APES Video Notes fo 5.9 - Mining

Tailings are

• magma ore resulting from seafloor spreading

• the remaining supply of metals on Earth

• the nutrients that leach downward in the soil

• the waste materials from mining

Which type of mining is most destructive to surrounding habitats?

• Placer

• Subsurface mining

• Open pit

• Mountaintop removal

Which of the following describes why subsurface mining is likely to increase in the future?

• As there are more people on earth, there is less open space for surface mining

• As global reserves of valuable resources decrease, we need to dig further into the earth to access them

• Subsurface mining becomes cheaper than surface mining as technology advances

• Subsurface mining produces more valuable resources than surface mining

Which of the following best describes acid mine drainage?

• Acids used to separate metal from the rocks are left behind in the mine shaft, eventually infiltrating ground water

• Pyrite exposed to water that fills up mine shafts gives off hydrogen ions, which creates acidic water in the mine shaft that contaminates both ground & surface waters

• Pyrite used to breakdown metals being mined combines with oxygen to produce acid that percolates into surface water

• Metals that are being mined naturally breakdown in the prosence of air and water, leaching dangerous acids into the nearby ground and surface waters