XIV - Minerals & Soil Resources

Question 1

Earth’s major

geological zones

Answer 1

Core
Mantle
Crust

Question 2

Core

Answer 2

solid center surrounded by molten layer, mostly iron

Question 3

mantle

Answer 3

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

Question 4

Asthenosphere

Answer 4

“plastic” upper layer

Question 5

Crust

Answer 5

outermost thin layer, location of mineral resources &soil

Question 6

Lithospheric/crustal plates

Answer 6

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

pieces

Question 7

Plate tectonic activity is also know as

Answer 7

Continental drift

Question 8

Plate tectonic activity is responsible for

Answer 8

current position of continents

Question 9

Earthquakes & volcanoes are distributed mostly

Answer 9

along tectonic plate boundaries

Question 10

Boundaries between lithospheric plates can occur

Answer 10

both in oceans and on continents

Question 11

divergent plate boundaries

Answer 11

formation of new crust

plates move away from one another

Question 12

mid ocean ridge is an example of

Answer 12

divergent plate boundaries

Question 13

convergent plate boundaries

Answer 13

One plate get subducted under another plate due to density differences

Question 14

What are commonly formed along convergent plate boudaries?

Answer 14

Mountain chains
Trenches
Volcanic island arc

Question 15

Continential crust

Answer 15

makes up land

Question 16

Oceanic crust

Answer 16

makes up ocean floor

Question 17

Transform faults

Answer 17

occur where tectonic
plates move in
opposite directions.

Question 18

Example of transform faults

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Weathering

Answer 19

physical & chemical processes in which

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

Question 20

Weathering is responsible for

Answer 20

Development of soils

Question 21

Erosion

Answer 21

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

Question 22

What is the most important agent of erosion?

Answer 22

Streams are the most important agent of erosion

Question 23

Soil erosion

Answer 23

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

Question 24

What is the impact of losing topsoil?

Answer 24

losing topsoil makes soil less fertile & less able to

hold water

Question 25

Soil can be classified as a

Answer 25

potentially renewable resource

Question 26

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

Answer 26

Typically 200-1000 years

Question 27

What is the challenge that soil erosion brings?

Answer 27

topsoil is eroding faster than it forms in about one– | third of the world's cropland

Question 28

The Dust Bowl of the Great Plains

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Desertification of arid & semiarid lands

Answer 29

results | when land productive drops markedly

Question 30

Causes of desertification

Answer 30

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

Question 31

Salinization

Answer 31

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

Question 32

Waterlogging

Answer 32

``` results when excess irrigation water raises the water table & lowers crop productivity. ```

Question 33

How does salinization occur?

Answer 33

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

Question 34

How does waterlogging occur?

Answer 34

I-Precipitation and irrigation water percolate downward | II-Water table rises

Question 35

Soil conservation

Answer 35

reducing soil erosion & restoring soil fertility

Question 36

Soil conservation techniques

Answer 36

``` Use of organic fertilizer Conservation-tillage farming Contour farming Strip cropping Crop rotation Alley cropping Terracing ```

Question 37

Use of organic fertilizer

Answer 37

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

Question 38

Conservation-tillage farming

Answer 38

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

Question 39

Contour farming

Answer 39

follows natural land contours

Question 40

Strip cropping

Answer 40

maintains strips of different vegetation between crops

Question 41

Crop rotation

Answer 41

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

Question 42

Alley cropping

Answer 42

Grows crops between rows of trees

Question 43

Terracing

Answer 43

Protects steep slopes

Question 44

Mineral resource

Answer 44

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

Question 45

Energy resources

Answer 45

coal, oil, natural gas, uranium, | geothermal energy sources

Question 46

Metallic mineral resources

Answer 46

iron, copper, aluminum…

Question 47

Ore

Answer 47

metal–yielding material that can be economically | extracted

Question 48

for metallic mineral resources to be profitable,

Answer 48

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

Question 49

Nonmetallic mineral resources

Answer 49

salt, gypsum, clay, | sand, phosphates, water, & soil

Question 50

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) divides mineral | resources into two broad categories

Answer 50

identified resources | undiscovered resources

Question 51

identified resources

Answer 51

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

Question 52

undiscovered resources

Answer 52

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.

Question 53

Reserves

Answer 53

``` identified resources that can be extracted economically at current prices using current mining technology ```

Question 54

Other resources

Answer 54

``` are identified & undiscovered resources not classified as reserves. ```

Question 55

Strip mining

Answer 55

``` surface mining in which the upper layer is removed to get at the desired mineral resource ```

Question 56

Components in strip mining

Answer 56

``` Highall Bench Pit Spoil banks Coal seam Overburden ```

Question 57

Subsurface mining

Answer 57

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

Question 58

Depletion time

Answer 58

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

Question 59

Depletion time can be extended by

Answer 59

recycling, reuse, & reduction of consumption.

Question 60

Some nonfuel minerals for which the U.S. has | essentially no reserves:

Answer 60

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

Question 61

Some nonfuel minerals for which the U.S. has | reserve deficiency:

Answer 61

mercury, silver, tungsten, sulfur, zinc, gold, | potash

Question 62

Env'tal effects of mining exploration/extraction

Answer 62

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

Question 63

Env'tal effects of Mineral processing

Answer 63

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

Question 64

Env'tal effects of mineral use

Answer 64

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

Question 65

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

Answer 65

Acid drainage Percolation Leaching Runoff

Question 66

U.S. 1872 Mining Law

Answer 66

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).

Question 67

Limitation of Mining Law

Answer 67

no provision for reclamation of damaged land

Question 68

environmentalists favor reform of the law to include | the following

Answer 68

- 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.