Open Cast Mining (Leaving Cert Engineering): Flashcards
📚Flashcards
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12 cards from this deck
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Practise the cards
12 cards from this deck
Open cast mining
Open cast mining
Surface mining technique for ores near ground level
Overburden
Overburden
Unwanted material above ore that must be removed
Heavy plant equipment used in open cast mining
Heavy plant equipment used in open cast mining
Bucket-wheel excavators, bulldozers, haul trucks
Terraced benches
Terraced benches
Stepped levels created during extraction
Purpose of terraced benches
Purpose of terraced benches
Provide accessibility and safety (prevent landslides)
Haul roads
Haul roads
Roads through terraced levels for mining trucks
Main advantage of open cast mining
Main advantage of open cast mining
Cost-effective
Why is open cast mining cost-effective?
Why is open cast mining cost-effective?
Ores near surface are easy to locate and extract
Main disadvantage of open cast mining
Main disadvantage of open cast mining
Permanent landscape destruction
Environmental impacts of open cast mining
Environmental impacts of open cast mining
Removes vegetation, disrupts ecosystems, alters drainage
Land reclamation
Land reclamation
Restoring mined areas after extraction
First step in open cast extraction
First step in open cast extraction
Removal of topsoil and vegetation