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Environmental Science > Mineral resources > Flashcards

Mineral resources Flashcards

1
Q

Define mineral

A
  • a solid, naturally occurring inorganic substance with a definite chemical structure
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2
Q

Define resource

A
  • a source of supply or support
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3
Q

What is a sedimentary rock

A
  • a rock that has formed through the deposition and solidification of sediment, limestone and chalk
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4
Q

What is a metamorphic rock

A
  • started out as some other type of rock, but have been substantially changed from their original igneous, sedimentary or earlier metamorphic form
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5
Q

What is an igneous rock

A
  • types of rocks that are formed when molten rock cools to a solid state
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6
Q

Proterozoic marine

A
  • iron ions were present in oceans in solution
  • iron ions react with O2 to form iron oxides
  • iron oxides form deposits on ocean floors
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7
Q

Describe how alluvial deposits can separate and concentrate valuable metals and minerals

A
  • rivers with high energy and velocity carry lots of sediment
  • as energy and velocity decrease, sediments drop out of suspension and are deposited
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8
Q

Explain the process of secondary enrichment

A
  • metal ores are exposed at the surface
  • exposed to oxygen and water
  • metal oxidises and goes into solution
  • water perculates downwards until it reaches the water table
  • metal reduces
  • metal precipitates
  • copper is concentrated just below the water table
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9
Q

Explain how evaporites form

A
  • sea levels decrease
  • temporary lakes may also form
  • water contains salts
  • water evaporates
  • salt precipitates and deposits on land
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10
Q

Explain how biological deposits can form sedimentary rocks

A
  • they are remains of living organisms
  • over time, remains lithify
  • e.g coal - formed from terrestrial vegetation
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11
Q

Explain how granite batholiths are formed

A
  • large volume of magma that moves up through the earth’s crust, but doesn’t reach the surface
  • cools and solidifies in the crust to form granite
  • associated with tectonic plate movement
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12
Q

Explain how hydrothermal metal ores are deposited

A
  • via hydrothermal deposition
  • hot magma rises through lithosphere
  • water in surrounding rocks become superheated
  • metals and minerals go into solution
  • how water moves away from magma along fractures
  • water cools
  • metals and minerals precipitate out of solution at different temperatures
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13
Q

Explain how slate is formed

A
  • formed from shale
  • undergoes heat and pressure
  • becomes slate by changing
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14
Q

Explain how marble is formed

A
  • formed from limestone
  • undergoes heat and pressure
  • becomes marble by changing
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15
Q

Define reserve

A
  • the amount of the resource that is economically viable and can be exploited with today’s existing technology and prices
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16
Q

Define stock

A
  • all of the material on the lithosphere that exists
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17
Q

How might a reserve increase

A
  • develop new technology
  • increase value
  • cost of labour decrease
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18
Q

How might reserves decrease

A
  • problems with equipment supple
  • increase labour, equipment and energy cost
  • decrease value
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19
Q

What is lasky’s principle

A
  • as purity of a mineral decreases the amount of the mineral increases exponentially
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20
Q

Define cut off ore grade

A
  • the grade of material that has been set by a mining company as the minimum grade that can be extracted to make a profit
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21
Q

Why might the cut off ore grade change over time or from place to place

A
  • deeper deposits - harder to extract
  • decrease value - increase cut off grade
  • increase value - decrease cut off ore grade
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22
Q

Why do we need to survey before extraction of materials begins

A
  • to see what is there and how much is present
23
Q

What is IR spectroscopy

A
  • measures what materials amount what amounts of IR and at what wavelengths
24
Q

What is gravimetry

A
  • measures of gravity
  • high gravitational pull, then it’s very dense below the surface
25
Q

What is magnetometry

A
  • uses magnets to deflect rocks that may be magnetic
  • positive magnetic reading = cobalt, nickel and iron
26
Q

What are seismic surveys

A
  • produce artificial seismic waves by having a loud noise at the surface
  • 5W are reflected back to the surface
  • used to locate depth of the deposit
27
Q

