Question

Study the photograph below and answer the questions that follow.

1.  
   1. Name the mining method shown in the photograph. 
   2. Describe how minerals are obtained using the method shown in the photograph.
2. Using evidence from the photograph suggest the time of the day when the photograph is likely to have been taken.
3. Apart from the method shown in the photograph, name four other mining methods. 
4. Name three problems the method used in the photograph can cause to the environment.

Answer 1

1.  
   1. Open cast/open pit
   2.  
      • This method is used where mineral deposits are located near the earth surface.
      • The top layers of the earth and other material lying above the mineral are removed by use of machines.
      • The machines (electric shovels) are used to dig up the mineral deposits.
      • The hard rocks are blasted using explosives to make them easier to work on.
      • The ore is loaded into trucks or lorries and transported to the factory for processing.
2. The photograph is likely to have been taken in the morning hours. This is because the shadow is long and the west of the objects.
3.  
   1. Drilling method
   2. Shaft method
   3. Solution method
   4. Drift/Adit method
   5. Dredging method.
4.  
   1. Causes soil erosion through deforestation and making the top soil loose.
   2. Noise and air pollution caused by blasting of rocks and the dust produced.
   3. Low productivity. The soil left after mining is infertile so it cannot be affectively used for agriculture production.
   4. After mining, if the land is not rehabilitated, the heaps of soil left behind and the deep pits make the area look ugly.
   5. May lead to landslides due to the loosening of the soil.