Geologic Resources: Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy ResourcesGeologic Resources: Nonrenewable Mineral and Energy Resources

G. Tyler Miller’sLiving in the Environment

12th Edition

Chapter 14

G. Tyler Miller’sLiving in the Environment

12th Edition

Chapter 14

Dr. Richard ClementsChattanooga State Technical Community CollegeDr. Richard ClementsChattanooga State Technical Community College

Nonrenewable Mineral ResourcesNonrenewable Mineral Resources

MetallicMetallic

Non-metallicNon-metallic

Energy resourcesEnergy resources

OresOres

Nonrenewable Mineral Resources: CategoriesNonrenewable Mineral Resources: Categories

IdentifiedIdentified

UndiscoveredUndiscovered

ReservesReserves

Fig. 16-10 p. 340Fig. 16-10 p. 340

OtherOther

Removing Nonrenewable Mineral ResourcesRemoving Nonrenewable Mineral Resources

Surface miningSurface mining Subsurface miningSubsurface mining

Overburden Overburden

SpoilSpoil

Open-pitOpen-pit

DredgingDredging

Strip miningStrip mining

Room and pillarRoom and pillar

LongwallLongwall

Refer to Figs. 14-5 and 14-5, p. 324 and 325

Refer to Figs. 14-5 and 14-5, p. 324 and 325

MethodsMethods

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation ActSurface Mining Control and Reclamation Act

Established 1977Established 1977

Mine lands must be restored to pre-mining conditions

Mine lands must be restored to pre-mining conditions

Taxes on mining companies to restore pre-1977 sites

Taxes on mining companies to restore pre-1977 sites

Limited successLimited success

Environmental Effects of Mining Mineral ResourcesEnvironmental Effects of Mining Mineral Resources

Disruption of land surfaceDisruption of land surfaceSubsidenceSubsidenceErosion of solid mining wasteErosion of solid mining wasteAcid mine drainageAcid mine drainageAir pollutionAir pollutionStorage and leakage of liquid mining

waste

Storage and leakage of liquid mining waste

Environmental Effects of Extracting Mineral ResourcesEnvironmental Effects of Extracting Mineral Resources

StepsSteps Environmental EffectsEnvironmental Effects

exploration, extraction

MiningDisturbed land; mining accidents;health hazards; mine wastedumping; oil spills and blowouts;noise;ugliness; heat

Solid wastes; radioactive material;air, water, and soil pollution;

noise; safety and healthhazards; ugliness; heat

Processing

transportation, purification,manufacturing

Use

transportation or transmissionto individual user,

eventual use, and discarding

Noise; uglinessthermal water pollution;

pollution of air, water, and soil;solid and radioactive wastes;

safety and health hazards; heat

Fig. 14.6, p. 326

Environmental Effects of Processing Mineral ResourcesEnvironmental Effects of Processing Mineral Resources

Ore mineralOre mineral

GangueGangue

Tailings Tailings

Smelting Smelting

See Case Study p. 328See Case Study p. 328

Percolation toPercolation togroundwatergroundwater

Leaching of toxic metalsLeaching of toxic metalsand other compoundsand other compounds

from mine spoilfrom mine spoil

Acid drainage fromAcid drainage fromreaction of mineralreaction of mineralor ore with wateror ore with water Spoil banksSpoil banks

Runoff ofRunoff ofsedimentsediment

Surface MineSubsurfaceMine Opening

Leaching may carryLeaching may carryacids into soil andacids into soil and

groundgroundwater supplieswater supplies

Fig. 14.7, p. 326

Supplies of Mineral ResourcesSupplies of Mineral Resources

Economic depletion Economic depletion Depletion time Depletion time

Foreign sources Foreign sources

Economics Economics

Environmental concerns Environmental concerns

Mining the ocean Mining the ocean

Finding substitutes Finding substitutes Fig. 16-16 p. 346Fig. 16-16 p. 346

New technologies New technologies

Evaluating Energy ResourcesEvaluating Energy Resources

Renewable energy Renewable energy

Non-renewable energy Non-renewable energy

Future availability Future availability

Net energy yield Net energy yield

Cost Cost

Environmental effects Environmental effectsWorld

NaturalGas23%

Coal22%

Biomass12%

Oil30%

Nuclear power6%

Hydropower,geothermal,Solar, wind

7%

Important Nonrenewable Energy SourcesImportant Nonrenewable Energy Sources

Oil drillingplatformon legs

Mined coal

Pipeline

Pump

Oil well

Gas well

Oil storage

CoalCoalOil and Natural GasOil and Natural Gas Geothermal EnergyGeothermal Energy

Hot waterstorage

Contourstrip mining

PipelineDrillingtower

Magma

Hot rock

Natural gasOil

Impervious rock

Water Water

Floating oil drillingplatform

Valves

Undergroundcoal mine

Water is heatedand brought upas dry steam or

wet steam

Waterpenetratesdownthroughtherock

Area stripmining

Geothermalpower plant

Coal seam

Fig. 14.11, p. 332

North American Energy ResourcesNorth American Energy Resources

CoalCoal

GasGas

OilOil

High potentialHigh potentialareasareas

MEXICO

UNITED STATES

CANADA

PacificOcean

AtlanticOcean

GrandBanks

Gulf ofAlaska

Valdez

ALASKABeaufort

Sea

Prudhoe Bay

ArcticOcean

PrinceWilliam Sound

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Trans Alaskaoil pipeline

Fig. 14.17, p. 338