Exploiting Earth: Resource Extraction & Sustainability

Mining

The extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth.

Ore

The target material that is mined for valuable minerals.

Overburden

The waste rock removed to access the ore.

Surface Mining

A mining method used for shallow deposits; involves removing vegetation and soil.

Subsurface Mining

A mining method used for deep deposits; involves digging tunnels and shafts underground.

Strip Mining

A type of surface mining that removes strips of soil/rock to expose ore.

Open-pit Mining

A type of surface mining that creates a large hole to extract massive deposits.

Mountaintop Removal

A mining technique that uses explosives to remove the top of a mountain to access coal seams.

Tailings

Liquid and solid waste left over after valuable metal is separated from the rock.

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD)

A destructive impact caused by sulfur compounds in mine tailings when exposed to air and water.

Reclamation

The process of restoring land that has been mined to a natural or economically usable state.

Tragedy of the Commons

A situation where individual users deplete a shared resource for personal gain, leading to resource collapse.

Bycatch

The unintentional capture of non-target species in fishing.

Fishery Collapse

Occurs when the annual catch declines to less than 10% of its historic average.

Urbanization

The shift of populations from rural to urban areas.

Impervious Surfaces

Man-made structures that do not allow water to penetrate the soil.

Urban Sprawl

The low-density expansion of cities into surrounding agricultural or wild lands.

Urban Heat Island Effect

The phenomenon where cities are generally hotter than surrounding rural areas due to asphalt and concrete.

Sustainability

Using resources in a way that meets current human needs without compromising future generations.

Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY)

The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without reducing future supply.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in a particular habitat, indicating a healthy ecosystem.

Food Production per Capita

The amount of food produced per person, which should remain stable or increase for sustainability.

Global Surface Temperature

An indicator of sustainability; high levels suggest unsustainable fossil fuel use.

Resource vs. Reserve

A resource is the total amount available; a reserve is the economically extractable amount.

Specifying Pollution Types

Identifying specific pollution types like Acid Mine Drainage or Heavy Metal Leaching instead of generalizing.

Density vs. Sprawl

High-density cities have a lower carbon footprint than low-density urban sprawl.

MSY Misconception

The misunderstanding that maximum population size is the same as MSY, when MSY occurs at K/2.