MrsFarrell AP Environmental Science - Home



Computers: Mining

 

Part 1:

Black Thunder Mine, (4:15min) WY



1. What percentage of the US total coal production comes from here?  ______________

2. At what rate does mining occur here in order to meet demand?_________________tons/sec.

3. What do they do with the topsoil?

4. What the cost of a dragline? ____________________$

5. The haul trucks are how many tons?  ___________________tons

6. One load of coal in a haul truck can power one home for how long? _______________ yrs.

7. Explain what happens after all the coal is mined from the land.? (hint : two R’s)

8. The coal from the Black Thunder Mine provides what percentage of the United States electrical needs?  ______________%

Part 2:

Coal Mining 60 Minutes: Take a Ride Into a Mine (4 min)



9. Once the miners enter the mine, how long does it take to get to the active work-site? _________________min

10. Coal produces ______________% of the electricity in the USA.

11. How much longer will this mine keep producing coal? ___________________years

12. The rate of the continuous miner is _______________tons/minute.

13. What do they have to use bolt rods?

14. Based upon the production of the mine (#11) and the rate of coal extraction (#12), calculate how many tons of coal will come from this mine.

Part 3:

Iron: Extraction, Processing, and Smelting (11 min)



15. Where is the extraction of this ore from the Earth taking place?

16. What is the name of the ORE that gives this mineral of interest?

17. What is the ore to pure metal conversion ratio?

18. What high-grade ore did iron used to be extracted from that has since run out? _______________

19. How does the ore get to the crusher? ____________________

20. How is the iron physically separated from the raw ore? ________________________

21. What percentage iron are the pellets when they leave Minnesota? ____________%

22. What element is being removed at the Foundry? _____________

23. What element is added to iron to make steel? _______________

24. What is coke?

25. Every 45 minutes ________________ tons of pig iron forms and the length of time in the furnace is a total of _______________hrs.

Part 4:

 Aluminum Foil  (10 min)



26. From the beginning of the video:  Industry consumes _______________ tons/year so ____________ tons/day of aluminum must be made

27. Why can’t the trucks drive to the refinery?

28. After crushing, how many steps is it to create alumina?  ______________ steps

29. In Alcoa City, TN what process learned in chemistry in used to create the pure aluminum?

30. What substance lubricates the rollers and what safety concerns are there?

31. Why is one side shiny and the other dull on aluminum foil?  Explain. 

Part 5:

Diamond Mining (2:39 min) Canada



32. The claim staked by these two men was the size of what US state? ______________

33. This strike came online in 1991 and today it provides _______% of the world’s diamonds by weight and __________% of the world’s diamonds by value.

34. Where are these kimberlite deposits found?   What do they have do to get at them?

35. How do they identify diamonds after the ore is crushed?

 

 

Part 6:

Gold Mining (2 in) Western Deep-levels Mine Johannesburg, South Africa



36. How many miles deep is this mine? ___________________ft.  Convert this number to miles.

37. The rocks are at 52oC, calculate the temperature of the rocks in Fahrenheit? 

(oF = 1.8oC + 32)

 

Part 7:

Digging for Gold (4min) Barrick Gold’s Cortez Mine, NV





38. Total ounces of gold ore mined per year: __________________oz_

39. Barrick Gold’s cost to mine the gold: _________________$/oz.

40. Market selling price of gold: ____________________$/oz.

41. Calculate the profit ($) of Barrick Gold’s Cortez Mine in one year.

Part 8:

Bingham Mine (7:09) & (4:20)

Part 1: & Part 2:

42. Where is the Bingham mine?

43. What is mined there?

44. What type of mining is done at Bingham Mine?

45. How much material has been excavated from the mine?

46. What is the percentage of copper in the ore that is mined?

47. Describe the process of removing ore from the mine.

48. What are tailings?

49. What is done with the tailings?

50. How do they try to keep the smelting process clean (limit pollution)?

51. What is produced as byproducts with every 1000 pounds of copper produced?

Analysis:

52. What are the types of mining?

53. Why is recycling metals a good practice for the environment?

54. What is the General Mining Law of 1872 and what did it do?

55. Why is the S.M.C.R.A. of 1977 so important?

56. Literally everything about mining is huge. From land area to diggers, and dump trucks it is all so massive. Explain why mining operations happen on such a large scale.

EXTRA RESOURCE: Phosphate Mining

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