Mining

By 1852, mining operations were well

under way on the American River near
Sacramento. http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues98/jan98/mining_jpg.html
Open Pit Mine
http://imcg.wr.usgs.gov/usbmak/fig03.gif
Commonly mined materials and end uses
Mined
End uses
material
Generating electricity, making iron and steel, manufacturing chemicals
Coal
and other products.
Sand and gravel Building roads, homes, schools, offices, and factories.
Iron ore Steel products (kitchen utensils, automobiles, ships, buildings).
Aluminum ore
Military aircraft, naval vessels, pots and pans, beverage cans.
(bauxite)
Copper ore Electrical motors, generators, communications equipment, wiring.
Silver ore Electric and electronics circuitry, coins, jewelry, photographic film.
Gold ore Jewelry, satellites, sophisticated electronic circuits.
Diecasting, galvanizing brass and bronze, protective coatings on steel,
Zinc
chemical compounds in rubber and paints.
Lead Batteries, solder, electronic components.
Bricks, paper, paint, glass, pottery, linoleum, concrete, wallboard,
Clay
spackling, pencils, microwavable containers, vegetable oil.
Gypsum Concrete, wallboard, spackling, caulking, potting soil.
Phosphate Plant fertilizers.
Salt Cooking, drinking water, plastics, highway de-icing, detergents.
In the solution mining
method of extraction,
water is forced under
pressure into a cavity
which forms in the
underground salt bed, as
the salt dissolves. This
turns the water into brine
containing about 30% salt.
The saturated raw brine is
pumped to the purification
plant where calcium,
magnesium and other
impurities are removed,
prior to the evaporation
process. http://www.saltinfo.com/salt%20production4.html
http://www.miningmuseum.org/
http://imcg.wr.usgs.gov/usbmak/fig16.jpg
http://www.mcintoshengineering.com/Services/mineengineering.htm
The illustration above shows a drift type of underground
mine. A mine opening is made at the same elevation as
the coals seam and mining is conducted using typically
either longwall mining or room and pillar mining with
continuous mining equipment. Coal is transported to the
surface by conveyor belts. This method of mining is
used when the coal seam outcrops at the surface, or
when a bench has to be constructed on a mountain side
to mine the coal. http://66.113.204.26/mining/coal/undergnd_mining.htm
The illustration shows a shaft
type of underground mine. A
mine opening is made by sinking
a shaft down to the elevation of
the coal seam. Mining is
conducted using typically either
longwall mining or room and
pillar mining with continuous
mining equipment. Coal is
transported to the surface by a
skip hoist. This is the most
expensive type of underground
mine to build and operate. This
method of mining coal is usually
utilized when the coal seam is
deep below the surface.
The illustration above shows a slope type of underground mine.
A mine opening is made by tunneling from the surface down to
the elevation of the coal seam. Mining is conducted using
typically either longwall mining or room and pillar mining with
continuous mining equipment. Coal is transported to the surface
by conveyor belts. This method of mining coal is usually utilized
when the coal seam is not far from the surface, and the outcrop
of the coal seam is not exposed.
Reclamation plans include many of the following
concerns: drainage control, preservation of top soil,
segregation of waste material, erosion and
sediment control, solid waste disposal, control of
fugitive dust, regrading, and restoration of waste
and mine areas. The plan must also consider the
effects of mine subsidence, vibration (induced by
mining, processing, transport, or subsidence), and
impact on surface water and groundwater. These
environmental items often dictate the economics of
a planned mining operation and determine its
viability.
http://www.mines.edu/fs_home/jhoran/ch126/tailings.htm
 Acid Mine Drainage

Pyritic mine tailings leach acid mine drainage

originating in a large part to the metabolic
activity of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans(5). This
bacterial microbe has been implicated as the
major culprit in the pollution of streams
emanating from active and abandoned mining
operations. Abiotic oxidation of pyrite is slow. T.
ferrooxidans catalyzes the oxidation of FeS2,
producing ferric ions and hydrogen ions.

http://www.mines.edu/f
s_home/jhoran/ch126/
microbia.htm
AMD (Acid Mine Drainage)

http://www.mines.edu/fs_home/jhoran/
ch126/amd.htm
Mining, particularly gold
mining, is an increasing threat
to the world's rainforests and http://www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest
to forest communities. _Destruction/Mining/
During the lifetime of the average American, he or
she will use: http://imcg.wr.usgs.gov/usbmak/thisis.html

1,600 kg (3,600 lb) of aluminum

360 kg (800 lb) of zinc

11,300 kg (25,000 lb) of clay

25,400 kg (56,000 lb) of steel

360 kg (800 lb) of lead

680 kg (1,500 lb) of copper

12,200 kg (27,000 lb) of salt

More than 226,000 kg (500,000 lb) of coal

More than 453,000 kg (1 million lb) of stone, sand, gravel, and

cement.
 Possible Science Fair Experiment
http://www.mines.edu/fs_home/jhoran/ch1
26/amd.htm
http://www.calsign.com/mining/images/calmap.gif