Cookie Mining Lab

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School

Evergreen Valley College *

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Course

201

Subject

Civil Engineering

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

pdf

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Uploaded by ColonelFish145

Cookie Mining The purpose of this activity is to simulate a mining operation. In order to make the simulation economically valid, many of the costs associated with real mining operations will be considered. Several of the economic considerations in this simulation follow. A land area will be purchased from the bank. The land area will be surveyed and quantified. Mining equipment will be purchased from the bank. A mining operation will be undertaken, with the cost for each minute of the mining operation included in the total operating costs. At the conclusion of mining operations, the reclamation of the land area is required, with a fine assessed for any part of the land area that is not successfully reclaimed. The ore that was mined will be sold back to the bank to offset the start-up costs of the mining operation. While the goal of this simulation is entirely economic, that is, to make as much money as possible, there are many goals other than economic goals that must be considered in a real mining operation. Although it is not possible to include all of the social and environmental implications of mining in this simple simulation, they must not be forgotten, and you should be prepared to discuss them in class. Materials 1 chocolate chip cookie Mining tools Mining grid Procedure 1. Each miner must obtain a mining grid. This will be a traditional graph paper. 2. Each miner will then purchase a land area (cookie), on credit, from the bank. Chips Ahoy Chewy $2000 Chips Ahoy Chunky $1500 Chips Ahoy Original $1000 3. Each miner may purchase any combination of the following mining equipment, on credit, from the bank ( at least two items must be purchased). Paper Clip $500/ea Round Toothpick $300/ea Flat Toothpick $200/ea 4. Following the purchase of the cookie and mining equipment, place the cookie on the mining grid and trace the outline of the cookie, determine the area of the cookie by counting the number of squares that fall inside the line (count partial squares as full squares), and record the area of the cookie. 5. Place the cookie back inside the circle. Before you start, get a timer ready. Start the timer and begin mining! 6. Once mining begins, the cookie is only to be touched by the mining tools. The cookie may not be touched with fingers or hands. You may not blow crumbs off the paper at any time. Any part of the cookie that falls off the graph paper is considered to be “lost,” and should not be retrieved until the simulation is complete. 7. Attempt to dig out as many chocolate chips as possible. The chocolate chips represent ore, and will be sold to the bank to offset the start-up costs of the mining operation. Whole, clean, intact chocolate chips will be purchased by the bank for $500 each, “dirty” chocolate chips will be purchased for $200 each, and partial chocolate chips will be purchased for $100 each (partial chips must be combined to form the amount of ore in one chip). 8. The cost of an ongoing mining operation is $50 per minute.

9. After the cookie has been mined, reclamation must be attempted. Try to place all that remains of the cookie back into the circled area on the graph paper using the mining tools (remember, no fingers or hands allowed). Draw additional circles around each crumb that is not placed back in the circle, and count the number of squares that fall inside all circles. 10. The fine for unsuccessful reclamation is $50 per square (in excess of the original number of squares). 11. When all mining and reclamation is complete and you are ready to sell your chocolate chips to the bank, arrange them in such a way that they may be easily counted, record the end time of the simulation. The timer must be running all the way through this step. Mining Information Land Area Type of Cookie Chewy Cost of Cookie $2000 Initial Size of Cookie (squares) 114.5 Final Size of Cookie (squares) 114.5 Mining Equipment Costs Type of Tool Amount Total Cost Paper Clip ($500 each) 1 $500 Round Toothpick ($300 each) 0 $0 Flat Toothpick ($200 each) 1 $200 Total Equipment Cost $700 Time Cost Minutes Spent Mining Cost of Time 9 x $50 $450 Cost of Mining Operations Cost of Cookie + Mining Equipment Costs + Time Cost $2000+ $700+ $450 = $3,150 Reclamation Cost

(Final Size of Cookie - Initial Size of Cookie) x $50 $0 Mining Revenue Type of Chocolate Chip Amount Revenue Whole Chips ($500 each) 4 $2000 “Dirty” Chips ($200 each) 0 $0 Partial Chips ($100 each) 10 $1000 Total Revenue $3000 Bottom Line (Profit/Loss) Mining Revenue $3,000 Cost of Mining Operations $3,150 Reclamation Cost $0 Total Net Profit = Mining Revenue - Cost of Mining Operations - Reclamation Cost -$150 Discussion Questions : 1. Were your ore materials evenly distributed throughout the cookie mine? Do you think this is a realistic simulation? No, most of my ore materials were clumped onto one side of the cookie. I think this is realistic because, in a real mine, the ore isn’t going to be evenly distributed, and there will be certain areas that contain more ore than others. 2. This is a mining simulation activity. What does the chocolate represent? What does the cookie represent? (Please use specific terms in your text and briefly define them). The chocolate represents ore, and the cookie represents land. 3. Where was the most money invested in the mining process? What are some other economic requirements of mining not represented by our simulation? The most money was invested in the land, which cost $2000. The mining tools were also expensive, coming