What is resistivity

A
  • two probes are put in the ground
  • electric current is passed through
  • low resistivity = high conductivity
28
Q

What is trial drilling

A
  • physically collect a sample of rock
  • most expensive
29
Q

What is chemical analysis

A
  • send sample to a lab
  • confirms presence or absence of valuable material
  • determines purity
30
Q

How does location in relation to existing infrastructure affect the viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • if there are no roads, water supply etc = extra costs
  • some existing buildings may need to be moved
31
Q

How does location in the ground (depth) affect the viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • higher up = easier to mime
  • the deeper the material = the more costly the operation
32
Q

How does purity affect the viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • lasky’s principle - higher the purity the more viable the mining operation will be
  • lower purity = higher quantity
33
Q

How does the hydrology affect the viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • if there’s a large aquifer underground, they will either go around it or stop mining
  • they’ll have to pump water out which is costly
34
Q

How does chemical form affect the viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • valuable metals can form in different ores
35
Q

How does the availability of technology affect the viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • increase availability = easier but more expensive
  • lower availability = harder and expensive
36
Q

How does economic viability affect viability and extraction of minerals

A
  • after considering all factors, they establish a cut-off ore grade
37
Q

How does transport costs affect viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • increase transport costs = lower mine viability
  • e.g insurance, fuel, vehicles etc
38
Q

How does market economics affect viability or extraction of minerals

A
  • unstable value = lower mine viability
  • stable value = high mine viability
39
Q

What are some environmental impacts of mineral exploitation

A
  • habitat loss
  • air pollution
  • noise pollution
  • increased turbidity
  • flooding
  • subsidence
40
Q

How can we extend the time period that existing reserves can be exploited

A
  • place restrictions on the amount of material we extract
  • improve technology
  • recycle existing materials
41
Q

2 examples of improved exploratory techniques

A
  • improved remote sensing e.g satellites
  • portable field equipment
42
Q

What is bioleaching and what are some benefits

A
  • extracting metals from a low-grade ore with the help of microorganisms
  • bacteria is mixed with metal ore and carries out a chemical reaction
  • doesn’t require drilling
43
Q

What is phytomining and what are some benefits

A
  • mining metal using plants, extracting them from low-grade ores in the soil
  • plants concentrate metal in their tissues
  • doesn’t require drilling
44
Q

What is iron displacement and what are some benefits

A
  • introduce a more reactive metal so it displaces the oxidised metal
45
Q

What is leachate collection and what are some benefits

A
  • liquid that is contaminated with something
  • rainwater can perculate through the soil heaps and produces a leachate that has valuable metals in it
46
Q

What is polymer adsorption and what are some benefits

A
  • long strands of plastic (negative charge)
  • uranium has a positive charge
  • sticks onto polymer strands
  • adsorb very dilute metals from seawater
47
Q

What is a deep sea polymetallic nodule

A
  • rich in metal
  • it concentrates on the sea floor formed of concentric layers of iron and manganese hydroxide
48
Q

How do polymetallic nodules form

A
  • hydrogenous process in which concretions are formed by the slow precipitation of the metallic components from seawater
49
Q

How can we extract polymetallic nodules

A
  • a vacuum to systematically dredge large swaths of the sea floor
  • any unwanted material that reaches the surface vessels is put back into the ocean
50
Q

What are some environmental impacts of deep sea mining

A
  • increase turbidity
  • destruction of habitats
  • disrupt aquatic life
51
Q

What are the advantages of recycling

A
  • protects ecosystems and wildlife
  • saves energy
  • creates jobs
  • improve education
  • reduces noise and air pollution
52
Q

What are the disadvantages of recycling

A
  • expensive
  • can lead to pollution
  • can still release CO2
  • it can smell
53
Q

What is meant by the cradle to cradle design and how does this benefit both the environment and industry

A
  • all materials should be in a continuous cycle of use
  • design and makes parts that are easy to identify and deconstruct
  • very little waste material

Environmental Science (19 decks)

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