1. Mining Is used to extract valuable minerals from the earth
Is dependent on crustal abundance
Elements and minerals are not equally represented or distributed in the earth’s crust
Countries and companies have mineral reserves
Known quantity that can be realistically recovered by mining
Relative crustal abundance
of most common minerals

3. Mined Materials Sand and gravel Metals Phosphates Salts Sodium Sulfur
Gemstones
Fuel sources
Coal
Uranium

4. Ore
Concentrated accumulations of minerals formed from geologic processes
Can also contain waste material
Must usually be processed to produce a pure form of the mineral
Can occur in veins
Localized high concentrations of a mineral
Can occur in disseminated deposits
Large, widely spread lower concentrations of a mineral

5. Types of Mining Surface Mining Subsurface Mining Ocean Mining* Placer
Strip
Mountaintop Removal
Open Pit
Subsurface Mining
Shaft
Solution*
Ocean Mining*

7. Placer Mining Used when a resource accumulates in riverbed deposits
Running water is used to sift lighter materials from the heavier resource materials
Also called panning
Disturbs large amounts of sediment

8. Strip Mining
Used when a resource exists in layers near the Earth’s surface
Rock and soil above the resource (overburden) is removed from a strip of land
Mined material is removed and overburden is replaced

9. Mountaintop Mining
Used when a resource occurs in seams near mountain ridges
Entire mountaintops are bulldozed and blasted away to reveal the seam
Overburden is replaced on the remaining mountain, and may fall or be dumped into adjacent valleys

10. Open Pit Mining
Used when a resource is in an area unsuitable for tunneling, or when it is spread evenly and close to the surface
Called a quarry

11. Subsurface Mining Used when a resource occurs deep underground
Vertical shafts are dug into the ground
Horizontal tunnels are dug to follow the seam or deposit being mined
Material is removed and sent to the surface for processing

12. Solution Mining* Also called in-situ recovery
Used when a resource is buried deep, and can be dissolved in liquid
A hole is drilled to the resource, and water or acid is poured into the hole
The resource is sucked out and processed to remove it from the fluid

16. Ocean Mining*
Used when resource deposits exist on or under the sea floor, or in seawater
Resources are “vacuumed” off the sea floor
Research is underway to extract or evaporate resources from seawater

18. Problems with Mining
All mining uses machinery and transportation that produces pollution
All mining produces tailings, or mineral waste that can damage ecosystems
The processing of ore can produce toxic byproducts
Miners are exposed to some of the most hazardous working conditions on the planet

19. Acid Drainage* Most harmful form of environmental damage from mining
Occurs when newly exposed rock that contain sulfur reacts with water and oxygen to form sulfuric acid

20. Acid Drainage* Sulfuric acid leaches metals from nearby rock and soil
Forms toxic acidic liquid called leachate
Cleanup involves neutralizing the acid and removing the metals

21. Brownfields* Abandoned sites polluted with hazardous waste
Includes abandoned mines
Dangerous and difficult to clean up for reuse
Fall under EPA Superfund sites

22. Mine Restoration or Reclamation
Goal is to restore a mined site to as close to its original condition as possible
Involves:
Filling in shafts and holes
Removing mining structures and equipment
Replacing overburden
Replanting
Ecosystems never fully recover from mining disruption

25. General Mining Act of 1872
Any individual or company can stake an exclusive claim on federal land open for mining
Land can be patented, or bought outright, for about $5/acre
No payments are made to the government, even if profits are realized
Includes gemstones, metals, uranium and minerals

26. Mineral Leasing Act of 1920*
Public lands must be leased for mining, and royalties on profits are to be paid
Amounts depend on the resource being mined
Covers fossil fuels, sodium, sulfur, and phosphates

27. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
Regulates the surface effects of coal mining
Mandates reclamation of mined areas

28. Minerals are Nonrenewable*
Minerals regenerate slowly
Many mineral deposits are being mined very quickly
As they become scarce, they will become more expensive
Environmentally friendly alternatives are being sought, including recycling

29. Sustainable Mineral Use*
Recycling is the best way to sustainably use many minerals
Uses less energy in production of goods
Reduces the amount of mining
Recycling e-waste is especially important
Reducing the use of products that contain minerals also helps