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Chapter 15: Minerals and Environment

Chapter 15: Minerals and Environment Holden mine (near Lake Chelan in Washington), an old copper and gold mine Big Question: Is It Possible To Use Nonrenewable Resources Sustainably? Case Study

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Chapter 15: Minerals and Environment

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  1. Chapter 15: Minerals and Environment Holden mine (near Lake Chelan in Washington), an old copper and gold mine Big Question: Is It Possible To Use Nonrenewable Resources Sustainably?

  2. Case Study Newport Golf Club near Seattle, similar to the Fossil Trace Golf Club described on page 319 in your textbook. NewCastle Golf Club, built on former coal mine and landfill area. See http://www.golf.com/golf/courses_travel/coursefinder/course/0,28290,1517440,00.html

  3. The Importance of Minerals to Society Some uses for minerals in a typical American home.

  4. Formation of Mineral Deposits High concentrations of Earth materials form ore deposits. The origin and distribution of mineral resources are related to the history of the biosphere and the geologic cycle.

  5. Distribution of Mineral Resources • Earth’s crust is silica-rich. • The oceans have low concentrations of many minerals. • Mined minerals occur in unusually high concentrations.

  6. Plate Boundaries Some mineral deposits are formed by plate tectonics. • At divergent plate boundaries, heated water rises through fractured rocks and leaches metals from them, forming metal sulfides. • At convergent plate boundaries, a combination of heat, pressure, and partial melting mobilizes metals in molten rocks.

  7. Igneous Processes Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas, the only active US diamond mine and open to the public

  8. Sedimentary Processes The Buckhorn Gold Mine in northern Okanogan County is one of the few currently active in Washington state.

  9. Biological Processes Some mineral deposits are formed or altered by biological processes. • The major iron ore deposits are in sedimentary rocks • Organisms form many kinds of mineral deposits, such as the calcium in shells and bones.

  10. Weathering Processes Weathered insoluble ore deposits may accumulate in the soil unless removed by erosion. Weathering can improve low-grade ore by secondary enrichment.

  11. Resources and Reserves

  12. Use and Availability of Mineral Resources Minerals are also classified by use and abundance. The most-used minerals are not metals.

  13. Mineral Consumption A mineral resource can be used in three ways: • Rapid consumption • Consumption with conservation • Consumption and conservation with recycling

  14. U.S. Supply of Minerals U.S. use exceeds its own supplies of many minerals. Importing may be more practical than mining.

  15. Impacts of Mineral Development Bingham Canyon Cooper Pit, Utah

  16. Social Impacts • Large-scale mining brings a rapid influx of • workers. • Adverse social impacts occur when mines • close down. • Greater environmental regulation of the industry equal greater costs. • Wars are often funded by minerals.

  17. Minimizing Waste Generation of waste is a major issue. Minimizing environmental effects of mineral development: • Regulate the environment at the federal, state, and local levels. • On-site and off-site treatment of waste. • Reduce, reuse, recycle.

  18. Minimizing EnvironmentalImpacts of Mineral Development

  19. Recycling UW recycling video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWMPNiEzAkw

  20. Minerals and Sustainability • Simultaneously exploiting and sustaining mineral resources is problematic. • Human ingenuity is important. • How long does it take to develop new approaches?

  21. Chapter 15: Minerals and Environment Holden mine (near Lake Chelan in Washington), an old copper and gold mine Questions? E-mail your TA.

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