Deck 13: Minerals and Energy

Question 1

Non-renewable resources formed on a time scale of ________.

A) millions of years
B) hundreds of thousands of years
C) thousands of years
D) hundreds of years

Answer 1

A

Question 2

________ might motivate profit-oriented mining and fossil-fuel extraction companies to engage in environmental management.

A) An inherently ethical standpoint
B) Long-term economic returns on corporate-responsibility investments
C) A reduction in costly government inspections and auditing practices
D) Both b and c

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The main environmental issues for the mining sectors are related to ________.

A) metal toxicity
B) acid mine drainage
C) sulphur dioxide emissions
D) All of the above

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The root cause of acid mine drainage is ________.

A) the separation of sulphide-bearing ore minerals from other minerals
B) the burning of fossil fuels at mines
C) hydroelectric energy production near old mine sites
D) the drilling of test wells

Question 5

Sulphur dioxide emissions are created by ________.

A) the separation of sulphide-bearing ore minerals from other minerals
B) the smelting of sulphide-bearing ores.
C) the burning of fossil fuels
D) Both b and c

Question 6

Many uses of asbestos are no longer considered acceptable because of its role in ________.

A) reducing fertility
B) toxicity to fish
C) causing strokes
D) causing cancer

Question 7

In 2015, Canada produced ________ minerals and metals.

A) 60
B) 70
C) 50
D) 40

Question 8

Canada is the world's ________ largest exporter of uranium.

A) fourth
B) third
C) second
D) fifth

Question 9

Potash is a term for ________.

A) nitrogen-rich soils
B) ash deposits from ancient forest fires
C) deposits of high-phosphorus rock
D) potassium salt deposits

Question 10

The vast majority of potash is used for ________.

A) biocides
B) manufacturing
C) electronic components
D) fertilizer

Question 11

In 2016, ________ was spent on exploration and appraisal of deposits in Canada.

A) 1.6 billion
B) 2.6 billion
C) 1.6 million
D) 2.6 million

Question 12

Canada's first two diamond mines are located in ________.

A) Quebec
B) the Northwest Territories
C) Nunavut
D) Ontario

Question 13

Canada's third diamond mine is located in ________.

A) Quebec
B) the Northwest Territories
C) Nunavut
D) Ontario

Question 14

________ is an indicator mineral associated with diamonds.

A) Asbestos
B) Pyrite
C) Yellow quartz
D) Chrome diopside

Question 15

Kimberlite is ________.

A) an igneous rock
B) a kind of granite
C) a sedimentary rock
D) a metamorphic rock

Question 16

Kimberlite pipes are important because ________.

A) kimberlite is used for building materials
B) kimberlite pipes sometimes contain diamonds
C) kimberlite pipes indicate that there is a nickel deposit nearby
D) kimberlite indicates that gold can be found nearby

Question 17

The Ekati mine will produce a gross value of ________ over its 25-year lifespan.

A) $5 billion
B) $5 million
C) $9.5 billion
D) $1 million

Question 18

BHP signed impact and benefit agreements in 1996 that prioritised the hiring of________.

A) Indigenous people from the NWT
B) non-Indigenous people from the NWT
C) Canadians with mining experience
D) their own people from Australia

Question 19

The most significant comment on sampling design at Ekati provided by federal government departments was that ________.

A) more effort was required to incorporate traditional knowledge into the scientific data collection process
B) the lake chosen to hold the tailings was deemed unsuitable because of a unique fish species found during the baseline surveys
C) more emphasis should be placed on hiring Indigenous peoples
D) the mine should not go ahead as planned, and exploration should continue in another area of the country instead

Question 20

BHP noted including traditional knowledge into its research program was a challenge because ________.

A) no one set of traditional knowledge existed, since the Inuit, Métis, and Dene each have their own traditional knowledge
B) some Indigenous groups were reluctant to provide traditional knowledge due to ongoing land claims
C) traditional knowledge was viewed by Indigenous peoples as their intellectual property, meaning its use and management had to remain within their control
D) All of the above

Question 21

________ was proposed to hold tailing in Long Lake.

A) A frozen core dam
B) A timber dam
C) A steel core dam
D) A rock-fill dam

Question 22

Among environmental issues, the most important concern raised at Ekati was the potential effects on ________.

