Minerals
Q1. How do minerals impact society?
Minerals mitigate poverty since for them to be mined, manual laborers are needed and hence provision of income. In mining areas, the societies around the place are treated with area development since buildings are built. However, after mining, large pits may be left which after raining water collects thus may cause accidents to the society.
Q2. What is the difference between metallic and non-metallic minerals?
Minerals that are mined for their metallic elements are called metallic minerals while non-metallic minerals don’t have metallic elements. Metallic minerals are located in igneous and metamorphic rocks while non-metallic on sedimentary rocks. While metallic minerals are situated in lodes and veins, non-metal occur in seams or layers. Metallic minerals are good conductors of both heat and electricity while non-metallic are not. Another difference is that the metallic are used for industrial purposes such as metallurgy while the non-metallic is used for provisions of power like petroleum.
Mining
Q1. How are minerals extracted from the earth and processed?
The minerals are extracted by mining the areas where they occur mostly by digging. The method of processing depends on the nature of the mineral. To process some minerals, the occurrence of the mineral, called ore, is melt such as iron. Other minerals are processed by cleansing with water while others by straining.
Q2. What are the different ways that minerals can be mined? Give a brief description for at least three types.
Ways of mining minerals are: underground mining, open pit mining and marine mining. Underground mining involves accessing the mineral deposits by making shafts, drifts or slope mining. Drift mining is mostly used to extract coal whereby mines enter a hillside horizontally. Open pit mining is used in flat areas whereby the mineral deposit is accessed by removing the cover. Marine mining is the process of accessing mineral deposits from either sea floor or from sea water.
Q3. What impact does extracting minerals have upon the environment?
The impacts of mining on environment are: during the mining of asbestos, the mineral disperses into the environment and may cause deaths among residents and miners alike; when some minerals are mined such as lead; they unintentionally escape into the atmosphere thus becoming a threat to health since they are connected to diseases such as mental retardation. Mining destroys wetlands and forests alike since to pave way for the mining activities trees may be cut. Underground mining activities may in one way or the other lead to collapse of the mining pits leading to land subsidence which in turn can cause river cracks thus leading to loss of river.
Soil
Q1. What is definition of soil? What is the composition of soil? What is the importance of soil to the environment?
Soil is the uppermost layer of the earth’s crust which has been developed by elements of weather and human activities and consists of decaying matter called humus on which plants grow. Soil is composed of rock materials and organic matter (Gifford, 1992). The rock material consists of stones, silt, clay and sand. The organic matter, humus, is the rotting matter of dead plants and animals. The importance of soil to the environment: the soil is responsible for the recycling of approximately 85 of the atmospheric carbon, produces and stores both carbon and oxygen and it also regulates the flow of substances such as water and chemical between both earth and environment.
Q2. Types of organisms found in soil? Determine the relationship between soil and organisms.
Organisms found in soil are: fungi, bacteria, protozoa, nematodes, actinomycetes and some forms of viruses. The relationship between soil and organisms: the soil provide habitat to the organisms while the organisms break down the organic matter, enhance the level of nutrients, develop the soil aggregation and break down the materials that are applied.
Q3. What is soil erosion? How can soil become polluted? What impact does soil erosion and pollution have upon environment?
Soil erosion is the denudation and blowing away or carrying away of the soil cover rich in nutrients by either natural factors or human activities. Soil erosion may happen when there is a rainfall, when snow thaws in fields, when they are floods or poor farming activities and equipment such as heavy machinery, lack of soil cover in winter and frequent tilling of the land. Soil erosion can cause mudflows and landslides and also can carry away the organisms on the landslide’s path. Marine life can also be in danger since soil erosion pollutes water bodies.
Q4. What is the purpose of soil reclamation?
The purpose of soil reclamation is to get rid of, mitigate or neutralize sediments, the contaminants in the soil and industrial soil that pose threat to either ecosystem or human health. The land can also be reclaimed so as to improve its quality so that the soil can be put to use.
Forestry and Rangeland Resources and Management Strategies
Q1. Differentiate between government owned lands and public lands. Which government agencies are involved with government owned lands and what is the purpose of the govern-owned land?
Government –owned land is the land which owned and controlled by the government but cannot be used for public activities such as national parks while public land is the land at the disposal of public activities but is controlled by government and also whose title deed is kept by the government such as community playgrounds. Agencies involved with government-owned lands are: Land Management Bureau, Forest Service, Wildlife Service and National Park Service. Purposes of public land are: making them natural parks, recreational parks, military training and commercial exploitation.
Q2. Why are forests important ecosystems?
