Readings and Articles
For this module, please:
- Read Chapter 15 (Chapter 14, 4th edition): Mineral Resources and the Environment
- Pay close attention to the following sections which are covered in the Objectives:
- Figure 15.2 (p 504) as this will come up in the Lecture under “Why do we mine stuff?”
- Section 5.2: Geology of Mineral Resources (pp 506 – 520).
- “A Closer Look: Plate Tectonics and Minerals” (pp 507 – 508).
- Section 15.3 will be supplemented in the following Lecture readings.
- You can skim or not closely read the following sections as we will cover them later:
- We will cover the “A Closer Look: Mining and Toxicity” in the Pollution Module. You can read this section now, but you will cover it again later.
- We will cover Section 15.4 (p 530) in the Resource Disposal Module. You can read this section now, but you will cover it again later.
- Read “A Closer Look: “Acid Mine Drainage”, p 483.
- Read Section 16.4: Fossil Fuels only as it pertains to Coal (pp 542 – 549).
Additional resources you may check out:
- View the Indiana Geological Survey’s page on Indiana limestone. The page explains a brief history of using our limestone in the construction of many famous buildings.
- Learn more about Indiana's coal resources from the Indiana Geological Survey, or about the production and consumption of coal in the US from the Energy Information Administration.
In case you are bored this weekend:
- Go scuba diving in Indiana! The Diving Den in Kokomo offers classes, equipment, and access to the Frances Park quarry—an abandoned quarry in Cass County where you can safely and legally go scuba diving, boating, snorkeling, or swimming.
- Visit a real underground coal mine in Pennsylvania. The Seldom Seen coal mine is one of a few small tourist operations in the Applachians that take visitors into a former underground coal mine.