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Geology > Earth Materials and Natural Resources > Flashcards

Earth Materials and Natural Resources Flashcards

1
Q

Define Open Cast Mine

A

Takes place from quarries of ‘open pits’ at the surface. Overburden is removed

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2
Q

Define Deep Mine

A

Mining deep within the earth. Drill vertically down with the overburden in place

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3
Q

What are the three types of deep mine?

A

Longwall, Pillar and stall, Bell pit

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4
Q

What are four geological hazards associated with coal extraction?

A

Mass movements, Gases, Subsidence, Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

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5
Q

What are six environmental issues associated with coal extraction?

A

Change in water table and water quality, Noise, Loss of habitat, Visual impact, Air quality, Transportation of material out of the mine/quarry

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6
Q

What are five factors affecting the accuracy of estimation in the size of the coal deposit?

A

Bed geometries, Folds, Erosional features, Faulting, Previous mining

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7
Q

Define Source Rock

A

Sediment that contained the plankton - where the hydrocarbon is made/comes from

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8
Q

Define Reservoir Rock

A

Permeable and porous rock which the hydrocarbons collect in e.g. sandstone

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9
Q

Define Cap Rock

A

Impermeable rock on top of reservoir rock which stops upwards migration of oil and gas

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10
Q

Define Trap

A

Geological structure which stops the oil from migrating

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11
Q

Define Oil Window

A

The right conditions for the organism to break down into petroleum

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12
Q

Why is Darcy’s Law useful to oil and gas extraction?

A

It calculates the flow rate of the hydrocarbons in the reservoir rock

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13
Q

What are the four types of hydrocarbon trap?

A

Anticline, Fault, Salt dome, Stratigraphic

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14
Q

What are two potential problems associated with fracking?

A

Linked to low magnitude earthquakes, Ground water pollution

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15
Q

What are four surveys used to prospect for hydrocarbons and coal?

A

Seismic methods, Magnetic methods, Gravity methods, Fossil identification

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16
Q

What are the two types of microfossil?

A

Calcareous (foraminifera and coccolithophores) and palynomorphs (pollen, dinoflagellates and spores)

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17
Q

Define Average Crustal Abundance

A

The amount of metal in ‘average’ continental crust

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18
Q

Define Concentration Factor

A

The amount by which the metal is concentrated to make an ore deposit

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19
Q

Concentration Factor =

A

Concentration of metal in ore/Average crustal abundance

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20
Q

Define Grade

A

The concentration of valuable mineral within an ore

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21
Q

Define Cut-Off Grade

A

The grade below which it is uneconomical to mine

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22
Q

Define Ore Deposit

A

An accumulation of metal that may be economic to mine

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23
Q

Define Ore Reserve

A

The rock containing valuable metal which is economic to mine

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24
Q

Define Metallic Ore

A

Rock containing metallic ores which is economic to mine e.g. galena

25
Q

Define Native Metal

A

Pure metal - hasn’t been bound with anything else e.g. gold

26
Q

Define Gangue Metal

A

A low-value waste mineral

27
Q

Define Mineral Vein

A

A layer/sheet of material that contains minerals

28
Q

Define Syngenetic

A

Deposits formed at the same time as the country rock

29
Q

Define Epigenetic

A

Deposit formed after the country rock

30
Q

Define Total Reserves

A

Can be worked at a profit

31
Q

Define Conditional Resources

A

There but not profitable at present

32
Q

Define Hypothetical Resources

A

Undiscovered or discovered but not assessed

33
Q

What are five factors which can change whether a resource becomes profitable/unprofitable?

A

Increase in demand or price increases globally, Decrease in mining cost due to technological advances, Positive political will for the extraction of the resource, Environmental restrictions, Alternate energy resource of product

34
Q

Define Magmatic Segregation

A

Separation of ore minerals by fractional crystallisation and related processes during magmatic differentiation

35
Q

What deposits are formed by magmatic segregation?

A

Chromite and platinum

36
Q

Define Volcanic Exhalative

A

The emission of hydrothermal solutions at the surface, usually under marine conditions and generally producing stratiform orebodies

37
Q

What deposits are formed by massive sulphide deposits (VMS)?

A

Copper and zinc

38
Q

Define Magmatic Crystallisation

A

Precipitation of ore minerals as major or minor constituents of igneous rocks in the form of disseminated grains or segregations

39
Q

What is formed by magmatic segregation?

A

Pegmatites

40
Q

Define Hydrothermal Veins

A

Deposition from hot aqueous solutions

41
Q

What are the two sources of the fluids for hydrothermal veins?

A

Magmatic waters and Meteoric ground water

42
Q

What deposits are formed by hydrothermal veins?

A

Tin, Tungsten, Copper, Lead, Iron

43
Q

Define Secondary Enrichment

A

Leaching of valuable elements from the upper parts of mineral deposits and their precipitation at depth to produce higher concentrations

44
Q

What deposits are formed by secondary enrichment?

A

Porphyry deposits e.g. copper

45
Q

Define Mechanical Accumulation

A

Concentration of heavy, durable minerals into placer deposits (surface deposits formed by weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition)

46
Q

What are five main requirements for placer deposits?

A

Pre-existing mineral veins at the surface, Dense and resistant ore minerals, Erosion and transportation, Suitable sites of deposition, Chemically unreactive ore minerals

47
Q

What deposits are formed by mechanical accumulation?

A

Placer deposits e.g. gold

48
Q

Define Residual Processes

A

Leaching from rocks of soluble elements leaving concentrations of insoluble elements in the remaining material

49
Q

What deposits is formed by residual processes?

A

Residual deposits e.g. bauxite

50
Q

Define Bauxite

A

A mixture of hydrated aluminium oxides and hydroxides

51
Q

What are three conditions needed to form bauxite?

A

A hot and humid tropical environment causing intense chemical weathering, Aluminium rich and iron poor rock e.g. granite or limestone, Groundwater between pH4 and pH10

52
Q

Define Sedimentary Precipitates

A

Precipitation of particular elements in suitable environments, with or without the intervention of biological organisms

53
Q

What deposits are formed by sedimentary precipitates?

A

Precipitated deposits e.g. iron or gypsum

54
Q

What are seven geophysical and geochemical techniques to prospect for metallic ore deposits?

A

Magnetic methods, Gravity methods, Electrical methods, Electromagnetic methods, Geochemical surveys, Remote sensing, Drilling

55
Q

How is china clay formed?

A

Hydrolysis of orthoclase feldspar in quartz to make clay minerals (kaolin)

56
Q

Define Quarrying

A

At or near the surface used for sandstone, limestone, chalk and aggregates

57
Q

Define Open Cast Mining

A

Initial removal of shallow surface layers (overburden) followed by extraction of the mineral such as coal and bauxite

58
Q

Define Mining Underground

A

Removal of minerals from below the surface such as coal, rock salt, iron sulphides, gold

59
Q

Define Dredging

A

Removal of material from sea, lakes or rivers to extract minerals such as sand and gravel, tin and gold

Geology (16 decks)

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