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THEOS ENVIRO > TOPIC 6 LITHOSPHERE > Flashcards

TOPIC 6 LITHOSPHERE Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a reserve?

A

name given to a mineral which can be exploited now with current technology

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2
Q

What is a resource?

A

name given to a mineral which can be theoretically exploited

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3
Q

What is an ore?

A

a body of rock which contains minerals which can be exploited

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4
Q

What is a stock?

A

this includes all the material that exists in the lithosphere which are being exploited now, in the future or maybe never

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5
Q

What is grade within an ore?

A

amount of mineral in an ore

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6
Q

What are mineral resources?

A

useful materials which come from the Earth

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7
Q

What can copper be used for? (metallic material)

A

wiring
water pipes

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8
Q

What can zinc be used for? (metallic material)

A

batteries
steel production

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9
Q

What can sand be used for? (non metallic material)

A

concrete
glass

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10
Q

what can limestone be used for? (non metallic material)

A

building
ballast

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11
Q

What is an igneous process?

A

Where rocks are formed by the cooling and hardening of magma or lava

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12
Q

What is hydrothermal fluid?

A

a fluid which is a hot and aqueous solution which is rich in dissolved metals

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13
Q

When is a mineral vein formed?

A

when a mineral precipitates in a fracture

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14
Q

What is a country rock?

A

the older rock surrounding an igneous intrusion

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15
Q

What is precipitation in regards to the lithosphere?

A

the process in which dissolved metals come out of solution

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16
Q

What is the lithosphere?

A

the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle

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17
Q

What happens when the hydrothermal fluid starts to cool?

A

the mineral start to precipitate out of solution in order, the least soluble are precipitated first

least soluble minerals deposits are closer to the batholith

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18
Q

What are alluvial deposits?

A

when rivers/glaciers which are carrying sediments lose energy and therefore this leads to the sediments being deposited

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19
Q

List a few examples of alluvial deposits

A

gold
clay
diamonds
gravel

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20
Q

What is metamorphic in regards to the lithosphere?

A

when existing rock is exposed to extreme heat and pressure, however it doesn’t melt. (this occurs near igneous intrusions or tectonically active regions)

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21
Q

What is an igneous intrusion?

A

molten rock (magma) that has pushed into cracks in existing rocks and solidified beneath the Earth’s surface

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22
Q

What is sedimentary in regards to the lithosphere?

A

when minerals settle and build up to produce layers of concentrated mineral over time

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23
Q

How do evaporites occur?

A

If a bay of ancient water becomes isolated, then the water may evaporate leaving crystallised minerals such as halite and gypsum

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24
Q

What is secondary enrichment?

A

a natural process where metals are concentrated in an ore deposit by the action of water moving through the ground, often making the deposit richer and easier to mine

