Transcript Minerals are valuable resources

Wednesday October 17, 2012
Warm-up
Agenda
• How are minerals used in
industry and art (give 2
examples of each)
• Get out your Lab (to turn
in) and your 2.3 Reading
Study Guide to correct.
• Correct RSG
• “Conflict Minerals” Video,
Article, Discussion
Homework:
• Page 66; 1-5
Objectives
• Explain how minerals are
mined.
• Draw conclusions about the
benefits and costs of mining
Minerals are valuable
resources
Section 2.3
Mineral uses
Industry
Minerals can be found in a
lot of the products we
use in every day life:
• Toothpaste( fluorite &
calcite)
• Vehicles ( metals
• Glass (quartz and
feldspar
• Electronics (silicon and
metals)
Arts
Minerals are valued for
their beauty:
• Jewelry ( gemstones and
metals)
• Paint ( pigment)
Mineral formation
Minerals form through a natural process
where atoms of elements join together
and crystals form.
1. Evaporating water - when the water
evaporates, the atoms of the
substances dissolved in the water join
to form crystals
Mineral formation ( continued)
2. Hot water cools – the hot
water dissolves minerals as it
moved through Earth’s crust.
When that water cools, the
minerals separate and
crystallize again.
3. Molten rock cools – Magma
and lava describe hot rock
that contains many atoms
similar to those found in
minerals. These atoms join
together when the hot rock
cools to form mineral
crystals
Lava
Mineral formation (continued)
4. Heat and pressure – the
bonds between atoms
break and form in new
ways to create
different minerals.
5. Organisms create
minerals – sea creatures
can create calcite and
carbonate to form their
shells. Humans produce
apatite which is a main
mineral in bones and
teeth.
Mining Minerals
• Minerals have to be taken out of the
ground before they can be used
– Some are close to the surface
– Some are very deep
• Most minerals are found in rocks
– Rocks that contain enough mineral to make
any $$$ are called ores
Copper ore
Surface Mining
Used to dig up minerals that are close to the surface.
• Panning- because gold and minerals like it are dense it
doesn’t get swept away by water currents.
• Strip mining- the land is stripped of all the surface
life ( plants, soil, other rocks) and then dig out the
ore
• Open pit mining- miners clear off top layer and then
use explosives to blast the layer of rock. As they
create a bigger pit, they create roads for the trucks
to carry the ore to the surface.
Deep Mining
Used for ores far
below the surface of
the Earth.
• Miners drill down or
into a mountain and
create a level
passage way
• From that main
passage, they can
drill or blast to get
at the ore.