Exam 11: Geology, Minerals, and Mining

Discuss briefly the economic and social justice issues that can arise from some mining operations.

Use the figure above to answer the following question -This bar graph tells us that _______________.

At ______________ plate boundaries, tectonic plates are pushed away from each other when magma rises to the surface, creating new crust.

Tantalum from African coltan is used primarily for the manufacture of ______________.

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

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following: -Dissolves and extracts resources via a narrow borehole

Most coltan ore is mined in ______________, but purified and marketed in ______________.

The U.S. General Mining Act of 1872, although encouraging to the domestic mining industry, also ______________

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. In 2010, geologists working for the U.S. military operations in Afghanistan discovered a literal treasure -trove of mineral deposits with a preliminary estimated value at nearly $1 trillion U.S. dollars. So far, no proposals have been made for extracting these resources, but already parallels have been drawn to the many dimensions of human rights issues that have plagued coltan production in the Congo, oil drilling in Nigeria, and the ʺblood diamondsʺ of Sierra Leone. Also, keep in mind the events surrounding the record-breaking oil spill resulting from the explosion and sinking of BPʹs Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, also in the same year. In this latter event, BP made unprecedented pledges of support for the staggering costs of the Gulf cleanup, under intense pressure from the Obama administration, since the nation suffering the damage was the United States. Congratulations, you have been appointed as a delegate to the UN -initiated Afghan Minerals Development Council, which will convene in the next few months. The goals of the Council are to oversee the extraction and export of resources, to ensure economic benefits for the Afghans, social and environmental justice, as well as environmental protection. -Most of the miners are likely to be local villagers supervised by Afghan mining engineers. Compensation for workers should be ______________.

Choose the item that best matches each item in the following: -Restoration of mined areas to pre-mining conditions

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. In 2010, geologists working for the U.S. military operations in Afghanistan discovered a literal treasure -trove of mineral deposits with a preliminary estimated value at nearly $1 trillion U.S. dollars. So far, no proposals have been made for extracting these resources, but already parallels have been drawn to the many dimensions of human rights issues that have plagued coltan production in the Congo, oil drilling in Nigeria, and the ʺblood diamondsʺ of Sierra Leone. Also, keep in mind the events surrounding the record-breaking oil spill resulting from the explosion and sinking of BPʹs Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, also in the same year. In this latter event, BP made unprecedented pledges of support for the staggering costs of the Gulf cleanup, under intense pressure from the Obama administration, since the nation suffering the damage was the United States. Congratulations, you have been appointed as a delegate to the UN -initiated Afghan Minerals Development Council, which will convene in the next few months. The goals of the Council are to oversee the extraction and export of resources, to ensure economic benefits for the Afghans, social and environmental justice, as well as environmental protection. -A useful benefit from mining profits could be ______________.

Read the following scenario and answer the question below. In 2010, geologists working for the U.S. military operations in Afghanistan discovered a literal treasure -trove of mineral deposits with a preliminary estimated value at nearly $1 trillion U.S. dollars. So far, no proposals have been made for extracting these resources, but already parallels have been drawn to the many dimensions of human rights issues that have plagued coltan production in the Congo, oil drilling in Nigeria, and the ʺblood diamondsʺ of Sierra Leone. Also, keep in mind the events surrounding the record-breaking oil spill resulting from the explosion and sinking of BPʹs Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, also in the same year. In this latter event, BP made unprecedented pledges of support for the staggering costs of the Gulf cleanup, under intense pressure from the Obama administration, since the nation suffering the damage was the United States. Congratulations, you have been appointed as a delegate to the UN -initiated Afghan Minerals Development Council, which will convene in the next few months. The goals of the Council are to oversee the extraction and export of resources, to ensure economic benefits for the Afghans, social and environmental justice, as well as environmental protection. -All of the following could be sensible appointments for the UN Council, except perhaps ______________.