CHPTR 20 Resources Flashcards
resources
useful materials for human life and civilization
reserves
that part of geological resource which has been found and can be recovered economically with existing technology
cumulative reserves
includes quantity already used
sub-economic/conditional reserves
part that has been discovered but which is not currently economic
hypothetical/speculative resources
not discovered, but estimated to exist based on statistical analysis
ore
rock containing a sufficient concentration of a metallic mineral to allow economic extraction. not applied to concentrations of non-metallic materials
concentration factor
= concentration of metal in ore / concentration of metal in average crust
gravitational settling mineral deposits process
- heavy minerals sink to bottom of magma body
immiscibility mineral deposits process
- magma cools down and minerals begin to crystallize
- mantle melt then has higher concentration of Ni and Cu
- liquid iron sulphide forms and combines with the higher concentration of Ni and Cu
pegmatites significance to the resources chapter
can be a rich source of rare earth elements
vein (iode) deposits
brine circulates in Earth and at high temp. can contain a lot of dissolved minerals
formed in fractures along which hydrothermal fluid flows
(looks like a vein through the rock)
disseminated deposits
brine circulates in Earth and at high temp. can contain a lot of dissolved minerals
minerals distributed within the rock volume
what texture of rock do disseminated deposits occur in
porphyritic
porphyry copper deposits
- formed in subduction zones
- water expelled from magma as it crystallizes
- concentrates minerals
VMS stands for
Volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits
VMS
- formed at black smokes at mid-ocean ridges
- metals leached from ocean crust by hydrothermal circulation and deposited in mounds on seafloor
SEDEX stands for
Sedimentary Exhalative deposit
SEDEX
rift environment
sulphides precipitate in depressions on seafloor near hydrothermal vents
MVT stands for
Mississippi Valley Type Deposit
MVT
- compaction of shale releases fluids (brine)
- brine dissolves limestone and precipitates ore minerals instead
unconformity uranium
- uranium deposits occur between the
- Archean Sedimentary layer and Athabasca group sandstone
BIF
- banded iron formation
- alternating layers of haematite and chert
- formed as oceans were oxygenated by photosynthesizing bacteria during the Archean eon
Placer mineral deposits example
- gold is created at the top of a mountain
- it gets into a stream
- the stream is meandering and deposits the gold on the slower moving point bank because of the heavier weight of the mineral
skarn deposit
produced through contact metamorphism - have high concentrations of ore
mineral deposits through weathering
weathering redistributes minerals or removes non-mineral material to raise concentration
How did we used to get sulpher, how do we get it now
mined on volcanoes
by product of natural gas processing
why do we mine potash
fertilizer
what kind of nodules are present on the seafloor
manganese nodules
Which country produces the most Rare Earth minerals
China
Which country produces the most cobalt
Congo
Which country produces the most Manesium
China
petroleum source
aquatic plankton
oil temperature window
75 - 100 degrees C
oil depth window
2-4 km
gas temperature window
> 100 degrees C
gas depth window
> 3 km
When did Canada’s sedimentary basins form (era)
Paleozoic, Mesozoic
where does coal form
swamps/shallow seas
sequence of coal (increasing temperature and pressure)
liginite, bituminous coal, anthracite
What era is Western Canada coal from
mesozoic
What era is NS and maritimes coal form
Paleozoic
oil sands
mixture of sediment, water, bitument
Method to mine oil from oil sands
SAGD - steam assisted gravity drainage
steam is pumped into the oil sands, heating them up and causing them to flow
what causes oil shale
source rock not subject to high temperature
what kind of rock is oil shale typically
fine grained limestone
how do we extract oil from oil shale
the oil shale can be heated to crack kerogen and form petroleum
coal bed methane + extraction method
gas trapped in coals seams
extracted with water
shale gas + extraction method
gas trapped in impermeable shale
extracted with hydraulic fracking/direction drilling
methane hydrate
solid mixture of methan and water that requires high pressure and low temperature to be stable
where is methane hydrate found
on continental shelf
what forms methane hydrate
reduction of carbon dioxide by bacteria
primary pollutants
emitted from identifiable sources
secondary pollutants + example
formed from chemical reactions involving primary pollutant
ie. smog
What produces the majority of Canada’s electricity + what percentage
Hydro
60%
Capacity factor
= energy generated / energy generated if operated all year
which hydrocarbon produces the least CO2 when burned
methane
what renewable resource has the highest capacity factor
thermal energy
Oil is formed from organic material deposited in ______
Marine sediments