A) moose
B) caribou
C) muskox
D) grizzly bear

Question 23

Impact and benefit agreements (IBAs) are ________.

A) voluntary agreements, beyond the formal impact assessment requirements
B) intended to facilitate extraction in a manner that contributes to economic and social well-being of local communities
C) designed to address community and industry relations in mining and extractive resource activities
D) All of the above

Question 24

The "Ring of Fire" area north of Thunder Bay, Ontario, contains massive deposits of ________.

A) potash
B) calcium
C) cadmium
D) chromite

Question 25

Geothermal heat occurs near the Earth's surface in ________.

A) Brazil
B) USA
C) Iceland
D) Canada

Question 26

Biomass energy sources include ________.

A) heat from burning firewood
B) muscle power of people and animals
C) biogas conversion of crop and animal wastes
D) All of the above

Question 27

Canada produces ________ of its electricity from nuclear power.

A) 10 per cent
B) 30 per cent
C) 5 per cent
D) 15 per cent

Question 28

In Canada, ________ has had the greatest increase in energy use.

A) British Columbia
B) Alberta
C) Manitoba
D) Quebec

Question 29

________ is the main type of primary energy production in Canada.

A) Fossil fuel energy
B) Solar energy
C) Biomass energy
D) Nuclear energy

Question 30

Choice of energy sources is based on ________.

A) price and energy content
B) storability, safety, and flexibility
C) occurrence, transferability, and reliability
D) All of the above

Question 31

Wind energy converts ________ energy into mechanical energy or electricity.

A) radiant
B) kinetic
C) potential
D) chemical

Question 32

As of 2017, ________ leads the world in wind energy production.

A) USA
B) China
C) Netherlands
D) Canada

Question 33

In Canada, ________ are leaders in wind energy production.

A) Ontario and Quebec
B) Quebec and Alberta
C) Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island
D) Ontario and British Columbia

Question 34

The Health Canada and Statistics Canada research report on the health impacts of wind farms in Prince Edward Island and Ontario found that ________.

A) there was no relationship between reported annoyance and levels of wind turbine noise
B) individuals receiving personal benefits from wind farms were more likely to report annoyance
C) self-reported sleep problems and illnesses were not associated with exposure to wind turbine noise
D) exposure to wind turbine noise was correlated to higher blood pressure and resting heart rates

Question 35

The advantages of wind power include that ________.

A) it does not require fuel
B) it does not produce toxic waste
C) it does not produce greenhouse gases
D) All of the above

Question 36

The potential impact of wind turbines thought to be the most significant for wildlife is ________.

A) collisions
B) habitat loss
C) falling ice
D) noise

Question 37

Solar power is a viable energy solution because ________.

A) the sun is an endless energy source
B) the cost of solar panels has been dropping
C) solar energy systems can be useful for remote communities
D) All of the above

Question 38

Solar power has several disadvantages, EXCEPT that ________.

A) it is an intermittent power source due to cloudy conditions or at night
B) panel installations require relatively large areas
C) it is not suitable for smart energy networks involving distributed power generation
D) it requires storage batteries and equipment to convert direct electricity to alternating electricity

Question 39

________ was the first offshore natural gas project in Canada.

A) White Rose
B) Hibernia
C) Sable Island
D) Terra Nova

Question 40

The support vessel stationed near the offshore oil production platform used at Hibernia has the task of ________.

A) transporting workers to and from the coast of Newfoundland
B) anchoring the production platform during high wave and wind conditions
C) towing small- and medium-sized icebergs away from the platform
D) transporting oil to inshore terminals

Question 41

________ prevents exploratory drilling for oil and gas off the coast of BC.

A) A moratorium imposed after a major oil spill in Alaska in 1989
B) A moratorium imposed after a major oil spill off the coast of BC in 1989
C) A moratorium imposed by the federal government in 1972
D) A set of Indigenous land claims

Question 42

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was a result of ________.

