Science 2.3

Give three examples of the use of minerals in familiar products.

*metals for cars and airplanes *quartz and feldspar for glass *mica and talc for paint

Would an ore at Earth's surface or an ore deep underground be more expensive to mine?

An ore deep underground would be more expensive to mine because to make a profit, mine owners must be able to sell ores for more than it cost them to dig the ores out. So an ore at Earths surface would be so much less expensive to mine than an ore deep underground.

What are the two hardest minerals in the Mohs scale?

Corundum and Diamond

Strip Mining

Is another method of surface mining. Miners strip away plants, soil, and unwanted rocks then use special machines to dig ore.

What is lava?

Is molten rock that has reached Earths surface.

Surface Mining (These are all descriptions to understand what they do).

Minerals AT or NEAR the Earths surface are recovered by surface mining. Minerals like gold are dense and can build up in river beds. Panning is where a miner uses a pan to wash away unwanted minerals that are less dense leaving only gold. Dense leaving only gold, machines can also be used.

When might miners choose to use open-pit mining rather than strip mining to obtain the ore?

Miners may choose to use open-pit mining rather than strip mining to obtain the the ore because open-pit mining would be used when the ore extends to DEEP within Earth to be recovered by strip mining.

What is magma?

Molten rock inside Earth-contains all the types of atoms that are found in minerals.

What is required for rocks to be considered ores?

Most minerals are combined with other minerals in rocks. For any mineral to be worth mining, there must be a fairly large amount of the mineral present in a rock. Rocks that contain enough of a mineral to be mined for a profit are called ores.

Open-Pit Mining

Removes the surface layer of soil. Then explosives are used to break up rock to recover the ore. Ores of copper and iron are obtained from open-pit mining.

What is ore?

Rocks that contain enough of a mineral to be mined for a profit are called ores.

How is the formation of minerals as molten rock cools similar to the formation of minerals as water evaporates?

The formation is similar because both involved atoms are joining together to form mineral crystals.

What minerals could jewelry makers use to grind and polish quartz?

The mineral jewelry make use to grind and polish is, Quartz, Diamond, Topaz, and Corundam.

How are strip mining and open-pit mining similar? How are they different?

They are similar because they are both types of surface mining. They differ in their depths during strip mining a layer of soil and rocks is removed to get an ore. During open-pit mining a much deeper hole is made.

Give two examples of the use of minerals in industry and two examples of the use of minerals in the arts.

Two examples of the use of minerals in industry are Diamonds and Water Filters. Two examples of the use of minerals in the arts are Cinnabars, and Gemstones.

Deep Mining

Used when ore lies far below Earths surface. When inside a mountain, miners cut a level passage to reach the mineral they want. From the main passage they blast, drill or cut to get the ore.

What are five ways in which minerals form?

Water evaporates, hot water cools, molten rock cools, heat and pressure cause changes, and organisms produce minerals.

How are minerals prepared for use in jewelry?

When gemstones are found, they are usually rough and irregularly shaped. Before a gemstone is used in jewelry, a gem cutter grinds it into the desired shape and polishes it. Gold and Silver are usually combined with copper to make them harder.