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Economic Geology Brian John Exton Department of Geological Sciences University of Texas Austin, Texas 78712 [email protected]

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Economic Geology Brian John Exton Department of Geological Sciences University of Texas Austin, Texas 78712 Bexton@Mail.Utexas.Edu Exploring Geology on the World-Wide Web - Economic Geology Brian John Exton Department of Geological Sciences University of Texas Austin, Texas 78712 [email protected] Keywords: Earth science - teaching and curriculum; ENERGY LINKS education - computer assisted; economic geology - gen- eral and mining geology; economic geology - energy U.S. Department of Energy - EIA sources; economic geology - metals; economic geology - http://www.eia.doe.gov/ nonmetals. Home page for the Energy Information Admin- istration, with access to hundreds of technical publi- INTRODUCTION cations (mostly PDF or HTML files) relating to energy You might think that the state of knowledge in production. geology is governed solely by our curiosity about the U.S. Department of Energy - ESTEEM inner worhngs of the Earth. But the origin of geology http://www.sandia.gov/ESTEEM as a scientific study was also forged by the need for Educational site for the ESTEEM program (Educa- the raw materials necessarv for manufacturing" and tion in Science, Technology, Energy, Engineering, and energy production, as well as the desire for precious Math). Select the gas station on the clickable map to metals and gems. The history and development of learn more about fossil fuel-related technologies. every industrialized nation is intricately tied to its supply of natural resources. Economic geology, there- USGS Mineral Resources Program fore, is one of the oldest and most basic fields of geo- http://minerals.er.usgs.gov/ logic study. Current statistical information on the occurrence, The economic aspects of precious metals and gems, quality, quantity, and availability of mineral resources as well as water resources, were covered in previous in the United States. colunlns, and are treated only briefly here. Previous topics of this column and their corresponding hyper- Earth and Mineral Science Learning Resources text links are available from the web page listed be- http~/wnw.ems.psu.edu/Resources/Resources.html low. All of the URL addresses in the current article Free multimedia lecture modules on various Earth will be available on the ~ublicationdate of the next Science topics, including "Energy and Fuels." Each issue of the journal. Please visit: http://www.geo. subject contains numerous images, animations and utexas.edulbextonijge/jge.htm models. The original set of materials was created to enhance courses offered at Penn State University. Instructions for downloading and installing these items PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS are included. Society of Economic Geologists Center for Renewable Energy http://www.mines.utah.edu/-wmgg/SEG.html and Sustainable Technology Information on the activities and publications of http://solstice.crest.org/social/eerg this international organization, maintained by Erich Comprehensive list of organizations that provide Petersen at the University of Utah. free or low-cost energy-related educational materials for students and teachers. Compiled by the National American Association of Petroleum Geologists Energy Information Center. http://www.aapg.org National Energy Foundation Home page for one of the largest professional or- http://www.nefl.org/ ganizations concerned with petroleum, natural gas, A nonprofit educational organization providing a and mineral resources. wide variety of energy, environmental, and mineral resource education materials for lundergarten through The Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration grade 12. Although most are for sale (materials can http://www.smenet.org be purchased in single issues or in bulk), they pro- Information on accredited minerals-related degree vide a free packet of materials related to natural gas programs, as well as career information, publications, to current K-12 classroom teachers. and workshops. FOSSIL FUELS - COAL GSA Coal Geology Division http://www.mysite.com/coalgeology/ Kentucky Geological Survey - Coal Research Section The Geological Society of America's Coal Geology http://www.uky.ed~~GS/coal/webcoa~coalweb. Division web site, maintained by Thomas Demchuk. htm Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 46, 1998, p. 398 Exploring Geology on the World-Wide Web - Economic Geology General information on coal geology, with more Another long list of links for oil and gas-related specific references and details about the coal-bearing sites. Provided by Moody's World Energy Group, strata in Kentucky. This page is directed to students publishers of Global Energy Outlook. and teachers, as well as employees of the coal indus- try. Includes an online discussion forum called Coal MINING AND ORE DEPOSITS Education Webchat. National Mining Association - Mineral Education Kentucky Coal Association http://www.nma.org/education.html http://www.coaleducation.org/ Online educational resources, including well-written United Mine Workers of America summary articles such as "What Mining Means to http://www.access.digex.net/-miner/colminrs. Americans" and "Forty Common Minerals and Their html Uses." 