Mineral ResourcesMineral Resources

Resources: raw materials used by society

Types of mineral resources:Types of mineral resources:

Metallicferrous (Fe and related metals)nonferrous (gold, copper, etc.)

Non metallicstructural (stone, gravel, sand…)industrial (salts, sulfur, asbestos…)

Ornamental Energy (coal, uranium, oil….)

Mineral resources are Mineral resources are nonrenewable nonrenewable resources resources

Our modern technological society is very dependent on mineral resources.

The average person in an industrialized nations uses about 2.3 times as much Al and 1.3 times as much Cu as the typical person did 30 years ago.

We use over 20 times more Al and 16 times more Cu per person than people in developing countries.

Metal use

Consumption Trends

World consumption of minerals has quintupled since 1945.

Some minerals have been used to build roads, buildings and durable goods, but much has gone into disposable goods.

Per capita consumption of mineral resources by Americans

Overburden: soil and rock covering a mineral deposit-

-normally waste material

Tailings: ground up rock residue after the high-grade

ore has been extracted

Smelting: process of concentrating ore by heating to

produce crude metals

Slag: fused waste produced during removal of metal from its ore

Refining: chemical purification

A few definitions….A few definitions….

Copper Mining and Production

A gold mine with ore processing on site

Environmental destruction

Waste production

Onsite pollution

Offsite pollution

Problems:

Onsite and offsite pollution

The Holden Mine, Wash.

Holden Copper Mine -- operated almost 20 years,closed in 1957; within US Forest Service land

Produced: 212 million pounds of Copper40 million pounds of Zinc2 million pounds of Silver600 thousand ounces of Gold

From: 10 million tons of ore

Ore shipped to ASARCO smelter, TacomaSmelter originally for lead, converted to copper in 1915; smelter closed in 1985. Now a superfund site.

Cd 7 ppm

1 ppm

1 ppm

Zn5200 ppm 46 ppm

54 ppm

The General Mining Act of 1872

Claimholders can buy land ($2.50-4.00 per acre). Once paid, the owner can do as they please with the land.

Nevada--$20 billion in minerals for $9000Colorado--7000ac purchased for $42,000 and

resold for $37millionBLM estimate: $4 billion in minerals per year free

Miners can stake claims on public land and take minerals for free

Mine industry: Metal mining is risky and expensive; US could become dependent on foreign supplies

But coal, oil and gas pay royalties…

Mineral PricesMineral Prices

Mineral prices are artificially low. Current mineral prices include only extraction costs -- not the costs of land, ore and other factors

Over the last few decades, known reserves for many metals have grown as fast or faster than production.

Governments have traditionally subsidized mineral production for several reasons:

export currency to reduce international debteconomic developmentnational security

US stockpiles of strategic metals and metal ores.

The Global Metal Trade The Global Metal Trade

Energy for production

Two fundamental strategies for dealing with mineral scarcity:

1. Increase supply

locate new ore depositsrecycle old materials

2. Decrease demand

find alternatives or substituteseliminate need through technology or lifestyle changes

Producing and buying DURABLE GOODS is an easy way to reduce demand for mineral resources