Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

ENV120 > Chapter 12- Minerals and Energy > Flashcards

Chapter 12- Minerals and Energy Flashcards

1
Q

exploration

A

search for known reserves (some types can traumatically effect enviro

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Ore

A

mixture of minerals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

mining

A

ore extraction & processing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

overburden

A

material covering a known reserve -mostly soil, must take stuff off, store it, and then get what you want)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Smelting

A

roasting metal-rich fraction of ore to release S02

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Steps in Mining

A

1) Exploration
2) development and extraction
3) processing
4) closure and reclamation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Impacts of Exploration

A

generally low, some habitat disturbances soil & water contamination, roads

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Impacts of extraction and processing

A

acid mine drainage, water and soil contamination, large scale habitat destruction, atmospheric contamination, acid rain (scrubbers in inside of smoke stack)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Closure and reclamation

A

continued water and soil contamination, landscape alteration, socio-economic impacts

  • if not reclaimed properly can lead to life long problems with acid rain
  • reclamation not always back to original state
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Open pit mining

A

progressively larger and deeper pit, starts with first layer and then makes pit larger and deeper

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Strip mining

A

strip dug out, waste filled into previous cut

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Undergrand mining

A

subsurface operation, go underground sometimes very dangerous due to potential gas build up

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Milling

A

crushing and grinding ores to separate the useful from non useful material- some use water

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Tailings

A

the non useful material that remains (big issues in mining)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Re-newable (flow) Resources

A

renewed naturally

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Non-Renewable (Stock) resources

A

fixed in supply ex) oil, gas, coal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Critical Zone

A

-can be harvested or exploited to exhaustion (renewable resources if used sustainably)
fish, forests, animals, soils, water, aquifers

18
Q

Non-critical zone

A
  • resources that will not deplete due to exploitation or over-harvesting
    ex) air, water, solar energy, tides, wind
19
Q

Consumed by use

A

oil, gas, coal

20
Q

Theoretically recoverable

A

all elemental minerals

21
Q

Recyclable

A

metallic minerals

22
Q

Canada is major exporter of…

A

gold, nickel, potash, copper, cement

23
Q

Enviro Challenges of Mining

A 
Acid Mine drainage 
SO2 emissions 
Metal Toxicity 
disruption of ecosystem 
habitat degradation 
disturb aquatic ecosystems
radioactive waste
hydroelectric dams ruining ecosystems
24
Q

Acid Mine Drainage

A
  • most ore contains iron sulphides
  • after processing, iron sulphides in tailings can oxidize to become sulphuric acid
  • with precipitation, sulphuric acid can dissolve residual metals-> acidic drainage
25
Sulphur Dioxide Emissions
- to recover metals, ore semlted (high heat) to remove sulphides - major contributor to SO2 emissions
26
Mobile phones
- use 22 natural resources extracted from all over the world - huge economic industry - lots of copper in cell phones
27
Canada in the World
Saskatchewan= largest producer of potash in the world -most efficient mining in the world Diavik Diamond Mine -opened in 2003 after 1.3billion$ invested into the project
28
Challenges of Mining in the North
1) Treaty 8 and 11 land claim negotiations 2) concerned aboriginals- about knowledge being used outside of its context 3) not one set of traditional knowledge, lots of different aboriginal groups
29
Enviro Impacts and Mitigations
Mining tailings- down stream water quality a concern, crushed rock put into Long Lake tailings impound, capacity is too small - Barren-ground caribou- believed to have a small impact, but population down 5% since mine opened - Water issues- changes due to lake drainage to facilitate opening the mine, contaminants, needs long term monitoring - Fish- in 12 of 15 lakes, BHP compensated for fish loss, expected counterbalance due to net loss of fish habitats in the North
30
Renewable Energy
- geothermal - tidal - wind - wave - biomass- uses waste from crops and burns it in rural areas and 3rd world countries - solar
31
Non-Renewale energy
- coal - oil - fuels - natural gas - nuclear fuels
32
How to choose Energy resource?
1. Occurrence- confined to specific environment and location 2. Transferability- distance which energy can travel 3. Energy content- amount of useable energy 4. Reliability- uninterrupted availability 5. Storability- advantageous in case of unreliable source 6. Flexibility- greater variety of end uses 7. Safety & impact- risk to human health & enviro 8. Cleanliness & convenience- cleaner & convenient= better than dirty and cumbersome 9. Price- less expensive=desirable
33
WInd Power Advantages
- renewable - no toxic or radio active waste - quiet - not hazard to birds/wildlife - 2% of land use thus land can still be used for agriculture - payment to land owners= income
34
Wind Power Disadvantages
- inconsistent - negative impact on landscape - noise from large wind farms - disrupt migratory routes - loss of habitat - disturbs frequency of sound waves used in animal communication
35
Solar Power Advantages
renewable - free energy (after cost of infrastructure) - payback time short - can stand alone (good for isolated areas) - decrease GHG emissions
36
Solar Power Disadvantages
- cloudy= decrease capacity - need large surface area - aesthetic impact - decrease area for farming
37
Athabasca oil sands
- failed to deter duck from tailings pond - 1 barrel= 4 tonnes of material extracted & 2-5 barrels of water - air pollution - ^toxins - fragmentation of boreal forest - loss of wetlands & forest habitat - dewatering aquifers - water removed from athabasca river - decrease fish population
38
Bitumen
various minerals that will burn
39
In situ recovery
usually done via stream-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD)
40
Nuclear Power
- 14-15% of Canada's power - Ontario=most dependent - Storage of nuclear waste= problem 1) deep disposal- isolate waste 2) centralized on site storage- short term solution) 3) hybrid- combo of methods

ENV120 (15 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions