EARTH SCIENCE Nicole Lim Daphne Abella Samuel Amaro Ms. Charity Mulig Amethyst-I

Tasks Geologist – Nicole V. Lim Economist- Daphne Abella Industrialist- Samuel Amaro

Situation A businessman would like to increase his earnings through mining. Learning about his interest in the field, three companies immediately came up with project proposals for three different mineral reserves. Company A proposed for manganese, Company B recommended phosphates; Company C envisioned a coal mining industry. However, the businessman, seeing the project to involve a huge amount of money, thought of hiring your expertise as a team MINERAL EXPERTS to help him decide where to invest.

Information about the Mineral Reserves Company A- Manganese Mining Company B- Phosphate Mining Company C- Coal Mining

Company A- Manganese Manganese is a chemically active element. It is a hard metal and is very brittle. It is hard to melt, but easily oxidized. Manganese is reactive when pure, and as a powder it will burn in oxygen, it reacts with water (it rusts like iron) and dissolves in dilute acids. Manganese metal is also used in the production of nonferrous products such as aluminum alloys.

Cost of Mining According to the internet, Australia is the third largest producer of manganese ore in the world, producing 2.55 Mt in 2003, 12% of global production. In 2003, Australian exports of manganese ore totaled 2.14 Mt valued at A$312 million. Market Value and Mine Life As stated, the manganese ore has a year mine life. Manganese is one of the most abundant metals in soils, where it occurs as oxides and hydroxides, and it cycles through its various oxidation. Manganese is an essential element for all species.

Health Effects Manganese effects occur mainly in the respiratory tract and in the brains. Symptoms of manganese poisoning are hallucinations, forgetfulness and nerve damage. Manganese can also cause Parkinson, lung embolism and bronchitis. When men are exposed to manganese for a longer period of time they may become impotent. A syndrome that is caused by manganese has symptoms such as schizophrenia, dullness, weak muscles, headaches and insomnia.

Environmental Effects Manganese compounds exist naturally in the environment as solids in the soils and small particles in the water. Manganese Humans enhance manganese concentrations in the air by industrial activities and through burning fossil fuels. Manganese that derives from human sources can also enter surface water, groundwater and sewage water. Through the application of manganese pesticides, manganese will enter soils.

Company B- Phosphate A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in agriculture and industry.

Cost of Mining In 2003, nine U.S. firms in four states mined phosphate rock ore, compared to 20 firms in In 2003 mines produced an estimated 33.3 million metric tons of phosphate rock, with a value of $895 million from the mine. The United States is the world's leading producer and consumer of phosphate rock. Mine Life and Market Value It is stated that the mine life of phosphate is approximately 30 years.

Health Effects Phosphate rock is radioactive. There are two key areas of concern for impacts to public health. The first is whether the radioactive elements can get into water supplies, be released to the air, absorbed into the skin or accumulated in fish or animals. The second concern is what happens when the radioactive particles, such as radium and thorium, are concentrated in the clay settling ponds.

Environmental Effects Strip mining removes 20 to 40 feet of the surface of an area to get to the phosphate. In the process, the entire environmental system, including the surface and underground water flows; topography, animals and plants are changed.

Company C- Coal Coal is valued for its energy content, and is widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production.

Cost of Mining According to the Average Sales Price of Coal by State and Coal Rank, the coal has the highest sales price among the three elements mentioned. You can really see the rising of the line in the example graph (in coal mining cost) when it comes to coal mining. Market Value and Mine Life The life of some coal mines may be more than 50 years. Coal reserves are available in almost every country worldwide, with recoverable reserves in around 70 countries. At current production levels, proven coal reserves are estimated to last 147 years.

Health Effects Historically, coal mining has been a very dangerous activity and the list of historical coal mining disasters is a long one. Open cut hazards are principally mine wall failures and vehicle collisions; underground mining hazards include suffocation, gas poisoning, roof collapse and gas explosions. Firedamp explosions can trigger the much more dangerous coal dust explosions, which can engulf an entire pit. Most of these risks can be greatly reduced in modern mines, and multiple fatality incidents are now rare in some parts of the developed world. Chronic lung diseases, such as pneumoconiosis (black lung) were once common in miners, leading to reduced life expectancy.

Environmental Effects Coal mining can result in a number of adverse effects on the environment. Surface mining of coal completely eliminates existing vegetation, destroys the genetic soil profile, displaces or destroys wildlife and habitat, degrades air quality, alters current land uses, and to some extent permanently changes the general topography of the area mined. This often results in a scarred landscape with no scenic value.

Additional Info : Coal and Charcoal Coal - black mineral found below the ground, used to make coal gas and coal tar. Charcoal - black substance used for cooking, used as a filtering material or as fuel or for drawing.

Our CHOICE: We best prefer Company- C, Coal Mining, because results state that it has a great value in terms of marketing and its sales are proven high. One of its beneficial effects is that it is the largest source of energy for the generation of electricity worldwide, and coal reserves last long.

Sources of Information

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