Mining and Mineral Resources

What is a mineral? Naturally occurring Inorganic solid Characteristic chemical composition Orderly internal structure Set of physical properties

Minerals Around You Almost every solid object you see is made of minerals. We depend on the use of mineral resources in many aspects of our daily lives. nerals/usage/games/memory.htm nerals/usage/games/memory.htm

Ore Minerals Minerals that are valuable and economical to extract are known as ore minerals. Metallic Minerals – conduct electricity and have shiny surfaces. Ex: silver Nonmetallic Minerals – tend to be good insulators and have dull surfaces. Ex: quartz

How Minerals Form Cooling Magma Hydrothermal Solutions Evaporites

Mineral Uses Chapter 16 Metals – can be pressed into various shape, conduct heat & electricity, are prized for their durability, and resist corrosion. Nonmetals – construction, concrete, glassmaking, computer chips, jewelry/gemstones.

Mining Exploration Exploring rocks for ore deposits -planes fly over an area creating images of an area and identify patterns in gravity, magnetism, or radioactivity. - samples are analyzed to determine how much metal is in the ore. If the metal content is high then a mining company can justify the cost of mining the area.

Subsurface Mining Mining of ore deposits found at least 50m beneath Earth’s surface  room-and-pillar mining – rooms are created that are held up with pillars  longwall mining – uses a machine to shear the ore from a wall & it falls onto a conveyor belt  solution mining – uses hot water to dissolve the ore & compressed air to bring the ore to the surface

Subsurface Mining Room-and-Pillar Mining Longwall Mining Solution Mining 

Surface Mining Mining of ore deposits close to Earth’s surface.  Open-pit mining – used for mining coal & metals  Strip mining – used for mining coal & metals  Quarrying – used for mining granite, marble, clay, gypsum, & talc

Smelting Crushed ore is melted at high temperatures in furnaces to separate impurities from molten metal.

Environmental Impacts of Mining  Mining dust and machinery exhaust  Mining equipment is loud  Water that seeps into mines or through piles of excess rock picks up dissolved toxic substances that can wash into streams  Coal contains lots of sulfur – can form acid mine drainage

Environmental Impacts of Mining Water Contamination Air & Noise Pollution Displacement of Wildlife Erosion Soil Degradation Subsidence (sinking ground) Underground Mine Fires

Underground Mine Fire in PA This 8 minute video from the Discovery Channel was made a decade ago, but the situation is still the same in Centralia, Pennsylvania. The fire has been burning for fifty years. Centralia Video

Think About It… Should mining continue? Why/why not?

Mining Regulations & Reclamation Mining companies are now required to consider the environment. Reclamation – the process of returning land to its original condition after mining is completed.

STUDENT NOTE VERSION

Mining and Mineral Resources

What is a mineral? Naturally occurring _________________ solid Characteristic chemical composition _________________ internal structure Set of physical properties

Minerals Around You Almost every solid object you see is made of minerals. We depend on the use of mineral resources in many aspects of our daily lives. nerals/usage/games/memory.htm nerals/usage/games/memory.htm

Ore Minerals Minerals that are _______ and economical to extract are known as ore minerals. Metallic Minerals – conduct electricity and have ________surfaces. Ex: silver Nonmetallic Minerals – tend to be good insulators and have ____________ surfaces. Ex: quartz

How Minerals Form _________________________ ___________

Mineral Uses Chapter 16 ___________ – can be pressed into various shape, conduct heat & electricity, are prized for their durability, and resist corrosion. ______________ – construction, concrete, glassmaking, computer chips, jewelry/gemstones.

Mining Exploration Exploring rocks for ore deposits -planes fly over an area creating images of an area and identify patterns in ______________________ _________________________________________. - samples are analyzed to determine how much metal is in the ore. If the metal content is high then a mining company can justify the cost of mining the area.

Subsurface Mining Mining of ore deposits found at least 50m beneath Earth’s surface  ________________________– rooms are created that are held up with pillars  ________________________– uses a machine to shear the ore from a wall & it falls onto a conveyor belt  ________________________– uses hot water to dissolve the ore & compressed air to bring the ore to the surface

Subsurface Mining Room-and-Pillar Mining Longwall Mining Solution Mining 

Surface Mining Mining of ore deposits close to Earth’s surface.  ____________________– used for mining coal & metals  ____________________ – used for mining granite, marble, clay, gypsum, & talc

Smelting Crushed ore is melted at high temperatures in furnaces to separate _____________ from molten metal.

Environmental Impacts of Mining  Mining dust and machinery exhaust  Mining equipment is loud  Water that seeps into mines or through piles of excess rock picks up dissolved toxic substances that can wash into streams  Coal contains lots of sulfur – can form acid mine drainage

Environmental Impacts of Mining Water Contamination Air & Noise Pollution Displacement of Wildlife Erosion Soil Degradation Subsidence (sinking ground) Underground Mine Fires

Underground Mine Fire in PA This 8 minute video from the Discovery Channel was made a decade ago, but the situation is still the same in Centralia, Pennsylvania. The fire has been burning for fifty years. Centralia Video

Think About It… Should mining continue? Why/why not? Discuss with your table group. Have one person write notes from your discussion.

Mining Regulations & Reclamation Mining companies are now required to consider the environment. Reclamation – the process of returning land to its original condition after mining is completed.