In broad strokes, the manual form of surface mining that George, Scott and Travis are performing involves destroying acres of verdant forest and farmlands so artisan miners can dig into the ground with shovels and excavators to create a pit deep enough to access the mineral deposits. The miners pump water from a nearby river to soften the pit for further digging. As the pit floods, excess water is pumped out and the targeted soil is washed with poisonous chemicals to separate the gold from the sand.
It is a laborious process with serious ethical gaps as it devastates the environment and introduces toxins into the food chain. It often yields fatal results when the pit caves in and buries the miners alive. For these hazardous reasons, surface mining is illegal, except in restricted areas where the government provides explorative licenses exclusively to Ghanaians.
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