EARTH 380 Midterm 2 Exam
Berkely pit: Snow geese incident
-1995 Berkely Pit started to get serious attention outside of ecological circles -That winter, a flock of geese migrating landed in the Berkeley Pit. Fog and bad weather prevented birds from leaving. -When the weather cleared, 342 of the geese were found dead. -Birds had chemical burns and sores from exposure to high concentrations of copper, cadmium, and arsenic
3 major environmental concerns associated with tailings ponds
1. Fine-grained airborne dust 2. Oxidation: acid mine drainage when the waste (gangue) minerals contain pyrite Feedback loop: acid created by oxidation of pyrite, galena, etc. dissolves other minerals and this releases other metals to solution 3. Failure of tailings dam
What are some of the consequences of clear-cutting forests?
1. Increases soil erosion 2. Excessive runoff of water over eroded soil muddies waterways and harms aquatic life 3. Removal of trees shading streams raises water temperatures and lowers its oxygen levels to the detriment of fish and other aquatic life 4. Diminishes the boreal forest's ability to sequester carbon
What caused the US oil boom starting in the early 1900's?
1916 President Wilson withdrew from the public domain 45,444 acres divided between two sites in Colorado and 86,584 acres across the border in Utah for designation as Naval Oil Shale Reserves to source domestic oil and reduce reliance on other countries. Interest and optimism from the federal government triggered the first oil shale boom on the Western slope.
What did Mexico do to its oil reserves and why?
1938- It was nationalized to expropriate the assets of almost all the foreign oil companies operating in Mexico. PEMEX, a state owned firm that held a monopoly over the Mexican oil industry, and barred all foreign oil companies from operating in Mexico. Strategy that allows governments to derive greater benefits from their natural resources
Clean Air Act
1972: clean air act passed by Richard Nixon Major shift in federal government's role in air pollution control Authorized development of comprehensive federal and state regulations to limit emissions from both stationary and mobile sources
Sudbury's nickel deposits are a result of what geological process?
A meteor impact
This originally protected Grand Canyon National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Zion National Park, Olympic National Park, the Statue of Liberty, and Devils Tower:
Antiquities Act
How did logging affect the Arctic Grayling fish population?
Arctic Grayling was extirpated from Michigan due to habitat loss caused by logging.
The natural resources trends of countries as they "mature" and how this correlates to GDP and pollution:
As a country matures, a higher percentage of their GDP consists of the service industry. In the US, the service industry accounts for 80% of US GDP. As countries become more service-dominant economies, manufacturing and production gets pushed to LDCs, which in turn causes pollution to be also pushed to those LDCs.
What is stock/shares of a company - who can own these? How does it affect who a company is accountable to?
As the scale of operations grew during the industrial revolution, small producers became larger corporations funded by loans from banks, governments, other institutions, or sales of shares/stock. Stock can be owned by a few people and not traded (private), the public on the stock exchange, and by governments.
1976 federal land policy and management act
BLM must serve present and future generations Ex. Grazing used to be a free for all- land was decimated due to tragedy of the commons
What are bonus bids vs royalties?
Bonus bids: Upfront payment once a bid is won by an entity. Historically a very important part of these revenues, both because of their large size and because they are paid regardless of whether the tract produced minerals. Royalty: a legally binding payment for the ongoing use of their assets.
Mining Right Law of 1872
Gave miners rights to claim land for the purpose of mining copper, gold, mercury, silver, and other valuable deposits.
How are the perspectives (in general) of generational cattle ranchers and east coast politicians different on federal land control and ownership of areas in the west?
Generational cattle ranchers feel entitled to land rights as they used to have full grazing rights on federal lands for free, so they feel that this is a right that is being taken for them as if they own the land, however the government owns the land and they were just letting cattle ranchers utilize it. They feel because they are stewards of the land, they have expenses beyond what they would have on their private land for their grazing operations, so it should cost them less. East coast politicians: raising fees of grazing on federal lands would encourage more of an appreciation for public lands and the value of them.
What was mined at the Berkeley Pit in Butte, MT?
Mainly copper was mined, but silver and gold was as well.
What laws governed the original 1849 miners during the California Gold Rush?
Miners were essentially squatters on land they did not own and informal rules evolved among the miners.
Who signed the original clean air act?
Nixon
Resource Rent
Resource rent of a natural resource is the total revenue that can be generated from the extraction of the natural resource, minus the cost of extracting the resource. A majority of the world's LDCs have young economies that are currently tied to resource exports to finance government infrastructure.
What country has recently had an usually high number of unexplained deaths of oil executives?
Russia
inputs of acid rain
SO2 (sulfur dioxide) and NOx (nitrogen oxides), water, and oxygen
Land in the Michigan region was valuable for what resource?
