Mineral Resources (gaps) Flashcards
Define mineral
A solid, naturally occurring inorganic substance
Define resource
Any physical material constituting part of Earth that people need and value.
Valuable material that we can extract, but may not be profitable.
Metals and minerals in a mobile phone:
- diamond - electrodes in batteries
- silicon - microchips
- salt - magnesium - casing
- mercury - touch screen
- nickel - electronic wiring
- borksite - LED backlight
- copper - electrical wiring
- tungsten - speakers and microphone
- lithium batteries
- arsenic microchips
Describe the rock cycle
Define sedimentary
Rock that has formed from sediment
Formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral and organic particles
What are the 5 sedimentary processes?
- Evaporites
- Alluvial deposits
- Proterozoic marine sediments
- Secondary enrichment
- Biological deposits
Describe Proterozoic marine sediments
- 1.8 to 2.5 billion years ago in the ocean (occurred in early Proterozoic era)
- Photo-synthesisers increase oxygen in the atmosphere and ocean
- metals (such as Fe) come out of solution when oxidised - solids sink and deposit
- large deposits of valuable metals in sedimentary rock formed on the ocean floor
- rocks such as haemetite are rich in Fe
Describe how alluvial deposits (flow separation) can separate and concentrate valuable metals and minerals
- transferred by water
- different minerals deposited at different velocities
- denser drop first
Explain the process of secondary enrichment
- Rock exposed at the surface
- some metals oxidise (exposed to oxygen)
- go into solution
- solution infiltrates and percolates into ground
- when water (solution) reaches water table, conditions are now anaerobic and metals come out of solution (become concentrated in one place).
Describe how evaporites form
- Deposits that occur due to the evaporation of water
- most common are salt (hyaline) deposits
- bodies of water that are land locked
Explain how biological deposits can form sedimentary rocks, give 2 examples
- remains of living organisms
- limestone (calcite shells CaCO3) - used in cement and concrete
- coal (anaerobic decay of plants and and swamp deposits)
Define igneous
A rock having solidified from lava or magma
Explain how granite batholiths are formed
- Intrusion of magma into the crust
- large volume of magma (100s of km across) cools below the surface
- most batholiths are granite
- when it cools it becomes granite
Explain how Hydrothermal Metal Ores are deposited
- magma (batholith) rise through/into crust
- the surrounding rocks become super heated
- ground water superheated
- metals go into solution in hot water
- water (+metals in solution) move away from the batholiths along cracks and fissures
- water cools and metals come out of solution
- fractional crystallisation caused by metals coming out of solution at different points
Define metamorphic
A rock that has undergone transformation through heat or pressure
Explain how slate is formed
- formed from shale (sedimentary rock made from silt and mud)
- shale fractures easily
- recrystallises to from slate under heat and pressure
- slate is now impermeable and used for roofing
- slate is more valuable and splits easily into layers
Explain how Marble is formed
- Metamorphism (heat and pressure) of limestone = marble
- if subject to enough heat and pressure, all of its constituent parts will recrystallise
- marble is harder than limestone
- it’s rarer, impermeable and attractive
Define reserve
Natural resources that have been discovered and can be exploited profitably (with existing technology).
Valuable material that we can extract profitably.
Define stock
All the valuable material that we know exists (may not be able to get).
Explain the difference between a resource and a reserve
Resource is the amount of valuable material we can extract but unlike a reserve, it may not be profitable.
How might a reserve increase?
Material value goes up (easier to gain profit)
How might reserves decrease?
Material value decreases (less likely to gain a profit)
What is an inferred reserve?
Valuable material that is predicted to be present due to other indicators (eg folds, batholiths, etc)
What is a probable reserve?
Sufficient knowledge of the reserve is known so a good idea of its economic viability
What is a proven reserve?
Reserves that are known to be present and have undergone trial drilling.
What is Lasky’s Principle?
States that where the purity of a mineral decreases, the amount of mineral present in the Earth increases exponentially.
Define ‘cut off ore grade’
Purity level that determines whether extraction occurs
the minimum grade required in order for a mineral or metal to be economically mined (or processed)
Why might cut off ore grade change over time or from place to place?
