Important

Minerals
in Society
John Aldrich G.
Cortez, RN
Home and
Personal Use
• Aside from salt, other minerals compose
some of the items and equipment found in
our houses.
• Feldspar is a component for ceramics,
glassware, and pottery. It is also an
ingredient in making soaps.
• Fluorite is also used in ceramics and
pottery. It is commonly known as a
component of toothpaste in the form of
fluoride.
Home and
Personal Use

• Gold, silver, and platinum are made into

pieces of jewelry and other important
articles at home.
• Quartz is used for the production of
glass and fiberglass usually used at
home.
Electronics,
Infrastructure, and
Manufacturing
• Numerous minerals are important to
infrastructure and manufacturing. A very
good example of this is copper.
• Copper serves as an important material in
electronics and wiring because of its
conductive properties.
• Silver is utilized in electronics for the same
reason.
Electronics,
Infrastructure, and
Manufacturing
• Silica is a mineral that contains silicon, a
metalloid that has some properties of
metals such as the ability to conduct
electricity.
• Tungsten and molybdenum are used widely
for the filament in incandescent bulbs
because of their high melting points.
• Iron ores are used for stainless steel
production.
Electronics,
Infrastructure, and
Manufacturing
• Barium, chromite, cobalt, copper,
molybdenum, and nickel serve as alloys in
the production of other metals.
• Bauxite is an ore where aluminum is derived.
It is important for the production of cement
for construction.
• Copper and lead are also utilized widely in
the construction field.
Electronics,
Infrastructure, and
Manufacturing

• Quartz, in the form of sand, is also valuable

in construction and manufacturing.
• Graphite, known in your pencil "lead”, can
also be used in manufacturing.
Economics

• Mining of minerals contribute to the gross

domestic product (GDP) of a country. Gold is
used as a reserve and serves as a backup
for currencies.
• The amount of reserves of gold correlates
to inflation. If the central bank of a country
buys gold, the country’s currency is
affected because of the fluctuations in the
supply and demand of the currency.
Precious Minerals
and Other Uses
• Some minerals are used as gemstones.
Rubies and sapphires contain aluminum
oxide. Emeralds are from the mineral beryl.
• Diamond, a form of carbon, is considered as
the most precious mineral. It is also
the hardest mineral (10 on the Mohs Scale).
Though commonly used for jewelry, some
uncut diamonds are placed as additive for
metal cutters because of its hardness.
Precious Minerals
and Other Uses
• Quartz is also considered as a semi-
precious mineral.
• In some cases, minerals are used in the
medical field. Examples of these minerals
are barium that is a helpful additive to
medicine in x-rays of the digestive system,
and iron which is used to treat anemia.
 “Sometimes when I'm trying to
understand a person's motives, I play a
little game. I assume the worst.“
-Sansa Stark