://www.miragenews.com/tropical-mining-boom-of-21st-century-degrades-1070669/

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