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APES > XIV - Minerals & Soil Resources > Flashcards

XIV - Minerals & Soil Resources Flashcards

1
Q

Earth’s major

geological zones

A

Core
Mantle
Crust

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2
Q

Core

A

solid center surrounded by molten layer, mostly iron

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3
Q

mantle

A 
solid zone
with hot, partly molten
"plastic" upper layer
known as
asthenosphere; rich
in iron, silicon, oxygen,
& magnesium;
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4
Q

Asthenosphere

A

“plastic” upper layer

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5
Q

Crust

A

outermost thin layer, location of mineral resources &soil

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6
Q

Lithospheric/crustal plates

A

Earth’s outer layers are organized into about a dozen great

pieces

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7
Q

Plate tectonic activity is also know as

A

Continental drift

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8
Q

Plate tectonic activity is responsible for

A

current position of continents

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9
Q

Earthquakes & volcanoes are distributed mostly

A

along tectonic plate boundaries

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10
Q

Boundaries between lithospheric plates can occur

A

both in oceans and on continents

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11
Q

divergent plate boundaries

A

formation of new crust

plates move away from one another

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12
Q

mid ocean ridge is an example of

A

divergent plate boundaries

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13
Q

convergent plate boundaries

A

One plate get subducted under another plate due to density differences

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14
Q

What are commonly formed along convergent plate boudaries?

A

Mountain chains
Trenches
Volcanic island arc

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15
Q

Continential crust

A

makes up land

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16
Q

Oceanic crust

A

makes up ocean floor

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17
Q

Transform faults

A

occur where tectonic
plates move in
opposite directions.

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18
Q

Example of transform faults

A 
The San Andreas
Fault is a large
transform fault along
the coast of
California.
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19
Q

Weathering

A

physical & chemical processes in which

solid rock exposed at the earth’s surface is changed to separate solid particles & dissolved material

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20
Q

Weathering is responsible for

A

Development of soils

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21
Q

Erosion

A

the process by which earth materials are
transported from one location & deposited in other
locations

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22
Q

What is the most important agent of erosion?

A

Streams are the most important agent of erosion

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23
Q

Soil erosion

A

movement of soil components, especially litter & topsoil, from one place to
another

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24
Q

What is the impact of losing topsoil?

A

losing topsoil makes soil less fertile & less able to

hold water

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25
Q

Soil can be classified as a

A

potentially renewable resource

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26
Q

How long does it take to form one inch of topsoil?

A

Typically 200-1000 years

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27
Q

What is the challenge that soil erosion brings?

A

topsoil is eroding faster than it forms in about one–

third of the world’s cropland

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28
Q

The Dust Bowl of the Great Plains

A

During the 1930s, a combination of drought & poor soil conservation led to severe
wind erosion of topsoil

29
Q

Desertification of arid & semiarid lands

A

results

when land productive drops markedly

30
Q

Causes of desertification

A 
• overgrazing;
• deforestation &
devegetation;
• surface mining;
• poor irrigation
techniques;
• salt buildup;
• farming on
unsuitable terrain;
• soil compaction by
farm machinery
31
Q

Salinization

A 
results in
irrigated cropland
where salts build up to
levels that decrease
yields or prevent
cultivation.
32
Q

Waterlogging

A 
results
when excess irrigation
water raises the water
table & lowers crop
productivity.
33
Q

How does salinization occur?

A

I-Irrigation water contains small amounts of dissolved salts
II-Evaporation & transpiration leave salt behind
III-salts built up in soil

34
Q

How does waterlogging occur?

