Chapter 5.explain why minerals areuseful to us
Answers
Answer:
minerals are important to us because it provides different forms of energy and other useful things that are essential for the development of human being.
Every segment of society uses minerals and mineral resources everyday. The roads we ride or drive on and the buildings we live learn and work in all contain minerals. Below is a selected list of commonly used metallic and nonmetallic minerals, ore minerals, mineral byproducts, aggregates, and rock types that are used to make products we use in our daily life.
Aggregates
Natural aggregates include sand, gravel, and crushed stone. Aggregates are composed of rock fragments that may be used in their natural state or after mechanical processing, such as crushing, washing, or sizing. Recycled aggregates consist mainly of crushed concrete and crushed asphalt pavement.
Bauxite
Aluminum
Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element in the Earth's crust. Bauxite ore is the main source of aluminum. Aluminum is used in automobiles and airplanes (36%), bottling and canning industries (25%), building and electrical (14%) and in other applications (25%).
Antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a silvery-gray, brittle semi-metal. It rarely occurs in nature as a native element, but is found in a number of different minerals. Antimony is used principally for flame retardants as well as in ammunition and automotive batteries and as a decolorizing agent in glassmaking.
Asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a class of minerals that can be readily separated into thin, strong fibers that are flexible, heat resistant, and chemically inert. Asbestos minerals are used in fireproof fabrics, yarn, cloth, and paper and paint filler. Asbestos is used to make friction products, asbestos cement pipes and sheets, coatings and compounds, packing and gaskets, roofing and flooring products, paints and caulking, and chemical filters. Fibers are dangerous when breathed, so users must protect against fibers becoming airborne.
Basalt
Basalt
Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock. Crushed basalt is used for railroad ballast, aggregate in highway construction, and is a major component of asphalt.
Barium
Barium
Barium is an element, derived primarily from the mineral barite, and used as a heavy additive in oil-well-drilling mud, paints, rubber, plastic and paper; production of barium chemicals; and glass manufacturing.
Beryllium
Beryllium
Beryllium, an element commonly associated with igneous rocks, has industrial and nuclear defense applications and is used in light, very strong alloys for the aircraft industry. Beryllium salts are used in x-ray tubes and as a deoxidizer in bronze metallurgy. The gemstones of beryl, a beryllium mineral, are emerald and aquamarine.
Bismuth
Bismuth
Bismuth is used in a number of very different applications. The majority is consumed in bismuth alloys, and in pharmaceuticals and chemicals. The remainder is used in ceramics, paints, catalysts, and a variety of minor applications. Bismuth metal is relatively inert and non-toxic. It has replaced toxic lead in many applications such as plumbing, bullets, birdshot, metal alloys, and soldering. Bismuth compounds are used in stomach-upset medicines (hence the trademarked name Pepto-Bismol), treatment of stomach ulcers, soothing creams, and cosmetics.
Boron
Boron
Boron compounds are used for many different purposes in industry and the home. Boron is used to make glass, ceramics, enamels, fiberglass, make water softeners, soaps and detergents. Other uses are in agricultural chemicals, pest controls, fire retardants, fireworks, medicine, and various minor applications. Boron nitride is one of the hardest known substances and is used for abrasives and cutting tools.
Bromine
Bromine, recovered commercially through the treatment of seawater brines, is used in leaded gasoline, fire extinguishers and retardants, well-completion fluids, and sanitary preparations. Bromine is the only liquid nonmetallic element.
Cadmium
Cadmium is used in plating and alloying, pigments, plastics, and batteries. Cadmium is obtained from the ore minerals Sphalerite (Zn,Cd)S and Greenockite (CdS)
Calcium
Copper
Copper is used in electric cables and wires, switches, plumbing; heating, electrical, and roofing materials; electronic components; industrial machinery and equipment; transportation; consumer and general products; coins; and jewelry.
Diamond
Industrial diamonds are those that can not be used as gems. Large diamonds are used in tools and drilling bits to cut rock and small stone. Small diamonds, also known as dust or grit, are used for cutting and polishing stone and ceramic products.
Gold
Gold is used in dentistry and medicine, jewelry and arts, medallions and coins, and in ingots. It is also used for scientific and electronic instruments, computer circuitry, as an electrolyte in the electroplating industry, and in many