Treasures from the Earth - Minerals Council of Australia 1 Minerals Education Victoria Tel: (03)...

ACTIVITY 1

Minerals Education Victoria Tel: (03) 8614 1851 Fax: (03) 9629 8603 VELS Unit – Treasures from the Earth September 2007

Name____________________

• Individual Activity

Write down as many words as you can related to this topic beginning with each letter of the alphabet. You might include the names of rocks, products made from rocks, names of mining companies…

• Group Activity

Find as many words as you can for each letter your group is given. My group is doing letters: __________________

The A-Z of Treasures from the Earth A N B O C P D Q E R F S G T H U I V J W K X L Y M Z

ACTIVITY 3 NAME______________________________________

Minerals Education Victoria Tel: (03) 8614 1851 Fax: (03) 9629 8603 VELS Unit – Treasures from the Earth June 2007

You will need an atlas and coloured pencils. 1. Find the atlas map that shows mineral and energy resources for Australia. (Note there may be two different maps in some atlases.) 2. On the map of Australia provided label all of the states and territories. 2. Use coloured dots and symbols from the table below to label where minerals are located on your

map. Remember that a neat map is easier to read!

Mineral/Metal Colour Dot Mineral/metal Symbol

Aluminium/Bauxite O Blue Gas/Oil GO

Coal O brown Lead L

Copper O green Manganese Mn

Iron O red Nickel N

Gold O yellow Zinc Z

Silver O grey Titanium/Mineral Sands Ti

Diamonds O purple Uranium U

3. Use your completed map to answer True or False to the following statements.

A. Minerals are located in every state of Australia. T F B. Kalgoorlie and Ballarat are famous titanium mining areas. T F C. Diamonds are only mined in Western Australia. T F D. Iron is not mined in Western Australia. T F E. Gold mining happens in all states of Australia. T F F. Copper, silver, lead and zinc are mined in Mt Isa. T F

ACTIVITY 3 NAME_______________________________


ACTIVITY 3 NAME_____________________________


1. Choose one state of Australia. Make a list of the minerals mined in that state. For example: The minerals mined in

Victoria are gold, coal and ___________ State: _______________ Minerals Mined: ___________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________

2. Use an atlas to complete this table.

Location Mineral/s mined there

Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory

Mt Tom Price, Western Australia

Pine Creek, Northern Territory

Broken Hill, New South Wales

Benambra, Victoria

Rosebery, Tasmania

Norseman, Western Australia

Middleback Ranges, South Australia

Cadia, New South Wales

Weipa, Queensland

ACTIVITY 10 NAME ____________________________


Like most human activities that use the land, mining affects the environment. Therefore, we must ensure that when we mine there is minimal impact on our plants, animals, waterways and air. Your task is to create a flow chart which outlines how we explore and mine for buried treasure. Step 1: Colour and then carefully cut out the pictures on sheet 1. Step 2: Number each one in the correct order. Step 3: Paste them on to sheet 2 to show how we explore and mine for buried treasure.

Exploring and mining for buried treasure. NAME____________________ Sheet 1

Exploring and mining for buried treasure. NAME____________________ Sheet 2

ACTIVITY 11 Name__________________________


In your notebook, reorder the dates below to create a timeline of important

events in Australia’s golden history

Use the information in the table to answer the following questions in your workbook:

1. Which state was the first to officially record the discovery of gold? 2. How many tonnes of gold did Australia produce in 1997? Compare this to the late 1970s? 3. What was the value of the gold exported from Australia in 2005? 4. What did the Victorian gold nugget ‘Welcome Stranger’ weigh? Compare this with your weight. 5. Who discovered the Coolgardie deposits? 6. Was the Eureka Stockade rebellion before or after the Coolgardie discovery? 7. In which century did the Northern Territory goldrush occur?

1854 Gold miners rebel at the Eureka Stockade.

1997 314 tonnes of gold produced in Australia (Compared with 20 tonnes in the 1970s.)

1823 Australia’s first officially recorded gold find. Flakes of gold in the Fish River, N.S.W.

1869 ‘Welcome Stranger’ nugget weighing about 70 kg revealed by wheel of passing cart, Victoria.

1888 Major find by Thomas Risely & Mick Toomey at Southern Cross. W.A. – named after the constellation.

Dec. 1851 Important discoveries at Ballarat and Bendigo, Victoria.

