Mineral resources

Question 1

What is a Cut-off grade?

Answer 1

The minimum percentage grade that is economic to mine

Question 2

What is Grade?

Answer 2

The percentage of metal content in an ore

Question 3

What is Metal ore?

Answer 3

A mineral that contains a compound of metal

Question 4

What are gangue minerals?

Answer 4

Minerals that have no commercial value

Question 5

What is Stock?

Answer 5

The amount of mineral in the entire lithosphere

Question 6

What are Resources?

Answer 6

Materials found in the earth that people need and value

Question 7

What are Reserves?

Answer 7

The amount of mineral that is economically viable to extract

Question 8

What is fractional crystallization?

Answer 8

the crystallization and removal of different minerals from the cooling magma

Question 9

What are metamorphic rocks?

Answer 9

Rocks that undergo a physical change due to extreme heat and pressure

Question 10

What is Batholith?

Answer 10

A mass of rock formed when a large body of magma cools inside the crust

Question 11

What is Leachate?

Answer 11

Water that has percolated through a solid and leached out some of the constituents.

Question 12

What is the Lithosphere?

Answer 12

A rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust.

Question 13

What is Turbidity?

Answer 13

A measure of how clear water is.

Question 14

What is oxidation?

Answer 14

changes metal sulphide ores into sulphate ores

Question 15

What is reduction?

Answer 15

changes metal sulphate ores back into sulphide ores

Question 16

What is the water table?

Answer 16

The upper level of the saturated zone of groundwater

Question 17

What are Evaporites?

Answer 17

A natural salt or mineral deposit left after the evaporation of a body of water.

Question 18

What are Proterozoic marine sediments?

Answer 18

These include the iron oxide deposits produced by the reaction of dissolved iron minerals with the oxygen produced by photosynthesis.

Question 19

What are Biological sediments?

Answer 19

Chalk, limestone, coal, oil

Question 20

What are metamorphic rocks?

Answer 20

Made when heat, pressure, or fluids change one type of rock into another type of rock

Question 21

What is Phyto mining?

Answer 21

Growing and/or harvesting plants and trees that grow in mineral rich areas then burning them and collecting the minerals from the ash

Question 22

What is bioleaching?

Answer 22

Uses microorganisms and chemicals to extract minerals.

Question 23

What is a Magnetometer?

Answer 23

Used to carry out magnetic surveys

Question 24

What is a Gravimeter?

Answer 24

Used to carry out gravity surveys

Question 25

What is a Positive gravity anomaly?

Answer 25

Normally caused by dense intrusions

Question 26

What is an Acidophil?

Answer 26

Bacteria which grow in acidic environments

Question 27

What is IR spectroscopy?

Answer 27

Different minerals emit infrared radiation at different wavelengths and these can be used to identify them

Question 28

What is Magnetometry?

Answer 28

Measures variability in the magnetic field beneath the ground surface to locate magnetic anomalies.

Question 29

What are manganese nodules?

Answer 29

A small rock that contains manganese and other minerals, found on the ocean floor

Question 30

What is Electrolysis?

Answer 30

The process in which an electric current is used to produce a chemical reaction, which will separate a metal from solution

Question 31

What do bioleaching bacteria do?

Answer 31

Oxidise the sulphide ores, making them soluble

Question 32

What will Improved extraction techniques help with?

Answer 32

can lower the Cut-Off Grade of an ore

Question 33

Why is machine mining useful?

Answer 33

Reduces the need for humans, can be done in deep or inaccessible locations

Question 34

What is gravimetry?

Answer 34

A gravimeter that detects variations in gravity caused by density and mass

Question 35

How can you control water turbidity waste?

Answer 35

Create sedimentation lagoons