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A Level Environmental Science > Mineral Resources > Flashcards

Mineral Resources Flashcards

1
Q

Why is resource extraction important for society?

A
  • Metals and metal ores
  • Industrial minerals
  • Construction materials
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2
Q

What is a mineral?

A

A valuable or useful chemical substance formed naturally in the Earth’s surface

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3
Q

What is a mineral deposit?

A

A rock that contains at least one mineral

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4
Q

What is an ore?

A

A rock containing a mineral at a purity high enough to be extracted economically

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5
Q

What is iron used for?

A
  • Reinforced concrete in construction
  • Railway lines
  • Appliances
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6
Q

What is uranium used for?

A
  • Nuclear fuel
  • Concrete production
  • Sterilising soil
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7
Q

What is gold used for?

A
  • Jewellery
  • Electronics
  • Defence
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8
Q

Why is mineral extraction non-renewable?

A

Mineral resources are formed too slowly to be replaced within timescales that would allow human use

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9
Q

What is a sedimentary rock?

A

A rock formed on or near the Earth’s surface due to compression of ocean sediments

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10
Q

Which processes lead to sedimentary rock formation?

A
  • Weathering
  • Erosion
  • Deposition
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11
Q

What are some examples of sedimentary rocks?

A
  • Sandstone
  • Limestone
  • Chalk
  • Coal
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12
Q

What is an igneous rock?

A

A rock formed when magma cools and re-crystallises

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13
Q

Which processes lead to igneous rock formation?

A
  • Subduction
  • Melting
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14
Q

What are some examples of igneous rocks?

A
  • Gabbro
  • Granite
  • Andesite
  • Basalt
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15
Q

What is a metamorphic rock?

A

A rock which has been re-crystallised into another rock due to pressure and heat

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16
Q

Which processes lead to metamorphic rock formation?

A
  • Plate tectonics
  • Heat
  • Pressure
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17
Q

What are some examples of metamorphic rocks?

A
  • Slate
  • Marble
  • Gneisst
  • Quartzite
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18
Q

What are the 5 sedimentary geological processes?

A
  • Proterozoic marine sediments
  • Alluvial deposits
  • Secondary enrichment
  • Evaporites
  • Biological deposits
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19
Q

What is another term for the compression of ocean sediments?

A

Lithification

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20
Q

When were Proterozoic marine sediments formed?

A

2.5 - 1.8 billion years ago

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21
Q

What is another name for Proterozoic marine sediments?

A

Banded iron formations

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22
Q

How were Proterozoic marine sediments formed?

A
  1. First photosynthesisers increased O2 concentration in oceans and then atmosphere
  2. Iron ions were present in solution and were oxidised
  3. Solid iron oxide was formed (FeO) which formed deposits on the ocean floor
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23
Q

What are examples of Proterozoic marine sediments?

A
  • Haematites
  • Magnetites
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24
Q

How are alluvial deposits formed?

A
  1. Rivers with high energy and velocity transport large volumes of sediment
  2. Reduced energy and velocity causes deposition
  3. Heavier and denser sediments precipitate out of solution first
25
Q

Where is alluvial deposition most likely to occur?

A

On river meanders

26
Q

What are examples of alluvial deposits?

A
  • Gold
  • Diamond
  • Tin ore
27
Q

What is the process of secondary enrichment?

A
  1. Metal ore is exposed on the surface to O2 and H2O due to erosion
  2. Metal oxidises and dissolves before percolating downwards until it reaches the water table
  3. The ore is reduced when it reaches the anaerobic saturated zone beneath the water table
  4. Metal ore precipitates out of solution and forms a concentrated deposit below the water table
28
Q

What is an example of a deposit formed by secondary enrichment?

A

Uranium ore deposits in sandstone

29
Q

How do evaporites form?

A
  1. Sea level decrease causes oceans to become landlocked
  2. Salt precipitates out of solution and crystallises as water begins to evaporate
  3. Salt is deposited on land and may become buried
30
Q

What is the main example of an evaporite deposit?

A

Common salt (halite/NaCl)

31
Q

What is an example of evaporite extraction?

A

Winsford Salt Mines, Cheshire - supplies 50% of the UK’s road salt

32
Q

How do biological deposits form?

A

The remains of living organisms are lithified over time and concentrate minerals in sedimentary rocks

33
Q

What are some examples of biological deposits?

A
  • Coal
  • Oil
  • Limestone
  • Chalk
34
Q

What is coal formed from?

A

Terrestrial vegetation

35
Q

What is oil formed from?

A

Microscopic marine organisms

36
Q

What are limestone and chalk formed from?

A

Shell remains of marine organisms

37
Q

How are metamorphic rocks formed?

A

Igneous processes and tectonic movement causes existing rocks to re-crystallise due to heat and pressure

38
Q

How is slate formed?

A

Shale undergoes heat and pressure and re-crystallises

39
Q

How is marble formed?

A

Limestone undergoes heat and pressure and re-crystallises

40
Q

Why is slate more valuable than shale?

A

Stronger and more competent

41
Q

What is lithification?

A

The process by which sediments compact under pressure and become solid rock

42
Q

What is an igneous batholith?

A

A solidified mass of magma classified as an igneous intrusion which doesn’t reach the surface

43
Q

What is the process of hydrothermal deposition?

A
  1. Magma rises through the mantle but does not reach the surface
  2. Groundwater in surrounding rocks becomes superheated
  3. Minerals dissolve into solution due to heated water
  4. High pressure causes rocks to fracture
  5. Water moves away from the magma along fractures
  6. As water cools, it precipitates out of solution at different temperatures
44
Q

What is another term for fractures in the rock?

A

Hydrothermal veins

45
Q

What is another term for precipitating out of solution at different temperatures?

A

Fractional crystallisation

46
Q

What is the stock / resource base?

A

The total amount of a mineral present in the lithosphere

47
Q

What is the resource?

A

The total amount of a mineral which could theoretically be extracted

48
Q

What is the reserve?

A

The total amount of a mineral that can currently be extracted in a way which is economically viable

49
Q

What would cause the reserve to increase?

A
  • Decreased COOG
  • Advancement of technology
  • Increased market value
  • Reduced labour costs
50
Q

What is the inferred reserve?

A

The presence of a mineral has been predicted due to knowledge of geological structures

51
Q

What is the probable reserve?

A

Further exploitation is justified as sufficient information about the mineral presence is known

52
Q

What is the proven reserve?

A

Sufficient exploration has accurately estimated the amount of a mineral which can be extracted economically

53
Q

What does Lasky’s principle state?

A

As the purity of a mineral decreases, the amount of the mineral increases exponentially

54
Q

What is the COOG?

A

Cut-off ore grade - the minimum grade of a material (% purity) which can be extracted in an economically viable way

55
Q

Why is surveying required before mineral extraction?

A
  • Determines minerals present and their quantity
  • Avoids high costs, disruption and environmental damage
56
Q

What is IR spectroscopy?

A
  1. The IR emitted from Earth’s surface is measured by satellites
  2. Different materials emit IR at different wavelengths
57
Q

What is gravimetry?

A
  1. Gravimeters detect variations in Earth’s gravitational field on the surface
  2. An increased gravitational field reading indicates an increased density below Earth’s surface
58
Q

Which deposits can be identified using gravimetry?

A

Igneous rocks which are denser than sedimentary (e.g. lead and iron)

A Level Environmental Science (17 decks)

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