Deck 12: Geology and Nonrenewable Minerals

Question 1

Tectonic plates move extremely slowly atop the asthenosphere.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A longer depletion-time estimate assumes no recycling or reuse and no increase in reserves.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The San Andreas fault in California is an example of a transform boundary.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

China has heavily regulated rare earth metal mining industry.

Question 5

The dirt wall left after contour mining is called an overburden.

Question 6

Volcanic activity is notoriously difficult to monitor such that making evacuation plans is nearly impossible.

Question 7

Slate and marble are types of sedimentary rock.

Question 8

Earth's crust contains scarce and quickly depleting deposits of iron and aluminum ores.

Question 9

The 500,000 surface-mined sites that dot the U.S.landscape are usually cleaned up and restored because it is required by law.

Question 10

Surface mining can result in deforestation.

Question 11

Nonrenewable mineral resources renew over millions to billions of years.

Question 12

Each person in the U.S.uses an average of 24 tons of mineral resources per year.

Question 13

​There exists a relatively complete network of buoys and pressure recorders for a global tsunami warning system.

Question 14

A solution of highly toxic cyanide salts is used at approximately 90% of the world's gold mines.

Question 15

Mining has polluted mountain streams in about 40% of the western U.S.watersheds and accounts for 50% of all the country's emissions of toxic chemicals.

Question 16

A way to reduce death and damages from earthquakes is to study historical records and make geological measurements to locate active fault zones.

Question 17

High risk locations for earthquakes and tsunamis are not well known,and so events like a tsunami cannot be anticipated and preparations cannot be made in advance.

Question 18

Important nonrenewable mineral resources are evenly distributed in Earth's crust.

Question 19

Volcanoes are normally associated with transform faults.

Question 20

Reserves can be increased when higher prices make it profitable to mine deposits that previously were too expensive.

Question 21

What kind of movement does the heat within the core and mantle directly generate?​

A) ​convection cells or currents
B) ​tsunamis
C) ​earthquakes in the crust
D) ​landslides
E) ​seismic tremors within a volcano

Question 22

What rock is most likely to be formed from compacted shells and skeletons?​

A) ​coal
B) ​limestone
C) ​rock salt
D) ​marble
E) ​granite

Question 23

What do we call the combination of crust and the rigid,outermost part of the mantle?​

A) ​oceanic crust
B) ​asthenosphere
C) ​lithosphere
D) ​outer mantle
E) ​rigid plates

Question 24

The location of plate boundaries is most helpful is predicting the ____.​

A) ​formation of waterfalls and river canyons
B) ​location of potential geologic hazards
C) formation of ocean currents
D) ​location of endangered species
E) ​formation of weather

Question 25

Nanotechnologists envision technological innovations such as a flexible solar cell films that could be attached to or painted onto almost any surface.

Question 26

What toxic chemical do miners in poverty stricken countries use for mining gold?​

A) ​sulfuric acid
B) ​mercury
C) ​cyanide salts
D) ​arsenic
E) ​nitric acid

Question 27

What is a reason that the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean caused so much devastation and death?​

A) ​lack of attention to dire predictions from emergency warning centers
B) ​indicators of a weak storm by early detection systems
C) ​no recording devices in place to provide an early warning of this tsunami
D) ​no knowledge of the potential of earthquakes in this region
E) ​assumptions that tsunamis caused little harm until this event

Question 28

What major rock type is a limestone?​

A) ​organic
B) ​igneous
C) ​metamorphic
D) ​sedimentary
E) ​crystalline

Question 29

After extracting the gold from a mine,____ has allowed companies to walk away from cleaning up their mining operations.​

A) ​poor enforcement
B) ​relaxed environmental laws
C) ​market price
D) ​bankruptcy
E) ​outdated mining laws

Question 30

China dominates the world in the complex,lengthy,and environmentally harmful chemical process of converting rare earth minerals into individual metals and oxides.

Question 31

The United States National Academy of Sciences says that the federal government is not doing enough to evaluate potential risks from engineered nanomaterials.

Question 32

Forces inside the earth's mantle put tremendous stress on rock within the crust.Such stresses can be great enough to cause sudden breakage and shifting of the rock,producing ____ in the earth's crust.​

A) ​acidification
B) ​convection
C) ​faults
D) ​subduction
E) ​crystallization

Question 33

What is the process that changes rocks from one variety to another when subjected to high temperatures (which may cause it to melt partially),high pressures,chemically active fluids,or a combination of these agents?​

A) ​magmatism
B) ​metamorphism
C) ​convection
D) ​volcanism
E) ​subduction

Question 34

What process moves large volumes of rock and heat within Earth's mantle like giant conveyer belts?​

A) ​convection current
B) ​seismic activity
C) ​plate motion
D) ​subduction
E) ​magmatism

Question 35

Gold ore can be removed ore with a highly toxic chemical called _____ through series of leaching operations.​

A) ​sulfuric acid
B) ​nitric acid
C) ​arsenic
D) ​cyanide salts
E) ​H₂SO₄

Question 36

Although computer chips are partly made of crystals manufactured in a factory by humans,why is it that these chips cannot be called minerals?​

A) ​They do not exist in large enough quantities.
B) ​They are not naturally occurring.
C) ​They contain organic materials.
D) ​They are not entirely solid.
E) ​They contain no inorganic components.

