Giant Mine
Encyclopedia
The Giant Mine was a large gold mine
located on the Ingraham Trail
just outside of
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
. Gold
was discovered on the property in 1935 by Johnny Baker, but the true extent of the gold deposits were not known until 1944 when a massive gold-bearing shear zone was uncovered beneath the drift-filled
Baker Creek Valley. The discovery led to a massive post-war staking boom in Yellowknife. Giant Mine entered production in 1948 and ceased operations in 2004. It produced over 7000000 ozt (217,724.3 kg) of gold.
On September 18, 1992, at the height of a labour dispute
during the tenure of Royal Oak Mines
ownership, an explosion in a drift
of the mine
, 750 ft (228.6 m) underground, killed nine strikebreaker
s and replacement workers riding in a man-car. Mine employee Roger Warren
was later convicted of placing the bomb. The strike
/lockout
ended in 1993, pursuant to an order by the (then) Canada Labour Relations Board. A civil suit also resulted on behalf of the families of the replacement workers killed in the explosion (Fullowka v. Royal Oak Ventures Inc.)
Owners of the mine have included Falconbridge
(1948-1986 through subsidiary Giant Yellowknife Mines Limited), Pamour of Australia (1986-1990 through subsidiary Giant Yellowknife Mines Limited), Royal Oak Mines
(1990–1999), and Miramar Mining Corporation (1999–2004).
The Northwest Territories' first mining museum
is to be built on the old property. The N.W.T. Mining Heritage Society
is in charge of the work.
Giant Mine is within the Kam Group
, which is part of the Yellowknife greenstone belt.
dust produced during the gold roasting process. This dust is water soluble and contains approximately 60% arsenic. The site's 950 ha (2,347.5 acre) footprint includes 8 open pits
, 4 tailing ponds, 325000 m³ (11,477,266.5 cu ft) of contaminated soils
, and approximately 100 buildings including a roaster/bag house complex that is highly contaminated with arsenic
and fibrous
asbestos
. A $400 million(probably more) taxpayer-funded remediation project is underway. A main aspect of the successful proposed solution, known as the "Frozen Block Alternative," is to permanently freeze the arsenic trioxide storage chambers to keep groundwater
seepage out.
television movie
Giant Mine
.
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
located on the Ingraham Trail
Ingraham Trail
Highway 4, known more commonly as the Ingraham Trail, extends from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to Tibbitt Lake, approximately east of Yellowknife...
just outside of
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
. Gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered on the property in 1935 by Johnny Baker, but the true extent of the gold deposits were not known until 1944 when a massive gold-bearing shear zone was uncovered beneath the drift-filled
Drift (geology)
In geology, drift is the name for all material of glacial origin found anywhere on land or at sea , including sediment and large rocks...
Baker Creek Valley. The discovery led to a massive post-war staking boom in Yellowknife. Giant Mine entered production in 1948 and ceased operations in 2004. It produced over 7000000 ozt (217,724.3 kg) of gold.
On September 18, 1992, at the height of a labour dispute
Labor unrest
Labor unrest is a term used by employers or those generally in the business community to describe organizing and strike actions undertaken by labor unions, especially where labor disputes become violent or where industrial actions in which members of a workforce obstruct the normal process of...
during the tenure of Royal Oak Mines
Royal Oak Mines
Royal Oak Mines Incorporated was a gold mining company, founded in 1990 by Margaret "Peggy" Witte in Kirkland, Washington....
ownership, an explosion in a drift
Drift mining
Drift mining is either the mining of a placer deposit by underground methods, or the working of coal seams accessed by adits driven into the surface outcrop of the coal bed. Drift is a more general mining term, meaning a near-horizontal passageway in a mine, following the bed or vein of ore. A...
of the mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, 750 ft (228.6 m) underground, killed nine strikebreaker
Strikebreaker
A strikebreaker is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers are usually individuals who are not employed by the company prior to the trade union dispute, but rather hired prior to or during the strike to keep the organisation running...
