Natural Resources Cookie Surface Mining Lab

Scientist: Per.
sid, justus, seah

Learning Goal: Demonstrate how surface mining impacts the environment and human health.

Pre-lab: Complete the following prior to beginning the lab. Use Internet research or notes to thoroughly answer the
questions below in complete sentences.

1. Describe the differences between strip mining and subsurface mining

In strip mining, a trench is dug to extract the minerals. while subsurface mining is
the extraction of mineral and energy resources from deep underground deposits.

2. Describe the differences between strip mining, open pit mining, and mountain top removal.

Strip mining is when you mine in one direction. Openpit mining is the process of

extracting rock or minerals from the earth through their removal from a pit. And

mountain top removal is removing the top of a mountain in order to make space for

something.

3. Describe the difference between renewable and nonrenewable natural resources.

Renewable can be solar energy. it is a type of energy that can be reused. non reusable is like fossil
fuels that can only be used once.

4. What is a mining overburden and how does it affect the health of humans and the environment?

mining too much. It releases pollution into the air. that humans then can inhale and can hurt in

the long run.

5. How does surface mining impact human health?

it impacts human health by increasing the risk of lung cancer.

6. List and describe four or more ways that mining negatively impacts the environment.
four way of mining that negatively impacts the enviornment are over burden, loss of biodiveristy,
soil erosion and contamination of local streams. it also e ects sheries and habitat.

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Procedure:

1. Set up your town on the gridded handout. On the grid, draw a map of your town. Color your town map. On your

map, you can make as many different features as you’d like, however you must include the following:

a. River, Ocean, or other water source

b. Wildlife Preserve and Forest

c. Vegetable and Livestock Farm

2. Place your cookie on your map.

3. Trace a circle around your cookie.

4. When you are instructed by the teacher to begin, start mining for your ore.

a. The ore is represented by chocolate chips.

b. You can only use the mining equipment (toothpick) to get it out of the ground

c. You may use your other hand to hold your cookie in place, but you can only mine from the top of the

cookie.

d. You may not pick up or turn over the cookie.

e. You will be timed. The teacher will tell you when to stop.

f. After you are instructed to stop mining, rub in any tiny bits of chocolate onto your paper. This

symbolizes the pollution left over by mining.

Analysis Questions:

1. How many whole pieces of ore (chips) did you extract? 12

10
2. How many partial pieces of ore did you extract?

3. How many town features were affected by mining? 3

4. Choose 4 of your town features from your map and fill in the table below.

Town Feature How Does This Feature Benefit the Town How Was This Feature Affected by Mining?

and/or Environment?

It causes soil eriosion which makes the

Road connects places together and ground underneath weaker.
allows for travel across the
town.

Provides shelter for humans. loss of biodiversity caused by so

House
and acts as a habitat. many houses being made.

Water source for humans, animals,

River and plants. food source form sh. runo such as pestisides and feritlizers can

negatively e ect rivers by reducing

biodiveristy.

Vegetable Crops and food that provides for the corrupts new food that is

Farm family's living in the town. consumed by organisms..

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5. Why did you decide to place your cookie mine where you did on your map?

We decided to place our cookie near the mountain because there were many resources in the
mountain

6. What item in this lab represents mining overburden? What places in town did your overburden pollute?

The item in the lab that represents overburden is the surface of the cookie. The places that were

polluted due to overburden were the houses, mountains, and roads

7. Was your cookie mining technique more like open-pit mining, strip mining, or mountaintop removal? Explain why.
Open-pit mining because we were extracting chocolate chips(minerals) from the cookie (open-

pit).

8. How has mining for ore impacted your town’s environment and wildlife?

It has a ected the wildlife and

envionerment through the means of

pollution, soil erosion,. The positive is

that you gain resarouces that can be

used in daily lives.

9. Does the chocolate chip ore represent a renewable resource? Why or why not?

no it doesn't because there is only a certain amount of

chocolate chips in a cookie. Once you run out you can not get

more.

10. What benefits does society get from mining?

They get resources that can be used. They gain ore that they
can then use tocreate schools, poilice stations and houses.,

11. How did pollution from surface mining affect your town? At the end of the activity, you swept up the crumbs and

cleaned your area. Do you think this could be done at a mining site? Explain

pollution a ected our town through the mining process. the soil

under the roads and towns are a lot more susciptible to falling

over. overall the pollution a ected the human, animal, and plant

life for the worse.

12. In the table below, list the pros and cons of surface mining.

Pros Cons

hazard to human, animal, and plant

provide ore

health

give energy

soil erosion

not too much cost wise

pollute water source and vegetable
farm

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CER Post Lab: Complete a claim, evidence, and reasoning writing exercise. Claim
Evidence
Question: Does mining positively or negatively impact humans and the environment? Reasoning
Rebuttal
Claim (Write a complete statement answering the question above)

Evidence (Write 2 statements of evidence that support your claim) Cite your sources.
1.

Source:

2.

Source:

Reasoning (Write 2 statements of reasoning that justify how you linked your evidence to your claim) Use background
knowledge and facts to back up how your evidence supports your claim and reasoning.
1.

2.

Rebuttal (Write a counterclaim – opposite of your claim – and provide counter evidence and reasoning why the
alternative claim is not appropriate)

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