Environmental Science
Unit 9
Resource Management
9A – Forestry (Chp. 11)
9B – Soil & Agriculture (Chp. 12)
9C – Minerals & Mining (Chp. 13)
Unit 9 ABC Vocabulary (34)
• Acid drainage •
• Adaptive
management
•
• Aquaculture
•
• Bedrock
•
• Clear cutting
• Contour farming •
• Crop rotation •
• Deforestation •
• Desertification •
• Ecosystem based•
management
•
• Genetic
•
Engineering
•
Genetically modified
•
organism (GMO)
•
Irrigation
•
Maximum
Sustainable Yield
•
Mineral
•
Open Pit Mining
•
Ore
Organic agriculture •
•
Pesticide
Placer mining
•
Prescribed burn
•
Rock
•
Rock cycle
Salinization
Salvage logging
Seed tree
approach
Selection
system
Smelting
Soil degradation
Strip mining
Subsurface
mining
Terracing
Tilling
Weathering
Unit 9A – Forestry (Chp. 11)
• Page 323 – Battling over Clayoquot’s Big
Trees – Central Case
• Decision Making Analysis
1. What is the problem?
2. What is your proposed solution?
3. Analyze your solution: 3 Pros, 3 Cons, 3
Short-term consequences, 3 Long-term
consequences
4. Conclusion: was your solution a good one?
Why or Why not?
Unit 9A Objectives
• Explain the importance of managing
specific renewable resources such as
water, soil, animals and timber
• Describe 3 different resource
management approaches & their goals
• Identify methods used to strike a
balance between the ecological &
economic values of our resources
• Identify & explain methods used to
harvest timber sustainably
11.1 Resource
Management
How can we manage
renewable resources for
sustainable use?
Renewable Resource Management
• To manage resource harvesting so that
resources are not depleted.
• Soil – made by natural processes, but fertile
topsoil can take can take hundreds of years to
form; major topsoil erosion concerns
• Fresh water – maintaining clean, adequate
supplies for drinking & agriculture; pollution issues
• Wild animals – animals hunted legally are called
game; fishing has caused numbers to dwindle (cod);
poaching, CITES, problems with enforcement
• Timber – harvesting timber is essential to our
standard of living; forests are disappearing
How We Use Land
Non-urban lands include:
• Forests (harvest timber
for paper and lumber)
• Grasslands (support
livestock and farmlands)
• Other (mineral
resources)
Resource Management Approaches
• Maximum Sustainable Yield – harvest the
maximum amount of a resource without reducing
the amount of future harvests; quicker growth at
intermediate size well below carrying capacity;
could result in changes of other populations
• Ecosystem-Based Management – harvest
resources in ways that minimize impact on the
ecosystems & ecological processes that provide
the resources; challenging for managers
• Adaptive Management – scientifically test
different approaches & then customize an
approach based on the results; can be time
consuming & complicated
11.1 Review
1.
Define resource management. Why is it
important?
2. Describe the goals of maximum sustainable
yield management, ecosystem-based
management, and adaptive management.
List a drawback of each.
3. How may managing a resource for maximum
sustainable yield sometimes conflict with
what is best for its ecosystem?
• Besides answering the above 3 questions,
complete the 11.1 review packet.
11.2 Forests & their
Resources
How can resource managers
strike a balance between the
ecological and economic value
of forest resources?
Forest Resources
• Ecological value: different
habitats, biodiversity
(mature forests have
more), prevent soil erosion,
slow water run-off, reduce
flooding, take in C02 &
release 02 (moderate
climate)
Forest Resources
• Economical value: provide
timber for many products,
fuel for fires, building houses
& ships, paper, food &
medicine (fruit, nuts, spices,
herbs come from forest
plants), cancer treating drugs
(Paclitaxel – yew, rosy
periwinkle)
Timber Harvesting
• There are costs & benefits to
every method of timber
harvesting
• 2 categories:
1. Even-aged stands – result from
regrowth of trees that were
mostly cut at the same time
2. Uneven-aged stands – result
from regrowth of trees that
were cut at different times
• Uneven stands typically have more
biodiversity, offering more diverse
habitats
• All methods of logging disturb forest
communities, changing forest
structure and composition as larger
trees forming canopies/subcanopies
are removed
• Most methods increase soil erosion,
leading to muddy waterways and
degrade animal habitats
• Most methods increase runoff,
causing flooding & landslides
Clear-cutting
• The process that involves
removing ALL of the trees
from a land area
• Results in even-aged stands
• Destroys wildlife habitats
• Increases soil erosion
• Diminishes beauty
• Cost efficient
• Increases light to ground
• Begins secondary succession
Seed Tree Approach
• Small numbers of
mature and healthy
seed-producing trees
are left standing so
that they can reseed
the logged area
• Leads to regrowth that
is mostly even-aged.