1934 Goldrush to the Northern Territory.

1899 Perth Mint opened to profit from Australia’s richest goldfield at Kalgoorlie, W.A.

1892 Bayley and Ford discover important gold deposits at Coolgardie, W.A.

Feb. 1851 Major gold deposits found at Hill End near Bathurst, N.S.W.

2005 Australia exports $5,642 million worth of gold.

1885 First gold discovery in Western Australia at Halls Creek.

1971 Major gold find at Telfer in the East Pilbara, W.A.

1872 World’s largest piece of gold-bearing material (mixture of slate and gold weighing 235 kg) found at Hill End, N.S.W.

1887 First significant find at Cue on the Murchison goldfield, W.A.

1870 Rich gold deposits found in North Queensland.

1893 Paddy Hannan discovers gold at Kalgoorlie, W.A.

ACTIVITY 12: Name_________________________


The following activities are designed to aid an understanding of the sequence of events in the history of mining gold in Victoria. This activity requires students to be out of their seats and cooperating in order to successfully complete the task. Golden Timeline: Take 1 (Easy): Materials required:

• 1 Card Set A – Important events in Australia’s history with dates shown. (Following) • 1 Card Set B – Victoria’s Golden Timeline Teachers will need to enlarge and photocopy these cards beforehand. • Large bag/bucket/A3 envelope for “lucky dip”.

What to do: Place card set A in the bag/bucket. Shake the contents. Play “lucky dip” with the students until all cards are taken. Ask the students to rearrange themselves in chronological order around the room to depict important events in Australia’s history. Place card set B in the bag/bucket. Shake the contents. Play “lucky dip” with the students until all cards are taken. Ask the students to rearrange themselves in chronological order slotting in between the events in Australia’s history. Students could then ‘blutac’ their event onto a wall space or prepared poster. Golden Timeline Take 2 (More challenging!) Materials required

• Pre-prepared 1 Card Set B – Dates not shown • Large bag/bucket/A3 envelope for “lucky dip”.

What to do: Students lucky dip cards. Students discuss and work co-operatively to try to establish correct order. Individuals are then asked to research their event. Students regroup to establish the correct timeline. Clearly there are many events and dates that could have been used to create this timeline. You may wish to alter the number of dates or select dates that are relevant to the students’ area of study. Select the number of dates according to the number of students in the class. When to play: This activity could be used as a concluding activity OR students could be asked to research and write a few sentences about the statement on their card. Once the students have completed their research they could reassemble and share their findings.

ACTIVITY 12: Name_________________________


CARD SET A – EVENTS IN AUSTRALIA’S HISTORY

1788 Arrival of the First Fleet. Australia colonised 1823 First official discovery of gold in NSW 1901 Federation of Australian states 1914 First World War starts

1922 Vegemite invented

1930 The Great Depression

1945 World War 2 ends

1956 Television broadcasting starts in Australia

1970 Price of gold is approx $A32 per ounce 1980 Price of gold is approx $A 1,171 per ounce 2000 Sydney Olympic Games 2006 Price of gold is approx $A810 per ounce

ACTIVITY 12: Name_________________________


CARD SET B – VICTORIA’S GOLDEN TIMELINE 1851 Gold discovered in Bendigo/Ballarat region 1851 Gold discovered at Anderson’s Creek Warrandyte 1852 Half adult male population leaves Tasmania for Victoria 1854 Eureka stockade 1855 Licence replaced with the ‘Miner’s Right’ costing 1 pound per

year 1860 Influx of Chinese miners meant 1/5 of all adult men in Victoria

were Chinese 1869 Welcome Stranger nugget found 1940 Central Deborah mine opened in Bendigo 1954 Central Deborah mine closed in Bendigo 1965 Victorians see pictures of Col. Edward White making the first

space walk using a gold-coated visor to protect his eyes from direct sunlight.

