Mining Flashcards

Flashcards about rocks, minerals, and mining

Use less

To use less of a resource.

Find a substitute

To find an alternative for a resource.

Do without

To manage without a resource.

How does the market affect the price and availability of minerals?

Companies keep costs low, causing the development of new mineral resources to not be taken seriously.

Are there minerals in the ocean? Are they easy to obtain?

Yes, there are minerals in the ocean, but they are not easy to obtain.

What are the environmental effects of mining mineral resources?

Disturbs land, ruins ecosystems, erodes soils, produces large amounts of solid waste, pollutes air, water, and soil.

Surface mining

Affects fish aquatics through erosion and sedimentation, dewatering wetlands, diverting streams, and contaminating surface water and aquifers with toxic chemicals.

Open-pit mining

Generates large amounts of dust containing heavy metals and deposits of toxic waste.

Strip mining

Severely erodes soil, pollutes waters, drains underground water reserves, scars landscapes, and destroys wildlife.

Mountaintop removal

Contaminates drinking water, increases flooding, and sends carcinogenic toxins into the air, affecting communities for miles around them.

Harmful effects of all mining

Leaves tailings behind (waste material), can be cancer-causing, and contains toxic materials; also causes air and water pollution and habitat destruction.

How can we use mineral resources responsibly?

Try finding substitutes for scarce resources, reduce resource waste, mine with low impact, and recycle and reuse minerals using new technologies.

Use less

To use less of a resource.

Find a substitute

To find an alternative for a resource.

Do without

To manage without a resource.

How does the market affect the price and availability of minerals?

Companies keep costs low, causing the development of new mineral resources to not be taken seriously.

Are there minerals in the ocean? Are they easy to obtain?

Yes, there are minerals in the ocean, but they are not easy to obtain.

What are the environmental effects of mining mineral resources?

Disturbs land, ruins ecosystems, erodes soils, produces large amounts of solid waste, pollutes air, water, and soil.

Surface mining

Affects fish aquatics through erosion and sedimentation, dewatering wetlands, diverting streams, and contaminating surface water and aquifers with toxic chemicals.

Open-pit mining

Generates large amounts of dust containing heavy metals and deposits of toxic waste.

Strip mining

Severely erodes soil, pollutes waters, drains underground water reserves, scars landscapes, and destroys wildlife.

Mountaintop removal

Contaminates drinking water, increases flooding, and sends carcinogenic toxins into the air, affecting communities for miles around them.

Harmful effects of all mining

Leaves tailings behind (waste material), can be cancer-causing, and contains toxic materials; also causes air and water pollution and habitat destruction.

How can we use mineral resources responsibly?

Try finding substitutes for scarce resources, reduce resource waste, mine with low impact, and recycle and reuse minerals using new technologies.

Where are minerals found?

Deep within the earth