chapter 16 environmental science
Quarry
An open pit used to mine minerals near the surface is called a
The _____ regulates the release of hazardous substances into the air, soil, and water by mining.
Comprehensive Response Compensation and Liability Act
What do hydrothermal solutions contain?
Dissolved minerals
What regulation/ acts of law must mining companies must follow?
Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977.
What are native elements?
Minerals that are made of just one element.
What substance are commonly used in solution mining?
Potash
What is an ore deposit?
Rock or sediment containing ore minerals in economical concentrations
What is a network of entries into subsurface coal mines called?
Room and pillar
Methods of subsurface mining?
Room and pillar, longwall, solution mining
The _____ sets standards to minimize the surface effects of coal mining on the environment.
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
Evaporites most commonly form in
arid regions where rates of evaporation are high.
What are minerals are made up of
atoms that are arranged in a regular, repeating geometric pattern.
Surface mining can cause
both air and noise pollution.
Two or more atoms chemically bonded together form a(n) _.
compound
The Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act ensure that _ from mines do not threaten water quality.
contaminants
Acid mine drainage is contaminated _ that results when acid dissolves toxic minerals that exist in mine waste.
contaminated water that results when acid dissolves toxic minerals that exist in mine waste.
How do minerals typically form?
crystallization
What do hydrothermal solutions contain?
dissolved minerals
A floating barge on which buckets fixed onto a conveyor excavate sediments is called a(n) _.
dredge
Large piles of excess rock from mines are called _.
dumps
What is one property that may be used to distinguish metallic from nonmetallic minerals?
electrical conductivity
Metallic minerals conduct _.
electricity
The first step in finding a ore deposit
exploring rock for mineralization.
A material that bonds with impurities and separates them from molten metal during smelting is called a(n) _.
flux
Nonmetallic minerals prized mainly for their beauty, rarity, or durability are called _.
gemstones
Acid mine drainage
harms or kills aquatic life.
Gangue minerals
have no commercial value.
The minerals that conduct electricity well are called _.
metallic minerals
Through _____, mining companies can identify areas where there may be valuable mineral resources.
mineral exploration
What can contaminate a river during dredging?
muddy sediments
Gold, silver, and copper that occur in elemental form are called _.
native elements
What are characteristics of minerals?
naturally occurring, usually an inorganic solid, orderly internal structure
A quarry also could be called
open pit
Which of the following are minerals that contain valuable substances?
ore minerals
Rocks that cover coal seams near the surface are called _.
overburden
Collapse of _____ can lead to subsidence.
pillars in abandoned mines
The land recovery process required of mine operators is called _.
reclamation
Reclamation is the process of
returning land to its original or better condition after mining.
Networks of entries in subsurface coal mines are called _.
rooms
The layer of impurities on top of molten metal that forms during smelting is called
slag.
The process where crushed ore is melted at high temperatures to separate impurities from molten metal is called _.
smelting
Solution mining is an economical mining method if mineral ores are _ in water.
soluble
Bends in rivers often have _.
stream placers
The sinking of regions of the ground with little or no horizontal movement is called _.
subsidence
What are placer deposits, how is it formed
surface mineral deposits that have been concentrated and are formed by movement of wind and water.
The first step in surface coal mining is
to remove and set aside the soil that covers the area to be mined.
Ore deposits formed in cracks in rocks are called _.
veins
