Mineral Uses and Resources

*Explain what ores are and how they form. *Identify 4 uses for mineral resources * Summarize 2 ways humans obtain mineral resources

How do ores form??

• 1. Cooling magma- dense metallic minerals sink and accumulate on the bottom of the magma chamber

• 2. Contact Metamorphism-magma comes in contact with rock. Hydrothermal solutions form veins. Gold is an example.

• 3. Moving water- elements such as gold is weathered and carried by water then dropped where the current is weak.

Definitions

• Ore- mineral deposits from which metals and nonmetals can be removed for profit.

• Lode-a mineral deposit within a rock formation. “mother lode”

• Placer deposit- contains a valuable mineral that has been concentrated by mechanical action. (Water)

• Gemstones-mineral or rock used as jewelry.

Types of mining

• Subsurface – miners work underground.

• Surface- strip mining. Removing the surface.

• Placer- Mined by dredging.

• Undersea- ocean floor. Mining nodules that contain iron, nickel, and manganese.

COAL• Main article: History of coal mining in the United States• Anthracite (or "hard" coal), clean and smokeless, became the

preferred fuel in cities, replacing wood by about 1850. Bituminous (or "soft coal") mining came later. In the mid-century Pittsburgh was the principal market. After 1850 soft coal, which is cheaper but dirtier, came into demand for railway locomotives and stationary steam engines, and was used to make coke for steel after 1870.[23]

• Total coal output soared until 1918; before 1890, it doubled every ten years, going from 8.4 million short tons in 1850 to 40 million in 1870, 270 million in 1900, and peaking at 680 million short tons in 1918. New soft coal fields opened in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, as well as West Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama.

Coal

• Most coal is used for electricity.• Expenses for the transportation of the coal

can amount to 70% of the mining costs.• Why can burning coal, oil, and natural gas be

a problem??• CO2-Global Warming• 1st coal mine was located in Ottawa, Illinois in

1669

4 stages of Coal

1. Peat-partial decomposition of plant remains. Forms a brownish-black material.

2. Lignite- brown coal3. Bituminous Coal- 80% carbon. Called soft

coal.4. Anthracite- Hardest form of coal. Hottest

burning. 90% carbon

OIL

• Petroleum became a major industry following the oil discovery at Oil Creek Pennsylvania in 1859. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, the US was the largest oil producing country in the world; it is now the 3rd largest. However, the International Energy Agency projected that, due to the recent tight oil boom, the U.S. will surpass both Saudi Arabia and Russia and become the worlds largest oil producer circa 2017-2020.[

Why Titusville

•Why did Drake choose this spot to drill for oil? Well, the number one reason was the many active oil seeps in the region. As it turns out, there had already been wells drilled that had struck oil in the region. The only problem was, they weren't drilling for oil. Instead, they were looking for salt water or just plain drinking water. When they struck oil, they considered it a nuisance and abandoned the well. At the time, no one really knew what to do with the stuff if they found it ....more

• •

Oil

• It takes millions of years for living things to form oil.

• Anaerobic bacteria are responsible for turning organic matter into oil.

• The majority of the oil in the US is used for transportation.

• The US has huge oil shale deposits but not produced commercially because it is difficult and expensive to process.

Four steps in the oil refining process

• 1. Separation of crude oil according to molecular size and weight.

• 2. Heating and vaporization• 3. Condensation of the vapor to separate the

difficult types of fuel such as gasoline, distillates, and residual fuels.

• 4. Cracking and reforming (cracking converts heavy molecules to light ones, and reforming increases.)

NATURAL GAS• The Haymaker Gas Well in Murrysville was the nation's first commercial natural

gas well. For some time, it remained the largest commercial gas well in the world.[8]

• 1878

• In a letter, the commission stated that gas was piped from wells to homes in Venango County in 1867 and Crawford County in 1872.

• “Based on that information, it is difficult to see how (the Murrysville) site represents the first commercial gas well,” the letter states.

•

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Natural Gas

• What are the processing advantages of natural gas?

• It requires little processing.

• What are the transportation advantages of natural gas?

• It’s lightweight and easy to move through pipes.

• Why do gas wells usually cost more than oil wells?

• Gas wells are much deeper

Impacts of mining

• Mining can cause air and noise pollution.• Can be destructive to wildlife habitats.• It can affect nearby water sources.• Sink holes• Fires in mines can burn for decades or

centuries.

Mining regulations

• Clean Water Act• Safe Drinking Water Act• Comprehensive Response Compensation and

Liability Act• Endangered Species Act• Mines must go through reclamation to reduce

the long-lasting environmental impact of mining.

Alternative Energy Sources

• Nuclear• Geothermal• Solar• Hydroelectric• Biomass• Wind

Explain each type in your notes. Include pros and cons.