1. FOSSIL FUELS AND MINING
PART 2
CANADA’S NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES

2. AGENDA Non-Renewable Resources in Canada Fossil Fuels in Canada
Mining in Canada
The Future of Non-Renewable Resources

3. 3. MINING IN CANADA

4. 3. MINING IN CANADA
Canada ranks second in the world (Australia is first) in exporting metallic and non-metallic minerals.
The government in Canada supports mining industry with funding, resources, and lower taxes.
Mining is the locating and collecting (digging up) of ore that contains metallic or non-metallic minerals.

5. 3. MINING IN CANADA
Ore is rock that contains enough of a mineral to make it worth mining – finding it is the hard part!
Minerals worth mining are called mineral reserves.
Like fossil fuels, they are measured using the R/P ratio.
SILVER ORE
IRON ORE

6. METALLIC MINERALS
Ore with metallic minerals contains metal. (For example: iron, gold, copper, lead, nickel, etc.)
When the ore is melted, the metal is separated from rock.
Metals are usually in igneous and metamorphic rock.
LEAD ORE
GOLD ORE

7. NON-METALLIC MINERALS
Ore with non-metallic minerals contains minerals like potash, gravel, diamonds, salt, limestone, etc.
Unlike metals, this ore is not melted.
Non-metallic minerals are most commonly found in sedimentary rock.
Potash is one of Canada’s largest mineral exports.

8. TYPES OF MINING: SURFACE

9. SURFACE MINING: STRIP MINE
Strip Mining is a form of surface mining and the least expensive type of mining.
Only good for minerals very close to the surface such as sand, gravel, coal, and oil sands.
It is the safest form of mining overall.

10. SURFACE MINING: STRIP MINE
Trees, earth, and rocks are removed and blasting (with explosives) breaks up ore.
The ore is loaded onto trucks or conveyors and brought to a refinery for more processing.
Strip mining causes the most damage to the environment as large areas are “stripped away”.

11. SURFACE MINING: STRIP MINE
Video of a Canadian coal strip mine:
The video explained: “A belt line is used to carry coal from the mine. A excavator pushes material down to a loader. The loader dumps material into a crusher that breaks the rock down small enough to be sent up a series of conveyor belts and a long line to the stockpile.”
Coal Ore after extraction:

12. SURFACE MINING: STRIP MINE
The world’s largest bucket-wheel excavator (made by Krupp in Germany).
See it in action here!

13. SURFACE MINING: OPEN-PIT
Open-Pit Mining is another type of surface mining.
It is used when large mineral deposits are close to the surface, even though these mines can be very deep.
Bringham Canyon Mine in Utah is the largest open pit copper mine in the world and is deeper than twice the height of the CN tower!

14. SURFACE MINING: OPEN-PIT
Open pit mines are often used to collect ore for iron, aluminum, copper, nickel, and many other metals.
Video about Open-Pit Mining by Vale:

15. SURFACE MINING: OPEN-PIT
Copper Ore Iron Ore Manganese Ore Nickel Ore
(Sulfide) (Laterite) (Laterite) (Sulfide)
More about Vale Canada, one of the world’s largest mining companies with $8.3b in annual revenues:

17. TYPES OF MINING: UNDERGROUND

18. TYPES OF MINING: UNDERGROUND
Underground mining is used to extract mineral ores located deep underground.
This is the “traditional” type of mine, but is much less common for safety reasons.
Underground mines are used for metals such as: gold, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel… and sometimes even for gemstones!

19. TYPES OF MINING: UNDERGROUND
Shafts with elevators are dug into the ground.
Horizontal stopes (tunnels) connect to the elevator shafts and are where the digging takes place.
Explosives and machinery are used to break up ore.
As digging continues, the rock is crushed and brought to the surface for processing.

20. TYPES OF MINING: UNDERGROUND

21. TYPES OF MINING: UNDERGROUND

22. TYPES OF MINING: UNDERGROUND
This is by far the most dangerous type of mining!
Dangers include:
Gasses can build up and suffocate or explode.
Dust and noise can be overwhelming.
Mine shafts can collapse!
Though it causes less environmental damage, underground mining still hurts vegetation and can impact groundwater.

23. TYPES OF MINING: UNDERGROUND
Video about Underground Mining by Vale:
Watch underground mining in action:

24. 4. ISSUES FACING THE MINING INDUSTRY
Canada is facing many issues can cause trouble for our mining industry, including:
Impact on the Environment
Abandoned Mines
Loss of Jobs
Echo Effect
Exhausting the Supply
Staying Competitive
Boom/Bust Towns

25. Mining across Canada by mineral-type.

26. Rio Tinto’s Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories.
Related reading: p
Questions:
1-3 on p. 160