CHAPTER 19 MINERAL RESOURCES
NO STONE
UNTURNED
A bevy of unfamiliar minerals are crucial for
our everyday technologies—but they come
with a slew of problems.
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NO STONE UNTURNED
A bevy of unfamiliar minerals are crucial for our everyday
technologies—but they come with a slew of problems.
Society relies on many mineral
resources. Concerns range from
limited supply, to the dangers
posed to people and environment,
to unsustainability. Less
destructive methods of extraction
and more environmental
safeguards are needed.
Main
Concept
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NO STONE UNTURNED
A bevy of unfamiliar minerals are crucial for our everyday technologies
—but they come with a slew of problems.
At the end of this chapter, you will
know:
• How geologic forces shape the
planet, rocks, and minerals on Earth
• What mineral resources society
uses and how those resources are
mined and processed
• The environmental and social
impacts of mining/processing and
how the negative impacts can be
reduced
Learning Outcomes
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NO STONE UNTURNED
A bevy of unfamiliar minerals are crucial for our everyday technologies
—but they come with a slew of problems.
Background: Most people do not realize the
number or amount of nonrenewable minerals
used by society. They are rare, expensive, and the
extraction and processing can cause a great deal
of environmental damage. The increase in
electronics has exacerbated the problem.
People like Dr. Mark Hersam are working
on developing less expensive and less
environmentally damaging alternatives to
many minerals.
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NO STONE UNTURNED
A bevy of unfamiliar minerals are crucial for our everyday technologies
—but they come with a slew of problems.
TERMS TO KNOW:
Minerals
Rare earth minerals
Metal
While the term mineral refers to any
solid chemical material with a regular
structure, it is often used in conjunction
with materials that have an economic
value.
Rare earth minerals are a group of 17
economically valuable minerals that may
not technically be rare in nature, but
they are not evenly distributed across
the surface and may be hard to find or
process.
Metals are minerals that are generally
malleable and are often conductive.
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NO STONE UNTURNED
A bevy of unfamiliar minerals are crucial for our everyday technologies
—but they come with a slew of problems.
Society relies on many
mineral resources,
some more familiar
than others. Most of
our modern
conveniences would
not exist without
minerals.
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Geologic processes produce mineral resources.
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Geologic processes produce mineral resources.
Accessible minerals are in the
crust and lithosphere. The
deepest mines are barely 5%
of the depth of the
lithosphere.
Geologic processes can bring
material from the upper
mantle to the surface.
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Geologic processes produce mineral resources.
TERMS TO KNOW:
Geology
Tectonic plates
Elements
The lithosphere is divided into many separate
plates that float on the asthenosphere. The
movement of plates away from each other exposes
magma to rise and cool. In other areas, one plate
dives under another and becomes part of the
asthenosphere. Volcanic activity can release new
material onto the surface as well. Elements are
recombined to form new compounds.
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Geologic processes produce mineral resources.
TERM TO KNOW:
Rock
Minerals are the basic units
of rock. Rock contains
mixtures of minerals that
must be collected,
extracted, and processed.
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Geologic processes produce mineral resources.
TERM TO KNOW:
Rock cycle
Igneous rock forms from
cooling magma.
Metamorphic rock is
transformed by heat and
pressure.
Sedimentary rocks forms
by deposition and
pressure.
The three classes of rock
are interchangeable by
various weathering
effects.
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Geologic processes produce mineral resources.
TERMS TO KNOW:
Ore
Mining
Metal minerals abundant enough
to be economically viable when
mined are called ores.
Although formed by the earth, the
rate is so slow that minerals are
considered nonrenewable
resources.
Use of mineral resources has
increased dramatically in recent
decades. More than 50% of all
minerals ever mined have been
used between 1975 and 2000, and
more than 97.5% of the copper
ever mined was after 1900.
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
When ore is relatively
close to the surface
and in a shallow,
horizontal deposit,
strip mining is often
used.
