Question 1

The U.S. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) mining companies to post bonds to cover restoration of mined areas before permits are granted 
B) restoration of the identical ecosystem and biodiversity present before mining began 
C) 20% of sales revenues to be donated to national park maintenance 
D) no remediation of water pollution, except in the case of uranium mining 
E) all mined minerals to be processed and sold only within the United States 
A) mining companies to post bonds to cover restoration of mined areas before permits are granted 
B) restoration of the identical ecosystem and biodiversity present before mining began 
C) 20% of sales revenues to be donated to national park maintenance 
D) no remediation of water pollution, except in the case of uranium mining 
E) all mined minerals to be processed and sold only within the United States

Question 2

Removing surface layers to expose and extract horizontal mineral deposits

Accepted Answer

A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation 
A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation

Question 3

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question
-Which of the following is an effect of high selenium concentrations in stream water?

Accepted Answer

A) Selenium mining companies will want to extract the selenium and thus damage the aquatic ecosystem. 
B) There are no negative effects from selenium, but high selenium levels generally indicate high levels of substances that are harmful. 
C) The selenium will react with potassium isocyanate, resulting in cyanide poisoning of organisms living in the stream. 
D) Selenium causes birth defects in fish. 
E) Selenium reacts with oxygen, thus suffocating fish and other aquatic organisms. 
A) Selenium mining companies will want to extract the selenium and thus damage the aquatic ecosystem. 
B) There are no negative effects from selenium, but high selenium levels generally indicate high levels of substances that are harmful. 
C) The selenium will react with potassium isocyanate, resulting in cyanide poisoning of organisms living in the stream. 
D) Selenium causes birth defects in fish. 
E) Selenium reacts with oxygen, thus suffocating fish and other aquatic organisms.

Question 4

At today's rate of consumption, the world's known reserves of tantalum will last about ________________ more years at today's rate of consumption, but if everyone in the world began consuming tantalum at the rate of U.S. citizens, then it would last for only ________________ years.

Accepted Answer

A) 15; 5 
B) 200; 50 
C) 50; 5 
D) 200; 15 
E) 50; 15 
A) 15; 5 
B) 200; 50 
C) 50; 5 
D) 200; 15 
E) 50; 15

Question 5

A(n) __________________ is formed by the fusion of a metal with another metal or a nonmetal.

Accepted Answer

A) ore 
B) alloy 
C) smelting 
D) flance 
E) tailing 
A) ore 
B) alloy 
C) smelting 
D) flance 
E) tailing

Question 6

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question
-The relationship between recycling, economics, and energy consumption is demonstrated in the case of aluminum, where .

Accepted Answer

A) it costs more than 10 times as much to produce items from recycled aluminum than from virgin ore 
B) the U.S. failure to recycle aluminum has caused energy to be lost in mining new ore 
C) new cheap mining technologies and huge newly discovered aluminum deposits have made recycling unprofitable 
D) all of the metal recycling industries in the United States went bankrupt by 2009 
E) it requires over 20 times more energy to mine and extract aluminum from bauxite ore than from recycled materials 
A) it costs more than 10 times as much to produce items from recycled aluminum than from virgin ore 
B) the U.S. failure to recycle aluminum has caused energy to be lost in mining new ore 
C) new cheap mining technologies and huge newly discovered aluminum deposits have made recycling unprofitable 
D) all of the metal recycling industries in the United States went bankrupt by 2009 
E) it requires over 20 times more energy to mine and extract aluminum from bauxite ore than from recycled materials

Question 7

A(n) ________________ is a solid aggregate of ________________

Accepted Answer

A) crystal; rocks 
B) rock; minerals 
C) mineral; rocks 
D) element; crystals 
E) mineral; crystals 
A) crystal; rocks 
B) rock; minerals 
C) mineral; rocks 
D) element; crystals 
E) mineral; crystals

Question 8

Read the following scenario and answer the questions 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 U.S. $1 trillion. 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 "blood diamonds" of Sierra Leone.
You have been appointed as a delegate to the U.N.- 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 and to ensure economic benefits, social and environmental justice, as well as environmental protection for the Afghan people.
-As far as costs of restoration and reclamation of mining sites, you should strongly recommend that __________________

Accepted Answer

A) the U.S. EPA should oversee the operation and pay for it 
B) the Afghan central government should take responsibility 
C) any corporation wishing to invest should post a bond for reclamation and hire Afghans to do the work 
D) the U.S. military should take responsibility 
E) the costs be shared by the Afghan central government and also by the most powerful tribal leaders 
A) the U.S. EPA should oversee the operation and pay for it 
B) the Afghan central government should take responsibility 
C) any corporation wishing to invest should post a bond for reclamation and hire Afghans to do the work 
D) the U.S. military should take responsibility 
E) the costs be shared by the Afghan central government and also by the most powerful tribal leaders

Question 9

Sifting through sand and silt in riverbeds for minerals using flowing water

Accepted Answer

A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation 
A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation

Question 10

The General Mining Act of 1872 ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) officially legalized mountaintop removal 
B) encouraged the prospecting for minerals on federal lands 
C) legalized the mining for gold in California 
D) requires remediation and reclamation of areas damaged by mining operations 
E) was named after a Civil War general who died at the Battle of Gettysburg 
A) officially legalized mountaintop removal 
B) encouraged the prospecting for minerals on federal lands 
C) legalized the mining for gold in California 
D) requires remediation and reclamation of areas damaged by mining operations 
E) was named after a Civil War general who died at the Battle of Gettysburg

