Ft. McMurray Oil Sands, aka Mordor

So I spent last week in Ft. McMurray, doing the preliminary sampling for my project up there before i set up the sampling plan and start collecting data in July. I saw some interesting things in the plant communities that are developing on my three sites, and also some very interesting things with the mine activities. I didn't understand just how big it all is until I got to drive around the mine a bit. The Suncor mine is about 25 km long, and about 10 km wide at it's widest. Syncrude is even bigger than that.

While we were there we drove up to the Syncrude plant to take some pictures at the "interpretive center."

This is the dragline bucket, which scoops out huge chunks of earth to expose the oil sands.

And this is the dragline. This one is small compared to the draglines that they use now.

This is the bucket wheel, which chews a trench in the earth, dumps the soil on the conveyor belt on the top of it, and sends it down to another conveyor belt that takes is away for processing. This machine is longer than a football field. They're not used very much anymore. Kind of awkward to move I think.

I am trying to move a very large piece of chain. I am sad to report that I was not successful.

The Syncrude plant, right next to the highway.

The rest of the Syncrude plant.

This is where the tailings (water and waste by-products of the oil extraction process) spend years settling out. This is the part that looks like Mordor. Just a barren gray wasteland as far as you can see. It's pretty gross.

Two of the three Syncrude sulfur stacks in the distance (big yellow blocks that will sit there until the end of time). This is Crane Lake, where one of my sites is (the dark band of trees on the far side of the lake).

Illegal drive by picture taking of some activity on the Syncrude site. These two dozers are pushing tailings material around in what looks like preparation for extension of the pipe that the tailings spew out of it. It was spewing the day before, but unfortunately wasn't when we drove by the next day. It was really gross.