Shelterwood Approach
• Small numbers of
mature trees are left in
place to provide shelter
for seedlings as they
grow.
• Leads to regrowth that
is mostly even-aged.
Selective Cutting
• Involves cutting only
middle-aged or mature
trees
• Has less impact on the
forest than any other
method
• Maintains
wildlife/ecosystems
Selection Systems
• Only some of the trees in a
forest are cut at once
• Result in uneven-aged stands
1. Single-tree selection – trees
spaced widely apart are cut
one at a time
2. Group selection – small
patches of trees are cut
• Roads compact soil, more
expensive, more dangerous
Deforestation
• Involves clearing trees from an area
without replacing them
• Helps nations develop, but it can be
ecologically destructive
• Provides warmth, shelter, & trade,
but causes soil degradation & loss of
biodiversity
• Negative effects are greatest in the
tropical regions (loss of biodiversity)
& arid regions (loss of soil
productivity)
• Adds CO2 to the atmosphere
Deforestation
Deforestation in the US
• By 1850s, we deforested our vast
deciduous forests to expand,
making way for small farms
• Timber built the cities of the East
Coast and Midwest
• With the Industrial Revolution,
logging moved to Texas, Florida
and the Carolinas. Then the timber
companies moved west for the
bigger trees/old-growth forests
Today
• Most of the redwoods, oaks and
maples are no longer old-growth
trees in North America, leading
to a concern for old-growth
ecosystems
• Deforestation is rapid in the
Tropical Rain Forests of
developing nations, leading to loss
of biodiversity on a large scale
and worsening global warming due
to CO2 from burning as well as
fewer trees
Quick Lab Page 334
A Tree’s History
Turn to page 334 in your
textbook, read the
directions (#1-3 in blue) and
then answer questions 1-4
with your partner.
1.
11.2 Review
What is one way a forest is ecologically
valuable? What is one way a forest is
economically valuable?
2. How are clear-cutting and the shelterwood
approach similar? How are they different?
How do both differ from select systems?
3. What, generally, is the current level of
deforestation in the U.S.? In developing
nations? How would you expect
deforestation in developing nations to
change in the next 100 years? Explain.
• Also, do 11.2 review packet.
Forest Management 11.3
What steps toward
sustainable forestry have
been taken in the last
100 years?
US National Forests
• Logging in national forests is
managed by the Forest Service,
but profits go to timber
companies
• Public lands set aside to grow
trees for timber and to protect
watersheds.
• Established in 1905 after
deforesting our deciduous forests
caused a fear of “timber famine.”
National Forest Logging
• Timber is harvested by private
timber companies.
• Forest Service plan & manage
timber sales & build roads to
provide access, but the logging
companies receive the profits
• Taxpayers’ money is being used to
help private corporations harvest
publicly held resources for profit
• Recreation, wildlife, and
ecosystem health are being urged
National Forest
Management Act 1976
• Multiple use – forests were to be
managed for recreation, wildlife
habitat, mining and other uses in
addition to timber
• NFMA requires plans for renewable
resource management be drawn up
for every national forest and to be
consistent with multiple use and
maximum sustainable yield.
NFMA, continued
• Success stories – logging has declined in
national forests since the 1980s, and in
2006, tree regrowth outpaced tree
removal on these lands by more than
11:1.
• Challenges – in 2004, Bush passed
regulations that weakened the NFMA &
repealed the “roadless” rule that had
limited building new roads. In 2009,
Obama reinstated the roadless rule.
Private Land
• Most logging in the US today takes
place on tree plantations owned by
timber companies
• Most harvesting is fast-growing
tree species in the NW and South
• These plantations are mostly
monocultures – single crop, evenaged stands cut in rotation time and
the land is replanted with seedlings
• Low biodiversity due to little
variation
Fire Policies
• Suppression of all wildfires can
endanger ecosystems, property,
and people.