1970 Sovereign Hill Tourist attraction opens 1980 Central Deborah reopened as a tourist attraction. 1981 Victorians watch the first space shuttle launch. It uses gold-

coated impellers in its fuel pump. 2006 Gold from Ballarat Goldfields used for Commonwealth Games

medals

2006 Bendigo Mining commences mining gold under Bendigo

ACTIVITY 14 Name____________________________

Minerals Education Victoria Tel: (03) 8614 1851 Fax: (03) 9629 8603 VELS Unit – Treasures from the Earth Sept 2007

This is a simple, fun activity to revise the vocabulary associated with minerals and mining. The activity requires students to be out of their seats, moving around and making lots of noise. Materials: Butcher’s Paper or A3 size paper Pencils, pens or textas 4 sets of card set one. These will need to be made beforehand using the template provided. It is suggested to mount the names on coloured card. What to do:

1. Students work in small groups (approximately 6 per group) 2. Each group is allocated a set of cards. Teacher keeps these cards in 4 distinct piles at central

station. Hint: shuffle cards so each group works through them in a different order.

3. Each group sends a member to the teacher to collect the first word from the pile. They return to their groups and communicate the word using drawing and symbols. NO WORDS ARE ALLOWED. Group members can ask questions, but the response can only be ‘yes’ or ‘no’. When someone identifies the word, the next word is collected and the process repeated. Everyone in the group should have a turn at drawing.

4. The winner is the group to complete all cards correctly first. Suggestion: Students love this game. You may wish to prepare a second set of cards with different words.

CARD SET ONE CARD SET TWO (Make 4 sets of these) (Make 4 sets of these)

Open cut mine Underground mine

Dump Truck Nugget Diamond Gold panning

Safety Helmet Drill Rehabilitation Ore Safety Glasses Aluminium

Mine Shaft Miner Gold Licence

Eureka Stockade

Ballarat

Crust Volcano

ACTIVITY 19 NAME______________________________________


1. Find an atlas map of Australia which shows mineral resources. 2. On the outline map of Australia (see next page)

• Label neatly the names of the states in red. • Label the capital cities in blue (write in small, neat letters). • Label the towns where gold has been mined or is being mined in Australia today. (Mark

the town with an orange dot and then carefully write the name of the town beside it.) HINT: you may need to use more than one atlas.

Bathurst, N.S.W. Coolgardie, W.A. Kalgoorlie, W.A. Clunes, Vic. Ballarat, Vic. Charters Towers, Qld. Gympie, Qld. Noresman, W.A. Bendigo, Vic. Warrandyte, Vic. Rosebery, Tas. Beaconsfield, Tas Pine Creek, N.T. The Granites, N.T. Red Dome, Qld. Wirralie, Qld Lucky Break, Qld Hillgrove, N.S.W Parkes, N.S.W Fosterville, Vic Olympic Dam, S.A Boddington, W.A Mt. Gibson, W.A Mt. Magnet, W.A Meekatharra, W.A Note: This is not a complete list of all towns in Australia where gold has been mined. You may wish to add more to your map.

ACTIVITY 19 NAME_______________________________________


ACTIVITY 20a NAME___________________________


Read the following information about the Earth. Label the diagram using the words in the box. Cut out and paste the completed diagram in your workbook. The Earth has four main layers. These are; The crust, the mantle, the outer core and the inner core. The crust is the layer we live on and is made up of the lightest material. The mantle is made up of molten rock. The outer core is made up of very hot molten iron and nickel. The inner core is made up of solid iron and nickel. It is solid because of the extreme pressure at the centre of the Earth. Inner Core Outer Core Mantle Crust 2,400 km diameter 2,240 km thick 2,880km thick 3 – 120 km thick 4,400°C to 7,000°C 4,400°C – 6,100°C 870°C – 4,400°C solid iron and nickel molten iron and nickel semi-melted rock solid rock

Adapted from “Science Rocks” Queensland Resources Council

Inner Core Outer Core Mantle Crust 2,400 km diameter 2,240 km thick 2,880km thick 3 – 120 km thick 4,400°C to 7,000°C 4,400°C – 6,100°C 870°C – 4,400°C solid iron and nickel molten iron and nickel semi-melted rock solid rock

ACTIVITY 20b Name___________________________


Crust of the Earth

Overview : Students will discover that Earth is made of layers, somewhat similar to a hard-boiled egg. Materials

• Hard-boiled egg • Permanent black marker

Demonstration

1. Cut a hard-boiled egg in half length wise use the black marker to make a dot in the centre of the egg.

2. Explain that the Earth is somewhat like this egg, with the crust being the egg’s shell, the white layer representing the mantle, the yolk representing the core and the black dot being the inner core.