A

I-Precipitation and irrigation water percolate downward

II-Water table rises

35
Q

Soil conservation

A

reducing soil erosion & restoring soil fertility

36
Q

Soil conservation techniques

A 
Use of organic fertilizer
Conservation-tillage farming
Contour farming
Strip cropping
Crop rotation
Alley cropping
Terracing
37
Q

Use of organic fertilizer

A

(manure, “green manure”
= plant matter, & compost) to keep the soil in place
and nutrient-rich

38
Q

Conservation-tillage farming

A

minimizes soil
disturbance by use of special tillers or by no–till
methods that inject seeds, fertilizers, & herbicides
in unplowed soil;

39
Q

Contour farming

A

follows natural land contours

40
Q

Strip cropping

A

maintains strips of different vegetation between crops

41
Q

Crop rotation

A

(by planting crops that restore nutrients); &
decrease in use of inorganic fertilizers all help to restore
fertility

42
Q

Alley cropping

A

Grows crops between rows of trees

43
Q

Terracing

A

Protects steep slopes

44
Q

Mineral resource

A

a naturally occurring
concentration of solid, liquid, or gaseous material in or on Earth’s crust that can be processed into useful materials at an affordable cost

45
Q

Energy resources

A

coal, oil, natural gas, uranium,

geothermal energy sources

46
Q

Metallic mineral resources

A

iron, copper, aluminum…

47
Q

Ore

A

metal–yielding material that can be economically

extracted

48
Q

for metallic mineral resources to be profitable,

A

they need to be concentrated
copper must be concentrated 86 times,
gold 1,000 times, & mercury 100,000 times the crustal
average

49
Q

Nonmetallic mineral resources

A

salt, gypsum, clay,

sand, phosphates, water, & soil

50
Q

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) divides mineral

resources into two broad categories

A

identified resources

undiscovered resources

51
Q

identified resources

A

deposits of a particular
mineral resource that have known location,
quantity, & quality

52
Q

undiscovered resources

A

deposits of a particular
mineral resource that are assumed to exist, based
on geologic knowledge & theory, but for which
specific locations, quantities, & quality are
unknown.

53
Q

Reserves

A 
identified
resources that
can be extracted
economically at
current prices
using current
mining
technology
54
Q

Other resources

A 
are identified &
undiscovered
resources not
classified as
reserves.
55
Q

Strip mining

A 
surface mining in
which the upper
layer is removed
to get at the
desired mineral
resource
56
Q

Components in strip mining

A 
Highall
Bench
Pit
Spoil banks
Coal seam
Overburden
57
Q

Subsurface mining

A 
involves use of drill holes
or tunnels to extract
mineral resources that are
too deep to be accessible
by surface mining
58
Q

Depletion time

A 
time it takes to
use up a certain
proportion (usually
80%) of the
reserves of a
minera
59
Q

Depletion time can be extended by

A

recycling, reuse, &
reduction of
consumption.

60
Q

Some nonfuel minerals for which the U.S. has

essentially no reserves:

A

manganese, cobalt, tantalum, niobium, platinum,
chromium, nickel, aluminum, tin, antimony,
fluorine, asbestos, vanadium

61
Q

Some nonfuel minerals for which the U.S. has

reserve deficiency:

A

mercury, silver, tungsten, sulfur, zinc, gold,

potash

62
Q

Env’tal effects of mining exploration/extraction

A

Disturbed land, mining accidents & health hazards, mine waste dumping, oil spills & blowouts, noise, ugliness, heat

63
Q

Env’tal effects of Mineral processing

A

Solid wastes: radioactive material, ais, water, and soil pollution, noise, safety and health hazards, ugliness, heat

64
Q

Env’tal effects of mineral use

A

Noise, ugliness, thermal water pollution, pollution of air, water, and soil, solid & radioactive wastes, safety & health hazards, heat

65
Q

Pollution & degradation of water quality by runoff of acids & toxic chemicals from surface & subsurface mining.

A

Acid drainage
Percolation
Leaching
Runoff

66
Q

U.S. 1872 Mining Law

A

Under an 1872 U.S. mining law, any person or
corporation can assume legal ownership of public
land (other than wilderness or park) by filing mining
claims & paying nominal cost for the land (often
$2.50 to $5 per acre).

67
Q

Limitation of Mining Law

A

no provision for reclamation of damaged land

68
Q

environmentalists favor reform of the law to include

the following

A
  • prohibit buying of public land, but allow leasing;
  • require environmental impact assessment before leasing;
  • set standards for preventing & controlling pollution &
    environmental degradation;
  • make mining companies legally & financially responsible
    for environmental cleanup & restoration.

APES (26 decks)

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