• Many ecosystems depend on fire,
and diversity & abundance of
species decline without it
• Jack pine seeds germinate only
after a fire, and Kirtland’s
Warbler (songbird) nest in 5-7
year old jack pines
Future Fire Potential
• Suppression of small, natural
fires can lead to larger, more
dangerous fires by allowing limbs,
sticks & leaf litter to build up
• Prescribed burns – burning areas
of forest under carefully
controlled conditions, which
ultimately lowers the risk of
injury, property damage, and
ecosystem loss from catastrophic
wildfires.
Healthy Forest Restoration Act
• Goal: make forests less fire-prone
• Primarily promotes the removal of small
trees, underbrush, and snags by timber
companies
• Salvage logging – removal of snags/dying
trees following a natural disturbance
• Snag value: insect food, holes provide
nesting/roosting
• Removing timber from recently burned
land can cause erosion & soil damage, and
slow forest regrowth
Sustainable Forestry
Products
• Sustainable forestry certification –
certifies products produced using
methods they consider sustainable
• The Forest Stewardship Council
has the strictest certification
process, carry logos (FSC)
• 70% of annual timber harvest in
British Columbia Canada is certified
• More costly, but consumers demand
11.3 Review
1. What are the roles of the Forest Service &
timber companies in logging US National Forests?
What are the requirements of the NFMA?
2. Generally, how does a tree plantation’s
biodiversity differ from that of a natural forest?
Give 2 reasons for your answer.
3. Suppose you lived very close to a fire-prone
forest where there had been no fire for many
years, & the Forest Service wanted to have a
prescribe burn there. What are 2 questions you
would ask the Forest Service?
4. How do organizations such as the FSC decide
whether to certify a product?
• Also, do 11.3 review packet.
Unit 9B – Soil & Agriculture
Chapter 12
• Page 351 Chp. 12 Case Study – Possible
Transgenic Maize in Oaxaca, Mexico
• Analyze using Decision Making Model
1. What is the problem?
2. What is your proposed solution?
3. Analyze your solution: 3 Pros, 3 Cons, 3
Short-term Consequences, 3 Long-term
Consequences
4. Conclusion: Is your solution a good one?
Why or Why not?
Unit 9B Soil & Agriculture Objectives
• Explain how soil forms, the horizons that make up a
soil profile, & the characteristics used to classify
soil.
• Describe the practices that can lead to soil
erosion, desertification, & pesticide pollution and
their resulting impacts economically &
environmentally.
• Describe the development of agriculture from its
beginnings to the green revolution.
• Understand the increasing need to increase food
production in a sustainable way.
• Explain how biotechnology may be the key to future
food production, but it is not without risk.
12.1 Soil
• We use about 38% of Earth’s land
surface for agriculture, which
depends on fertile soil
• Soil – a complex plant-supporting
system made up of disintegrated
rock, remains & wastes of
organisms, water, gases,
nutrients, and microorganisms.
• Soil is a renewable resource, it
could take 100s or 1000s of years
to make 1”
Factors that Influence Soil
Formation
• Climate – forms faster in warm,
wet climates
• Organisms – worms mix & aerate
soil, add organic matter
• Landforms – runoff, erosion,
leaching, exposure to sun
• Parent material – chemical &
physical attributes influence soil
• Time – soil formation takes time
Soil Formation
• Soil is a complex substance that
forms through weathering, deposition
& decomposition.
• Soil is roughly 45% mineral matter &
5% organic matter.
