MINERAL

RESOURCES
EARTH SCIENCE
MINERALS PRESENT IN SOME
COMMON MATERIALS
■ Glass – silica, quartz, lead, titanium, sodium carbonate
■ Door Knob – nickel
■ Speakers – aluminum, cobalt, silver, silica, iron, titanium,
graphite, mica, carbon, strontium, neodymium
■ Plastic – calcium carbonate, talc, wollastonite, barium sulfate,
clay, mica
■ Keys – nickel
■ Knife – chromium
MINERALS PRESENT IN SOME
COMMON MATERIALS
■ Table salt – halite, iodine
■ Toothpaste – calcium carbonate, limestone, sodium carbonate,
fluorite, mica, zinc
■ Jewelry – gold, silver, platinum, diamonds
■ Matches – sulfur
■ Utensils – nickel, iron, silver
■ Cosmetics – calcite, hematite, kaolinite, mica, silica, talc,
titanium, zinc
WHAT IS A MINERAL?
MINERAL

■ is a naturally occurring, homogeneous

inorganic substance that has a definite
chemical composition. In this case, some
important elements including metals can be
economically extracted from specialized rocks
called ore deposits.
TYPES OF MINERAL RESOURCES

Metallic mineral resources: gold, silver, copper,

platinum, iron

Non-metallic resources: talc, fluorite, sulfur,

sand, gravel
HOW ARE MINERALS
IMPORTANT TO US?
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. 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. 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. 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. Quartz is also considered as a semi-precious mineral.
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

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.
DIFFERENT MINERAL
RESOURCES AND
ITS ORIGIN
MAGMATIC ORE DEPOSITS

■ valuable substances are concentrated within an

igneous body through magmatic processes such as
crystal fractionation, partial melting and crystal settling.
■ magmatic processes can concentrate the ore minerals
that contain valuable substances after accumulating
elements that were once widely dispersed and in low
concentrations within the magma.
HYDROTHERMAL ORE DEPOSITS

■ concentration of valuable substances by hot aqueous

(water-rich) fluids flowing through fractures and pore spaces
in rocks
■ hydrothermal solutions - are hot, residual watery fluids
derived during the later stages of magma crystallization and
may contain large amount of dissolved metals. These can
also originate from the ground water circulating at depth
that is being heated up by a cooling and solidifying igneous
body or along depths with known geothermal gradient.
HYDROTHERMAL ORE DEPOSITS

■ Such hot water can dissolve valuable substances (at low

concentrations) from rocks. As the metal enriched hot
waters move into cooler areas in the crust, the dissolved
substances may start to precipitate
■ There are numerous hydrothermal mineral deposits as
compared to the different types of deposits
SEDIMENTARY ORE DEPOSITS

■ Some valuable substances are concentrated by chemical

precipitation coming from lakes or seawater
PLACER ORE DEPOSITS

■ Deposits formed by the concentration of valuable substances

through gravity separation during sedimentary processes.
■ Usually aided by flowing surface waters either in streams or
along coastlines.
■ Concentration would be according to the specific gravity of
substances, wherein the heavy minerals are mechanically
concentrated by water currents and the less-dense particles
remain suspended and are carried further downstream.
PLACER ORE DEPOSITS

■ Usually involves heavy minerals that are resistant to

transportation and weathering.
■ Common deposits are gold and other heavy minerals such
as platinum, diamonds and tin
■ The source rock for a placer deposit may become an
important ore body if located.
RESIDUAL ORE DEPOSITS

■ A type of deposit that results from the accumulation of

valuable materials through chemical weathering processes.
■ During the process, the volume of the original rock is greatly
reduced by leaching.
■ Important factors for the formation of residual deposit
include parent rock composition, climate (tropical and sub-
tropical: must be favorable for chemical decay) and relief
(must not be high to allow accumulation)
RESIDUAL ORE DEPOSITS

■ Common deposits are bauxites and nickeliferous laterites.

■ Bauxite, the principal ore of aluminum, is derived when
aluminum-rich source rocks undergo intense chemical
weathering brought by prolonged rains in the tropics,
leaching the common elements that include silicon, sodium
and calcium through leaching.
RESIDUAL ORE DEPOSITS

