GEOGRAPHY GRADE 5 TERM 4

Question 1

Where can you find rocks

Answer 1

Under buildings and soil

Question 2

What do rocks contain

Answer 2

They contain minerals

Question 3

What do minerals look like

Answer 3

They sometimes look like shiny coloured pieces of rock

Question 4

How old are rocks

Answer 4

Most rocks are millions of years old

Question 5

What are the main minerals mines in South Africa

Answer 5

Gold
Platinum
Chrome
Iron
Diamonds
Manganese
Copper

Question 6

What is Gold used for

Answer 6

Jewellery

Dentistry

Question 7

What is Platinum used for

Answer 7

Jewellery
Car industry
Electrical industry

Question 8

What is chrome used for

Answer 8

Making other metals

Shiny parts of machines

Question 9

What is iron used for

Answer 9

Buildings
Vehicles
Machines
Making other metals

Question 10

What are diamonds used for

Answer 10

Jewellery

Cutting machines

Question 11

What is manganese used for

Answer 11

Batteries
Cans
Making other metals

Question 12

What is copper used for

Answer 12

Pipes
Electrical wires
Making jewellery

Question 13

What is coal

Answer 13

Coal is a rock made from the remains of plants that died millions of years ago

Question 14

How much coal is in the world

Answer 14

enough to last about 100 years

Question 15

How is coal formed

Answer 15

1. Millions of years ago the climate was different. Thick forest grew in wet areas called swamps. Each year some of the trees died and fell into the swamps
2. The swamps filled up with dead trees. Rivers washed sand/soil into the swamps. The dead trees were buried under the sand
3. More sand/rock piled on top of the old swamps. All the water squeezed out. Slowly all the buried sand, soil and trees squashes into different rocks and trees became coal

Question 16

Name the uses of coal

Answer 16

1. Most important in SA is to make electricity
2. We use coal to make petrol and other oils to burn
3. We use things we get from coal in industries (to make steel, tar, concrete, plastic and paper), buildings and in our homes (to make soap, shampoo, medicines, foods)

Question 17

Where do people live

Answer 17

They live in areas where they can find jobs and where there is water and where there is good farming land.

Question 18

What is mining

Answer 18

Mining is the process of digging rocks out of the ground by minders

Question 19

Name 2 ways of mining

Answer 19

Open pit or surface mining

Shaft of deep level mining

Question 20

What is open pit surface mining

Answer 20

It is when minerals are near the surface of the land

Question 21

What is one of the biggest human-made holes in the world

Answer 21

Kimberley Mine in the Northern Cape

Question 22

Describe the Kimberley mine

Answer 22

The hole was once about 1200 metres deep
50 000 diamond miners dug this hole with spades and picks over 100 years ago
By 1914 all the diamonds had been found and taken out from the area

Question 23

What is Shaft or deep level mining

Answer 23

Miners dig shafts/tunnels under the ground to mine rocks that are below the surface of the land
People can only work in deep level mines if there is ventilation.

Question 24

What is the environment

Answer 24

Everything around us for example water, air, soil, people, plants and animals

Question 25

Why is the environment damaged by mining

Answer 25

Miners use machines that remove large areas of soil and vegetation Animals that live in the plants and soil lose their homes Some animal die because their food supplies are destroyed Valuable farmland/forests may be made into open pit mines People breath dust and it is bad for their health Water mixes with chemicals that come from broken rocks. The chemicals make water become like acid

Question 26

Why does mining cause pollution

Answer 26

The effect of mining pollute the air, water and soil It is bad for the environment It is bad for people's health

Question 27

What does the law require when mining

Answer 27

The law require new open pit mine owner to rebuild the land after they have mined the area Mine owners are supposed to save the soil and replant the area with the same kind of plants after mining

Question 28

What happens when rocks are mined

Answer 28

Miners dig a lot of rock out to get to the minerals Machines break the rocks to seperate the useful minerals from the rest of the rock The unused materials gets thrown away

Question 29

What happens to the waste material of the mining

Answer 29

Mining companies only use a small amount of material they mine Mines produce a lot of waste Mine processes use strong chemicals These chemicals may stay in the waste material The chemicals stop new plants from growing and is dangerous for animals and people

Question 30

What does the law require mines do with waste products

Answer 30

The law required the mines to be more careful with their waste disposal They are not allowed to pollute the environment

Question 31

What is happening in the Free state and Gauteng mines

Answer 31

Old gold mines are being reworked to get more gold out of the waste. The waste is then buried in old mine shafts

Question 32

What happens to people in mines every year

Answer 32

Many people die or are badly hurt.

Question 33

What are the challenges of working in a deep gold mine

Answer 33

Some mine shafts are almost 4 kilometres deep

Question 34

What are the health and safety risks for miners

Answer 34

Silicoses is one of the lung diseases miners can get and it caused by breathing air that contains a lot of dust The dust attacks the lining of the lungs Over the years parts of the miner's lungs become damaged Silicoses stops the lungs from getting enough oxygen from the air Miners with lung diseases can't do heavy work and may have to stop working or leave the mine

Question 35

What must all miners do

Answer 35

They must wear a helmet, boots, work gloves and overalls They must work in groups of at least 2 They must wear masks when working in thick dust They must report machines that are not working correctly They must follow the team leader's instructions

Question 36

What must all miners not do

Answer 36

They must not take matches/lighters into the mine They must not do jobs they are not trained to do They must not work alone or in restricted areas.