Minerals: A Nonrenewable Resource

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Minerals A Nonrenewable Resource
Chapter 16
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GEORGIA'S ECONOMIC ROCKS MINERALS
http//www.weinmanmuseum.org/econminerals.html
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Georgia Kaolin
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What is Kaolin?

• Kaolin, which is also known as "china clay," is
  a white, alumina-silicate used in making paper,
  plastics, rubber, paints and many other products.
  Kaolin deposits in middle Georgia resulted from
  the erosion of deeply weathered crystalline rocks
  in the Piedmont Plateau, which were deposited
  along Georgias Fall Line. This occurred between
  50 and 100 million years ago during the
  Cretaceous and Tertiary geological time periods,
  a time when the waters of the Atlantic Ocean
  covered much of Georgias Coastal Plain.

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Georgia Radon
What is radon? Should I be concerned about radon
levels? http//epa.gov/radon/radonqa1.html
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Introduction to Minerals
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Introduction to Minerals

• Mineral Distribution and Formation
• Some minerals very abundant (e.g., Al,
  Fe)
• Some are very scarce (e.g., Cu, Mo)
• Some may be found about anywhere, but in such
  low abundance mining is unprofitable

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Introduction to Minerals

• Mineral Distribution and Formation
• Formation of Mineral Deposits

• Magmatic concentration
• Hydrothermal processes
• Sedimentation
• Evaporation

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Introduction to Minerals

• How Minerals are Found, Extracted, and Processed
• Discovering Mineral Deposits
• aerial photos / satellite images
• examine magnetic field
• seismographs

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Introduction to Minerals
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Processing Minerals
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Environmental Implications of Minerals

• Mining and the Environment
• Disturbs large areas of land
• Uses huge quantities of water
• Affects water quality
• Cost-benefit Analysis of Mine Development
• Benefits of the mining vs. Preservation of the
  land

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Environmental Implications of Minerals

• Environmental Impacts of Refining Minerals

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Environmental Implications of Minerals

• Environmental Impacts of Refining Minerals
• The problem of tailings

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Environmental Impacts of Refining
Minerals Case-in-Point Copper Basin, TN
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Restoration of Mining Lands Surface Mining
Control and Reclamation Act
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Environmental Implications of Minerals

• Restoration of Mining Lands
• Creative Approaches to Cleaning Up Mining Areas

Conversion to wetlands Phytoremediation
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Minerals An International Perspective

• Many developed nations have observed
  significant environmental damage due to mining
• Many developed nations exacerbate problem by
  having mining interests in developing countries

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Minerals An International Perspective

• Distribution Versus Consumption
• Some minerals needed for many industrial
  processes
• but only found in abundance in few places
• Results in dependence
• Stockpiling common

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Minerals An International Perspective

• Will We Run Out of Important Minerals?

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Increasing the Supply of Minerals

• Locating and Mining New Deposits
• Many known deposits havent been exploited
  because
• accessibility problems
• technology issues
• too deep

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Increasing the Supply of Minerals

• Minerals in Antarctica
• Antartic Treaty (1961) limits activities in
  Antarctica
• If significant mineral deposits were found,
  should they be exploited?

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Increasing the Supply of Minerals

• Minerals from the Ocean

Manganese nodules
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Increasing the Supply of Minerals

• Minerals from the Ocean

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Increasing the Supply of Minerals

• Advanced Mining and Processing Technologies
• Ability to exploit low-grade ores
• Biomining

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Using Substitution and Conservation to Expand
Mineral Supplies

• Finding Mineral Substitutes
• Substituting inexpensive / abundant resources
  for expensive / scarce resources
• E.g., Glass, plastics, and aluminum have
  substituted for tin

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Using Substitution and Conservation to Expand
Mineral Supplies

• Mineral Conservation
• Reuse
• same product used over and over
• Recycling
• product is processed into another product
• Changing Our Mineral Requirements
• fight the throw away mentality