APES Unit 5 (Part 2) Study

not finished + only covers mining portion

minerals

• raw materials used for human uses and technologies that are NON-RENEWABLE

• high in demand costs more in energy and equipment to extract them

types of rocks

• igneous (made from cooling molten)

• sedimentary (made from sediments over time)

• metamorphic (made from high heat/pressure)

non-metal mining resources

• sand

• gravel

• limestone

• gypsum

• sulfur

surface mining

• extracting minerals near the surface of the Earth

sub-surface mining

• extracting minerals deep under the Earth’s surface.

• causes less land disturbance

• dangerous gasses, Black lung disease, tunnel collapse

• only used when mineral deposits are rare and is to expensive and dangerous to mine them

placer mining

• hydraulically washing out metals deposited in stream-bed gravel

• less effort to extract

• does less damage to the surrounding environment

• destroys stream-bed

• puts suspended solids in water

• increases turbidity

• heavy metals in water (mercury)

strip mining

• removes a long strip of overlying soil and rock to expose underlying ore

• easy to restore overburden

• faster, cost efficient, and safer

• causes tailings

• large scars left on land surface affecting topsoil, habitats, soil fertility

open pit mining

• makes a large pit/hole in the ground to extract minerals from the surface horizontally and vertically

• higher mineral yield, safer, cheaper

• large scars left

• tailings

mountaintop mining

• mountains are blown up to reveal mineral seams to extract (coal)

• effective, fast, and cheap

• deposits tailings in nearby rivers/streams

• slopes can cause soil erosion

heap leaching mining

• chemicals are poured onto ore in order to dissolve the rock and leave behind the wanted mineral

• cyanide is used when mining for gold

• easy and efficient

• chemical “slurry” affects surrounding environment

SMCRA - Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977)

• requires restoration of strip mined fields

steps for reclamation

• return overburden

• contour/leveling the land topography

• top soil for organic matter

• vegetation to keep the top soil and biodiversity

• monitor and test the water years after

overburden

• overlying materials such as soil, rocks - no commercial value

spoils

• another word for overburden

tailings

• leftovers from processing the valuable ore from the rock, materials left behind

• can contaminate the water

gangue

commercially worthless material that surrounds the ore deposit

smelting

• heating ore to extract valuable metal, usually beyond its melting point

acid mine drainage

• water flowing through sulfur bearing materials

• heavy metal toxins in water when they are exposed to each other

• causes pH imbalances

abandoned mine causes

• erosion

• acid mine drainage

• desertification

• loss of habitat and biodiversity

• cyanide run-off from heap leaching

• soil-laden run-off into nearby bodies of water