Studied by 1 person
APES 2024
Mining
the systematic removal of rock, soil, or other material to remove the minerals of economic interest minerals occur in low concentrations, concentrated sources and must be found before mining
Metal
an element that is lustrous, opaque, and malleable
and can conduct heat and electricity
Ore
a mineral or grouping of minerals from which we
extract metals, economically valuable metals (ex. copper, iron, lead, gold, aluminum)
Processing minerals has environmental costs, most methods are
water and energy intensive
Chemical reactions and heating to extract metals from ores emit
air pollution
Tailings
ore left over after metals have been extracted
Tailings effects
Pollutes soil and water and may contain heavy metals or acids (cyanide, sulfuric acid)
Water evaporates from tailings ponds, which may leach pollutants into the environment
Nonmetallic minerals include
sand, gravel, phosphates, limestone, and gemstones
Phosphates provide
fertilizer
Blood diamonds
mined and sold to fund, prolong, and intensify wars in Angola and other areas
Substances are
mined for fuel
Substances that are mined for fuel
Uranium for nuclear power
Coal, petroleum, natural gas are not minerals (they are organic), but they are also extracted from the Earth
Surface mining
removal of large portion of soil and rock called overburden to access ore underneath
Strip mining (type of surface mining)
layers of soil and rock are removed to expose the resource
Overburden
overlying soil and rock that is removed by
heavy machinery (after extraction, each strip is refilled with the overburden)
What do overburdens do?
Used for coal, oil sands, sand, gravel
Destroys natural communities over large areas and triggers erosion
Acid drainage
sulfide minerals form sulfuric acid and flow into
waterways
Wastes include
soil and rocks that are moved to gain access to ore
Slag and tailings are waste that remain when
the minerals have been removed from the ore
Coal mining can
destroy habitats, contaminate ground water, release dust particles and methane
As coal reserves get smaller it is necessary to
use subsurface mining which is expensive
Subsurface mining
Accesses deep pockets of a mineral through tunnels and shafts
What comes from subsurface mining
Zinc, lead, nickel, tin, gold, diamonds, phosphate, salt, coal
The most dangerous form of mining
Subsurface mining (ex. dynamite blasts, collapsed tunnels and toxic fumes and coal dust)
Subsurface mining effects
Acid drainage, polluted groundwater, and sinkholes damage roads, homes, etc.
Open Pit Mining
Used with evenly distributed minerals (ex. terraced and copper, iron, gold, diamonds, coal)
Quarry
open pits for clay, gravel, sand, stone (ex. limestone,
granite, marble, slate)
In quarries huge amounts of rock are removed to get
small amounts of minerals
Quarry cons
Habitat loss, aesthetic degradation, acid drainage
Abandoned pits fill with toxic water
Placer mining
Using running water, miners sift through material in riverbeds (ex. Coltan miners, California’s Gold Rush of 1849)
Placer mining is used for
gold and gems
Placer mining cons
Debris washed into streams makes
them uninhabitable for wildlife
Disturbs stream banks, causes
erosion
Harms riparian plant communities
Mountaintop removal
Entire mountaintops are blasted off for coal and the waste is dumped into valleys
Valley filling
dumping rock and debris into valleys
Mountaintop removal is
economically efficient
Examples of Mountaintop removal
Appalachian Mountains in the eastern US
Mountaintop removal cons
Degrades and destroys vast areas
Pollutes streams, deforests areas, erosion,
mudslides, flash floods
Governments in developed countries require companies to
reclaim (restore) surface-mined sites (Other nations (Congo) have no regulations at all)
Reclamation
aims to bring a site to a condition similar to its pre-
mining condition (ex. Remove structures, replace overburden, replant vegetation)
U.S. 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
mandates restoration (companies must post bonds to ensure restoration)
Note 
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