EARTH SCIENCE-STEM 11

Name: _____________________________________________ Q1W3

Section: ___________________________________________ Date: ______________________

ORE MINERALS
An ore is a natural occurrence of rock which contains large amount of minerals with
economically important elements like metals that can be extracted from the deposit.

Example of Ore:
1. Cinnabar –contains mercury (Hg)
2. Sphalerite - ore of zinc (Zn)
3. Cassiterite –contains tin (Sn)

Geologic processes create and concentrate minerals that are valuable natural resources.
Geologists study geological formations and then test the physical and chemical properties of soil and
rocks to locate possible ores and determine their size and concentration. A mineral deposit will only
be mined if it is profitable. A concentration of minerals is only called an ore deposit if it is profitable
to mine. There are many ways to mine ores.

How do we extract minerals?

The location and shape of the deposit, strength of the rock, ore grade, mining costs, and current
market price of the commodity are some of the determining factors for selecting which mining
method to use. The primary methods used to extract minerals from the ground are:
A. Underground mining
B. Surface (Open Pit) mining
C. Placer mining

A. Underground mining. Higher-grade metallic ores found in veins deep under the Earth’s surface
can be profitably mined using underground methods, which tend to be more expensive. Large tabular-
shaped ore bodies or ore bodies lying more than 1,000 feet (300 m) below the surface are generally
mined underground as well. The rock is drilled and blasted, then moved to the surface by truck, belt
conveyor, or elevator. Once at the surface, the material is sent to a mill to separate the ore from the
waste rock.
B. Surface (Open Pit) Mining. Lower grade metal ores found closer to the surface can be
profitably mined using surface mining methods, which generally cost less than underground methods.
Many industrial minerals are also mined this way, as these ores are usually low in value and were
deposited at or near the Earth’s surface. In a surface mine, hard rock must be drilled and blasted,
although some minerals are soft enough to mine without blasting.

C. Placer mining. This is used to recover valuable minerals from sediments in present-day river
channels, beach sands, or ancient stream deposits. More than half of the world’s titanium comes from
placer mining of beach dunes and sands. In placer operations, the mined material is washed and
sluiced to concentrate the heavier minerals.

FOSSIL FUELS

Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons, primarily coal, fuel oil or natural gas. They formed from the
remains of dead plants and animals. The term fossil fuel also includes hydrocarbon-containing natural
resources that are not derived from animal or plant sources. These are sometimes known instead as
mineral fuels.
Fossils are the remains of creatures that lived long ago. They are buried beneath the layers of
rocks. A fuel is a source of energy. Rocks form layers like these over millions of years. As the layers
build up, the pressure on the bottom layers increases. The pressure on the rocks causes their
temperatures to increase as well. Sometimes, rock layers form over the remains of plants and animals.
Scientists call these remains organic matter. High pressures and temperatures can change organic
matter into three very important kinds of things: coal, oil, and natural gas.
Crude Oil
The oil we find underground is called crude oil. Crude oil is a complex mixture of
hydrocarbons- from almost solid to gaseous, with small amounts of other chemicals such as sulfur.
These were produced when tiny plants and animals decayed under layers of sand and mud millions of
years ago. The crude oil is useless as a mixture and must be sent to an oil refinery to be separated.

Fractional Distillation
Fractional distillation is a type of distillation which involves the separation of miscible
liquids. The process involves repeated distillations and condensations and the mixture is usually
separated into component parts. The separation happens when the mixture is heated at a certain
temperature where fractions of the mixture start to vaporize.
Coal
Coal is the altered remains of prehistoric vegetation that originally accumulated as plant
material in swamp and peat bogs. The accumulation of silt and other sediments, together with tectonic
movements in the earth's crusts buried these swamps and bogs, often to great depth.
This subjected the plant material to elevated temperatures and pressures causing physical and
chemical changes in the vegetation and transforming it into coal.

