Tying a Local Environmental Issue to Human Drivers of Environmental Change

Week 5 Summary

This week we learnt about the lithosphere and the rocks and mineral which creates essential resources to humans. We also studied the process of the rock cycle, soils and subsurface, and characteristics of minerals. Furthermore, we were all charged with a few questions to link the biogeochemical cycles to the lithosphere and the benefits (indirect and indirect) we obtain from it. In addition to that, Nightowl 3 collaborated and identified the importance of minerals and everyday usage.

One of our classmates, pointed out the importance of minerals, more specifically, ore and identified everyday usage in human lifestyles. This mineral gets mined, transported, crushed, processed, then finally converted to a pure copper state called cathodes (University of Arizona Superfund Research Center, 2020). One student introduced the importance of soil to the discussion and the nutrient cycle for plants and animals. He solidified his feedback by tying the quality of the soil to the benefits of this mineral for basic human fundamental needed to survive by the underlying nutrients like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Later the professor introduced the five characteristics of minerals to our discussion and asked why some natural resources are not considered as minerals. Our group hinted that rocks are natural resources composed of various minerals and metals formed by natural processes/forces by non-living organisms (UMGC, 2021). Another student said it best, “a mineral that is essential to everyone’s life right now is cobalt because it is highly used in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that powers smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles (Frankel, 2016).”

Reference

Franklel, T. (2016, September 30). This is where your smartphone battery begins. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/

University of Arizona Superfund Research Center. (2020, July 24). Copper Mining and Processing: Processing Copper Ores. Superfund Research Center. https://superfund.arizona.edu/resources/learning-modules-english/copper-mining-and-processing/processing-copper-ores

University of Maryland Global Campus. (2021). Learning Topic 2: Rocks and Mineral Resources. Document posted in UMGC ENVM 600 9041 Online Classroom. Retrieved from https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/548069/viewContent/21207661/View