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Using Mineral Resources. 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
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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