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An important part of planning for the rehabilitation of a mine site is the design of stable final landforms for waste rock dumps or spoil piles. Whilst able to be assessed over the short-term (years to decades), the longer term behaviour (centuries to millennia) of such landscapes is not within any meaningful human time frame of observation. Predictive numerical models, therefore, form an important tool with which current landscape behaviour and longer term trajectory can be assessed. However, an important issue associated with the use of models is the ability to assess the reliability and accuracy of the model. Here the SIBERIA and CAESAR-Lisflood Landscape Evolution Models (LEMs) are used to simulate and assess the geomorphic stability of a conceptual rehabilitated landform of the Ranger uranium mine in the Northern Territory, Australia, for a simulated period of up to 1000 years. Utilising both models in this study enabled an independent assessment of likely landscape processes and evolution as well as each model. Results show that SIBERIA and CAESAR-Lisflood produce erosion rates and patterns that are broadly similar. At millennial time scales, short-term processes such as gullying appear to be the dominant erosion features in the proposed landforms and may produce substantial erosion in terms of size and amount of hillslope material eroded and transported downslope. Vegetation was found to have a major effect on the erosion potential of the landform surface. Overall both models produce very similar results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As the result of current and historical metal mining, river channels and floodplains in many parts of the world have become contaminated by metal-rich waste in concentrations that may pose a hazard to human livelihoods and sustainable development. Environmental and human health impacts commonly arise because of the prolonged residence time of heavy metals in river sediments and alluvial soils and their bioaccumulatory nature in plants and animals. This paper considers how an understanding of the processes of sediment-associated metal dispersion in rivers, and the space and timescales over which they operate, can be used in a practical way to help river basin managers more effectively control and remediate catchments affected by current and historical metal mining. A geomorphological approach to the management of rivers contaminated by metals is outlined and four emerging research themes are highlighted and critically reviewed. These are: (1) response and recovery of river systems following the failures of major tailings dams; (2) effects of flooding on river contamination and the sustainable use of floodplains; (3) new developments in isotopic fingerprinting, remote sensing and numerical modelling for identifying the sources of contaminant metals and for mapping the spatial distribution of contaminants in river channels and floodplains; and (4) current approaches to the remediation of river basins affected by mining, appraised in light of the European Union''s Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). Future opportunities for geomorphologically-based assessments of mining-affected catchments are also identified. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]