s and replacement workers riding in a man-car. Mine employee Roger Warren
Roger Warren
Roger Warren is a former miner who was convicted of nine counts of second-degree murder in connection to the September 18, 1992 Giant Mine bombings at Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada...
was later convicted of placing the bomb. The strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
/lockout
Lockout (industry)
A lockout is a work stoppage in which an employer prevents employees from working. This is different from a strike, in which employees refuse to work.- Causes :...
ended in 1993, pursuant to an order by the (then) Canada Labour Relations Board. A civil suit also resulted on behalf of the families of the replacement workers killed in the explosion (Fullowka v. Royal Oak Ventures Inc.)
Owners of the mine have included Falconbridge
Falconbridge Ltd.
Falconbridge Limited was a Toronto, Ontario-based natural resources company with operations in 18 countries, involved in the exploration, mining, processing, and marketing of metal and mineral products, including nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum. It was listed on the TSX and NYSE , and had...
(1948-1986 through subsidiary Giant Yellowknife Mines Limited), Pamour of Australia (1986-1990 through subsidiary Giant Yellowknife Mines Limited), Royal Oak Mines
Royal Oak Mines
Royal Oak Mines Incorporated was a gold mining company, founded in 1990 by Margaret "Peggy" Witte in Kirkland, Washington....
(1990–1999), and Miramar Mining Corporation (1999–2004).
The Northwest Territories' first mining museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
is to be built on the old property. The N.W.T. Mining Heritage Society
N.W.T. Mining Heritage Society
The N.W.T. Mining Heritage Society, in the Northwest Territories, Canada, was first formed in early 2000 as the Giant Mine Heritage Group to rescue items from the Giant Mine site after its owner, Royal Oak Mines Incorporated, went bankrupt....
is in charge of the work.
Giant Mine is within the Kam Group
Kam Group
The Kam Group is a thick Archean volcanic group in the Yellowknife greenstone belt of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It consists of tholeiitic mafic and subordinate felsic volcanic rocks that were erupted in a submarine environment about 2706 million years ago.-See also:*List of volcanoes in...
, which is part of the Yellowknife greenstone belt.
Contamination
Mining operations over four decades created a massive environmental liability, a problem which the mine's previous owners left to the Canadian and Northwest Territories governments to sort out. The Giant Mine contains 237000 t (233,256.2 LT) of arsenic trioxideArsenic trioxide
Arsenic trioxide is the inorganic compound with the formula As2O3. This commercially important oxide of arsenic is the main precursor to other arsenic compounds, including organoarsenic compounds. Approximately 50,000 tonnes are produced annually...
dust produced during the gold roasting process. This dust is water soluble and contains approximately 60% arsenic. The site's 950 ha (2,347.5 acre) footprint includes 8 open pits
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
, 4 tailing ponds, 325000 m³ (11,477,266.5 cu ft) of contaminated soils
Soil contamination
Soil contamination or soil pollution is caused by the presence of xenobiotic chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil environment....
, and approximately 100 buildings including a roaster/bag house complex that is highly contaminated with arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
and fibrous
Asbestos fibers
Asbestos fibers are released from asbestos containing materials . Friable asbestos containing materials release fibers more readily than encapsulated asbestos containing materials.- Determining airborne asbestos fiber levels :...
asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
. A $400 million(probably more) taxpayer-funded remediation project is underway. A main aspect of the successful proposed solution, known as the "Frozen Block Alternative," is to permanently freeze the arsenic trioxide storage chambers to keep groundwater
Groundwater
Groundwater is water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. A unit of rock or an unconsolidated deposit is called an aquifer when it can yield a usable quantity of water. The depth at which soil pore spaces or fractures and voids in rock...
seepage out.
Film
The events and aftermath of the Giant Mine labour dispute and explosion were dramatized in the 1996 CBCCBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
Giant Mine
Giant Mine (film)
Giant Mine was a Canadian television film, which dramatized the events of the 1992 Giant Mine labour dispute and the subsequent bomb explosion which killed nine replacement workers...
.