Mineral and Mining Resources (Ch. 16)
Minerals are arranged in a regular, repeating geometric pattern of A. Atoms. B. Aggregates. C. Metals. D. Evaporates
A. Atoms.
Solar evaporation is practical in order to obtain salt from sea water in climates where rainfall is exceeded by A. Evaporation B. Snowfall C. High-speed winds. D. Humidity.
A. Evaporation.
Which of the following is not one of the ways that ore minerals may form? A. Flooding of empty stream beds and rivers. B. Cooling of magma. C. Circulation of hydrothermal solutions through rocks. D. Evaporation of water that contains salts.
A. Flooding of empty stream beds and rivers.
Mining companies can identify areas of valuable mineral resources by A. Mineral exploration. B. Smelting. C. Mineral excavation. D. Dredging.
A. Mineral exploration.
Which of the following would not be considered an aggregate? A. Sea glass. B. Sand. C. Gravel D. Crusted rock
A. Sea glass
From whom must mining companies obtain permits before mining a site? A. State and federal agencies. B. Federal agencies only. C. Local government only. D. A bonding company.
A. State and federal agencies.
Two or more metals combined
Alloy
Which of the following is not a way that ore minerals may form? A. Cooling of magma. B. Circulation of hydrothermal solutions through rocks. C. Flooding of empty streambeds and rivers. D. Evaporation of water that contains salts.
C. Flooding of empty streambeds and rivers.
Dredging streambeds may be an effective technique for mining A. Silica. B. Coal. C. Gold. D. Sulfur.
C. Gold.
Crushed ore is melted at high temperatures to separate impurities from molten lava during A. Open-pit mining. B. Hydrothermal solution mining. C. Smelting. D. Dredging.
C. Smelting.
The wall of a coal seam.
Longwall
Open pit used to mine materials near the surface.
Quarry
Which of the following is one reason why undersea mining has been largely unsuccessful to date? A. Deposits at great water depths are difficult to work. B. Ocean water is too salty. C. There is too much aggregate on the ocean floor. D. Magma exists under the ocean floor.
A. Deposits at great water depths are difficult to work.
The first step in surface coals mining is A. To remove and set aside the soil that covers the area to be mined. B. To use heavy equipment to take core samples. C. To test to see if quarrying would be more effective. D. To make cuts in the coal for easier removal.
A. To remove and set aside the soil that covers the area to be mined.
Sand, gravel, and crushed rock.
Aggregates
Two or more metals that are combined.
Alloy
Stream placers often occur A. In empty riverbeds. B. At bends in rivers. C. Whet rivers meet lakes. D. Where sediments are discharged.
B. At bends in rivers.
Gangue minerals A. Are valued for their rarity for their durability. B. Have no commercial value. C. Are the most difficult of all materials to mine. D. Are native elements.
B. Have no commercial value.
What is the arrangement of the atoms in a mineral? A. Porous, woven patterns. B. Regular, repeating geometric patterns. C. Irregular patterns. D. Clumped groups of like elements.
B. Regular, repeating geometric patterns.
Reclamation is the process of A. Removing coal from a subsurface seam. B. Extracting ore minerals from gangue minerals. C. Returning land to its original, or better, condition after mining operations have been completed. D. Protecting the habitats of local wildlife.
C. Returning land to its original, or better, condition after mining operations have been completed.
A serious hazard of coal mining is A. A high-pressure water blast. B. An aggregation. C. Excess overburden. D. An underground fire.
D. An underground fire.
Before mining a site, a mining company must do all of the following except A. Obtain permits from state agencies. B. Comply with federal regulations. C. Obtain bonding. D. Cut into a section of the longwall.
D. Cut into a section of the longwall.
Which of the following is not affected when soil is removed from a surface mine? A. Plant life. B. Soil nutrients. C. Animal habitat. D. Deep coal seams.
D. Deep coal seams.
Nonmetallic minerals prized mainly for their beauty, rarity, or durability are called A. Aggregates. B. Soil nutrients. C. Native elements. D. Gemstones.
D. Gemstones.
Which of the following is not a method of subsurface mining? A. Room-and-pillar mining. B. Longwall mining. C. Solution mining. D. Open-pit mining.
D. Open-pit mining.
The process by which land sinks with little or no horizontal movement A. Compounding. B. Quarrying. C. Reclamation D. Subsidence
D. Subsidence
What hot, subsurface waters must contain in order to be considered hydrothermal solutions.
Dissolved minerals
Salts left behind after evaporation.
Evaporites
Material that bonds with impurities and separates them from molten metal during smelting.
Flux
A mining method used to recover gold from ancient riverbeds.
Hydraulic mining
A process used by mining companies to identify areas where there may be valuable mineral resources.
Mineral exploration
A mining method used for large ore deposits near the surface that are mined downward.
Open-pit mining
Minerals that contain valuable substances.
Ore minerals
Minerals concentrated by wind and water movement into surface deposits.
Placer deposits
Process of returning land to its original or better condition after mining.
Reclamation
Process by which crushed ore is melted at high temperatures to separate impurities from molten metal.
Smelting
The sinking of regions of the ground with little or not horizontal movement.
Subsidence
A water contaminant that can cause acid mine drainage.
Sulfuric acid
Mining method used when ore deposits are located close to Earth's surface.
Surface mining
The mining method used when shallow ore deposits are located close to Earth's surface.
Surface mining
One of the most serious consequences of coal mining.
Underground mine fires
