Chapter 15 1.Stone Age 6,000 BC to 2,000 BC 2.Bronze Age 2,500BC or 1,000AD to iron age 3.Iron Age -...

Chapter 15

1.Stone Age 6,000 BC to 2,000 BC2.Bronze Age 2,500BC or 1,000AD to iron age3. Iron Age - most by 1,000BC

Stone = differently shaped rocksBronze = Copper and TinSteel = iron and carbon

What age are we in now?

Mining law 18721. Promoted development & settlement of western

public lands

1. File claims to hard rock minerals at $2.50-5.00 an acre / keep all profits / no royalties to…

1. Supersedes all other uses of the land or designations

1. Legacy of law - superfund sites / acid drainage / 40% all headwaters contaminated in west

1. Colorado has about 23,000 abandoned hard-rock mine sites - more than 500,000 nation wide

Open Pit Mining

Heap Leaching

Cyanide for Gold

Acid Mine Drainage

Sulfides exposed to air & water = sulfuric acid1.Somerset, PA will construct five ponds using Shore Guard vinyl sheet piling.2.The first two settling ponds the iron mixes with oxygen. 3.The next two ponds contain limestone to remove the acid.4.Pond five will capture any remaining metals.5.Then it will flow through a wetland before entering Indian creek.

PyriteIron Sulfate

Acid Mine Drainage = Perpetual Pollution

Heap leachingCyanideSulfuric Acid

Hg – Gold Amalgamation

Ducktown Tennessee Burra Burra Mine

1960’s

300 Acres left unforested as a reminder – view on Google EarthPicher Oklahoma & Chat Piles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ls3NdTKSHs

Copper Basin (Ducktown, TN) Reclamation

Problem: 1. Mine Operated 1899-19592. Acid Precipitation3. 50 square miles turned to waste4. Dams lost 25% storage capacity

Solution:1. 1930’s remediation failed - kudzu2. 16 Million Acid tolerant pine and grass seeds broadcast3. Added lime and fertilizer4. Cost $500.00 per acre (32K acres)5. Erosion went from 200 tons to 8 annually6. Target completion date 2000

Smelting

Coke:Hydrocarbon heated to remove volatiles to get pure carbon.

Phytoremediation - Thlaspi1. Absorbs Zinc & Cadmium2. Has an ability to concentrate heavy metals in plant parts

Advantages Disadvantages

Works on a variety of organic and inorganics

May take several years to remediate

Easy to implement Restricted to shallow sites

Low Cost Dependent on Climate

Environmentally friendly

Possible impacts on food chain

Pleasing to the eye Harvest can be classified as hazardous waste

Reduces waste to landfill

Human consumption of food a concern

Summitville ColoradoHistory:1.1870 Gold Discovered2.250 Claims3.By 1959 18K lbs gold4.1984 heap leached pyritic ore with cycanide on 73 acre pad5.Activated Carbon used to extract minerals from leachate6.By 1991 200K lbs gold & 640K silver removed from 500acres of ore7.1992 Company declares bankruptcy8.30 Million Paid in Settlement9.17 Mile stretch of river all life10. 210 million clean up

Why are minerals located here?

Mineral Formation

1. Magmatic concentration - as magma cools it separates with silicates rising and iron, nickel, & copper sinking - layered by density

2. Hydrothermal processes - dissolved minerals mix with salts to form a metal-bearing complex - gold, silver, copper, lead & zinc

3. Sedimentation - dissolved minerals are deposited manganese, copper, sulfur & phosphorus - warm meets cold

4. Evaporation - lakes without outlets salt, borax, potassium, gypsum

Metallic and Non-Metallic Minerals

Source / Transport / Trapping

Salt Flats

HydrothermalMineral Deposits

KaolinChattahoochee, Ocmulgee, Oconee and Savannah Rivers where inland shipping was stopped by falls or rapids at the Fall Line.

Uses: paper, food additive, toothpaste, cosmetics…

Geo

log

y

Ore Vs Product

Hydraulic Mining

Hard Rock Mining

Stone MT. in Bloom

Diamorphia Smallii

Confederate Daisy

The LawSurface Mining Control & Reclamation Act of 1997Only covers coal

SMCRA created two programs: 1. Regulation of active coal mines2. Reclamation of abandoned mines funded by

tax on current mines

Reserve Vs Resource

Reserves:1. Have been located and quantified2. Can be extracted with current technology3. Can be extracted profitably

Resource:1. Not yet quantified but located 2. Future technology may make accessible

• To Deep or under ocean3. Not profitable under current technology

• Low Grade• Contaminated• Drilled out as a reserve source

Cost Benefit Analysis

Weigh the cost and benefit of mining…Montana

Future Trends

1. Deep Oceans - international waters2. Antarctica - should we - will we3. Biomining4. Undiscovered Deposits

International Sources - Stockpiling

The United States has discovered nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan, including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium.

Will We Run Out?

1. New Discoveries2. Replacement Materials - plastics3. Changing global economy4. Technology Changes5. Conservation