Resources and Energy Section 1

Section 1: Mineral Resources

Preview
• Objectives
• Mineral Resources
• Ores
• Uses of Mineral Resources
• Mineral Exploration and Mining
• The Formation of Ores and Placer Deposits
• Comparing Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids
Resources and Energy Section 1

Objectives
• Explain what ores are and how they form.
• Identify four uses for mineral resources
• Summarize two ways humans obtain mineral resources
Resources and Energy Section 1

Mineral Resources
• Mineral resources can be either metals, such as gold, U,
silver, Ag, and aluminum, Al, or nonmetals, such as
sulfur, S, and quartz, SiO2.
• Metals can be identified by their shiny surfaces, as good
conductors of heat and electricity, and they tend to bend
easily when in thin sheets.
• Most nonmetals have a dull surface and are poor
conductors of heat and electricity.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Ores
Ores a natural material whose concentration of
economically valuable minerals is high enough for the
material to be mined profitably.
Metallic minerals such as gold, silver, and copper, Cu, are
called native elements and can exist in Earth’s crust as
nuggets of pure metals.
Most other minerals in Earth’s crust are compounds of two
or more elements.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Ores, continued
Ores Formed by Cooling Magma
• Some ores, such as chromium, Cr; and nickel, Ni, form
as the magma cools and the dense metallic minerals
sink.
• As the minerals sink, layers of these minerals
accumulate at the bottom of the magma chamber to form
ore deposits.
Ores Formed by Contact Metamorphism
• lode a mineral deposit within a rock formation.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Ores, continued
Ores Formed by Contact Metamorphism, continued
• Heat and chemical reactions with hot fluids from the magma
can change the composition of the surrounding rock. This
process is called.
• Some ores, such as copper, Cu; and zinc, Zn, form by
contact metamorphism.
• Contact metamorphism also occurs when hot fluids called
hydrothermal solutions move through small cracks in a large
mass of rock.
• When the minerals from the surrounding rock dissolve into
the hydrothermal solution, new minerals will precipitate from
the solution and form narrow zones of rocks called veins.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Ores, continued
Ores Formed by Moving Water
• placer deposit a deposit that contains a valuable mineral
that has been concentrated by mechanical action
• The movement of water helps to form ore deposits.
• Tiny fragments of native elements, such as gold, Au, are
released from rock as it breaks down by weathering.
• Streams carry the fragments until the currents become too
weak to carry these dense metals, which collect in placer
deposits.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Uses of Mineral Resources

• gemstones a mineral, rock, or organic material that can
be used as jewelry or an ornament when it is cut and
polished.
• Metallic ores are sources of valuable minerals and
elements, like gold, Au, platinum, Pt, and silver, Ag.
• Some nonmetallic minerals display extraordinary
brilliance and color when they are specially cut for
jewelry.
• Other nonmetallic minerals, such as calcite and gypsum,
are used as building materials.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Mineral Exploration and Mining

• During mineral exploration, people search for mineral
deposits by studying local geology.
• Exploration teams also collect and test rock samples to
determine whether the rock contains enough metals to
make a mine profitable.
• Airplanes that carry special equipment are used to
measure and identify patterns in magnetism, gravity,
radioactivity, and rock color.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Mineral Exploration and Mining, continued

Subsurface Mining
• Subsurface mining mines for minerals located below Earth’s
surface
Surface Mining
• Surface mining strips overlying rock material to reveal mineral
deposits that are located close to Earth’s surface.
Placer Mining
• Placer mining scoop up and separate the sediment from placer
deposits to search for minerals.
Undersea Mining
• Nodules are lumps of minerals on the deep ocean floor. However,
because of their location, these deposits are difficult to mine.
Resources and Energy Section 1

The Formation of Ores and Placer

Deposits
The diagram below shows how ores form in placer deposits.
Resources and Energy Section 1

Reading check
Explain the relationship between carrying capacity and the
amount of matter and energy in an ecosystem.

The amount of matter and energy in an ecosystem can

supply a population of a given size. This maximum
population is the carrying capacity of the ecosystem.
Resources and Energy Section 1
Comparing Metals, Nonmetals, and
Metalloids