Natural Gas
Natural gas is a combustible mixture of hydrocarbon gases. While natural gas is formed
primarily of methane, it can also include ethane, propane, butane and pentane. Natural gas, in itself,
might be considered an uninteresting gas - it is colorless, shapeless, and odorless in its pure form.

Learning Competencies:
✔ Describe how ore minerals are found, mined, and processed for human use S11ES-Ic-d-8
✔ Describe how fossils fuels are formed S11ES-Ic-d-8
 ACTIVITY 1: METHODS OF EXTRACTING MINERALS
Identify which mining method is described by the photos below.

1._________________________
2._________________________

3._________________________ 4._________________________

5. _________________________

ACTIVITY 2: HOW FOSSIL FUELS FORMED?

Identify which fossil fuels (coal, crude oil, natural gas) undergo in the following processes or
is being described. Write your answer on the space before each number:

___________________ 1. Burying plants and sediments

___________________ 2. Compressing and heating organic materials
___________________ 3. Exposing under heat and pressure under the surface of the Earth
___________________ 4. Heating through fractional distillation
___________________ 5. Mined as leading fossil fuel in the country
___________________ 6. Forming primarily methane gas
___________________ 7. Source of bitumen/asphalt for road construction
___________________ 8. Uses refinery to purify and readily use them
___________________ 9. Rich in hydrocarbon which needs to be processed for a cleaner fuel
___________________ 10. It where diesel and kerosene are generated

ACTIVITY 3: MIND YOUR OWN MINE

Prepare the following materials and follow the procedure as stated (You may use extra sheets to write
your answers).

Materials:
● 6L size Empty Bottle/Container ● Mung Beans (1/4 kl) ● Gloves
● Clay Loam Sand (just enough to make ● Tablespoon/Scooper ● Basin
6L empty bottle ¾ full)

Procedure:
1. Mix the Mung beans and the sand together in a basin.
2. Place the mixture in an empty bottle/container.
3. Using a scooper or a tablespoon, get two to three (2-3) scoop each day.
4. Count the number of beans that comes in each scoop and record them using table below.
Day Number of Beans
1
2
3
4
5

5. Continue doing step #3 until the fifth day.

Questions:
1. What day did you recover the most number of beans and how many beans did you have?
2. How hard was it to get more beans at first?

3. How hard was it to get more beans in the latter?

4. If you will continue scooping until the next coming days, do you thinks you’ll recover more beans?
Why or why not?

5. Make a line graph of the number of recovered beans and the number of days spent in completing
the activity. Describe what the graph conveys.

6. If mung beans represent the minerals being mined, how do you describe resources (minerals)
tagged as non-renewables?

Generalization:
● In a larger perspective, where can the scooping and recovering bean be compared in extracting
resources?

● What can be suggest miners on how can they extract minerals without bring our environment to
harm?

Reflection:
1. Cite some practices where recycling resources, particularly minerals, is observed. How do these
practices help in conserving these resources?

References:

“How do we extract Minerals”. USGS Science for a Changing World. Article retried on August
6, 2020 from https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/how-do-we-extract-minerals?qt-
news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

“What are Ore Minerals” Geology Page update on August 7, 2020. retrieved on
http://www.geologypage.com/2019/11/ore-minerals.html
Images:
https://www.google.com/search?q=surface+mining&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=8Hb36aLL-
X5dKM%252CD44bmgQ4_QfsKM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-
kSoE8vuAxQCt6hGXD8qW_seZyhBUA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwimpNzi24rrAhWqxosBH
aYzD70Q_h0wAXoECAYQBg&biw=1366&bih=695#imgrc=8Hb36aLL-X5dKM

