Chapter 23 Content

Question 1

economically valuable metals

Answer 1

Copper, iron, lead, gold, and aluminum

Question 2

How processing minerals impacts the environment:

Answer 2

a. Most methods are water-intensive and energy-intensive.
b. Chemical reactions and air pollution.
c. soil and water commonly become polluted

Question 3

strip mining

Answer 3

whereby layers of surface soil and rock are removed from large areas to expose the resource

Question 4

environmental impacts strip mining

Answer 4

a. strip mining obliterates natural communities over large areas.
b. Soil from refilled areas easily erodes.
c. pollutes waterways through the process of acid drainage,

Question 5

subsurface mining

Answer 5

In this approach, shafts are excavated deep into the ground, and networks of tunnels are dug or blasted out to follow deposits of the mineral

Question 6

when is subsurface mining used?

Answer 6

When a resource occurs in concentrated pockets or seams deep underground, and the earth allows for safe tunneling

Question 7

What minerals are mined through subsurface mining?

Answer 7

zinc, lead, nickel, tin, gold, copper, and uranium, as well as for diamonds, phosphate, salt, and potash

Question 8

open pit mining

Answer 8

This essentially involves digging a

gigantic hole and removing the desired ore and its surrounding waste rock

Question 9

when is open pit mining used?

Answer 9

When a mineral is spread widely and evenly throughout a rock formation, or when the earth is unsuitable for tunneling, the method of choice is

Question 10

placer mining

Answer 10

generally using running water to separate lightweight mud and gravel from heavier minerals of value

Question 11

mountaintop removal mining

Answer 11

in which several hundred vertical feet of mountaintop may be removed to allow recovery of entire seams of the resource

Question 12

Negative impact of mountain top removal:

Answer 12

a. destroys immense areas of habitat, clogs streams and rivers, and pollutes waterways with acid drainage
b. people living near the sites experience social and health effects

Question 13

The General Mining Act of 1872

Answer 13

encourages people and companies to prospect for minerals on federally owned land by allowing any U.S. citizen or any company with permission to do business in the United States to stake a claim on any plot of public land open to mining

Question 14

factors that affect the length how long mineral deposits last.

Answer 14

1. Discovery of new reserves
2. New extraction technologies
3. Changing social and technological dynamics
4. Changing consumption patterns
5. Recycling