Natural Resources: Rocks and Minerals (Unit 4) Flashcards

Question

Greasy Definition (Nonmetallic)

Answer 1

Looks to be coated in oil

Answer 2

Has the sheen of a pearl

Answer 3

Looks like amber; not guide glassy

Answer 4

Looks like silk: fine parallel fibers of mineral

Answer 5

Looks like glass

Answer 6

Looks like wax

Answer 7

Minerals can have no magnetism, be attracted to a metallic field, or be repelled from a magnetic field.

Answer 8

Magnetic attraction refers to the object moving towards a magnet when placed nearby.

Answer 9

Minerals are inorganic solids that occur naturally. They have an exact chemical makeup and a specific structure.

Answer 10

Quartz is the most abundant mineral and is found all over the world. Quartz is extremely resistant to weathering and heat. It is often used in glassmaking and electronics and as a gemstone.

Answer 11

Turquoise is one of the most recognizable minerals because of its coloring. Turquoise is often used as a gemstone in jewelry.

Answer 12

Diamonds are one of the hardest known substances. They are chemically resistant and conduct a high level of heat. Because of their strength, diamonds have many industrial uses, such as cutting, drilling, and grinding. Diamonds are the world's most popular gemstone.

Answer 13

Copper is a mineral that is rarely found in large amounts. Copper is very malleable. Prehistoric people used it to make tools. Copper is a great conductor and is used in electrical wiring and cooking utensils.

Answer 14

Talc is the softest mineral. Soapstone, a form of talc, can be easily carved to make objects. Talcum powder absorbs moisture and odor. Talc is also used in roofing materials, plastics, and rubbers.

Answer 15

Hematite is an abundant mineral. It is the most important ore of iron. The luster can vary from earthy to metallic, yet it always produces a reddish streak. Hematite is used to produce pigments, radiation shielding, and more.

Answer 16

Asbestos is a mineral with thin fibers that are strong, flexible, and resistant to heat and chemicals. Asbestos was mainly used in the construction of homes and commercial buildings. The use of asbestos has declined as it has been linked to lung disease.

Answer 17

a naturally occurring substance that cannot be broken down further through chemical processes

Answer 18

An ore is a substance from which metal or valuable minerals can be extracted.

Answer 19

Gold has held importance for most of human history. Its properties have something to do with that—it doesn't rust or corrode.

Answer 20

The discovery of this mineral affected the makeup of the surrounding towns. Most of the people traveling to California to mine for gold were men. The women who stayed behind took on new responsibilities, such as farming and running businesses.

Answer 21

Rare-earth elements, such as yttrium, are used in many technologies, including smartphones, car batteries, and wind turbines. Rare-earth elements are vital to these technologies but are dangerous to mine. Their rarity comes not from the amount available but from the difficulty in extracting them. Their extraction can produce radioactive materials which are hazardous to human health and the environment. Because of the risks involved in mining rare-earth elements, people are looking for ways to reuse them and for ways the technologies can work without these elements.

Answer 22

Diamonds are considered rare because one company had a monopoly on diamond mines for decades. This allowed the company to advertise that diamonds were rare, thus controlling the price. However, diamonds are relatively abundant.

Answer 23

Discoveries of mineral resources have a large impact on local economies. In the 1800s, boomtowns like Bodie, California, expanded rapidly as people relocated there to take advantage of the discovery of gold. Mining provided employment opportunities, and other industries expanded in order to service the growing population. At its height in 1879, Bodie was home to about 8,500 people and hosted stores, saloons, churches, and a bank. Once the gold mines were depleted, however, people moved on to new towns. In just seven years, Bodie's population had decreased to 1,500 people. By the 1950s, Bodie was a true ghost town with a population of zero.

Answer 24

Mining booms continue today as demand for certain minerals increases and as mineral deposits are discovered. Western Australia experienced booms in the 1800s and 1900s as it mined and exported minerals like gold, iron, and diamonds. As new technologies have developed that rely on minerals like tantalum and lithium, Western Australia is experiencing a new mining boom. Mining these resources has provided a boost for the Australian economy in the short term, but people are mindful that the boom can only last as long as the mineral resources do.

Answer 25

Rocks and minerals shape human activity, but some human activity shapes rocks and minerals, too. For example, andersonite crystals form on the walls of uranium mines, while abhurite forms when bronze artifacts react with seawater. You may even see artificial rocks like plastiglomerate, a mixture of lava rock and melted plastic.