Settlers found that the small prairies and oak openings of southern Michigan were well adapted for wheat and wool, which became the state's main cash agricultural products.
What are strategic reserves? How and why are they used/released?
Strategic minerals: those essential for national defense often receive special treatment from the government Some governments keep stockpiles of strategic minerals and oil Initial intent was defense
What was the Oklahoma Land Rush 1889?
The first land run into the unassigned lands of former native american territory, which had earlier been assigned to the creek and seminole people. An estimated 50,000 people were lined up at the start, seeking to gain a piece of the available 2 million acres.
What governed cattle grazing on federal land prior to 1934?
There was no regulation of grazing of federal lands
Globalization
Trading between nations Trade was strongly linked to colonialism before 19th century Now it's just free market Ex. Nike's apparel is manufactured outside of the US by independent contract manufacturers
How has Bears Ears monument changed over time since President Obama's term?
Trump reversed it and opened it up to oil drilling and mining Biden reversed Trump's decision Most important piece of public land in the US
What is the Taylor Grazing Act 1934?
a United States federal law that provides for the regulation of grazing on the public lands (excluding Alaska) to improve rangeland conditions and regulate their use.
The acidic Berkeley Pit in Butte, MT is:
a superfund site and former open pit mine
Hydrogen ions are products of
acid rain
Sulfur dioxide is an input to
acid rain
global change
acknowledgement that earth did not stop changing just because humans showed up
Pros of government owned
allows countries to derive greater benefits from their natural resources and build national security
The majority of Statoil, an oil company in Norway is owned:
by the government
Pros of privatization
can be more efficient and less prone to internal corruption
outputs of beneficiation
chalcopyrite concentrate, toxic tailings
1830s
commercial logging began in MI
inputs of smelting
concentrated ore, carbon source, heat, oxygen, sand, limestone
Revenues from offshore oil and gas exploration and production in the US:
consist of both bonus bids for exploration land and royalties from production
Cecil Rhodes buying control of all the diamond claims in Kimberly, South Africa is an example of:
consolidation
Volcanic eruptions naturally:
cool the Earth's global temperature for 1-5 years
outputs of smelting
elemental copper, oxides (sulfur dioxide, arsenic, phosphorus, antimony -volatile waste products put into the air), slag (waste product)
Arctic Grayling
extirpated from Michigan due to habitat loss caused by logging
Multinational
extract in one country, move to another for processing, then sold where demand is greatest
1844
first copper mine started operating in MI
1700s:
fur trapping by the French expanded to MI
1897 Petroleum Placer Act
gave citizens the right to search for oil on Federal land and, if found, extract and keep all revenue and patent the land
long term global change
glacial advances, anomalously hot climate
Government involvement
government gets involved to prevent resources from falling into the hands of corporations from other countries and from creating national defense reliance on foreign firms
Federal land ownership in the US is...
greatest in western states
The rate of acid mine drainage formation ____________ as the pH of the water becomes lower (more acidic)
increases
Who owned most of the gold mining claims during the initial phase of the CA gold rush of 1849?
individual miners
Most of the land in the west was not homesteaded because:
it is inaccessible, arid, or mountainous
The mining law of 1872 has been widely criticized most recently because:
it lacks provisions for payment of royalties to the government
What is Bears Ears National Monument?
located in Utah and contains more than 100,000 archaeological sites, rocks that document the transition from the Triassic to the Age of the Dinosaurs, and oil and gas deposits.
GM, Ford, and Cadillac were initially funded based on profits from what resource?
lumber
Tailings ponds
method used to store tailings (toxic waste material left over from ore extraction processes); tailings and process water from beneficiation
Bears Ears National Monument in UT contains:
more than 100,000 archeological sites, rocks that document the transition front he Triassic to the Age of the Dinosaurs, and oil and gas deposits
Small scale
most minerals were produced by individuals or small groups funded by wealthy backers before the scale of operation grew
Privatization
most privatization efforts were driven by the fact that government run organizations were generally not as efficient as those in the private sector and were more susceptible to internal corruption.
