Mineral Resources | Lesson 5.1 | Earth Science

Summary

This lesson covers the fundamentals of mineral resources and the mining process. It begins by explaining the significance of minerals throughout human history and then introduces key terminologies such as mineral occurrence, deposit, and ore deposit. The lesson delves into the stages of the mining process, including exploration, development, design, and production, emphasizing responsible mining practices. The final step, closure, and reclamation, is discussed to highlight the importance of restoring mined areas to their original state. The video also touches on the environmental and societal impacts of mining.

Takeaways

• ⛏️ Mineral resources have been integral to human civilization, used since ancient times for various purposes.
• 🪨 Mineral resources are defined as a volume of rock enriched by one or more useful materials, which can refer to either a mineral or a rock.
• 📊 Mineral occurrence refers to the scientific or technical concentration of minerals, while mineral deposits refer to occurrences that have a high enough grade or concentration to enable extraction under favorable conditions.
• 💰 Ore deposits are mineral deposits that are economically profitable, meaning that despite potential challenges, mining companies can extract these resources for a profit.
• 🔍 The mining process involves several stages: exploration, development and design, construction, production, and closure and reclamation.
• 🧭 Exploration involves prospecting, drilling, and modeling to assess the area's mineral deposits. Geologists, mining engineers, and other experts are involved in this process.
• 🚧 Development and design involve creating feasibility studies, identifying resources, and procuring equipment necessary for mining operations.
• 🏗️ The construction phase builds access roads, environmental systems, and facilities for the mining operations and employees.
• ⚙️ Production is the stage where the actual mining takes place, including separating valuable minerals from unwanted materials through various processes.
• 🌍 Closure and reclamation aim to restore the land to its original state, with goals of minimizing environmental impacts and ensuring public health and safety after mining operations are complete.

Q & A

What are mineral resources?

Mineral resources are defined as a volume of rock enriched with one or more useful materials. These resources can refer to both minerals and rocks.

What is the difference between a mineral occurrence, mineral deposit, and ore deposit?

A mineral occurrence is the presence of a mineral in an area. A mineral deposit refers to a mineral occurrence of sufficient size and concentration to be potentially extracted under favorable conditions. An ore deposit is a mineral deposit that has been tested and proven to be economically profitable.

What are the three main steps of the exploration phase in the mining process?

The three main steps are prospecting, drilling, and modeling of the ore deposit. Prospecting involves data collection, drilling gathers core samples, and modeling creates a map showing the location and concentration of different ores.

What is prospecting, and why is it important in the mining process?

Prospecting is the initial step of exploration where experts collect data, conduct surveys, and check the environmental and geological conditions to locate potential mineral deposits. It's important because it determines if the area is viable for mining.

How is drilling used in the exploration process?

Drilling uses specialized equipment, such as diamond drills, to collect core samples from the ground. These samples are then examined by geologists to assess the type and grade of minerals present.

What is the purpose of modeling in the exploration phase?

Modeling combines data from prospecting and drilling to create a detailed map showing the location and concentration of minerals in the area, helping companies plan extraction operations.

What are the key steps in the development and design phase of mining?

This phase involves scoping the mining operation, conducting feasibility studies to determine resource needs, and procuring the necessary facilities and equipment for mining.

What happens during the production phase of mining?

During production, the actual extraction of minerals takes place. The process involves separating useful minerals from unwanted materials (gang) using various chemical and mechanical processes.

What is closure and reclamation in the mining process?

Closure and reclamation is the final step of mining, where the site is rehabilitated after all the minerals have been extracted. The goal is to return the land to its original state, ensuring public safety and minimizing environmental impact.

What are some of the goals of closure and reclamation?

The goals include ensuring public health and safety, minimizing environmental impacts, removing hazardous materials, preserving water quality, and stabilizing the land.

Outlines

00:00

⛏️ Introduction to Mineral Resources and Mining

The lesson begins with an introduction to mineral resources, tracing their use back to human civilizations. It defines mineral resources as rocks enriched by one or more useful materials and distinguishes between minerals and rocks. Various terms related to mineral resources are introduced, such as mineral occurrence, mineral deposit, and ore deposit. These terms help define the size, grade, and profitability of mineral deposits, with a focus on the economic conditions required for mining. The paragraph emphasizes the difference between mineral and ore deposits and sets up the topic of mining as the process of extracting these resources from the Earth's surface.

05:01

🔍 Exploration in the Mining Process

The second paragraph discusses the first stage of mining: exploration. It outlines three key steps involved in this stage: prospecting, drilling, and modeling of ore deposits. Prospecting includes gathering data from locals and historical research to identify mineral deposits. This stage also involves evaluating the geology and environmental conditions of the site. Drilling is used to collect core samples, while modeling uses the data gathered to create a map that visualizes the mineral deposits. The goal is to confirm the presence and quality of ore deposits before moving to the next stage of mining.

