Module 7.1 Flashcards
(30 cards)
a naturally occurring chemical compound that exists as a
solid with a predictable, three-dimensional, repeating structure
* Examples: copper, zinc, aluminum, quartz, feldspar
Mineral
a malleable substance that can conduct electricity; usually
found in nature as part of a mineral compound
* Example: Lithium
Metal
a rock deposit that contains economically valuable
amounts of metal-bearing minerals
Ore mineral/ore
solid aggregate of one or more minerals that occurs in a variety
of configurations.
* Rocks are often used as resources themselves.
* Rocks are also sources for specific minerals.
Rock
The demand for all types of mineral resources is rising due to:
* Population increase
* Rising standards of living
* Technological advances
* This demand does not come without consequences such as:
* Air and water pollution
* Health hazards
* Human rights violations
Consequences of Mineral Mining
the rigid outer layer of Earth; made up of the crust and
the hard uppermost layer of mantle
* Crust is made up of a thin layer of rock
* Contains valuable mineral deposits and fossil fuels
Lithosphere
rigid pieces of Earth’s lithosphere that move above
the asthenosphere
* Move slowly (0.5-6 inches/year)
Tectonic plates
a place where tectonic plates are moving
away from each other
* Magma, or molten rock, travels upward from the asthenosphere
through the fissure formed as the plates diverge, and cools, creating
new crust.
Divergent plate boundary
a place where tectonic plates are moving
toward each other
Convergent plate boundary
the movement of one tectonic plate below another at a
convergent plate boundary
* Subduction of ocean plates causes volcanic activity.
* The salars in the Atacama contain lithium because of a subduction zone.
Subduct
a place where two tectonic plates slide side to
side relative to one another
* This boundary is found at the site of a fault: a fracture in the plate.
* Built-up tension results in earthquakes.
* No new crust is created, and no crust is destroyed.
Transform plate boundary
sudden shaking of the ground caused by movement of
tectonic plates at a plate boundary or an intraplate fault, as well as
volcanic activity
Earthquake
an opening (vent) through which lava, gases, and other
material escape from beneath Earth’s crust, often accumulating to form
a mountain or hill
Volcano
the sudden movement of unstable rock or soil material
down a slope due to the force of gravity, often triggered by heavy rain
or an earthquake
Landslide
a series of high, long, fast-moving water waves caused by the
displacement of a large volume of water by an underwater earthquake,
landslide, or volcanic eruption
Tsunami
the breakdown of rock by physical or chemical forces
Weathering
the movement of broken-down rock, soil, and other
materials from one location to another
Erosion
the process in which rock is constantly made and
destroyed
Rock cycle
the extraction of natural resources from the ground
Mining
Sites where tunnels are used to access
underground fossil fuel or mineral resources
* Examples: gold, diamonds, coal
Subsurface mines
Distinct region within a rock that contains a mineral ore
Vein
Extraction
method where desired minerals
are dissolved by a liquid
injected into the deposit, then
pumped back out and purified.
Example: lithium is already in
solution, so it only needs to be
pumped out.
Solution mining
a form of mining that involves removing soil and rock
that overlay a mineral deposit close to the surface in order to access
that deposit
Surface mining:
a surface mining method that accesses fossil fuel or
mineral resources from deposits close to the surface on level ground,
one section at a time
Strip mining
