ME551/GEO551 Geology of
Industrial Minerals
Spring 2012
Commodities, Part 1
Mineral Identification, Aggregates,
Asbestos, Barite, Borates, Bromine
Commodities outline
Introduction (definition)
Uses (properties)
Production
Geologic descriptions and distribution
Processing, marketing
Sources of information
SME Industrial Minerals Handbook
SME abstracts, preprints, publications
USGS Mineral Commodities Summaries
USGS Fact Sheets
USGS publications
Company reports
Industrial Minerals Forum
WEB
http://minerals.
usgs.gov/miner
als/pubs/mcs/2
012/mcs2012.p
df
http://minerals.
usgs.gov/miner
als/pubs/mcs/2
012/mcs2012.p
df
Mineral Identification
Properties of minerals
• Habit (Crystal forms and
shapes)
• Hardness
• Cleavage
• Streak
• Color
• Luster
• Transparency
• Twinning
• Fracture
• Specific Gravity
• Associated Minerals
• Fluorescence
• Magnetism
• Odor
• Feel
• Taste
• Solubility
• Reaction to acids
• Radioactive
minerals
• Meteoritic
minerals
ease or difficulty with
which the mineral can be
scratched
controlled by the strength
of bonds between atoms
Hardness
Way the mineral breaks or
fractures
one direction of
weakness, or in other
minerals, 2, 3, 4, or as
many as 6 may be present
determine the angular
relation between the
resulting cleavage
surfaces
– perpendicular
– acute
– obtuse
Cleavage
Streak
color of a mineral
Black - Graphite
when it is powdered
crushing and
powdering a mineral
eliminates some of
the effects of
impurities and
structural flaws
Black - Pyrite
Black - Magnetite
Black - Chalcopyrite
Gray - Galena
Limonite - Yellow-
brown
Hematite - Redbrown
way a mineral’s
surface reflects light
Luster
metallic
earthy
waxy
greasy
vitreous (glassy)
adamantine (or
brilliant, as in a
faceted diamond)
From:geology.csupomona.edu/alert/mineral/minerals.htm
Color
From:geology.csupomona.edu/alert/mineral/minerals.htm
SOURCES FOR MINERAL
IDENTIFICATION
http://un2sg4.unige.ch/athena/mineral/searc
h.html
http://www.webmineral.com/
Aggregates
Introduction
AGGREGATE
Hard materials
Mixing with
cementing
Form concrete,
mortar, asphalt
Railroad ballast,
Road base,
Landscaping rock
SAND
GRAVEL
Granular material
due to
Rock disintegration
Unconsolidated,
rounded rock
fragments
Diameter range:
2 mm – 1/16 mm
Boulders
Cobbles
Pebbles
Granules
Aggregates are an integral part of our roads,
sidewalks, sewers, subway tunnels and airports,
as well as our homes, offices, hospitals, schools
and shopping centers.
Aggregates are critical ingredients in a number of
manufactured products such as glass, coated
paper, paint and pharmaceuticals.
Aggregates are also used in several manufacturing
processes, including the making of steel,
aluminium and plastic.
Found in fertilizer, floor coverings, toothpaste
Aggregates include
Crushed stone
Aggregates
Sand and gravel
Most important indicator of
construction activities and health of
society
Crushed Stone—introduction
70% limestone and
dolomite
16%, granite
7%, traprock
7% other
– sandstone and
quartzite
– miscellaneous stone
– marble
– calcareous marl
– slate
– shell
– volcanic cinder and
scoria
2. USES
2. USES
ROAD BUILDING
¾ Concrete
Bridges
Tunnels
¾ Asphalt Pavement
Mortar
Plaster
BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION
¾ Concrete
Cast-in-place
Precast Structure
Cladding Elements
¾ Others
¾ All commercial
activities including
agriculture
¾ Waste treatment
facilities
(waste water filtration)
¾ Hydroelectric power
systems
Fill
Treated and untreated
road base materials
Septic Fields
Structural and
nonstructural fill
Construction
related uses
¾ Coal-fired electric
power plants
Sand and gravel for construction
Sand and gravel for industrial
USGS Mineral Commodities
Summaries 2012
Crushed stone
Dimension stone
Geology
Stream
Deposits
Dredge
Tailings
Older
Geologic
Formations
Alluvial
Fans
Origin
Beach
Deposits
4. MINING & PROCESSING
Dry-pit Operation
Shovels
Loaders
Draglines
Wet-pit Operation
Dragline
Floating
Dredge
Trucks
4. MINING & PROCESSING
a) Conventional earth-moving
equipment
b) Groundwater is removed from wet
gravel pits
c) Wet mining techniques (dredging)
4. MINING & PROCESSING
http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/NAE%20aggregates%20Internet%20N
RC%20with%20USGS%20sheet/load%20haul%20trucks.htm
http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/NAE%20aggregates%20Internet%20N
RC%20with%20USGS%20sheet/miningbench.htm
http://www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/NAE%20aggregates%20Internet%20NRC%20
with%20USGS%20sheet/drilling.htm
Houses made of adobe bricks
are still popular in urban areas.
