Resource Extraction and Soil Management: Terms and Concepts, Quizzes of Geology

Download Resource Extraction and Soil Management: Terms and Concepts and more Quizzes Geology in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 mineralogical barrier DEFINITION 1 the jump in cost of a mineral when it goes from being easily extractible to difficult to extract. TERM 2 high grade resource DEFINITION 2 low production cost for higher percent of valuable resource found in a rock TERM 3 low grade resource DEFINITION 3 high production cost for lower percent of valuable resource found in a rock TERM 4 the hewett curve DEFINITION 4 with new discoveries, there are new deposits to mine, new technologies for extraction, new materials to replace older ones - if no discoveries are found, then production goes to 0. TERM 5 what drives resource usage? DEFINITION 5 population increase, technological changes, etc. coal was not valuable until trees were running out and steam engines were invented. TERM 6 stone age DEFINITION 6 required flint, allowed mining of copper and tin materials. TERM 7 bronze age DEFINITION 7 allowed the processing of magnetite and hematite TERM 8 inexhaustible resources DEFINITION 8 constantly replenished, or so abundant it will never run out. ex. solar energy, deuterium, iron. usage questions are about cost and technology. TERM 9 renewable resources DEFINITION 9 replenished on a short time scale: months to years. ex. water and plants. usage questions are about the rates of use. TERM 10 depletable resources DEFINITION 10 replenished on a long time scale: thousands or millions of years. ex. coal or oil, copper or aluminum. usage questions are about how much is available. TERM 21 residence time DEFINITION 21 the average amount of time something stays in a reservoir TERM 22 population growth DEFINITION 22 developed countries have flat growth, and less developed countries have rapid growth. TERM 23 effect of the boomer bulge DEFINITION 23 massive demands on resources, increase in housing, roads. TERM 24 factors in population change DEFINITION 24 room to expand, agricultural improvements, sanitation and disease control, all lower death rate more than birth rate. TERM 25 4 stages in demographic transitions DEFINITION 25 primitive stability, epidemiologic transition, fertility transition, modern stability. TERM 26 transitions driven by resources DEFINITION 26 preindustrial, transitional, industrial, postindustrial - epidemiologic transition during early industrial resource usage, and fertility transition toward end of changeover. TERM 27 soil as a resource DEFINITION 27 arguably most important, food supply depends on it, the ancient Greek element of Earth. often lot to erosion or degraded in quality. TERM 28 what is soil? DEFINITION 28 middleground between lithosphere and biosphere, consists of weathered rock, decomposing organisms, and nothing. TERM 29 physical (mechanical) weathering of the lithosphere DEFINITION 29 making smaller pieces of the original - increases the surface area, increasing chemical weathering. TERM 30 chemical weathering of the lithosphere DEFINITION 30 creating new minerals and ions - weakens bonds, increasing mechanical weathering. TERM 31 describing soil: color DEFINITION 31 organic material darkens a soil, calcite-rich layers white or pale colored, Fe3+ adds red to yellow-brown, depending on water content, Mn purple to black. TERM 32 describing soil: texture DEFINITION 32 grain sizes: sad = 2 - 0.063 mm, silt = 0.063 - 0.004 mm, clay = TERM 33 describing soils: structure DEFINITION 33 peds are clumps of soil particles, granular, blocky, prismatic, platy TERM 34 describing soils: liquid content DEFINITION 34 water (or other fluids) can occupy the pores between mineral grains. the free water can move between pores - water films between grains are held by surface tension. TERM 35 describing soils: profiles DEFINITION 35 topsoil (O&A), subsoil (B&E), regolith (C), unweathered parent material TERM 46 sub-critical problems made critical by drought DEFINITION 46 overgrazing, deforestation, erosion, salinization, soil compaction, natural climate change. TERM 47 dust bowl DEFINITION 47 100 million acres of midwestern plains, - turned to desert in 1930's. TERM 48 soil conservation DEFINITION 48 terracing/contour plowing (slows sheet and rill erosion). windbreaks/shelterbelts (slows wind erosion). TERM 49 fresh surface water sources DEFINITION 49 streams, rivers and lakes TERM 50 fresh groundwater sources DEFINITION 50 springs or pumped from aquifers. TERM 51 other sources of water DEFINITION 51 desalinized seawater, enhanced rainfall, physical transport of ice or water TERM 52 porosity DEFINITION 52 percent open space. TERM 53 permeability DEFINITION 53 ability to transmit fluid. TERM 54 water table DEFINITION 54 the level at which pores are saturated (forms a surface, not necessarily flat), follows topography. TERM 55 water quality DEFINITION 55 mostly a measure of dissolved solids (TDS). -pure rain or spring water: 30 ppm TDS, drinking water TERM 56 water use DEFINITION 56 instream (hydroelectric power), offstream (irrigation), and consumptive (drinking water) v. non-consumptive (showering, etc). TERM 57 100th meridian DEFINITION 57 the rain line in the US that divides where it rains and where it doesnt. TERM 58 east v. west on water use DEFINITION 58 wasting water: E=excessive consumption, W=lack on consumption, letting water flow. river conservation: E=protecting rivers from development, W=building dams to impound water. TERM 59 water ownage: riparian rights DEFINITION 59 all who border the water have rights to it, no use should impact anyone else's. TERM 60 water ownage: prior appropriation rights DEFINITION 60 first come, first served.