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MINING

MINING. Process of Mining. 1) Prospecting and Exploration 2) Development 3) Extraction 4) Closure/Reclamation Each of the stages may overlap with the next and is very lengthy and expensive. Exploration. Prospecting  - searching the region for mineral deposits. 

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MINING

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  1. MINING

  2. Process of Mining 1) Prospecting and Exploration 2) Development 3) Extraction 4) Closure/Reclamation Each of the stages may overlap with the next and is very lengthy and expensive.

  3. Exploration • Prospecting - searching the region for mineral deposits.  • Exploration - Determine size and value of mineral deposit: • Outline the deposit and the surrounding geology on a map. • Calculate the amount of valuable minerals they think they will get from the deposit. • they can take two to eight years to complete, and may cost from $500,000 to $15 million overall. • If profitable, the method of mining is decided.

  4. SURFACE MINES Open Pit Mines and Quarries, Strip Mines, Mountain top removal

  5. Surface Mining: Open-pit or Strip Mines • Underground Mines • Surface Mines

  6. OVERBURDEN • Surface mining requires removal of huge amounts of overburden. • overburden is the rock, soil, and ecosystem that lies above the resource to be mined.

  7. UNDERGROUND MINES

  8. UNDERGROUND MINES Wells: Ore is a liquid or gas and is pumped out of the ground

  9. Development (Planning and building it) • The development stage usually takes 4-12 years to open an ore deposit for production, and may cost anywhere from $1 million to over $1 billion to complete depending on the type of mine.  • 1) the mining process/technology that will be used, • 2) building of access roads for transportation, • 3) identification of resources such as power and water sources, and • 4) construction of ore processing facilities and disposal areas for waste. 

  10. Extraction • The mineral is removed from the earth in large quantities • Can take 5-30 years, although many mines have been open for more than 100 years. • May cost anywhere from a few million dollars to hundreds of millions of dollars a year depending on the size and location.

  11. Closure/Reclamation • Cost depends on the age, location, type, and size of mine, amount of waste, geological characteristics, and type of mineral being extracted. • Ex. medium-sized open-pit mine that is 10-15 years old could cost a few million dollars to close • Ex. large open-pit mine that has been operating for > 35 years could cost tens of millions of dollars to close

  12. Reclamation • Process of restoring land that has been mined to a natural or economically usable state. 

  13. Reclamation

  14. What are the issues surrounding Mining? Pollution – air, ground, water Acid Rain Toxic Waste Nuclear Waste Land formations Conservation

  15. Tailings Ponds • Studies have suggested the ponds leak water containing tailings from oilsands production into the Athabasca River. • The ponds are estimated to hold 1.3 trillion litres of contaminated water.

  16. Miner’s health • Coal miners have suffered a number of respiratory health impacts such as silicosis and black lung (pneumoconiosis)

  17. The canary in the coal mine

  18. Source • https://www.superfund.arizona.edu/learning-modules/tribal-modules/copper/mine-life-cycle

  19. Stages of Mining

  20. Alternate Energy Sources • Hydro • Wind Power • Solar Power • Geothermal Energy

  21. Activity • Practice Mining with a cookie

  22. From Stone to Metals Stages of Mineral Development

  23. Exploration • Geologists use clues to determine if an ore body exists. • changes in gravitational or magnetic forces in the earth • soil sampling • drill holes • core samples • Assessments are then made to determine if the deposit is then worth mining

  24. Extraction of Minerals • Careful surveying and constant ore quality analysis need to be carried out. • Blasting breaks up the rock so it can be removed. • Waste rock needs to be separated from more profitable ore.

  25. Extraction of Minerals • Gravel is sorted with screens to size; other non-metal ores are crushed and screened and then shipped for use. • Metal ores are moved to a milling site by truck or conveyor belt.

  26. Milling • Metal ore is ground into gravel-like consistency. • Water is then added, and then the ore is tumbled at high speed • Ore is crushed into a fine, watery slurry.

  27. Concentrating • Slurry is separated by flotation. • Frothers are added to the slurry which cause the mineral compounds to float to the surface with the air bubbles. • Minerals are then skimmed off and dried, removing most of the water. • The mineral compound left is now referred to concentrate.

  28. Smelting •  In most concentrates, the metals are still trapped in compounds. • Smelting is the process where concentrate is either roasted or leached so that the metals are freed from the compounds.

  29. Refining • Impure metal is placed in an electrolytic solution, which purifies the metal to 99.9% purity.

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