1. Abandoned uranium mine

2. Mining Minerals and fossil fuels are mined from the earth’s crust.
Method of removal depends on:
Depth at which the resources is located
Amount and stability of the material that must be removed to reach the mineral (overburden)
Topography of the area
Safety concerns
Economics

3. Mining Techniques
Surface (strip) mining- deposits lie horizontally to earth’s surface
Mountaintop removal- coal seams are exposed by removing the top of a mountain using explosives and/or heavy equipment
Open-pit mining- using explosives and heavy equipment
Subsurface mining- deep vertical mine shafts with horizontal tunnels branching off
Acid mine drainage
Drilling- to remove liquids and gases (oil, natural gas and steam)

4. Figure 14-10: Natural capital degradation: This spoils pile in Zielitz, Germany, is made up of waste material from the mining of potassium salts used to make fertilizers.
Fig , p. 358

5. Figure 14-11: Natural capital degradation: Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Mine in the U.S. state of Utah has produced more copper than any mine in history. This gigantic open-pit mine is almost 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide and 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) deep, and it is getting deeper.
Fig , p. 358

6. Strip Mining Undisturbed land Overburden Highwall Coal seam Overburden
Pit
Bench
Coal seam
Figure 14-13: Natural capital degradation: Contour strip mining is used in hilly or mountainous terrain.
Strip Mining
Spoil banks
Fig , p. 359

7. Environmental Costs of Mining
Extracting minerals from the earth’s crust and converting them into useful products can:
Disturb the land- habitat above the deposit must be destroyed by clear-cutting forests and removing vegetation = overburden
Erode soils
Produce large amounts of solid waste *** 75% of all US solid waste comes from mining ***
Pollute the air, water, and soil
Streams and rivers clouded by sediment
Wastewater with hazardous chemicals leached from mine waste

8. Acid Mine Drainage
Occurs when sulfur compounds in mine waste are exposed to air, oxidize and dissolve in rainwater to form a sulfuric acid solution.
Acidic runoff enters waterways causing significant ecological damage similar to acid rain.
Figure 14-15: Acid mine drainage from an abandoned open-pit coal mine in Portugal.
Fig , p. 360

9. Mineral Use Creates Environmental Impacts
Metal product life cycle
Mining, processing, manufacture, and disposal
Environmental impacts
Determined by an ore’s grade
Percentage of metal content
Mining
Metal ore
Separation of ore from waste material
Smelting
Melting metal
Conversion to product
Discarding of product
Recycling

10. Case Study: The Real Cost of Gold
At about 90% of the world’s gold mines
Mineral extracted with cyanide salts
Cyanide is extremely toxic
Mining companies declare bankruptcy
Allows them to avoid environmental remediation
The town of Kalgoorlie, next to Australia's Fimiston Open Pit mine 

11. Removing Metals from Ores Has Harmful Environmental Effects
Ore extracted by mining
Ore mineral
Tailings – waste material
Smelting using heat or chemicals causes:
Air pollution
Water pollution

12. Metallic mineral resources
Aluminum (bauxite)
Iron
Lead
Chromium
Manganese
Nickel
Silver
Gold How is aluminum made?

13. Nonmetal mineral resources
Sand
Gravel
Limestone
Clay
Asbestos
Talc
Salt

14. Mineral Processes
In some cases removal of metals from ores can cause more damage to the environment than the mining of the ore and a much greater hazard to human health 
Smelting- heating of ores to remove metals produces air pollution that includes heavy metals, particulate matter, and sulfur dioxide (acid rain)
ASARCO- think of the workers and community near the smelter. What happened to Smelter Town?

16. Mineral Processes
Cyanide Solution Mining or Heap- Leach Extraction- practice of spraying cyanide solution on piles of crushed ore to dissolve and extract gold creates holding ponds of cyanide- laced water that may seep into groundwater and run off to local waterways

18. Recycling and Mineral Reserves
*** Recycling aluminum cans consumes about 5% of the energy and eliminates most of the environmental costs associated with mining and smelting the aluminum ore (bauxite) *** Reserve is a location from which a mineral can be extracted in an economically viable manner.