Nonrenewable Resources: Metals and Nonmetals Minerals and Ores
Jan 01, 2016
Minerals and Ores All metallic elements and many
important nonmetallic elements can be obtained from minerals
Some of the elements are attached to other elements, but are easily separated
Usually, the metal or nonmetal is combined with another substance and needs to be chemically separated
If the rock has enough of the element to make the separation profitable, the rock is called an ore Eg. Iron ore, copper ore
The valuable mineral is the ore mineral, the rest of the rock is the gangue
Iron ore
Copper Ore
Mineral Availability It is difficult to make reliable estimates of
the availability of a particular resource Reserves are resources that have been
found and can be extracted at a profit with current technology
Important Nonmetals Most nonmetallic minerals resources are used in
the form in which they come out of the ground Examples are: sand, gravel, building stone, rock
salt, talc, and graphite A quarry is a small open-pit mine where sand,
gravel, and crushed stone come from Soil fertilizers are also nonmetals that are mined:
phosphate rock, potash, and nitrates Salt, gypsum, sulfur, and graphite are other
important nonmetals that are minedGypsum Graphite Sulfur