The creation of Pemex Oil in Mexico is an example of:
nationalization
In 1938, Mexico's oil industry was:
nationalized without adequate compensation
inputs of beneficiation
ore, water, oil, air
Metals _________________ as pH levels of water rise to ~6 or above
precipitate out of solution
According to the New York Times, oil companies have been using their record profits to prioritize what?
rewarding investors (people who own stock in their company)
What is the Keeling Curve?
serves as a link between modern CO2 concentrations and those of the past. The data in the curve can be compared with the carbon dioxide concentrations of air bubbles trapped in ice cores.
inputs of acid mine drainage
solid pyrite, oxygen, and water *Oxidation of pyrite is by far the greatest contributor to acid mine drainage*
Oil was released in response to the 1991 Gulf War and Hurricane Katrina from:
strategic petroleum reserve of the US
outputs of acid mine drainage
sulfuric acid and dissolved iron
outputs of acid rain
sulfuric and nitric acids
What is a chemocline?
the boundary in a body of water that separates a fresh upper layer from a deeper layer containing higher concentrations of dissolved liquids and gasses
What is the antiquities act?
the first U.S. law to provide general legal protection of cultural and natural resources of historic or scientific interest on Federal lands.
Nationalization (expropriation)
the forced transfer of all, or part of, an operation to the government, often without adequate compensation.
The federal government give 48% of royalty payments to:
the state the leased resources were extracted from
Consolidation
the unification of two or more corporations by dissolution of existing ones and creation of a single new corporation
Tailings
the waste rock from the ore deposit largely consisting of gangue minerals
Britain buying control of the Anglo-Persian Oil company in 1909 was done:
to ensure the Royal Navy had a reliable source of oil
Why did the Mexican government buy the Real de Monte Silver and Gold mine that was unprofitable at the time of sale?
to provide continued employment to its workers
The US and EU are the largest emitters of CO2 when both domestic emissions and life cycle emissions attributed to product consumption are included
true
short term global change
volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods
Why are emissions increasing in LDCs?
wealthier countries outsourcing manufacturing and production to countries with lower environmental regulation
Sudbury's prevailing wind direction is:
wind blowing from SW to NE
Earth's normal interglacial cycles are...
~120,000 years
OK Tedi Copper Deposit
-50,000 people live in the 120 villages downstream of the mine -1963 found copper deposit in stream -Developed in early 1980s at a cost of 1.4 billion -Original plan was to dispose of tailings in impoundment area about 15 km S of the mine -Tailings would be transported to site via tunnel -Massive landslide destroyed tailings dam foundation, so to keep construction on schedule, government allowed the mining company to remove sand and let finer sediment go downstream into the Fly river -Dumping resulted in river bed being raised by 10 m, causing a relatively deep and slow river to become shallower and develop rapids, thereby disrupting indigenous transportation routes -Flooding, caused by the raised riverbed, left a thick layer of contaminated mud on the flood plain among plantations of agricultural -Concentration of copper in the water is about 30 times above the standard level, but below world health org standards
Anomaly
A significant difference in average behavior. The global temperature in the world dropped 1 to 2.5 C and in some place reached 10 degrees C. That is why 1816 is called the year without a summer in Europe and the US.
Froth floatation
Carrie everson discovered (1880s) that if fats or oils are combined with a crushed ore sample (which includes the metal ore minerals and other non ore minerals), the oils adhere to the metal-bearing ore minerals and not the non metal bearing minerals rock. She tested this technique with gold, copper, antimony, and arsenic ores, and was awarded 2 patents for her discoveries.
Smelting
Chemical separation through the process by which ore is melted to separate the useful metal from other elements.
Transition in China
China is transitioning from manufacturing to a more service oriented economy. In the past, they have burned a lot of fossil fuels, which is the source of their smog pollution and contributions to emissions. With the shift towards a service based economy, China's emissions will start to drop as they push their manufacturing to poorer countries such as India, Africa, and other LDCs.
Michigan land valued for what resource in 1700s?
Cod fishing began the early fur trade by the French
Michigan land valued for what resource in 1830s?
Commercial lumber production began
1973 endangered species act
Conserve and protect endangered and threatened species
Michigan land valued for what resource in 1844?
First copper mine started operating
1969 National Environmental Policy Act
First major environmental law in US requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects proposed major federal actions prior to making decisions
What are greenhouse gasses and how do they affect the Earth's climate?
GHGs absorb infrared radiation that would otherwise radiate from Earth into space, thus warming the planet. They include carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and CFCs. They are crucial to keeping our planet at a suitable temperature for life.
What caused the Merriespruit tailings dam disaster? What were some of the consequences of the tailings dam failure?
Harmony Gold Mining's tailing dam was created in 1978 to store water and waste byproducts from the mining process. In 1994, a thunderstorm with substantial rainfall occurred. The dam collapsed unexpectedly which sent 600,000 cubic meters of liquid to the town. 80 houses were destroyed and 17 people died.
What effects can volcanic eruptions have on the climate?
In 1815, volcanic eruption released SO2 causing global climate anomaly -Caused cold years following (1-5 years) -Caused crop failure
How much do companies pay to the federal government in royalties, and who does the federal government share this money with? Why?
