Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, completing the exercises within it, and answering the questions at the end, you should be able to:

• Describe the importance of geological resources to our way of life
• Summarize the types of materials mined in Canada and explain some of the processes involved in the formation of metal deposits
• Explain how a metal deposit is developed into a mine
• Define acid rock drainage (ARD) and discuss why some mines can lead to ARD and contamination of the environment by metals
• Summarize some of the important industrial materials extracted in Canada and describe what they are used for
• Describe the processes that lead to the formation of coal deposits
• Explain the processes that lead to the formation of oil and gas, the distinction between source rocks and reservoir rocks, and the importance of traps
• Describe the origins and recovery of some of the unconventional fossil fuels
• Describe the origins, discovery, and extraction of diamonds in Canada