A) a collision between a large tanker and the oil rig
B) human error during the installation of a permanent cap on the wellhead
C) a tanker that ran aground a reef
D) an explosion that resulted in an uncontrolled wellhead blowout

Question 43

Extracting bitumen from the oil sands has a negative environmental impact on ________.

A) the boreal forest
B) air quality
C) Athabasca River
D) All of the above

Question 44

________ cannot be replicated by land reclamation efforts in the oil sands area, because they take thousands of years to develop.

A) Bird habitats
B) Peatlands
C) Meadows
D) Woodlands

Question 45

The ________ river system is vulnerable to water withdrawal and pollution arising from oil sands operations.

A) Athabasca
B) Churchill
C) Mackenzie
D) Nahannie

Question 46

Greenhouse gas emissions from Alberta's oil sands are the fastest growing source of GHGs in Canada, representing ________ of Canada's total GHG emissions in 2010.

A) 3 per cent
B) 5 per cent
C) 1 per cent
D) 10 per cent

Question 47

The removal of natural gas from rock formations well below the Earth's surface is called ________.

A) hydraulic fracturing
B) hydrological fracking
C) gas mining
D) bitumin

Question 48

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization would apply ________ for used nuclear fuel.

A) a hybrid of technical methods and management systems
B) storage in a centralized above ground site in Northern Ontario
C) storage in regulated facilities on the sites at which the waste was produced
D) adaptive phased management approach

Question 49

________ will help save energy in a household.

A) Use window shades to keep sunlight out during cold winter days
B) Removing programmable thermostats
C) Installing low-flow shower heads
D) Replacing fluorescent light bulbs with incandescent bulbs

Question 50

Flow or renewable resources in the critical zone can be harvested or exploited to exhaustion.

Question 51

Using renewable resources never leads to environmental problems.

Question 52

Some non-renewable resources can be recycled and reused.

Question 53

Extraction of non-renewable resources usually results in their absolute depletion in anything less than a geologic timeframe.

Question 54

Canada is one of the world's major exporters of minerals and metals.

Question 55

The mining sector is the main contributor to sulphur dioxide emissions in Canada.

Question 56

Canada is the second-largest exporter of potash.

Question 57

Saskatchewan's potash mine operations are some of the least efficient in the world.

Question 58

The first diamond mines began operation in Canada in late 1970s.

Question 59

The BHP diamond mine called Ekati is located in Nunavut.

Question 60

Diamonds are separated from other minerals by physical crushing.

Question 61

Northern Indigenous residents have the highest priority in getting jobs at BHP's northern mining operations.

Question 62

The frozen core dam design was chosen at Ekati because the climate is conducive to this design.

Question 63

The "Ring of Fire" in Northern Ontario was named after a Johnny Cash song.

Question 64

All Canadians have the same attitudes towards resource development.

Question 65

Wind turbines are often situated on high spots, since wind speed decreases with elevation above the surface.

Question 66

Nocturnal migrating birds tend to suffer the highest mortality rates from wind turbines.

Question 67

Solar energy is constant, thereby making it the most reliable energy source.

Question 68

Canada is third after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia for oil sand reserves.

Question 69

Land reclamation of Alberta's oil sand development areas will restore the area to its original, natural state.

Question 70

Concerns related to fracking include the potential for triggering of earthquakes.

Question 71

Coal is no longer mined or consumed within Canada.

Question 72

Nuclear power plants supply up to 15 per cent of Canada's electricity.

Question 73

The Canadian federal government determined that deep geological depositories are not an acceptable long-term management strategy for nuclear waste.

Question 74

Compact fluorescent bulbs require less energy compared to incandescent light bulbs.

Question 75

What is the difference between flow and stock resources?

Question 76

What types of management concerns need to be considered when dealing with non-renewable resources?

Question 77

What are the three main environmental issues for the mining and energy sectors? Briefly describe each one.

Question 78

What are the best practices for mining and fossil-fuel companies' environmental management?

Question 79

What is kimberlite, why is it found in Canada's north, and why is it associated with diamonds?

Question 80

What challenges did BHP Diamonds face in trying to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into their environmental research program?