Pearson Environmental Science: Chapter 13 Flashcards

9531319730	Mineral	An inorganic solid that has an orderly crystalline structure and a specific chemical composition	0
9531319731	Precipitation	The return of water from the atmosphere to Earth's surface in the form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail, 81; the process of separating a solid substance (precipitate) from a solution	1
9531319732	Polymorph	A mineral that crystallizes in different forms because of differences in temperature or other conditions	2
9531319733	Rock	A solid mass of minerals or mineral-like materials that occurs naturally	3
9531319734	Rock cycle	A very slow process in which rocks are heated, melted, cooled, weathered, and eroded as they change type—igneous, sedimentary, or metamorphic—in response to changes in environmental conditions	4
9531319735	Ore	A mineral or grouping of minerals that is mined to extract one or more valuable metals	5
9531319736	Strip mining	A type of mining in which layers of surface soil and rock are removed from large areas to expose the resource	6
9531382361	Subsurface mining	A type of mining in which vertical shafts are dug deep into the ground and networks of horizontal tunnels are dug or blasted out to follow deposits of a resource	7
9531382362	Open pit mining	A type of mining in which a large hole (versus a shaft or tunnel) is dug to extract ore and the rock around it	8
9531382363	Mountaintop removal	A type of mining in which plants and soil are removed from the top of a mountain and then explosives are used to reach seams of coal	9
9531382364	Placer mining	A type of mining that involves sifting through sand and gravel in a riverbed or streambed to extract metals, minerals, or precious stones	10
9531382365	Tailings	The waste produced in processing ore	11
9531382366	Smelting	The process of extracting metal from ore by heating the ore beyond its melting point	12
9531382367	Acid drainage (A)	The acid and the metals it causes to leach from rock that seep into groundwater or enter streams and lakes as runoff	13
9531442845	Acid drainage (B)	The sulfuric acid produced when sulfide minerals in exposed rock surfaces react with oxygen and rainwater to produce sulfuric acid	14
9579273087	General Mining Law of 1872	Allows mining companies to take minerals from public land without paying royalties	15
9579273088	Mineral Leasing Act of 1920	Governs leasing of public lands for fossil fuel, phosphate, sodium, and sulfur mining	16
9579273089	Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977	Requires coal strip mines to reclaim (restore the land to the way it was found) the land	17
9579273090	Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977	Regulates modern day mining safety	18
9579273091	Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009	End patenting process and requires miners to pay 4% of their profits to the government for existing mines and 8% for new mines	19