GEO109_SCI210_Lab+3+Mineral+Resources+FA23 (1)

GEO 109L – Earth, Environment, & Society Lab SCI 210L – The Dynamic Earth Lab Lab 3: Mineral Resources Introduction In this lab, you will explore some of the common mineral resources used in everyday life. You will also get some perspective on the impacts of the extraction of mineral resources, especially for metals. In addition, you will be introduced to more of the tools to be used in future labs, including making charts in Excel and using Google Earth Pro as a visualization aid. Before starting this lab be sure you have completed the following: - Review the background materials in Lab 3 of the Lab Manual and take the Pre Lab Quiz - Download Microsoft Office package to your computer (available for free from https://software.udayton.edu/ ) - Download Google Earth Pro to your computer (available for free from https://www.google.com/earth/versions/#earth-pro ) Note: How To’s and Help for both Excel and Google Earth is available in Isidore on the course toolbar. Part 1 - Mineral Ores – Metallic Ore Examples 1. Complete the following table using the resources as noted: - For Chemical Formula, Mineral Class and Metal in Ore, click on the link for the mineral name. That will take you to a mineral gallery website. - For Metal Uses, refer back to the graphic in the Lab 2 Manual page in Isidore. Throughout the lab, use the tables to insert your answers for easy reading of your work – you can use a different color font too if you want. * Bauxite is an ore that actually contains three related minerals. This link takes you to the specific information related to one of these minerals. Lab 3 | 1 NAME: ____________________Table # ___ Mineral Name Chemical Formula Mineral Class Metal in Ore Metal Uses a . Chalcopyrite CuFeS 2 Sulfide Copper Electronic parts; plumbing b. Malachite c. Bauxite (see Gibbsite) * d. Hematite e. Galena f. Sphalerite

Need help with some of the symbols? – see the Periodic Table of Elements at this link: https://www.ptable.com/ 2) You might notice that the metal ores in the table are classified into the same category except for one – malachite. While more ores require extensive chemical and mechanical processes to extract the metals from the ore, ores containing malachite can be mostly processed with a fairly simple chemical reaction. Watch the following video for a demonstration and answer the questions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ocYcA_xi98 a) What happens when a weak acid is applied to a malachite ore rock? How does this relate to its mineral class? b) What mineral from Lab 1 did you observe that will exhibit the same reaction to a weak acid? Part 2 – The Value of Everyday Minerals For this section of the lab, you will use Excel to calculate and create a chart showing the annual value of many of the common minerals used in everyday life. 1. Download the Excel file “Mineral Resources Data Sheet” from Lab 3 of the Lab Manual. 2. For the metal resources, click on the metal name to take you to a website that will give you the current price of that metal (the prices for the nonmetallic resources are already given for you). Insert those values in the highlighted boxes in column E. 3. The spreadsheet will calculate the annual value of these minerals in Column E. While you do not need to enter in the formula in this case, you should click on the columns to see how this calculation was done. 4. Create a 2D or 3D Column Chart that includes just the name of the Mineral Resources in Column A and the Annual $ Value of the Mineral Resource in Column E. Go to Excel How To’s for help on how to make this chart. Include a screenshot pic of your chart in this box Remember to also upload your completed Excel file to the Assignment Tool for complete documentation of your work. This will also enable the instructor to provide feedback on your chart if it is not correctly completed. 5. Take a look at the price of copper versus the price of iron in your chart. Based on this difference, which type of ore do you think will need to contain a higher grade of the metal to be profitable to mine – copper or iron? Explain your answer. 2

2. Complete the table below using the pushpins to fly to each location and then using the elevation profile for each line to measure the length and width and obtain depth information. Mine Location Width of Pit in miles (use L1) Width of Pit in miles (use L2) Surface Area of Mine Pit (multiply width X length) (square miles) Max. Depth of Mine (in feet) – use elevation gain/loss from elevation profile). Comment also on the shape of the pits – deep holes; shallower sections? Bingham Mine, Utah Empire Mine, Michigan a. Which mine has the larger surface area? In conjunction with the depth of the mine, which mine has excavated the most ore rock (and waste materials) over its lifetime? b. Looking at the background for each mine, which mine has produced the most metal resources over time (millions of tons)? c. Why doesn’t the size of mine necessarily correlate with the amount of the metal produced? Use the concept of ore grade in your answer. You might use these references for some background on ore and grade for copper and iron. http://www.energymining.sa.gov.au/minerals/mineral_commodities/iron_ore https://www.mining.com/the-worlds-top-10-highest-grade-copper-mines/ Part 4 – Mining Operations in your Hometown 4

Now, you can see what types of mineral resources are being mined in your hometown area or other area of interest. Watch the instructional video on how to use the Mineral Resource Data System database to download and display a Google Earth file containing information on open and closed mines in a particular location. Then follow the instructions below. 1. Go to the Mineral Resource Data System website at the following address: https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/geo- inventory.php Follow the instructions in the video available in Lab 2 for an overview of how to use this site to download and open a Google earth file. 2. Search for mining locations in your hometown or other place of interest. You might want to narrow your search so you don’t have a large area with hundreds of mines. Example of Google Earth screenshot of mining locations. Insert a screenshot of your location here with the Google Earth file of mining locations displayed on the map. Include the name of the location you used – ex. Dayton, Ohio 3. After looking at several of the details of mines (click on the mine symbols), summarize the types of ore materials (ex. Hematite) and/or minerals (ex. Iron) extracted from the mines in your location. These might likely include nonmetallic resources. Are the mines still open or now closed? 4. What are the likely uses of the mineral resources found in these mines? You might look at the graphic in the Lab 2 resources for ideas and/or investigate a little about one of the specific mines you find. Lab 3 | 5