Deck 15: Mineral Resources

Question 1

Evaporation:

A) increases the concentration of dissolved minerals in bodies of water.
B) can occur in bodies of water that exchange large volumes with the ocean.
C) occurs when warm river water meets colder ocean water.
D) leads to extensive deposits of tin, copper, and iron.
E) is responsible for the formation of nickel and manganese deposits.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What usually happens to mine tailings?

A) they are treated with scrubbers
B) they are removed using phytoremediation
C) they are left in piles on the ground
D) they are treated with electrostatic precipitators
E) they are treated with both scrubbers and electrostatic precipitators

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT an example of a mineral?

A) bronze
B) oxides
C) salt
D) sulfur
E) platinum

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The hill of loose rock produced as a by-product of strip mining is known as:

A) an overbank.
B) a spoil bank.
C) an open pit.
D) acid mine drainage.
E) tailings.

Question 5

Hydrothermal processes:

A) occur when groundwater is heated and forced through fissures in rocks.
B) are responsible for deposits of zinc, lead and copper.
C) are responsible for deposits of gold and silver.
D) promote the formation of insoluble metal sulfides.
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 6

Surface mining is more common than subsurface mining because it:

A) does not cause as much land disturbance.
B) is less expensive.
C) requires fewer spoil banks.
D) does not cause any water pollution.
E) None of these statements is correct; subsurface mining is more common.

Question 7

Magmatic concentration:

A) occurs when sand and gravel accumulate in riverbeds.
B) separates iron-containing rock from silicon-containing rock.
C) results in the separation of rock layers based on grain size.
D) is responsible for some deposits of phosphorus and zinc.
E) is responsible for some deposits of manganese, and sulfur.

Question 8

__________ use a variety of instruments to locate valuable mineral deposits.

A) Astronomers
B) Ecologists
C) Geologists
D) Marine biologists
E) Meteorologists

Question 9

A rock that contains a large enough concentration of a particular mineral to profitably mine and extract it is called a/an:

A) atom.
B) slag.
C) metal.
D) ore.
E) compound.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a nonmetallic mineral?

A) ore
B) chromium
C) zinc
D) nickel
E) silicon

Question 11

Which of the following is not an environmental impact of mining?

A) groundwater depletion
B) enrichment of waterways
C) erosion
D) acid mine drainage
E) air pollution

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of a mineral?

A) bronze
B) rock
C) copper
D) petroleum
E) water

Question 13

_______ is an impurity in many mineral ores and can cause acid rain when it escapes during the smelting process.

A) Arsenic
B) Cadmium
C) Lead
D) Sulfur
E) Zinc

Question 14

Which of the following mineral concentration processes does not require water?

A) sedimentation
B) evaporation
C) hydrothermal processes
D) magmatic concentration
E) None of these choices is correct, all require water

Question 15

The difference between a high-grade ore and a low-grade ore is the:

A) amount of a particular mineral within the ore.
B) relative abundance of the ore worldwide.
C) relative ease with which the ore can be mined.
D) type of minerals present within the ore.
E) distribution of the ore worldwide.

Question 16

Chemical and physical weathering processes are part of which mineral deposit-forming process?

A) magmatic concentration
B) hydrothermal mineral concentration
C) sedimentation
D) evaporation
E) spoil bank formation

Question 17

_______ are minerals that are usually malleable, good conductors of heat and electricity, and lustrous.

A) Rocks
B) High-grade ores
C) Low-grade ores
D) Metals
E) Phosphates

Question 18

Which of the following is used to separate impurities from molten metal?

A) tailings
B) phytoremediation
C) mine drainage
D) smelting
E) recycling

Question 19

Acids and other toxic substances that cause problems when they enter streams and the groundwater system are called:

A) tailings.
B) slag.
C) spoil banks.
D) acid mine drainage.
E) overburden.

Question 20

Smelting of which of the following minerals is done in a blast furnace?

A) copper
B) tin
C) lead
D) iron
E) All of these choices are correct

Question 21

Estimates of mineral reserves are dependent upon:

A) technological changes.
B) economic changes.
C) political changes.
D) price fluctuations.
E) all of these statements are true

Question 22

All of the following statements are TRUE except:

A) Examples of nonmetallic minerals include phosphates, salt, and sand.
B) Subsurface mining disturbs the land less than surface mining.
C) Highly developed nations still have large mineral reserves within their boundaries.
D) Many developing countries lack any significant mineral deposits.
E) Four of the world's top five mineral producers are highly developed countries.

Question 23

Which of the following best characterizes the relationship between nations and their consumption of minerals?

A) Highly developed nations often rely on developing nations for strategically important minerals.
B) The nations with the richest concentration of minerals consume the largest portion of minerals.
C) Highly developed nations consume a fair and proportionate share of the world's minerals.
D) As developing nations industrialize, their consumption of minerals decreases.
E) The richest concentrations of minerals in developing countries have been depleted.

Question 24

Reclamation of the environment surrounding Ducktown, Tennessee has involved:

A) the addition of fertilizer.
B) using advanced technology to extract all of the residual mine and smelting toxins from the soil.
C) reintroduction of animals, including birds and field mice.
D) reconstitution of the original, complex forest ecosystem in just three decades.
E) establishment of a preserve and national park on the old mining site.

