Download Mining and Mineral Resources

Chapter 16
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Depend on mineral resources everyday
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Does not come without price
 Environmental issues
 Uphold mineral needs with population
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Mineral
 inorganic solid
 characteristic chemical composition
 orderly internal structure
 characteristic set of physical properties.
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Made up of atoms of single element, or
two or more elements (compounds)
Ice?
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Atoms set in geometric shape
 Determine physical properties of mineral
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Elements gold, silver, and copper are
minerals

Formation depends upon environment
 Temperature and cooling rates
 Dissolved in other solutions (water) to be
evaporated later
 Crystalize
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Page 414
 http://www.nexuslearning.net/books/Holt_Env_Science/16-
1.pdf
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Ore Minerals – minerals that are
valuable and economical to extract
Metallic or nonmetallic
 Metallic – shiny, opaque, and conduct
electricity
 Nonmetallic – dull surfaces, transparent
Basic Physical Characteristics
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Luster
 Does the mineral look “metallic”?
 Does a mirror look metallic?
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Hardness
 Scratch other materials or minerals
 Does your mineral scratch glass
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Cleavage
 When broken, some may break in parallel,
flat surfaces
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Streak
 Metallic minerals may “rust”, their streak
will reveal true color
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Color
 Non-metallic – light or dark?
 Metallic – may have specific color
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Special Properties
 Some minerals have unique
characteristics that help to identify them
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Subsurface mining – ore deposits that
are usually 50 meters or more beneath
Earth’s surface
Surface Mining – ore deposits located
close to Earth’s surface.
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Surface mining
 Surface coal mining
 Quarrying
 Solar Evaporation
 Mountaintop Removal

Undersea mining
 Unsuccessful
 Land mining is cheaper
 Deep water makes
processes difficult

Smelting – crushed ore is melted at
high temperatures to separate
impurities
 Density differences causes separation
Section 16.3


Energy needs increased surface mining
Reclaiming land and returning it to
previous state is a requirement
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Air and noise pollution
 Dust created by mining and
loading/unloading
 Machine causes noise pollution and damage
nearby structures

Water Contamination
 Water picks up and dissolves toxic
substances (arsenic)
 Sulfur and water – diluted sulfuric acid
▪ Acid Mine Drainage - AMD

“Mountain Dew Teeth”

Displacement of Wildlife
 Stripping of plant life
 Animals leave area
 New ecosystem created after
 Destroy river and sea bottoms

Erosion and Sedimentation
 Sediments find way into streams
 Choke stream life
 Degrades water quality

Soil Degradation
 Deeper soil layers added to top
 Decreases richness of original
soil

Subsidence (sink holes)
 Sinking of regions of ground
with no horizontal movement
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/03/01/
man-goes-missing-in-florida-when-bedroomfalls-into-sinkhole/

Underground Mine Fires
 Last decades and even centuries
 Australian fire – 2,000 Years!!!!!
 Gas and smoke emitted

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Must comply with Clean Water Act,
Safe Drinking Act, and Endangered
Species Act
Reclamation – returning land to original
or better state after mining

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Post funds
If company does not comply with
regulations, money is given to the state