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Resource
volume of rock enriched in one or more useful materials
Ore
body of material from that one or more valuable resources can be extracted economically ($$$)
defining an ore is based
on tech, economics, and politics.
immediate issues with mineral resources
concentrated in small areas, non-renewable, easy-to-find deposits are hard to find
non-metallics
sand, gravel, lime, etc. — consumed at a higher rate because of construction.
non-metals
phosphates, salts, etc.
Magmatic Ore Deposits
substances concentrated within a igneous rock.
Hydrothermal Ore Deposits
hot water dissolves valuable material in igneous
Metamorphic Ore Deposits
metamorphism of pre-existing deposits
Sedimentary and Placer Ore Deposits
concentrated by flowing surface waters, the water carries and moves minerals.
deepest underground record
AngloGold Ashanti’s Mponeng Gold Mine
surface record
Bingham Canyon Mine: largest man-made excavation, deepest open pit.
surface mining
less expensive and fewer work hazards but large amount of waste (less risk, high waste)
underground mining
requires blasting = dust inside lungs and risks for collapse, but less waste (high risk, less waste)
processing
removing ore and metals from rocks, crushing > sieving
separation
diff methods for dense, light, etc materials
Froth separator
add a chemical that binds material and air bubbles and material rises to the top
Magnetic separation
magnetic roller catches minerals and separates it
Chemical Processing
smelting or leaching
smelting
minerals are melted to break down bonds and release desired element
heap leaching
solution absorbed through piled crushed ore, run off acid processed to get the ore.
lithium
used in nuclear cooling, mostly batteries, (finite resource, growing demand for it.)
cobalt is found in
congo, mined in undesirable conditions w/ low wage, controlled by china
cobalt
used in electronics for batteries and communication technology.
rare earth elements (REE’s)
crucial in high tech manufacturing: camera lenses, military weapons, smart phone, turbines, etc. (HIGHLY UNHEALTHY WASTE)
Bayan Obo Mine, China
REE mine: produces sulfuric & hydrofluoric acid - “waste gas.”, high levels of lung cancer in workers
Environmental effects of mining
air pollution, erosion, acid mine drainage
abandoned metal mines
causes health issues in the & acid mine drainage