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Two more examples of Human Footprint- Nat’l Geo video

Two more examples of Human Footprint- Nat’l Geo video. Watch and discuss. Chapter 16 Minerals: A Non-renewable Resource. Question of the Day:. Describe what you know about mining in the US. What mineral resources does PA have? Why are mineral resources valuable?. Overview of Chapter 16.

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Two more examples of Human Footprint- Nat’l Geo video

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  1. Two more examples of Human Footprint- Nat’l Geo video Watch and discuss

  2. Chapter 16Minerals: A Non-renewable Resource

  3. Question of the Day: Describe what you know about mining in the US. What mineral resources does PA have? Why are mineral resources valuable?

  4. Overview of Chapter 16 • Introduction to Minerals • Mineral Distribution and Formation • How Minerals are Found and Extracted • Environmental Impact of Minerals • An International Perspective • Increasing the Supply of Minerals • Substitution and Conservation

  5. Mining

  6. Mine disaster 2010 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36183425/ns/us_news-life/ Update to 2010 Explosion http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/29/us/29mine.html And business goes on: Massey Energy Sold http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-29/alpha-natural-agrees-to-buy-massey-energy-for-8-5-billion-in-cash-stock.html

  7. Update to Massey Energy disaster http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/06/MN141M90M4.DTL

  8. Introduction to Minerals • Minerals • Elements or compounds of elements that occur naturally in Earth’s crust • Rocks • Naturally formed aggregates of minerals • Examples of Minerals • Concrete (mixture of sand, gravel and limestone)

  9. Introduction to Minerals • Examples of Minerals • Table salt (nonmetal) • Copper (metal)

  10. Mineral Distribution and Formation • Abundant minerals in crust • Aluminum and iron • Scarce minerals in crust • Copper, chromium, and molybdenum • Distributed unevenly across globe • If found in low abundance, mining is not profitable

  11. Formation of Mineral Deposits • Result of natural processes • Magmatic concentration • As magma cools heavier elements (Fe and Mg) settle • Responsible for deposits of Fe, Cu, Ni, Cr • Hydrothermal processes • Minerals are carried and deposited by water heated deep in earth’s crust • Sedimentation • Weathered particles are transported by water and deposited as sediment on sea floor or shore • Evaporation • Salts are left behind after water body dries up

  12. Geology 101 http://www.minsocam.org/msa/k12/rkcycle/rkcycleindex.html

  13. Discovering Mineral Deposits • Scientists (geologists) use a variety of instruments and measurements • Aerial or satellite photography • Aircraft and satellite instruments that measure Earth’s magnetic field • Seismographs • Combine this with knowledge of how minerals are formed

  14. Extracting Minerals • Surface Mining • Mineral and energy resources are extracted near Earth’s surface by removing soil, subsoil and over-lying rock strata • More common because less expensive • Two kinds: open pit and strip mining • Subsurface Mining • Mineral and energy resources are extracted from deep underground deposits • Two kinds: shaft mine and slope mine

  15. Ode to Miners http://video.mining.com/videos/376c0/mining_processes_and_mining_products_used_everyday.aspx

  16. Extracting Minerals-Open Pit Surface Mining

  17. Processing Minerals • Smelting- process in which ore is melted at high temps to separate impurities from the molten metal

  18. Historical Blast Furnace http://www.nps.gov/hofu/historyculture/hopewellintheamericanrevolution.htm

  19. Environmental Impacts of Minerals • Disturbs large area • Prone to erosion • Uses large quantities of water • Must pump water out of mine to keep it dry • Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) • Pollution caused when sulfuric acid and dissolved lead, arsenic or cadmium wash out of mines into nearby waterways

  20. Environmental Impacts of Refining Minerals

  21. Environmental Impacts of Refining Minerals • 80% or more of mined ore consists of impurities- called tailings • Contain toxic materials • Smelting plants emit large amounts of air pollutants • Requires a lot of energy (fossil fuels combustion)

  22. Case-In-Point Copper Basin, TN

  23. Questions from Smithsonian Article: What is the controversy in Ansted, WV? What are some of the impacts of mountain top removal? How important is land reclamation? How should it be done? Today’s Lab- Mining simulation

  24. “Devastation from Above” • http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Devastation-From-Above.html#

  25. Smithsonian article- Further discussion

  26. Restoration of Mining Lands • Goals: prevent further degradation and erosion of land, eliminate local sources of toxins and make land productive for another purpose

  27. Restoration of Mining Land • Creative Approaches • - Wetlands • Trap sediment and pollutants before they get into streams, improving water quality • Expensive to create and maintain, but cost effective compared to using lime to decrease acidity • - Phytoremediation • Use of specific plants to absorb and accumulate toxic materials in soil • Great potential

  28. Minerals: An International Perspective • Highly developed countries rely on mineral deposits in developing countries • They have exhausted their own supplies • Governments in developing countries lack financial resources to handle pollution • Acid mine drainage • Air and water pollution

  29. North American Consumption of Selected Metals

  30. Will We Run Out of Important Metals? • Mineral Reserves • Mineral deposits that have been identified and are currently profitable to extract

  31. Increasing Supply of Minerals –Locating and Mining New Deposits • Many known mineral deposits have not yet been exploited • Difficult to access • Ex: Malaria ridden forests of Indonesia • Insufficient technology • Ex: polar regions • Located too deep • Ex: 10km or deeper

  32. Increasing Supply of Minerals –Minerals in Antarctica • No substantial mineral deposits identified to date • Geologists feel they will be discovered in near future • No one owns Antarctica • Antarctica Treaty (1961) • Limits activity to peaceful uses (i.e. scientific studies) • Madrid Protocol (1990) • Moratorium on mineral exploration and development for minimum of 50 years

  33. Increasing Supply of Minerals- Minerals from the Ocean • May provide us with future supplies • Extracting minerals from seawater • Mining seafloor- Manganese nodules (below)

  34. Advance Mining and Processing Technologies • Special techniques to make use of large, low-grade mineral deposits world-wide • Currently requires a lot of energy • Biomining • Using microorganisms to extract minerals from low-grade ores

  35. Finding Mineral Substitutes • Important goal in manufacturing • Driven by economics- cut costs! • Substitute expensive/scarce mineral resources for inexpensive/abundant ones • Examples: • Using plastic, glass or aluminum in place of tin • Using plastic instead of lead and steel in telecommunications cables • Using glass fibers instead of copper wiring in telephone cables

  36. Mineral Conservation • Includes reuse and recycling of existing mineral supplies • Reuse- using items over and over again • Reduces both mineral consumption and pollution • Benefits greater than recycling • Recycling- converting item into new product • Common practice throughout industrialized world • Reduces land destruction from mining • Reduces solid waste • Decreases energy consumption and pollution

  37. Changing Our Mineral Requirements • Must change out “throw away” mentality • Damaged or unneeded articles are thrown away

  38. Cell Phone recycling • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCU4o_Ce9PM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

  39. Mineral Flow in an Industrial Society

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