Page | 17of life.”^85 In addition to contaminating drinking water, mining in Mongolia has caused
hundreds of rivers and lakes to dry up.^86
Natural Hazards
Many of Mongolia’s most damaging natural
disasters are weather related. In the winter of
2009–2010, for example, Mongolia experienced
some of its harshest winter weather in nearly 50
years, marked by bitter cold and higher-than-
average snowfalls. Coupled with a drought the
previous summer, the extreme winter weather led
to a lack of pastureland and the eventual death of
7.8 million livestock animals. This zud event
directly affected more than 750,000 Mongolians,
or roughly 25% of the country’s population, and was by far the most damaging zud in the
nation’s history.87,^88
Massive dust storms, wild fires, and flooding are other relatively common natural
disasters that take place in Mongolia.
(^89) Less common, but potentially more deadly, are
large-magnitude earthquakes. Even though Mongolia is not near any plate boundaries,
three earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above shook Mongolia during the 20th century.^90
The most recent of these, which occurred in December 1957, killed 30 people and left the
world’s best-preserved earthquake-induced surface rupture.91,^92
(^85) Stefan Lovgren, “Mongolia Gold Rush Destroying Rivers, Nomadic Life,” National Geographic News,
17 Oct. 2008,
Fortunately, this
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/10/081017-mongolia-mining-missions.html
(^86) United Nations Human Rights Team Group, “Discussion Paper: Mining and Human Rights in
Mongolia,” 2006,
http://www.rimmrights.org/Documents/final%20discussion%20paper%20amended%20CHRD%20(i).pdf
(^87) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Mongolian Dzud Appeal 2010,” 11 May
2010, http://www.fao.org/emergencies/tce-appfund/tce-appeals/appeals/emergency-
detail0/en/item/42611/icode/?uidf=
(^88) James Sawyer, National Geographic Newswatch, “Mongolian Dzud Kills Millions of Domestic
Animals,” 26 April 2010, http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/04/mongolian-
dzud-kills-millions.html
(^89) United Nations Public Administration Network, “Mongolia: Top 10 Natural Disasters,” 5 January 2003,
http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/apcity/unpan009406.pdf
(^90) U.S. Geological Survey, “1998 USGS Expedition to Mongolia,” 29 January 2009,
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/geology/mongolia98/
(^91) NOAA National Geophysical Data Center, “6 Significant Earthquakes Where (Year <= 2010 and Year >
= 1800) and Country = MONGOLIA,” 10 March 2011,
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/nndc/struts/results?bt_0=1800&st_0=2010&type_17=EXACT&query_17=None
+Selected&op_12=eq&v_12=MONGOLIA&type_12=Or&query_14=None+Selected&type_3=Like&quer
y_3=&st_1=&bt_2=&st_2=&bt_1=&bt_4=&st_4=&bt_5=&st_5=&bt_6=&st_6=&bt_7=&st_7=&bt_8=&s
t_8=&bt_9=&st_9=&bt_10=&st_10=&type_11=Exact&query_11=&type_16=Exact&query16=&display
look=1&t=101650&s=1&submit_all=Search+Database