Minerals

Minerals

What are minerals?

A mineral is a solid that is naturally formed.

There are about 3,000 known minerals, and new discoveries occur frequently.

Minerals and YOUYou wake up in the morning and

switch on the light. You wash your face, brush your teeth, and get dressed. You turn on the radio and eat breakfast- a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice. You look out the window, then head for the door.- ready to start your day.

Almost everything that you do to get ready in the morning would be impossible without minerals.

Items that need minerals in order to produce them

Minerals touch our lives in hundreds of ways each day. Life as we know it would not exist without minerals. Everything that cannot be grown-that’s neither plant nor animal- is a mineral or made from minerals.

Aluminum

Pots and Pans Buildings Coke cans Cars Airplanes

Cement

Roads Sidewalks Buildings Bridges Schools Homes

Clay

Floor and Wall Tiles Dinnerware Kitty Litter Bricks Cement

Copper

Transportation Buildings Electrical Electronics Parts Plumbing

Iron Ore

Steel Buildings Cars Trucks Planes

Lead

75% is used for Transportation Batteries Electrical TV Screens

Phosphate

Fertilizers to grow food Animal feed supplements

Salt

Chemicals Highway deicing Foods

Sand, Gravel, and Stone

Concrete Asphalt Roads Blocks Bricks

Zinc

Paint Rubber Skin creams

Limestone

Carpet Glass/ Ceramics Sugar Drinking Water

Calcium Carbonate

Toothpaste Lipstick Hair Cream Counter tops Ink Medicines

Talc

Baby Powder Microwavable Container

Other Imformation

35 different minerals make up a television

15 different minerals make up an automobile

42 different minerals make up a telephone

Then and Now In 1776, when America became

independent, people’s needs were more simple, requiring fewer natural resources. Most people never traveled more than 20 miles in their lifetime.

Mineral Task Get the “Pounds of Minerals used by

Americans” worksheet from the middle of your table.

First calculate the total amount of minerals used in 1776 and in 2010. (You can use your calculator for the totals ONLY!) Fill in the chart with your calculations.

Calculate how many more minerals are were used in 2010 compared to 1776. Fill in the chart with your calculations. Make sure I can see your calculations on the back.

Why are more minerals used today?

Get the “Mineral” worksheet from the middle of your table.

With the data from your table on the “Pounds of Minerals used by Americans” worksheet and using the resource sheet, come up with at least 10 reasons why we use more of the minerals today then they did in 1776. First list the mineral and then your explanation.