Answer 26

Silica sand is one example of a mineral that has a large impact on human activity due to its many uses. You may have seen silica gel packets, which rely on silica's moisture-absorbing properties. This mineral is also abrasive, meaning it is rough and can be used to polish a surface.

Answer 27

Now, scientists have found a way to use silica's ability to withstand high pressures. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of extracting oil and gas by injecting rocks with a liquid at high pressure. Frac sand is pure silica and is used as a proppant in fracking—it props open the fractures within the rock. While using frac sand enables companies to recover more oil and gas, it comes at an environmental cost. Some groups seek to protect the sand dune ecosystems that are affected by silica sand mining.

Answer 28

With a two-mile circumference and at 200 feet high, Hoosier Slide was the largest sand dune. That’s a mountain of sand! People loved to visit and picnic on its peak. Starting in 1890, it took only 30 years to completely wipe out this dune.

Answer 29

Phosphorous is another example of a mined mineral that has greatly influenced human activity. Phosphorous is a necessary nutrient for all living things. Phosphorous is found in every cell in the human body, especially in bones. Plants also depend on phosphorous in order to grow, and phosphorous is a key ingredient in fertilizers. As the human population continues to increase, phosphate fertilizers are crucial to growing enough food to feed all people.

Answer 30

While phosphate used to be derived mainly from bones, people now rely on mining phosphate rock for this important mineral. The United States, China, Morocco, and Russia are the four largest producers of phosphate, and phosphate mining provides jobs and economic benefits for people in these areas. However, it comes with environmental costs. For example, after decades of phosphate mining, 80 percent of the island nation of Nauru was strip-mined. The phosphate reserves ran out by the year 2000, and the island is not able to grow enough food for its population due to the environmental damage.

Answer 31

Marble is often used for sculptures because of is translucence and ability to be highly polished

Answer 32

Aluminum is used in aircraft because it is both strong and lightweight

Answer 33

Stainless steel is used for appliances because it is durable and resists corrosion

Answer 34

Surface mining and underground mining

Answer 35

Surface mining involves stripping surface vegetation, dirt, bedrock and other layers of the earth to reach ore deposits underneath.

Answer 36

Underground mining, or deep mining, involves drilling deep below the surface to extract ores.

Answer 37

The practice of stripping layers of the Earth to reach ore deposits underneath

Answer 38

The practice of drilling deep below the Earth’s surface to extract ores

Answer 39

Land impacts and water pollution

Answer 40

In the 1800s, the first coal mining in Ansted was done in underground mines. This occurred beneath the water table. Water flowed into the mine and had to be pumped out. As the water was pumped out of the mine, the water table was lowered. This caused the water supply of nearby streams to decrease. Underground mining can be very unsafe. If there is not enough oxygen, or explosive gases are released, lives are in danger. After all of the coal had been extracted, the mines collapsed. This created a depression in the land and caused sinkholes.

Answer 41

Surface mining gradually replaced underground coal mining in Ansted during the 1990s. This occurred because it was cheaper, safer for people, and more efficient.

Answer 42

Before the area was mined for coal, large areas of land were completely cleared of all trees and topsoil. The habitats of animals were eliminated. Removal of topsoil caused soil erosion and landslides. As workers dug to retrieve the coal, particulates were released, causing air pollution. Harsh chemicals were used to extract the precious resource underground. These chemicals contaminated the groundwater as well as local streams and creeks. The contamination extended miles from the mining site, affecting wildlife and polluting drinking water.

Answer 43

Today, for every 1 ton of coal that is mined, 16 tons of earth have been removed. This earth is dumped into stream valleys. Mountaintop removal has buried over 2,000 miles of streams in Appalachia. Heavy metals and other toxins are released from the rocks into the environment.

Answer 44

Land left after the mining is so degraded it is not fit for vegetation. Though federal laws now require that the land be revitalized, there are many issues around accomplishing this.

Answer 45

- Soil erosion and possible landslides | - Land degradation

Answer 46

- Lowered water table | - Depression of land and sinkholes

Answer 47

- Water pollution | - Deforestation and loss of habitats

Answer 48

Land left after the mining is so degraded it is not fit for vegetation. Though federal laws now require that the land be revitalized, there are many issues around accomplishing this.

Answer 49

Land left after the mining is so degraded it is not fit for vegetation. Though federal laws now require that the land be revitalized, there are many issues around accomplishing this.

Answer 50

Because underground mining takes place beneath the water table, water will flow into the mine and must then be pumped out. This process ultimately lowers the water table. This leads to a reduction of water in nearby rivers and streams.

