Transcript GLG101online_13A_EnergyMineralResources_MCC_Leighty

Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
GLG 101 - Physical Geology
Bob Leighty
These notes and web links are your primary “lecture” content in this class.
Additionally, various articles are assigned each week to supplement this “lecture”
information. I believe you’ll have enough information to reference without having
to purchase a costly textbook.
These lecture notes are very similar to the ones I use in my traditional classes.
You’ll find they are loaded with imagery and streamlined text that highlight the
most essential terms and concepts. The notes provide a framework for learning
and, by themselves, are not meant to be a comprehensive source of information.
To take advantage of the global knowledge base known as the Internet, I have
included numerous hyperlinks to external web sites (like the Wikipedia, USGS,
NASA, etc.). Follow the links and scan them for relevant info. The information
from linked web sites is meant to supplement and reinforce the lecture notes –
you won’t be responsible for knowing everything contained in them.
As a distance learning student, you need to explore and understand the content
more independently than in a traditional class. As always, I will help guide you
through this learning adventure. Remember, email Dr. Bob if you have any
questions about today’s lecture ([email protected]).
Leave no questions behind!
Explore and have fun!
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Why Do We Care?
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
What is an Ore?
 Market-defined discovered & undiscovered deposits
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Ore Deposits
 Hydrothermal fluids deposit elements & minerals (ores)
either in veins or larger volumes of rock
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Ore Deposits
Vein
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Ore Deposits
Disseminated
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
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Mineral Resources
Ore Deposits
Sulfide Ores
 ? + S; commonly includes minerals with Fe, Pb, Ag, Au, Cu, etc.
galena (Pb)
cinnabar (Hg)
pyrite (Fe)
sphalerite (Zn)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Ore Deposits
Oxide Ores
 ? + O; commonly includes Cu minerals
chrysocholla (Cu)
malachite (Cu)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Ore Deposits
Sulfide Ore Processing
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Ore Deposits
Oxide Ore Processing
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Arizona Ore Deposits
Porphyry Copper
 Late Mesozoic/Early Cenozoic rocks
 Low grade disseminated ores mined by open pit methods
 Mined mostly in Basin & Range and Transition Zone
 Morenci (the largest), Bisbee, Ray, etc.
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Arizona Ore Deposits
Massive Sulfides
 Proterozoic rocks
 Large amounts of copper (Cu),
zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), gold (Au),
& silver (Ag)
 Mined mostly in Transition Zone
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Arizona Ore Deposits
Massive Sulfides
 “Black smoker” deposits
United Verde Mine
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Arizona Ore Deposits
Asbestos
 A general term for fibrous forms of several different minerals
 White asbestos – not carcinogenic (in 95% of U.S. buildings)
 Some fibers occur naturally in the air (we breathe ~1 million
fibers per year)
 Removal is expensive (in 1990 - $7 billion for removal)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Arizona Ore Deposits
Asbestos
 Proterozoic rocks
 Mined mostly in the Transition Zone
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Mineral Resources
Arizona Ore Deposits
Uranium
 Occurs mostly in sedimentary rocks
 Mined across Arizona
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
 Non-renewable resources (fossil fuels, nuclear)
 Renewable resources (hydro, geothermal, solar, wind)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Fossil Fuel Origins
 Petroleum, natural gas, coal, etc. generated from the remains of
C-based organisms (oil and NG may also have other origins)
 Hydrocarbons = compounds of
H + C, with O, N, S
 Forming oil & natural gas:
1) organic material
2) bury, compact, heat
3) migrate
4) trap
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Fossil Fuels
Petroleum & Natural Gas
 Different types of hydrocarbon traps
 Arizona produces minor amounts of oil (Four Corners area)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Fossil Fuels
Coal
 Organic matter must accumulate in O2-deficient conditions
(otherwise it will decay)
 Burial causes increased T & P – forces volatiles (O, N, H) out
& concentrates C over a few million years
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Fossil Fuels
Coal
 Provides ~20% of U.S. energy (mostly used for electricity)
 Abundant - main hydrocarbon resource of the future (may be #1
by 2020)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Fossil Fuels
Coal
 Most Arizona coal mined in NE
Colorado Plateau area (Black Mesa)
 Mostly in Mesozoic rocks
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Fossil Fuels
Producing Electricity
 Coal-fired, steam-electric power plants
 Coal plants convert ~34% of coal energy to electricity
 Coal contains 0.2-7% S (+ O2 = SO2 = acidic rain)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Nuclear
 Nuclear fission - Isotopes of certain heavy elements are split
into lighter elements & release lots of energy

235U
= 0.7% of all U (expensive to separate)
 1 gram of
235U
= 2.7 metric tons of coal
 Finite supply, waste disposal problems
 103 nuclear units supply ~20% of U.S. electricity
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Nuclear
 Arizona’s Palo Verde Power Plant – one of the largest nuke plants
in the U.S. (3810 MW - three reactor units)
 $6 billion facility
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Hydroelectric
 Water spins turbines that spin generators to make electricity
 Disrupts river system
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Hydroelectric
Colorado River Dams & Lakes
 Glen Canyon (Lake Powell) – 1300 MW, but limited to <800 MW
(Navajo coal plant = 2250 MW)
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Hydroelectric
Colorado River Dams & Lakes
 Hoover (Lake Mead) – 2080 MW (19% to AZ)
 Parker (Lake Havasu) – 120 MW
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Geothermal
 Pump water to depth > waters heats up > retrieve steam
 Mostly restricted to the Basin & Range
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Solar
 Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight to electricity
 Passive – greenhouses, water heaters
 Active – store in batteries & use later
 Clean, but PV cells are expensive & inefficient
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
Energy Resources
Wind
 Convert wind energy to electricity
 Clean, but localized and marginally cost effective
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
WWW Links in this Lecture
> Ore - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore
> Hydrothermal - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrothermal
> Galena - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galena
> Cinnabar - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnabar
> Pyrite - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite
> Sphalerite - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphalerite
> Malachite - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachite
> Porphyry copper - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porphyry_copper_deposit
> Open-pit mining - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_pit_mining
> Massive sulfide - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanogenic_massive_sulfide_ore_deposit
> Seafloor massive sulfide - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seafloor_massive_sulfide_deposits
> Asbestos - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asbestos
> Uraninite - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uraninite
> Petroleum - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum
> Natural gas - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas
> Hydrocarbon - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrocarbon
> Coal - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal
Arizona’s
Energy & Mineral
Resources
WWW Links in this Lecture
> Coal-fired power plant - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal-fired_power_plant
> Nuclear power - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power
> Nuclear fission - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission
> Palo Verde power plant - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palo_Verde_Nuclear_Generating_Station
> Hydroelectricity - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroelectricity
> Glen Canyon dam - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Canyon_Dam
> Hoover Dam - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam
> Parker Dam - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_Dam
> Geothermal power - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geothermal_power
> Solar power - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power
> Photovoltaic cell - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaics
> Wind power - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power