Science - Rocks and Minerals Flashcards
What is the difference between rocks and minerals
A mineral is a naturally occurring substance.
Rocks are generally made up of two of more minerals, mixed together.
What are the 6 tests used to classify minerals?
Colour
Lustre
Hardness
Magnetic
Conductivity
Streak
What is the most distinctive property of amethyst?
Purple colour
No cleavage fractures
What is the most distinctive property of calcite?
Flat
Glassy cleavage surfaces
Effervesces with hydrocholoric acid
What is the most distinctive property of quartz?
Glassy lustre and hardness
No cleavage
What is the most distinctive property of magnetite?
Magnetic
What is the most distinctive property of hematite?
Reddish-brown streak
What is the most distinctive property of chalcopyrite?
Conductive
What is the most distinctive property of gypsum
Soft but not as soft as talc
Good cleavage but not visible
May look powdery
What are the five stages of the mining process?
- Looking for minerals
- Evaluating a mineral discovery
- Building a mine
- Mining and processing minerals
- Closing the mine and reclaiming the land
What do geologists use when they are looking for a good place to find minerals?
- Satellite images of the Earth
- Airplanes or helicopters to measure things like magnetism in the land
- Maps
What is another name for “Looking for minerals”?
Mineral exploration
What does a company have to do before they can explore an area?
They need to get exclusive rights to use the land
What is it called when a company gets exclusive rights to use some land?
Staking a claim
What do geologists do before they start drilling the land?
- They do field work to identify different rocks
- They collect rock and soil samples to study in their laboratories
Why do geologists drill the land before they start mining?
- They take out long, thin cylinders of rock called cores
- They study them to find out now much valuable minerals they contain
What do companies do during the “Evaluating a mineral discovery” stage of the mining process?
They determine whether they will be able to make enough money to justify setting up a mine
What are the 2 types of mine?
- Surface or open pit mine
- Underground mine
How do you make a surface or open-pit mine?
You use huge diggers to scrape away the surface material and then you blast the solid rock with explosives to reach the minerals underneath
How do you make an underground mine?
You dig tunnels into the earth to reach the minerals
What happens during the “Mining and processing materials” stage of the mining process?
- Miners use drills and explosives to break up the rock
- They use large scoops and machines to move the rock to the processing plant
- Processing separates out the valuable minerals from the waste
- Some minerals are smelted into pure metal
- The mining company has to clean up the leftovers
What do you call the leftover materials that a company has to clean up at the end of the processing?
Tailings
What are tailings?
Rock fragments, dust and chemicals that are no longer needed
Why is it important to clean up the tailings?
To ensure they don’t pollute the air or water
How is a mine closed?
The mining company has to
- Reclaim the land
- Remove the buildings
- Make sure the mine waste doesn’t harm the environment
- Make any pits or tunnels safe
- Replant the land with grass and trees
What does it mean to reclaim the land?
Making it safe, usable, and a natural part of the surrounding environment
What do mining companies have to do to protect the environment?
- During the mining process, they need to conduct tests on the soil, water, wildlife and vegetation
What do mining companies have to do to connect with communities?
They need to contact the local communities to:
- Learn about the area
- Explain mining plans
- Answer their questions
- Let them know about any work opportunities
