Transcript Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources G. Tyler Miller’s Living in the Environment 14th Edition Chapter 16

Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral
Resources
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
14th Edition
Chapter 16
Key Concepts
 Major geologic processes
 Earthquakes and volcanoes
 Minerals, rocks, and the rock cycle
 Finding and extracting mineral resources
 Non-renewable mineral resources
Geologic Processes: Structure of
the Earth
Fig. 4-7, p. 60
Features of the Crust and Upper Mantle
Fig. 16-2 p. 333
Ring of Fire
Prince William Sound, AK
1964 Earthquake
Plate Tectonics
Divergent boundary
Convergent boundary
Subduction zone
Transform fault
Various animations- search plate tectonics
Reykjanes
Ridge
EURASIAN PLATE
JUAN DE
FUCA PLATE
NORTH
AMERICAN
PLATE
CHINA
SUBPLATE
Transform
PHILIPPINE
fault
PLATE
PACIFIC
COCOS
PLATE
MidPLATE
Indian
Transform
Ocean
fault
Ridge
East Pacific
Rise
INDIAN-AUSTRLIAN PLATE
Southeast Indian
Ocean Ridge
MidAtlantic
Ocean
Ridge
EURASIAN
PLATE
ANATOLIAN
PLATE
CARIBBEAN
PLATE
ARABIAN
PLATE
AFRICAN
PLATE
SOUTH
AMERICAN
PLATE
Carlsberg
Ridge
SOMALIAN
SUBPLATE
Transform
fault
Southwest Indian
Ocean Ridge
ANTARCTIC PLATE
Convergent
plate boundaries
Plate motion
at convergent
plate boundaries
Divergent ( ) and
transform fault (
boundaries
)
Plate motion
at divergent
plate boundaries
External Earth Processes
Erosion
Mechanical weathering
Frost wedging
Chemical weathering
Biological weathering
Natural Hazards: Earthquakes
 Features
 MagnitudeRichter Scale 1-10
 Aftershocks
 Primary effects
 Secondary effects
Fig. 16-6 p. 337
Expected Earthquake Damage
No damage expected
Minimal damage
Canada
Moderate damage
Severe damage
Fig. 16-7 p. 337
United States
Natural Hazards: Volcanic Eruptions
extinct
volcanoes
central
vent
magma
conduit
Fig. 16-8 p. 338
magma
reservoir
Solid
lithosphere
Upwelling
magma
Partially molten
asthenosphere
Minerals and Rocks
• A mineral is a solid formation
that occurs naturally in the
earth; unique chemical
composition and is necessarily
defined by its crystalline
structure and shape.
• A rock is a solid combination of
more than one mineral
formations which is also
occurring naturally. A rock can
be composed of several
minerals it is classified
according to the process of its
formation; can also contain
organic remains.
• Minerals (diamonds, quartz)
• Rock Types
- Igneous (granite, basalt)
– Sedimentary (limestone,
sandstone)
– Metamorphic (marble, slate)
Transport
Erosion
Deposition
Shale, Sandstone,
Limestone
Rock
Cycle
Weathering
Igneous Rock
Granite, Pumice,
Basalt
Sedimentary Rock
Heat,
Pressure
Heat,
Metamorphic Rock
Pressure
Slate, Quartzite,
Marble
Magma
(Molten Rock)
Rock Cycle
Animation
Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Metallic
Non-metallic
Energy resources- coal
Ores- type of rock that contains minerals with
important elements including metals.
Nonrenewable Mineral Resources:
Categories
Identified
Undiscovered
Reserves
Other
Fig. 16-10 p. 340
Finding Nonrenewable Mineral
Resources
Satellite and air imagery
Radiation detectors
Magnetometers
Gravity differences
Seismic surveys
Chemical analyses
Extracting Nonrenewable Mineral
Resources
Open-pit
(surface
mining)
Dredging (surface mining)
 Area strip (surface mining)
 Contour strip (surface mining)
 Room-and-pillar (subsurface mining)
Ventilation
shaft
Main
shaft
Lift cage
Shaft
Coal
seams
Pumps
Underground Coal Mine
Coal mining video (5 mins.)
 Longwall (subsurface mining)
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
Established 1977, mine lands must be
restored to pre-mining conditionsreplanting trees, adding back in soil nutrients, etc.
Taxes on mining companies to
restore pre-1977 sites
Limited success
Environmental Effects of Mining
Mineral Resources
 Disruption of land surface
 Erosion of solid mining waste
 Subsidence: underground mining cause cracks on surface
and lowering of land
 Acid mine drainage- water with high
concentrations of sulfuric acid and heavy metals
 Air pollution- mainly due to the emission of particulate
matter, gases including methane (CH4), sulfur dioxide (SO2),
and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Also, use of explosives releases
carbon monoxide (CO)
 Storage and leakage of liquid mining waste
Environmental Effects of Mining
Mineral Resources
Fig. 16-14 p. 344
More Environmental Impacts of
Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Surface mining
Subsurface mining
Overburden
Room and pillar
Spoil
Longwall
Open-pit
Dredging
Strip mining
Refer to Figs. 15-4 and
15-5, p. 341 and 342
Processing Mineral Resources
 Ore mineral - A mineral from which a
valuable material, usually a metal, is extracted.
 Gangue- commercially worthless material that
surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted mineral
in an ore deposit.
 Tailings – crushed rock and waste left behind
after mineral has been extracted.
 Smelting - process of separating the metal from
impurities by heating the concentrate to a high
temperature to cause the metal to melt or remove
impurities and produce a higher-grade metal.
Smelting
Separation
of ore from
gangue
Melting
metal
Metal ore
Conversion
to product
Recycling
Discarding
of product
Surface
mining
Scattered in environment
Supplies of Mineral Resources
 Economic depletion
 Depletion time
 Foreign sources
 Environmental concerns
 Economics
 New technologies
 Mining the ocean
 Finding substitutes
Fig. 16-16 p. 346
Black smoker
White
smoker
Sulfide
deposit
Magma
Tube worms
White crab
White clam