Substitutes
Crushed Stone
Lightweight Aggregate manufactured by
sintering
Pumice
Expanded Perlite
Expanded Vermiculate
Iron blast Furnace Slag
Environmental Issues
Diesel fumes
Fugitive dust
Increased traffic
Increased air pollution
Increased use of ground water
Subsidence
Where is the nearest sand and
gravel pit to NM Tech?
Asbestos
Asbestos—Introduction
six fibrous minerals
USGS
Facts
Sheet on
Asbestos
Asbestiform
The physical form or appearance of
minerals that consists of long, thin and
sometimes flexible fibers or needle-like
structures.
Chain Silicate
A class of silicate minerals that form in
structural chains. In some of these
minerals the chains can separate easily
along parallel crystallographic planes
and can form fibrous or needle-like
structures. Amphiboles and pyroxenes
are members of the chain silicate family.
Sheet Silicate
A class of silicate minerals that form in
structural sheets and often break easily
along one crystallographic plane so as
to form extremely thin flat plates.
Members of this mineral group include
micas, clays, and serpentines.
Asbestos—Properties
Color—olive green, yellow or golden,
brown, or black
fibrous
Hardness 3 - 4.5
Specific Gravity 2.2 - 2.6
silky feel
greasy, waxy or silky luster
Asbestos—Properties
Fibrous (aspect ratio 50:1)
high tensile strength
chemical and thermal stability
high flexibility
low electrical conductivity
large surface area
can be woven
Virta, 2002 (USGS OF-02-149)
Asbestos—Uses
First used in Finland in 2500 BC where
anthophyllite was used to reinforce clay
utensils and pottery
lamp wicks and crematory clothing
roofing and flooring products
gaskets
friction products (brake linings, clutch
facings)
asbestos cement (pipe and sheet)
Asbestos—Uses
55% for roofing products
26% for coatings and compounds
19% for other applications
Asbestos—Production
No asbestos mining in U.S. since 2002
– 715 metric tons consumed in US in 2009
(1,460 metric tons in 2008)
– $613/metric ton in 2009
Canada 180,000 metric tons in 2009
Russia 1,020,000 metric tons in 2009
China 280,000 metric tons (400 metric
tons in 2006)
Kazakhstan, Brazil, Zimbabwe
World resources
200 million tons of identified
resources
Virta, 2002 (USGS OF-02-149)
Virta, 2002 (USGS OF-02-149)
USGS Facts Sheet on Asbestos
Asbestos—Substitutes
calcium silicate
carbon fiber
cellulose fiber
ceramic fiber
glass fiber
steel fiber
wollastonite
several organic fibers
USGS Mineral Commodities
Summaries 2012
USGS Mineral Commodities
Summaries 2012
Why was there so little asbestos
produced in 2011?
Asbestos—Geology
Ultramafic rocks
skarn deposits
serpentinized dolomitic limestones
serpentine veins
age Precambrian (Zimbabwe) to
Jurassic (California)
http://www.
