Minerals and Mining Quiz

What are minerals, and what role do they play in rock formation?

• Minerals are organic compounds in rocks.

• Minerals are naturally occurring chemical substances that make up rocks.

• Minerals are synthetic compounds added to rocks.

• Minerals are man-made elements found in soil.

Define an ore mineral.

• A mineral that has no economic value

• A mineral that is found in plants

• A mineral containing valuable materials or metals

• A type of rock that is entirely metal

What is a native metal? Give an example.

• A metal that can only be found in compound form; e.g., iron oxide

• A metal found in its pure elemental form; e.g., gold

• A metal that can only be used in alloys; e.g., bronze

• A metal artificially created in laboratories; e.g., platinum

Which country is one of the largest exporters of iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, uranium, and aluminum?

• Canada

• China

• United States

• Australia

List the three main steps in the process of obtaining minerals.

• Mining, Enrichment, Selling

• Mining, Processing, Rehabilitation

• Processing, Exporting, Rehabilitation

• Extraction, Smelting, Selling

What are the key differences between open-cut mining and underground mining?

• Open-cut mining is more expensive than underground mining.

• Open-cut mining is used for deep deposits, while underground mining is for surface deposits.

• Open-cut mining is cheaper and used for near-surface minerals, while underground mining is for deeper deposits.

• There is no difference; both are used for similar mineral deposits.

When is dredging used as a mining technique?

• When minerals are found in rivers and lakes

• When minerals are embedded in hard rock

• For mining deposits in mountain ranges

• For extracting minerals deep underground

Explain how leach mining works to extract minerals.

• Crushing minerals to powder

• Using magnetic separation

• Dissolving minerals with a fluid injected into the deposit

• Manually separating valuable minerals from waste

What is the purpose of crushing ore during processing?

• To make the ore more compact

• To make it easier to transport

• To increase the surface area for processing

• To prepare it for melting

How are magnetic properties used in mineral processing?

• By attracting valuable minerals to magnets

• By melting non-magnetic substances

• By using magnets to repel certain minerals

• By mixing magnetic and non-magnetic minerals