Mining

                            Shaft Mining 

Shaft mining or shaft sinking refers to the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom.

Pros:- produces very little waste and mill tailings
                  easier permiting and grade control
                  less damaging to environment

Cons:- high cost per ton of ore
                  ventilation
                  more hazardous to workers

                            Strip Mining 

 

Strip mining, or open-pit mining is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow. This form of mining differs from extractive methods that require tunneling into the earth, such as long wall mining.

Pros:- Easier access to materials

                  Easier to transport materials to the destination

                  Less hazards in regards to mining in tunnels or underground

Cons:- Alot more disel fuel burned to transport goods

                  Blasting is also required making it highly dangerous to anyone                           around and the atmosphere

                  AMD, or acid mine drainage, is a serious environmental concern                         associated with strip mining.

                                                              Part B 

» Spouse of a miner would prefer strip mining a lot more because it is a lot          safer and she wants her husband to be safe at work.

» Owner of a mining company would prefer shaft mining because he would            want his employees to be safe and it costs a lot less to create.

» Environmentalist would prefer shaft mining because it doesn't do as much         damage to the environment.

» Owner of nearby ski resorts would prefer shaft mining because you                    wouldn't be looking at a gaping hole coming down the mountain and there's      less chance of deadly chemicals coming out into the atmosphere.

» Politician would prefer strip mining because it is a lot cheaper and get more        profit.

                                              Part C 

 

Diatomite was a leading export commodity in 2002, and ferrosilicon production and geothermal power were Iceland's major mineral industries. Diatomite production, from Lake Myvatn, was 28,000 tons in 2001, and the Ministry of Environment issued a permit for dredging in a new area of the lake, as government studies determined that additional mining would not damage the environmentally sensitive lake. Iceland also produced hydraulic cement, nitrogen, pumice, salt, scoria, sand (basaltic, calcareous, and shell), sand and gravel, and crushed stone (basaltic and rhyolite); these minerals were used by local industries. Among Iceland's other mineral resources, spar and sulfur deposits, once mined, were no longer worked extensively; peat was common, but little used; and sulfur and lignite were being processed experimentally, the former with the use of subterranean steam. The country's aluminum plant and ferrosilicon plant relied on imported raw materials and inexpensive hydroelectric and geothermal energy.