3. Crack the shell to show how the Earth’s crust is cracked. Tell the students that this is due to pressure of the mantle pushing upward against the crust, cracking it in some areas.

4. Tell students that the egg shell is actually too thick to represent Earth’s crust. Remove the shell and colour the outside of the egg with a felt pen. This layer of colouring would represent the actual thickness of the crust in comparison to the rest of the earth.

Adapted from “ Rocks and Minerals: Super Science Activities” by Ruth Young, p.13 (Hawker Brownlow)

Layers of the Earth Model You will need:

• some chocolate icing

• a Kool Fruits sweet

• a clear, plastic cup

• a slice of Swiss roll

• some orange jelly

• a teaspoon

What to do:

• Pour some jelly into your cup to the marker.

• Place the jelly cup into the fridge for one hour until it begins to set

• Add one Kool Fruit to the jelly cup, in the centre of the jelly.

• Put the cup back into the fridge to set completely.

• Put one slice of Swiss roll into the cup so that you can see the spirals if you look down.

• Spread the chocolate icing over the Swiss roll to cover it completely.

Hint for teachers: 1 jelly makes enough for 10 students.

ACTIVITY 22 Name______________________________


This is a simple activity to aid understanding about the location and distribution of selected mineral resources in Australia. This activity requires students to be out of their seats, moving around and chatting with each other to find the answers. Materials required:

• 1 x card set A Following. Teachers will need to photocopy these cards beforehand. • If you do the activity OUTSIDE: Chalk to draw map of Australia on the playground. • If you do the activity INSIDE: 1 x card set B as below, blu-tac. • Large bag/bucket/A3 envelope for “lucky dip”. • Class set atlases OR one classroom atlas for reference.

What to do: 1. Use chalk to draw a large map of Australia on the playground. Your sketch map should contain the state borders. The class members could help you to do this or you may prefer to prepare it beforehand OR 2. Use the classroom/multi-purpose room to blu-tac Card set B around the room to simulate the states of Australia. For example. place Northern Territory on the wall facing North, then Queensland to NT’s east, Victoria to the south of the room etc. 3. Place card set A in a bag/bucket/A3 envelope. Jumble/shake bucket. Play “lucky dip” with the students until each student is holding a card. 4. Ask students to read their card and locate themselves on the “map”. For example, a student with the card reading “Your rare yellow metal is found in Ballarat, Victoria.”, would place himself/herself in the centre of Victoria, relative to Melbourne. A student with the card “ Iron ore is found in far north of Western Australia.” would place himself/herself on the “map” in the north west of that state. Encourage students to ask each other “Where is it/have you been there/do you know…?” and to use the atlases. 5. When all students are in place check the atlas to ensure that all students are where they should be. Make this fun “Oh, John, did you know that your mineral is actually mined on the other side of Tasmania?”. 6. Conduct the following discussion 6.1 Hands up all the GOLD people! How would you describe where gold is found in Australia? (in all states/only some states/in the north/south/east/west?) 6.2 Repeat for other minerals/metals. 6.3 Are there any states of Australia where minerals/metals are NOT found? 6.4 Name the state/s which seem to have a large variety of minerals/metals. 6.5 List the minerals/metals you would like to find out more about. Go to: www.minerals,org.au/victoriaeducation/teacher_services/resources and then click on Rock Files. 6.6 Write a paragraph in your workbook to answer the question: “Where on earth (in Australia) are minerals and metals found?”

