Mining Lab

1
Mining Lab

• Dont open the red boxes yet!!!

2
First things first

• I need to sign pre-labs
• Clean your lab tables thoroughly
• Wash your hands (in the room or go to the
  restroom)
• Lab tables should be free of backpacks, books,
  purses, etc.

3
Energy

• Unit 4 - Chs 12- 14 Energy. Of HUGE economic,
  environmental, political importance!
• What are fossil fuels?
• How are they made?
• Types?

4
Red containers

• Desert ecosystem (use your imagination)
• Deserts often contain fossil fuel deposits

5
What you will be mining

• Oil filling of hostess cupcakes
• What happens if you remove the whole rock?
• EPA (me) wont buy back your land if its riddled
  with sinkholes.
• Coal Deposits the chocolate chips in the
  chocolate chip cookies (cookie part is
  sedimentary rock)
• Loose Ore Deposits MMs

6
Big Question

• How do you go about mining these resources
  without degrading the ecosystem?

7
Methods

• Wind erosion OK
• Drilling OK
• Scraping the surface/ digging - OK
• Extreme weather events (earthquakes, tsunamis,
  turning the planet upside down) NOT OK.

8
Economics

• You will start off in debt.
• Must pay for land, supplies, labor
• You will make a profit (hopefully).
• Ore, coal, oil, land sale back to the EPA

9
Details

• Plates/ baggies are free
• Place your oil in the corner of a ziplock and I
  will estimate of mLs
• Can use phone or clock as stopwatch
• Remember the EPA is watching! Any major biota
  degradation will result in a loss of resale of
  land.

10
How to proceed

1. Spend a few minutes planning (this time is free!)
2. Buy equipment
3. Start mining (MUST run a timer!!!)
4. Calculate net gain
5. Eat ecosystem
6. Clean up!!!

11
Effect of Mining Spreadsheet

• Expenses
• Cost of land 20.00
• Cost of tools
• Paper clip _____ _at_ 6.00 each _______
• Plastic spoon _____ _at_ 5.00 each _______
• Plastic fork _____ _at_ 3.00 each _______
• Plastic knife _____ _at_ 4.00 each _______
• Toothpick _____ _at_ 2.00 each _______
• Straw _____ _at_ 8.00 each _______
• Start Time ______
• End Time ______
• Total Time Spent _______ _at_ 0.50 per minute
  _______
•  
• TOTAL EXPENSE ____________

12
Effect of Mining Spreadsheet

• Sales
• Ore Deposits (Chocolate Chips) _______ _at_ 2.00
  per chip ________
• Coal Deposits (MMs) _______ _at_ 1.00 per MM
  ________
• Oil Deposits (cupcake filling) _______ _at_ 2.00
  per mL ________
• Land Sale from environmental preservation
  ________
•  
• TOTAL SALES ______________
•  
•  
• TOTAL SALES TOTAL EXPENSE ______________
  PROFIT

13
Post Lab Questions

• What excavation methods did you use?
• Were you able to sell your land back to
  environmental preservation groups? Why or why
  not?
• Write a reflection (several paragraphs) on your
  perception of environmental ethics pertaining to
  economic decisions based on this lab