Stewardship and Sustainability of Earth Resources Earth History GEOL 2110 Stewardship and Sustainability of Earth Resources

Terminology and Definitions Natural Resources – materials, and energy that occur naturally within the Earth’s spheres. Many are essential for our survival, while others are used for satisfying our wants. Biological Resources renewable recycleable reuseable Water Resources unlimited recycleable reuseable Stuff Mineral Resources non-renewable recycleable reuseable Wind and Solar unlimited “Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (1984, United Nations Commission) Stewardship - “administration, management, control, including responsible use of resources” (Oxford English Dictionary Online)

Stewardship of Earth Resources STEWARDSHIP: the individual’s responsibility to manage his life and property with proper regard to the rights of others Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (1987) Responsible stewardship of mineral resources demands that we make sensible and fair choices of where, how, and when to acquire critical resources we need for today and for the future. Making these choices also requires that we face some other inconvenient truths about the earth and our interaction with it.

Inconvenient Truth #1 We Use the Earth

Mineral Resources are Necessary in our Modern Lives Computers 26 different elements 66 different minerals Smart Phones National Mining Institute, 2005 From the Minerals Education Coalition

Inconvenient Truth #2 If it wasn’t grown, it had to be mined

Inconvenient Truth #3 Everything comes from something, but something isn’t everywhere Porphyry Cu deposits in young mountain belts gone

Porphyry Cu Mine, Bagdad, AZ Sulfide Flotation Cells Sulfide Floating Electroplating Copper

Buried too Deep Just Buried

Inconvenient Truth #4 Most of the world’s base metal comes from sulfide minerals Chalcopyrite CuFeS2 Bornite Cu5FeS4 Chalcocite Cu2S Pentlandite (Fe,Ni)9S8 Sphalerite ZnS Cinnabar HgS Molybdenite MoS2 Cobaltite CoAsS Galena PbS

Separating Metal from Sulfur March 15, 2013 Separating Metal from Sulfur Traditional Roasting/Smelting Sudbury, Ontario Monchegorsk, Russia New Tech Hydrometallurgy J. Miller

2FeS2(s) + 7O2(g) + 2H2O(l) → 2Fe2+(aq) + 4SO42-(aq) + 4H+(aq) The Environmental Challenge Preventing Acid Rock Drainage (ARD) and Metals Release March 15, 2013 2FeS2(s) + 7O2(g) + 2H2O(l) → 2Fe2+(aq) + 4SO42-(aq) + 4H+(aq) J. Miller

The western world consumes the most, Inconvenient Truth #5 The western world consumes the most, but mines the least amount of mineral resources

32% from Recycled Cu Data from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries March 15, 2013 Data from USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 32% from Recycled Cu J. Miller

Cu in a Standard Car with Combustion Engine COPPER An Important Metal in a Green Economy NW Mining Association, 2009 Cu in a Standard Car with Combustion Engine 43-55 lbs Cu in a Prius - 80 lbs Cu in a Volt - 150 lbs

Inconvenient Truth #6 If we don’t mine it here, it will be mined somewhere else....Often BADLY PGE – Platinum Group Elements Pt – Platinum Pd – Palladium Os – Osmium Ru – Ruthenium Rh – Rhodium Ir - Iridium

Supplying the 70% of the World’s Platinum Bushveld Complex South Africa Supplying the 70% of the World’s Platinum Merensky Reef, Amplats Mine, Rustenburg, SA Merensky Reef, Eastern Bushveld Complex

“The Environmental Metal” Palladium: “The Environmental Metal” Pd Uses

The Stillwater Mine (Montana) Only Precious Metals Mine in the U.S. (recently owned by Noril’sk Nickel)

Noril’sk, Russia Cu-Ni-PGE Deposits Supplies 60% of the World’s Palladium Sulfide Smelter in Monchegorsk, Russia In 1998, responsible for 50% of SO2 in the northern hemisphere

A Looming Stewardship Question for Minnesotans: When should we develop this immense copper-nickel-precious metal mineral resource?

Sulfur Contamination creating the Cu-Ni-PGE Sulfide Deposits of the Duluth Complex Pd + Pt + Au S S

Cu-Ni-PGE Sulfide Deposits of the Duluth Complex Current Exploration Polymet – Northmet Teck American – Mesaba Twin Metals MN – Maturi, Dunka Pit, Birch Lake, Spruce Rd Encampment – South Filson Cr, Serpentine

World Class Ores of the Duluth Complex March 15, 2013 World Class Ores of the Duluth Complex Compared to other Magmatic Sulfide Deposits, the Duluth Complex is: #1 or 2 in contained Copper #4 in contained PGE #3 in contained Nickel Only the Bushveld, Great Dyke, and Noril’sk contain more PGE From Peterson, 2010 J. Miller

World Scale of the Maturi Deposit March 15, 2013 World Scale of the Maturi Deposit Nokomis Maturi Maturi Maturi From Peterson, 2010 and DM press release 12/2012 J. Miller

The Largest UNDEVELOPED Cu-Ni Deposit on Earth March 15, 2013 The Largest UNDEVELOPED Cu-Ni Deposit on Earth Duluth deposits are perceived as low grade. But compared to the source of most of the world’s copper - Porphyry Copper Deposits... …the Duluth Complex ores are HIGHER GRADE with MORE CONTAINED METAL than nearly all porphyry systems. The largest copper ore deposits in the USA are on this diagram, and the Duluth Complex ores are much larger then all of them. From Peterson, 2010 J. Miller

March 15, 2013 CONCLUSION: The base and precious metal deposits of the Duluth Complex are a World Class Resource that will be mined …. SOMEDAY J. Miller

Next Wednesday Course Review Prepping for the Final Return Old Quizzes and Exams FINAL EXAM – Wednesday, 5/13 2-4 AM, Cina 308