Good Science Victorian Curriculum Year 7

CHAPTER 7: EARTH’S RESOURCES
2
3
4
Geologists and geotechnical engineers
work in mining
An ore body is a mineral deposit that is profitable to mine. After an ore
body has been located, mining companies need to work out the most
cost effective, safe and environmentally friendly way of removing the
ore from the surrounding rock.
Geotechnical engineers will gather information on the site and create
a plan to construct the mine safely.
Mining geologists analyse the ore and decide if they should keep
mining a particular area or move to a new one.
What do mining companies need to consider before they
begin mining?
Metallurgical engineers extract metals
from ore
After ore has been removed, it needs to be processed to extract
(take out) the resource inside. The main processes involve crushing
the ore and using chemical reactions to separate the resource from
the other elements in the mineral.
Metallurgical engineers specialise in extracting metals from ore.
They analyse the ore mineral and determine the most effective method
for extraction of the metal. They monitor the extraction process to make
sure that it is efficient and safe for the environment.
Why must ore be processed after it is removed from
the ground?
Environmental scientists rehabilitate
mine sites
At all times throughout the mining process, a mining company must
take care to protect the natural environment. When mining is finished in
Australia, any land that has been impacted by the mine must undergo
rehabilitation to attempt as much as possible to return it to the way it
was before the mining began.
Environmental scientists identify ways to protect and restore the
natural environment before, during and after mining.
Why is rehabilitation of
a mine site important?
Figure 7.11 Iron ore is removed
from the ground and processed
to extract resources.
EXPERIMENT 7.5
Mining for chocolate
chips
KEY SKILL
Identifying limitations
to the method
and suggesting
improvements
Go to page 174
CHECKPOINT 7.5
1 Identify the four main stages
of the mining process.
2 Identify the types of scientists
and engineers involved in each
stage of mining.
3 Companies exploring for gold
often focus on areas where
there are gold mines. Propose
a reason why they might
do this.
4 Propose an impact on
the finished product if the
metallurgical engineer did not
pay careful attention to the
extraction process.
5 Propose what impacts there
may be to the environment
if mining companies did
not employ environmental
scientists.
RESEARCH
6 Many different resources are
mined in Australia. Research
one and present information
about the:
• location of a major mine
• types of exploration
techniques used to find the
deposit
• mining method used
• methods used to process the
ore and extract the resource
• methods used or planned to
rehabilitate the mine site.
SUCCESS CRITERIA
I can describe the role of
geologists, metallurgical
engineers, geophysicists
and environmental scientists
in the mining process.
113