NATURAL FORMATION OF MINERAL NATURAL FORMATION OF MINERAL RESOURCES RESOURCES Mineral Resource – is a concentration of naturally occurring material in or on the earth’s crust that is extracted & used at a reasonable cost to consumers. Commercially valuable minerals and rocks are referred to as industrial minerals. Rocks from which minerals are mined for economic purposes are Minerals form over geologic time (millions of years) and are therefore classified as non- renewable resources. Common minerals: calcite, quartz, mica ORES (ROCKS) 1) Metallic – iron, copper, aluminum 2) Non-metallic – salt, sand 3) Energy – coal, oil, natural gas, uranium Mineral Resources
14
Embed
NATURAL FORMATION OF MINERAL RESOURCES Mineral Resource – is a concentration of naturally occurring material in or on the earth’s crust that is extracted.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
NATURAL FORMATION OF MINERAL NATURAL FORMATION OF MINERAL RESOURCESRESOURCES
Mineral Resource – is a concentration of naturally occurring material in or on the earth’s crust that is extracted & used at a reasonable cost to consumers.
Commercially valuable minerals and rocks are referred to as
industrial minerals. Rocks from which minerals are mined for
economic purposes are referred to as ores.
Minerals form over geologic time (millions of years) and are therefore
classified as non-renewable resources.Common minerals: calcite, quartz, mica
USGS defines mineral resources into two categories 1) identified
& 2) undiscovered
Reserves are identified as resources from which a usable nonrenewable mineral can be
extracted for profit.
HOW DO WE FIND MINERAL DEPOS ITS?
1) Drilling deep wells and extracting core samples
2) Aerial photos & satellite images to reveal protruding rock formations (outcrops)
3) Radiation measure – detect uranium ore
ORES from WEATHERING
Sedimentary Sorting (gold)
Evaporite Deposits (salt)
Residual Deposits (bauxite)
Overburden – layers of soil & rock overlying a mineral deposit & is removed during surface mining.
SPOILSSPOILS
SubsidenceSubsidence – – slow or rapid sinking of part of the ground
that is not slope related..
SmeltingSmelting – process in which a desired metal is separated from the other elements in an ore.
Gangue Tailings
Waste material
Piles of Gangue
WORDS
TO
KNOW
STRIP MINING &
MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL
Exposure of toxic materials that will leach into ground and surface waters
Wildlife is exposed to toxins
Sediment runoff
Land Erosion (sediment runoff) Acid Mine Drainage
Habitat Loss
Land Collapse
Fires - fumes
Black Lung Disease
Acid Mine Drainage
Emits - SO2, NOx, CO2
Inorganic Mercury in Atmosphere - methylmecury in aquatics
Ground-level ozone – smog
Respiratory Disease
STRIP MINING
Subsurface MINING
COMBUSTION (electrical production)
• Open Pit Mines (coal, copper, Open Pit Mines (coal, copper, uranium, lead, gold, silver)uranium, lead, gold, silver)
• Exposes waste rock like pyrite Exposes waste rock like pyrite (FeS(FeS22) which can react with water ) which can react with water to form sulfuric acid.to form sulfuric acid.
Leaching of toxic metalsLeaching of toxic metalsand other compoundsand other compounds
from mine spoilfrom mine spoil
Acid drainage fromAcid drainage fromreaction of mineralreaction of mineralor ore with wateror ore with water Spoil banksSpoil banks
Runoff ofRunoff ofsedimentsediment
Surface MineSubsurfaceMine Opening
Leaching may carryLeaching may carryacids into soil andacids into soil and
groundgroundwater supplieswater supplies
Fig. 14.7, p. 326
ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE FROM MINING PRACTICES
The ruins of Centralia Pennsylvania no longer exists on some maps.
The story began sometime in 1961 along the outskirts of town when trash was burned in an old open pit mine. The fire in the open pit caught an exposed vein of coal on fire. The coal then began to burn underground. That was in 1961. Over 40 years and 40 million dollars later the fire still burns through old coal mines and veins following the coal under the town and the surrounding hillsides. The fire, smoke, fumes and toxic gases that came up though the back yards, basements and streets of Centralia practically ripped the town apart. Attempts to put the fires out were unsuccessful.