Grade 5 Term 4 Geography Study Notes PDF

Grade 5 Term 4 Geography Study Notes 1  Minerals and Coal Resources in South Africa South Africa is rich in minerals!...

Grade 5 Term 4 Geography Study Notes 1  Minerals and Coal Resources in South Africa South Africa is rich in minerals! All Rocks are made of minerals. Minerals in rocks are valuable. Gold ore is a rock and it contains the mineral gold. Silver, platinum, iron and copper are minerals. They are found underground in a mine. Minerals as non-renewable resources Resources are things that help us meet our needs and wants. The sun, water, air, the soil, fish in the see and the trees are all natural resources. Minerals are natural resources. They can be found in rocks. All the rocks on Earth only contain a certain amount of minerals. When they have been used up, there won’t be any more We say they are non-renewable resources. Main minerals mined in South Africa and their uses: 2  #1 Coal as a Non- Renewable Resource How coal is formed: Coal is not found in a rock. It is formed from the remains of plants. That means it is not a mineral. But it is still very valuable. The coal we use today was formed from trees and other plants that lived in swaps about 300 million years ago. Even before dinosaurs existed. It took about 60 million years for coal to form. The formation of coal: 1. Leaves and other parts of plants fell into swamps. 2. The leaves and plant matter built up over time. 3. Sand and stones were deposited on top of the plant matter. This weight pushed down on the plant matter and turned it into coal How coal is used to generate electricity: Coal is burned in a furnace. The heat from the furnace boils water and makes steam. The steam drives the machines that generate electricity. About 90% of South Africa’s electricity is generated in coal fired power stations. Uses of Coal: 1. We burn coal to make electricity for our homes and businesses. 2. We use coal to make plastic and petrol. 3. When we heat coal, we can make different items like soaps, shampoos, aspirin, fertilisers, etc. 4. About one million homes in South Africa use coal stoves for heating and cooking. Location of Mines and links to settlement patterns: Mineral and coal mines are found in different provinces in South Africa, Miners move to these areas to extract the minerals or coal. These miners need places to stay, food, health care etc. 3  Towns develop near a mine to supply the needs of the mine and the miners. As time passes, some towns grow into huge cities. This is what happened in Johannesburg when gold was discovered many years ago. #2 Mining and People Difficulties with deep shaft mining: Deep shaft mining is dangerous, difficult and expensive. Why deep shaft mining is dangerous: Tunnels and working space are very small. There is very little fresh air underground. It is always wet underground. It is very hot underground. 4  There is dust caused by drilling and blasting. There is a danger of rock falls. There is a danger of fires and poisonous gases such as methane. Explosives are used underground. Health and safety risks that miners face: Miners have to be fit and strong as they work in cramped and uncomfortable conditions. Their health and fitness is checked regularly to ensure that they have the strength to ensure that they have the strength and fitness to do their work. They also receive training to get their bodies used to working in small, hot places. Mine owners have a responsibility to make sure that their mines are as safe as possible. It is not easy to get out of a deep mine shaft quickly if something goes wrong. Miners are trained to use machinery carefully because it is heavy, difficult and dangerous to use. Miners have to wear protective clothing such as: Hard hats to protect their heads. Think gumboots to protect their feet from water and from injuries caused by falling rocks. Goggles to protect their eyes. Masks to stop dust getting into their lungs. Miners are in danger of getting lung diseases caused by mine dust. Dangers to miners’ lungs: Dust gets into the lungs and can affect breathing. Different types of dust causes different types of lung sickness such as asbestosis, asthma and silicosis. Other health risks to miners are: Catching illnesses such as TB from other workers when working in small, hot spaces. Getting injured from using dangerous machines. Rock falls and fires. Poisonous gases. Exhaustion from working in hot conditions. Rules to protect the health and safety of miners: All mines, mine owners and mine workers need to follow rules. These rules are written in the Mine Health and Safety Act. 5 These rules are to make sure that: The mine workers are correctly trained. Mine workers wear the correct safely clothing. Mine workers work the right number of hours so that they don’t become tired. Working areas are as safe as possible. The mine owners are running the mine correctly. The environment, air and water is being protected. The mine owners are looking at new ways to improve the safety of the miners. #2 Mining and the Environment Ways of mining: Mining is the digging up and collection of minerals usually from deep underground. Soil and rocks must be removed before the minerals can be collected. It is often necessary to dig deep into the crust of the Earth to reach the minerals. Some activities that take place during the process of mining include: Drilling: miners drill holes to the soil and rock. Blasting: miners use explosives to break the rock open to access the minerals. Hoisting: the minerals are brought to the surface in lifts. People also use these lifts. Transporting: the minerals are transported to factories and harbours 6  Did you Know That… Mining is very expensive. Mining has a negative impact on the environment. Mining pollutes the air and water and takes up a lot of land. Mines are a dangerous place to work. The government has made laws to make them as safe as possible. #3 Types of Mining Open pit or surface mining is used when the minerals or the coal layers is close to the surface of the earth. The rock and soil are dug out and the hole gets bigger and deeper. The hole is left open. It is wide enough on the sides for trucks to drive in and collect the minerals or coal. Once the minerals or coal is reached drilling and blasting break up the mineral or coal layer. The broken mineral or coal is loaded into a big truck and driven out of the pit. #4 Shaft and Deep Level Mining Shaft mining or underground mining is used when the minerals or coal layers are deep under the surface. 7  A shaft is drilled and blasted into the ground. Tunnels are then dug out horizontally from the shaft. A lift takes the miners down to the mine and back to the surface again. The deeper we go into the Earth, the hotter it becomes. Other shafts are drilled so that clean air can get into the mine. These are called ventilation shafts. Underground water is pumped out of the mine so that it does not flood. All these things make mining very dangerous. Minerals are lifted in large buckets called skips. #5 How Mining Impacts the Environment Mines pollute the air and water: Blasting ad drilling releases a lot of dust into the air. Dust is also released when they move stone and sand and when the wind blows over the mine dumps. Mines use a lot of electricity which is made in power stations by burning coal. This process also pollutes the air. Poisonous gases such as methane gas escape when rocks are broken down in mines. The smoke from fires in mines cause pollution. These fires are often caused by methane gas which has exploded. When the water in the mine is a comes into contact with minerals, it becomes more acidic and can cannot be used for drinking or growing crops. This water has to removed safely so that it does not kill the other living creatures. Destruction of vegetation and wildlife: Mines use up a lot of land. The mine buildings and mine towns also use up a lot of land. The waste from these mines cover a large area too. Sometimes vegetation is removed or covered by this waste. The birds, reptiles and animals that live in this vegetation are left without homes and food to eat. The polluted water from the mines can be poison rivers and stop plats from growing. 8 Waste from mines: 1. The biggest waste is the rock and soil that is taken out of the mine. This is left in large piles called mine dumps. 2. Polluted water, called acid water, is pumped out of the mine and kept in dams called slime dams. This polluted water sometimes flows into our rivers. 3. The old and broken machines and mining equipment is also a form of waste. Ways in which waste is controlled: Polluted water is treated with chemicals to make it clean so that it can be re-used. Sand and rock from old mine dumps is used to make bricks. The bricks are then used to build homes, schools and hospitals. Old metal is sold as scrap and recycled. NB: Remember to go through all content to prepare for your test/exams 9