Canada’s Natural Resources Mineral Wealth

Where in the classroom do we have Canadian Mining Products? A: Mining products include: the Chalkboard, chairs, desks, coins, metal buttons, zippers, construction frame of the building/room etc.

Definition: Mineral A naturally occurring, pure, non-living substance found in the rocks of the earth

Types of Minerals Metallic When refined they form the group of minerals we know as METALS. They are mined for their BEAUTY AND RARENESS. Known as PRECIOUS METALS Often mined for their strength such as IRON or for other unique properties such as copper for its electricity conduction qualities.

Examples: Gold, silver and platinum = VALUED FOR THEIR STRENGTH Copper = VALUED FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL WIRING Nickel = VALUED WHEN MIXED WITH IRON TO MAKE STEEL THAT IS RESISTANT TO RUST.

Fossil Fuels -Non-RENEWABLE -Burned to produce ENERGY!! Oil/Natural Gas- formed when small organisms fall to OCEAN OR LAKE FLOORS after dying, are subsequently covered with SEDIMENT before they are completely decomposed causing the decomposing process to halt. Additional layers of sediment settle creating HEAT AND PRESSURE which produce hydrocarbons. The presence of oil or gas may be determined by DRILLING -Non-RENEWABLE -Burned to produce ENERGY!!

Types of Drilling 2 methods of drilling i) flowing wells – having enough natural pressure to make oil/gas flow to the surface Non-flowing wells- do not have enough pressure to make oil/gas flow to the surface so an electric or gas pump must be used. Ex. Sask. and Alberta

Coal Formed from organic matter of dead plants that is buried before DECOMPOSITION that is covered with sediment and transformed into coal with pressure and heat. Canada has substantial deposits of coal in WESTERN AND NORTHERN regions It is mined by using UNDERGROUND or OPEN PIT mines. Was the most important FF in the 1800’s but has more recently been replaced by Oil and Gas

Open Pit Coal Mine

Non-Metallic Minerals -not metallic but possess other useful qualities Often referred to as “INDUSTRIAL MINERALS” Asbestos = USED TO PROTECT AGAINST FIRE AND HEAT (QUEBEC) Not used as much today b/c exposure to loose asbestos is found to cause cancer(carcinogenic) Potash = SALT-LIKE MATERIAL USED TO MAKE FERTILIZERS (S. SASK)

Gypsum = USED TO MAKE DRYWALL SHEETS Soapstone = USE TO MAKE INUIT SCULPTURES Diamonds = USED TO MAKE CUTTING TOOLS AND JEWELRY (NWT) 6th in the world for exports (Ekati mine est. 5 million/yr) Gravel = MAJOR INGREDIENT IN CEMENT

Fast Facts Canada is 3RD in production of minerals Canada is 1st in exporting minerals (80%) In 2001 the total Value of mineral production was $83 Billion!!! Since WWII many of the railways and road expansions have been completed so minerals can be extracted from remote sites….

Finding Valuable Minerals Minerals are only mined if they are found in concentrations that make them economically viable Minerals that are economically viable to mine are called mineral reserves It is a geologists job to find mineral reserves

Looking For Metallic Minerals Geologists can find the mineral deposits by: Going over an area with a machine called a magnetometer – it checks for magnetic fields produced by the minerals They can use satellite images and arial photos All the data they collect is analyzed using GIS They also go directly to the area to collect samples – water and rock If everything looks good they take core samples to find out what is in the area

Types – o - mines Strip Mining Used to extract minerals, such as coal or oil sands that are located in horizontal layers near the surface Cheap Can be somewhat time consuming as horizontal layers make it hard to tell how much coal/oil is actually underground.

Types –o-mines Open Pit Mining Is used to extract minerals that are located NEAR THE SURFACE but that may extend deep into the earth. Holes are drilled into the ground, and filled with explosives. Rocks are blasted apart and removed from the site Does the most damage to the earth Scars the land and is useless unless the industry puts the overburden back in place Cheap Least dangerous

Ekati Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories Gold Open Pit mining 2 mins How Gold is Mined 7 mins Open Pit Mine filled with water

Underground Mining /Shaft Mining Types –o-mines Underground Mining /Shaft Mining Used to extract mineral ores located DEEP in the earth Most EXPENSIVE Best method to recover VALUABLE minerals (only viable if the mineral is worth $$, if not it may not be worth the danger..cave ins can occur) Does the least damage to the environment

Underground Mining

Underground Potash Mine in Rick Mercer Potash Mining Allan, Saskatchewan Rick Mercer Potash Mining

Stop- have students work on assignment Continue after assignment is complete

What happens after the mineral is out of the ground? Most ore that is mined is composed mostly of WASTE ROCK Most ore has to go through two processes before it becomes pure: MILLING and SMELTING

Milling and Smelting Milling Smelting Separates the MINERAL from some of the WASTE ROCK Usually done on site Smelting Ore concentrate and a substance called FLUX are melted together The flux BINDS with all the waste material and the pure minerals FLOAT to the top of the mixture The minerals are then skimmed off the top and poured into MOULDS This process is very EXPENSIVE and may be done off site.

Waste Materials The waste materials from milling and smelting are called TAILINGS Tailings are a mixture of water, CHEMICALS and rock particles They are extremely POISONOUS Tailings are kept in tailing PONDS that are specially designed to contain the waste

Transportation The cost of transporting ore to the mills for processing is high. Sometimes transport costs can be overcome by building the processing plant near the mine. causes the community to become more secure

Increasing Technology Technology has changed in the mining industry bigger equipment able to extract deposits more efficiently finding new ways to use different minerals These changes in technology are helping mining companies turn a greater profit.

Issues facing the Mining Industry Negative impact on the environment 50% of the minerals are exported to other countries before they are processed – leads to a loss of jobs Because the industry relies on exports they are greatly affected by what is going on in other countries The highest quality reserves are being exhausted New mineral deposits are being discovered in other countries

MB Mines What do Manitoba mines produce? Base and precious metals: nickel, copper, zinc and gold. Specialty minerals: lithium, cesium and tantalum. Many industrial minerals such as: Silver, gypsum, salt, granite, limestone, peat, lime, sand and gravel

Now watch the Mining Career PowerPoint! WATCH -Explore for More AND Mining In Action http://www.acareerinmining.ca/en/onlineresources/explore_more_video.asp