Minerals & Mining

Minerals & Mining

You will use the following slides and videos to fill in your notes handout. Then you can use the handout to answer the questions for a quiz grade.

Multiple Choice

A natural resource that can be replaced by nature in a short period of time.

• Renewable Resource

• Nonrenewable Resource

Multiple Choice

A natural resource that can only be replaced only through processes that take millions of years.

• Renewable Resource

• Nonrenewable Resource

Multiple Choice

How long does it take for the non-renewable resource, coal, to form?

• Millions of years

• Hundreds of years

• Ten years

• 1 year

​What is mining?

• Reserves-the known quantity of the resource that can be economically recovered

  • Ex:  Globally there is a reserve of 330 years worth of aluminum. 

 However, in the US there is only a reserve of 2 years. 

​

• Minerals such as silicon, aluminum, iron, magnesium and calcium are available in Earth’s crust

  • Ores:  concentrated accumulations of minerals

The supply is difficult to measure

Multiple Choice

What is a reserve in mining?

• The removal of overburden

• The known amount of a resource left to be mined

• The leftover waste material

• The process of restoring land after mining

Multiple Choice

A deposit of rock that has a high enough concentration of minerals to be extracted for a profit is called a(n)

• ore

• smelt

• leach

• conservation

• High Grade Ore- high concentration of the mineral; profitable to extract

• Low Grade Ore- low concentration of the mineral; not profitable to extract

Mineral resources are extracted from the Earth by mining​

Multiple Choice

Whether or not something is mined is determined by its monetary value.

• True

• False

TYPES OF MINING

• 1. Surface Mining

• 2. Subsurface Mining

• 3. Undersea Mining

Multiple Choice

What is mining?

• Discovering new caves

• Extracting valuable materials (natural)

• Extracting artificial materials

Surface Mining

Worse for the environment

1.Strip Mining:  the removal of strips of soil and rock to expose ore.  

• Done when the ore is close to Earth’s surface

• Coal is often mined this way

The removed waste is called spoils or tailings

Multiple Choice

Which type of mining is associated with disturbing more land?

• Surface mining

• Subsurface mining

• Ocean mining

• Placer mining

Exisiting Coal Plants in GA

Multiple Choice

Mining that is done above ground is called...

• surface mining.

• subsurface mining.

Multiple Choice

When ore is removed in layers by removing the soil that is on top.

• Open Pit Mining

• Oil Derricks

• Strip Mining

• Fracking

​Open-pit Mining-the creation of a large pit/hole in the ground – Open Pit Copper Mine in Arizona

Open Pit Mining

The mine is the largest human-made excavation, and deepest open-pit mine in the world, which is considered to have produced more copper than any other mine in history – more than 19,000,000 short tons

​​Bingham Canyon Mine

Mountaintop Removal:  Miners remove the entire top of a mountain with explosives

-Most destructive mining process

​

Surface Mining

Multiple Choice

Removing a mountaintop to reach the ore that lays underneath.

• Open Pit Mining

• Fracking

• Mountaintop Removal

Multiple Choice

When ore is extracted from near the surface by digging deep into the ground.

• Strip Mining

• Contour Mining

• Mountaintop Removal

• Open Pit Mining

• Involves sifting through material in modern and ancient riverbed deposits.

• Miners usually use water to separate the mud and gravel from heavier weighted valuable minerals.  

• We call it “panning” for gold. It can also use large equipment.

​

​Placer Mining

Multiple Choice

Which type of mining occurs when gold is panned from a stream?

• open pit
• placer
• strip
• solution

Most Dangerous for the miner

Done when the mineral/metal is more than 100m below the surface of earth

Sub Surface Mining

• Horizontal tunnels beneath the surface are dug

• Ex.  Gold, diamonds, and coal

Multiple Choice

Deep deposits of minerals being removed from underground though tunnels and shafts is the definition of: 

• Strip Mining 
• Mountaintop Removal 
• Subsurface Mining 
• Surface Mining 

• Miners use  a process called dredging

• Miners use large machines similar to vacuum cleaners to collect sand and gravel from the sea floor.