heritage.nf.c
a/society/bai
everte_mine
_operation_
500.html
Thetford Mines, Québec
Asbestos Mining District
http://www2.brevard.edu/reynoljh/thetfordmines/ophiolite.htm
Asbestos—Processing
Store, ship, receive, and use in dust
free environment
crushing
concentrate--magnetic, screening
Asbestos—Markets
1960s-1970s consumption increased
1980s-health risks were realized and
production dropped
today markets in Western Europe and
Asia
Asbestos—Health Risks
Causes cancer, especially
mesothelioma
Lung diseases
mining, construction, mining or
shipbuilding industries
Barite
Barite—Introduction
Greek word "barus" (heavy)
BaSO4
barytes
Barite—Properties
Color—variable, commonly colorless or
white, also blue, green, yellow and red
shades
Luster is vitreous
bladed crystals
Specific Gravity 4.5 (heavy)
Hardness 3 - 3.5
Barite in
Britian
Palm Park, NM
Barite—Uses
heavy cement
weighting agent in petroleum well drilling mud
filler or extender
additive to cement, rubber, and urethane foam
automobile paint primer
friction products (brake and clutch pads)
cement vessels that contain radioactive materials
white pigment
gastrointestinal x-ray “milkshakes”
faceplate and funnelglass of cathode-ray tubes used
for television sets and computer monitors to protect
against radiation
Barite—Production
Nevada
Georgia
Tennessee
Great Britian
India
Canada
Mexico
China
USGS Mineral Commodities
Summaries 2012
USGS Mineral Commodities
Summaries 2012
Barite—Substitutes
Celestite
ilmenite
iron ore
synthetic hematite
Barite—Geology
Sedimentary exhalative (Sedex)
deposits
Rio Grande Rift (RGR) deposits
Mississippi Valley type (MVT) deposits
Sedimentary stratiform deposits
volcanic massive sulfide deposits
gangue in epithermal and mesothermal
veins
Barite—Processing
washing
jigging
heavy media separation
tabling
flotation
magnetic separation
Borates
Borates—Introduction
Boron found in more than 80 different
minerals
Tincal - Na2O·B4O7·10H2O (Egyptians
used it to mummify their dead)
Kernite - Na2O·B4O7·4H2O
Ulexite - NaCaB5O9·8H2O
Colemanite - Ca2B6O11·5H2O
Kernite
http://www.borax.com
Borax fuses at a low temperature and easily
dissolves in different important elements like
copper, chromium, cobalt, iron, nickel, and
uranium giving different characteristic colors.
flux in the manufacture of artificial gems.
Cubic boron nitride, commercially called
'Borazon' equals the diamond in hardness and
has a greater resistance to oxidation under
heat. Borazon can stand the temperature which
is more than twice the temperature limit of a
diamond i.e. about 900°C.
Borax mining in US started from Borax lake
in Tehama County, CA in 1864
cotton ball ulexite in the playa of Teel's
Marsh by Frances Marion (Borax) Smith in
1872
production then moved to Death Valley in
1880 by William Tell Coleman, 20 mule
team wagons.
Borates—Uses
glass products, 75%
soaps and detergents, 7%
agriculture, 4%
fire retardants, 4%
hydrogen fuel systems
Borates—Substitutions
sodium and potassium salts of fatty
acids
chlorine bleach or enzymes
phosphates
cellulose, foams, and mineral wools
Borates—Production
600 million metric tons of borates in viable deposits
worldwide
in U.S.--U.S. Borax, now Rio Tinto Borax owned by Rio
Tinto
Bromine
Bromine (bromides)—
Introduction
Discovered 1826
liquid at normal temperatures and pressures
heavy, mobile, reddish-brown liquid that
volatilizes
bromine salts common in nature
seawater, salt lakes, inland seas, and brine
wells
Seawater contains about 65 ppm bromide
salts, Dead Sea 5000 ppm
Bromine—Properties
unique chemical interaction with the
combustion process allows for flame
retardation
manufacture flame retardants,
pharmaceuticals, paper, dyes, insect
repellents, drilling fluids, perfumes,
photographic chemicals, water-treatment
chemicals, and sanitizers
Crude salt is basic material in the chemical
industry
Bromine—Uses
Romans used a chemical produced
naturally by marine mussels was extracted
to produce purple dye (royal purple)
fire retardants (40%)
drilling fluids (24%)
brominated pesticides (12%)
water-treatment chemicals (7%)
photographic chemicals and rubber
additives (17%)
Bromine—Uses
Ethylene dibromine, gives anti-knock
gasoline compounds
Bromine—Production
Three bromine companies accounted
for 64% of world production.
Two are in the U.S. (Arkansas and
Michigan) 38%
Israel 2nd largest producer
Bromine—Production (USGS)
Bromine—Production (USGS)
Bromine—Substitutions
Chlorine
iodine
recycling of plastics to recover bromine
Bromine—Geology
Submarine brines (Arkansas, Michigan)
extracted from seawater
by-product of potash
Bromine—Processing
boiling the treated brine solution
Herbert Dow developed the electrolysis
process in 1894 and the Dow Chemical
Company in 1897
By passing the bromineladen air through a body
of iron turnings," Dow
said in his patent, "the
bromine and iron will
chemically unite,
forming a bromide of
iron known as ferric
bromide.”
http://www.rockbridgegroup.com...
Bromine—Health risks
Red vapor is irritating to eyes
Blisters on skin
odor from Greek bromos meaning stench
Next week
Bauxite, Clays, Diatomite, Feldspar,
Fluorite, Garnet, Graphite