2.2 Sand mining and gravel extraction in the world
Sand mining and gravel extraction are a worldwide activity in both developed and developing countries as was realised by Draggan (2008). Industrial sand and gravel are produced, processed and used in construction and industry all over the world. The leading nations in mining and processing sand and gravel are the United States of America, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, India, Spain, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. As a cheap and readily accessible resource many companies are involved in its mining both legally and illegally without considering the damage they are causing to the environment (Draggan, 2008).
Soil mining and gravel extraction is a common activity in the United States
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Most important commercial sources of sand and gravel are river floods, river channels and glacial deposits. Goddard (2007) further noted that soil extraction and processing have significant impacts on scenic landscapes. Excessive extraction intensifies coastal and exposed hillside erosion, causing accumulation of sea water upstream of rivers, leaving the coasts more vulnerable to extreme weather conditions. Soil mining contributes to construction of buildings and development, but can cause permanent loss of soil as well as major habitat destruction (Goddard, 2007). Kuttipuran (2006) reviewed soil mining in Indian communities and explained that as urban areas grow, less wood is used with more concrete structures being required leading to demand for low cost sand. Sand and gravel are most accessible cheap and basic raw materials for the construction industry in India. There is a business of indiscriminate sand mining in public spaces in India. Soil mining is an environmental issue in India and public awareness of illegal extraction in states of Maharashtra and Goa is going on (Pereira, 2012). Bagchi (2010) supported Kuttipuran (2006) on that construction boom fuelled the demand for sand and gravel facilitating uncontrolled extraction which threatens the existence of river systems. Illegal mining of mineral resources is rampant in India such that the country’s natural resources are destroyed as forests are clean
Jonathan Carver: Jonathan Carver was born on April 13, 1710 in Weymouth, Mass. and died on Jan. 31, 1780 in London, Eng. He was an early explorer of North America and author of one of the most widely read travel and adventure books in that period.
The Dust Bowl was a treacherous storm, which occurred in the 1930's, that affected the midwestern people, for example the farmers, and which taught us new technologies and methods of farming. As John Steinbeck wrote in his 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath: "And then the dispossessed were drawn west- from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out. Carloads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless - restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do - to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut - anything, any burden to bear, for food. The kids are hungry. We got no place to live. Like ants scurrying for work, for food, and most of all for land." The early thirties opened with prosperity and growth. At the time the Midwest was full of agricultural growth. The Panhandle of the Oklahoma and Texas region was marked contrast to the long soup lines of the Eastern United States.
Coal Mining in West Virginia has long been a source of income in the mountain state. Coal was first being mined here in 1742, and many of our families have felt the impact of coal. My grandfather and great grandfather were both involved in the coal industry. Both worked underground while my grandfather graduated to an above ground job doing maintenance on long wall miners and other mine related equipment. I can say that the life of a coal miner has altered the ways of many for this great state (both good and bad), which I will elaborate below.
The House of Sand and Fog exemplifies the American Dream from different angles, based on the characters portrayed in the novel. The three main characters have individual concepts of what is meant by the American Dream. Mr. Behrani is an ex-Iranian Colonel with a strong connection to his culture and family values. He wants the best for his family. Kathy is a newly separated women. She has a distant relationship with her family, but is connected by the home left in her possession by her deceased father. Lester has a much diluted sense of values, family and the American Dream. He has a sense of self fulfillment, disregarding the needs of most other people. The characters all want the American Dream, but their definition and method of obtaining the American Dream differ from one another.
The statement ‘Canada oil sands are much more of a blessing rather than a curse’ is not true because the disadvantages of oil sands outweigh the advantages. For this reason, this paper aims at indicating points against the statement. To understand the defects of oil sand exploration in Canada, one has to delve into the explanation of what oil sands are as well as how the entire process of mining and refining and thereafter, determine the disadvantages based on socioeconomic factors, environmental factors, as well as the infrastructure and energy required for its production.
Coal mining in the 1920s was extremely difficult job in which miners endured many challenges and hardships. The 1920’s safety was not on everyone’s mind. It was as if the miners were just tools to be used. The equipment the miners used was a marvel for its time, as it was just the start to a technological advancement. Miners faced hardships such as low wages, long hours, and the difficulty of the work conditions.
