Chapter 14: Geology and Earth Resources. 14.1 Earth Processes Shape Our Resources Earth is a dynamic...
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Transcript of Chapter 14: Geology and Earth Resources. 14.1 Earth Processes Shape Our Resources Earth is a dynamic...
Chapter 14: Geology and EarthResources
14.1 Earth Processes Shape Our Resources
• Earth is a dynamic planet • Tectonic processes reshape continents and
cause earthquakes and volcanoes
The Solid Earth
Global Earthquakes
Global Volcanoes
The Earth’s Plates
The Plate Tectonics Model
Global Plate Motions
14.2 Rocks And Minerals
• The Rock Cycle Creates And Recycles Rocks • Weathering And Erosion Wear Down Rocks
The Rock Cycle
14.3 Economic Geology And Mineralogy
• Metals are essential to our economy • What Do You Think? Should We Revise Mining
Laws? – The Mining Law of 1872
• Nommetallic minerals include gravel, clay, sand, and salts
Bingham Canyon Pit, Utah
Bingham Canyon
Everything in Mines is Big
Everything in Mines is Very Big
My Truck Can Eat Your Truck
Where Are They Now?
The Krupps
Taconite Pelletizer
Taconite Pellets
Taconite Pellets
Smelter, Sudbury, Ontario
“Superstack”, Sudbury, Ontario:
Once 1% of the entire planet’s
sulfur emissions – 40,000 tons/day
Slag Pouring, Sudbury, Ontario
14.4 Environmental Effects of Resource Extraction
• Mining can have serious environmental impacts– Acid runoff– Toxic metals
• Processing ores also has negative effects– Sulfur Emissions– Waste Disposal
Tailings, Bingham Canyon, Utah
Mercury Mine, California
Mine Runoff, Colorado
Climax Tailings Ponds, Colorado
Coal Tip, England
Aberfan Slide, Wales
14.5 Conserving Geological Resources
• Recycling saves energy as well as materials– About 50% of Iron and Steel is Recycled– Recycling Electronics
• New materials can replace mined resources– New Methods of Mining Low-Grade Ores– Synthesizing Minerals (Quartz, Diamonds)– Alternatives (Plastics for Metals)
Recycling Electronics
Three Emerging Resource Problems
• Lithium (Batteries)– Evaporites (Bolivia): Far Easier to Extract– Pegmatites (Lepidolite, Spodumene)
• Rare Earths (Electronics)– Col-Tan and Congo Civil War– Chinese Monopoly– California mine to reopen
• Phosphorus (Fertilizer)– Morocco, China, South Africa, Jordan, U.S. = 90%
14.6 Geological Hazards
• Earthquakes can be very destructive– “Earthquakes Don’t Kill People, Buildings Kill
People”• Volcanoes eject gas and ash, as well as lava– Lava is the Least Dangerous Product of Volcanoes
• Landslides are examples of mass wasting
Products of Eruptions
Lava Flows Pyroclastic Debris • Bombs • Lapilli • Ash MudflowsLandslides
Gases • Steam • Carbon Dioxide • H2S
• SO2 • HCl • HF
Environmental Hazards of Volcanoes
Pollution • SO2, HCl in Water Lava Flows Falling Ejecta Ash Falls • Building Collapse • Crop Destruction
Mudflows • Direct Damage
(Colombia, 1985) • Floods (Several Types)Blast (Mt. St. Helens, 1980) Pyroclastic Flow (St. Pierre,
1902) Gas (Lake Nyos, Cameroon,
1986)
Volcanic Explosivity IndexVEI Classification Description Plume Ejecta
volume Frequency Example
0 Hawaiian non-explosive < 100 m < 104m³ daily Mauna Loa
1 HawaiianStrombolian gentle 100-1000 m > 104 m³ daily Stromboli
2 StrombolianVulcanian explosive 1-5 km > 106 m³ weekly Galeras 1993
3 Vulcanian /Pelean severe 3-15 km > 107 m³ yearly Lassen 1915
4 Pelean/Plinian cataclysmic 10-25 km > 0.1 km³ ≥ 10 yrs Soufrière Hills 1995
5 Plinian paroxysmal > 25 km > 1 km³ ≥ 50 yrs St. Helens 1980
6 Plinian/Ultra-Plinian colossal > 25 km > 10 km³ ≥ 100 yrs Pinatubo 1991
7 Plinian/Ultra-Plinian super-colossal > 25 km > 100 km³ ≥ 1000 yrs Tambora 1815
8 Ultra-Plinian mega-colossal > 25 km > 1,000 km³ ≥ 10,000 yrs Toba (73,000 BP)
Major Hazards of Earthquakes
• Building Collapse • Landslides • Fire • Tsunamis (Not Tidal Waves!)
Safest & Most Dangerous Buildings
• Small, Wood-frame House - Safest • Steel-Frame • Reinforced Concrete • Unreinforced Masonry • Adobe - Most Dangerous • Loose Concrete Blocks (Haiti, 2010)
Not the Best Place to Build?
Construction, Turkey
Construction, Turkey
Construction, Turkey
Construction, Bosnia
Tile Roof, Costa Rica
Tile Roof, Costa Rica
Adobe Buttresses, Texas
Types of Mass Wasting
• Creep• Slow Landslide• Slump• Earthflow, Mudflow, Debris Flow• Avalanche
Soil Creep
Slide Lake, Wyoming, 1925
Vaiont Slide, Italy, 1962
Rear of Dam
Yungay, Peru, May 31, 1970
Yungay, Peru, May 31, 1970
Lituya Bay, Alaska, July 9, 1958
Lituya Bay, Before and
After
The Scour Line
The Highest Wave Ever Recorded
Dealing With Mass-Wasting• Proper Land Use – Stay out of Danger• Take warnings seriously• Structural Control– Retaining Structures– Drainage– Terraces
• Warning System• Accept the Risk and Responsibility• Abolish Insurance ?