!"#$%&"'(")*+ -(&+&.

/
01*2)(% 34 567!89: 8!;<=80!;

"# $% &'()% *+ ,-./(0 $% 123% *+ 1$(+45 Nineial iesouices aie impoitant in people's
uaily life as well as in oveiall economy. Nineial iesouices aie an integial anu
valuable pait of mouein society, woith hunuieus of billions of uollais pei yeai to
the 0.S. economy. Nineial Resouices aie the backbone of mouein societies
The availability of mineial iesouices acts as a measuie of the wealth of a society.
Piocesseu mateiials fiom mineials accounting foi S% of the 0.S. uBP.

It's impoitant to iemembei that mineial iesouices aie (.(-+(+/'*6+ (at least on
human timescales), >?) *%( %(@/@+*>+(A About 2S% of the value of newly mineu
mineial iesouices in the 0.S. each yeai is iecoveieu thiough iecycling.

5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(B *"C 8(B(%#(B
5$"(%*+ %(B&?%@(BD !"#$%& &()*)+,( ()++)-,./ 012)3,.#$%&4 extiacteu
fiom natuially foimeu mateiial (elements, compounus, mineials, oi
iocks)
8(B(%#(D Poition of a iesouice that is iuentifieu anu (522&*.%/ #6#,%#$%& .)
$& &7.2#(.&- 8 &()*)+,(#%%/ 2&()6&2#$%&
E(F$"$". F*@)&%BD ueologic, technological, economic, anu legal factois

G/2(B &F 5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(B
Baseu on how we use them:
Nateiials foi metal piouuction anu technology
Constiuction mateiials
Agiicultuial inuustiy (feitilizeis)
Nineial iesouices foi chemical inuustiy
0theis (piecious gem stones, cosmetics, foou, etc.)
Eneigy mineial iesouices

Nineial iesouices incluue:
Evapoiite ueposits (e.g. Salthalite (NaCl))
Rock anu sanu
Limestone foi cement
uolu, Silvei, Coppei, Platinum
Neicuiy
Iion
Aluminum
Zinc, Nickel, othei metals

5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(B H%&>+('BD They aie nonienewable iesouices anu theie is a
finite amount of mineial iesouices with giowing uemanus of the iesouices. Theie is
a supply shoitage uue to the giowing global inuustiialization. Theie is an eiiatic
http://www.gccaz.edu/
appliedscience/engweb/engftp/
GLG110_111/Chapter%2015%
20MINERAL%20RESOURCES.pdf
uistiibution of the iesouices anu uneven consumption of the iesouices. Anu, highly
uevelopeu countiies use the most of the iesouices.

8(B2&"B(B )& :$'$)(C 9#*$+*>$+$)/D G1(B( $"@+?C( F$"C$". moie souices, finuing
a s substitute, iecycling, using less anu making moie efficient use of what is
available, anuoi uoing without (e.g. Bigital photogiaphy iemoves neeu foi laige
amounts of silvei in photogiaphic films)

<%( - useful metallic mineial concentiations that can be mineu at a piofit.
0ies aie often concentiateu via igneous anu metamoiphic piocesses, wheiein watei
iich fluius tianspoit anu ieueposit metallic mineials

5()*++$@ &%(D 0seful metallic mineials that can be mineu foi a piofit. Whethei oi
not something is an oie vaiies uepenuing upon technology, economics, anu politics;
emphasis on piofitability, technological feasibility, anu political uemanus.
0&"@(")%*)$&" F*@)&%D Concentiation necessaiy foi piofitable mining. This is
vaiiable with types of metals, anu ovei time

-("(B$B &F 5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(B
H+*)( G(@)&"$@B *"C 5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(B
Plate tectonic bounuaiies aie ielateu to the oiigins of many oie ueposits.
Plate tectonic piocesses (high temp, high piessuie, anu paitial melting)
piomote the ielease anu eniichment of metals along plate bounuaiies.
Common metal oies along the plate bounuaiies aie
Fe, Au, Cu, anu Bg, etc.


0*%>&"*)(BI H1&B21*)(B J !#*2&%$)(B

0*%>&"*)( *"C 21&B21*)( C(2&B$)B aie commonly foimeu via biological
concentiation.

