Deck 23: Minerals and Mining

Question 1

Longer projected lifetimes for scarce minerals can be achieved with all of the following,EXCEPT ____________

A)recycling
B)lowering prices for products using these minerals
C)exploring for new mineral reserves
D)finding more available substitutes for these minerals
E)researching more efficient extraction techniques

Answer 1

lowering prices for products using these minerals

Question 2

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
According to the data,which of the following substances is most difficult to remove from fracking wastewater using this technique?

A)water
B)barium
C)radium
D)sulfates
E)strontium

Answer 2

strontium

Question 3

The U.S.Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires ____________

A)20% of sales revenues to be donated to national park maintenance
B)no remediation of water pollution,except in the case of uranium mining
C)mining companies to post bonds to cover restoration of mined areas before permits are granted
D)all mined minerals to be processed and sold only within the United States
E)restoration of the identical ecosystem and biodiversity present before mining began

Answer 3

mining companies to post bonds to cover restoration of mined areas before permits are granted

Question 4

A ____________ is a naturally occurring solid chemical element or inorganic compound with a distinct composition and a crystal structure.

A)horizon
B)rock
C)mineral
D)sediment
E)nutrient

Question 5

It takes ____________ energy to produce aluminum from ore than to obtain it from recycled sources.

A)roughly the same amount of
B)20 times more
C)7 times less
D)7 times more
E)20 times less

Question 6

Tantalum is used primarily for the manufacture of ____________

A)pesticides,fertilizers,and biodiesel fuel
B)aerospace engines and aircraft hulls
C)plastics
D)high -quality steel
E)electronics such as cell phones,computers,digital cameras

Question 7

In 2010,geologists from the U.S.military discovered nearly $1 trillion worth of minerals in ____________

A)Afghanistan
B)Vietnam
C)Nevada
D)Peru
E)Iraq

Question 8

According to critics,the U.S.General Mining Act of 1872 ____________

A)has pollution and remediation clauses that are too strict
B)practically gives away resources located on public land
C)opens mining rights to foreign nations which stake claims on U.S.land
D)has allowed mining in urban centers with dense commercial development
E)makes mining unprofitable except for the largest corporations

Question 9

If a mineral is opaque,lustrous,malleable and can conduct heat and electricity,it is a(n) ____________

A)crystal
B)element
C)gemstone
D)metal
E)radioactive element

Question 10

The General Mining Act of 1872 ____________

A)was named after a Civil War general who died at the Battle of Gettysburg
B)legalized the mining for gold in California
C)requires remediation and reclamation of areas damaged by mining operations
D)officially legalized mountaintop removal
E)encouraged the prospecting for minerals on federal lands

Question 11

Subsurface mining is used extensively in the extraction of ____________

A)limestone,natural gas,and peat
B)coltan
C)oil sands
D)coal,diamonds,and gold

Question 12

Bauxite ore is a source of ____________

A)coltan
B)coal
C)aluminum
D)tantalum
E)lead

Question 13

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
According to the data shown,a 75% acid mine drainage mixture is most effective at removing ____________ from fracking wastewater and least effective at removing ____________ .

A)sulfates; strontium
B)strontium; sulfates
C)radium; strontium
D)barium; sulfates
E)sulfates; barium

Question 14

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question.
Once the contaminants have been removed from the fracking wastewater,the water can be reused for additional drilling.One problem created by using this technique to purify fracking wastewater is that ____________

A)valuable metals such as iron and silver are also removed
B)the leftover metals and radioactivity are likely to harm the workers from the hydrofracturing company who are performing their jobs
C)the water is still too contaminated to pump into nearby waterways and thus needs to be stored in lead -lined steel drums
D)people have mistaken purified fracking water as drinking water and become exposed to deadly levels of radiation and heavy metals
E)the heavy metals and radioactive radium are hazardous and must be disposed of properly

Question 15

If you want to avoid buying a "blood diamond," you should avoid purchasing ____________

A)a diamond mined from a subsurface mine in the Ukraine
B)any rose -colored diamonds
C)a diamond from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
D)a diamond that has been manufactured from mercury via alchemy
E)a synthetically produced diamond

Question 16

In Appalachia,many miners are out of work because ____________

A)of local protests that shut down mining operations
B)they were fired for protesting mountaintop removal
C)of a moratorium on mountaintop removal
D)coal extraction has decreased because the region is beginning to run out of coal
E)they are not needed,since mountaintop removal is highly mechanized

Question 17

The dwindling supplies of rare metals such as indium,tantalum,and platinum may be extended if we rigorously ____________

A)exploit known deposits more efficiently
B)reduce demands for social and economic justice
C)relax environmental requirements for mining
D)recycle existing supplies
E)increase demand for the products in which they are used

Question 18

The newest bonanza for recycling scarce and toxic metals is to recover them from ____________

A)compact discs,LPs and 8 -track tapes
B)e -wastes such as computers
C)closed landfills
D)car batteries
E)construction sites

Question 19

Smelting of iron ore involves ____________

A)dissolving the ore in hot water to separate iron and aluminum
B)crushing and heating the ore to its melting point
C)oxidizing iron to ferric oxide and then adding silicon and boron
D)washing the ore with acid to extract iron
E)heating the ore beyond iron's melting point and combining the material with carbon

Question 20

Coltan ore contains ____________

A)cobalt
B)coal
C)uranium
D)tantalum
E)aluminum

Question 21

Many types of mining,such as for coal,produce a specific type of water pollution called ____________

A)suspended limestone particles
B)sludge
C)acid drainage
D)eutrophication
E)chlorinated pesticides

Question 22

Examples of valuable nonmetallic minerals extracted by mining are ____________

A)lead,cadmium,mercury
B)nitrogen,hydrogen,neon
C)diamonds,gravel,phosphate
D)gold,platinum,copper
E)radon,radium,sodium

Question 23

Discuss the facets of sustainable mineral use.

Question 24

A(n)is a solid aggregation of ____________

A)rock; minerals
B)crystal; rocks
C)element; crystals
D)mineral; crystals
E)mineral; rocks

Question 25

Placer mining involves the use of ____________

A)screens or pans and running water
B)draglines and heavy dump trucks
C)a pickaxe and rock hammer
D)explosives and support beams
E)seismic activators and thermal couplers

Question 26

A(n) ____________ is formed by the fusion of a metal with another metal or a nonmetal

A) alloy
B) ore
C) aggregation
D) tailing
E) smelting

Question 27

Discuss the major environmental impacts of mining operations.