Question 25

What is a mineral? Compare and contrast the properties and uses of metallic and nonmetallic mineral resources. Include in your discussion three examples of both metallic and nonmetallic mineral resources.

Question 26

Which of the following statements about Antarctica is FALSE?

A) The Antarctic Treaty of 1961 limits activity in Antarctica to peaceful uses, such as tourism and research.
B) Polar regions are extremely vulnerable to human activities and impact.
C) Substantial mineral deposits have been found in Antarctica.
D) The Madrid Protocol contains a moratorium on mineral exploration and development for at least 50 years.
E) This continent plays a pivotal role in regulating many aspects of the global environment.

Question 27

The environmental damage near Ducktown, Tennessee was caused by:

A) coal mining and ash ponds.
B) copper mining and smelting.
C) gold mining and smelting.
D) strip mining for diamonds.
E) open-pit mining for sand and gravel.

Question 28

_____ is stockpiling and controls the global supply of rare-earth metals, which are used in high-tech industries.

A) South Africa
B) Japan
C) The United States
D) China
E) India

Question 29

The world reserve base of minerals includes:

A) deposits that have been identified and located.
B) deposits of low-grade ores, which may be profitable to extract in the future.
C) deposits of high-grade ores.
D) deposits that have not been identified yet.
E) All of these statements are correct

Question 30

The environmental degradation of the Copper Basin, Tennessee region is the result of all of the following except:

A) destruction of nearby aquatic communities.
B) deforestation.
C) acid precipitation.
D) soil erosion.
E) All of these choices are associated with the environmental degradation of the Copper Basin area.

Question 31

Large potato-sized nodules found on the sea floor contain manganese, copper, and nickel. What is the main reason these minerals have not been mined?

A) it would cost more to mine the minerals than they are currently worth
B) international agreements for seafloor mining do not yet exist
C) nobody is really sure where these nodules are located
D) the metals are of limited use and abundantly available elsewhere
E) none of these statements is correct

Question 32

Mineral ________ have been identified and are currently profitable to extract, while mineral ________include ores that are undiscovered or currently unprofitable to extract.

A) funds; collections
B) caches; refuges
C) resources; reserves
D) reserves; resources
E) stores; hoards

Question 33

Discuss three processes that can lead to the formation of mineral deposits. Please include in your discussion the role water and mineral solubility play in the process. Include specific examples of mineral deposits formed by each process.

Question 34

Which of the following statements about wetlands is false?

A) Artificial wetlands may take 50 to 100 years to adequately neutralize acidity for aquatic life.
B) Bacteria in wetlands consume the sulfur in the acid mine drainage, thereby decreasing the acidity of the water.
C) Creating and maintaining wetlands are inexpensive solutions to the problem of acid mine drainage.
D) As water in the wetland becomes more basic, zinc and copper precipitate out and enter the sediments.
E) Wetlands trap sediments and pollutants so that water quality downstream from the wetland is improved.

Question 35

Provisions of the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS):

A) prohibit seabed mining in deep territorial waters.
B) apply only to international waters.
C) were developed primarily by the United States.
D) have been ratified by all countries that have oceanic borders.
E) None of these statements is correct.

Question 36

Identify the bacterial genus that shows promise in "biomining" of certain valuable minerals (i.e., copper).

A) Arctostaphylos
B) Thiobacillus
C) Rhizobium
D) Streptococcus
E) Marchantia

Question 37

What is the difference between an ore and a rock?

A) ores contain a large concentration of a particular mineral; a rock may or may not be an ore
B) ores contain only metallic minerals; rocks contain only nonmetallic minerals
C) ores are always profitable to extract; rocks are never profitable to extract
D) ores are good conductors of heat and electricity; rocks are not good conductors of heat and electricity
E) ores are usually formed through hydrothermal processes; rocks are usually formed through sedimentation

Question 38

Dematerialization refers to:

A) a company selling waste products to another company for a different use.
B) a decrease in the weight of products over time due to technological improvements.
C) burning or otherwise destroying a product to reduce waste.
D) replacing one material in a product with a less expensive one.
E) recycling individual metals found in electronic products.

Question 39

Which of the following can be used to help remove pollutants from water draining away from mining lands?

A) topsoil
B) legume plants
C) seeds
D) fertilizer
E) wetlands

Question 40

Phytoremediation is a process used to:

A) remove impurities from metal ores.
B) absorb toxic materials from the soil.
C) treat harmful gases produced by smelting.
D) neutralize acid mine drainage.
E) minimize erosion in open-pit mines.

Question 41

Identify and discuss the environmental impacts of refining minerals. Discuss at least two ways to reduce the environmental impacts of mineral refining.

Question 42

How did Copper Basin, Tennessee, become an environmental disaster?

Question 43

Compare the mineral extraction processes of surface mining to subsurface mining in terms of the benefits and environmental impacts of each mining process, and identify various steps needed to reclaim surface mining sites.

Question 44

Use the following flow diagram to provide a specific example that would illustrate this material and energy flow in an industrial ecosystem.
raw material -> product -> wastes -> potential raw material -> product

Question 45

Discuss how geologists identify new mineral deposits.

Question 46

What is the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)? Describe at least one advantage and disadvantage to mining the sea floor.

Question 47

What is dematerialization? Identify one way in which dematerialization might help to conserve minerals and one way in which it may lead to greater consumption of minerals.