Science Holt Ch 4
What is the fourth mineral characteristic?
Minerals are crystals. Crystals are solids whose particles, such as atoms or ions, are arranged in repeating and regular geometric patterns. Volcanic glass is not a mineral because the atoms in glass are not arranged in any pattern. In other words, volcanic glass is not crystalline.
What is the fifth mineral characteristic?
Minerals have consistent chemical compositions. For example, every sample of the mineral fluorite is made of calcium and fluorine atoms. The chemical composition of minerals is what makes some of them valuable resources.
What are some rock and mineral resources and how are they used?
Minerals ranging from common sand to rare elements such as gold and platinum are used to make objects that we use daily. Earth materials are used for construction and other industrial purposes. Iron is used to make steel that serves as the framework for large buildings. Aluminum provides food and beverage packaging but is used in larger quantities to build airplanes. Copper wiring allows electricity to be distributed efficiently. Gold is used in small quantities in computers and other electronic products. Platinum serves an essential environmental role in catalytic converters that reduce car exhaust emissions. Salt can be harvested from sea water. In addition to its use on food, salt serves as a source of chlorine for water treatment and for other industrial processes.
What is the third mineral characteristic?
Minerals usually form by inorganic processes. In other words, they are usually not formed by or from living things. Coal is not a mineral because it forms from the remains of plants.
What problems does mining create?
Mining gives us resources we need, but it may also create problems. Mining can destroy or disturb the habitats of plants and animals. Also, waste products from a mine may get into water sources and pollute surface water and groundwater.
What can be recycled?
Newspaper, aluminum cans, most plastic containers, and cardboard boxes can be recycled. Most plastic containers have a number on them. This number informs you whether the item can be recycled. Plastic products with the numbers 1 and 2 can be recycled in most communities. Check with your community's recycling center to see what kinds of materials the center recycles.
What is a nonrenewable resource?
Not all of Earth's natural resources are renewable. A nonrenewable resource is a resource that forms at a rate that is much slower than the rate at which it is consumed. Coal is an example of a nonrenewable resource. It takes millions of years for coal to form. Once coal is used up, it is no longer available. Petroleum and natural gas are other examples of nonrenewable resources. When these resources become scarce, humans will have to find other resources to replace them.
Explain the types of surface mining.
Open-pit mining is used to remove large, near-surface deposits of valuable minerals such as gold and copper. Ore is mined from the top down in an open-pit mine. Explosives are often used to break up the overlying rock and the ore. The ore is then loaded into haul trucks and transported from the mine for processing. Quarries are open pits that are used to mine building stone, crushed rock, sand, and gravel. Coal that is near the surface is removed by surface coal mining. Surface coal mining is sometimes known as strip mining because the coal is removed in strips that may be 50 m wide and as long as 1 km.
What are nonmetals?
Other minerals and materials are nonmetals. Nonmetals have shiny or dull surfaces, may be translucent to light, and are good insulators of heat and electricity. Nonmetallic minerals are some of the most widely used minerals. For example, calcite is a major component of cement. Cement is used in roads, buildings, bridges, and other structures. Sand is a source of silica, which has uses that range from making glass to producing computer chips.
What are the costs of making paper?
Paper is made mainly from wood pulp. Highpurity clays and other ingredients are sometimes added. At each step in the paper making process, there are costs for human labor and safety, for the materials used, and for the energy needed. All of these costs will be added together to determine how much the manufacturer will charge for the finished paper. If a material resource becomes too expensive to obtain, then a cheaper resource must be used instead.
What is the second mineral characteristic?
Minerals are also solids. So, the ice in a glacier is a mineral, but liquid water is not a mineral.
What is an ore?
Many kinds of rocks and minerals are mined from the ground so they can be made into objects we need. Geologists use the term ore to describe a deposit that is large enough and has enough of the desired material to be mined for profit. Rocks and minerals are removed from the ground by one of two methods—surface mining or subsurface mining. The method miners choose depends on how close to the surface the ore is located.
What is petroleum?
A liquid mixture of complex hydrocarbons that is found in Earth's crust is called petroleum. You may think of petroleum as a resource that is used to provide gasoline and other fuels. But petroleum is also the raw material for other products. Some compounds in petroleum are the source of products such as waxes, tar, and asphalt. Petroleum is also the raw material for the manufacture of various types of polymers.
What is a mineral?
A mineral is a naturally formed, usually inorganic solid that has a crystalline structure. Minerals form in a variety of environments in Earth's crust. Different minerals form in environments depending on the physical conditions and the chemicals present. Most minerals form very slowly. Some minerals take millions of years to form.
What is a natural resource?
A natural resource is any natural material that is used by humans. Examples of natural resources are water, petroleum, minerals, forests, and animals. Most resources are changed and made into products that make people's lives more comfortable and convenient. The energy we get from many of these resources, such as gasoline and wind, ultimately comes from the sun's energy.
What is recycling?
Another way to conserve natural resources is to recycle. Recycling is the process of reusing materials from waste or scrap. Recycling reduces the amount of natural resources that must be obtained from the Earth. For example, recycling paper reduces the number of trees that must be cut down to make new paper products. Recycling also conserves energy. Though energy is required to recycle materials, it takes less energy to recycle an aluminum can than it does to make a new one!
What are energy and material resources?
Earth's resources can be divided into energy resources and material resources. Energy resources are natural resources that humans use to generate energy. Material resources are natural resources that humans use to make objects or that are consumed as food and drink. These resources come from Earth's atmosphere, crust, and oceans and xfrom the organisms that live on Earth.
