minerals and mining

• Metallic minerals: Iron, Copper, Aluminum • Non-metallic minerals: salt, clay, sand • Energy minerals: coal, oil, uranium Crushed Iron Sodium Chloride Crystal “Dur”rty Coal... Finding

Minerals and

Mining

• Concentration of naturally occurring elements in/on

Earth.

• Formed over

millions of yrs  non-renewable

resource.

What We Mine?!?

• Metallic minerals: Iron, Copper, Aluminum

• Non-metallic minerals: salt, clay, sand

• Energy minerals: coal, oil, uranium

Crushed Iron Sodium Chloride

Crystal “Dur”rty Coal

ers

• Used to remove mineral from gangue in

an ore  major polluters (Runescape!)

Bauxite Most Important Aluminum Ore

Oxygen: The Most Abundant Element in the Earth’s Crust

Finding Mineral

Deposits

• Use aerial photos and satellite images to see rock formations

Finding Mineral

Deposits

• Use planes w/ Geiger meter

(uranium) or magnetometer (iron)

Geiger Meter…

Only $460!

Magnetometer…

Only $700!

Surface Mining

• Minerals must be shallowly deposited

• Removed rock and soil is called

overburden or spoil

Types of Surface

Mining

Open Pit Mining

• Dig hole and remove ores

• Fe, Cu, and Sand

Area Strip Mining

• Cut new strips away; spoil placed on side,

mineral taken out

Types of Surface

Mining

Mountaintop Removal

• Use TNT, huge shovels, and large machines

to remove top of a mtn and expose coal

underneath

Types of Surface

Mining

Case Study Gold:

Cyanide Heap Leaching

Case Study Gold:

Cyanide Heap Leaching

• Toxic to birds and mammals.

• Leach ponds can overflow

 H2O pollution

• Leaky liners?

Leach Liner

Types of Subsurface Mining

• Collapse/subsidence of land from

subsurface mines

• Causes houses to tilt, sewer lines crack,

gas mains break

Environmenta

l Damage

• Wind/water carry away [by erosion] toxic

mining waste

• Goes in food webs and watersheds

Environmenta

l Damage

Habitat Loss!!

Environmenta

l Damage

My Home!!!

• Transportation of minerals  global

warming, lung probs

Environmenta

l Damage

Acid mine drainage

• Bacteria eat FeS in spoil  create

H2SO4  runs off into streams

Environmenta

l Damage

Surface Mining Reclamation and

Control Act

• Mining ops must reclaim area after

land has been used and abused

• Must put aside $$$ to reclaim before

mining op’s begin

• States oversee Act

• Land put back, trees grow, no toxic

runoff!