Answer 51

Underground mining involves extracting mineral deposits from deep within Earth. When the mining is finished, the mines will collapse. This leads to land depression, or sinking land, which can affect nearby buildings. It can also cause major sinkholes.

Answer 52

In both surface and underground mining, chemicals used to extract minerals seep into the soil and eventually reach and contaminate the groundwater. Loosened soil and other sediments may also pollute local streams and rivers, harming wildlife and perhaps sources of drinking water.

Answer 53

Deforestation occurs with both surface and underground mining. Prior to mining for metals, the land must be cleared. Forests are destroyed, and animals’ natural habitats are decimated. Entire ecosystems are disrupted.

Answer 54

Two common types of surface mining are open-pit and mountaintop removal. For either of these types of mining, huge areas of land are completely cleared, destroying entire ecosystems. Digging is done in the open by various types of heavy machinery. The vast amounts of material dug up to expose the seam of ore that is being mined, called the overburden, needs to be disposed of. Sometimes this is dumped downhill from the mine itself, further destroying land ecosystems. The overburden may also be dumped on areas or strips that have already been mined.

Answer 55

The rock or soil that needs to be removed to expose seams of ore

Answer 56

Releasing the overburden into the environment often has severely negative effects on water. Local waterways suffer from the impact of increased sediment runoff. In many cases, contaminants like acids or heavy metals leach from the overburden into groundwater or become part of runoff into local waterways.

Answer 57

Water is important for clearing underground mine tunnels and for processing the ore being mined. In some cases, acids or other chemicals are added to water to separate the ore from the surrounding rock. The storage and cleanup of this contaminated water is a major issue. Often the water is stored in large, above-ground lakes, dammed off to prevent runoff from contaminating the area. In some cases, the breakdown of such a dam causes an environmental catastrophe that results in significant loss of life and severe environmental destruction.

Answer 58

There are surface mining operations in every state. Approximately 8.4 million acres of land have been surface mined in the United States.

Answer 59

For many years, mines were simply abandoned, leaving huge scars on local landscapes. Land reclamation is the effort to restore the land from a mining site. Land reclamation is intended to mitigate the environmental damage caused by surface mining.

Answer 60

To restore land degraded from mining operations

Answer 61

To offset, make less serve, or alleviate

Answer 62

Before the 1970s, states attempted to legislate and regulate efforts to recover environmentally damaged lands. However there were many issues with setting standards and measuring results. In 1977, the federal government got involved by passing the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA). Though this legislation was applicable to just coal mines, it became the foundation for setting standards for all surface mining reclamation. Now a mining company must get a permit before mining can begin. As part of that permitting process, the company must present a detailed reclamation plan for the area when the mine is closed.

Answer 63

Underground mining has been around for hundreds of years, but surface mining started in the mid-1900s

Answer 64

Various U.S. states enacted laws that mandated mining companies returned the land to its natural state after mining. Interpreting and enforcing these laws was difficult. Many mining companies still simply abandoned the land. Others did a minimum of reclamation work by dumping overburden back into the mined area.

Answer 65

Under this federal act, mining companies are required to plan for land reclamation before receiving a permit for mining. The plan must include possible-use scenarios.

Answer 66

Though much land has been reclaimed, there are still issues of discarded soil and acid mine drainage from prior to the 1977 regulations. Efforts are underway to reclaim these abandoned mining lands and to restore the natural habitats of animals.

Answer 67

To reclaim land from surface mining operations, there are three major components. A first step is replacing and reforming land where digging has been done. Another component is the cleanup of environmental hazards and contamination, particularly of water. Lastly is either revitalizing ecosystems through appropriate vegetation and wildlife introduction or development of land for appropriate use.

Answer 68

- removal of hazardous materials or environmental dangers to the public - restoration of local wildlife and environmental engineering to promote local ecosystem health - repurposing land to add economic value to local communities

Answer 69

During the permitting process, a detailed plan for reclamation is agreed to. A challenge to developing this plan is arriving at agreements about exactly how successful reclamation will be defined and monitored. To establish standards and measurements of success, the advice and skill of a large range of experts, including soil scientists, hydrologists, engineers, aquatic biologists, and water quality specialists, is sought.

Answer 70

The mining company’s main interest is to profit from the mining of a resource. The role of the mining company in reclamation is imposed by government via setting permit requirements. This is a basic conflict of interest. Certainly it is more profitable for a mining company to keep reclamation efforts to a minimum when there is no profit to be had.

