MINERAL

RESOURCES
FIRST of all what is MINERAL?

A mineral is a pure inorganic

substance that occurs
naturally in the earths crust.
All of the Earths crust,
except the rather small
proportion of the crust that
contains organic material, is
made up of minerals.
What are the basic uses of
minerals?
Minerals provide the material used to make most of
the things of industrial- based society; roads, cars,
computers, fertilizers, etc. Demand for minerals is
increasing world wide as the population increases and
the consumption demands of individual people
increase. The mining of earths natural resources is,
therefore accelerating, and it has accompanying
environmental consequences.
Types of Mineral Resources:

Minerals in general have been categorized into three classes fuel,

metallic and non-metallic. Fuel minerals like coal, oil and natural gas have
been given prime importance as they account for nearly 87% of the value
of mineral production whereas metallic and non-metallic constitutes 6 to
7%.
 Examples of mineral fuels
Coal, oil and natural gas are the basic
fossil fuel. We have good reserves for
coal but are very poor in more
essential fuel oils and natural gas.
(B) Metallic and Non-metallic Minerals:

India is poorly endowed with mineral wealth. Except

for iron ore and bauxite our share of world reserves of
every other mineral is one percent or less. However,
there has been a phenomenal growth in production
since independence. As per estimates if the present
trend of production continues, we will exhaust our
reserves of all the important minerals and fuels, except
coal, iron ore, limestone and bauxite, in 25 to 30 years.
 Metallic minerals
Metallic minerals occur in rare, naturally formed concentrations
known as mineral deposits. These deposits can consist of a variety of
metallic minerals containing valuable metals such as nickel
(pentlandite), copper (chalcopyrite), zinc (sphalerite), lead (galena)
and gold (occurs as a native element or as a minor constituent
within other minerals) that are used in all aspects of our daily lives.
Metallic minerals must be broken apart and chemically processed to
extract the useful metal from the mineral.
Nonmetallic mineral
resources
Nonmetallic industrial minerals represent the largest
sector of the domestic nonfuel minerals industry both
in terms of production and their contribution to gross
national product. Nonmetallic industrial minerals are
geologic materials that are mined for their
commerical value, but are not fuel and are not
sources of metals (metallic minerals). Individually and
in aggregate, the significance of nonmetallic industrial
mineral commodities in our lifestyle and economy
cannot be overstated.
GEOLOGIC PROCESSES

Deposits of nonrenewable mineral resources in the

earths crust vary in their abundance and distribution.
A very slow chemical cycle recycles three types of
rock found in the earths crust:
Sedimentary rock (sandstone, limestone).
Metamorphic rock (slate, marble, quartzite).
Igneous rock (granite, pumice, basalt).
 Erosion
Transportation

Weathering

Deposition

Igneous rock
Sedimentary Granite,
rock pumice,
Sandstone, basalt
limestone
Heat, pressure

Cooling
Heat, pressure,
Magma
stress
(molten rock)

Melting

Metamorphic rock
Slate, marble,
gneiss, quartzite
Fig. 15-8, p. 343
 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF USING
MINERAL RESOURCES

Minerals are removed through a variety of methods that vary widely in their
costs, safety factors, and levels of environmental harm.
A variety of methods are used based on mineral depth.
Surface mining: shallow deposits are removed.
Subsurface mining: deep deposits are removed.
DIFFERENT
MINING
WAYS
Open-pit Mining
Machines dig holes and
remove ores, sand,
gravel, and stone.
Toxic groundwater can
accumulate at the
bottom.

Figure 15-11
Area Strip Mining
Earth movers strips away
overburden, and giant
shovels removes mineral
deposit.
Often leaves highly erodible
hills of rubble called spoil
banks.

Figure 15-12
Contour Strip Mining
Used on hilly or
mountainous terrain.
Unless the land is restored,
a wall of dirt is left in front
of a highly erodible bank
called a highwall.

Figure 15-13
Mountaintop Removal
Machinery removes the tops
of mountains to expose
coal.
The resulting waste rock and
dirt are dumped into the
streams and valleys below.

Figure 15-14
Environmental Impacts of
Mining
Acid Mine Drainage
Erosion and Sedimentation
Cyanide & Other Toxic Releases
Dust Emissions
Habitat Modification
Surface and Groundwater Contamination
 Coal mining affects the
environment

Strip mining causes severe soil erosion and chemical

runoff
Acid drainage = sulfide minerals on exposed rock
surfaces react with oxygen and rainwater to produce
sulfuric acid
Mountaintop removal causes enormous damage
 Coal mining harms human
Subsurfacehealth
mining is harmful to human health
Mine shaft collapses
Inhalation of coal dust can lead to fatal black lung disease
Costs to repair damages of mining are very high
These costs are not included in the market prices of fossil
fuels, which are kept inexpensive by government subsidies
Mining companies must restore landscapes, but the impacts
are still severe
Looser of restrictions in 2002 allowed companies to dump
rock and soil into valleys, regardless of the consequences
Now what do we do with it?

Once the ore is mined and hauled to the surface, it

must be processed
Tailings are what is left behind once the valuable portion
of the ore is removed.
Gangue is the commercially worthless minerals
associated with a valuable find.
Mining Impacts

Metal ores are smelted or

treated with (potentially toxic)
chemicals to extract the desired
metal.

Figure 15-15
Hyperaccumulation

Hyperaccumulator plants accumulate inordinate

amounts of one or more Trace Elements (TE)s in their
above ground biomass.
Hyperaccumulators species may accumulate one or
more of a range of TEs that currently includes nickel,
manganese, zinc, cadmium, thallium, copper, cobalt
and arsenic.
Hyperaccumulation may have applications in mining in
the future.
 Natural Capital Degradation
Extracting, Processing, and Using Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy Resources

Steps Environmental effects

Mining Disturbed land; mining
accidents; health hazards,
Exploration, mine waste dumping, oil
extraction spills and blowouts; noise;
Processing ugliness; heat

Transportation, Solid wastes; radioactive

material; air, water, and
purification,
soil pollution; noise;
manufacturing safety and health
Use hazards; ugliness; heat

Transportation or Noise; ugliness; thermal

transmission to water pollution; pollution
of air, water, and soil;
individual user, solid and radioactive
eventual use, and wastes; safety and health
discarding hazards; heat

Fig. 15-10, p. 344

Mining Waste

Subsidence is a phenomenon where the surface

collapses directly above a subsurface mine.
Spoils are the unwanted rock and other waste left
over after mining either on the surface or subsurface
Tailings are the materials left over after the process of
separating the valuable fraction from the worthless
fraction of an ore.
Other Places
where you can
find mineral
resources
Getting More Minerals from the
Ocean

Hydrothermal deposits form

when mineral-rich
superheated water shoots out
of vents in solidified magma on
the ocean floor.

Figure 15-17
 Solutions
Sustainable Use of Nonrenewable Minerals

Do not waste mineral resources.

Recycle and reuse 6080% of mineral resources.

Include the harmful environmental costs of

mining and processing minerals in the prices
of items (full-cost pricing).

Reduce subsidies for mining mineral resources.

Increase subsidies for recycling, reuse, and

finding less environmentally harmful substitutes.

Redesign manufacturing processes to use less

mineral resources and to produce less pollution
and waste.

Have the mineral-based wastes of one

manufacturing process become the raw
materials for other processes.

Sell services instead of things.

Slow population growth.

Fig. 15-18, p. 351
 THANK YOU

GROUP7
DANICA TAMONDONG
DIVINE GALIT
DON MCKLIEN SEBASTIAN