Argentina – . A study released this weekend by the Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA) reveals that the mega-mining copper project El Pachón, by Xstrata Copper in the southernmost corner of San Juan Province on the Border between Chile and Argentina (set for 2012), will destroy rock glaciers and periglacial environments. The evidence derives from Xstrata’s own impact assessments as well as from CEDHA’ s analysis of satellite images.

Through satellite imagery available on Google Earth, CEDHA is carrying out a glacier inventory and mapping mining activity which might place this critical water reserve at risk. Mining operations have flocked to Argentina on the discovery by Barrick Gold of large precious metal deposits. Unfortunately, these minerals are often times resting under precious glacier water reserves.

“It’s like the California Gold Rush all over again,” says Daniel Taillant, founder of CEDHA and author of the report, which has the contribution of glacier specialists.

“While we were reviewing images of the highlands in southern San Juan Province, we noticed extensive exploratory roads introduced by what are clearly mining prospects, right on the Chilean Argentine border. At first we thought they belonged to Los Pelambres, a Chilean copper mining venture which has destroyed rock glaciers in project implementation. We later realized that this was from El Pachón, a project now owned by Xstrata Copper”.

CEDHA made numerous requests to the company and to the government of San Juan for Environmental Impact Assessment data regarding glacier presence and impact. It took CEDHA nearly 3 months to get a substantive response. Documents in a 2008 assessment report included a geological survey map (see image) which revealed extensive glacier presence. In fact, the map plots some 200+ glaciers and extensive permafrost zones (visible in light blue in the map). Both are fully protected under Argentina’s new glacier law passed in October of 2011.

According to the EIA, the locations shown for the pits and the waste pile sites, various rock glaciers would be destroyed by the project. The main pit area (a purple polygon in the map), for example, includes a fair sized glacier and is 30% permafrost zone. One of the waste pile sites (red polygon) has two glaciers right in the middle of the site. Both rock glaciers and periglacial environments (permafrost) are protected under the new federal law as well as by a recent glacier law enacted by the province of San Juan. The project, says CEDHA, “as it is designed is illegal and would have to undergo significant redesign before it could be approved.” Xstrata should also repair damage to glaciers by exploratory roads, which can strangle a glacier by intercepting water and snowfall intake into the ice mass. CEDHA also found that at least 60 or more rock glaciers that can be seen on Google Earth are not included in the company’s 2008 mapping.

The El Pachón Project can be clearly seen with Google Earth at: the following coordinate address: [31 45 5.26 S, 70 26 2.61 W]. Type the address in the search “fly to” box in Google Earth and hit enter.

“El Pachón’s situation is extremely delicate,” says Taillant. “The project is in violation of the law. At least a dozen or more glaciers will be completely destroyed by project implementation if it moves forward as is. And then there is the extensive past impact from roads which needs to be repaired”.

This sort of problems is typical of mining projects in the Andes highlands, and is precisely why Argentina has moved to pass a glacier protection law, the first of its kind anywhere. The law was passed despite fierce opposition from the mining lobby, led by mining stalwarts like Barrick Gold, which leveraged a Presidential Veto in 2008 of an earlier version of the law. When the law was passed a second time in 2010, Barrick attacked it with a legal complaint which is now at the National Supreme Court.

CEDHA met with the Mining Minister of the provincial government of San Juan over the weekend to present these findings. The minister indicated that the province would do everything in its power to avoid impacts to active rock glaciers (these are glaciers that are evolving, that move, that renew water and ice content each year). “If inactive glaciers are impacted, we will guarantee that the ice content is captured and utilized for consumption”, said the minister.

CEDHA calls on Xstrata, which has already been the focus of a previous report of impacts to rock glaciers and permafrost at its Filo Colorado project in Catamarca province, tocease all activity until a proper glacier impact assessment can be carried out, as is mandated by the new glacier law. Xstrata should have produced this impact assessment by the end of April. CEDHA also calls on Xstrata to repair past damages to glaciers and warns that continued use and maintenance of roads or leaving roads as they are, will negatively affect glacier sustainability.

This report comes at a time when Argentina has been overrun by a profound debate over the impacts large mining projects are having on critically sensitive glacial environments, glaciers, permafrost (frozen earth) and a variety of glaciers that is unknown to most called rock glaciers. Rock glaciers when seen from above may not show any ice at all yet they contain as much ice as ordinary white glaciers. But unlike white glaciers, rock glaciers have a much stronger resistance to heat (as the mass of ice is protected form higher temperatures by rock cover).

“Rock glaciers, like the ones impacted by Xstrata, are a fantastic adaptation by mother nature to conserve water in otherwise dry and warmer months. The meltwater from these glaciers provide a steady flow of drinking and irrigation water to local communities long after winter snow has melted! Rock glaciers survive quiet well at much lower elevations, incrementing our ice reserves,” says Taillant. Downstream communities from El Pachón, such as Barreal, Pituil, Tamberias, Sorocoyense, Calingasta, among others, should be on alert as the impacts to glaciers upstream can cause significant impact to the volume of water flowing through rivers fed by these glaciers.

CEDHA’s report is the second in it’s MINING and GLACIERS SERIES and is part of an effort to “Democratize Glaciers”.

For more information:
Jorge Daniel Taillant
jdtaillant [at] gmail [dot] com
cel: +54 9 351 507 8376

Link to Report (4mb): (English) – (Spanish)

Link to Xstrata’s geo-morphological map showing glaciers and periglacial environments;
http://www.cedha.org.ar/contenidos/MAPA%202.6.1-AM-GEOMORFOLOGIA.jpg

Link to Google Earth File – open it in Google Earth to see the glaciers for yourself
www.cedha.org.ar/contenidos/Glaciar-Inventory-Pachon.kmz