They moderate the climate by recycling carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen thus stabilizing the world climate, give habitat to many plants and animals, they are source of food and medicine, offer protection against natural disasters such as flood and drought and erosion, and support the lives of tribal people.
Q3. What is your definition of forest management? What is its purpose? Describe the concept of sustainable forestry.
Forest management is the governmental agency that takes care of a forest on behalf of the government. The forest management protects and oversees the activities of a forest against illegal activities such as poaching (Olafur, 2000). The concept of a sustainable forestry is that the use of the forest resources and benefits should indemnify the functions of both the current and the future generations.
Q4. What is the impact of harvesting trees and deforestation upon forests and the environment? Is there a preferred method for the harvesting of trees? Why or why not?
When harvesting the trees, the tractors that are used loosen the soil are increased the impact of soil erosion. Deforestation causes global warming and the emissions of greenhouse gases. There is also the loss of diversity since the habitat of fauna and flora is lost. The preferred harvesting of trees is single tree selection because it not only maximizes short term returns but also helps in meeting the worldwide need for forest resources.
Q5. What is a rangeland? Describe rangeland degradation and desertification. What impact does degradation and desertification have upon the environment?
A rangeland is an extensive natural landscape occurring as woodlands, grasslands, deserts or wetlands. Rangeland degradation is the decrease in both the quality and the quantity of a rangeland while desertification is the expansion of the range of dry lands due to either climatic change or human activities such as overgrazing. Degradation and desertification impact the environment by turning a once productive land into a land that can’t support life thereby the loss of biodiversity and the change of climate in the regions.
Q6. What is overgrazing? What impact does this have on rangelands?
Overgrazing is whereby animals are grazed on an extensive piece of land and they feed on the plants but there are no sufficient periods for the plants to recover. The impacts of overgrazing are that they lead to: desertification the animals pastures; lead to soil erosion and the make the plants to have a stunted growth.
Q7. What strategies can be employed for the management and conservation of forests and rangelands?
Proper management by agencies such as Forestry services can ensure that forestry land is not encroached. Teaching the community about the importance of the forestry resources can make them conserve the forests if they are enlightened. The tree harvesters can be pushed to adopt single tree selection methods and take part in reforesting the deforested areas. To conserve the rangelands, the community can be taught better farming methods that will ensure that the land is given sufficient recovery periods.
Agriculture
Q1. What is the difference between industrialized agriculture and subsistence agriculture? What is the impact from these methods of agriculture upon the environment?
Industrialized agriculture refers to the modernized capital intensive farming whereby there is the substitution of machinery for the human and animal labor and using techno scientific, economic and political methods while subsistence farming is the type of farming whose purpose is to feed the farmer’s families. The impact of these farming methods on the environment is that: industrialized farming uses large amount water, energy and chemicals. The chemicals contaminate the water bodies whereby they kill the water microorganisms by depleting them of oxygen and also by kill the fish. The large usage of water exhausts the water bodies. Since subsistence farming doesn’t entail commercial or large production, it doesn’t pose much threat to the environment since everything is used in small scale.
Q2. What is one agricultural challenge, other than soil erosion, faced by society? Be sure to explain your answer.
Among the agricultural challenges that the society faces is the cost of the inputs used in the sector. The cost of the farm inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, machinery and maintenance, transport, chemicals and labor have increased in the recent past thus reducing the output.
Q3. How would you describe sustainable agriculture? How does it impact the environment?
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming whereby the farm product are healthy to both the consumers and the animals, does not have a negative impact on the environment , brings a considerable income to the farmer and is able to support the rural society (Adele, 2001). However this method has an impact on the environment in that the farmers in the densely populated countries like Indonesia and India strive to get maximum yields from the land by tilling the land, more sop for the rice paddies year over year and the intensified methods used such as building terraces on the hillsides, contribute to soil erosion.
Q4. In regards to agriculture, what are the advantages and disadvantages involved with genetic engineering?
Advantages
The products are nutritious, the yields are higher, the crops are pest resistant, the crops have a larger shelf life and the crops can be farmed in unfavorable environments.
Disadvantages
The crops harm other organisms, the taste of the crops isn’t good as compared to the naturally grown crops, lead to the spreading of weeds and pests that are resistant, allergies may intensify and others develop and may lead to the pollination between those crops and the traditional ones which may lead to the development of traditional offspring with the traits of GMOS’s thus making it difficult when labeling the products that are not GMO’s.
References
Adele, R. (2001). Minerals. Minnesota: Capstone Press.
Gifford, R. (1992). Agricultural Engineering in Development: Mechanization Strategy Formulation : Concepts and Principles. Georgia: Food & Agriculture Org.
Olafur, A. (2000). Rangeland desertification. Massachusetts: Springer.