10:03

🏗️ Development, Design, and Production

This paragraph covers the stages following exploration: development, design, and production. After confirming the presence of ore deposits, mining companies conduct studies to ensure safety, profitability, and environmental considerations. Scoping and feasibility studies assess the resources and equipment needed, while procurement focuses on acquiring the necessary facilities for mining. Construction of access roads and infrastructure follows, preparing the site for mining activities. Production is the stage where actual mining takes place, and processes are implemented to extract and separate minerals from unwanted materials. The paragraph highlights the importance of responsible mining practices to reduce environmental impact.

🌱 Closure and Reclamation

The final paragraph discusses the closure and reclamation phase, which begins once all the ore has been extracted. The goal of this phase is to restore the mining site to its original state or as close as possible. Responsible mining companies may start reclaiming portions of the mine during production. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of minimizing environmental effects, ensuring public safety, preserving water quality, and stabilizing the land. Although there is opposition to mining, the text acknowledges the significant role mining plays in providing resources for human use. It ends by encouraging viewers to watch the second part for a discussion on mining techniques and ore processing.

Keywords

💡Mineral Resources

Mineral resources refer to a concentration of rocks enriched with useful materials. In the video, the speaker highlights how humans have historically depended on minerals for daily life and industrial purposes. The importance of mineral resources is tied to their economic and scientific value, and they can refer to either a mineral or a rock.

💡Mineral Occurrence

Mineral occurrence is a term used to describe the presence of a mineral in a specific area. It doesn't necessarily mean it is economically viable to mine, but it indicates that a mineral is present in the region. The video uses this term to explain the first stage in identifying potential mining sites.

💡Mineral Deposit

A mineral deposit refers to a mineral occurrence that has a sufficient concentration and size to potentially allow for extraction. The video contrasts this with mineral occurrence by stating that a deposit might not always be economically viable to mine but is closer to being usable than a mere occurrence.

💡Ore Deposit

An ore deposit is a mineral deposit that has been tested and proven to be economically profitable for mining. In the video, this term is key to understanding the feasibility of mining operations. Ore deposits contain enough valuable minerals to justify the cost of extraction.

💡Mining Process

The mining process refers to the stages involved in extracting mineral resources from the earth. The video outlines these stages, including exploration, development, production, and closure. Each step ensures that the extraction is profitable, environmentally sustainable, and safe.

💡Exploration

Exploration is the first stage of the mining process, where experts such as geologists assess areas to determine if valuable minerals are present. The video describes exploration as involving prospecting, drilling, and modeling, all aimed at confirming whether a site has minerals that are worth mining.

💡Prospecting

Prospecting involves collecting data and researching a site's potential for mineral resources. It can include interviews with locals or studying the history of a site. In the video, prospecting is a part of the exploration stage and helps determine whether to move forward with more detailed geological evaluations.

💡Drilling

Drilling is the process of using specialized equipment, such as diamond drills, to extract core samples from the earth. These samples are analyzed to assess the type and grade of minerals present. The video discusses drilling as a crucial part of exploration to gather more detailed geological information.

💡Reclamation

Reclamation refers to the process of returning mined land to its original or an improved state after mining is completed. In the video, reclamation is described as part of the closure phase, with goals like stabilizing land, preserving water quality, and minimizing environmental damage.

💡Gangue

Gangue refers to the unwanted materials that are mined along with valuable minerals. In the video, gangue is discussed during the production phase, where the separation of valuable minerals from gangue is critical for making the mining process economically viable.

Highlights

Introduction to mineral resources and related terminologies.

Mineral resources defined as a volume of rock enriched by one or more useful materials.

Mineral resources can refer to both minerals and rocks.

Key terms: mineral occurrence, mineral deposit, and ore deposit.

Mineral occurrence refers to the presence of minerals in an area of scientific or technical interest.

Mineral deposit refers to a mineral occurrence of sufficient size and concentration that may enable extraction.

Ore deposit is a mineral deposit that has been tested and proven economically profitable for extraction.

Stages of the mining process include exploration, development and design, construction, production, and closure and reclamation.

Exploration involves prospecting, drilling, and modeling of ore deposits.

Exploration uses surveys, drilling, and data modeling to confirm mineral deposits.

Development and design focus on scoping, feasibility studies, and procurement of equipment.

Construction includes building access roads, facilities, and environmental management systems before mining begins.

Production involves the actual mining and separating minerals from unwanted materials.

Closure and reclamation ensure the mine is returned to a safe and stable state after extraction.

Mining companies aim to minimize environmental impact and preserve water quality during reclamation.

