UCD Geology

gel 130 Non Renewable Resources

Winter 2005
GEL 130: Non Renewable Resources

Professor Robert A. Zierenberg
Office Hours Monday 2-3, Tuesday 11-12, or by appointment
Room 379 Physics/Geology Building
530-752-1863
z@geology.ucdavis.edu
http://www.geology.ucdavis.edu/~gel130

Course meets MWF 11:00 to 11:50 AM in Room 185 Physics/Geology Building

Links
Outlines
Ore Formation
Ore Forming Processes
News
UN Population Trends
Example Midterm

Final Assignment: 1872 Mining Law Reform

Modern societies require natural resources to function, but exploitation of those resources comes with an environmental cost. Natural resources are not homogeneously distributed across the planet. Geologic processes constrain the distribution, abundance, and cost of resources. However, availability of resources is also dependent on economic factors, national and international politics, and the environmental consequences of utilizing the resources. This course will explore the complex interplay between all of these factors with the goal of producing a broad understanding of the issues surrounding resource availability and exploitation.

We will start by exploring some of the Earth processes that form mineral deposits and control their distribution and availability. Although this class is taught in the Geology department, mineral resource issues are inherently multidisciplinary. Most students in this class do not have a background in Geology, and each student brings a unique perspective and set of prejudices to the class. To best achieve the interdisciplinary exploration of mineral resources issues, class discussion will be encouraged and we will try to identify the various sets of prejudices that all of us (including the instructor) bring to issues of mineral resources.

A second approach we will take to challenging our pre-conceived ideas about resource issues will be through short individual and group research on controversial topics, about which most of you will already have an opinion. You will be asked to discuss the issue from the perspective of a particular interest group, preferably one with which you may not be in agreement. One of my beliefs is that if you really want to understand an issue (and especially if you want to influence decisions about that issue) it is important to understand what folks on the opposite side of that issue know and what they believe. Is your opinion based predominantly on your belief system, or is it rooted in observational evidence? Your research may strengthen your belief, or you may find a new appreciation for alternative points of view, but hopefully you will come away with a new appreciation for the complexity of resource related issues. Examples of topics that could be considered include the following:

  • Has the US mineral industry has declined to low levels due to the high cost of environmental regulation in this country relative to other nations? What are the relative merits of mining at home versus buying commodities on the open market?
  • Small scale mining done by individuals in third world countries provides local employment and keeps the wealth in the hands of people of the country. Is it acceptable for multinational companies to buy up and exploit those resources? If the large scale mining operations are significantly more efficient (which results in less land being mined) and if modern mining techniques have substantially less environmental impact, does this alter the decision as to who profits from the mining?
  • The ocean floor contains rich deposits of Cu, Zn, Ag, and Au. Who owns the rights to these resources and who should profit if they are exploited? Who will control t the mining to ensure that the environmental impacts are acceptable?
  • Is it true that the US and other industrialized countries have been thoroughly explored for its resource potential and there are no major mineral deposits left to be discovered? If that is true, will this result in a new era of colonialism or a shift in power from the presently industrialized nations to the nations richest in mineral resources?
  • Should the US government open the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge for oil exploration to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil?

Lik drillGRADING
Your course grade will be determined by the following:

  • Midterm exam Feb. 9 (35% of course grade)
  • Research projects, short assignments, 4-8 page paper, in class presentation (20% of course grade)
  • Final Exam Thurs. March 17 8-10 AM (45% of grade)

The midterm and final will consist of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions, in roughly equal proportions. Exams will cover both the assigned reading and the lecture material, with an emphasis on the material discussed in class. The midterm will cover the material presented in Chapters 1-5 and 13, the final will be comprehensive.

Text Book: Resources of the Earth--Origin, Use, and Environmental Impact by J.R. Craig, D.J. Vaughan, and B.J. Skinner, third edition (2000). On Reserve

Useful References:

  • Mineral Resources, Economics, and the Environment by Stephen E. Kesler (1994). On Reserve.
  • At the Crossroads--The mineral problems of the United States by E.N. Cameron

Course outline Reading assignment Read by
Resource Use and Resources in the Future Chapter 1, Chapter 13 Jan. 7
Structure of the Earth and Plate Tectonics Chapter 2 Jan. 12
Processes that Form Mineral Deposits

Resource Use Through History Chap. 3 Jan. 20
Environmental Impacts of Resource Exploitation Chap. 4 Jan. 27
Mineral Exploration, Mining, and Mineral Production (Kesler-Chap. 4) Background material-not required reading
Mineral Law and Land Access, Mineral Economics (Kesler-Chap. 5) Background material-not required reading
Energy Resources-Fossil Fuels Chap. 5 Feb. 2
Midterm exam Feb. 9
(35% of course grade)		 Chap. 1-5, 13
Nuclear Power and Alternative Energy Sources Chap. 6
The Abundant Metals-Iron, Steel, and Aluminum Chap. 7
The Scarce Metals-Base Metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Sn) Chap. 8
The Precious Metals (Au, Ag, Pt, Pd)

Agricultural and Industrial Minerals Chap. 9
Group presentations

Final Exam Thur. March 17 8-10 AM
(45% of grade)		 Chap. 1-9, 13

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