ACTIVITY 22 Name______________________________


CARD SET A Copy a full set of cards containing 30 facts. Cut the cards into strips. Place in “lucky dip”. If you wish you could paste the strip onto paper which matches the colour of the mineral e.g paste the gold clues on yellow paper, the iron ore clues on red/grown paper, mineral sands on black paper etc. This will give a better VISUAL PATTERN when students are standing in place on the map. Your rare yellow metal (gold) is found in Ballarat, Victoria. You rare yellow metal (gold) is found in north central Tasmania. Your rare yellow metal (gold) is found in Bendigo, Victoria. Your rare yellow metal (gold) is found in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Your orange dusty mineral (bauxite) is found near Gove, Northern Territory. Your orange dusty mineral (bauxite) is found at Mitchell Plateau, WA You represent tin mined at Renison, Tasmania west coast Bauxite is mined at Huntly, south west WA Silver, lead, zinc, copper and gold are found at Rosebery, Tasmania Minerals sands are found at Stradbroke Island, Queensland Your mineral sand is mined near the Murray River, north west Victoria At Argyle in northern Western Australia (hint: near the NT border) we find precious diamonds. Gold is found at many locations in central Northern Territory Iron Ore is found at many places in central Western Australia such as Paraburdoo, Mt Tom Price, Mt Whaleback. Nickel is found inland, south eastern part of Western Australia Olympic Dam in South Australia contains copper, gold and silver South of Perth you will find mineral sands (at Capel) Outback Cobar in NSW is rich in copper, silver. lead and zinc Uranium is found at Jabiluka, NT Uranium is found at Olympic Dam, South Australia Brown coal is mined in south east Victoria

ACTIVITY 22 Name______________________________


Black coal is mined north of Sydney, NSW A good place to find gas is off the coast of north west WA Oil deposits are found in Bass Strait (between Vic and Tas) Charters Towers in Queensland is famous for gold. Manganese can be found at Woodie Woodie, Western Australia Weipa is famous for bauxite There is a gold mine at Beaconsfield, Tasmania. Head to Palm Valley (near Alice Springs, NT) to find oil and gas Copper can be found at Mt Gunson, South Australia.

CARD SET B VICTORIA SOUTH AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES TASMANIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA QUEENSLAND NORTHERN TERRITORY MELBOURNE DARWIN HOBART BRISBANE PERTH ADELAIDE CANBERRA SYDNEY

ACTIVITY 24 NAME_____________________


1. The Rock Cycle Read the information in the textbox below to get some background knowledge about how rocks just keep on changing.

2. Refer to the ‘Rock Cycle Flowchart’ attached to this sheet. • Working in pairs, carefully cut out the cards. • Next, organise the cards to represent the rock cycle. Keep rechecking the

information box and talk about your decisions with your partner. • When you have checked with your teacher, paste them down on a coloured

A4 sheet of paper or in your workbook. • Include the heading ‘Rock Cycle Flowchart’ on your A4 sheet or workbook.

Adapted from ‘Science Rocks’ by Kathleen Gordon, p. 7-8, 14, 28. (Queensland Resources Council and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines.

The rock cycle describes the geological processes that form rocks. Igneous rocks can change into sedimentary rock or into metamorphic rock. Sedimentary rock can change into metamorphic rock or into igneous rock. Metamorphic rock can change into igneous rock or sedimentary rock.

• Let’s start with magma. • When magma cools it forms igneous rock. • On the Earth’s surface, wind and water can break the igneous

rock into pieces. This process is called weathering and erosion. These pieces are called sediments.

• The sediments can be compacted to make a layer. The layer can be buried under other layers of sediments. After a long time the sediments can be cemented together to make sedimentary rock.

• Sedimentary rock can be weathered away to form sediments again.

• When sedimentary and igneous rocks are heated they change into metamorphic rock.

• Metamorphic rock can also be weathered away to make sediment. • Metamorphic, igneous and sedimentary rock can also be melted

back into magma. • The rock cycle never stops.

ACTIVITY 24 NAME__________________


Rock Cycle Cards

Adapted from “Science Rocks” by Kathleen Gordon, p 7-8, 14, 28 (Queensland Resources Council and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines)

ACTIVITY 24


Background notes for teachers The Rock Cycle The geological process that forms rocks is cyclical. Each type of sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic rock can be changed into each other type of rock. This is known as the rock cycle. The following explanation starts with igneous rocks. Igneous rocks start as magma. When magma - molten rock under the Earth’s surface – and lava – molten rock on the Earth’s surface – cools and hardens, it forms igneous rock. The igneous rock is broken down over time through the weathering process. These particles of broken rock, or soil, are washed away by water and accumulate in lakes or oceans and harden into rock again – this time as sedimentary rock. As the sedimentary rock is buried under more and more sediments, or comes into contact with magma, the pressure and heat can cause metamorphism to occur. This transforms the sedimentary rock into a metamorphic rock. If metamorphic rock is buried more deeply, temperatures and pressures continue to rise. If the temperature becomes hot enough the metamorphic rock melts and forms the molten rock called magma and so the cycle continues.

