The Mining Industry in Canada
Mining Industry pg. 295 - 311
Types of Minerals: metallic minerals, fossil fuels, and industrial minerals (metallic and fossil most important)
Types of Minerals: metallic minerals, fossil fuels, and industrial minerals (metallic and fossil most important)
- Minerals: naturally occurring, pure, non-living substance found in the rocks of the earth
- Metallic Minerals: minerals that, when refined, yield metals
- Examples are gold, silver, platinum, iron, copper, nickel etc.
- Can be mined because of their rareness / beauty, their strength, or their ability to meet a certain human need
- Fossil Fuels: provide the great majority of the energy used by modern society
- In the 1800’s coal was used as fuel, but more recently oil and gas have replaced coal for many uses (transportation / heating)
- We will go into much more detail on fossil fuels next chapter
- Industrial Minerals: everything that is mined, that does not fit under metallic minerals or fossil fuels
- Examples are sand, gravel, asbestos, potash, soapstone, diamond etc.
- Canada is the largest exporter of minerals
- We export 80% of what we produce, because we can produce far more then we have need of
- In 2014, the value of mineral production was $44.7 billion
- Has also lead to a greatly increased development of Canada’s transportation system
- Governments provide tax incentive programs that encourage exploration of new reserves, as well as encouraging research and development to create new mining methods and products
- Mineral Reserves: mineral deposits that are economical to mine (gain money mining it)
- These are reduced as they are mined each day, which is why the government encourages continuous mining exploration
- Geologist: expert who studies the history, composition, and structure of the earth’s crust
- Can narrow the search for mineral reserves down, by finding areas that offer the best chance of finding the desired mineral
- Nickel, iron, and copper in ore produce a powerful magnetic field compared to their surrounding areas, and therefore can be detected using an instrument called a magnetometer, which is towed behind an airplane
- Satellite images and aerial photos can tell a geologist a great deal as well
- After these methods have been analyzed and studied, geologists must go into the areas themselves to directly observe and study the area
- Scientists will collect rock samples, test the soil in river beds, test radioactivity levels etc.
- If the above provide adequate information and show a potential for success, the scientists can drill deep into the earth to get samples of the ore body
- Roads or railways must be built, as well as mine facilities to extract the ore and mills to separate the useful mineral from the ore
- Housing must also be constructed for the workers, while fresh water, sewage treatment, and electricity must be supplied to the mine and housing
- Strip Mining: method of mining used to recover mineral deposits located very near the surface
- Coal and oil sands
- Open Pit Mining: method of mining using a large hole that is dug for the purpose of extracting ore found near the earth’s surface, but that continues deep into the ground
- Underground Mining: method of mining used to recover deep mineral deposits
- Most of the ore (rock encasing the metallic minerals) is waste rock, surrounding the minerals
- The processing of most ores has 2 distinct steps; milling and smelting
- Milling: milling is the process of purifying the mineral by separating it from the waste rock
- The metal is not pure yet, but now in a concentrated form
- Smelting: the new concentrated minerals and a substance called flux are melted together, with the flux joining to the waste rock and creating a material called slag (1 billion dollars to make a smelting machine)
- Slag is lighter then liquid metal, and rises to the surface, with the now almost pure metal being poured into moulds
- Tailings are waste materials that are produced during the processing of metal ores, and are a mixture of water, the chemicals used in the process, and rock particles (poisonous)
- Gotten rid of by keeping safely away from lakes and rivers, until they evaporate and leave behind solid waste that is treated with fertilizers and other chemicals to allow trees and grasses to grow
- Milling: milling is the process of purifying the mineral by separating it from the waste rock
- Mining has a very negative impact on the environment, with lots of money being spent on controlling the harmful emissions from mines (more than 1 billion over the past 20 years as of 1995)
- However, millions of tons of waste still find its way into our air and water
- Acid precipitation is directly related to the mining industry, with 6 of the 10 biggest polluters in North America being smelters and refiners in Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba
- Acid precipitation is caused by sulphur dioxide, which is released as a by-product of smelting
- There are dozens of abandoned mines littered across Canada, which continually release pollution as the mine waste leaks into rivers and lakes
- Now, the government requires mining companies to plan carefully what they will do when a mine shuts down
- Open pit mines, quarries, and gravel pits can be filled in to create recreation areas, with the purpose being to minimize long term damage and produce a landscape feature that can be used for other purposes
- 50% of minerals mined are exported, which means the jobs that would’ve gone towards refining and processing that material are no longer available
- Mining is a non-renewable resource, and therefore the current high quality mines will eventually run out, leaving Canada with poorer quality mines or mines further from transportation routes
- Mining towns are completely dependent on their mines, and therefore go through massive hardships if their mine runs out