Chapter 16, Section 1: Minerals & Mineral Resources Standards: SEV4a, c, e

 Minerals are  Naturally occurring  Usually inorganic solids  Have characteristic chemical compositions  Orderly internal structures  Specific set of physical properties

 Minerals can be made of atoms of 1 single element.  Ex: silver- Ag  Minerals can be made of compounds- 2 or more different elements.  Ex: sand- SiO 2  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

 Metallic minerals  Shiny surfaces, opaque  Can be pounded, pressed, stretched  Good conductors of heat, electricity  Durable, can resist corrosion  Can be combined to make an alloy  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:  Aluminum- cans, siding, cars  Copper- wires, heating, plumbing  Gold- computers, spacecraft, medicine  Iron- steel  Lead- batteries, glass, ceramics

 Non-metallic minerals  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)

 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 re- crystallization. Creates veins of ore.

 Ore minerals- contain elements of some economic value  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…  Gangue = wrapper  Ore mineral = chocolate  Element of economic value = almonds

 Extraction- removal of ore mineral from the ground (mining)  Refining- removal of element from ore mineral & gangue  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.