• Parent material – the base geological
material in a particular location; lava,
glacier rock, sand dunes, river
sediment, bedrock
• Bedrock – continuous mass of solid
rock that makes up the crust
Weathering
• Physical & chemical processes that
break down rocks & minerals into
smaller particles, 1st process in soil
formation
• Physical – anything that touches a
rock, ex. Wind, rain, temperature
• Chemical – water & other
substances chemically break down
the parent rock; warm, wet
conditions increase chemical
weathering
Deposition & Decomposition
• Deposition – the drop-off of
eroded material at a new location;
erosion may help form soil in one
area by depositing material eroded
from another
• Decomposition – activities of living
& formerly living things help form
soil; organisms deposit waste or die
& decompose, incorporating
nutrients into the soil; leaf litter,
humus
Soil Horizons
• A soil profile consists of layers
known as horizons
• Soil profile – a cross-section of all
the soil horizons in a specific soil,
from surface to bedrock
• Simplest way to categorize:
– A – topsoil
– B – subsoil
– C – weathered parent material
Top soil
• Crucial horizon for agriculture and
ecosystems
• Consists mostly of mineral particles
with organic matter and humus
• Is the horizon that has the most plant
nutrients available
• Its loose texture, dark color, and
ability to hold water come from its
humus content
• Topsoil is fragile, eroding or being
depleted easily
Lower Horizons
• Generally, particle size increases
and organic matter decreases as
you move down the profile
• Minerals leach downward as
water filters through the soil
• If leaching occurs too quickly and
plants are deprived of nutrients
• Iron, aluminum, and silicate clay
are commonly leached out
Soil Characteristics
• Soils can be classified by their
color, texture, structure and pH
• Color – darker soils are usu. richer
in humus (nutrients) & fertility
• Texture – clay/silt/sand; influences
its workability and how porous it is
• Structure – arrangement of soil
particles, clumpiness is richer but
may compact & hinder roots
• pH – affects plant growth; acid rain
12.1 Review
1. Describe 3 major processes that contribute to
the formation of most soils.
2. What is a soil profile? Describe the A, B, and C
horizons.
3. What do each of the 4 characteristics of soil
indicate about its ability to support plant life?
4. Recall the analogy between soil & coffee grounds
(bottom page 355) in the section called “Lower
Horizons.” In this analogy, what do you think the
“soil coffee” consists of?
• In addition to the 4 questions above, complete the
12.1 packet.
12.2 Soil Degradation &
Conservation
• Soil degradation – deterioration of soil
characteristics needed for plant growth
or other ecosystem services
• Farmers have shown that the most
productive soil is loam with a neutral pH
that is workable, contains nutrients, and
holds water.
• Human activities cause erosion,
desertification & pollution making soil
less productive.
Erosion
• Certain farming, ranching and
forestry practices can erode soil, but
other practices can protect it
• Erosion & deposition are natural
processes that can create soil; floodplains are excellent for farming
• Erosion usu. occurs faster than soil is
formed; erosion tends to remove topsoil; and erosion can be hard to detect
• Erosion occurs from leaving soil bare
after harvests, overgrazing rangeland
& clearcutting forests on steep slopes
Farming Practices
• Plant cover protects soil from erosion by
slowing wind & water, roots hold soil in place
and absorb water.
• Intercropping – planting different crops in
mixed arrangements; gives more crop cover
• Crop rotation – alternate crops in a field to
return nutrients to the soil & break disease
• Shelterbelts – windbreaks, rows of trees
• No-till method – plant between the rows
• Terracing – staircase the plants, labor intense
• Contour farming – plant sideways across a
hillside, perpendicular to the hill’s slope
Ranching Practices
• The raising and grazing of
livestock affects soils and
ecosystems.
• Livestock mostly feed on
grasses.
• As long as livestock populations
stay within a range’s carrying
capacity and do not eat grasses
faster than the grasses can grow
back, grazing may be sustainable.
Overgrazing
• When too many animals
graze in an area for too
long, and damage the
grass beyond its ability
to recover
• Soil erosion makes it
difficult for vegetation
to regrow
• Influx of non-native
weeds
• Common in Florida
Two Rangeland
Management Techniques:
1. Grazing management –
limit animal herd sizes
2. Range improvements –
eliminating weedy plants,
planting vegetation on
bare soil, cross fencing,
and increasing the
number of waterholes
Desertification
• Loss of more than 10% of productivity
due to erosion, soil compaction, forest
removal, overgrazing, drought, salt
buildup, climate change, depletion of
water sources, etc.
• When overgrazing and harsh conditions
convert rangeland to desert; Dust Bowl
• Usually the land does not recover from
this condition
• Ex. Fertile Crescent region
• Affects 1/3 of Earth’s land area
Soil Conservation Policies
• 1935 Soil Conservation Act – in
response to the Dust Bowl
• 1994 renamed Natural Resources
Conservation Service, expanded to
include water quality & pollution
control
• Farmers must adopt soil conservation
plans before they can receive
government subsidies; pay farmers
to stop cultivating cropland that
erodes easily, plant grasses & trees
“The nation that destroys
its soil destroys itself.”
