Mining!

As we continue to talk about mineral resources, we have started learning about the process of extracting the minerals from the Earth. Open pit mining and shaft mining are the two primary types of mining and each has its own pros and cons. Since minerals are a necessary part of our modern world we need to make sure that our methods of extraction are sustainable for our future Earth.

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Either read the article or listen to the news report about the plan to open an open pit mine in Alaska.

Write five questions that come up for you about the report.

Your questions should be deep, probing questions. Do not write questions that have obvious answers.

Example of a good question: What impact will the mine have on the local animals?

Example of a bad question: What is the name of the reporter?

NPR Article

Radio Report

Minerals!

This week we began talking about minerals. What is a mineral you ask? O.K., all together as if in one voice...a mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition and a crystalline structure. Very good.

Minerals are amazing and we use them all the time. Indeed, our bodies physically require minerals and if we did not have access to them we would not survive for long. Minerals are also beautiful. Check out this video of the largest known crystal cave in the world in Mexico (optional):

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Go to the following website: geology.com/minerals

On the website you will find links to a bunch of mineral-related topics from "Diamonds to Coal" to "Sea Floor Nodules." Pick one of the links and read through the information.

Write 10 (ten) sentences in your own words describing some of the things you learned in that link.