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Enviromental Science > mineral resources > Flashcards

mineral resources Flashcards

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1
Q

in what 3 ways does the lithosphere provide resources and services

A

physical resource (mined metals ores, non-metal minerals and fossil fuels) biogeochemical cycles (recycle essential biological elements eg carbon nitrogen and phosphorus) soil (growth medium for plants, habitat for many organisms, location for part of all biogeochemical cycles)

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2
Q

why are mineral resources extracted from the lithosphere non-renewable

A

they reform too slowly to be replaced within timescales of human use

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3
Q

how can you extend the use of non-renewable resources

A

understanding of scientific methods to increase supply, extend use and find alternatives

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4
Q

name a fossil fuel and its important uses and properties

A

coal - fuel, especially for electricity generation - high energy content / crude oil - fuels, especially liquid fuels for vehicles - high energy content / natural gas - fuel, especially heating and electrical generation - high energy content

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5
Q

name a metal and it’s important uses and properties

A

iron - construction - malleable, strong but high density, rusts, forms alloys eg stainless steel / aluminium - packaging, vehicles, construction - malleable, strong but low density, good heat and electricity conductor, corrosion resistant / copper - electric cables, water pipes - malleable, good electrical conductor, corrosion resistant

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6
Q

name a non metal mineral and it’s important uses and properties

A

sand - builders mortar, glass - fine-grained inert filler, transparent in thin sheets / gravel - concrete - coarse-grained filler / limestone - building blocks, cement, crushed for road surface chippings - hard, easily cut and crushed, quite resistant to wear, baked lime

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7
Q

how is basalt formed

A

by lava that cools quite quickly

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8
Q

what forms slower, magma or lava and why

A

magma since it’s insulated underground

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9
Q

why is basalt black and granite multicoloured with crystals

A

basalt rock was formed by lava cooling quickly so it’s black whereas granite cooled slower

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10
Q

where does earth’s internal heat come from

A

decay of radioactive materials in the mantle and crust / heat left over from the collisions of millions of rocks that formed earth billions of years ago

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11
Q

why are fissures in batholiths important

A

they allow the formation of economically-important mineral deposits through a process called hydrothermal deposition

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12
Q

how are individual mineral deposits from batholiths formed

A

the heat surrounding the groundwater from the batholith creates hot mineral solutions that flow away from the batholith along fissures / they cool as they move away from the batholith and fractional distillation occurs, so different minerals precipitate out of the solution

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13
Q

where do sedimentary processes occur

A

at the surface of the lithosphere

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14
Q

name a simple type of sedimentary process

A

when a rock that already exists is broken down by weathering into rock particles and dissolved minerals in a solution, which are carried away and redeposited elsewhere as rocks with different compositions and properties

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15
Q

what are the four main types of physical sediments

A

alluvial deposits / evaporite deposits / secondary enrichment / chemical precipitation of poly metallic nodules

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16
Q

how are alluvial deposits formed

A

when minerals are weathered and eroded from surrounding rock, transported by flowing water and deposited when the water slows down

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17
Q

what effect do alluvial deposits have on rivers

A

rivers widen and flow less steeply as they get to the sea, reducing velocity of over flow and waters kinetic energy

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18
Q

how are evaporite deposits formed

A

when water evaporates from mineral rich solutions

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19
Q

what is secondary enrichment

A

when minerals are carried down into the ground and end up redeposited when oxygen levels drop (due to minerals being insoluble when oxygen is removed)

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20
Q

why is the concentration of metal much higher in secondary enrichment

A

because the redeposition occurs quite suddenly

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21
Q

what is chemical precipitation of polymetallic nodules

A

metal rich nodules found on the seabed, may have been formed by chemical precipitation of metals around a small solid object

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22
Q

how are biological sediments produced

A

from dead animals and plants being subjected to intense heat and pressure having been buried deep beneath the earth’s surface

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23
Q

what was the original material of limestone and chalk

A

shells of marine organisms

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24
Q

what was the original material of coal

A

terrestrial vegetation

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25
Q

what was the original material of crude oil and natural gas

A

marine organisms

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26
Q

give 3 examples of metamorphic changes

A

limestone -> marble / mudstone -> slate / granite -> gneiss

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27
Q

name the two types of exploratory techniques for discovering deposits

A

remote sensing and survey techniques

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28
Q

what is remote sensing

A

involves technique that gives information about the lithosphere without taking direct samples. can collect data on a range of scales: satellite surveys, aircraft surveys and ground based surveys

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29
Q

what is the disadvantage but advantage to larger scale surveys compared to remote sensing

A

they’re more expensive but they’re more cost effective, provide a lot of information at a relatively low cost per unit area surveyed

30
Q

name 6 survey techniques

A

infrared spectroscopy / gravimetry / magnetometry / seismic surveys / resistivity / trial drilling and chemical analysis

31
Q

what is infrared spectroscopy

A

identifies different wavelengths of IR emitted by differentiations minerals

32
Q

what is gravimetry

A

detect variations in gravity caused by variations in density and total mass below the instrument. more dense = higher mass = stronger gravitational pull

33
Q

what is magnetometry

A

detects more magnetic rocks underground

34
Q

what are seismic surveys

A

involve sound waves produced by controlled explosions or a seismic vibrator on the surface. echos give information about depth, density and shape of rock strata

35
Q

what is resistivity

A

the measurement of difficulty with which electricity passes through a material to read resistivity and work out the rock type (low water content = high resistivity as electricity can’t pass through the rock)