- cost of extraction
- demand
Why do we need to survey before exaction of minerals begins?
How can we extend the time period that existing reserves can be exploited?
Reusing and recycling
Increased exploration: what resources might be in Antarctica?
Oil, gas, coal and freshwater
Increased exploration: what resources might be in the Artic (Greenland and Alaska)
Coal, iron, zinc, lead, nickel, oil and gas
Bauxite - alloy
Increased exploration: what resources might be in the Deep Ocean floor
Sulphur, silver, gold, copper, nickel, cobalt, diamonds, gas and oil.
Improved exploratory techniques: improved remote sensing (description and benefit)
- improved surveying technics from satellites
- remote - without having to be close, can measure infrared wavelength (infrared spectroscopy)
- high resolution
Improved exploratory techniques: portable field equipment (description and benefit)
Equipment has become smaller, lighter and more portable - enabled to widen range of places it can be used more easily.
Improved mechanisation: improved mechanised techniques in deep mining (description and benefit)
Improvement in equipment - in particular drilling equipment to withstand high temperatures
Improved mechanisation: improved mechanised techniques in open-cast mining (description and benefit)
- Surface mining means less labour
- increase in technology
- increase in size of machinery and vehicles eg Bucket excavators
Improved exploration of low grade ores: bioleaching
- Bacteria are mixed with a low grade ore
- bacteria via a chemical reaction creates leachate
- metal is now in solution
- leachate contains metal compounds
Improved exploration of low grade ores: phytomining
- plants extract metals out of soil and then burned
- this collects the metal at a higher concentration
- plants are grown, absorb and concentrate metal in tissue
Improved exploration of low grade ores: iron displacement
- iron is used to displace oxygen and leave copper pure
- iron is more reactive than many other metals including copper
Improved exploration of low grade ores: leachate collection
- Rain water may percolate though spoil heaps
- can collect leachate coming out of spoil heap
- this contains metals that we want
- can collect this using electrolysis
Improved exploration of low grade ores: polymer adsorption
- use a polymer to attract a valuable metal that is in solution
- may use polymers to extract uranium from sea water in the future
What is a deep sea polymetallic nodule?
- Commonly known as manganese nodule
- about the size of a jacket potato
- found on the deep ocean floor
- rich in many metals, in particular manganese eg also contain iron, nickel, copper, cobalt and titanium
How did deep sea polymetallic nodules form?
- around a piece of organic matter ?.???.??
How can we extract deep sea polymetallic nodules?
- shipping equipment
- vehicle that can pump nodules to ship (on sea floor)
A problem is the distance from the floor to the ship
What minerals or metals are present in deep sea polymetallic nodules and what could we use them for?
Cobalt - iron alloys
Copper - electric wiring
Iron - infrastructure
Manganese - steel alloy
What could be the environmental impacts of deep sea mining?
- habitat destruction
- direct harm of organisms
- increased water turbidity
- pollution eg green house gases
What can be recycled using local authority kerbside collection?
-Plastics (hard)
- glass
- cans (aluminium/steel)
- paper/cardboard
- green waste
What else can be recycled at local recycling sites, through supermarkets, through private waste collectors and reprocessors?
- Batteries
- oil
- electrical equipment
- vehicles
- building material
- PVC
- furniture
What are the advantages of recycling?
- Less requirement for extraction of new materials
- less impact from mining
- less energy intensive
- less waste in landfill
What are the disadvantages of recycling?
- public cooperation can be difficult to maintain
- not always economically viable - costs of transport/sorting/recycling
- space taken up by bins/storage space
- aesthetics/smells
- identification/sorting of waste when mixed
Explain what is meant by the term cradle to cradle design and how this benefits both environment and industry?
- (new to new) should be applied to the manufacture of all products
- all parts of a product should be easy to deconstruct and identify to be recycled
- minimise (use less materials/energy)
- all materials in a continuous cycle
- use renewable energy only
- celebrate diversity
What minerals are thought to be available in Antarctica?
- iron, coal and petroleum
- possibly copper, chromium, gold, diamonds, tin, uranium and zinc
What biological resources are thought to be available in Antarctica?
Cod and Krill
(Past - seals and whales)
