Mineral Exploration and Mining!

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IT'S
LECTURE
TIME
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Chapter 16
Mining and Mineral Resources
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B. Describe the different types of mining and
associated processes
B1. Describe the manner in which mining
companies explore for new mineral deposits

• a. First step Find an ore deposit!
• Companies use instruments that measure gravity,
  magnetism, and radioactivity and pictures from
  satellites and planes
• Next Take samples
• Determine how much ore is present
• d. Open a mine ??

A mineral deposit must have 100 to 1000 times the
concentration of the mineral than ordinary rocks
do to be feasible to mine!
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B2. Describe three methods of subsurface mining
1. Room-and-pillar mining.
Gigantic areas are excavated and small areas
remain untouched to hold up the ceiling
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2. Longwall Mining
In this type of mining, a machine moves along the
face of rock and shears off the stone onto a
conveyer
Hydraulic arms hold up the ceiling until the
machine moves forward then the ceiling collapses
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3. Solution Mining
Hot water is used to dissolve the ores and
bubbles lift it to the surface
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B3. Describe three methods of surface mining
1. Open-pit mining
This mining occurs when the ore is near the
surface and layers of rock covering it, called
overburden, can be stripped away by machines
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2. Quarrying
Method of cutting larger sections of rock out of
the ground
Granite, limestone, and marble
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3. Solar Evaporation
This is done by placing seawater into enormous
shallow ponds, the sun then evaporates the water
and leaves the sodium chloride behind.
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B4. Define placer deposit, and explain how
placer deposits form.
Placer deposits are minerals concentrated by wind
and water into surface locations
Areas of the river where the current slows
collect more dense minerals like gold and silver
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B5. Describe the steps that take place in
smelting an ore.

1. The ore is mined and then melted at a smelter
   1000-3000 degrees in furnaces
2. A material called flux is added which bonds to
   the useless minerals (slag) and floats to the
   surface
3. The valuable mineral sinks to the bottom and then
   poured off and cooled to form ingots

pollution
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C. Describe the environmental impacts of mining
and what we can do to change them.
C1. Describe seven important potential
environmental consequences of mining.
1. Air and Noise Pollution
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2. Water Pollution
Acid mine drainage
Can kill fish, other aquatic animals and plants
for hundreds of miles downstream
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3. Displacement of wildlife
Mining, especially open-pit, disrupts huge areas
of land
4. Erosion and sedimentation
Some tailing piles are so large that they fill
valleys!!
Large piles of excess rock called tailings litter
large areas near the mine
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5. Soil degradation
Soil removed by the mining process is often
damaged and not used in the reclaiming process.
The reclaiming process returns the land to nearly
its original condition once mining has ceased
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6. Subsidence
This collapsing occurs at ground level when the
tunnels or rooms below ground cave in and the
layers of rock above collapse into the vacated
space
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7. Underground mine fires
Usually in coal mines or seams, coal catches fire
from lightning or chemical reactions. These may
burn for centuries!!
Coal seam on fire
Smoke from coal seam fire
Coal seams
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C2. Name four federal laws that relate to mining
and reclaiming mined land
Mining operations are governed by these laws
These acts protect water quality
1. Clean Water Act 2. Safe Drinking Water Act
This act prevents hazardous wastes from being
released
3. Comprehensive Response Compensation and
Liability Act
Protects endangered plants and animals
4. Endangered Specie Act
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C3. Define the term reclamation
Reclamation is a process that returns the land to
pre-mining conditions
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C4. Describe two ways in which state governments
regulate mining
1. States regulate mining through a permitting
process
2. States assess fines for noncompliance