Question 1
What time span is required to produce most mineral deposits?
◦ tens of thousands to millions of years
◦ 1-100 years, or about a human life span
◦ billions of years
◦ We have no way of knowing this, but most were formed at the same time as Earth.
Question 2
Below is a picture of the enormous Bingham Canyon copper mine in Utah. What is the reason that the mine is so large?
◦ The mine is the only location on Earth where copper is found, so the hole needs to be large.
◦ It is unknown if any copper underlies this deposit, so miners must continue to dig to find it.
◦ Copper is economically valuable even in small quantities, so it is considered to be worth creating a large hole to extract as much as possible.
◦ Copper exists in abundant quantities, so miners are trying to extract as much as possible.
copper
copper
The 1976 Flash Flood in Big Thompson Canyon, Colorado
You Are Mine - David Haas
Gland #2 (Soft) Picture 1