Chapter 16, Section 1: Minerals & Mineral Resources
Standards: SEV4a, c, e
MINING & MINERAL RESOURCES
WHAT IS A MINERAL?
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Minerals are
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Naturally occurring
Usually inorganic solids
Have characteristic
chemical compositions
Orderly internal
structures
Specific set of physical
properties
WHAT DETERMINES THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
OF MINERALS?
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Minerals can be made of
atoms of 1 single
element.
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Minerals can be made of
compounds- 2 or more
different elements.
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Ex: silver- Ag
Ex: sand- SiO2
The arrangements of
atoms and the strength of
the bonds between them
give minerals their
physical properties.
They Might Be Giants: "Meet the
Elements" (BB Video) - YouTube
WHAT ARE SOME MINERAL RESOURCES &
THEIR USES?
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Metallic minerals
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Shiny surfaces, opaque
Can be pounded, pressed,
stretched
Good conductors of heat,
electricity
Durable, can resist corrosion
Can be combined to make an alloy
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Alloys combine desirable properties
of 2 different metals
Ex: titanium can be alloyed with
aluminum to make strong,
lightweight metal used to make
stealth fighter
Examples:
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Aluminum- cans, siding, cars
Copper- wires, heating, plumbing
Gold- computers, spacecraft,
medicine
Iron- steel
Lead- batteries, glass, ceramics
WHAT ARE SOME MINERAL RESOURCES &
THEIR USES?
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Non-metallic minerals
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Good insulators
Shiny or dull surfaces
Can be transluscent
Have variety of uses
Examples:
Gypsum- used to make
sheetrock/wallboard
 Sand/gravel- glass, building
materials, computer chips
 Sulfur- gunpowder, rubber
 Phosphorus- fertilizer
 Gemstones- jewelry
(diamonds, ruby)
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HOW DO ORE MINERALS FORM?
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Leaching- groundwater moves down
thru rock & heated by magma
causing dissolved minerals to
crystallize.
Magma- moves upward thru crust,
cools, hardens, sinks due to density
& forms metallic minerals
Evaporites- water in seas or lakes
evaporates and leaves behind
deposits of dissolved minerals (ex:
rock salt)
Hydrothermal solutions- hot
subsurface water with dissolved
minerals flows thru cracks in ocean
floor, dissolve other minerals in floor
and form new compounds upon recrystallization. Creates veins of ore.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ORE
MINERAL AND A GANGUE MINERAL?
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Ore minerals- contain elements
of some economic value
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Ex: bauxite contains aluminum
Ex: halite contains rock salt
Gangue minerals- have no
commercial value- basically
waste rock
Consider a Hershey’s bar with
almonds…
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Gangue = wrapper
Ore mineral = chocolate
Element of economic value =
almonds
HOW ARE ELEMENTS SEPARATED FROM ORE
MINERALS & GANGUE?
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Extraction- removal of ore
mineral from the ground
(mining)
Refining- removal of element
from ore mineral & gangue
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Must remove gangue from ore
mineral first
Then remove ore mineral from
element
Use chemicals, magnets, or
crushing devices to separate
the good from the waste.
For mining to be profitable, the
price of the final product must
be greater than the cost of
extraction & refining.