Question 37

What rock is formed when shale and mudstone are heated?​

A) ​coal
B) ​limestone
C) ​granite
D) ​slate
E) ​marble

Question 38

Where do the majority of earthquakes and volcanoes occur?​

A) ​in the interior of continents
B) ​on oceanic islands
C) ​along the edge of plate boundaries
D) ​in the open ocean
E) ​in the U.S.

Question 39

What part of the mantle is the volume of hot,partly melted rock that flows?​

A) ​magma
B) ​outer mantle
C) ​inner mantle
D) ​asthenosphere
E) ​lithosphere

Question 40

Where is the focus of an earthquake located?​

A) ​deep underground at the very source of the earthquake
B) ​at the point on land where the majority of movement,and the majority of damage,occurs
C) ​at the point on land where the earthquake is first detected by a seismograph
D) ​at the exact middle point of the earthquake's origin along the length of two faults
E) ​on the earth's surface directly above the origin of the earthquake

Question 41

What rock is most likely to be formed from compacted plant remains?​

A) ​coal
B) ​limestone
C) ​rock salt
D) ​marble
E) ​granite

Question 42

Acid mine drainage involves ____.​

A) ​the combination of water and acidic compounds used to process ores
B) ​acid that drains out of gold mines
C) rainwater from a mine carrying sulfuric acid to nearby streams and groundwater
D) ​acid waste left over from the mining process
E) ​identical processes to those of acid rain

Question 43

The ____ cycle is the slowest of Earth's processes.​

A) ​hydrologic
B) ​rock
C) ​convection
D) ​mineral formation
E) ​metamorphic

Question 44

Sand is composed mostly of ____ and is used to make glass,bricks,and concrete for the construction of roads and buildings.​

A) ​shells,skeletons,and other remains of dead aquatic organisms
B) ​aluminum
C) ​phosphate salts
D) ​silicon dioxide (SiO2)
E) ​calcium carbonate,or CaCO3

Question 45

What determines which part of a known ore supply is extracted and used?​

A) ​economics
B) ​geology
C) ​tax laws
D) ​subsidies
E) ​environmental regulations

Question 46

Experts are particularly concerned about the U.S.depletion and lack of national reserves of manganese,cobalt,chromium,and platinum because they are nonrenewable ____ resources.​

A) ​security metal
B) ​strategic metal
C) ​biogenic metal
D) ​rare metal
E) ​trace metal

Question 47

A(n)____ contains a large enough concentration of a particular mineral to make it profitable for mining and processing.​

A) ​organic mineral
B) ​ore
C) ​open-pit
D) ​area strip mine
E) ​ocean mineral deposit

Question 48

What is the primary advantage of biomining?​

A) ​speed of processing
B) ​volume of ore
C) ​cost of implementing
D) ​reduced environmental impact
E) ​simplicity of the process

Question 49

According to the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),the resulting spoils from ____ have buried lengths of stream that are roughly equal to the distance between the two U.S.cities of New York and Chicago?​

A) ​subsurface mining
B) ​mountaintop removal
C) ​strip mining
D) ​open-pit mining
E) ​surface mining

Question 50

Lignite and bituminous coal are ____ rocks.​

A) ​metamorphic
B) ​igneous
C) ​tectonic
D) ​ore
E) ​sedimentary

Question 51

Slate and marble are ____ rocks.​

A) ​primary
B) ​secondary
C) ​metamorphic
D) ​igneous
E) ​sedimentary

Question 52

The U.S.dependence on foreign sources of ____ could be lessened by a new process that extracts the valuable material from the brine waste of geothermal plants.​

A) ​lithium
B) ​rare earth elements
C) ​gold
D) ​manganese
E) ​zinc

Question 53

What industry produces more toxic emissions than any other in the U.S.?​

A) ​technology
B) ​manufacturing
C) ​energy
D) ​mining
E) ​automobile

Question 54

The 17 ____ include scandium,yttrium,and 15 lanthanide chemical elements,including lanthanum.​

A) ​semi-precious minerals
B) ​metallic ores
C) ​non-metallic ores
D) ​rare earth metals
E) ​strategically important minerals

Question 55

Rare earth elements are not actually ____,but they are difficult to find in high enough concentrations and process at an economically viable price.​

