Earthquake in your Country

1) A massive earthquake hit Iran with tremors felt in the UAE on April 16, 2013.

2) The earthquake occurred at an intermediate depth in the Arabian Plate lithosphere at a depth of about 80 km.

3) The earthquake occurred within the subducting Arabian Plate below the overriding Eurasian Plate. 

4) The earthquake measured 7.7 on the Richter Scale.

5) The earthquake killed 35 people and left another 117 injured. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Iran within the last 40 years. The town of Mashkel was the closest to the earthquake's epicentre. Around 85% of the cities buildings and roads were demolished. 

Plate Tectonics in Your Country

1) The UAE is located on the Arabian Plate.

2) The Arabian Plate has been moving northward for millions of years converging with the Eurasian Plate.

3) As a result of converging with the Eurasian Plate, mountain ranges have been formed that extend west from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas and ranges of Southeast Asia. 

4) Due to the fact the Arabian Plate and Eurasia plate collide, many cities are in danger such as those in south eastern Turkey. These dangers include earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes.

5) I was not able to find any information on folds and faults within the UAE.

Mining

Part A

Shaft Mining

Shaft mining is the method of excavating a vertical or near-vertical tunnel from the top down, where there is initially no access to the bottom. 

Pros: Allows the land above the mining zone to be reclaimed for other uses, allows the mining operation to be hidden and you can mine deeper.

Cons: Pillars need to be left in place to safeguard, it is very expensive to conduct and it can only remove a portion of the mineral present.

Strip Mining

Surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the Earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow.

Pros: Easier access to minerals, easier to transport minerals to the destination and there are less hazards compared to shaft mining. 

Cons: A lot more fuel is burned, blasting is required making it hazard and any open pit mining operation eliminates any biological life form at the surface.

Part B

Spouse of a miner: Strip mining as it is less dangerous than shaft mining. 

Owner of a mining company: Strip mining as it is less expensive than shaft mining.

Environmentalist: Shaft mining because strip mining is worse for the environment as any open pit mining operation eliminates any biological life form at the surface.

Owner of a nearby ski resorts: Shaft mining because it allows the land above the mining zone to be open and available for other use.

Politician: Shaft mining because it allows more minerals to be extracted in less amount time compared to that of strip mining.

Part C

Shaft mining is a major industry in the UAE as oil is the foundation of the UAE's economy. The discovery of oil reserves has transformed the UAE into a developed, high standard living country. The UAE is the eighth largest producer of crude oil in the world and the seventh largest producer of natural gas.