1. Geology and Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
G. Tyler Miller’s
Living in the Environment
14th Edition
Chapter 16

2. Key Concepts Major geologic processes Earthquakes and volcanoes
Minerals, rocks, and the rock cycle
Finding and extracting mineral resources
Non-renewable mineral resources

3. Geologic Processes: Structure of the Earth
Fig. 4-7, p. 60

4. Features of the Crust and Upper Mantle
Fig p. 333

5. Ring of Fire

6. Prince William Sound, AK 1964 Earthquake

7. Plate Tectonics Divergent boundary Convergent boundary Subduction zone
Transform fault
Various animations- search plate tectonics

8. INDIAN-AUSTRLIAN PLATE
Reykjanes
Ridge
EURASIAN
PLATE
EURASIAN PLATE
Mid-
Atlantic
Ocean
Ridge
ANATOLIAN
PLATE
JUAN DE
FUCA PLATE
NORTH
AMERICAN
PLATE
CHINA
SUBPLATE
CARIBBEAN
PLATE
Transform
fault
PHILIPPINE
PLATE
ARABIAN
PLATE
PACIFIC
PLATE
COCOS
PLATE
AFRICAN
PLATE
Mid-
Indian
Ocean
Ridge
Transform
fault
SOUTH
AMERICAN
PLATE
Carlsberg
Ridge
East Pacific
Rise
SOMALIAN
SUBPLATE
INDIAN-AUSTRLIAN PLATE
Southeast Indian
Ocean Ridge
Transform
fault
Southwest Indian
Ocean Ridge
ANTARCTIC PLATE
Plate motion
at convergent
plate boundaries
Divergent ( ) and
transform fault ( )
boundaries
Plate motion
at divergent
plate boundaries
Convergent
plate boundaries

9. External Earth Processes
Erosion
Mechanical weathering
Frost wedging
Chemical weathering
Biological weathering

10. Natural Hazards: Earthquakes
Features
Magnitude-
Richter Scale 1-10
Aftershocks
Primary effects
Secondary effects
Fig p. 337

11. Expected Earthquake Damage
Canada
United States
No damage expected
Minimal damage
Moderate damage
Severe damage
Fig p. 337

12. Natural Hazards: Volcanic Eruptions
extinct
volcanoes
magma
reservoir
central
vent
conduit
Solid
lithosphere
Upwelling
Partially molten
asthenosphere
Fig p. 338

13. Minerals and Rocks
A mineral is a solid formation that occurs naturally in the earth; unique chemical composition and is necessarily defined by its crystalline structure and shape.
A rock is a solid combination of more than one mineral formations which is also occurring naturally. A rock can be composed of several minerals it is classified according to the process of its formation; can also contain organic remains.
Minerals (diamonds, quartz)
Rock Types
- Igneous (granite, basalt)
Sedimentary (limestone, sandstone)
Metamorphic (marble, slate)

14. Rock Cycle Sedimentary Rock Heat, Pressure Heat, Igneous Rock
Shale, Sandstone,
Limestone
Deposition
Transport
Erosion
Rock Cycle
Heat,
Pressure
Weathering
Heat,
Pressure
Igneous Rock
Granite, Pumice,
Basalt
Metamorphic Rock
Slate, Quartzite,
Marble
Magma
(Molten Rock)
Rock Cycle Animation

15. Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Metallic
Non-metallic
Energy resources- coal
Ores- type of rock that contains minerals with
important elements including metals.

16. Nonrenewable Mineral Resources: Categories
Fig p. 340
Identified
Undiscovered
Reserves
Other

17. Finding Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Satellite and air imagery
Radiation detectors
Magnetometers
Gravity differences
Seismic surveys
Chemical analyses

18. Open-pit (surface mining)
Extracting Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Open-pit (surface mining)

19. Dredging (surface mining)

20. Area strip (surface mining)

21. Contour strip (surface mining)

22. Room-and-pillar (subsurface mining)

23. Coal mining video (5 mins.)
Ventilation
shaft
Main
shaft
Lift cage
Shaft
Coal
seams
Pumps
Underground Coal Mine
Coal mining video (5 mins.)

24. Longwall (subsurface mining)

25. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
Established 1977, mine lands must be restored to pre-mining conditions- replanting trees, adding back in soil nutrients, etc.
Taxes on mining companies to restore pre-1977 sites
Limited success

26. Environmental Effects of Mining Mineral Resources
Disruption of land surface
Erosion of solid mining waste
Subsidence: underground mining cause cracks on surface
and lowering of land
Acid mine drainage- water with high
concentrations of sulfuric acid and heavy metals
Air pollution- mainly due to the emission of particulate
matter, gases including methane (CH4), sulfur dioxide (SO2),
and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Also, use of explosives releases
carbon monoxide (CO)
Storage and leakage of liquid mining waste

27. Environmental Effects of Mining Mineral Resources
Fig p. 344

28. More Environmental Impacts of Nonrenewable Mineral Resources
Surface mining
Subsurface mining
Overburden
Room and pillar
Spoil
Longwall
Open-pit
Dredging
Refer to Figs and 15-5, p. 341 and 342
Strip mining

29. Processing Mineral Resources
Ore mineral - A mineral from which a
valuable material, usually a metal, is extracted.
Gangue- commercially worthless material that surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted mineral in an ore deposit.
Tailings – crushed rock and waste left behind
after mineral has been extracted.
Smelting - process of separating the metal from
impurities by heating the concentrate to a high
temperature to cause the metal to melt or remove
impurities and produce a higher-grade metal.

30. Scattered in environment
Smelting
Separation
of ore from
gangue
Melting
metal
Metal ore
Conversion
to product
Recycling
Discarding
of product
Surface
mining
Scattered in environment

31. Supplies of Mineral Resources
Economic depletion
Depletion time
Foreign sources
Environmental concerns
Economics
New technologies
Mining the ocean
Fig p. 346
Finding substitutes

32. Black smoker
White
smoker
Sulfide
deposit
Magma
Tube worms
White crab
White clam