TARGET #20- I CAN IDENTIFY WHAT MINING
INVOLVES
• Mining involves breaking into the ground to gain access to minerals, fossil fuel, or water, and extracting them.
• Used in resources like building materials, wiring, appliances, clothing, fertilizers
• One goal: to locate areas of concentrated resources
• Materials mined fall into one of three categories
• Metallic Minerals
• Non-metallic minerals
• Fuel and Water

TARGET #21- I
CAN STATE
EXAMPLES OF
METALLIC
MINERALS
TARGET #22- I
CAN DEFINE THE
TERM ORE
• Metallic minerals
• Metals are a part of minerals or groups of minerals
• Ore: a mineral or group of minerals that is mined so that a metal or metals can be removed from it
• Concentration of metal must be a certain level
• Ex: copper, iron, lead, gold, silver, aluminum, and tantalite

TARGET #23- I CAN IDENTIFY EXAMPLES OF NONMETALLIC
MINERALS
• Nonmetallic Minerals
• May contain mineral as a chemical component, but the material is not mined for metal
• Ex: sand and gravel, limestone, salt, gemstones

TARGET #24- I CAN IDENTIFY EXAMPLES OF
MINED FUELS
• Fuel and Water
• Uranium is mined for use in the generation of nuclear power
• Coal is mined like other minerals to provide energy
• Other materials include petroleum, natural gas, oil sands, and methane hydrates

MINING
METHODS-
BACKGROUND
• Mining companies have developed many techniques to access resources close to the surface of Earth, deep underground, and even underwater
• Types of Mining Methods
• Strip Mining
• Subsurface Mining
• Open Pit Mining
• Mountain Top Removal
• Solution Mining
• Placer Mining
• Undersea Mining

TARGET #25- I CAN DESCRIBE DIFFERENT MINING METHODS
• Strip Mining
• Most effective method
• Process
• Layers of surface soil and rock are removed from large areas to expose the resource
• Heavy machinery removes the soil and rock
• The resource is extracted
• The soil and rock are replaced
• Commonly used to collect coal, sand, and gravel

• Subsurface Mining
• Used when a resources occurs in concentrated pockets
• Process
• Vertical shafts are dug deep into the ground
• A network of horizontal tunnels are dug or blasted out to follow deposits of the resource
• The resource is removed and transported out of the mine
• Used for metals like zinc, lead, nickel, tin, gold, copper, and uranium
• Used for non-metals like diamonds and salt

• Open Pit Mining
• Used when a mineral is widely and evenly distributed throughout rock formation, or when the ground is unsuitable for tunneling
• Process
• A large hole is dug and the ore is removed along with unwanted rock
• Used for copper, iron, gold, diamonds, and coal
• When used for materials like granite, marble, or slate, method is referred to as a quarry

• Mountaintop Removal
• Used primarily for coal mining in the
Appalachian Mountains
• Process
• 1 st - the forests are clear-cut and the timber is sold or burned
• 2 nd - Topsoil is removed and rock is blasted away to expose the resource
• Continued process of blasting and extraction to remove hundreds of vertical feet of mountaintop
• Waste rock is transported to nearby valleys or areas that were previously mined

• Placer Mining
• Can be done when weathering and other geologic processes can cause metals and gems to break free and be carried along by river currents
• Process
• Miner must sift through material in modern or ancient riverbed deposits
• Use of running water to separate light-weight mud and gravel from heavier valuable minerals.
• Useful for collecting materials like gold

A mining geologist locates a horizontal seam of coal close to the surface. What type of method will the mining company most likely use to extract it? Explain your answer.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF MINING- BACKGROUND
• Mining is an important industry that provides the areas with an enormous amount of revenue and jobs for many people
• Activities associated with mining, such as destroying forests, disrupting soil, and using chemicals to strip materials from rocks, have environmental effects that have not been historically well managed.

EROSION-
BACKGROUND
• Erosion is a natural process that occurs continuously on Earth’s surface
• Examples
• Wind
• Precipitation
• Flowing water
• Moves loose soil particles from one area to another

TARGET #26- I CAN STATE HOW MINING LEADS
TO UNCONTROLLED SOIL EROSION
• Plants help keep erosion in check because their roots hold soil together
• Plants are removed to do any mining that is done along earth’s surface
• When people disturb a large area of land, erosion occurs faster than soil can be replaced
• Example
• Mountaintop removal leaves areas prone to mudslides & flashfloods

TARGET #27- I
CAN STATE HOW
EXCESSIVE
EROSION
IMPACTS
ECOSYSTEMS
• Excessive erosion & disturbance of waterways leads to problems for both ecosystems and nearby communities
• Placer mining, strip mining, and mountain top removal can lead to clogged waterways due to excessive sediment and debris
• Some habitats may become flooded or sunlight can be blocked from reaching aquatic plants

TARGET #28- I CAN EXPLAIN HOW SURFACE MINING
METHODS IMPACT NATURAL WATER SOURCES
• Strip, subsurface, and open pit mining expose a large amount of rock to air
• If iron sulfide is present in the rocks, it will form sulfuric acid when it interacts with oxygen
• Can leak into the ground water, streams, or lakes due to runoff
• Known as acid drainage
• A natural process that is accelerated due to mining
• acids associated can be toxic to wildlife and can make bodies of water unsuitable for drinking or for recreation

TARGET #29- I CAN EXPLAIN HOW SURFACE
MINING METHODS IMPACT THE ATMOSPHERE
• Open pit mining and mountaintop removal can cause air pollution as metal particles are released into the atmosphere
• Includes removal and extraction process
• Miners experience the most pollution
• Coal miners usually suffer from a type of illness called “black lung disease”

TARGET #30- I CAN
SUMMARIZE THE
SOCIAL IMPACTS
MINING HAS ON THE
HUMAN
POPULATION
• Mining is relied upon for jobs and revenue, however, mining can have many negative effects on people living in surrounding communities
• Property Damage
• Blasts from mountaintop removal crack house foundations and walls
• Floods damage properties
• Loose rock tumbles into yards and homes
• Forests and landscapes are lost
• Landowners are pressured to sell their land to mining companies
• Collapse of subsurface mines can lead to

• Environmental Damage &
Conflicts
• Can bring job opportunities and a lot of money into poor areas of the world
• Rely on land and water resources
• Violent conflicts can arise over rights to lands that hold valuable minerals and the wealth they generate
• Ex: Trade of coltain in the Congo

ESSENTIAL
CONCEPT
• The ability to access minerals, extract metals from them, and process the metals allows us to make products that contribute greatly to modern life. But the toll that mining takes on ecosystems and the pollutants produced from processing metals have also contributed to many of the environmental problems we face today.
What are some examples of environmental problems that we face related to mining?