Notes: Mineral Uses

Uses in Industry Metals for cars and airplanes

Uses in Industry Quartz and feldspar for glass

Uses in Industry Fluorite and calcite for toothpaste

Uses in the Arts Mica and talc for paint

Uses in the Arts Beautiful minerals used for jewelry or decoration are known as gemstones.

Uses in the Arts When gemstones are found, they are usually rough and irregularly shaped.

Uses in the Arts The material used to polish a gemstone must be at least as hard as the gemstone itself.

Metals like gold and silver are also used to make jewelry. Uses in the Arts Metals like gold and silver are also used to make jewelry.

Video Clips DiscoveryED: How do we use minerals? DiscoveryED: Real vs. Lab Diamonds Cutting Diamonds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9 MLa8KeiMQQ

How do minerals form? The minerals that can form in an area depends on what elements are there. Temperature and pressure can also affect which minerals form.

How do minerals form? Some common ways that minerals form…

How do minerals form? Water evaporates Minerals dissolved in water are left behind when the water evaporates.

Hot water cools How do minerals form? Very hot water can dissolve minerals. When the water cools, the minerals reform as solids.

Molten rock cools How do minerals form? Minerals form when magma (molten rock inside Earth) cools. Minerals also form when lava (magma that has reached Earth’s surface) cools.

Heat and pressure How do minerals form? Carbon can become graphite or diamond under different amounts of heat and pressure.

From Organisms How do minerals form? A small number of minerals are produced by living things Example: calcite in seashells Example: apatite in your teeth

Before minerals can be used, they must be removed from the ground. Mining Before minerals can be used, they must be removed from the ground. Rocks that have minerals we can mine for $ are called ores.

We mine minerals near Earth’s surface with surface mining. Example: Panning when minerals are separated from water by sifting or filtering.

Example: Strip mining Surface Mining miners strip away plants, soil, and rocks before digging out the ores.

Example: Open-pit mining Surface Mining Example: Open-pit mining removing the surface layer of soil and then using explosives to break apart the rock underneath.

Deep Mining Deep mining is used when an ore is deep underground. Miners cut a passage to reach the minerals. The passageways can be cut horizontally (sideways) or vertically (up and down).

From the passage, miners blast, drill, cut, or dig the ore. Deep Mining From the passage, miners blast, drill, cut, or dig the ore. The world’s deepest gold mine is 3 km deep!

What types of minerals form in an area depends in part on Review What types of minerals form in an area depends in part on Which elements are present The types of rock present The density of rocks present Whether crystals can form

2. Open-pit mining is used to obtain ores that lie Under flat land Review 2. Open-pit mining is used to obtain ores that lie Under flat land Deep in Earth’s crust Near the surface of Earth In riverbeds

3. Gemstones are used in Building materials Paper products Review 3. Gemstones are used in Building materials Paper products Automobile parts Jewelry making