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Chapter 14
Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Key Terms
area strip mining (p. 357)
contour strip mining (p. 357)
core (p. 345)
crust (p. 347)
depletion time (p. 361)
earthquake (p. 350)
geology (p. 345)
high-grade ore (p. 355)
igneous rock (p. 353)
lithosphere (p. 347)
low-grade ore (p. 355)
mantle (p. 345)
metamorphic rock (p. 353)
mineral (p. 353)
mineral resource (p. 354)
mountaintop removal (p. 357)
open-pit mining (p. 357)
ore (p. 354)
overburden (p. 357)
reserves (p. 355)
rock (p. 353)
rock cycle (p. 353)
sedimentary rock (p. 353)
smelting (p. 359)
spoils (p. 355)
strip mining (p. 357)
subsurface mining (p. 355)
surface mining (p. 355)
tectonic plates (p. 347)
tsunami (p. 351)
volcano (p. 349)
weathering (p. 348)
Key Questions and Concepts
14-1 What are the earth’s major geological processes and hazards?
A. The earth is made up of a core, ____________, and crust and is constantly changing as a result of processes
taking place on and __________ its surface. ______________ is the study of dynamic processes occurring
on the earth’s surface and in its interior.
B. Huge volumes of heated and ____________ rock moving around the earth’s interior form massive solid
________________ plates that move extremely ____________ across the earth’s surface. About 12 or so
rigid tectonic ____________ move across the surface of the ____________ very slowly. These thick plates
compose the ____________________.
C. The movement of these plates produces __________________ on land and ______________ on the ocean
floor. The movement of plates also produces earthquakes and ________________ action.
D. Some processes ________down the earth’s surface by moving ______________ and pieces of rock from
one place to another, while other processes build up ________ on the earth’s surface. Weathering is the
physical, ________________, and biological processes that break ________ rocks and minerals into
smaller pieces.
14-2 How are the earth’s rocks recycled?
A. The earth’s crust consists of solid __________________ elements and compounds called ______________
and rocks that can sometimes be used as resources. Examples of mineral resources are ____________ fuels
(coal, oil, and natural gas), ________________ minerals (such as aluminum, iron, and copper), and
nonmetallic ________________ (such as sand, gravel, and limestone). As they take so long to __________,
these components of the earth’s natural capital are classified as ____________________ mineral resources.
B. Mineral resources can be classified into ________ major categories:
1. _________________ resources with a known location, ________________, and quality.
2. ________________ are identified resources that can be extracted ________________ at current prices.
3. _______________________ reserves are potential supplies of a mineral resource assumed to _______.
4. Other resources are undiscovered resources and identified resources not classified as ______________.
C. Deposits of nonrenewable mineral resources in the earth’s crust vary in their __________________ and
_______________________. For example, iron and aluminum are fairly _______________ whereas
manganese, chromium, cobalt, and platinum are fairly ____________.
D. A very slow chemical __________ recycles three types of rock found in the earth’s crust. The earth’s crust
contains ______________, sedimentary, and ___________________ rocks that are recycled by the rock
cycle.
1. Igneous rock is formed __________ or on the earth’s surface when molten rock wells up and
__________. They form the bulk of the earth’s __________.
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2. Sedimentary rock is formed from small, eroded ____________ of rock that are carried to downhill
sites. Layers accumulate over time and an increase of weight and ________________ plus dissolved
minerals ________ the sediment __________________ together to form sedimentary rock.
3. Metamorphic rock is produced from preexisting rock that is subjected to high _________________,
high _________________, chemically ____________ fluids, or some combination of these.
14-3 What are mineral resources and what are the environmental effects of using them?
A. The ____________________, processing, and use of mineral sources have a large environmental impact.
The greatest danger from mineral extraction may be environmental damage from the _________________
used to get to the end product.
B Minerals are ______________ through a variety of methods that vary widely in their costs, ____________
factors, and levels of environmental ________. Shallow deposits are removed by ______________ mining,
and ________ deposits are removed by subsurface mining.
C. Mining __________ the land and produces large amounts of solid __________ and air and water
_________________. The impacts include high __________ (into the billions of dollars), _____________,
toxin and acid ________________, toxics ________________ to the atmosphere.
D. After waste material is removed from metal ores they are ________________ or treated with ___________
to extract the desired __________. There can be enormous _______________ of air and water pollution
from these processes.
CORE CASE STUDY: For example, ______________ is used to separate about 85% of the world’s gold
ore in a process called cyanide ________ extraction.
14-4 How long will supplies of _________________________ mineral resources last?
A. The future supply of a resource depends on its ____________________ supply and how _____________
that supply is used. A nonrenewable resource generally becomes ______________________ depleted
rather than ______________ depleted. There are ________ choices at that point: recycle or __________
existing supplies, waste ________, use ________, find a _______________________, or do without.
B. A ____________ price for a scarce mineral resource can _______________ supplies and encourage more
_________________ use. ___________________ determines what part of a known mineral supply is
__________________ and used. Higher ____________ often mean ________ resources can be used (at a
higher extraction ________), but this can be affected by national policies that ___________________
exploration or _______________ exports/imports.
C. New technologies can increase the mining of ______-grade ores at affordable ____________, but harmful
environmental effects can __________ this approach. In 1900, the average copper ore mined in the U.S.
was about __% copper by weight; today that ratio is ______%.
SCIENCE FOCUS: _____________________ offers new promise (and concerns) for mineral exploration.
D.
Most minerals in seawater and on the deep ocean floor cost too much to ______________, and there are
squabbles over who owns them. Rich ________________________ deposits of gold, silver, zinc, and copper are
found as ______________ deposits in the deep-ocean floor and around hydrothermal __________. Another
potential source from the ocean floor is potato-sized __________________ nodules that cover about __________%
of the Pacific Ocean floor.
14-5 How can we use mineral resources more sustainably?
A. Scientists and engineers are developing ______ types of materials that can serve as __________________
for many metals. This is known as the materials ____________________. For example, development of
silicon and ________________ may replace the need for as much metal.
B. ___________________ valuable and scarce metals saves money and has a __________ environmental
impact than ____________ and extracting them from their ________. In many cases, metals are _________
recycled.
C. We can use mineral resources more sustainably by reducing their ______ and __________ and by finding
substitutes with fewer ______________ environmental effects.
D. Growing signs point to an __________________________ revolution taking place over the next 50 years.
The goal is to make industrial _________________________ processes cleaner and more sustainable by
________________________ them to mimic how ____________ deals with wastes.
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Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
CASE STUDY: One way is to __________ nature by recycling and ______________ most minerals and
chemicals instead of __________________ of them. Another is to have industries interact through resource
______________ webs (FIGURE 14-25—industrial ecosystem in Kalundborg, Denmark).
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