36
Q

what is trill drilling and chemical analysis

A

produces samples of the rocks underground, lab test confirm chemical composition and purity of the minerals in the rock samples (most expensive)

37
Q

what are the 8 factors that must be assessed before you set out mining

A

ore purity / chemical form / overburden and hydrology / depth / economic viability / transport costs / market economics: supply and demand / environmental concerns

38
Q

what happens if the ore grade is low

A

more rock will have to be mined to obtain a given amount of desired metal / more waste material will be produced / more energy will be needed for mining and processes / more pollution will be generated

39
Q

why is chemical form a factor to be assessed when mining

A

because it affects the ease of chemical extraction

40
Q

why is overburden and hydrology a factor to be assessed when mining

A

hard overburden may need to be blasted which increases cost / loose overburden could increase the risk of landslides, sides may have to be at more of a gradient -> increases overall area of the mine -> higher precipitation = higher drainage cost

41
Q

why is depth a factor to assess in mining

A

depth increases = cost increases / as depth increases, amount of rock to be removed to reach the mineral rises rapidly / depth increases, more water flows into the mine from surface run off = pumping cost increases

42
Q

why is economic viability a factor to assess in mining

A

mining must be economically profitable, balance between production cost and income / affected by market demand and sale

43
Q

what changes the Cut off ore grade (COOG)

A

as technology improves / as market prices fluctuate

44
Q

why are transport costs a factor to assess in mining

A

affected by distance to market, ease of bulk transport, presence of suitable existing transport and wether the bulk of material has been reduced by processing / lots of factors that can dramatically reduce or increase the cost

45
Q

why are market economics a factor to assess in mining

A

supply and demand / market price is controlled by demand of the mineral. amount supplied changes relatively slowly but demand can change rapidly

46
Q

why are environmental concerns a factor to assess in mining

A

mining may be banned to protect key wildlife species (eg Antartica treaty)

47
Q

what is a resource

A

a theoretical maximum of what is available to be exploited

48
Q

what is the reserve

A

what can actually be exploited under current conditions

49
Q

why do we use a logarithmic scale in lasky’s principle graphs

A

it is easier to plot due to rapid increase in quantity of mineral

50
Q

what is lasky’s principle

A

minerals are mostly found in low-purity ores, which presents a greater challenge for metal production. The ability to exploit low-grade deposits therefore results in a large increase in the reserves

51
Q

what is the impact on the COOG if the market value increases

A

COOG decreases

52
Q

what is the impact on the COOG if the market value decreases

A

COOG increases

53
Q

what happens to the COOG with improved extraction technology

A

COOG decreases

54
Q

what happens to the COOG with higher energy costs

A

COOG increases

55
Q

what happens to the reserve as the COOG goes down

A

the reserve increases

56
Q

in mining how does exploration have an environmental impact and how is it controlled

A

marine seismic surveys interfere with whale communications, could cause hearing loss in marine mammals, exploration on land could cause vegetation loss / ban seismic surveys if whale spotted, replant vegetation

57
Q

in mining how does land take have an environmental impact and how is it controlled

A

extraction can cause conflict with existing land uses, minerals can only be exploited where they’re found, increases land use conflicts ass limited choice of location / deep-shaft mining because it has less impact over open-cast

58
Q

in mining how are habitats affected and how is it controlled

A

habitat loss, loss of species, dredging sand from seabeds can disrupt aquatic habitats / capture and transplant animals to an unthreatened habitat, habitat restoration

59
Q

what impact does mining have on the amenity of the land and how could it be controlled

A

loss of amenity, causes aesthetic problems / can be reduced by landscaping and tree planting

60
Q

mining creates dust, how can this be controlled

A

water sprays - make dust particles heavier so they settle out

61
Q

mining creates noise pollution, how can this be controlled

A

baffle mounds or fencing to absorb or reflect the sound / restricted times for blasting eg no blasting at night

62
Q

what environmental impact does mining have on overburden rock

A

creates spoil = spoil heaps, spoil instability can cause landslides or erosion / landslides can reduce drainage, compaction and landscaping

63
Q

what is the environmental impact causes from transport and how can we control it

A

produces noise, fumes, dust and causes traffic accidents / reduced by water sprays to suppress dust, careful route choices away from residential areas

64
Q

what is the environmental impact that could come from mine shafts and tunnels and how can we control it

A

subsidence / leave support pillars in place underground

65
Q

what is the environmental impact from drainage water from mining and how can we control it

A

drainage water becomes turbid and smothers aquatic plants and silt up rivers / turbidity can be reduced by sedimentation lagoons where water stands still enough for sedimentation to sink, so outflow has a low turbidity

66
Q

how does mining cause toxic leachates and how is this controlled

A

rainwater percolates through spoil dissolving sulphates that produce acidic leachate solutions, toxic metals may have dissolved and become mobile / toxic metals are more soluble under acidic conditions, filter mine drainage water through a filter of limestone to precipitate out the metal and prevent it being carried into rivers

67
Q

new technology needs to be developed to find and extract new deposits, what should the newly manufactured products be designed to do better

A

minimise the amount of material needed and extend the lifetime of material use

68
Q

name the 2 types of exploitation of low grad ores

A

bioleaching and phytomining

69
Q

what are the advantages of recycling in mining

A

conservation of mineral resources / reduced energy use / reduced mineral extraction / reduced waste disposal impacts

70
Q

what are the difficulties with recycling schemes in mining

A

identification of materials / operation of mixed materials / reduction in quantity / increased transport costs / collection difficulties / lack of consumer cooperation

Enviromental Science (12 decks)

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