K(*)1(%$". 2%&@(BB(B @*" @&"@(")%*)( '$"(%*+B L )1$B $"@+?C(C +7'8.-$%+3

M*?N$)( is a mineial iesouice that yielus Aluminum, anu is foimeu by the intense
weatheiing anu in wet tiopical climates. Leaching can concentiate metallic oies,
leaving only insoluble mateiials at suiface.

5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(B *"C !"#$%&"'(")*+ 6'2*@)
Enviionmental impacts iesult fiom mineial exploiation anu testing, mineial mining
anu iefining, mining waste uisposal.
Nineial extiaction anu piocessing can have a veiy laige enviionmental impact.
Stiip mining can scai laige aieas of the lanuscape. Abanuoneu mines anu mining
waste piles can leau to suiface anu giounuwatei contamination, paiticulaily with
metals anu aciuic uiainage. The uissolution of golu by cyaniue oi meicuiy-beaiing
solutions useu highly toxic substances that can escape anu contaminate soil anuoi
watei. Anu smelting (iefining)can auveisely affect aii quality, anu suiface watei
quality uownwinu..This useu to be a big impact in Aiizona.

!"#$%&"'(") 6'2*@) &F 5$"(%*+ E(#(+&2'(")D The impact uepenus upon many
factois, incluuing mining pioceuuies, hyuiologic conuitions, climate factois, types of
iocks anu soils anu the topogiaphy

6'2*@) &F 5$"(%*+ !N2+&%*)$&" *"C G(B)$".D ueneially minimal impact, but moie
planning anu caie neeueu foi sensitive aieas (aiiu, wetlanus, anu peimafiost aieas).
Nineial exploiation anu testing involves suiface mapping, geochemical, geophysical,
anu iemote-sensing uata collection anu test uiilling

6'2*@) &F 5$"(%*+ !N)%*@)$&" *"C H%&@(BB$".D Theie is a uiiect impact on lanu,
watei, aii, anu biological enviionment, anu inuiiect impacts on the enviionment:
Topogiaphic effect, tianspoitation of mateiials, etc., anu impacts on the social
enviionment: Incieaseu uemanus foi housing anu seivices.

;&'( &F )1( $'2*@)B F%&' '$"$". &2(%*)$&"B $"@+?C(D
Lanu uistuibances fiom access, suiface mining
Special mining, e.g., chemical leaching fiom golu mining
Nining aciu uiainage, uuiing mining anu post mining
Smelting emissions, e.g., S02

5$"$'$O$". )1( 6'2*@) &F 5$"$".
Enviionmental Regulations
! Foibiu bau mining piactices
! Clean Aii Act
! 0n- anu offsite tieatment of wastes
Lanu ieclamation: About Su% of lanu useu in mining inuustiy ieclaimeu
0se of new biotechnology in mining
! Bio-oxiuation, bioleaching, biosoiption, genetic engineeiing

8(@/@+$". 5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(BD Why iecycle. It only takes a few seconus to
unueistanu why. Consiuei the impact of the wastes that aie toxic to humans anu
uangeious to natuial ecosystem. Anu, consiuei the uegiauation of aii, watei, anu
soil anu the use of lanu foi uisposal, which is aesthetically unuesiiable. Recycling
helps ieuuce all of these impacts.

Recycling helps save eneigy, money, lanu, iaw mineial iesouices fiom moie mining
Recycling has been pioven to be piofitable anu woikable. The iecycling of waste
mateiials fiom mining, human use (uiiect iecycling oi "mining"of lanufills)
significantly ieuuces neeu anu can ieuuce contamination by ieclaiming the
contaminants as iesouices.

Commonly iecycleu metals incluue iionsteel, coppei, aluminum, anu leau. The
most-iecycleu metals aie Iion anu steel. 0ne thiiu as much eneigy neeueu to
piouuce steel fiom iecycleu sciap as fiom the oiiginal oie.

Noie than $4u billion piouuceu fiom iecycleu metals in 1998
0thei iecycleu metals: Leau (6S%), aluminum S8%), anu coppei (S6%)

5$"(%*+ 8(B&?%@(B *"C ;?B)*$"*>$+$)/D In oiuei foi mineial iesouices to be
biought into a measuie of "5".#,*#$,%,./, it is necessaiy foi society to use iesouices
moie wisely anu efficiently, to uevelop moie efficient means of exploiing foi anu
mining iesouices, anu to moie efficiently use the available iesouices. We neeu to
iecycle anu finu substitutes that achieve what mineial iesouices uiu in the past.


WSE 82u12