Minerals and Ores Chapter 9

9A Describing Minerals What is a mineral? Naturally occurring Inorganic Crystalline A solid (under normal conditions) A chemical element or compound The Earth transformed during and after the flood creating new minerals and ores Minerals, have mass and volume, they are made of atoms Most known minerals are compounds, which are pure substances Compound minerals are complicated, mineralogists work within families of minerals Native Minerals – made of one elements Minerals are never Mixtures Rocks are a mixture of two or more minerals

9B Identifying Minerals Mineralogy Mineralogists Physical Properties Use more than one test Color Streak Luster Shape and Growth Accretion Facets Cleavage and Fracture Hardness Specific Gravity Special Properties Flame Test Acid Test Magnetism Radioactivity Luminescence Refraction

9C Minerals as Resources Native Minerals Veins Placer deposits Metal Elements Conductors Nonmetals Diamonds Sulphur

9C Minerals as Resources Compound Minerals Silicates Mainly silicon and oxygen (SiO₂) Major rock forming minerals Used for glass, jewelry, ceramics, computer chip manufacturing Feldspar and Quartz most common Oxides Oxygen and another element, usually a metal Chief source of metals used in industry Sulfides Sulphur and one or more metals Contain metals economically important to us Opaque with characteristic colors and colored streaks Carbonates One or more metal ions and the carbonate ion (CO3-2) Another major rock forming mineral Used in manufacturing cement, paper and steel Halides Mineral salt compounds Sodium, potassium, magnesium or calcium combine with fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine Used in fertilizers, metal production, photographic chemicals

9C Minerals as Resources Mining & Dominion We use different methods to separate minerals from other earth materials Mining is the most common method Deep mining Surface mining Strip mining Problems with mining Destructive to environment Removes habitats for animals and flora necessary for their survival Destroys watersheds Changes the earth's surface Byproducts can be poisonous to the environment Can endanger workers Landslides, shaft collapse, cave ins

9C Minerals as Resources Bingham Canyon Mine Rio Tinto Kennecott Tautona Gold Mine, South Africa Bone Valley, Florida Kennecott is the second largest copper producer in the United States, providing approximately 25 percent of the country's copper needs. Kennecott produces approximately 275,000 tons of refined copper each year. This copper is used in electrical wiring, plumbing, roofing, coin making and more. In addition to copper, the mine also produces about 400,000 ounces of gold, 4 million ounces of silver and 25 million pounds of molybdenum. Located in the West Wits region of South Africa, the TauTona ranks as the world’s second deepest underground mine in the world. The mine goes miles under the earth’s surface at depths ranging from 1.14 to 2.14 miles. In 2008, the company added a secondary shaft that reaches almost two and a half miles underground. The Bone Valley is a region of central Florida, in which phosphate is mined for use in the production of agricultural fertilizer. Florida currently contains the largest known deposits of phosphate in the United States.