Ch 13 Minerals and Mining

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What is strip mining?

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A surface mining method that involves stripping away the overburden to access minerals, often leading to habitat destruction.

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What is subsurface mining?

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A mining method that involves digging tunnels or shafts to reach buried minerals, typically less disruptive to surface habitats.

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What does it mean to reclaim land after mining?

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The process of restoring land to its original state or making it suitable for other uses after mining operations are completed.

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What is the luster of a mineral?

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The way a mineral reflects light, indicating its shininess.

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What is the hardness of a mineral?

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A measure of a mineral's resistance to scratching, often determined using the Mohs scale.

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What is cleavage in mineralogy?

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The tendency of a mineral to break along flat, even surfaces.

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What is streak in mineral identification?

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The color of the powder produced when a mineral is scraped across a hard surface.

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What is the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977?

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A law that regulates the environmental effects of coal mining in the U.S. and mandates land reclamation.

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What is placer mining?

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A mining method that involves extracting minerals from riverbeds or beach sands, often using water.

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What is solution mining?

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A method of mining that involves dissolving minerals in a liquid and then extracting them, often used for salt and potash.