■ Nickeliferous laterites or nickel laterites are residual ore

deposits derived from the laterization of olivine-rich
ultramafic rocks such as dunite and peridotite. Like in the
formation of bauxite, the leaching of nickel-rich ultramafic
rocks dissolves common elements, leaving the insoluble
nickel, magnesium and iron oxide mixed in the soil.
■ Secondary Enrichment Deposits are derived when a certain
mineral deposit becomes enriched due to weathering.
METHODS OF MINING
SURFACE MINING

is used to extract ore minerals near the surface of the

earth. The soil and rocks that covered the ores are
removed through blasting. Blasting is a controlled use
of explosives and gas exposure to break rocks. Some
examples of surface mining are open-pit mining,
quarrying, and strip mining.
UNDERGROUND MINING

is used to extract the rocks, minerals, and other

precious stones that can be found beneath the earth’s
surface. In underground mining, miners need to create
a tunnel so they can reach the ore minerals. This kind
of mining is more expensive and dangerous as
compared to surface mining because miners need to
use explosive devices to remove the minerals from the
rocks that cover them.
MINERAL PROCESSING
SAMPLING

Sampling is the removal of a portion which represents a whole

needed for the analysis of this material. One or more samples
are needed.
ANALYSIS

■ Chemical analysis uses electric discharge which excites the

elements in the sample to emit a certain spectra which will
reveal the identity of the elements as well as its concentration.
■ Mineralogical analysis uses heavy liquid-testing that aims to
separate the less dense, same density, and denser materials.
■ Coarsely grounded minerals are classified according to particle
size through sieving.
COMMINUTION

is the process where the valuable components of the ore are

separated through crushing and grinding. This process begins
by crushing the ores to a particular size and finishes it by
grinding the ores into a powder form.
CONCENTRATION

involves the separation of the valuable minerals from the raw

materials.
■ Optical separation
■ Gravity Separation
■ Flotation Separation
■ Magnetic Separation
■ Electrostatic Separation
DEWATERING

uses the concentrates to convert it to usable minerals. This

involves filtration and sedimentation of the suspension, and
drying of the solid material harvested from this suspension.
 THE EXPLOITATION,
EXTRACTION, AND USE OF
MINERAL RESOURCES
Ways to Prevent the Environmental Impact
Mining Waste Products and Their
Management
Heavy metal wastes can seep through soil making it
poisonous for plants to grow. Water sources can be
contaminated by the acid used in the mining process.
Tailings, a by-product of milling ores, can travel from
the dump ponds into the water source of nearby
communities. In the Philippines, some of these wastes
damaged mangroves, reefs, and impaired agriculture.
MANAGING MINING WASTES

■ Recent improvements in technology enable mining

companies to extract more minerals from the ores with
fewer wastes in production.
■ The mining companies must be able to plan out their sites
from exploration to rehabilitation.
■ The mining company must also ensure that they are able
to restore the community that was displaced because of
their activities.
MANAGING MINING WASTES

■ Tailings from mines can be zoned in and surrounded by lands so

that plants can avoid erosion of the ponds thus minimizing the
possibility of seepage of the tailings.
■ Mine structures should be designed at par or even surpassing
current rules and regulations set by the government and
international standards.
■ Other mining practices include reforestation, slope
stabilization, maintenance for dump facilities, managing and
monitoring air and water quality, erosion control, and water
conservation.
RA 7942: Philippine Mining Act of 1995

This law aims primarily to establish rules and

regulations of mining practices in the country and to
attract foreign investors to explore the potential of
minerals in the country. At the same time, the law also
intends to balance the mining industry, the culture,
and the protection of the environment.
Executive Order (EO) 79, Series of 2012

In 2012, EO 79 aimed to strengthen the provisions of

the Philippine Mining Act of 1995. This EO imposed
stricter rules on the environmental protection and
waste management of different mining companies.
 MINERAL
RESOURCES
EARTH SCIENCE
Key points

■ Minerals can be seen in everyday life.

■ Minerals have various uses in the society, homes, and even
personal use such as feldspar, fluorite, gold, silver, platinum,
and quartz.
■ Minerals are also widely used in construction, electronics, and
manufacturing like aluminum, barium, chromite, cobalt, copper,
iron ores, lead, graphite, quartz, silver, silica, tungsten,
molybdenum, and nickel.
■ Some minerals have unique uses in the medical field as well as
economics such as barium, iron, and gold.
Key points

■ Ores are special types of rocks or solid materials that contain

minerals.
■ The two methods of mining or extracting minerals from rocks
are surface mining and underground mining.
■ Mineral processing is the process of extracting minerals from the
ores, refining them, and preparing these minerals for use. The
primary steps involved in processing minerals
include sampling and analysis, comminution, concentration,
and dewatering.
Key points

■ Mining is the primary method of mineral extraction.

■ Negative environmental impacts can result from mining.
■ Multiple ways are done by mining companies and small-scale
miners to lessen these negative impacts.
■ The government implements laws regarding the environmental
protection of areas surrounding mining projects.
■ Responsible mining is one of the keys in environmental
sustainability.