User:MHatherall/sandbox

Article Evaluation
Article under evaluation: Hydraulic Mining (aka: Placer Mining).

The information presented in this article is relevant and the article is neutral in nature. There is a respectable amount of citations to support the arguments and points being made and the links all work. In the talk portion of the page, the title of the page is under discussion as it is a form of mining which is also called "Placer Mining". Overall the article delivers pertinent and valid information but it could focus more on the other places this way of mining was used. The article focuses on this mining technique being used in California because that is the where the technique originated but more emphasis can be put on other areas where this technique is currently being used. The information relating the places is underrepresented and could be elaborated. Nothing in this article really distracts the readers from the topic of mining and more specifically hydraulic mining.

Rio Tinto (river)
Currently this article lacks a lot of information and this is why it is a good article to focus on. There are many aspects of this topic that have yet to be covered on wikipedia. Ideas to improve the article of this river will be by adding more information to the history of the river, the environmental concerns, and the type of mining that has been done in the area. The paragraph on the describing the main points or information on the river is fairly limited in how it describes the physical appearance and characteristics. The History portion of the article has good information and facts but there are some mining history that appears to be missing and could potentially be useful to the article. The page mentions the issue of environmental concerns but does not expand on this serious topic in any way. Therefore, a lot of information and facts on the environmental problems caused by mining and drainage/waste should be integrated in to the text. The article does have some citations to back up the information posted but additional citations could be added in the main description area of the page.

Rough draft

 * The Rio Tinto river is a very polluted river which is due to the acid drainage from the mining history in the area and also natural acid rock drainage. There are severe environmental concerns over the pollution in the river. The pollution is part of the reason why the river is the colour it is. This specific region in Spain has seen many years of mining. Not all mining has been directly in the river area, as ore deposits have been found 20 kilometres from the shoreline of the river. It has also been the root of approximately 5000 years of ore extraction. Due to all of the mining activity in the area, the topography has been vastly modified.
 * The mining history of this river has led its pollution issues and therefore, more accurate history of this river should be posted.
 * There are many environmental concerns due to the acid drainage in the area and the effects of these chemicals will be explored in more detail. This will shed some light on the reason for which the river has its unique colour. The colour is derived from the chemical makeup of the river. The river is extremely acidic and contains very high levels of iron. The combination of the acid water, heavy metals and high levels of iron give the river its unique colour.
 * Along with its colour there will be more information posted on the description of the river, including its length and other physical characteristics. The river maintains its bright orange colour for an approximate length of approximately 50 kilometres. After the 50 kilometre mark, the chemistry that makes the Rio Tinto river so unique appears to slowly decline as with the odd colouring. The location where the chemistry of the river is altered near a town called Niebla. The rivers chemistry begins to significantly change following the town of Niebla due to the mixing of Rio Tinto and other streams that are connected to the Atlantic Ocean.
 * The length of the river is around 100 kilometres long. Research done on the river indicates that the river originally had high levels of acid and iron before mining was introduced to the area.

Bibliography:
https://doi-org.proxy.library.carleton.ca/10.1180/000985599546118

doi:10.1128/AEM.00654-11

https://doi.org/10.2307/1543560

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pss.2006.02.006