Chapter 1: Rocks, minerals and their exploitation

Question 1

Mineral

Answer 1

natural occurring inorganic substance with a specific chemical composition

Question 2

Igneous rock

Answer 2

rock made during a volcanic process

Question 3

Solution

Answer 3

formed when a solid is dissolved in a liquid

Question 4

Precipitates

Answer 4

when a substance comes out of a solution

Question 5

Sedimentary rock

Answer 5

a rock formed from material derived from the weathering of other rocks or the accumulation of dead plants and animals

Question 6

Metamorphic rock

Answer 6

a rock formed from existing rocks by a combination of heat and pressure

Question 7

Rock cycle

Answer 7

a representation of the changes between the three rock types and the processes causing them

Question 8

Prospecting

Answer 8

a process of searching for minerals

Question 9

Remote sensing

Answer 9

a process in which information is gathered about the earths surface from above

Question 10

Geochemical

Answer 10

the chemical properties of rocks

Question 11

Geophysical

Answer 11

the physical properties of rocks

Question 12

Surface mining

Answer 12

a type of mining used when the mineral is either exposed on the surface or overlain by only small amounts of overburden

Question 13

Overburden

Answer 13

the rock and soil overlaying an economically viable mineral deposit

Question 14

Open-pit /open-cast /open-cut mining

Answer 14

a type of surface mining

Question 15

Sub-surface mining

Answer 15

a type of mining used when the deposit is covered by deep layer(s) of unwanted rock

Question 16

Adit

Answer 16

the entrance to a horizontal ( drift ) mine

Question 17

Strike rate

Answer 17

the frequency with which attempts to find a desirable mineral are successful

Question 18

Supply and demand

Answer 18

the relationship between how much of a commodity is needed or wanted by consumers of the product

Question 19

Environmental impact assessment

Answer 19

a process by which the probable effects on the environment of a development are assessed and measured

Question 20

Biomagnification

Answer 20

the process in which a concentration of a substance in living things becomes higher at progressively higher levels in a food chain

Question 21

Bioremediation

Answer 21

a process in which living things are used to remove toxic chemicals from a natural site