Question

central case mining for...cell phones?
read p. 391 in your environmental science textbook

1. what is the metal used in cell phones that is causing conflict in the democratic republic of the congo?
2. what is coltan?
3. explain why the metal is causing conflict.

coltan mining takes its toll
the human impact of coltan mining is high. in the democratic republic of the congo (drc), millions of civilians were killed in a 1998–2003 civil war over access to natural resources and other issues. coltan mining, both forced and voluntary, helped fund the war. although the war is over, the fighting—and the mining of coltan—continues today. coltan mining and the war that accompanied it have affected not only the lives of many people, but of many animals, too.
take the eastern lowland gorilla, for example.

the plight of the eastern lowland gorilla
the eastern lowland gorilla lives mainly in the rain forests of the eastern part of the democratic republic of the congo. in 1994, there were 17,000 of these gorillas in the congo. today, there are fewer than 5000. the gorillas have fallen prey—sometimes literally—to a perfect storm of attacks on their survival.
first there was the civil war. as battles raged throughout the drc, human refugees fled onto land that was gorilla habitat. camps set up there effectively took the land from the gorillas. some conflicts destroyed gorilla habitat outright.
a seemingly unrelated activity, mining, has drastically affected gorilla population numbers as well. an ore called coltan contains the mineral tantalite, which is used to make a metal called tantalum. tantalum is used in the production of cell phones and other electronics. since the price of tantalum skyrocketed in the early 2000s, many people have illegally mined coltan from congolese streams through placer mining. the mining pollutes water and damages gorilla habitat, but that is not the only blow it deals to the eastern lowland gorillas. people who are mining coltan often

Explanation:

Answer:

1. Tantalum
2. Coltan is an ore (columbite-tantalite) that contains the mineral tantalite, which is used to produce the metal tantalum.
3. The metal is causing conflict because its high value and demand for electronics have led to illegal mining and fighting over access to natural resources, which helped fund a civil war.