Grasberg (Freeport) Mine Tailings, Irian Jaya

skytruth_grasberg_view_to_north_1988.tif

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:04 -0400

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skytruth_grasberg_view_to_north_1988.tif

Whats In The Photo:

Caption:

Grasberg Tailings Panoramic View - 1988

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Photographer Name:

John Amos

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SkyTruth

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SkyTruth

skytruth_grasberg_overview_2003_12x9_200dpi.tif

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:04 -0400

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skytruth_grasberg_overview_2003_12x9_200dpi.tif

Whats In The Photo:

Landsat satellite image from 2003 showing same area as 1988 overview image. Mining activity began in the area in 1970, reaching 20,000 tons per day by the 1980s. But discovery of the massive "Grasberg" ore body greatly accelerated the operation in 1989; by 1997 production had skyrocketed to 130,000 tons per day. Tailings dumped into the river upstream are settling out on a long stretch of floodplain downstream near the town of Timika, changing the hydrology of the Ajkwa river system and killing vegetation over a broad area (dark blue to purple swath). Levees have been constructed in an attempt to control flooding and contain the tailings. Deforestation has also occurred over a large area since 1988: intact lowland forests are dark green, and cleared areas are bright green.

Caption:

Grasberg Tailings Overview - 2003

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Please contact SkyTruth (info@skytruth.org) for more information and permission to use.

Photographer Name:

John Amos

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SkyTruth

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SkyTruth

skytruth_grasberg_fullres_2003_12x9_200dpi.tif

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:03 -0400

Original File Name:

skytruth_grasberg_fullres_2003_12x9_200dpi.tif

Whats In The Photo:

Detail from Landsat satellite image taken in 2003, showing the same area as detail image from 1988. The Ajkwa River floodplain (dark blue - purple, indicating barren rock and mud) has expanded due to the deposition of tailings dumped into the river system from the Grasberg mine. The area impacted by tailings deposition covers about 50 square miles (33,000 acres). The town of Timika has also expanded; the network of roads appears as a fine gridwork of purple lines, and the cleared area (bright green) now covers a large area that was intact forest (dark green) in 1988. Note the levees that bound the greatly expanded floodplain; new roads etched sharply into the forest, especially on the east (right) side of the floodplain; and the new community at top center, built especially for mine workers, that includes an 18-hole golf course (the fairways are bright yellow).

Caption:

Grasberg Tailings Detail - 2003

Photographer Name:

John Amos

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SkyTruth

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organization

SkyTruth

skytruth_grasberg_overview_1988_12x9_200dpi.tif

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:03 -0400

Original File Name:

skytruth_grasberg_overview_1988_12x9_200dpi.tif

Whats In The Photo:

Landsat satellite image showing river systems downstream from the Grasberg copper-gold mine, a huge open-pit mining operation in the mountains of Irian Jaya in eastern Indonesia.

Caption:

Grasberg Tailings Overview - 1988

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Please contact SkyTruth (info@skytruth.org) for more information and permission to use.

Photographer Name:

John Amos

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SkyTruth

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organization

SkyTruth

skytruth_grasberg_fullres_1988_12x9_200dpi.tif

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:02 -0400

Original File Name:

skytruth_grasberg_fullres_1988_12x9_200dpi.tif

Whats In The Photo:

Detail from Landsat satellite image taken in 1988 showing Ajkwa river near town of Timika, downstream from the Grasberg copper-gold mine, a huge open-pit mining operation in the mountains of Irian Jaya in eastern Indonesia. Barren rock and mud in river floodplain is dark blue - purple. Paved airport runway is sharp diagonal line at center of image, just west of the floodplain. Town of Timika is marked by clearings (bright green) within the largely intact lowland forest (dark green). Low, puffy clouds form the white patches near the bottom of this image, with their matching black shadows offset slightly to their left; high, thin patches of cloud and their shadows form the white hazy areas and large, iregular dark patches visible over much of the image.

Caption:

Grasberg Tailings Detail - 1988

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Please contact SkyTruth (info@skytruth.org) for more information and permission to use.

Photographer Name:

John Amos

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SkyTruth

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SkyTruth

skytruth_grasberg_view_to_north_2003.tif

admin — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:27:02 -0400

Original File Name:

skytruth_grasberg_view_to_north_2003.tif

Whats In The Photo:

3-D panoramic view looking north over the area impacted by tailings disposal from the Grasberg open-pit copper-gold mine in Irian Jaya, Indonesia. Landsat satellite image taken in 2003. Compare with 1988 panorama. Tailings disposal into the river system has caused great expansion of the Ajkwa River floodplain in the lowlands below the mine (large purple-blue swath, indicating barren rock and sediment). The Grasberg Mine is visible as a purple spot near the top center of the image, along the mountain crest.

Caption:

Grasberg Tailings Panoramic View - 2003

Add Comments:

Please contact SkyTruth (info@skytruth.org) for more information and permission to use.

Photographer Name:

John Amos

Organization Name:

SkyTruth

Credit For Photo:

organization

SkyTruth