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Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources What Are Minerals

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Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources What Are Minerals and Rocks and How Are Rocks Recycled? Some naturally occurring materials in the earth s crust can be ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources What Are Minerals


1
Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
2
What Are Minerals and Rocks and How Are Rocks
Recycled?
  • Some naturally occurring materials in the earths
    crust can be extracted and processed into useful
    materials.
  • Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks in
    the earths crust are recycled very slowly by
    geologic processes.

3
Nonrenewable Mineral Resources (1)
  • Minerals
  • Naturally occurring inorganic solid
  • Crystalline structure
  • Chemical composition
  • Mineral resource
  • Fossil fuels
  • Metallic
  • Nonmetallic

4
Nonrenewable Mineral Resources (2)
  • Identified resources
  • Reserves
  • Potential impact of mining

5
Rocks and Minerals
  • Rock
  • Igneous
  • Sedimentary
  • Metamorphic
  • Ore
  • High-grade ore
  • Low-grade ore
  • Rock cycle

6
The Rock Cycle
7
What Are the Harmful Environmental Effects of
Using Mineral Resources?
  • Extracting and using mineral resources can
  • disturb the land,
  • erode soils,
  • produce large amounts of solid waste, and
  • pollute the air, water, and soil.

8
Environmental Impact of Using Mineral Resources
(1)
  • High energy use
  • Disturb land
  • Erode soil
  • Produce solid waste

9
Environmental Impact of Using Mineral Resources
(2)
  • Pollute air, water, and soil
  • Total impact may depend on grade of ore

10
Life Cycle of a Metal Resource
11
Environmental Effects of Using Mineral and Energy
Resources
12
Extracting Mineral Deposits
  • Surface mining
  • Subsurface mining
  • Overburden
  • Spoils

13
Mining Methods
  • Open-pit mining
  • Strip mining
  • Area strip mining
  • Contour strip mining
  • Mountaintop removal

14
Open-pit Mining
15
Strip Mining
16
Contour Strip Mining
17
Mountaintop Mining
18
Harmful Environmental Effects of Mining
  • Disruption of land surface
  • Subsidence
  • Toxic-laced mining wastes
  • Acid mine drainage
  • Air pollution

19
Harmful Environmental Effects of Removing Metals
from Ores
  • Ore mineral desired metal
  • Gangue waste material
  • Smelting
  • Air polluting by-products
  • Chemical removal processes
  • Toxic holding ponds

20
How Long Will Mineral Resources Last?
  • An increase in the price of a scarce mineral
    resource can lead to increased supplies and more
    efficient use of the mineral, but there are
    limits to this effect.

21
Uneven Distribution of Mineral Resources
  • Abundant minerals
  • Scarce minerals
  • Exporters and importers
  • Strategic metal resources
  • Economic and military strength
  • U.S. dependency four critical minerals
  • Sources?

22
Supplies of Mineral Resources
  • Available supply and use
  • Economic depletion
  • Six choices after depletion
  • Recycle, reuse, waste less, use less, find a
    substitute, do without
  • Depletion time

23
Mine, use, throw away no new discoveries rising
prices
A
Recycle increase reserves by improved
mining technology, higher prices, and new
discoveries
B
Recycle, reuse, reduce consumption
increase reserves by improved mining
technology, higher prices, and new discoveries
Production
C
Depletion time A
Depletion time C
Depletion time B
Present
Time
Fig. 12-13, p. 272
24
Effect of Market Prices on Supplies of
Nonrenewable Resources
  • Role of economics in mining
  • Standard economic theory
  • Limited free market in developed countries
  • Subsides, taxes, regulations, import tariffs
  • Economic problems of developing new mines

25
Mining Lower-grade Ores
  • Improved equipment and technologies
  • Limiting factors
  • Cost
  • Supplies of freshwater
  • Environmental impacts

26
Ocean Mining (1)
  • Minerals from seawater
  • Minerals for ocean sediments
  • Hydrothermal deposits
  • Manganese-rich nodules

27
Ocean Mining (2)
  • Mining issues in international waters
  • Environmental issues

28
How Can We Use Mineral Resources More Sustainably?
  • We can try to find substitutes for scarce
    resources, recycle and reuse minerals, reduce
    resource waste, and convert the wastes from some
    businesses into raw materials for other
    businesses.

29
Finding Substitutes and Alternatives for Scarce
Mineral Resources
  • Materials revolution
  • Ceramics and plastics
  • Limitations
  • Recycle and reuse
  • Less environmental impact

30
Sustainable Use of Nonrenewable Minerals
31
Case Study Industrial Ecosystems (1)
  • Mimic nature to deal with wastes biomimicry
  • Waste outputs become resource inputs
  • Recycle and reuse
  • Resource exchange webs

32
Case Study Industrial Ecosystems (2)
  • Reclaiming brownfields
  • Industrial ecology
  • Ecoindustrial revolution

33
Stepped Art
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