New Jersey  

Field Trip Destination

I highly recommend a class trip to the Sterling Hill Mining Museum in Ogdensburg, New Jersey, to see the systems and technology of the Sterling Hill zinc mine. New Jersey, at one time, was a mining powerhouse - it had more than 400 iron mines, as well as the two world-famous zinc mines in Franklin and Ogdensburg, both in Sussex County. Raw materials required to make very nearly everything your students use in their everyday lives come from the crust of the Earth. These raw materials include minerals, rocks, sediments, and fluids (petroleum, natural gas, brines, and groundwater). Few people think of technology, physics and mining in the same breath, but gravity, friction, electricity, magnetism, and the conversion of one type of energy into another all play large roles in the mining process. An in-depth tour of the Sterling Hill mine can provide a highly informative and enjoyable way of learning some practical applications of elementary concepts in physics to the technology and engineering of mining. Miners' cap lamps, for instance, provide a good example of the conversion of one type of energy into another. And there were many technological and engineering challenges to moving huge amounts of ore from depths of more than 2000 feet.

Mining, an occupation that involves heavy machinery, heavy rock, and explosives, has always been a hazardous way to make a living. The conditions of work are traditionally described as the four D's:  damp, dark, dirty, and dangerous. Over the centuries, however, as mining technology progressed and labor laws evolved, companies became increasingly aware of the economic advantages of taking care of their own workers. The host rock of the Sterling Hill zinc deposit is the Franklin Marble, a geologic unit composed dominantly of the mineral calcite, CaCO₃, with subordinate dolomite, CaMg(CO₃)₂. The very rich ore includes the zinc minerals franklinite, ZnFe₂O₄; willemite, Zn₂SiO₄; and zincite, ZnO. Your students will learn that  

Thomas Edison invented mining equipment still in use today, that 15% of all mineral species are known to fluoresce under ultraviolet light, and that 90 of them are found right here in Sussex County. Your students will be amazed at the fluorescent zinc ore at this site. A visit to this remarkable place in New Jersey will assist in meeting the history of technology standards and prove to you and your students how math and science are applied in this problem-solving industry at every turn of the tour.  Group tours last about two hours and are available March through December by appointment; call 973-209-7212 for reservations. Additional information is available on the museum website at http://sterlinghillminingmuseum.org. Bring your students -- you will be glad you did.

If you are interested in participating in a 10:00am -3:00 pm Summer day at the Mine; to take an in depth tour, develop ideas for class lessons, and get an idea about a 4 day academy to write technology learning activities, send me an email to me and I will keep you posted. (mwallace@nogginhorn.com)

Mark Wallace

High Point Regional High school