This exploration of our current day metropolitan condition as a system of systems deals with the crust of the Earth as a primary carrying capacitor of human activities, from the extraction of resources deep within the ground, to agricultural operations that barely scratch the surface.
The landscape that is produced from the extracted material that
(for now) has no further use, is scattered with waste sites in the
vicinity of extraction locations, that range from overburden heaps
to tailings.
Carletonville
On the bottom a long section portrays how the natural inclination
generates pollution, draining water from the tailings to the river.
Moreover, the topography makes the dust particles spread by the
wind in a large portion of the region.
A cross-section shows the mechanism of de-watering. The water
is trapped between underground natural dykes and is pumped
out from the highest to the lowest sector. One de-watered the
Dolomite stone – a porous sedimentary carbonate rock, in this
region characterized by underground caves – triggers phenomena
of subsidence and sinkholes, as described in the diagram