Adapted from “Science Rocks” by Kathleen Gordon, p 7-8, 14, 28 (Queensland Resources Council and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines)

ACTIVITY 24

Minerals Education Victoria Tel: (03) 8614 1851 Fax: (03) 9629 8603 VELS Unit – Treasures from the Earth Mar 2007

Background notes for teachers Our amazing Earth The Earth The crust of the Earth is made up of rocks and minerals from the tallest mountains to the floor of the deepest ocean. It makes up less than 1% of the Earth’s mass. The continental crust is up to 50km thick while the oceanic crust is, at most, 15 km thick. Most of the rocky crust is covered by either water, sand, soil or ice. The soil is a mixture of small, inorganic particles and organic material (plant and animal remains), which supports the growth of plants such as grass and trees. Most of the crust is made from only eight elements – oxygen, magnesium, aluminium, silicon, calcium, sodium, potassium and iron. These elements along with others are combined to from thousands of rocks and minerals that are very different. The mantle is the solid casing of the Earth and is about 2900km thick making up almost 70% of the Earth’s mass. It consists of silicon, oxygen, aluminium and iron. The core is mainly made up of iron and nickel and makes up about 30% of the Earth’s mass. The liquid outer core is approximately 2200km thick. The solid inner core is about 1220 km thick. Rocks A rock is made up of minerals that have been cemented together, squeezed and heated, or melted and cooled. Rocks are divided into three main groups: • igneous • sedimentary • metamorphic They are classified into these groups because of the way they were formed. Igneous rocks are formed from melted rock that has cooled and solidified. When rocks are buried deep within the Earth, they melt because of the high pressure and temperature. If this molten rock (called magma) cools slowly, usually at depths of thousands of metres, coarse-grained rocks form with large crystals ( for example, granite and gabbro). If the magma cools quickly, usually on the surface after a volcano erupts, the crystals are very small and fine-grained rocks are formed (for example, basalt, rhyolite and obsidian). Some examples of other igneous rocks are: pumice, tuff and andesite. Sedimentary rocks are formed from the cementing together of small pieces of rocks or shells. They are formed at the surface of the Earth, either in water or on land. They are usually made up of many layers of sediments, which include fragments of rocks, minerals and animal or plant material. Sandstone, limestone, shale, gypsum, conglomerate, coal, chert and flint are all sedimentary rocks. Sometimes igneous and sedimentary rocks are subjected to pressures so intense or heat so high they change. They become metamorphic rocks, which form while buried within the Earth’s crust. The process of metamorphism does not melt the rocks, but changes them into denser, more compact rocks. Slate, marble and gneiss are metamorphic rocks. They are transformed from shale, limestone and granite respectively. shale ⇒ slate limestone ⇒ marble granite ⇒ gneiss Adapted from “Science Rocks” by Kathleen Gordon, p 7-8, 14, 28 (Queensland Resources Council and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines)

ACTIVITY 25 NAME______________________________


USE THE INFORMATION FROM THE CASE STUDY AT NORTHPARKES MINE TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING. 1. Where is the mine?

On an outline map of Australia • Label the states of Australia • Label the location of the Northparkes Mine on the map of Australia.

2. What’s happening at Northparkes? Complete the following questions on a sheet of lined paper or in your notebook. 2.1 The ________________________ company operates the Northparkes mine. 2.2 The mine produces ____________, ________________ and ________________ 2.3 The main metal produced from Northparkes is _____________________ 2.4 It is used for ___________________________________ 2.5 How is the ore mined? Underground/Open Pit/Both methods are used. 2.6 The expected life of the mine is _________ years (Hint. P3) 2.7 Describe how the land was used before the mine was constructed. 2.8 After the mine closes, what is likely to happen to Northparkes? 3. The impact of the mine on the environment. Mining at Northparkes has made a significant impact on the environment. 3.1 Draw up the table below on your lined sheets or in your notebook. 3.2 For each issue (air and land), state two significant environmental impacts and what actions people

at the mine are taking to minimise these impacts.

ISSUE IMPACT ACTIONS

AIR

1. 2.

1. 2.

LAND

1. 2.

1. 2.

3.3 WATER

• What sources are used to provide water at Northparkes? • How is water use minimised at Northparkes?

