mineral resources

Ecologa

2022

We explain what are both metallic and non-metallic mineral resources, their importance and origin. Also, types of mining.

Mineral resources are those that are obtained from various layers of the soil.

What are mineral resources?

Mineral resources or mineral resources are the compounds Y substances of geological origin found in the Earth crust. Once extracted they can serve as raw material for many and very diverse industrial processes. These types of materials can be very different from each other, but they have in common their extraction method: mining.

Mining is one of the oldest human activities. It consists of the search for valuable mineral resources underground, through excavation and the opening of tunnels or quarries to separate the elements sought from the land mass.

There were times of enormous mining fever in different parts of the world, such as the so-called American “gold rush”, or the massive extraction of copper in Europe Y Asia during the Age of metals on the Prehistory.

Mineral resources can be of two types, as we will see later: metallic and non-metallic, depending on the type of atoms that compose them. In both cases, they are known as ore, that is, sources of its compositional elements.

Origin of mineral resources

Mineral resources generally have a geological origin, that is, they are the result of changes slow and intense suffered by the different types of rocks in the terrestrial strata, subjected to enormous conditions of Pressure and of temperature.

However, there are resources that are as old as the planet themselves, and that they have simply changed their presentation over the millennia. In fact, it is known that the core of our planet is composed mainly of iron and nickel, but in the outer layers it is possible to find numerous chemical elements conforming different types of minerals.

Metallic mineral resources

As its name indicates, this first type of mineral resources consists of associated metallic elements or constituting its nucleus. They have a significant amount of properties traditionally associated with metal, like brightness, electrical conduction or the magnetism.

They are the most abundant mineral resources on our planet, but produced naturally at a very slow rate, so they are nonrenewable resources.

Examples of these types of minerals are:

  • Magnetite. Composed of iron and other associated elements, famous for its ferromagnetic properties that allowed ancient mankind to discover magnetism.
  • The galena. Whose main element is the lead, and is one of the main sources of this element so used in the manufacture of pipes, containers to contain ionizing radiation or pigments to paintings.
  • The native gold. The most famous of the metallic minerals, sought after for its enormous commercial value. It is used in the manufacture of jewelry, mainly.
  • Bauxite. Mineral composed mostly of aluminum, it is extremely abundant and also a soft rock.

Non-metallic mineral resources

Pyrite looks like gold but has much less value.

Unlike the previous ones, these mineral resources are composed mainly of chemical elements not metallic. Therefore, their properties are usually very different: they do not have shine, nor do they usually conduct the electricity, and they do not respond to magnetism.

There are exceptions, of course, but they also have other interesting properties that make them indispensable in many industries.

Examples of these types of minerals are:

  • Pyrite. A mineral composed of sulfur and iron, whose appearance is very similar to gold, which is why it was nicknamed "fool's gold." It is insoluble in Water and combines metallic with non-metallic properties, depending on the concentration of iron present.
  • The barite. The main barium ore, it is also composed of sulfur. It was discovered in 1800 and is an extremely common mineral in the world.
  • Graphite. A carbon mineral in a practically pure state, shiny black in color, greasy to the touch and a good electrical conductor. It is the main resource for making pencils.
  • The feldspar. Mineral formed by silicates of aluminum and calcium, sodium, potassium, barium or sometimes mixtures of these non-metallic elements. They constitute a very diverse group of rocks and are the most common on the entire surface of the planet, made up of almost 60% of it.

Importance of mineral resources

Today it is difficult to think of any product that lacks components of mineral origin. From the technology that we use daily even raw materials for ceramics, metallurgy and other similar industries, today practically everything around us has components extracted thanks to mining.

In addition, they are part of many energetic resources that allow to produce and consume electricity. Thus, the extraction of mineral resources, despite its ancient origin, remains a fundamental activity for humanity.

At the same time, it can be a dangerous industrial activity, especially from an environmental point of view: the ecological damage that mining leaves in its wake is often terrible and irreversible, with a impact tremendous in the water and in the air, as well as in the Health of the persons.

Types of mining

Underground mining requires large investments to be safe.

Mining consists of the extraction of minerals from the Earth crust, which can be done from four methods different, giving rise to four types of mining:

  • Surface mining. It is the open pit excavation of metallic and non-metallic materials, always located at depths no greater than 160 meters below the surface. It can be carried out in open-air quarries, in counter-wells that are helped by the gravity.
  • Underground mining. As its name suggests, it takes place deep underground, through the construction of tunnels and conduits that go deep and allow the recovery of scarce minerals on the surface. This usually requires major mining architecture and engineering works.
  • Drill hole mining. Typical of the exploitation of the Petroleum or the natural gas, consists of the opening of wells through deep cylindrical ducts, to allow the desired substance to emerge, either by pressure or because it is replaced with other substances in the deep.
  • Underwater or dredging mining. Since minerals also accumulate underwater and are logically more difficult to recover, dredge mining was invented, which is used in shallow waters (maximum 65 meters below the surface), using dredgers with cutter heads and tubes of suction.
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