A) ​economic
B) ​rare
C) ​mineable
D) ​sustainable
E) ​recoverable

Question 56

The greatest environmental impact would be caused by mining for ____ ore.​

A) ​a high-grade
B) ​a moderate-grade
C) ​a low-grade
D) ​biomining
E) ​hydrothermal

Question 57

The recycling process of what metal produces 95% less air pollution and 97% less water pollution,and uses 95% less energy than mining and processing its ore?​

A) ​copper
B) ​lithium
C) ​silica from glass
D) ​steel
E) ​aluminum

Question 58

What types of mining operations produce three-fourths of all U.S.solid waste?​

A) ​strip and mountaintop removal
B) ​open-pit and strip
C) ​surface and subsurface
D) ​area strip and mountaintop removal
E) ​contour strip

Question 59

Most of the chemical elements and compounds found in ____ occur in such low concentrations that recovering these mineral resources takes more energy and money than they are worth.​

A) ​rare earth element deposits
B) ​biomines
C) ​recycling
D) ​low-grade ores
E) ​seawater

Question 60

What is a mining technique in which shallow mineral deposits are removed by surface mining and involves the removal of vegetation,soil,and rock overlying a mineral deposit?​

A) ​mountaintop removal
B) ​contour strip
C) ​surface
D) ​open-pit
E) ​strip

Question 61

What is the best way for governments to support more sustainable use of nonrenewable mineral resources?​

A) ​enactment of more treaties
B) ​consensus on international policy
C) ​enforcement of strict tax laws
D) ​increased depletion allowances
E) ​reduced mining subsidies

Question 62

Match the items listed below with the appropriate description.​ Figure 12.3 ​
On the figure of the earth's crust,choose the letter that represents the inner core.​

Question 63

Match each rock with its type.
marble​

A)sedimentary
B)igneous
C)metamorphic

Question 64

What is a surface hazard resulting from subsurface mining?​

A) ​highwalls
B) ​fires
C) ​explosions
D) ​cave-ins
E) ​subsidence

Question 65

When there is a dispute about ____,it is often because of different assumptions about supplies and rates of use.​

A) ​strategic minerals
B) ​subsidies
C) ​depletion allowances
D) ​market price
E) ​depletion times

Question 66

Match each rock with its type.
sandstone​

A)sedimentary
B)igneous
C)metamorphic

Question 67

Match each rock with its type.
granite​

A)sedimentary
B)igneous
C)metamorphic

Question 68

Match the items listed below with the appropriate description.​ Figure 12.3 ​
On the figure of the earth's crust,choose the letter that represents the oceanic crust.​

Question 69

Match each rock with its type.
shale​

A)sedimentary
B)igneous
C)metamorphic

Question 70

What is the international problem regarding mining on the ocean floor?​

A) ​pirates and thievery
B) ​extreme water depth
C) ​rights to minerals
D) ​who is responsible for the clean up
E) ​who will pay what taxes

Question 71

What topographic feature is left behind at unreclaimed surface mines?​

A) vegetated terraces
B) ​contours
C) ​tailings
D) ​decrepit buildings
E) ​highwalls

Question 72

Match each rock with its type.
slate​

A)sedimentary
B)igneous
C)metamorphic

Question 73

A(n)____________________ forms when a preexisting rock is subjected to high temperatures,high pressures,chemically active fluids,or a combination of these agents.

Question 74

The use of ____ is likely to play a large role in the predicted materials revolution.​

A) ​renewable minerals
B) ​depletion allowances
C) ​subsidies
D) ​sustainable mining
E) ​nanotechnology

Question 75

Match the items listed below with the appropriate description.​ Figure 12.3 ​
​On the figure of the earth's crust,choose the letter that represents cold dense materials falling through the mantle.

Question 76

What kind of subsidies can governments use to promote sustainable use of nonrenewable minerals?​

A) ​clean-up and environmental compliance
B) ​aggressive foreign policy and conflict where necessary
C) ​market price and trade agreements
D) ​mining and allowances
E) ​reuse,recycling,and substitution programs

Question 77

Match the items listed below with the appropriate description.​ Figure 12.3 ​
On the figure of the earth's crust,choose the letter that represents the continental crust.​

Question 78

Surface and subsurface mining accounts for about ___________________ of all U.S.solid waste.

Question 79

What are the chimney-like structures near the hot water vents that come into contact with cold seawater and precipitate out various metal sulfides?​

A) ​black smokers
B) ​white smokers
C) ​hydrothermal vents
D) ​underwater volcanoes
E) ​manganese pipes

Question 80

Match the items listed below with the appropriate description.​ Figure 12.3 ​
On the figure of the earth's crust,choose the letter that represents hot material rising through the mantle.​