Mining and Drilling

Mining is the process of removing useful minerals from the earth, including underwater. Some of the minerals that are mined are coal, platinum, and lead.

Drilling is the process of drilling a hole deep into the earth in order to pump natural resources (petroleum, natural gas, water, etc.) to Earth's surface.

South America is rich in metals and energy reserves, like oil. Chile is the continent’s leading mineral producer, and its own industries utilize much of its production. Brazil also exports large amounts of iron ore, manganese, gold, lead, and diamonds to global markets.

Mining in South America

Venezuela is one of the main sources of the petroleum burned by U.S. automobiles. The areas of Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia also contribute oil to world markets. Chile was the world’s leading producer of copper, iodine and lithium; the second-ranked producer of arsenic; and the third-ranked producer of boron.

In addition to mining minerals, Venezuela is rich in oil. Venezuela contains some of the largest oil and natural gas proven reserves in the world. In 2013, Venezuela was the third-largest exporter of crude oil to the United States. It consistently ranks as one of the top suppliers of crude oil to the United States.

Venezuela has a history of having an unstable government, or being ruled by harsh leaders. This has led to Venezuela not making as much money as it could in selling its oil.

"Mined Minerals Make Our Day" - Courtesy of Caterpillar

Pros and Cons of Oil Drilling

CLICK LINK ABOVE TO DISCOVER THE PROS AND CONS

When the government does a bad of checking up on the mines, there can be release harmful substances released into the soil, air, and water. In Peru, for example, communities have been protesting big companies because they are worried about water supply and water pollution and/or demanding a greater say in mining laws and rules.

Use the links below to learn more about the disadvantages of mining & drilling:

Another problem with mining is safety of the workers. In 2010, a mine in Chile collapsed, leaving 33 miners 3 miles underground for 69 days! They were lucky to all be rescued alive, but not every mining accident turns out this way. In Chile, 34 people have died every year on average in mining accidents since 2000. Smaller mines in the north of the country are widely seen as the most dangerous.

One possible problem with drilling for oil is oil spills. The latest oil spill occurred in November, 2011 when a spill of more than 2,400 barrels of oil happened off the coast of Brazil. This can lead to oil washing up on beaches and killing ocean life. Click the graphic/ link to the right to learn about how drilling impacts the environment.

There are several possible solutions to reducing oil spills/pollution and mining problems:

Reduce the amount of oil used – 300 billion gallons of oil are used each day worldwide. Our reliance on oil for fuel and manufacturing needs to be reduced. Simple solutions are trying to use public transport or a bicycle rather than drive a car. If everyone makes a small contribution, oil usage can be significantly reduced. Less usage means there is less oil transported over the seas, and therefore less risk of spills.
Improve ship design and training of those involved in shipping is essential to prevent disasters.
Make harder penalties for those who pollute the environment. Increase fines and even give jail time to those responsible for oil spills or mining disasters.
Governments can pass laws and send inspectors more regularly to mines and oil rigs to make sure they are passing inspection. The inspectors can also shut down mines and oil rigs if they are not passing inspection.

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