F.D.R.
• The Grapes of Wrath by
John Steinbeck describes
the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s
• Resulted from poor
agricultural practices and
severe drought
• This set the stage for wind
erosion of the top soil
International Programs
• United Nations promotes soil
conservation & sustainable
agriculture through its Food &
Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• Supports creative approaches to
resource management challenges
in many developing countries
• Call on local leaders to educate
and encourage local farmers
Soil Pollution
• Irrigation & Pesticide use can
improve soil productivity in the short
term, but pollute long-term
• Irrigation – providing of water other
than precipitation to crops
• Too much results in water-logged
crops & salinization (use drip method)
• Pesticides – chemicals that kill
organisms that attack plants
• Toxic, may remain in the soil, water,
biomagnification, kills pollinators
12.2 Review
1. Describe one farming practice that can
erode soil and one that can conserve soil.
2. Explain how overgrazing and planting in poor
soil can cause a cycle of desertification.
3. In your own words, write one paragraph
about the effects of the Conservation
Reserve Program (pg. 363, top paragraph).
4. How can irrigation and pesticides cause soil
pollution?
• Besides the above 4 questions, complete the
12.2 review packet.
12.3 Agriculture
• Began 10,000 years ago when a warmer
climate allowed planting seeds &
raising livestock
• It went from hunter/gatherer to
selective breeding & settlement
• Traditional agriculture was performed
by humans & animals
• Industrial agriculture introduced
large-scale mechanization & fossilfueled engines, replacing horse & oxen
with faster, more efficient means of
harvesting, processing, & transporting
Industrial Agriculture
• Resulted in irrigation improvements
& synthetic fertilizers & pesticides
• Produces huge amounts of crops &
livestock, relying on huge inputs of
energy, water & chemicals
• This requires large areas to be
planted in a single crop
(monoculture), increasing harvests
but less biodiversity and more
genetic similarity & vulnerability to
disease & pests
How can we feed more
people in the world?
• Increase the crop yields
with new varieties
• New farming techniques
• Or…………………
The Green Revolution
• Agricultural scientists introduced new
technology, crop varieties & farming
practices to developing nations
• 1940s Norman Borlaug introduced
Mexico’s farmers to a specially bred
strain of wheat, tripling their wheat
production in 2 decades.
• Developing nations began applying
large amounts of synthetic fertilizers
& chemical pesticides, liberally
irrigating crops, & using heavy
equipment powered by fossil fuels.
Environmental Effects of
the Green Revolution
• Green Revolution saved millions of lives.
• Technology comes at a high energy cost
• Less additional land was needed, so it
preserved some ecosystems
• Intensive application of water,
inorganic fertilizers & pesticides has
worsened erosion, salinization,
desertification, eutrophication, &
pollution. Increased fossil fuel use has
increased air pollution & global warming
Pests
• Chemical pesticides – since 1960,
pesticide use has risen fourfold
worldwide, continuing to rise in
developing nations; resistance!
• Biological pest control – battle pests &
weeds with organisms that eat or infect
them; wasps & caterpillars, soil
bacterium (Bt), could create invasive
species
• Integrated pest management – combining both of above to achieve the most
effective long-term pest reduction
Pollinators
• Most insects are harmless to
agriculture & some are essential
• Without pollination, plants cannot
reproduce sexually
• Pollinators are among the most
vital yet least appreciated
factors in agriculture
• As pesticide use increases,
pollinator populations decrease
• Pollinator conservation !!!!
1.
12.3 Review
Write a paragraph describing when and how
agriculture likely began. End with a description
of the beginnings of selective breeding.
2. How have industrial agriculture & the green
revolution affected the world’s population?
3. How do (a) chemical pesticides, (b) biological
control, and (c) integrated pest management
protect crops from pests?
4. How are pollinators important to crop
agriculture?
• Besides the above 4 questions, do 12.3 review
packet.
12.4 Food Production
• How can we produce enough food
for a rapidly growing population
while sustaining our ability to
produce it?