What is the first mineral characteristic?
Geologists define minerals as being naturally formed. If a diamond is made in a laboratory, it is called a synthetic diamond to distinguish it from a naturally formed mineral.
What environmental procedures are taken and how do they change the price of the object?
If a paper manufacturer installs pollution-control devices in the paper factory, that cost will be added to the monetary cost of making the paper. The price of the paper in the store will increase to reflect the increased cost of manufacturing. Some communities pass laws that require environmental protection procedures. These laws might require reduced emission of pollutants, reclamation of mined land, or the replanting of harvested trees.
When is surface mining used and what types are there?
If ore is found at or near the surface of Earth, surface mining is used to remove the ore. Types of surface mines include open-pit mines, quarries, and strip mines.
What do animals provide?
In some parts of the world, animals provide transportation for humans and cargo. Animals help farmers till soil for planting crops. Animals also provide meat, leather, and dairy and egg products. Fibers for clothing are supplied by animals such as sheep, goats, and llamas. And animal wastes are a source of crop fertilizers and cooking fuel for some societies.
What are the resources that come from the atmosphere?
Perhaps the most valuable resource in the atmosphere is the oxygen required for plant and animal life. Oxygen is also used to burn rocket fuel. Other valuable chemicals are found in Earth's air. Nitrogen from the atmosphere is used as a fertilizer for agricultural plant growth. Argon is an atmospheric gas that is used inside light bulbs. Argon keeps the glowing filament in the light bulb from burning up.
How do we get energy from eating plants?
Plants store energy as sugars and starches in seeds, nuts, fruits, and roots. Humans harvest and eat plants to get this stored energy. Modern agriculture produces many kinds of plants that provide us with food and drink. Humans also grow food for domesticated animals.
What are polymers?
Polymers—sometimes called plastics—are made from chemicals that are separated out of petroleum. Polymers are used to make materials such as clothing and pipes for plumbing.
How can environmental resources be reused?
Reusing and recycling help reduce the demand for some new resources. But the use of many material resources will continue to increase as the world's population increases. The economic cost of resources is sometimes reduced by improved manufacturing efficiency and by the use of new technologies. The environmental cost of using resources can also be reduced. Resources can be obtained more carefully. Land and habitats that have been damaged by mining and by the harvesting of resources can be restored. In some cases, lowering the environmental costs of using resources costs money. Communities must decide how to balance these factors as they use resources.
What is a rock?
Rock is the natural material that makes up most of the solid part of Earth's surface. A rock may be a collection of one or more minerals. A rock can also include solid, nonmineral material such as coal or volcanic glass.
What are metals?
Some minerals or products obtained from minerals are metals. Metals have shiny surfaces, are opaque to light, and are good conductors of heat and electricity. Some metals and mixtures of metals are strong and do not rust. Other metals can be pounded or pressed into different shapes or stretched thinly without breaking. These properties make metals useful in aircraft, automobiles, computers, and spacecraft.
What are renewable resources?
Some natural resources can be renewed. A renewable resource is a natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which the resource is used. Although many resources are renewable, they still can be used up before they can be renewed. Trees, for example, are renewable. However, some forests are being cut down faster than new forests can grow to replace them.
What are some things that plants provide?
Some plants, such as cotton, produce fibers that can be woven into cloth or braided into ropes or baskets. Trees supply fruit and nut crops, as well as wood for lumber, paper, and fuel. The sap of some trees may be used to make products ranging from rubber to maple syrup. Edible oils are produced from many plants.
What is subsurface mining?
Subsurface mines are used when ore is too deep within Earth to be surface mined. Subsurface mining requires that tunnels be dug into the ground horizontally or at an angle. If a mineral deposit extends deep within Earth, however, a vertical shaft is sunk. This shaft may connect tunnels that intersect the ore at different levels. Iron, coal, and salt can be mined in subsurface mines.
What does Earth provide?
The Earth provides almost everything needed for life. For example, the Earth's atmosphere provides the air you breathe, maintains air temperatures, and produces rain. The oceans and other waters of the Earth give you food and needed water. The solid part of the Earth gives nutrients, such as potassium, to the plants you eat. These resources that the Earth provides for you are called natural resources.
What is the basic requirement for commercial products?
The basic requirement for commercial products is that the total cost of making a product must be less than the price that a buyer is willing to pay for it.
What are environmental costs?
The cost of acquiring objects is sometimes more than what is reflected in the price of the object at the store. The price of paper at the store includes the economic costs of making the paper. But does the price take into account the environmental cost of the paper production? Harvesting trees for paper may destroy old growth forests or at least disrupt local habitats. The manufacturing process may pollute a nearby river or the atmosphere.
What are the costs of natural resources?
The cost of using natural resources is related to the cost of extracting them from rock, water, or the atmosphere. Other costs include those for waste management, processing, packaging, transport, and marketing. Plant and animal resources may have additional costs related to planting, feeding, fertilization, irrigation, and pest control. And the effect of resource use on the environment is a different kind of cost.
How can the harmful effects of mining be reduced?
The harmful effects of mining can be reduced by returning the land to its original state when mining is completed. The process by which land used for mining is returned to its original state or better is called reclamation. Reclamation of land used for mining has been required by law since the mid-1970s. Another way to reduce the harmful effects of mining is to reduce our need for the resources being mined.
