Chapter 15: Minerals and Environment

1
Chapter 15 Minerals and Environment
Holden mine (near Lake Chelan), and old Cu and
Gold mine
Big Question Is It Possible To Use Nonrenewable
Resources Sustainably
2
Case Studysubstitute Newport Golf Club, Seattle
for example in textbook
NewCastle Golf Club, built on former coal mine
and landfill area See http//www.golf.com/golf/co
urses_travel/coursefinder/course/0,28290,1517440,0
0.html
3
The Importance of Minerals toSociety
Some uses for minerals in a typical American home
4
Formation of Mineral Deposits

• High concentrations of Earth materials form ore
  deposits
• The origin and distribution of mineral resources
  are related to the history of the biosphere and
  the geologic cycle

5
Distribution of Mineral Resources

• Earths crust is silica-rich
• The oceans have low concentrations of many
  minerals
• Mined minerals occur in unusually high
  concentrations

6
Plate Boundaries

• Some mineral deposits are formed by plate
  tectonics
• Divergent plate boundaries
• heated water rises through fractured rocks and
  leaches metals from them, forming metal sulfides
• Convergent plate boundaries
• a combination of heat, pressure, and partial
  melting mobilizes metals in molten rocks

7
Igneous Processes
Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro,
Arkansas, the only active US diamond mine and
open to the public
8
Sedimentary Processes
The Buckhorn Gold mine in North Okanogan Co is
one of the few currently active in WA state
9
Biological Processes

• Some mineral deposits are formed or altered by
  biological processes
• The major iron ore deposits are in sedimentary
  rocks
• Organisms form many kinds of minerals
• calcium in shells and bones

10
Weathering Processes

• Weathered insoluble ore deposits may accumulate
  in the soil unless removed by erosion
• Weathering can improve low-grade ore by secondary
  enrichment

11
Resources and Reserves
12
Use and Availability ofMineral Resources

• Minerals are also classified by use and abundance
• The most-used minerals are not metals

13
Mineral Consumption

• A mineral resource can be used in three ways
• Rapid consumption
• Consumption with conservation
• Consumption and conservation with recycling

14
U.S. Supply of Minerals

• U.S. use exceeds its own supplies of many
  minerals
• Importing may be more practical than mining

15
Impacts of Mineral Development
Bingham Canyon Cooper Pit, Utah
16
Social Impacts

• Large-scale mining brings a rapid influx of
• workers
• Adverse social impacts occur when mines
• close down
• Greater environmental regulation of the industry
  equal greater costs
• Wars are often funded by minerals

17

• Generation of waste is a major issue
• Minimizing environmental effects of mineral
  development
• Regulate the environment at the federal, state,
  and local levels
• On-site and off-site treatment of waste
• Reduce, reuse, recycle

18
Minimizing EnvironmentalImpacts of Mineral
Development
19
Recycling
UW recycling video http//www.youtube.com/watch?v
kWMPNiEzAkw
20
Minerals and Sustainability

• Simultaneously exploiting and sustaining mineral
  resources is problematic
• Human ingenuity is important
• How long does it take to develop new approaches?