• Each year Earth gains 75 million
people & loses 12-17 million acres
of productive cropland
• Arable (suitable for farming) land
is running out, yet world population
of 9 billion is predicted by 2050
Food Security
• Is the guarantee of an adequate &
reliable food supply for all people at
all times
• Because hunger continues and the
population is growing, we need to find
a way to increase food production
sustainably
• The world’s soils are in decline, &
nearly all arable land is being farmed
• We must maintain healthy soil &
water, protect biodiversity of food
sources, & ensure safe distribution
Undernourished/Malnutrition
• Hunger is a problem not only in
developing nations, but in the US
as well
• Malnutrition – shortage of
nutrients the body needs; lacks
quantity and/or quality
• Kwashiorkor – disease caused by
eating too little protein; bloating,
poor hair quality, skin problems,
developmental de-lays, lower
immunity, anemia, sunken eyes
Genetically Modified Organisms
• Genetic engineering – any process in
which scientists directly manipulate an
organism’s DNA
• Uses recombinant DNA technology;
scientists place genes that code for
desired traits into the genomes of
organisms lacking these traits
• Ex’s – rapid growth, pest resistance,
frost tolerance
• Biotechnology uses creation of genetically modified organisms, development
of medicines, clean up pollution, etc…
GM Crops
• GM crops are everywhere: crops
that resist herbicides, insect
attack; GM seed sales have
increased rapidly in the US
• Over 85% of corn, soybeans, cotton
& canola crops are GM
• Risks: resistance by pests,
dangerous to eat?, GM genes will
make their way into wild plants
• Benefits: reduces use of
insecticides & therefore use of
fossil fuels, increases no-till farming
Industrial Food Production
• Feedlots – concentrated animal feeding
operations; greater, more efficient
production of food without degrading
soil, manure can be used as fertilizer;
manure can contaminate bodies of
water, high density increases
antibiotic use, inhumane treatment of
animals
• Aquaculture – raising aquatic animals
for food in controlled environments;
disease spread, lots of waste; sustainable, protects wild fish, less fossil fuel
Plant Diversity
• Risk of GM genes moving into the
wild by pollinators & outcompete
them leaving us with a
monoculture in the wild & farms
• Genetic diversity is decreasing
• Seed banks preserve seeds of
diverse plants
• Production of meat for food is
extremely inefficient, especially
beef (eggs & milk are efficient)
Sustainable Agriculture
• Is agriculture that doesn’t deplete soil faster
than if forms, nor reduce amount or quality
of soil, water, & genetic diversity
• Organic agriculture – use no synthetic
fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides or
herbicides; production increasing with
demand
• Low input agriculture – uses smaller amounts
of pesticides, fertilizers, etc….
• Locally supported agriculture – average food
product in US travels 1500 miles farm to
shelf, often chemically treated to preserve
it, less varieties; local, fresh, in-season crops
1.
12.4 Review
Why does the world need to grow more
food? Why do the methods need to be
sustainable?
2. What is a genetically modified organism?
What questions would you ask about a food
made from genetically modified corn
before eating it?
3. What are 2 advantages & 2 disadvantages
of industrial food production?
4. Do you think organic foods are worth the
extra cost? Explain.
• In addition to above, do 12.4 Review Packet.
Unit 9C - Minerals & Mining
Objectives:
• Identify Earth’s major geological processes
and hazards
• Describe the formation & recycling of rocks
& minerals
• Identify Earth’s mineral resources &
describe the environmental effects of using
them.
• Identify methods of using minerals more
sustainably.
Chp. 13 Case Study –
Mining for….Cell Phones?
• Page 391 – Central Case
• Do a Decision-Making Analysis (15 pts.)
• What is the Problem? What is your
proposed Solution? Now analyze your
proposed solution: 3 Pros, 3 Cons, 3
Short-term consequences, 3 Long-term
consequences. Now, form a Conclusion
about your proposed solution & why.
Minerals
• “Mineral” – solid
inorganic substance that
is found in nature and
consists of a single
element or compound in
an orderly, repetitive
crystalline structure
• “Mineral Resources” –
minerals useful to
humans
Mineral Formation
• Formed by crystallization from magma
or lava, from precipitation related to
evaporation or hydrothermal solutions,
from exposure to high pressure and
temperature, or produced by organisms
• Rock – solid mass of minerals/minerallike that occurs naturally
• Rock cycle – rocks are heated, melted,
cooled, weathered, & eroded as they
slowly change between 3 types of rocks:
igneous, sedimentary, & metamorphic
13.1 Review
1. Which of the 5 criteria that define
minerals explains why polymorphs are
actually different minerals?
