McGraw-Hill SocialStudies 2003 Return to Unit List
Grade 4
Lesson Review Lesson Review
Unit 5: The Mountain States
Chapter 9: Environment of the Mountain States
Lesson 3: Mining in the Mountains
 
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Rocky Mountains Resources

The supply the natural resources to the entire Mountain States region. Forests provide lumber to the industry. Rivers and streams provide water to the region's cities. The most valuable found in the Rocky Mountains is copper. The Rockies also contain underground mines for metals such as silver, , lead, zinc, and uranium. There are also a few gem mines where are mined. There is even a rich supply of coal.

Copper Mining

is used to remove minerals, such as copper, that are close to the surface of Earth. is one method used to separate the metal from the rock. The smelting process uses high temperatures to separate pure metals from rock. The waste materials are called . The Bingham Canyon Mine near , Utah is the largest mine in the world. It is one of the few man-made things on Earth that can be seen from . The main products of this mine are copper, gold, and silver.

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