APES Chapter 14: Nonrenewable Mineral Resources

geology

The science devoted to the study of dynamic processes taking place on the Earth's surface and in its interior

core

The Earth's innermost zone; has a solid inner part surrounded by a thick layer of molten rock and semisolid material

mantle

The zone of the Earth made mostly of solid rock that can be soft and pliable at very high temperatures

asthenosphere

The partially melted, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere; made of mantle rock that flows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it

convection currents

Circular currents in the mantle caused by the magma being heated by the core of the Earth.

magma

Hot, melted rock material beneath Earth's surface

crust

Earth's rocky solid surface

lithosphere

A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.

mineral

A naturally occurring chemical element or inorganic compound that exists as a solid with a regularly repeating internal arrangement of atoms or ions

mineral resource

Elements, chemical compounds, minerals, or rocks concentrated in a form that can be extracted to obtain a usable commodity

rock

A naturally occurring solid mixture of one or more minerals or organic matter

sedimentary rock

A type of rock that forms when particles from other rocks or the remains of plants and animals are pressed and cemented together

sediments

Bits of weathered rock, minerals, grains, plants, and animals that have been eroded

igneous rock

A type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface

metamorphic rock

A type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat, pressure, or chemical reactions

rock cycle

A series of processes on the surface and inside Earth that slowly changes rocks from one kind to another

ore

A rock that contains a large enough concentration of a particular mineral (usually a metal) to make it profitable for mining and processing

high-grade ore

Ore that contains a fairly large amount of the desired mineral

low-grade ore

Ore that contains a smaller amount of the desired mineral

reserves

Identified deposits of a particular resource from which the resource can be profitably extracted in the future

depletion time

The time it takes to use up a certain proportion (usually 80%) of the reserves of a mineral at a given rate of use

strategic metal resources

Manganese, cobalt, chromium, and platinum that are essential for the country's economy and military strength

biomining

A kind of mining in which microorganisms are used to extract minerals from low-grade ores

surface mining

The extraction of mineral and energy resources near Earth's surface by first removing the soil, subsoil, and overlying rock strata

overburden

The surface soil that must be moved away to get at coal seams and mineral deposits

spoils

Waste materials from mining

open-pit mining

Removing minerals such as gravel, sand, and metal ores by digging them out of the Earth's surface and leaving an open pit

area strip mining

Type of surface mining used where the terrain is flat; an earthmover strips away the overburden, and a power shovel digs a cut to remove the mineral deposit

strip mining

Form of surface mining in which bulldozers, power shovels, or stripping wheels remove large chunks of the Earth's surface in strips

contour strip mining

Form of mining used on hilly or mountainous terrain; a series of terraces are cut into the side of a hill

mountaintop removal

Type of surface mining that uses explosives, massive shovels, and even larger machinery called draglines to remove the top of a mountain to expose seams of coal underneath a mountain

subsurface mining

Extraction of a metal ore or fuel resource such as coal from a deep underground deposit

acid mine drainage

Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dangerous dissolved materials such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium wash from coal and metal mines into nearby lakes and streams

tailings or gangue

Rock and other waste materials removed as impurities when waste mineral material is separated from the metal in an ore

materials revolution

The process of silicon and other new materials, particularly ceramics and plastics being used as replacements for metals because they are more cost-effective and efficient

tectonic plates

Sections of the Earth's crust that move due to convection currents

volcano

A vent or fissure in the Earth's surface through which magma and gases are expelled

fault

A crack in the earth's crust resulting from the displacement of one side with respect to the other

earthquake

Shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane of from volcanic activity

magnitude

Measure of the energy released during an earthquake

amplitude

The size of seismic waves

seismograph

A device that records ground movements caused by seismic waves as they move through Earth

Richter scale

A scale that rates an earthquake's magnitude based on the size of its seismic waves

tsunami

A giant wave usually caused by an earthquake beneath the ocean floor

convergent boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move toward each other

divergent boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move away from each other

transform boundary

A plate boundary where two plates move past each other in opposite directions

focus

The point beneath Earth's surface where rock breaks under stress and causes an earthquake

epicenter

Point on Earth's surface directly above an earthquake's focus

lava

Magma that reaches Earth's surface

cyanide

Used by the mining industry to separate gold and silver particles from ore for over 120 years

rare earth metals

Group of chemically similar metallic elements comprising the lanthanide series and (usually) scandium and yttrium, crucial ingredient in many of our tech products

trench

Extremely deep areas in the ocean that are created by a subducting plate

subsidy

A government payment that supports a business or market

smelting

Heating ores to release metals