Answer 71

Reclamation can be very expensive, often running to more than $1.5 million for a small site. Funding for reclamation can come from a variety of sources. The primary source is the mining company itself. Other sources of funds include federal grants, government-collected mining fees, partnerships for development (if the land will have a commercial use), and environmental nonprofit organization grants. A particular challenge is finding the funding for reclaiming mines long ago abandoned by the original mining company.

Answer 72

Mining companies claim that mining is a temporary impact on the environment, that reclamation does successfully mitigate these impacts and that there are many success stories. In many cases, large areas of land have been successfully restored to thriving ecosystems or repurposed to other uses.

Answer 73

Certainly any effort to reclaim land is better than simple abandonment. However, analysis of the success of land reclamation efforts should inform decisions about permitting new mining operations.

Answer 74

About 90 percent of the phosphate rock mined is used to create fertilizer. The rest is used by the chemical industry for beverages, fire fighting products, medicines, dental products, batteries, paint, porcelain products, cleaning agents, and cosmetics.

Answer 75

The farming industry needs phosphate to fertilize crops, which are needed for food.

Answer 76

Wetland mitigation is an action taken to replace a wetland that has been impacted by mining.

Answer 77

Phosphate mining produces large amounts of waste that includes toxic metals and radioactive elements. The runoff from the mining site contaminates local waterways.

Answer 78

In our county, studies show that waterways downstream from the phosphate mine have increased levels of metals like lead. Our aquifers feed underground wells that provide drinking water for me and others in my community. If these studies are true, the mining company is intentionally poisoning our community.

Answer 79

Smartphone screens

Answer 80

In 2010, a gold and copper mine collapsed in Copiapó, Chile. Thirty-three miners were trapped 2,300 feet underground for a record 69 days. Rescuers drilled a narrow borehole to provide needed supplies to the trapped miners then worked to drill a wider shaft and a special capsule to bring the miners back to the surface. People all over the world followed the story of the men, who sent video messages to the surface and worked together to keep up their morale. All 33 miners survived the ordeal, but the Copiapó incident highlights the real risks that must be managed in mining.

Answer 81

In longwall mines, hydraulic supports are used to hold up the roof while miners cut away ore from rectangular block.

Answer 82

In room-and-pillar mines, columns of ore are left in place to support the roof while ore in between the columns is removed.

Answer 83

Regardless of the method used, underground mining can release methane gas. This gas can cause explosions underground if the gas ignites. Without excellent ventilation systems, gases like methane can build up and oxygen can become depleted.

Answer 84

Coal dust is easily ignited, which creates another risk for mine explosions and underground fires.

Answer 85

Rock burst is also a threat in underground mines. Rock masses underground are under tremendous pressure. Drilling a mining shaft or removing material can cause rock to suddenly dislodge or explode away from the walls of the mine. Rock burst can lead to mine collapse.

Answer 86

In the United States, the majority of mining injuries and fatalities are not caused by falling rock or explosions, but by heavy machinery and transportation equipment. Noise-induced hearing loss is another occupational risk related to the use of heavy equipment.

Answer 87

The overburden may be removed in a long strip (strip mining) or in a large pit (open-pit mining).

Answer 88

Ground instability is a risk in surface mining, but it is not as dangerous in surface mines as in underground mines.

Answer 89

Surface mining carries significantly less risk of mine collapse, fires, or explosions than underground mining. Surface mining also has fewer ventilation challenges than underground mining.

Answer 90

Compared to underground mining, surface mining requires similar heavy equipment and comes with a similar risk of noise- induced hearing loss.

Answer 91

Workers in surface mines do have a greater risk of UV exposure from the sun compared to underground miners.

Answer 92

Black lung, also known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis or CWP, is a respiratory disease. It is caused by breathing in coal dust in large quantities or over a long period of time. The dust particles cause inflammation and scarring in the lungs over the years and can even be fatal. A similar disease, silicosis, occurs in people who inhale large amounts of silica dust. CWP and silicosis can occur in both underground and surface mining if proper safety measures are not taken. There is no cure for these diseases, so patients may be treated with inhalers, oxygen, or lung transplants.

Answer 93

Tailings are the chemicals and dust particles left over from extracting valuable minerals from mined ore. Tailings dams hold in tailings ponds where these leftover toxic materials are stored. If these tailings dams break, the flood of toxic sludge can cause death and destruction.

Answer 94

When the tailings dam in Brumadinho, Brazil, broke in January 2019, three billion gallons of mining waste caused an environmental disaster and hundreds of deaths. Safety standards for mines therefore affect not only miners, but also surrounding communities.

Answer 95

Structure used to hold the chemicals and dust particles left over from extracting valuable minerals from mined ore