Mining Flashcards
What is 5 step the process to mining?
- mineral exploration - searching for geological ore
- assessment and survey - determining the quantity and quality of ore present
- development - building infrastructure and preparing the site for extraction
- production - extracting and processing the ore
- reclamation - restoring the mined landscape to it’s natural state.
Who started mining?
Indigenous people used and traded coper gold silver with settlers
Who was Martin Baffin?
he found Horneblade fools golf on baffin island in 1577, brought it back to europe but then found out it was fake
Who was Samuel Herne
looked for copper deposits in the territories and ambused an inuit camp at bloody falls, killed everyone
Geological survey of the land
was directed by William Logan in 1842
Established to advance the provincial mining economy
prompting industrial canada - built the naiton and expanded the economy
completed by the 60’s, too 100 years to complete it.
Dynamite
was invented by alfred nobel - in 1866
made out of nitroglycerin- reduces the risk of accidental explosions
Sudbury Ontario mining town
single resource: nickel
started in the 1880’s - extraction damaged the environment
the inca super stack is the worlds largest smokestack - decommissioned in 2024, replaced by 2 smaller eco friendly ones
the town was reclaimed by planting grasses, and rejuvenation of damaged soils
Cobalt Ontario
Arsenic contaminated most of the landscapes and waterways
it was an abandoned town - risk of colapse
fishies were not safe to eat
Klondike Goldrush
Gold was discovered in august 1896, stampede came in 1897 & 1898
first found in bonanza creek Yukon
Dawson Yukon became a resource town
prospectors climbed the Chilcook pass on their way to Klondike
Mineral Extraction
low- tech = high grade ore - gold panning
high- tech = low grade ore - massive machines
Environmental impacts of mineral extraction
caused by machines that alter ecosystems, destroying lots of land for only a little ore
soil erosion - habitat distruction, wetlands dry out, toxic legacies, deforestation
Post War Extraction
economic boom after WW2 & GDP
Consumer culture grew - people wanted to buy more, needed more resources
Expansion of mining because of technological advancements, they needed more resources
Mineral processing
removes target minerals from ore by using physical, chemical and thermochemical techniques
the target minerals were such a low percentage
toxic tailings are left behind - can react with water and create sulphuric acid
smelting releases toxic compounds like sulphur dioxide and arsenic dioxide into the air through smoke stacks