2. How is the rate at which magma cools
related to the size of the crystals in a
mineral?
3. Explain the processes that would cause the
material in an igneous rock to become
sedimentary rock and then metamorphic
rock.
• Also, do 13.1 review packet (if assigned).
Mining
• Involves breaking the ground to
gain access to minerals, fossil fuel
or water, and then extracting them
• Ore – mineral that is mined so a
metal can be removed from it
• Copper, iron, lead, gold silver, aluminum are the most common metals
• Nonmetallic minerals include sand,
grave, limestone, salt, gemstones
• Fuel sources include uranium, coal,
petroleum, natural gas, etc…
•
•
•
Mining Methods
Strip Mining – machines clear away large
strips of the Earth’s surface; coal, sand &
gravel
Subsurface mining – vertical shafts &
horizontal tunnel networks are dug; zinc,
lead, nickel, tin, gold, copper, uranium
Open-pit mining – machines are used to dig
large holes in the ground and remove
mineral-containing rock; copper, iron, gold,
diamonds, coal, clay, gravel, sand, limestone
Mining Methods, continued
• Mountaintop Removal – used primarily for
coal mining; forests are clear-cut and the
timber sold or burned, topsoil is removed
and rock is blasted away
• Solution mining – miners pump a chemical
solution into a mine to leach the desired
resource from the ore, removing the liquid
after the solution has reacted with the
ore; salt mining
• Placer mining – sifting through material in
modern/ancient riverbed deposits; gold
mining
• Undersea Mining – dredging the sea floor,
limited as it is so expensive
Effects of mining:
• Wildlife habitat is lost
• Disruption of the land
surface
• Land erosion
• Toxic substances left
behind after processing
Mining in Florida
•
•
•
•
Sand
Clay
Phosphate
Timber
13.2 Review
1. In your own words, explain why all
sources of valuable metals are not
considered to be ore.
2. 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…..why?
3. What are tailings?
Mining Impacts & Regulation
• Impacts include erosion, increased
sediment & debris, and pollution of
water, land & air.
• As mining continued to grow, the
technology became more powerful and
destructive to the environment
• Laws became necessary to control
access, effects & safety of miners
• Mining regulations that govern mining
consider the environmental and safety
impacts of mining along with the
economic costs to the industry
Regulations
• General Mining Law of 1872 – enacted
in response to gold mining; governs
mining on public lands, claim staking
• Mineral Leasing Act of 1920 – governs
leasing of public lands for mining of
fossil fuels, phosphates, sodium &
sulfur
• Amending the General Mining Law –
critics say it gives away valuable public
resources, defenders say mining
companies take on great financial risks
Regulations, continued
• Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act (1977) – due to negative
environmental effects of strip
mining, gov’t requires coal mining
companies to reclaim/restore the
land after mining is completed; still
have acid drainage and non-native
plant damage persisting for years
• Mining Safety – ventilation requirements, minimum age; modern day
mining safety is regulated under
Federal Mine Safety & Health Act
Reclamation
• Restore the mined land to the
condition it was in before
mining began
• “Mining companies should
restore the land the same
successional stage it was in
when they mined it.” Do you
agree or disagree, and why?
Responsible Mineral Use
• Because minerals are a nonrenewable
resource, we need to be concerned
about finite supplies and ways to use
them more responsibly, such as reducing
use, reusing and recycling minerals
• Increased cell phone use boosted
demand for tantalum but decreased
demand for copper used in wiring
• Recycled car batteries saves lead, half
of aluminum used is recycled saving
1/20th the energy extracting it from
ore
13.3 Review
1. Describe 2 ways that mines can continue to
cause damage to communities even after
mining is complete.
2. Compare & contrast the goals of the
General Mining Law of 1872 and the
proposed Hardrock Mining & Reclamation
Act of 2009.
3. Although both minerals & fossil fuels are
nonrenewable resources, how is mineral use
more sustainable than fossil fuel use?
• Also, if assigned, do 13.3 review packet.