• This process is used to collect: diamonds, sulfur, calcium carbonate (used to make cement),  silica, copper, silver and gold.

• Scientist believe there is a lot of ore under the sea, but this process is extremely expensive.

​

Undersea Mining

Multiple Choice

Why is undersea mining historically unsuccessful?

• danger

• cost

• Dangerous animals

• Little to no money

Match

Match the following

• surface mining

• open-pit mining

• Strip Mining

• Undersea Mining

used when shallow ore deposits are located near the Earth's surface

used for large ore deposits near the surface

The removal of strips of soil and rock

using a process called dredging

• used when shallow ore deposits are located near the Earth's surface

• used for large ore deposits near the surface

• The removal of strips of soil and rock

• using a process called dredging

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT environmental impacts of mining?

• Destroys natural communities over large areas.

• Acid drainage pollutes groundwater.

• Creates minimal dust.

• Causes erosion

• Can block or change the flow of rivers (especially in Mountain top removal)

• Tremendous pollution:  

  • Ex.  Gold is treated with cyanide to remove the gold from the ore.  Cyanide is then left behind and is toxic.

  • Ex.  Gold is treated with mercury in other countries (illegal in the US) to separate the gold from the ore

• All destroy habitats/Decrease biodiversity:  

  • Building of roads = habitat fragmentation

  • Soil erosion

• Tailings contaminate land and water with acids and metal exposure

Environmental Effects of Mining

Multiple Choice

Ore leftovers after valuable minerals have been removed

• tailings

• smelting piles

• extraction heap

• gravel

Multiple Choice

Why mine tailings can be dangerous

• can cause miners to trip

• can be full of sharp objects

• can cause acid leaching into water bodies

• are full of conflict minerals

Multiple Choice

How does mining affect the environment?

• Mining has no impact on the environment.

• Mining can lead to deforestation, habitat destruction, soil erosion, water pollution, air pollution, and climate change.

• Mining actually improves the environment.

• Mining only affects the environment in a positive way.

Multiple Choice

Which of the one of the following is and effect of land being disturbed by mining?

• Better water quality

• Loss of Habitat for animals

• New habitat for animals

• No negative effects

Water Pollution

• Strip, subsurface, and open pit mining exposes a large amount of rocks. 

• If iron sulfide is present, it reacts with oxygen and water and creates sulfuric acid.

• This can cause acid drainage.

Multiple Choice

Acid mine drainage is the result of

• ash and air debris creating acid rain

• boulders and debris blocking the flow of rivers/streams

• Tailings leaching into the soil

• minerals from mining being left behind creating pollution

Multiple Choice

Acid mine drainage is cause by which element?

• carbon

• sulfur

• nitrogen

• boron

Mining Legislation

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) of 1977:  mandates that land be minimally disturbed and reclaimed (restored) after the mining process.  Requires that the mining company post a bond to cover the cost of reclamation.

• Mining Legislation:  Early legislation was used to promote economic growth while later legislation was used to protect the environment

• The Mining Law of 1872:  allowed individuals and companies to recover ores or fuels from federal lands

Reclamation

Mining Legislation

• Federal Mine Safety and Health Act  of 1977: includes  ventilation requirements.

• This was put into place because in 1977, 273 miners died from mining accidents in the US.

• In 2008, 53 miners died

• In 2010, 29 miners died in West Virginia in an underground explosion.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following laws was put into place because in 1977, 273 miners died from mining accidents in the US.

• General Mining Law of 1872.

• Mineral Leasing Act of 1920.

• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.

• Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.

Multiple Choice

Which regulation allowed miners to claim any land, even government owned and mine it

• The Mining Law of 1872

• Mineral Leasing Act of 1920

• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

Multiple Choice

Which legislation mandates that land should be minimally disturbed during the mining process and reclaimed after mining is complete?

• Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
• General Mining Act of 1922
• General Mining Law of 1872

Multiple Choice

What is the purpose of mine reclamation?

• To extract valuable minerals

• To remove overburden

• To release methane gas

• To restore land after mining