APES Mining Worksheet Name ___________________________________

Fill in the table:

Surface Mining Brief Description Environmental Impact
Open Pit

Dredging

Area Strip

Contour Strip

Mountain Top Removal

Surface Mining Control and What this law says: Who enforces it:
Reclamation Act of 1977

Subsurface
Underground Coal

Room and Pillar

Longwall Mining
Mining Questions

1. What does the Mining Law of 1872 say?

2. What are the harmful effects of extracting, processing, and using nonrenewable mineral and energy resources?

3. What is the life cycle of a mine ore?

4. Define:
a. Smelter

b. Ore

c. Subsistence

d. Tailings

e. Gangue

f. Spoil

5. What is acid mine drainage? Why is it a problem?

6. How do smelters cause water pollution?

7. How are ores formed? How are they processed?

8. How do we find mineral deposits?

9. Is recycling the answer for all our nonrenewable mineral resources? Why or why not?

10. Write a short summary of the case study found on page 344. Define the problem clearly and state what was
learned from this.
Plate Boundaries
The diagrams in the table below represent the various movements at plate boundaries. Complete the table by
providing the missing information.

Type of boundary and

Diagram motion at boundary Feature formed Example
Below is a list of minerals. Give examples of their uses. The first one is given as an example.

Mineral Used in… Used in…

Aluminum Soda cans Bicycles

Copper

Silver

Gold

Mercury

Limestone

Iron

Chromium

Magnesium

Platinum

Graphite

Lead

Calcium

Silica