APES study guide

Top 3 elements of Earth

oxygen = 46%

Silicon = 28%

Aluminum = 8%

Acid water drainage definition

heavy acidic water rich in metals

Acid mine drainage equation

Mineral ore + water + oxygen(O2) —> H2SO4(sulfuric acid) + Cu 2+ + Zn 2+ = Acid mine drainage

Surface mining control and reclamation act

1977, limits amount of disturbance and provides land that must be reclaimed

Problems with mining

Use of mercury, stream damage, habitat fragmentation and destruction

Surface mining extracts

90% of non-fuel minerals, 60% of coal

Overburden and 4 types of surface mining

soil and rock on top of mineral deposit

• Strip/ contour mining

• Open pit mining

• Mountain top removal

• Placer mining/Dredging

Strip/Countour mining

• removing strips of soil and rock to expose ore.

Open pit mining

• the creation of a large pit or hole in the ground that is visible from the surface

Mountain top removal

removing the entire top of a mountain with explosives.

Placer mining/Dredging

looking for metals and stones in river sediments.

Subsurface mining

• mining for resources that are 100 m below Earth’s surface

2 types of subsurface mining

Room and pillar, shaft mining

Slags

a by-product of smelting metal ores

Tailings

a byproduct of extracting ores

subsidence

ground sinks down, occurs as a result of mine pillars collapsing or floor fails

Groundwater and mining/ hydraulic fracturing

• Mines hydrocarbons by fracturing shale through high water pressure

  • can cause groundwater contamination

Aluminum’s ore

Bauxite

Iron’s ore

hematite

Copper

Chalcopyrite

Cone of depression

is a cone-shaped lowering of the water table that forms around a well when groundwater is pumped out faster than it can naturally recharge.

cone of ascencion

cone shaped upwards pumping in water faster than it can recharge

Tributary

smaller river or stream that flows into a larger river, lake, or main water body.

zone of saturation

the part underneath the water table that has no air pockets

artesian well

well located above the water table

infiltration

water going into soil

riperian zone

zone between land and any body of water

sustainability

 humans living on Earth and their use of resources without depletion of the resources for future generations.

Maximum sustainable yield

• amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing the available supply.

Atmospheric Co2

423.85 ppm

Avg us population

340 million

Lateral recharge

Water percolates upwards

spring

• water from an aquifer that naturally percolates up to the surface.

Water table

• Water table- the uppermost level at which the water in an area fully saturates the rock or soil.