Question 11

Coltan ore contains __________________

Accepted Answer

A) tantalum 
B) uranium 
C) cobalt 
D) aluminum 
E) platinum 
A) tantalum 
B) uranium 
C) cobalt 
D) aluminum 
E) platinum

Question 12

Mineral extraction by removing several hundred vertical feet from hill and mountaintops

Accepted Answer

A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation 
A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation

Question 13

Subsurface mining is used extensively in the extraction of __________________

Accepted Answer

A) coltan 
B) organic soils for landscaping 
C) oil sands 
D) limestone, natural gas, peat 
E) coal, phosphate, diamonds, gold 
A) coltan 
B) organic soils for landscaping 
C) oil sands 
D) limestone, natural gas, peat 
E) coal, phosphate, diamonds, gold

Question 14

Tunneling deep underground to extract minerals

Accepted Answer

A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation 
A) mountaintop removal mining 
B) recreation 
C) open pit mining 
D) solution mining 
E) prospecting
F)strip mining
G)placer mining
H)subsurface mining
I)reclamation

Question 15

Smelting of iron ore involves ________________.

Accepted Answer

A) washing the ore with acid to extract iron 
B) heating beyond iron's melting point and combining the material with carbon 
C) dissolving the ore in hot water to separate iron and aluminum 
D) crushing and heating the ore to its melting point 
E) oxidizing iron to ferric oxide and then adding silicon and boron 
A) washing the ore with acid to extract iron 
B) heating beyond iron's melting point and combining the material with carbon 
C) dissolving the ore in hot water to separate iron and aluminum 
D) crushing and heating the ore to its melting point 
E) oxidizing iron to ferric oxide and then adding silicon and boron

The U.S. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires ________________.

Removing surface layers to expose and extract horizontal mineral deposits

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question -Which of the following is an effect of high selenium concentrations in stream water?

At today's rate of consumption, the world's known reserves of tantalum will last about more years at today's rate of consumption, but if everyone in the world began consuming tantalum at the rate of U.S. citizens, then it would last for only years.

A(n) __________________ is formed by the fusion of a metal with another metal or a nonmetal.

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question -The relationship between recycling, economics, and energy consumption is demonstrated in the case of aluminum, where .

A(n) is a solid aggregate of

Sifting through sand and silt in riverbeds for minerals using flowing water

The General Mining Act of 1872 ________________.

Coltan ore contains __________________

Mineral extraction by removing several hundred vertical feet from hill and mountaintops

Subsurface mining is used extensively in the extraction of __________________

Tunneling deep underground to extract minerals

Smelting of iron ore involves ________________.

Science and Sustainability: an Introduction to Environmental Science

Earths Physical Systems: Matter, Energy, and Geology

Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology

Species Interactions and Community Ecology

Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology

Ethics, Economics, and Sustainable Development

Environmental Policy: Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Human Population

Soil and Agriculture

Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

The Urban Environment: Creating Sustainable Cities

Environmental Health and Toxicology

Freshwater Systems and Resources

Marine and Coastal Systems and Resources

Atmospheric Science, Air Quality, and Pollution Control

Global Climate Change

Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Conventional Energy Alternatives

New Renewable Energy Alternatives

Managing Our Waste

Sustainable Solutions

Filters

Exam 23: Minerals and Mining

The U.S. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 requires ________________.

Removing surface layers to expose and extract horizontal mineral deposits

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question -Which of the following is an effect of high selenium concentrations in stream water?

At today's rate of consumption, the world's known reserves of tantalum will last about ________________ more years at today's rate of consumption, but if everyone in the world began consuming tantalum at the rate of U.S. citizens, then it would last for only ________________ years.

A(n) __________________ is formed by the fusion of a metal with another metal or a nonmetal.

Use the accompanying figure to answer the following question -The relationship between recycling, economics, and energy consumption is demonstrated in the case of aluminum, where .

A(n) ________________ is a solid aggregate of ________________

Sifting through sand and silt in riverbeds for minerals using flowing water

The General Mining Act of 1872 ________________.

Coltan ore contains __________________

Mineral extraction by removing several hundred vertical feet from hill and mountaintops

Subsurface mining is used extensively in the extraction of __________________

Tunneling deep underground to extract minerals

Smelting of iron ore involves ________________.

Science and Sustainability: an Introduction to Environmental Science

Earths Physical Systems: Matter, Energy, and Geology

Evolution, Biodiversity, and Population Ecology

Species Interactions and Community Ecology

Environmental Systems and Ecosystem Ecology

Ethics, Economics, and Sustainable Development

Environmental Policy: Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Human Population

Soil and Agriculture

Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the Future of Food

Biodiversity and Conservation Biology

Forests, Forest Management, and Protected Areas

The Urban Environment: Creating Sustainable Cities

Environmental Health and Toxicology

Freshwater Systems and Resources

Marine and Coastal Systems and Resources

Atmospheric Science, Air Quality, and Pollution Control

Global Climate Change

Fossil Fuels, Their Impacts, and Energy Conservation

Conventional Energy Alternatives

New Renewable Energy Alternatives

Managing Our Waste

Sustainable Solutions

Filters

At today's rate of consumption, the world's known reserves of tantalum will last about more years at today's rate of consumption, but if everyone in the world began consuming tantalum at the rate of U.S. citizens, then it would last for only years.

A(n) is a solid aggregate of