Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources What Are Minerals

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Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
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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.

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Nonrenewable Mineral Resources (1)

• Minerals
• Naturally occurring inorganic solid
• Crystalline structure
• Chemical composition
• Mineral resource
• Fossil fuels
• Metallic
• Nonmetallic

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Nonrenewable Mineral Resources (2)

• Identified resources
• Reserves
• Potential impact of mining

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Rocks and Minerals

• Rock
• Igneous
• Sedimentary
• Metamorphic
• Ore
• High-grade ore
• Low-grade ore
• Rock cycle

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The Rock Cycle
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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.

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Environmental Impact of Using Mineral Resources
(1)

• High energy use
• Disturb land
• Erode soil
• Produce solid waste

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Environmental Impact of Using Mineral Resources
(2)

• Pollute air, water, and soil
• Total impact may depend on grade of ore

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Life Cycle of a Metal Resource
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Environmental Effects of Using Mineral and Energy
Resources
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Extracting Mineral Deposits

• Surface mining
• Subsurface mining
• Overburden
• Spoils

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Mining Methods

• Open-pit mining
• Strip mining
• Area strip mining
• Contour strip mining
• Mountaintop removal

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Open-pit Mining
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Strip Mining
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Contour Strip Mining
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Mountaintop Mining
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Harmful Environmental Effects of Mining

• Disruption of land surface
• Subsidence
• Toxic-laced mining wastes
• Acid mine drainage
• Air pollution

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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

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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.

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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?

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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

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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
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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

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Mining Lower-grade Ores

• Improved equipment and technologies
• Limiting factors
• Cost
• Supplies of freshwater
• Environmental impacts

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Ocean Mining (1)

• Minerals from seawater
• Minerals for ocean sediments
• Hydrothermal deposits
• Manganese-rich nodules

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Ocean Mining (2)

• Mining issues in international waters
• Environmental issues

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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.

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Finding Substitutes and Alternatives for Scarce
Mineral Resources

• Materials revolution
• Ceramics and plastics
• Limitations
• Recycle and reuse
• Less environmental impact

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Sustainable Use of Nonrenewable Minerals
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Case Study Industrial Ecosystems (1)

• Mimic nature to deal with wastes biomimicry
• Waste outputs become resource inputs
• Recycle and reuse
• Resource exchange webs

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Case Study Industrial Ecosystems (2)

• Reclaiming brownfields
• Industrial ecology
• Ecoindustrial revolution

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Stepped Art