38482869
Description
Flashcards by Natalie Minor, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Natalie Minor
almost 2 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| mineral | - solid, inorganic (may contain something that was living), chemical formula - valuable and useful |
| physical and chemical properties | distinguish minerals - differences in chemical composition + crystal structure - hardness, luster, color, streak, breakage, magnetism, effervesence |
| nonrenewable resource | - a resource that exists in a fixed amount - only replaced by physical and chemical processes that take millions of years |
| deposits | high concentration of minerals in the earths surface |
| ores | rocks that contain a concentration of mineral that can be mined for profit |
| geologic processes | create and concentrate minerals |
| surface mining | - relatively safe, inexpensive - blast or dug hole (creates tailing) - mountaintop removal, open-pit, strip mining - transport trucks and blasting can disrupt ecosystems that purify water |
| tailing | - ore processed to remove minerals - dumped in tailing ponds which can be toxic - clay and vegetation is put over |
| overburden | - rock and soil found above minera deposits - must be replaced after mining |
| underground mining | - explosives in boreholes, rubble removed - ground support and equipment to provide ventilation, light, oxygen, and ground transport - air/water pollution, water-flow changes, |
| reclamation | - law stating that land must be restored to its natural state after mining - minimizes environmental impacts |
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