MINERAL RESOURCES

The Standard Of Living Equation

SL = standard of livingR = useful consumption of resources

(minerals, oil, water, air, etc.)E = useful consumption of energyI = ingenuityP = populationW = waste

The E Factor

• The Energy Available is Vast– Solar– Geothermal– Nuclear fission or fusion

The E Factor

• Fossil Fuels– The fuels we are most dependent upon, oil and

gas, are declining– All Energy Sources Will Become More

Expensive

The P Factor

• The equation indicates big trouble for rapidly growing populations

• Rapidly growing populations often want a materialistic life– This hope may be impossible to satisfy

The W Factor

• Half the energy used in the U.S. may be wasted– The U.S. Is the most wasteful of the 18

industrial nations

The W Factor

• Practice conservation to improve S. L.– Recycle metals, glass, and paper– Purchase for durability– Avoid fad purchases

The R Factor

• The Natural Occurrence of Minerals– Each ore body has finite limits

• Ores are <<1% of the crust• Ores are geological oddities

– Not all mineral deposits are ores• Adequate concentration• Demand• Transportation to market

The R Factor

• Minerals are Used in Every Aspect of Modern Life

The R Factor

• Doubling Rate of Mineral Consumption– The demand for minerals doubles in about 30

years– Sheet of paper example (1/254 inch thick)

• Double the thickness of that paper 35 times and it will stretch from LA to New York

• 42 times and it reaches the moon• 50 times and it reaches the sun

The R Factor

• Demand for Minerals– Demand for all minerals is increasing

faster than the population– Demand is derived from the chemical and

manufacturing industries plus agriculture

The R Factor

– Future demand is a function of culture and population

• 2 factors which will strain mineral resources for the next 100 years

– Small increases in demand per capita in rapidly growing populations

– Large increases in per capita demand in static populations

The R Factor

• Wars for Minerals– Affluence has been localized in space and time– Uneven distribution of minerals and energy has led

to wars• Syrians and Arabs fought the first war for hydrocarbons in

312 B.C.• WWI & WWII: Germany invades Austria, France and

Poland for coal• WWII: Japan invades SE Asia for oil and China for coal

and minerals• Iraq invades Kuwait August 2, 1990

The R Factor

• Geography of Mineral Production– Of all the developed countries, only Russia has

adequate resources for current demands– The most accessible, high grade deposits are the

first to be mined• These are already gone from the US, Britain, and

Europe• These countries must import R & E from other

countries

The R Factor

– Many valuable ores are in politically unstable or communist countries

• Chromium - South Africa, Russia• Mn - South Africa, Zaire• Al - tropical countries

The R Factor

– The country which controls R & E is usually the world's most powerful

• U.K. during the 19th century was the foremost producer of Pb, Cu, Sn, Fe, & coal

• They were the wealthiest and most powerful nation

The I Factor

• With Regard to Energy . . .– No vast energy sources are foreseen that will

make mining any cheaper– Energy will remain expensive

The I Factor

• With Regard to Extraction Costs . . . – Widespread belief that technology is

continually lowering unit costs while allowing us to work ever lower grade deposits is false

• Mining technology is barely keeping pace

The I Factor

• Synthetics– Synthetics will relieve very little stress on ore

deposits• Most metals and such things as He, Hg, U, and Th

can't be synthesized

The I Factor

• Technology for extracting metals from common rock is far off– Enormous, unusable waste– Energy intensive

The EquationFor The U.S.• R & E

– Imports are maintaining R & E at a high level– Recycling and alternate energy sources must be

developed

The EquationFor The U.S.• I

– I is enormous for the U.S.• Space shuttle, computers, communications,

agriculture, recombinant DNA– This may be the biggest factor in maintaining

SL in the future

The EquationFor The U.S.• P & W

– P is stabilizing and W is declining

The EquationAnd UDC's• R & E

– R & E are being exported to DC's• This temporarily increases SL• R & E are “quick assets” and their loss will

ultimately reduce SL• Enormous resentment will arise

The EquationAnd UDC's• P is growing rapidly in UDC's

– Greatly reduces SL– Year 2000 population

UDC 4.9 billionDC 1.3 billion

• World Wealth– The equation demands that the disparity of

world wealth increase

The Future OfOur Resources• R

– 3 types of future sources of ore• Presently noncommercial deposits• Technical innovation• Affordable transportation• Price increase

– Newly discovered deposits– Urban ore – recycling

The Future OfOur Resources• E

– New energy sources must be developed to make mineral extraction possible

The Future OfOur Resources• I

– We must recognize that the inevitable loss of nonrenewable resources will end the industrial age

• The new solar age will be very different from the industrial age

– Reduced consumption– Declining population

• We must ease the transition by preparing now

The Future OfOur Resources• I (continued)

– Ores must be recovered from:• Remote areas• Seafloor• Outer space

The Future OfOur Resources• I (continued)

– Technical innovation and new discoveries must develop our reserves at an exponential rate until:

• Population stabilizes• Constant or decreasing demand per capita is

achieved

The Future OfOur Resources• I (continued)

– Exploration, applying advanced technology, must be employed

– Extraction techniques must be improved so as to recover ores from ever lower grade deposits

The Future OfOur Resources• W

– W must be reduced by recycling and conservation in production and use

The Future OfOur Resources• Imports will continue to provide a large part

of the US needs