The overburden is
removed, the ore
extracted, and the
overburden replaced.
Revegetation and
restoration is needed.
Coal mines frequently
are of this type.
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
Ore deposits that tend
to be very deep require
open-pit mining.
The mine pit is dug out
in benches, or shelves,
and heavy equipment
is used to haul out tons
of ore. This equipment
is so large that it is
often shipped to the
mine in pieces and
assembled on location.
Metal ores such as
copper are mined this
way.
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
Heavy metals in
sedimentary materials
are recovered using
placer mining
techniques.
Sediment-laden
material is drawn from
the water and through
a sluice. Heavier
materials settle to the
bottom, as the water
and lighter material is
washed away.
Gold is mined this way.
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
Ore deposits that tend to
be deep underground
require subsurface
mining.
Shafts and tunnels
burrow into the
mountains and deep
underground. Fresh air,
power, and light must be
brought into the tunnels.
Ore is dug out and
moved to the surface.
Many gemstones are
mined this way.
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
In addition to the initial
impacts due to removal
of the surface material
(such as road building
and vegetation loss),
there are impacts in the
processing of the ore:
Waste rock, which often
contains contaminants
and other hazardous
wastes
Air pollution from the
smelting process
Energy and resources needed to move, operate, and power heavy equipment
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
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Extracting and processing mineral resources
impacts the environment.
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Mining also comes with
significant social consequences.
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Mining also comes with
significant social consequences.
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Mining also comes with
significant social consequences.
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TERM TO KNOW:
E-waste
One advantage to mineral
resources is that, while not
renewable, they are almost
completely reusable.
Mineral resources can be
removed from old products
and recycled to make new
ones, whether the same,
such as aluminum cans, or
different, such as rubber
from old tires being used as
playground padding.
We can minimize the impacts of mining
through better conservation strategies.
Plastics and metals can be reclaimed from old
equipment and used to make new items.
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We can minimize the impacts of mining
through better conservation strategies.
Mining of aluminum ore is costly, takes a significant amount of energy, and
produces a great deal of waste. As a nonrenewable resource, the supply is
limited. Transportation and packaging industries use significant amounts of
aluminum products and need a steady supply.
Recycling current supplies can and does significantly reduce the need and
demand for new raw materials. Cash deposits and redemption refunds have
significantly increased recycling rates in the United States.
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We can minimize the impacts of mining
through better conservation strategies.
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We can minimize the impacts of mining
through better conservation strategies.
Improved mining technology allows for more
efficiency and higher yields from the same
amount of ore, thus reducing the total
amount of material that needs to be
processed. As the value increases, more
deposits become economically viable. For
example, many previously abandoned gold
and silver mines in the western United States
are being re-opened.
With the increase in value, the previously
abandoned sites are again economically
productive. And the impact is reduced since it
is an established site rather than a new mine.
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We can minimize the impacts of mining
through better conservation strategies.
Extracting and processing minerals from
waste materials reduces the need for
new material. Recycling of economically
and technologically important rare
earths and metals can also reduce the
need to import these resources from
other parts of the world.
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We can minimize the impacts of mining
through better conservation strategies.
Many people in the United States and other
more-developed countries live a “throw away”
lifestyle. Rather than wait until an item
naturally expires, they acquire the newest and
most modern model or item as soon as they
can. This not only increases the demand for
raw materials, but also ties up resources often
left in drawers or other places.
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We can minimize the impacts of mining
through better conservation strategies.
Efficiency is important not only in the
collection of mineral resources, but in their
use as well. Carbon is less expensive and
more readily available than minerals used in
electronics.
Fiber-optic cables can carry more data than
the same size copper wire, so there is less
physical material needed for the same job as
well as being less expensive.
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PERSONAL CHOICES THAT HELP
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UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE
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UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUE
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ANALYZING THE SCIENCE
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EVALUATING NEW INFORMATION
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MAKING CONNECTIONS