Canada’s Mineral Wealth

Question: How sustainable is the primary industry economy in Canada? This unit has driven by the idea of SUSTAINABILITY and more importantly by the question: “is the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely” Question: How sustainable is the primary industry economy in Canada? There are 5 Major primary industries in Canada. We are now looking at the fourth one and will finish up with Energy. Fishing Forestry Farming Mining Energy

Mining Definitions – Let’s Get Started To start off your notes on the topic of Mining, write the following definitions into your book using the glossary or the Chapter on Mining Mineral 6. Ore Metallic Mineral 7. Milling Fossil Fuel 8. Smelting Industrial Mineral Mineral Reserve

Mining Do you have some Canadian mining products with you today? Check your pocket for coins? Are you wearing any nylon or fleece? Do those clothes contain zippers? Definition: Mining is the process of extracting minerals from rocks A Mineral is a naturally occurring, pure, non-living substances found in rocks. Minerals are divided into 3 categories in Canada: 1. Metallic refined, yielding metals 2. Fossil fuels a mineral that can be burned to produce energy 3. Industrial neither metallic or fossil fuels

Metallic Minerals Gold  Copper Gold, copper and iron Iron 

Fossil Fuels  Natural Gas Coal Natural gas, oil, coal  Oil

Industrial Minerals  Diamond Asbestos  Soapstone

Minerals Mined in Canada by Type   Metallic Minerals cobalt Copper – electrical wiring Gold - beauty Iron - strength lead Nickel – with iron makes steel platinum Silver – beauty uranium zinc Industrial Minerals Asbestos – protect people from fire and heat Building Stone Clay products Diamonds – hard mineral used for cutting tools and jewelry Gravel - major ingredient in concrete Gypsum – makes drywall Potash – makes fertilizer Salt Sand Soapstone – soft mineral used to make sculptures by the Inuit Fossil Fuels Coal Natural Gas Oil Oil Sands

Where do we mine in Canada (Location) Examine figure 26-5 on page 330 in your textbook. Choose the 3 most important provinces for each of the following: Metallic minerals Fossil Fuels Industrial minerals Ontario Quebec British Columbia Alberta British Columbia Saskatchewan Alberta Saskatchewan Ontario Quebec

So, where do we mine in Canada? Mention where major mining occurs: away from major cities Country wide, but mainly out west in Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan, away from major cities.

How Important is Mining in Canada? Read your textbook, page 328 – 329, “The Importance of Mining in Canada,” and write down at least 4 points that shows the importance. Summarize the paragraph. Key Points: ranked 3rd in the world in production of minerals largest exporter -80% of production exported 2001, total value of all mineral production = $83 billion post WWII, all railway expansion and some roadways built to ease development of mineral reserves Tax breaks to encourage exploration of new reserves Governments own mines, because they know importance

How Valuable is Mining to Canada?

What is this missing? Fossil Fuels Notice this must be missing fossil fuel numbers. Coal  oil

How Do We Mine? Strip Mining Mining Machines video Strip Mining is used to mine oil sand, coal and other minerals located in the top layers near the surface Open Pit Mining is used to mine minerals that are found near the surface of the earth, but also may extend deep into the ground Underground Mining is used to extract mineral ores located DEEP within earth. Miners take an elevator downwards and blast the rock with explosives. Blasted rock is called muck. Small trains remove the muck where it is crushed and loaded onto a hoist, called a skip. The skip lifts the ore to the surface where is it take to a storage site to await processing. Have students give answers as they should have completed this for homework; video is only about 2:30 in length

Implications of Mining Let’s take a look at some of the implications from the angles we’ve looked at all year: Read “Challenges for Canada’s Mining Industry”(pg 338-339) and determine the challenges the mining industry faces in Canada and group them into the 2 columns below. Natural Environment Human Environment Land claims of First Nations -who owns the land = who profits? -Increase processing and manufacturing of minerals in Canada -”boom and bust” nature of mining -what happens to mining towns when mine closes? Environmental controls -destroy habitats, clear cutting, animal extinction -develop new technologies to improve efficiency -by products of mining unclean -harmful to environment -global warming -new and improved uses of minerals -more uses = more reasons to mine? Have students come up with some of these before you show them

Summarize what you have learned by writing a short paragraph answering the following question: What does the government need to do to increase the sustainability of this primary resource/industry? Complete the following textbook questions: pg 341 # 1a, b and 2