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Chapter 16: Geology and Mineral Resources

Chapter 16: Geology and Mineral Resources. Earth Systems and Resources Unit. Topics within chapter. These items will be covered by worksheets throughout the week. Earth Layers Rock Cycle Plate Tectonics. Continental Crust. Oceanic crust. Lithosphere. 0-62 miles. 186 miles.

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Chapter 16: Geology and Mineral Resources

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  1. Chapter 16: Geology and Mineral Resources Earth Systems and Resources Unit

  2. Topics within chapter • These items will be covered by worksheets throughout the week. • Earth Layers • Rock Cycle • Plate Tectonics

  3. Continental Crust Oceanic crust Lithosphere 0-62 miles 186 miles Mesosphere (mantle) 1,801 miles Outer core 3,169 miles Inner Core 3,963 miles

  4. Continental crust: under the continents. Thickness ranges from 25km-90km (15 miles – 56 miles) Oceanic crust: under oceans. Thinner than continental crust. Typically 5-10km thick (3.6- 6.2 miles) Lithosphere: Outer part of the earth. A combination of crust and upper mantle. Rigid layers. Mohorovicic discontinuity: the border between crust and mantle. AKA - Moho Asthenosphere: very hot, partially melted rock. Part of the mantle. Like silly putty/oobleck. Roughly 180km thick (112 miles) Layers and Crust

  5. Sedimentary Rock: Made from: Processes involved: Examples: Rock Cycle Sediment, pieces Weathering, erosion, cementation, compaction Limestone, sandstone Metamorphic Rock: Made from: Processes involved: Examples: Other rock types Heat and pressure Marble, Slate, quartzite Igneous Rock: Made from: Processes involved: Examples: Melted rock, magma Melting and cooling Pumice, obsidian, scoria

  6. Non-renewable mineral resources • Metallic mineral resources: iron, copper, aluminum ore. • Non-metallic mineral resources: salt, sand, soil. • Energy resources: oil, coal, natural gas, uranium • Non-renewable because they are formed so slowly. • How are they found? Satellite photos, radiation-detection, magnetometer, seismic surveys, chemical analysis

  7. Surface Mining • Overburden must be removed to reach ore. Overburden is often discarded as spoil. • Types of surface mining: open pit, dredging, area strip mining, contour strip mining, mountain top removal • US legislation: Surface mining Control and Reformation Act of 1977 – requires mining companies to restore land so it can be used for the same purpose as before it was mined. • Mining Law of 1872: encourages mining on public lands (excluding parks/wilderness). Must promise to pay $500 to improve the land. Can buy the land for $2.50-$5.00 an acre and do nearly anything with it!

  8. Open Pit Mine Big hole in the ground. Iron, copper, sand, gravel, etc

  9. Dredging Scrape underwater mineral deposits

  10. Area Strip Mining Strips a trench, filling the trench behind. Can leave wavy hills called spoil banks. See page 344 in your text

  11. Contour Strip Mining Cuts terraces around the sides of a hill. Leaves a bank of soil called “highwall”

  12. Sub-surface mining • Used frequently with coal and deeper metal ore deposits. • Disrupt less land, but has health hazards such as black lung disease. • Possible risk of cave ins.

  13. Steps Environmental Effects Disturbed land; mining accidents; health hazards; mine waste dumping; oil spills and blowouts; noise; ugliness; heat Mining exploration, extraction Processing Solid wastes; radioactive material; air, water, and soil pollution; noise; safety and health hazards; ugliness; heat transportation, purification, manufacturing Noise; ugliness; thermal water pollution; pollution of air, water, and soil; solid and radioactive wastes; safety and health hazards; heat Use transportation or transmission to individual user, eventual use, and discarding Environmental Effects of Mining

  14. Smelting Separation of ore from gangue Melting metal Conversion to product Metal ore Recycling Discarding of product Surface mining Scattered in environment

  15. Depletion Times Mine, use, throw away; no new discoveries; rising prices A Recycle; increase reserves by improved mining technology, higher prices, and new discoveries The amount of time it will take to use up a certain proportion of a mineral. (Typically 80%) B Production Recycle, reuse, reduce consumption; increase reserves by improved mining technology, higher prices, and new discoveries C Present Depletion time A Depletion time B Depletion time C Time

  16. Under the sea… • With today’s technology, we could extract minerals from the oceans at a profit. • Iron • Sodium chloride • Manganese (on deep ocean floor) • Diamonds • Magnesium • Bromine • Problems: • These are in low concentrations • Need to work out who owns the ocean deposits…

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