'What Coal Miners DO" is an extensive set of pages MineNet presented by the United Mine Workers of America, a http~/www.microserve.net/-dougl labor union that represents coal miners and other MineNet is a self-proclaimed "gateway to the min- workers throughout the United States and Canada. ing industry," with a substantial list of links to govern- Information on the American Coal Industry ment agencies, universities, societies, and other mining http:llwww.history.ohio-state.eduiprojects/ information sources. Maintained by Doug Anderson. CoaVCoa1Contents.htm British Columbia & Yukon Chamber of Mines A very nice site with interesting information and http://www.bc-mining-house.com/ photographs of coal mining at the turn-of-the-century. Prospecting in Canada is serious business! An out- Includes personal stories. standing collection of electronic exhibits and resources for mining enthusiasts, including course notes for an Kennecott Energy online "Prospecting School". http://www.kenergy.com/coalinfo/coalinfo.html Commercial site with helpful articles on coal min- South Africa Chamber of Mines ing and processing. http://www.bullion.org.za/ A comprehensive resource of mining information Cool Science - Coal Country Interactive Game and production statistics, with particular emphasis http://www.fetc.doe.govieducation/coalcountry. on South Africa. Also includes exceptional educational html resources on gold, diamonds, platinum, and coal, as Simple but effective interactive tutorial for ele- well as some nice mining pictures. mentary and possibly middle school students, pro- duced by the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Mining History Network Mines. File size is 6 Mb, and may take thirty min- http://www.ex.ac.uM-RBurt/MinHistNet/ utes to download. Contains mining history bibliographies, and a com- prehensive list of links to mining research and histori- FOSSIL FUELS - OIL AND NATURAL GAS cal societies around the world. Site maintained by Roger Burt at the University of Exeter. sci.geo.petroleum Internet Resources http://www.slb.com/petr.dir Uranium Information Centre A most impressive list of links to petroleum re- http://www.uic.com.au~index.htm lated sites, grouped by various categories. Web site Everything you always wanted to know about ura- hosted by Schlumberger. nium, and more. Australian lnstitute for Petroleum WISE Uranium Project http://www.aip.com.au/ http://antenna.nll-wiseluraniuml The Education section of this site contains several This interesting site covers the health and environ- good resources for download, including fact sheets mental impacts of uranium mining and milling. Site covering various aspects and issues of the petroleum maintained by the World Information Service on En- industry for secondary students, and a nice publica- ergy, an international network of safe energy activists. tion called The Big Book of Oil and Gas designed for Nuclear Energy Institute use at the elementary level. http://www.nei.org/pressrm/facts/infob28.htm Shell Oil UK - Quest Game Press release on the processes involved in mining http://www.shell.co.uMquest/index.html uranium and turning it into nuclear fuel. Meet the Fossil Family! A fun, interactive game for younger children, with simple lessons about how Prospect or Suspect - fossils become fuel. Requires Shockwave Plug-in. Uranium Mining in Australia http://science.org.au/nova/002/002key.htm Oil and Gas Links Easy to read information on uranium mining from http://members.aol.com/moodygeo/oil/oillinks. the Australian Academy of Science web site. Also in- htm cludes several student activities. Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 46, 1998, p. 399 Exploring Geology on the World-Wide Web - Economic Geology Arizona Mining Association in Canada's Klondike region. A complete transcript http://w~w.azcu.orglmainmenu.html of the program is also available. Check out the section "Copper: Mine to Market," which nicely illustrates the process of copper ore pro- Alberta Diamonds duction. htt~://www.albertadiamonds.com/s/Diamond Links.asp Virtual Copper Mine Tour This commercial site has a good list of links relat- http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/academic/phy~sci/ing to both geologic and economic aspects of the dia- Geology/copper/ mond industry. Photographs and descriptions of copper mining at the Bagdad open pit mine in western hzona, provided Diamonds in the Northwest Territories by John Hernlund at Mesa Community College. http://www.ssimicro.com/-graemeda/diamonds/ index.htm1 Treasure of the Sierra Madre Since the initial discovery of diamonds on the Lac http://www-glg.asu.edu/-sreynolds/sierra~cobre/de
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