ACTIVITY 25 NAME______________________________


The following material is adapted from the case study at www.minerals.org.au/education Follow the links to Secondary Resources section and in the Envirosmart resource, other case studies, including the other sections of this case study, can be found. At the Mine Site – Northparkes Mine State: NSW Operation: Northparkes Mine Operator: Rio Tinto Material Produced: Copper, Gold, Silver Introduction: Copper is an extremely important metal. Its main use is in electrical wiring, but it is also used in coins, hot-water pipes, radiators and many other applications. Above: These coins contain 75% copper Australia is a major producer of copper, and the and 25% nickel Northparkes Mine is one of our largest. Northparkes is the third largest metal mine in Australia (after Mt Isa in Queensland and Cadia in NSW). It is located in central NSW, near the town of Parkes. Although copper mining at Northparkes is important for Australia, like all human activities mining has impacts on the environment. This case study shows you just what these impacts are, and how the Northparkes operation manages them so that disturbance to the environment is minimised. Land: During mining operations a fairly small area of land may be significantly disturbed. In all of Australia, the area mined covers only about 0.02% of the entire continent. At Northparkes, the mining lease is 1630 hectares (ha) in area. That's about the same area as a square piece of land 4 km long by 4 km wide. There are two mines on the mining lease – one is an open cut and the other is an underground mine. Most of the Northparkes mining lease is still covered by grass, trees and even a forest. However, about a third of the lease is disturbed by the structures and facilities necessary for mining, including the open pits, the underground mine, the dams, the ore and topsoil stockpiles, the waste-rock dumps, the processing plant and other buildings and roads. Environmental scientists at Northparkes work hard to ensure that the disturbances to the land are as small as possible.

ACTIVITY 25 NAME______________________________


Some of the effects (IMPACTS) that the mine has on the land and how they are being managed (ACTIONS) are summarised Impact: Topsoil is disturbed by construction of open-pits, roads, stockpiles, waste-rock heaps, buildings and other mine structures. Action: Topsoil is always removed and stored in piles (stockpiles) before construction of any mine structures. It is then re-used in rehabilitation of the mine site. For example, topsoil is placed on the walls of the water dams so that grasses will grow and reduce erosion and dust. Impact: Plants are disturbed. Action: Pasture and native grasses and native shrubs and trees are planted in the topsoil which covers dam walls, soundbunds and waste rock heaps. More than 100,000 trees have been planted on site since 1992. Impact: Animals are disturbed. Action: Belts of native trees have been planted around the mine site, and the Bogan River. These provide wildlife corridors for native animals. Also, local pockets of native trees in the lease have been fenced off, to provide habitats for animals. Impact: Processing plant and other structures and buildings may not fit into the landscape. Action: Gardens of native plants, and lines of trees around buildings and the mine lease help screen structures from view. This is also creates a more pleasant workplace for the people who work at Northparkes. Air: Mining at Northparkes can affect the air around the mine-site by producing dust and noise. However, various techniques are used to reduce as much as possible the impacts of these on the environment. Dust: Dust can be both annoying and a health hazard to mine workers and to people who live or work near a mine site. Dust can be produced where heavy machinery is moving around the site, particularly in windy weather. Dust is controlled using water trucks which spray water onto roads. In addition walls or “bunds” are sonstructed from soil around areas being mined. These prevent mobile airborne dust from leaving the site.

ACTIVITY 25 NAME______________________________


Noise: Too much noise in a mine is obviously very annoying both to mine workers and to people who live and work nearby. But more importantly, exposure to noise over a long time can lead to hearing loss. Noise from the mining and processing operations is reduced by:

- using insulation equipment - constructing bunds around areas being mined - using flashing lights instead of reversing beepers on mine machinery - maintaining buffer zones around the plant so that the noise doesn’t affect nearby

