Week 1 Flashcards
Abundant metals
metals with a geochemical abundance of at least 0.1% in the Earth’s crust
Geochemical balance
the distribution of chemical elements/compounds in rocks, waters, the atmosphere
Geochemical cycle
the cyclical movement of chemicals through the Earth’s lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere
Geothermal gradient
the rate of increase in temp in Earth
Grade
the content of a metal/mineral in a rock; usually a % by weight
Ore
resources of metals that can be economically and legally extracted
Marginal Reserve
the part of the reserve base of a mineral resource that borders on being economically producible
Non-renewable resources
resources that are fixed in a total quantity in the Earth’s crust
Renewable resources
resources that are naturally replenished by processes active in or on the Earth’s crust- in a timely manner
Resource
naturally occurring concentrations of materials in or on the Earth’s crust in a form/amount that the economic extraction is currently or potentially feasible
Reserve (of minerals)
mineral resources that can now be economically and legally extracted
Reserve base
the part of a resource that meets certain physical and chemical criteria to present economic potential and has a reasonable potential to being economic within planning horizons
Scarce metals
metals whose average crustal abundance is less than 0.1%
Metric ton
a weight that’s equal to 1,000 kg or around 2,205 pounds
Strategic reserves
reserve of a material that is held back from normal use by governments, organizations, etc
