ES Finals

• Ores


  • Naturally-occurring materials that can be profitably mined
  • Contains valuable elements such as gold (Au), iron (Fe), silver (Ag), and copper (Cu)
  • Classified into metallic or non-metallic
  • Comes in four ways: Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic, Hydrothermal Processes (Pressure)
• Minerals


  Substances from which metal can be extracted economically and conveniently but are naturally inorganic substances that exist in the Earth’s crust
• All minerals are not ores
• Aluminum ore

  • bauxite
  • Aluminum mineral = clay
• Bauxite is obtained through mining and most economically feasible to obtain as it is plutonic, therefore solidified
• Clay is a mineral composed of metal
• Deposit
• Types of Ores

  • Native Ores
  • Contain valuable elements or compounds as completely or almost completely pure substances
  • Ex. oxide (oxygen) and hydroxide (hydrogen) ores
• A rock or mineral is considered an ore based on overall chemical composition, percentage of extractable resource with respect to its total volume, compound + elements = rare, market value of the resource
• Locating Ores


  • Hydrothermal Fluid Circulation
  • Metamorphic Processes
  • Magmatic Processes
  • Kimberlite Magma
  • Chemical Sedimentary Processes
  • Action of Ocean Waves or Currents
  • Chemical Weathering
• Mining is the process of extracting useful materials from the Earth's crust such as gold, copper, ores, and coal
• Steps in Mining Ores

  • Prospecting or Exploration
  • Location
  • Drilling
  • Modelling
  • Identifying and Assessing the Potential Impact
  • Designing and Constructing the Mine
• Two Methods of Mining

  • Surface Mining
  • Open Pit Mining
  • Strip Mining
  • Dredging
  • Underground Mining
• Mineral Processing

  1. Process of extracting minerals from the ore, refining them, and preparing for use

  2. Removing excess content or impurities of a mineral to purpose pure substances

  3. Flotation
• Steps in Mineral Processing

  • Sampling
  • Analysis
• Flotation


  Separation process using chemicals from the ore through powderizing or its streak
• Sampling


  Removal of a portion which represents a whole needed for the analysis of materials
• Sample

  Analyzes the composition, hardness, etc. Testing the rarity
• Analysis


  Evaluating the valuable component in an ore
• Value

  The valuable component in an ore
• Comminution

  Process where the valuable components of the ore are separated through crushing and grinding. Turning large particles into small ones
• Concentration


  Involves the separation of the valuable minerals from the raw materials. Separate minerals from raw materials
• Dewatering


  Uses the concentration to convert it to usable minerals in the industry such as steel, copper, silver, iron, jewelry, gold, diamond
• Earth Materials and Resources - Energy Resources Part 1


  • Energy
• Energy


  The ability to do work or the capacity to make things happen
• Law of Conservation of Energy: "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed – only converted from one form of energy to another. Energy is only stored unless dissipative forces are applied"
• Potential Energy


  Stored energy at rest due to its position or condition
• Chemical Energy


  Released when materials are burned like fuel and dry cell. Released during the chemical reaction of photosynthesis
• Elastic Energy


  Energy stored in elastic materials that return to their original form when stretched and distorted
• Nuclear Energy

  Energy released during nuclear fusion or fission, used to generate electricity and create weapons
• Gravitational Potential Energy

  Energy of position or place. The higher the position of a stationary object, the greater its gravity
• Kinetic Energy


  Energy in motion, created by an outside force
• Renewable Energy


  • Unlimited, innovative, large financial cost but worth it for a certain place/communities. Not all are affordable to buy or avail; not all renewable energy is applicable to one from another
• Radiation - heat transfer occurs through electromagnetic waves without involving particles
• Characteristics of renewable energy

  • Unlimited
  • Innovative
  • Large financial cost but worth it
  • For a certain place/communities
  • Not all are affordable to buy or avail
  • Not all renewable energy is applicable to one from another (climate conditions)
• Earth Materials and Resources - Energy Resources Part 2

  • Fossil Fuels
• Fossil Fuels


  Fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms
• The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years
• Contents of fossil fuels

  • High percentages of carbon and include coal, petroleum or oil, and natural gas
• Fossil fuels are non-renewable and take years to form, therefore, are considered as a limited resource