Unit 4: Minerals and rocks                                                       1   2   3   4

4. Uses of minerals and rocks

a) Minerals

- Ores: They are the minerals that are useful to us.

   They are extracted from mines. They are profitable when

   the benefit is bigger than the expenses of exploitation.

- Non ores: are the minerals that are not profitable.

- Metal-bearing ore: are those that provide us with metals.

       - Iron (Fe): is extracted from loadstone, hematite, etc.

       - Copper (cu): is extracted from chalcopyrite.

       - Lead (Pb): is extracted from galena.

       - Aluminium (Al): is extracted from bauxite.

- Non metal-bearing ore: are the minerals that don't give metals.

       - Construction materials: such as talc, sulphur, graphite,

         gypsum, etc.

       - Jewellery: such as diamond, emerald, sapphire, ruby, etc.   

         Receives the name of precious stones or gems.

         They are valuable because of their colour, rarity and beauty.

b) Rocks

In the past, stone was used to make buildings, bridges,

      city walls, aqueducts, roads, etc.

      Today, most modern constructions are not made of stone.   

      However, they usually contain some form of rock.

  - Construction materials. Granite, limestone and slate are

    strong, decorative, and provide good insulation.

    They are used to make walls and roofs. They also serve as

    raw materials to manufacture other products.

        - Cement is made of limestone and clays. It is used to

           make concrete. Concrete is used for roads, bridges,

           dams and entire buildings.

        - Plaster is made of gypsum and other ingredients.

           It is used on interior walls.

        - Ceramic materials are made of clay. They are used for tiles,

          bricks, and bathroom pieces like sinks and toilets.

   - Decoration. Granite and marble are the most popular.

     They are used for sculptures, floors, etc. They are easy

     to carve and polish to a smooth, shiny finish.

   - Containers. Clay is used to make pottery and china.

     After the pieces are decorated, they are glazed and fired.

     This makes them much stronger.

   - Fuels. Coal and oil are used in transportation, industry,

     heating and to produce electricity

   - Chemical industry. Oil is used to make plastics, paints,

     fertilizers, synthetic fibres and many other products.

Animation: Extracción y procesamiento de minerales (SM)

4.1. What is the difference between ores or non-ores.

4.2. Put the verb in brackets into the correct form to complete

       the sentence.

     a. Gypsum (to form) a raw material used to make useful substances

     b. Paint and pigments (to be) made of minerals

     c. Precious stones (to be) very valuable but they (not to be) very common.

     d. People (to use) noble metals to make jewellery because they are easy

         to work with.

     e. Platinum is valuable because it (not to change) with time.

4.3. Label each photo with one of the uses of rocks.