In FY 2017 the BLM generated 2.2 billion in federal royalties, rent payments, and bonus bids, all of which were split between the US treasury and the states where the development occurred. This is to incentivize states to accept proposals to mine and to help them pay for remediation etc.
What is English Mining Law and how is it applied in the US?
Influenced by early Roman practice. Minerals are owned by the owner of the surface. This is the law in the US, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries. English land ownership can be divided into rights that can be sold as separate parts of land: surface, water, timber, and mineral rights.
What is the Homestead Act?
Intended to open western lands to allow people to settle on what the government considered to be idle tracts of land. The conditions set for the claimants allowed settlers to claim lots of up to 160 acres, provided that they lived on the land and improved it.
How did logging affect the sand dunes in the Silver Lake area?
Logging affected the sand dunes by stripping the land of its protective tree cover, causing winds and sands coming off Lake Michigan to erode the town of Singapore into ruins and within 4 years completely covered it.
Why would bonus bids and royalty amounts paid to the federal government increase or decrease over time?
Land value and mineral value fluctuate based on the global market
Why was less land homesteaded in the west vs the east?
Less land was homesteaded in the west because of geography and politics. The many mountainous, arid, and difficult to reach tracts of land in the west were not attractive to farmers. The only thing most of the remaining land was good for was grazing, but cattle ranchers and sheepherders needed large tracts of land to feed their livestock, not the smaller tracts they could gain through homestead policies.
Where is OK Tedi Copper Deposit?
Located in Papua New Guinea *Mining in PNG is responsible for 25% of total economy and 8-% of export revenue*
Sudbury Ore Deposit
Located in Sudbury, Canada Formed by 1.85 billion years ago by an impact crater Emits SO2 and metals such as lead, mercury, and arsenic which have been measured through soils
What is going on with gas prices currently? Why are they high? What are oil companies doing with their profits?
Oil prices are high because Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused oil supply to become short. The EU and US have posed bans on Russian Oil Purchases, causing alternative supplies to become demanded. Oil companies are using their profits to reward investors.
Who were the original miners of Berkeley?
Original miners were the Irish people who immigrated after famine had struck.
1920 Mineral Leasing Act
Originally applied to coal, oil, oil shale, natural gas, sodium minerals, and phosphate rock. It was later amended to include sulfur in New Mexico and Louisiana, as well as potassium evaporites and geothermal resources. Under the 1920 law, leases can be acquired by either competitive or non competitive bidding, with competitive bidding required on land with known mineral deposits.
Beneficiation
Physical separation of the ore in a concentrate containing the ore mineral and tailings. Ore is reduced in size and separated from gangue. There are many different methods for this (ex. Rare-earth magnetic role separator)
The potash deposit - what is potash, where is the deposit we talked about, and how are they going to extract it?
Potash is a mineral important to agricultural fertilizer, which the US imports 96% of its supply from other countries including Russia and Belarus. The deposit discussed is located near Everett in Osceola county, MI. It is located about 7800 feet below the surface and they are going to extract it by using a series of well heads 30 feet apart connected to pipes traveling over a mile below ground.
Pre industrial CO2 levels:
Pre industrial CO2 concentration: 278 ppm Currently, since the industrial revolution there has been a 50% increase as we are now at 417 ppm
1990 Clean Air Act Amendment
President Bush Overwhelming bipartisan support Curve acid rain, urban air pollution, toxic air emissions, and stratospheric ozone depletion Instituted Cap and trade
How much land does the federal government own in the east vs west. How did this come to be?
The US government owns 47% of all land in the West. In the east, the government owns 4% of land. In some states, including Oregon, Utah, and Nevada, the majority of land is owned by the federal government. As the US expanded across the continent, it did so by purchasing or taking the land that became new states (took the land from Native Americans) Over time, it transferred land to state governments and individuals, largely through homesteading (160 acres) and land grants which allowed farmers to procure parcels of land for agricultural use.
Resource nationalism
When a country decides to take all, or a part, of one or a number of natural resources under state ownership. Strategy that allows governments to derive greater benefits from their natural resources through nationalization, tax changes, new exploration/production laws, joint government/corporate ownership and control, or requirements to process in the host country
Berkeley Pit: How is the toxic body of water different from a toxic tailings pond or dam?
When the mine was in operation, mining companies were pumping seeping groundwater out of the mine. However, when the mine was shut down in 1982, it was declared a superfund site as groundwater had infiltrated the mine and created an acidic water body. The water level is continuously rising.
What happens to the rate of acid mine drainage formation when the water becomes more acidic? Why is this? How is metal solubility and pH related?
When water becomes more acidic, acid mine drainage formation increases. The more acidic (pH of less than 7), the more soluble metals will be.