REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Geological Survey Department The Preparation of a Strategy for the Restoration of Abandoned Mines FINAL REPORT NOVEMBER 2008 DATE ISSUED: November 2008 JOB NUMBER: OS10047 REPORT NUMBER: J01 FINAL CLIENT’S REFERENCE: 2007/43 REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS; Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment; Geological Survey Department The Preparation of a Strategy for the Restoration of Abandoned Mines PREPARED BY: J S Sceal Consultant (WA) L S Carroll Senior Geologist (WA) H Meddings Environmental Scientist (WA) A Caramondani Town Planner (ALA) A Kalopedis Civil Engineer (ALA) Michael Michael Town and regional Planner (ALA) APPROVED BY: Nick Watson Technical Director This report has been prepared by Wardell Armstrong LLP with all reasonable skill, care and diligence, within the terms of the Contract with the Client. The report is confidential to the Client and Wardell Armstrong LLP accept no responsibility of whatever nature to third parties to whom this report may be made known. No part of this document may be reproduced without the prior written approval of Wardell Armstrong LLP. Republic of Cyprus, Geological Survey Department Study of the restoration of abandoned sulphide mines TABLE OF CONTENTS GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................. 1 TABLE OF STATUTORY AND LEGISLATIVE MATERIALS .................................................................. 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY......................................................................................................................... 7 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 12 2.0 THE GEOLOGY OF CYPRUS....................................................................................................... 15 3.0 MINE RESTORATION: INTERNATIONAL GOOD PRACTICE .................................................... 22 4.0 LEGAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................................................. 28 5.0 SITE ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT AND PILOT SITE SELECTION PROCEDURE. 45 6.0 MINE RESTORATION METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 50 7.0 PROPOSED PILOT STUDY.......................................................................................................... 57 8.0 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................................................................. 67 APPENDICES Appendix 1 Mines included in the study………………………………………………………………..69 Appendix 2 References…………………………………………………………………………………..71 Appendix 3 Field Study Checklist……………………………………………………………………….77 Appendix 4 Plans with individual mine information (in a separate booklet)……………………….108 Appendix 5 Photographs of Kokkinopezoula………………………………………………...............109 Appendix 6 Forestry Commission Report……………………………………………………………..113 Appendix 7 Commentary on Individual Mines………………………………………………………..125 'OS10047/J01 FINAL i November 2008 Republic of Cyprus, Geological Survey Department Study of the restoration of abandoned sulphide mines GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS acid mine drainage Acid mine drainage refers to the outflow of acidic water due to flow through or over material that have an abundance of sulphide minerals from (usually) abandoned metal mines or coal mines. agglomerate Pyroclastic rocks consisting mainly of fragments larger than 2cm in diameter allochthounous A term applied to the material forming rocks which have been transported to the site of deposition AMD Acid Mine Drainage (see glossary entry). apophyses Thin branches or offshoots - a term applied to bodies of igneous rocks ASL Above Sea Level autochthonous Sediment in which the main constituents have formed in-situ e.g. evaporites basalt A common mafic extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually gray to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey. BAT Best Available Technology. breccia A rock composed of angular fragments of rocks or minerals in a matrix that is a cementing material, which may be similar or different in composition to the fragments. BREF Best Available Techniques Reference Document. Campanian The Campanian is a stage on the geologic time scale occurring from 83.5 Ma to 70.6 Ma (million years before the present). It is the middle stage of the Late Cretaceous Epoch. Carboniferous A period with widespread occurrence of carbon in the form of coal in these beds extends from 345 to 280 Ma (million years before the present) Court of First First court of appeal from decisions of the European Commission. Instance Established under powers conferred by the Single European Act 1986. Cretaceous The Cretaceous is a geological period, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period, 145.5 Ma to the beginning of the Paleocene Period, 65.5 Ma diabase Diabase is a mafic, crystalline, igneous rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase is also called dolerite in many references outside North America dolomite Dolomite is the name of a sedimentary carbonate rock and a mineral, OS10047 FINAL 1 November 2008 Republic of Cyprus, Geological Survey Department Study of the restoration of abandoned sulphide mines both composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg(CO 3)2 found in crystals. dyke A tubular or sheet like body of igneous rock that cuts across the structure of adjacent rocks; usually intruded into igneous rocks, filling up vents or fissures. Eco-Management A voluntary initiative designed to improve companies’ environmental and Audit System performance established by European Regulation 1836/93; designed to recognise and reward those organisations that go beyond minimum legal compliance and continuously improve their environmental performance. In addition, it is a requirement of the scheme that participating organisations regularly produce a public environmental statement that reports on their environmental performance. EIA Environmental Impact Assessment (see glossary entry). EIS Environmental Impact Statement (see glossary entry). EMAS Eco-management and Audit System (see glossary entry). Environmental Impact Is defined as: The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and Assessment mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made Environmental Statement ES Environmental Statement (see glossary entry). exhalative Deposits relating to volcanic gases exploration Searching for ore. It may include geological reconnaissance, e.g. remote sensing, photogeology, geophysical and geochemical methods, and both surface and underground investigations. facies Facies is the characteristics of a rock type, which are dictated by the conditions of formation, reflecting a particular process or environment. gossan Gossan is intensely oxidized, weathered or decomposed rock, usually the upper and exposed part of an ore deposit or mineral vein grade Concentration of ore mineral, measured as a percentage or parts per million. ha Hectare, a land measurement of 10,000 square metres. igneous Igneous rocks are rocks formed by solidification of cooled magma (molten rock), with or without crystallization, either below the surface OS10047 FINAL 2 November 2008 Republic of Cyprus, Geological Survey Department Study of the restoration of abandoned sulphide mines as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. IPPC Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (see glossary entry) km A kilometre or one thousand line or metres lenticular A lens is a body of ore or rock or a deposit that is thick in the middle and thin at the edges, resembling a convex lens in cross-section. Adjective: "lenticular". limburgitic A term applied to a dark - coloured volcanic rock resembling basalt containing olivine and augite limestone Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate: CaCO3). lithology The character or composition of a rock or rock formation m metre m ASL metres above sea level. mafic Mafic is an adjective describing a silicate mineral or rock that is rich in magnesium and iron; Most mafic minerals are dark in colour. Common mafic rocks include basalt and gabbro marble Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite marly Marly is originally an old term loosely applied to a variety of materials, most of which occur as loose, earthy deposits consisting chiefly of an intimate mixture of clay and calcium carbonate metamorphic Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of a pre-existing rock type, (the protolith), The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change. The protolith may be sedimentary rock, igneous rock or another older metamorphic rock. Miocene The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23.03 to 5.33 Ma (million years before the present). mm millimetre. oceanic crust Oceanic crust is the part of Earth's lithosphere that surfaces in the ocean basins. Oligocene A geological period that extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million Ma (million years before the present) ophiolite