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25
What is secondary enrichment NOT?
NOT an ore forming process it IS an ore concentrating process
26
How old are Proterozoic marine sediments?
Between 1.8 and 2.5 billion years ago
27
What is the process of oxygen in relation to Proterozoic marine sediments?
Oxygen from photosynthesis → reacted with iron → formed iron-rich sediments → part of Proterozoic marine rock layers
28
What is a cut off grade?
The grade above which a given deposit is economically viable to mine
29
What are factors affecting the cut-off grade?
concentration price demand abundance of metal size of deposit cost of mining and extraction
30
Concentration factor formula?
Concentration of metal in ore/average crustal abundance
31
Grade % formula?
mass of valuable material contained / mass of ore
32
All 5 methods of low grade ore extraction?
bioleaching phytomining iron displacement leachate collection polymer absorption
33
What is bioleaching?
Using acidophilic bacteria can be used to extract minerals from low concentration ores by oxidising sulphides
34
What is phytomining?
planting absorbs heavy metals and concentrate them in the leaves. This can decontaminate a site and act as a form of mining. The vegetation could then be harvested, burnt and metal extracted
35
What is iron displacement?
iron is less valuable mineral and displaces copper, so if you take a copper solution and add iron then the copper will be deposited as a solid
36
37
What is leachate collection?
collect water that has percolated through a spoil heap and is full of dissolved ions, then feed it back into the spoil heap until the concentration is high enough to exploit
38
What is polymer absorption?
irons in seawater can be passed through a polymer and this attaches to polymers such as lignin (wood), shrimp shells or artificial polymers
39
What are intrusive rocks?
Intrusive igneous rocks form when magma cools slowly under the Earths surface
40
Do intrusive rocks form large or small crystals?
Large crystals
41
What are extrusive rocks?
Extrusive igneous rocks form when the lava cools quickly on the Earths surface
42
Do extrusive rocks form large or small crystals?
Very small crystals
43
What are batholiths?
Large body of igneous intrusive rock formed beneath the Earth’s surface by the intrusion and solidification of magma. They form when magma rises into the earth's crust, but does not erupt onto the surface.
44
What is a batholith specifically we learn about?
Cornubian Batholith
45
What does remote sensing involve?
any technique that gives information about lithosphere without samples
46
How does seismic surveying work?
1. airgun or thumper truck create seismic vibrations 2. vibrations passed into rock and are reflected back from different layers 3. returning vibrations detected by geophones or hydrophones 4. data is fed into computer and 3d map is created 5. potential locations of minerals can be identified for further investigation
47
How do gravity surveys work?
1. use a gravimeter that measures gravity at a given point 2. carried in planes, ships or by hand 3. if there are denser rocks below ores then they will give a positive gravity anomaly 4. if there are less dense rocks (salt/halite) there will be a negative anomaly
48
How does a magnetometer work?
Used to measure intensity of magnetic field
49
How does a magnetic survey work?
1. data can be plotted on an isoline map using lines which join points of equal magnetic value 2. from these maps geoscientists can locate magnetic bodies
50
what are 3 factors affecting the viability of exploiting mineral deposits
extraction costs processing costs due to chemical form purity
51
if ore grade is low then ...
more rock will have to be mined more waste materials will be produced more energy will be needed for mining and processing more pollution will be generated
52
How must a metal be extracted if it is high in the reactivity series?
electrolysis
53
How are metals in the middle of the reactivity series extracted?
reduction reaction
54
How can metals low in the reactivity series be extracted and why?
using heat as they are unstable
55
Example of a metal high in reactivity series?
aluminium potassium
56
Example of metal low in reactivity series?
mercury
57
Example of metal in the middle of reactivity series?
iron zinc lead
58
What are the other 4 factors affecting the viability of exploiting mineral deposits?
financial cost land conflicts transport costs market economics
59
3 ways minerals are exploited
mining quarrying dredging
60
What is quarrying?
Quarrying is the process of removing rock, sand, gravel or other minerals from the ground in order to use them to produce materials for construction or other uses
61
What is dredging?
Dredging is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbours, and other water bodies
62
Explain acid mine drainage.
- pumps turn off and mine fills with water - water reacts with sulphide (reduces pH) - reduced pH allow toxic metals in solution - toxic metals released into environment - often a bright orange or yellow colour
63
Example of acid mine drainage
Wheal Jane 1992
64
What are spoil heaps?
remains of the overburden, gangue minerals and the remains of solid processing waste
65
3 problems with spoil heaps
aesthetic look stability leachate
66
How can leachate be a problem?
- rainwater combined with sulphides in the leachate to produce acidic solution - solution can react with toxic metals and make them mobile - washed into environment damaging flora and fauna
67
How can leachate be reduced in spoil heaps?
by passing the water over crushed limestone so that it is more neutral
68
What is turbid drainage water?
Suspended particles in the water can block the light and reduce levels of photosynthesis in the river network can cover plants and animals so they die
69
How can turbid drainage water be reduced?
by holding water in sedimentation lagoons to ensure that the solids sink before the water is released into the environment
70
What can turbid drainage water be caused by?
Soil erosion Organic matter Algae or microbial growth Industrial discharges Urban runoff
71
List a few ways we could reduce environmental impacts from mineral exploitation?
habitat restoration embankments - for noise
72
what is the circular economy in environmental science?
the analysis of human activities and an assessment of how they can be more sustainable
73
What is cradle to cradle design?
Ensuring that the design process allows materials to be reused at the end of their useful lives This includes the easy identification of materials and being able to separate them easily
74
List a few ways to increase sustainability in products?
ease of repair reduce packaging separate battery ease of gaining spare parts
75
Advantages of recycling
- conservation of resources - reduced energy use in extraction - reduced impacts of waste disposal
76
Disadvantages of recycling
- lack of cooperation - collection difficulties - transport impacts and costs - wrong identification of materials - reduction in quality

THEOS ENVIRO (8 decks)

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