INVESTIGATION: Mining for Peanuts

Introduction

In what way do you depend on minerals? Without minerals like manganese, chromium, platinum and cobalt there wouldn’t be any automobiles, no airplanes, no satellites, not even any home appliances.

For the most part, mining companies are in control of how much damage they cause to the environment while locating, mining and processing minerals. In this investigation, you and your group will operate a mining company. You will make a model mining site and then mine for peanuts that will represent mineral ore. How efficient and Earth-friendly will your mining company be?

Materials

  • Plastic or foil pan
  • Ruler
  • Sand
  • Soil
  • 5-10 peanuts
  • Items for decorating your site (grass, twigs, etc)
  • Index card
  • Paper clip (one per person)
  • Craft stick (one per person)
  • Watch or clock
  • Worksheet
  • Pencil

Part One: Create a model site

  1. Place a layer of sand about 5 cm deep on the bottom of your pan.
  1. Distribute 5 to 10 peanuts on the sand, either clustered together or randomly spread apart. Number of peanuts used = ______. Sketch where you placed them below:
  1. Cover the peanuts with another layer of sand, to a total depth of about 10 cm.
  1. Cover the sand with a layer of soil 1 cm deep.
  1. Make your landscape look as natural as possible using greenery, twigs, rocks, etc.
  1. Make another sketch below to show the features of your landscape.
  1. Trade mining sites with another group. Do not tell them how many peanuts are buried or how you spread them out. Also, don’t let them see your sketches!

Part Two: Mine for ore

  1. Imagine that you and your group operate a mining company. Choose a name for your company and use an index card to make a sign to put at the mining site. Mining company name = ______.
  1. You will have 5 minutes to extract as many peanuts, or “ore,” as possible while causing as little environmental damage as possible.
  1. Your group should work as a team to locate, dig and process the ore. Use a straightened paper clip to probe (poke) for the ore, use a craft stick to dig for the ore and use your fingers to separate the shells from the ore.Caution! The shells from the peanuts represent hazardous wastes from mining and processing the ore. Do not use your teeth to remove the peanuts from the shells! The shells, or tailings, must not be put back in the landscape. Place the shells on a sheet of paper towel.
  1. Record how many peanuts you extracted. Number of peanuts = ______.

Part Three: Evaluate your site

  1. Retrieve your original landscape and inspect the environmental damage. Compare the site with your sketches.
  2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how badly was the land damaged by mining?

12345678910

little damagedestroyed

  1. How many peanuts did the mining company find? ______How many were buried? ______
  1. How much waste was produced? (How big is the “tailings” pile?) ______

______

______

Part Four: Reclaim the land

  1. Try to reclaim the damaged site. You will have 5 minutes to restore the land to its original condition.
  1. How difficult was it to restore the site back to the way it was?

12345678910

pretty simpleimpossible

  1. How closely does the reclaimed site resemble the original site?

12345678910

exactly the samenot even close!

Part Five: Analyse your results

  1. Do you think this simulation is a lot like real mining operations? YES/NO
  1. Based on this experience, do you think reclaiming (restoring) the site costs more than the mining itself? YES/NO
  1. Did all of the mining companies in your class recover the same number of peanuts? YES/NO
  1. If no, why not? ______
  1. Would different mining sites give different amounts in real life? YES/NO
  1. Suggest a method for mining minerals that would cause less environmental damage/harm.

______

RUBRIC: MINING FOR PEANUTS

ELEMENT / MISSING/ INCOMPLETE / LEVEL 1 / LEVEL 2 / LEVEL 3 / LEVEL 4
PART 1: Create model site
-Followed instructions
-Teamwork evident
-Realism of landscape
-Sketches completed with care
PART 2: Mine for ore
-Mining company name
-Stayed within time limit (no cheating!)
-Teamwork evident
-Used materials appropriately to locate and dig
-Care for environment evident
PART 3: Evaluate your site
-Took time to assess damage
-Answered questions thoughtfully
PART 4: Reclaim the land
-Honest effort to restore land in time limit
-Answered questions thoughtfully
PART 5: Analyse your results
-Answered all questions thoughtfully
TOTAL MARK