https://www.google.com/search?q=underground+mining&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjF3PPk24rrAh
XKxosBHRCdA4EQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=under+mining&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgBMgIIADIGCAAQBxAeMg
YIABAHEB4yBggAEAcQHjIGCAAQBxAeMgYIABAHEB4yBggAEAcQHjIGCAAQBx
AeMgYIABAHEB4yBggAEAcQHlCDwwJY7McCYNPaAmgAcAB4AIABaogB1gOSAQ
M0LjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=8CIuX8WkCcqNr7
wPkLqOiAg&bih=695&biw=1366#imgrc=J-tTGQ8e9F2OsM

https://www.google.com/search?
q=placer+mining&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjF3PPk24rrAhXKxosBHRCdA4EQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=pla&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgQIABBD
MgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgcIABCxAxBDMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgUIA
BCxAzoICAAQsQMQgwE6AggAUNxiWPpkYLx2aABwAHgAgAGGAYgBzwKSAQM
xLjKYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=8CIuX8WkCcqNr7w
PkLqOiAg&bih=695&biw=1366#imgrc=EYhTAt3ptIoq6M&imgdii=8km_9t51MdSjHM

https://www.google.com/search?
q=underground+mining&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj5s4Gc3IrrAhXfx4sBHexuCIIQ2-
cCegQIABAA&oq=unde&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQARgAMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgQIABB
DMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgQIABBDMgUIABCxAzIFCAAQsQMyBQgA
ELEDOggIABCxAxCDAVDvngRYwKIEYOWqBGgAcAB4AIABaYgBkAOSAQMyLjK
YAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=YyMuX7n2K9-
Pr7wP7N2hkAg&bih=695&biw=1366#imgrc=Ym2LOSvwwEoD7M

https://www.google.com/search?
q=fractional+distillation+of+crude+oil&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahU
KEwiWvsTioonrAhXCDaYKHV-nA-
wQ_AUoAXoECA4QAw&biw=1366&bih=695#imgrc=AplPDkLIpv6ooM
 Prepared by:

ERIC S. DE DIOS
Name of Writer

KEY ANSWERS

ACTIVITY 1: METHODS OF EXTRACTING MINERALS

1. Surface Mining
2. Underground Mining
3. Surface Mining
4. Underground Mining
5. Placer Mining

ACTIVITY 2: HOW FOSSIL FUELS FORMED?

1. Coal
2. Crude Oil
3. Natural Gas
4. Crude Oil
5. Coal
6. Natural Gas
7. Crude Oil
8. Crude Oil
9. Natural Gas
10. Crude Oil

ACTIVITY 3: MIND YOUR OWN MINE

Day Number of Beans

1 around 55 beans
2 around 50 beans
3 Around 40 beans
students’ data may vary depends
on the distribution and
concentration of beans in thee
mixture.
 4 around 35 beans
5 around 35 beans

Questions:
1. What day did you recover the most number of beans and how many beans did you have? Answer
may vary.
2. How hard was it to get more beans at first? Answer may vary.
3. How hard was it to get more beans in the latter? Answer may vary.
4. If you will continue scooping until the next coming days, do you thinks you’ll recover more beans?
Why or why not? Answer may vary.
5. Make a line graph of the number of recovered beans and the number of days spent in completing
the activity. Describe what the graph conveys.

Num
ber
of
Bean
s
reco
ver

Days of the Week

-The number of recovered beans decreases as the day progresses. This means soon the beans will
run out, that no more bean can be recovered.

6. If mung beans represent the minerals being mined, how do you describe resources (minerals)
tagged as non-renewables?
 Non-renewable resource are resources that cannot be replenished in given short span of
time nor can be available after fully consumed. In this activity, prolong extraction of mung
bean can lead to full consumption disregarding its germination.

Generalization:
● In a larger perspective, where can the scooping and recovering bean be compared in extracting
resources? Answer may vary.
● What can be suggest miners on how can they extract minerals without bring our environment to
harm? Answer may vary.

Reflection:
1. Cite some practices where recycling resources, particularly minerals, is observed. How do these
practices help in conserving these resources? Answer may vary.