APES Unit 5 (Part 2) Study

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minerals

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not finished + only covers mining portion

19 Terms

1

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

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2

types of rocks

  • igneous (made from cooling molten)

  • sedimentary (made from sediments over time)

  • metamorphic (made from high heat/pressure)

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3

non-metal mining resources

  • sand

  • gravel

  • limestone

  • gypsum

  • sulfur

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4

surface mining

  • extracting minerals near the surface of the Earth

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5

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

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6

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)

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7

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

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8

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

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9

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

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10

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

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11

SMCRA - Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977)

  • requires restoration of strip mined fields

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12

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

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13

overburden

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

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14

spoils

  • another word for overburden

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15

tailings

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

  • can contaminate the water

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16

gangue

commercially worthless material that surrounds the ore deposit

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17

smelting

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

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18

acid mine drainage

  • water flowing through sulfur bearing materials

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

  • causes pH imbalances

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19

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

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