Chapter 16 Somerset, PA will construct five ponds using ShoreGuard vinyl sheet piling. The first two settling ponds the iron mixes with oxygen. The next two ponds contain limestone to remove the acid. Pond five will capture any remaining metals. Then it will flow through a wetland before entering Indian creek.

Across the Ages 1.Stone Age 6,000 BC to 2,000 BC 2.Bronze Age 2,500BC or 1,000AD 3.Iron Age - most by 1,000BC Bronze Age - Copper and Tin Brass - Copper and zinc Steel - iron and carbon What age are we in now?

Mining law Encouraged western settlement 2.File claims to hard rock minerals at $ an acre & keep all profits 3.Oil and gas leases on federal lands require the payment of royalties 4.Legacy of law - superfund sites/acid drainage 5.Colorado has about 23,000 abandoned hard-rock mine sites - more than 500,000 nation wide

Copperbasin (Ducktown) Tennessee 1960’s

Copperbasin (Ducktown) Reclamation

Smelting Coke: what is coke? Hydrocarbon heated to remove volatiles to get pure carbon.

Copper Basin Reclamation Problem: 1.Copper Discovered Heap Roasting of ore 3.Acid Precipitation 4.50 square miles turned to waste 5.Dams lost 25% storage capacity Solution: ’s remediation failed - kudzu 2.16 Million Acid tolerant pine and grass seeds broadcast 3.Added lime and fertilizer 4.Cost $ per acre 5.Erosion went from 200 tons to 8 annually 6.Target completion date 2000

Summitville Colorado Opened Cyanide Heap Leaching - Canadian Company 1992 – Bankruptcy Why are minerals located here?

Mineral Formation 1. Magmatic concentration - as magma cools it separates with silicates rising and iron, nickel, & copper sinking - layered by density 2. Hydrothermal processes - dissolved minerals mix with salts to form a metal-bearing complex - gold, silver, copper, lead & zinc 3. Sedimentation - dissolved minerals are deposited manganese, copper, sulfur & phosphorus - warm meets cold 4. Evaporation - lakes without outlets salt, borax, potassium, gypsum Metallic and Non-Metallic Minerals Source / Transport / Trapping

Salt Flats

Environmental Impacts 1. Disturbs large areas of land 2. Uses huge quantities of water - pump out groundwater for processing 3. Affects water and air quality - acid drainage & sulfur 4. Requires extensive energy input 5. Long term hazard

Hydraulic Mining

Environmental Implications of Minerals Environmental Impacts of Refining Minerals

Cost Benefit Analysis 1. Boom and bust job cycle 2. True cost has not been incorporated into cost-benefit analysis Cost: equipment, salaries, maintenance, mining operations, transport & fuel, insurance, safety, workers benefits, infrastructure and development of mine Benefits: jobs, purchases made by workers, local Vs larger economy Costs not included: water & air pollution, workers health, remediation and clean-up (super fund), loss to fisheries…etc. Long Term VS Short Term?

Environmental Implications of Minerals Case-in-Point: Copper Basin, TN

The Law Surface Mining Control & Reclamation Act of 1997 Only covers coal SMCRA created two programs: one for regulating active coal mines one for reclaiming abandoned mines

Phytoremediation - Thlaspi 1.Absorbs Zinc & Cadmium 2.Has an ability to concentrate heavy metals in plant parts AdvantagesDisadvantages Works on a variety of organic and inorganics May take several years to remediate Easy to implementRestricted to shallow sites Low CostDependent on Climate Environmentally friendly Possible impacts on food chain Pleasing to the eyeHarvest can be classified as hazardous waste Reduces waste to landfill Human consumption of food a concern

International Sources - Stockpiling The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium.

Reserve Vs Resource Reserves: 1.Have been located and quantified 2.Can be extracted with current technology 3.Can be extracted profitably Resource: 1.Does not yet qualify but located 2.Future technology may make accessible To Deep or under ocean 3.Not profitable under current technology Low Grade Contaminated Drilled out as a reserve source Total Resources = Reserve + Resource

Will We Run Out? 1.New Discoveries 2.Replacement Materials - plastics 3.Changing global economy 4.Technology Changes 5.Conservation

Future Trends 1. Deep Oceans - international waters 2. Antarctica - should we - will we 3. Biomining 4. Design - dematerialization

Kaolin Chattahoochee, Ocmulgee, Oconee and Savannah Rivers where inland shipping was stopped by falls or rapids at the Fall Line. Uses: paper, food additive, toothpaste, cosmetics…

Geology

Stone MT. in Bloom Diamorphia Smallii Confederate Daisy