residences. -

Water: Water is vital to the Northparkes mining and processing operations. Some water used in the mine is rainwater, collected from the roof surfaces of various buildings on the mine site. The local creeks cannot provide enough water either. Most of the mine’s water comes via pipeline from a ground-water aquifer. Great care is taken at Northparkes to recycle as much water as possible, both to save the costs of purchasing extra water, and for environmental reasons. Environmental scientists also carefully monitor the local rivers and underground supply to make sure no contaminated water re-enters the water supply. End use of the area: Mines do not last forever. After a number of years or even decades, the ore bodies are mined out, and mining stops. Therefore, when a mining operation is initially planned, an important factor to be considered is the use of the land after mining has finished. It is expected that the Northparkes mine will have a life of 18 years. When mining is finished all structures and facilities relating to the mining operation will be dismantled and removed. The mine site will be rehabilitated to produce an undulating landscape with small hills and possibly three small lakes (corresponding to the open pits). The stockpiled topsoil will be spread over the area, and native trees and grasses planted. Native wildlife will move back and re-inhabit the area naturally. Although the land use before the mine was constructed was for sheep and cattle, discussions about possible uses of the land after the mine closes are currently being held with the local community. It is likely that the mine-site may eventually become a mixed forest and grassland sanctuary or recreation area for the residents of Parkes and the surrounding district.

ACTIVITY 27 Name_______________________


• Use the Venn diagram to compare two different metals. • Refer to the Rockfiles website www.minerals.org.au/victoriaeducation/teacher_services/resources click on the ‘Rock

Files’ which will give you information on the properties of metals. • Suggested metals to compare include any combination of aluminium, iron, silver, lead, tin, copper, titanium, nickel,

zinc or gold. • An example is given below:

CHALLENGE: Construct a Venn diagram to compare the properties of three different metals.

ACTIVITY 27 NAME_____________________


ACTIVITY 30


This activity enables students to consider the positive and negative effects of mining on people in ‘resource towns’. It uses Edward de Bono’s Direct Attention Thinking Tools – the O.P.V. The O.P.V helps us look at other people’s viewpoints. Attention is directed to the views of specific people. It requires “stepping into the shoes” of the other people involved. MATERIALS • 1 X card set of stakeholders (Following). Teachers will need to photocopy these cards

beforehand. WHAT TO DO 1. Create the scene. “A mine is to be constructed in the town of ‘Canterbury’ (choose whatever name you like!). The mining company holds a meeting to canvas the views of the community. Views of community members are to be presented in 2 minute speeches. At the conclusion a vote will be taken to determine if the mine will proceed. Remember, only 1 in 1000 sites explored become a working mine.” 2. Students work in pairs. Each pair is given a card of a stakeholder. Brainstorm ideas to argue that you are in favour/disagree with the mine application. 3. Each pair presents a 2 minute speech to argue their position. 4. To conclude the meeting take a vote to determine if the company’s application to mine will be passed.

ACTIVITY 30


STAKEHOLDERS

RESIDENT

TOWN PLANNER

CONSERVATIONIST

ABORIGINAL ELDER

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

“ GOLD”

MANAGEMENT

SHOPKEEPER

“ GOLD”

SHAREHOLDER

WORKER/LABOURER

TRAFFIC ENGINEER

FOOTBALL COACH

OWNER OF THE LAND WHERE

MINE IS TO BE LOCATED

TRUCK DRIVER

WRITE IN THE NAME OF YOUR COMPANY ON THE APPROPRIATE CARDS. YOU MAY ALSO INCLUDE YOUR OWN STAKEHOLDERS.

ACTIVITY 38 Name_______________________________


“There is an unused quarry in ………... It is about to be developed as a ……………...”

You are required to investigate whether this is feasible/safe/practical.

• Use deBono’s “Thinking Hats” to consider future use of the land/people that will

have an interest in the development.

• Create an advertising brochure or powerpoint presentation about the scenario which you have chosen.

White Hat Information Facts

List all the facts you know about the site – the location, previous land uses, the proposed new land use (briefly describe what the land will look like), the people interested in the development.

Yellow Hat Good Points

What are the interesting things about the project? What are the positive aspects of the project?

Black Hat Negative Points

List the issues of the project. What problems may occur? Why? How?

Green Hat Creativity

Brainstorm the facilities you will need on your site. Draw a map which shows how you developed the site. [Remember to include the title, legend, north arrow.]

Red Hat Emotions

Think about these questions…. How do you feel about the proposed new use of the site? How has mining changed this area?

Blue Hat Planning Reflection

What other options could have been considered for this site? Is this the best possible use of the area? Give your reasons why/ why not.

Treasures from the Earth - Minerals Council of Australia 1 Minerals Education Victoria Tel: (03)...

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