Transcripts

welcome class a fifth lesson at

insurance science

in this video i will talk about mineral

resources

some terminologies related to it and

then discuss

the stages of the mining process use of

mineral resources will always lead you

back

to the start of human civilizations

humans learned how to use minerals for

their daily lives these pictures

show some materials made up of a mineral

filipino bhagava man

castilla in the modern times

malachi independence

different different minerals are present

these are some of the minerals that you

can see or find in the pond

of course

mineral resources is defined

as a volume of rock enriched by one

or more useful materials take note

that when we talk about mineral

resources hindi languiners

casama dito

so yes mineral resources could either

refer to

a mineral or a rock

in terms related to mineral resources

some around terms

related to mineral resources mineral

occurrence

mineral deposit and oil deposit if we

define mineral resources

it is said to be a concentration

of a mineral that is of scientific or

technical interest

in a simple way if a mineral resource is

present

uh then we can say mineral occurrence

whether kikita a mining companies litto

or hinde mineral deposit amount

refers to mineral occurrence of

sufficient size

and grade or concentration

that can enable extraction under the

favorable conditions

mineral deposit means that the mineral

occurrence

is greater however it may not be enough

for reminding corporations to mine the

malacca if indeed again favorable

unconditioned as they operate the mine

on the other hand or the poor deposit

amount

refers to mineral deposit that has been

tested

tested and known to be economically

profitable

with this even makara online hindrance

or challenges as the call

the corporation operates the mine

to explain it further we can say that

both mineral deposit

and or deposit isa non-mineral

occurrence

some other linsabe has my mineral

resources salo granular

then they are mineral occurrence

then or deposit could be

a mineral deposit but not all

mineral deposits are all deposits

casey naman lahatna mineral

then we can say nato is

mining corporations now let us go to the

sages of

mining process but before we go there

first

define munana mining is the process of

extracting

mineral resources from the surface of

the earth

[Music]

stages of the mining process so i want

you to take note nahindeep wedding

padalus

and corporation my steps

ensure that they will profit they will

lessen the exploitation of the

environment

and then they can rehabilitate the mine

site

so isa is saying that in new mexico

first step is exploration in this step

mining corporation

asks the help of experts such as

geologists and mining engineers

to search for areas that contain mineral

resources

viable form mining exploration

includes three steps

the three steps are prospecting drilling

and modelling of the or deposit

so prospecting the research as a

collecting data

this may include interviews from local

or locals

uh to check kung meneki tasi lang minera

says lugar

this may also include looking on the

history

of the site once they have enough data

to say that there is mineral deposit in

the area

then they can go to the next step which

is the evaluation of the land's geology

they will check the terrain titignan

kumai hazards badito

na magdadagdag

they will also check the environmental

condition of the area

including the groundwater this will be

their baseline data

and will help them read the process of

mining

prospecting also involves checking the

chemical properties of the soil and

water

this will help them to see kumaranbang

traces of minerals

believing that weathering and erosion in

the past

carried these minerals from the ground

to the surface

and events the bodies of water near the

area

then they can also deploy airborne and

ground surfing

to check on us electrical current and

magnetic waves and areas

uh somehow

support underground x-ray with the use

of different equipment

they can identify the extent of the

mineral deposit

that we visualize not in new mineral

deposits

lupa with the use of these surveys

after prospecting is drilling

this involves the use of diamond drill

to collect core samples from the area

with this geologists will have the

chance to examine the type and grade of

minerals in the ground

last under exploration is modeling with

modeling experts will use the collected

data from

various surveys and then they will

combine it with the data muladen's

accord drilling to create

a map that will show the location of the

different ores

with the different grades or different

countries concentration present in the

area

there

development and design once exploration

confirmed the presence of oil deposits

in the area

then different studies will be made to

ensure that the environment will be safe

the company will gain from it and the

people will benefit from the mine

during and even after the mining process

process involves scoping feasibility

studies

and procurement of necessary facilities

so scoping in a gowano mining

corporation and

identify non-scope nankanilang operation

identified iraq

vanilla or they can process the ore

remove the unwanted materials

and then extract the needed resource

sufficibility studying a month

they will identify the resources that

they will

need to operate the mine they will also

check for possible companies that will

buy the minerals from them

and lastly is the procurement of

facilities and equipment for

the mine this includes materials needed

for

offices of the administration leaving

quarters for the miners plus

the heavy equipments the typical

after design and development is

construction

this involves building access roads

facilities

environmental management systems and

facilities

for the employees take note that mining

is about to start after

the building of these facilities

then number four is production this is

where the actual mining

of mineral happens aside from taking the

minerals from the surface of the earth

due to the naganov ampa

materials during mining and for it to be

useful

we need to separate it from unwanted

materials

need nothing it only process which may

involve mixing chemicals or letting the

oil

into different machines

this picture shows a gold ore so we can

see

that the mineral is attached with

unwanted materials

called as gang in the production we are

separating these minerals

from gang with the use of different

processes

depending on properties and minerals

we will discuss this process the second

part no video lesson nato

last is the closure and reclamation

once the mining corporation have

extracted all the ore present in the

mine

then they will start the closure and

reclamation of the site

they want to somehow return the land to

its original state

during this process merong ibang mining

companies that

do this step along with production

once they have exploited the minerals in

a portion

of the mine then they will start to

close it and reclaim it

as they move to the next portion

the following are the goals of closure

and reclamation

they want to ensure that the chemicals

use will not

affect public health and safety they

want to minimize

environmental effects cassam and impact

remove

non-waste materials and hazard use

materials

um preserved on water quality

bug stabilized land at pak bo now new

land forms

so these are the steps done by

responsible mining companies

take note now although there are a lot

of people who are against mining

we cannot deny the fact that key humans

have great dependence

to the products produced by mining

companies

so that's the end of this video lesson

make sure to watch the second part of

this

for the discussion of different mining

techniques and or

processing thank you