Chapter 14: Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources

Phosphate salts

Mined and used in inorganic fertilizers and some detergents.

Gravel

Used for roadbeds and to make concrete.

Igneous

Forms below the earths surface when magma wells up from the earths upper mantle or deep crust and then cools and hardens.

Metamorphic

Forms when preexisting rock is subjected to high temperatures, high pressures, chemically active fluids, or a combination of these, which.

Richter Scale

Used to measure earthquake intensity.

Open Pit Mining

Machines dig a massive hole and remove ores.

Surface Mining

Used to harvest shallow deposits.

Transform boundaries

continental or ocean plates slide past one another.

Geology

Dynamic processes taking place on the earths surface and in the earths interior.

Subduction Zone

The continental plate rides up over the cooler, denser, oceanic plate and pushes it down into the mantle.

Mineral resource

Can be extracted from the earths crust and processed into raw materials and products at an affordable cost.

Recycling and Reusing

Lower environmental impact than mining and processing metals from ores.

Platinum

Electronics, catalyst in industry, and in automobile pollution control converters.

Epicenter

Found directly above the focus on the earths surface.

Hydraulic Mining

Sing water cannons to wash entire hillsides into collection boxes.

Materials revolution

Ceramics, high- strength plastics.

Aftershocks Foreshocks

Tremors after or before an earthquake.

Gold

Electrical equipment, jewelry, coins, medical implants, and as a catalyst to speed up certain chemical reactions.

Acid mine drainage

Rainwater seeps through the mine or spoil pile and carries sulfuric acid (from bacteria acting on iron sulfide)

Erosion

Wind, flowing water, human activities, glaciers.

Reserves

Identified resources from which the mineral can be extracted profitably at current prices.

Tailings

The unused materials left on land from dredging ore deposits from streams.

Cr

An essential ingredient of stainless steel.

Sedimentary

Made of sediments- dead plant and animal remains and existing rocks that are eroded and weathered into tiny particles.

Subsidence

___Collapse of land above mines.

Steel

Alloy of Fe, and other elements such as Mn, Co, Mo, and Cr.

Spoils

Overburden discarded as waste material.

Mountaintop Removal

Use of explosives, large power shovels, and huge machines to remove tops of mountains.

Asthenosphere

Hot partly melted rock that flows and can be deformed like soft plastic.

Subsurface Mining

Used to harvest deep deposits.

Geology

Dynamic processes taking place on the earths surface and in the earths interior

Core

Earths innermost zone (solid inner part, surrounded by a liquid core of molten rock)

Mantle

Thick, solid rock zone surrounding the core

Asthenosphere

Hot partly melted rock that flows and can be deformed like soft plastic

Crust

Outermost & thinnest zone

Lithosphere

The outermost part of the mantle and continental crust oceanic crust

Divergent boundaries

When ocean plates move apart allowing molten material to flow up through the cracks creating oceanic ridges

Convergent boundaries

ocean plates collide with continental plates

Subduction Zone

the continental plate rides up over the cooler, denser, oceanic plate and pushes it down into the mantle

Transform boundaries

continental or ocean plates slide past one another

Internal geologic processes

Generally build up the earths surface

External geologic processes

Directly or indirectly driven by energy from the sun, wind, flowing water, and glaciers which all contribute to erosion and are influenced by gravity

Weathering

Physical, chemical, and biological

Erosion

Wind, flowing water, human activities, glaciers

1991

Eruption of Mount Pinatubo

Focus

A place where an earthquake begins below the earths surface

Epicenter

Found directly above the focus on the earths surface

Magnitude

A measure of ground motion indicated by the size of the seismic waves

Richter Scale

Used to measure earthquake intensity

Aftershocks/Foreshocks

Tremors after or before an earthquake

Tsunami

Series of large waves generated when part of the ocean floor suddenly rises or drops

December 2004

Indian Ocean tsunami

Minerals

Element or inorganic compound in earths crust

Rock

Combination of one or more minerals

Igneous

Forms below the earths surface when magma wells up from the earths upper mantle or deep crust and then cools and hardens

Metamorphic

Forms when preexisting rock is subjected to high temperatures, high pressures, chemically active fluids, or a combination of these, which

Mineral resource

Can be extracted from the earths crust and processed into raw materials and products at an affordable cost

Metallic minerals

aluminum, gold

Nonmetallic minerals

sand, limestone

Ore

Rock that contains large concentrations of a particular mineral (often metal)

High-grade Ore

Contains large amounts of desired nonrenewable resources

Low-grade Ore

Contains a small amount of desired nonrenewable resources

Aluminum

Packaging, structural material

Steel

Alloy of Fe, and other elements such as Mn, Co, Mo, and Cr

Copper

Electrical and communications

Platinum

Electronics, catalyst in industry, and in automobile pollution control converters

Gold

Electrical equipment, jewelry, coins, medical implants, and as a catalyst to speed up certain chemical reactions

Sand

Primarily SiO2 or silicon dioxide

Gravel

Used for roadbeds and to make concrete

Limestone

Mostly CaCO3 or calcium carbonate

Phosphate salts

Mined and used in inorganic fertilizers and some detergents

Reserves

Identified resources from which the mineral can be extracted profitably at current prices

Surface Mining

Used to harvest shallow deposits

Subsurface Mining

Used to harvest deep deposits

Open Pit Mining

Machines dig massive holes and remove ores

Strip Mining

Used for extracting deposits that lie close to the earths surface and lie in horizontal beds

Area Strip Mining

Used where the terrain is fairly flat

Contour Strip Mining

Used where the terrain is hilly or mountainous

Mountaintop Removal

Use of explosives, large power shovels, and huge machines to remove tops of mountains

Hydraulic Mining

Sing water cannons to wash entire hillsides into collection boxes

Overburden

Soil and rock overlying a useful mineral deposit

Spoils

Overburden discarded as waste material

Tailings

The unused materials left on land from dredging ore deposits from streams

Subsidence

Collapse of land above mines

Acid mine drainage

Rainwater seeps through the mine or spoil pile and carries sulfuric acid (from bacteria acting on iron sulfide)

Smelting

Uses heat or chemicals

Depletion time

time to use a certain portion of reserves

Materials revolution

Ceramics, high-strength plastics

Pt

Industrial catalyst

Cr

An essential ingredient of stainless steel

Recycling and Reusing

Lower environmental impact than mining and processing metals from ores