Transcript Mineral Uses

Mineral Uses
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
To maintain our standard of living, each
person in the United States requires over
48,000 pounds of minerals each year:
 12,428 lb. of stone
 77 lb. of bauxite (aluminum)
 9,632 lb. of sand and gravel  17 lb. of copper
 940 lb. of cement
 11 lb. of lead
 276 lb. of clays
 10 lb. of zinc
 400 lb. of salt
 6 lb. of manganese
 302 lb. phosphate rock
 .0285 T oz. gold
 639 lb. of nonmetals
 29 lb. of other metals
 425 lb. of iron ore
 Minerals are more than just rocks
 Serve many useful purposes in our daily lives
 Any you can think of?
Aluminum
 Most abundant element in the Earth’s crust
 Bauxite is the main source
 Used in the US for:
 Packaging (31%)
 Transportation (22%)
 Building (19%)
Copper
 Used in electric cables and wires, switches,
plumbing, heating, roofing and building
construction.
 Leading producer is Chile followed by the US.
Asbestos
 Group of silicate minerals that can be readily
separated into thin, strong fibers
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Fireproof fabrics
Yarn
Cloth
Paper
Tiles
Insulation
Cement
Roofing composition
Paint filler
Flourite
 Used in:
 Production of hydrofluoric acid
 Pottery
 Ceramics
 Electroplating
 Toothpaste
 Paint pigment
Feldspar
 Rock forming mineral
 Industrially important in:
 Glass and ceramic industries
 Pottery
 Soaps and abrasives
 Roofing materials
Gypsum
 Processed and used as prefabricated wallboard or as
industrial or building plaster
 Used in cement manufacture and agriculture
Gold
 Used in dentistry and medicine
 Jewelry and art
 Medallions and coins
 Scientific and electronic instruments
 South Africa has about half of the world’s reserves
Halite
 Sodium chloride (aka. Salt)
 Used in human and animal diet
 Soap manufacture
 Mouthwash
 Home water softeners
 Highway deicing
 Photography
 Herbicide
 Medicine
Lead
 Used in lead batteries, gasoline additives and tanks
 Solders, seals, or bearings
 TV tubes and TV glass
 Soundproofing material
 Radiation shielding
 US is the world’s larges
producer and consumer
Limestone
 Most versatile and widely used rock n the earth’s
crust
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Source of lime
Chief raw ingredient of cement
Fertilizer and soil conditioner
Paints in plastics
Commonly used as a livestock
feed as a source of calcium
Lithium
 Used in ceramics and glass
 Manufacture of lubricants and greases
 Rocket propellants
 Batteries
Mica
 Commonly occur as flakes, scales, or shreds
 Used in electronic insulators
 Paint
 Joint cement
 Dusting agent
 Well-drilling mud
 Plastics
 Rubber
Quartz
 As a crystal, quartz is used as a semiprecious gem
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stone
Used for pressure gauges
Heat-ray lamps
Prisms
Used in manufacture of:
Glass, paints, abrasives, and precision instruments
Silica
 Used in manufacture of glass and refractory
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Ceramics
Abrasives
Water filtration
Filler in cosmetics, paper
Thermal insulator
Silver
 Used in photography, chemistry, and jewelry
 Electronics
 Currency
 Mined in 56 countries
 Nevada produces 30% of US silver
Sulfur
 Used in manufacture of sulfuric acid
 Fertilizers
 Chemicals
 Explosives
 Rubber
 Fungicides
Titanium
 Metal used mostly in jet engines
 Airframes
 Space and missile applications
Tungsten
 Used in metalworking
 Construction and electrical machinery
 Transportation equipment
 Filament in light bulbs
 Heat and radiation shielding
Zinc
 Protective coating on steel
 Chemical compound in rubber and paints
 Galvanizing of iron
 Electroplating
 Automotive parts
 US mine production
mostly comes from
Tennessee, Missouri,
New York, and Alaska
Talc
 Paper making
 Baby powder
 Plastic
 Rubber
 Food
 Cosmetics
 Ceramics