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University of Minnesota scientists say research is key to understanding the effects of mining in Minnesota and developing economically and environmentally sustainable practices for the industry. 


Although lawmakers turned aside a request for more money to expand research, the university does have several ongoing investigations. 

 talked to three  researchers about that science behind Minnesota mining. Here's what he learned.

Minnesota has a really unique and diverse geological background," said George Hudak, director of the Minerals Division at the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. 


The state has some of the most complicated scientific rocks to understand on Earth and as scientists develop new analytical techniques to study the rocks, researchers are finding new questions to answer including the role of bacteria in where these deposits sit. 


Hudak referred to three major rocks in the northern part of the state:


2) 1.8-to-2-billion-year-old rocks associated with the 

 has copper nickel resources. This area has as much as 7 billion tons of ore.


There are "small, but very significant concentrations of these metals," he said. 


"What it represents is a whole series of intrusive rocks that were associated with an event about 1.1 billion years ago where basically North America tried to split apart," he said. "We call that the 


"As a result of that, enormous amounts of magma, which is molten rock, came up closer toward the earth's surface and when that occurred we had basically reactions that occurred between the magma and the rocks that were adjacent to it, which enabled processes to occur that allowed these sulfide minerals to crystallize with these metal values."

New copper nickel mining plans need more acidity research


Different types of mining cause different environmental impacts, said Nate Johnson, geochemist, water chemist and assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. 

Minnesota's mining future still uncertain

"We have some big structural issues with iron mining that are going on right now just because of who we serve," said Don Fosnoucht, director of the Center for Applied Research and Technology Development at the University of Minnesota's Natural Resource Research Institute. 


Here is an explainer on how iron ore becomes steel in the current process:


The use of taconite to create steel is decreasing, he said. 


"Over the last 10 years, eight blast furnaces were eliminated, which was equivalent to about 17 million tons of iron ore need," he said. 


Ford substituted materials in their trucks for aluminum, which eliminated another 550,000 tons of iron ore need, Fosnoucht said. 


Minnesota mines might need to change their output to fit the needs of industries, which could include taking some of the oxygen away to send a more metallic product that can be a scrap replacement.

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Three University of Minnesota professors explain the state's geological history, its mineral wealth and what we still don't know about mining safety.

State lawmakers passed over a request to fund additional mining-related research at University of Minnesota this year. But University officials say that research is key to understanding the effects of mining in Minnesota, and to developing economically and environmentally sustainable practices for the industry. What do we know about the rock, how much valuable material is there and is it safe? GUESTS: Researchers Don Fosnoucht, George Hudak, and Nate Johnson

The science behind Minnesota mining

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