Satellite images of New Zealand’s mines (cont)
Oceana gold mine, near Reefton
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There’s also the Pike River coal mine, which I can’t find. It’s 46k east of Greymouth and mostly underground.
6 responses to “Satellite images of New Zealand’s mines (cont)”
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Site office address is here, but I’ll be darned if I can find anything nearby that looks like mine
For the Pike River mine, that is.
Interesting pics.
What’s your point?
I’m not sure I have a point. Maybe it’s an artwork. Does seeing the satellite photos of NZ’s mines make any difference to the way you think about the current debate? These days our actions (actions is the wrong word — lifestyles might be better) have ramifications far beyond our knowledge or control, and Google Maps seems a hopeful little step towards lifting the veil (to mix metaphors).
Mines are ugly.
But so are factories, roads etc.
By far the ugliest blot on a landscape is a city.
Tough one to find an answer to.
I like beautiful natural scenery.
But I also enjoy riding a steel framed bike on tar seal and concrete, and communicating via the internet on my pc. That means somewhere, someone has to dig stuff out of the ground to make things with (iron, gold, copper, etc).
I instinctively dislike the idea of mining in a beautiful area of native forest.
But at the same time, some mining will have to be done somewhere.
I’d prefer if we could minimize the impact, and fix up the mess.
I’ve seen some beautifully landscaped/restored old quarries – maybe that’s one answer.
What would be a shame if some company came in, raped the land, sent the mined goodies overseas, and left a poisoned scar on the landscape. That would be akin to mindless vandalism.
Good thoughts, Rudy. My thought about this particular mine pic, especially when you zoom out: “Boy, that’s a lot of forest. A little bit of mine doesn’t hurt.” But making a mine beautiful and kind of part of the scene, now there’s an idea.
I have to disagree about “the ugliest blot on a landscape is a city” (now that I’m here in NYC). A city is actually quite a beautiful thing, an impressive part of the landscape, especially at night. Up closer, however, there’s enough to dislike about NYC (a fair bit of graffiti, and rubbish on the roads and footpaths, for instance).