1. Mining and Mineral Resources
Mrs. Rubright
Earth Science
Week 19

2. Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Earth crust = Minerals + rock
Minerals –inorganic compound that occurs naturally in the earth’s crust
Solid
Regular internal crystalline structure.
Rock – solid combination of 1 or more minerals.

3. Mineral Resource: Any mineral useful to humans
Metallic Minerals: Iron Oxide, Gold
Non-metallic mineral: Limestone, sand
Fossil Fuel; Coal, Petroleum
Ore: A rock that can be profitably mined for a mineral (often a metal) or for minerals (metals)
High Grade Ore; has high concentration of the mineral
Low Grade Ore: smaller concentration
Gangue: Minerals other than ore present in a rock

4. Life Cycle of a Metal Resource
Surface
mining
Metal ore
Separation
of ore from
gangue
Smelting
Discarding
of product
Recycling
Melting
metal
Conversion
to product
Figure 12.7: Life cycle of a metal resource. Each step in this process uses large amounts of energy and produces some pollution and waste.
Smelting – heating to release metals but creating air polluting by-products
Chemical removal processes such as using cyanide to remove gold can create Toxic holding ponds

5. Surface Mines Open pit mines Strip mines
Where large 3D ore body lies close to the surface
Leaves a large exposed hole on the surface
Exposed rocks prone to weathering and polluting
Strip mines
Mostly for coal where minerals occur in layers paralleling the surface
Waste rocks dumped back as spoil banks
Newer regulations require reclamation involving grading, restoring, and replanting
Can cause changes in topography and drainage

6. Extracting Mineral Deposits
Surface mining - shallow deposits
in US extracts 90% of non-fuel minerals and rocks and 60% of the coal.
Overburden – soil and rock overlying deposit.
Spoils – discarded overburden
Open-pit Mining
Area Strip Mining

7. Mountaintop Removal
Figure 15-14

9. Extracting Mineral Deposits
Subsurface mining - deposits that are too deep for surface mining
Disturbs less
produces less waste
but also less effective and
dangerous.

10. Underground Mines Generally less disruptive than surface mines
Tunnels closely follow the ore body
Some waste rock on the surface
Shallow abandoned mines can cause collapse

12. Guyana Gold Mining Situation
Guyana is under heavy international pressure to mine their resources for these reasons:
To repay foreign debt
Meet international demand for gold
River dredging
Missile dredge – huge vacuum cleaner sucks up gravel, sand and mud for processing at the surface
River dredging can change the entire river channel

13. Guyana Gold Mining Situation
Irresponsible mining in Guyana results in:
Damage to river channels making transportation difficult or impossible on rivers
Damage to ecosystems in rivers; dredging severely disturbs riverbeds by bringing submerged mud and sand to the surface, organisms living in the mud under water die when exposed to the sun altering the natural food chain
Indigenous people (Amerindians) loose land, livelihood, and culture
Solution:
No good solution
Government of Guyana needs to protect rights of indigenous people
Government of Guyana needs to enact regulation allow mining while protecting the environment

14. Land Degradation
Desertification is the making of new desert through climate change or destructive land use. Desertification affects over 40% of total world land area.
Africa: Two thirds drylands, 73 % is moderately or severely affected
Asia: One third is drylands, 71% affected, All Pacific islands states face some sort of land degradation
North America proportion of drylands is 74%
Five European Union countries are affected
Latin America and the Caribbean: one fourth drylands, 75% affected
110 countries have drylands that are potentially at risk.
Over 250 million people are directly affected and
One billion under threat or at risk
Global desertification costs: US$42 Billion;

15. Land is a finite resource

16. Main Causes of Desertification/land degradation
Human activity :over cultivation, over grazing
Deforestation
Poor agricultural practices
Drought and Climate Change

17. Holistic Managemt Drought & Water stress Food Security
Poverty eradication
Preserving the resource base for food security - Land
Improving livelihood through pro-poor policies on
Improving water availability &
productivity/Soil fertility
quality through sustainable
Sustainable Land & Water Management
improvement at the core of all long term strategies
land & water management
Climate change
Biodiversity
Land is a win-win context for adaptation, mitigation &
Holistic Managemt
Biodiversity conservation through improvement of land
resilience building
ecosystems’ conditions
Avoided
Avoiding Forced Migrations
Deforestation
Bio Energies
Sust. Land Management & Restoration of degraded Lands as an alternative to
Opportunities for Bio energies through biomass
Changing the DAM paradigm “Degrade-Abandon-Migrate”
production
Deforestation

18. Alternative Energy Sources
Types of alternative energy source (non-fossil fuels) from Week 18:
Solar power
Wind power
Hydro power
Biomass
Geothermal power
Tidal power
Nuclear power
Deforestation

19. Are Alternative Energy Sources the Answer?
Consider one of the oldest sources of alternative energy: Hydro power (water)
2017 Oroville Dam Crisis
Earthen embankment dam on the Feather River
Hydro electric generators provide electric to California residents
Deforestation

20. 2017 Oroville Dam Crisis
Deforestation

21. 2017 Oroville Dam Crisis Immediate impact Downstream impact
Evacuation of residents due to potential collapse of the spillway concrete lip.
Downstream impact
Eroding of downstream hillside to form canyon.
Large amount of erosion debris clogged river below the dam preventing release of water from hydroelectric plant reducing overall usefulness.
High turbidity caused by erosion debris caused damage to the Feather River Fish Hatchery forcing evacuation of fish and eggs.
Deforestation

22. Are Alternative Energy Sources the Answer?
Alternative energy sources are important to begin to replace non-renewable sources like fossil fuels
Alternative energy sources are not without their own challenges.
All impacts and costs associated with alternative energy sources must be considered.
Deforestation