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in at $700. Other economic requirements of mining not represented by our simulation include labor costs, transportation of materials, tree clearing, and other equipment like heavy machinery and explosives. 4. List and briefly describe at least three environmental impacts of surface mining and three environmental impacts of underground/subsurface mining (see text/slideshow for help). Three environmental impacts of surface mining include land and habitat destruction from heavy machinery, acid mine drainage, which occurs when water seeps through an underground mine, carrying sulfuric acid to streams and groundwater, and excess solid waste that pollutes ecosystems. Environmental impacts of underground/subsurface mining include cave-ins, explosions, and fires, which can negatively affect the land. Subsidence, the collapse of land above a mine, is another impact. Finally, acid mine drainage is when water seeps through an underground mine, carrying sulfuric acid to streams and groundwater and excess solid waste that pollutes ecosystems. 5. We put a monetary value on the rocks and minerals mined from the earth. Do we put a price on the natural attributes included on the grid and the ecological services they provide – trees that provide oxygen, vistas that provide beautiful natural views, etc? Why not? Would it be possible? We don’t put a price on natural attributes included on the grid and the ecological services they provide because they are traditionally perceived as common resources for the public, which means that they are available to everyone for free. It is also hard to assign a monetary value to these services because it would be hard to account for how every single individual’s usage and benefits. I think it may be possible to a certain extent, but it is very hard to do so and may raise complaints. 6. Were you able to restore (reclaim) the mined cookie to exactly its original size and topography? Discuss the results of an actual mining reclamation operation. Be sure to consider the internal integrity of the land. How does a reclamation operation impact the plant populations, animal populations, water cycle, and soil? (see textbook for help) I was able to reclaim the mined cookie to its original size, but its original topography wasn’t completely restored. In an actual mining reclamation operation, the damage to the land would be much more severe as it would be much more difficult to restore the land to exactly how it was. Mining operations also disturb the natural structure and composition of the land, leading to soil compaction, erosion, and loss of topsoil. Mining can also negatively impact plant and animal populations due to the immense amount of water pollution and toxic solid waste, which can harm or kill plants and animals. 7. What could you do to increase your profit? (Think about this in such a way that anything is fair game to increase your profit for this question) To increase profit, I could have invested more money into better tools. I also could’ve been less afraid of reclamation costs and destroyed the cookie in order to gain more ore.

8. Identify and describe a federal law that regulates mining. A federal law that regulates mining is the Surface Mining Control And Reclamation Act of 1977, which prohibits surface coal mining within National Park System boundaries and grants the National Park Service authority over permitting decisions for external surface coal mining operations. 9. Discuss some ways you can reduce your need for mined resources. Some ways I can reduce my need for mined resources is by staying away from the trends and thinking through each purchase. I can also focus on investing in good quality electronics and products from the start in order to avoid repurchasing. I can also shift to using only renewable energy, such as solar and wind energy. 10. Write a comprehensive summary and DISCUSSION of your lab results (refer to the data table and your economic results). This should be a good-sized paragraph and should include data. You can use this paragraph as your “Discussion” on your IMRD Lab Report if it hits all the requirements needed. Based on the data and economic results, there was a net loss of $150. The majority of my money went into purchasing the cookie (land) and buying tools that were used for mining, totaling $2,700. However, the revenue after mining only came out to $3,000, resulting in a net loss of $150 after factoring in all the costs of the mining operation, including time costs ($3,150). Despite efforts to make as much profit as possible, the uneven distribution of chocolate chips (ore) and the use of a Chewy cookie made it difficult. Additionally, through the reclamation process, the mined cookie was restored back to its original size; however, the topography wasn't fully restored, reflecting the challenges of actual mining reclamation operations. In addition to economic costs, there are several environmental costs that weren’t evidently present in the simulation but I can see occurring in real life. Surface mining, in particular, can lead to immense land and habitat destruction due to the use of heavy machinery and improper reclamation. This disruption can result in the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services, as well as fragmentation of habitats for wildlife. Furthermore, mining operations can contribute to water pollution through acid mine drainage, where water seeps through an underground mine, carrying sulfuric acid to streams and groundwater, and can harm communities and animals through the immense amounts of solid waste produced. Mining operations also use significant amounts of energy and fuel, which contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, this simulation highlighted the environmental and economic costs associated with mining and provided valuable insight into the harmful effects of mining, providing an understanding of why sustainable mining practices are necessary.

Cookie Mining Lab

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