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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Hypothermal vein |
Minerals deposited in the fractures from hot solutions that form around molten rock. |
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Placer |
ore deposits concentrated by the mechanical sorting rivers |
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Rare Earth Minerals |
The upper row of the very bottom of the periodic table |
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Rare Earth Metals |
Bastnaesite and Monazite are principal sources of the REM's
Initally crystallized in the igneous rocks, then become concentrated in placer deposits. |
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Rare Earth Metal Uses |
1. Hybrid and electric vehicles 2. Automotive catalytic converters 3.Compact florescent lights and LEDs 4. Small electronics and motors 5. Medical equipment |
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Metallic Minerals |
Gold, silver, copper, lead, Iron, etc
Opaque shiny smooth conductive solids Mined from ore deposits of extractable and profitable minerals
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An average household requires _______Kg of copper wiring |
90Kg or 198lbs |
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How much copper needs to be extracted in order to produce 90kg? |
12,860Kg or 28,300lbs |
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Non-metallic Minerals |
Sand, gravel, gypsum, calcite
U.S. per capita usage of stone & sand/gravel is huge. More than iron and steel |
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Environmental Effects of Extraction: Underground Mining |
-Tunnels can collapse -natural gas explosions -water seeping into mine shafts dissolves toxic minerals and contaminates groundwater -long burning fires |
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Environmental Effects of Extraction: Open Pit Mining |
2nd largest: Mirny Diamond Mine, Russia -problem of filling w/ ground water -destroys land and after closure toxic groundwater accumulates |
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Environmental Effects of Extraction: Strip Mining |
50% of U.S. coal is strip mined
destroys landscapes |
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Environmental Effects of Extraction: Smelting |
-Roasting ore to release metals
Major source of air pollution |
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Environmental Effects of Extraction: Heap Leap Extraction |
crushed ore is sprayed w/ a cynade solution to dissolve to the gold
can leak into surface or groundwater |
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Weather |
short-lived, local patterns; temperature and precipitation, due to circulation of troposphere |
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Climate |
long-term patterns of temperature and precipitation |
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Atmospheric compostion |
78% Nitrogen 21% Oxygen >1% Water Vapor |
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Layers of the Atmosphere |
Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere |
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Solar Energy |
25% reflected by clouds and stmosphere 25% absorbed by CO2, H2O, and other gases
Some are reflected by Earth's (Albedo) |
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Ways to find Climate records: Ice Cores |
collected from glaciers, air bubbles, pollen, dust, trapped in the ice can be analyzed for past atmospheric composition |
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Ways to find Climate records: Temp Reconstruction |
Through oxygen isotopes 16O and 18O
with decreasing temps, more 16O evaporates
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Ways to find Climate records: Tree Rings |
provide temperature and moisture records |
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Ways to find Climate records: Coral growth rings |
ocean temperatures for the tropics |
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Causes for Climate Variability |
Milankovitch Cycles
-Orbital eccentricity (100,000 year glacial cycles) -Variation of tilt (every 40,000) -Axial wobble (every 26,000 years) |
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Milankovitch Cycles |
periodic shifts in Earth's orbit and tilt which change distribution and intensity of sunlight |
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El Nino |
Occurs when warm surface waters in the Pacific Ocean move back and forth between Indonesia and South America.
Pulls moist air from Pacific, causes intense storms and heavy rains from California to the Midwest. |
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Main cause of current global warming is |
human expansion of the greenhouse effect |
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Greenhouse gases |
Water Vapor Methane Nitrous Oxide Carbon Dioxide
They are gases in the atmosphere that retain heat. |
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Greenhouses gases causes |
57% is from fossil fuels
17% is from deforestation |
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Effects of Climate change |
-Decrease in Ice Coverage -Sea levels rise -Increasing frequency of extreme events (droughts, severe storms, etc.) -Change in hurricane frequency |
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Solutions to Climate Change |
Mitigation-reducing sources of greenhouse gases. Enhancing sinks (oceans, forests, soil)
Adaptations- reduce vulnerability to harmful effects of climate change. Exploit benefits (longer growing season) |
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Kyoto Protocol (1977) |
Legally binding agreement that nations will reduce GHG emissions by about 5% below 1990 levels by 2012
U.S. declined to join |
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Carbon Cap and Trade Laws |
Leftover allowance of emissions for sale. |
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Energy in U.S. |
Industry- 31% Residential and commercial customers- 41% Transportation- 28% |
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About half the energy in fossil fuels is lost during |
conversion, shipping, and use |