The process of mining involves the removal of non-renewable resources. There are two main types of mining, surface mining and underground mining. This practice has been ongoing since pre-historic times. In my research on mining, the process of taking out valuable materials from within the Earth that cannot be grown or made. Substances that are mined include; limestone, oil, gold and diamonds. The mined materials are used under the pretense to make life better. However, it is also used for consumerism such as diamonds to show a status or a symbol of wealth. The mined materials are driven by human demands and it is an economy within itself due to millions of dollars that it brings.
When people think of geology, they usually think of rocks and fossils. However, geology is actually a very large field of study. The knowledge of geologists ranges from rocks and fossils to the moon and other planets (Hammonds 7-8). Geologists use a variety of subjects in their work, but the sciences and math are the most important. Some of the sciences geologists study are physics and chemistry (12). English is also a subject that geologists use when communicating with other scientists, the media, and the public (12) . Because of these tasks, it is important for geologists to have a wide knowledge of these different subjects.
Diamond mining in Africa has turned many parts of the country into a war zone, especially Sierra Leone and. Many people were left wounded and without homes, people were captured by the rebel groups and turned into slaves. Forced to mine diamonds against their will. The Civil War had been going on for ten years, for many children mining became a way of life and many of them were turned into child soldiers.
Coal is solid black or black brownish in color mineral formed beneath the earth through sedimentation process from remains of death plants. Geologically it takes hundred million years for the coal formation and need of heavy expenditure for the extraction process since coal can be found several feet beneath the earth. Depth of the coal reserve determines the method of coal extraction. Surface mining method is more convenient if the reserve or coal seam is less than 200 feet beneath and underground mining method is opted if the reserve lies beyond 200 feet below the surface. Surface mining involves removing of shallow coal over a broad area where the land is fairly flat. Huge dragline shovels commonly remove rocks overlying the coal (called
Coal is a non-living resource and a non-renewable resource; it can be defined as a resource that is being consumed at a faster rate than it can be replaced. Coal is formed from the compression of vegetable matter over millions of years. Coal is used to power electricity and a range of everyday products that will be discussed throughout the report and is mined underground or in an open pit.
Solid waste pollution will always be an issue as long as human population increases everyday .solid waste is not only cause by household only, the industries as well have hand on environment pollution. And due to improper disposal system solid waste end up on the road. Solid waste have a huge effect on human life and can also cause death in animals as well, as people clean their houses everyday litter their trash everywhere this problem will not stop. But the most dangerous waste are those coming from the industries, because those waste end up in stream, rivers where it poisonous and have bad impact on the marine life. Industrial waste are the source of toxic metal and hazardous waste that effect soil characteristic and productivity of soil when dumped in ground. And the problem lies where some of the waste do not decompose. These solid waste are hazardous, Pesticides poisonous which is not health and life threatening to both humans and animals. People are very much aware of recycling to reduce pollution yet they still fail in doing so. Silt build in freshwater water ecosystems, caused by the unnecessarily agricultural activities smothers aquatic organisms. To reduce solid waste they should be recycled in such a way that do not harm the both the environment, water, air and human health. There are animals such as
In our days, mining for resources is inevitable. The resources we need are valuable in everyday life. Such resources mined up are coal, copper, gold, silver, and sand. However, mining poses environmental risks that can degrade the quality of soil and water, which can end up effecting us humans if not taken care of and many of the damages are irreversible once they have occurred.
Desertification is an increasing global issue that has caused many concerns throughout the world. Desertification affects mostly Africa; however it has (and still is) taking its toll on the Arabian Peninsula, southern Asia, Australia, southern South America, and the southwest region of the North American continent (“Desertification”, 2013). According to “Desertification: A Forgotten Threat”, every year, some 23,000 square miles of arable and range land are uncontrollably lost to desert, leaving an exceeding amount of consequences for the entire globe to face. As alarming as this fact is, it is important to understand the negative effects that desertification exerts on these affected areas, exactly what this problem is, what it is doing, why it’s happening, why it is important, and what global communities, as well as world leaders can do to prevent it from spiraling out of control in the future. This paper will focus on the physical and economical hardships due to desertification, the causes of it, the necessary measures that should be taken to prevent it, as well as the importance of spreading global awareness regarding this topic.
It is the part of geology that is in charge of the study of rocks from the genetic point and from their relationships with other rocks, very closely related with magma. It is considered one of the main parts of geology. An igneous petrologist studies every aspect of magma in order to know