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Discover the uses of minerals like gemstones, ores, and bauxite in various industries. Learn about mining techniques like strip mining and smelting to obtain metals. Find out how minerals are processed and utilized in food, medicine, and building materials.
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Uses of minerals • Gemstones – valued because they are rare and beautiful - used for mechanical parts and grinding
Ores – minerals that contain useful substances that can be mined at a profit * Bauxite – source of aluminum * Chalcocite – source of copper * Cinnabar – source of mercury
Other uses include: Materials for food Medicine Fertilizer Building materials
Producing Metals From Minerals • Prospecting – searching for ore • Mining – removing ore from the ground Strip mining – machines scrape away soil to expose ore
Producing Metals From Minerals Open pit mining – machines dig an enormous pit to remove ore
Producing Metals From Minerals Shaft mines – miners dig shafts and tunnels to remove ores from veins
Producing Metals From Minerals • Smelting – process that separates metal from ore
Producing Metals From Minerals • Further processing includes: *removing impurities *creating alloys to make materials with special properties Video: coal mining