Mineral Resources

Naturally occurring materials in the earth’s crust that can be extracted and made into
useful products in processes that provide economic benefits and jobs.

Classification of Mineral Resources

Mineral Resources can be classified into four major categories:
1. Identified resources with a known location, quantity, and quality.
2. Reserves are identified resources that can be extracted profitably at current prices.
3. Undiscovered reserves are potential supplies of a mineral resource assumed to exist.
4. Other resources are undiscovered resources and identified resources not classified
as reserves.

Types of Mineral Resources

1. Metallic – contains one or more metallic elements
a) Ferrous – mostly contains iron
– have small amounts of other metals or elements added, to give the
required properties
– are magnetic and give little resistance to corrosion
– iron, cobalt, nickel etc.
b) Non-ferrous – do not contain iron
– are not magnetic
– are usually more resistant to corrosion than ferrous metals.
– copper, lead, tin, bauxite, aluminum, brass, stainless steel etc.
c) Precious – a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high
economic value
– tend to be less reactive than most elements
– gold, silver, platinum etc.
2. Non-metallic – described as the minerals that do not comprise of metals.
– limestone, manganese, mica, gypsum, dolomite, phosphate, salt,
granite, etc.
3. Energy/ Fuel – used to produce electricity, fuel for transportation, heating for homes
and offices and in the manufacture of plastics
- Coal, oil and natural gas are the basic fossil fuel.

Importance of Mineral Resources

Mineral resources are amongst the most important natural resources that dictate the
industrial and economic development of a country because they provide raw materials
to the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the economy.
- used in construction, utensils, machinery, and many more
- used in making acids, used for chlorine, mineral waters, photography, and for medical
purposes
- heart of industries
- source of foreign exchange
- symbol of development

Resources in the Philippines

a) Metallic Minerals
 Gold – Baguio and Paracale, Masbate, Surigao and Masara
 Copper – Surigao Del Norte (Philex Mining)
 Chromite – South of Luzon, Coto, Zambales, Northern Luzon
b) Non-metallic Minerals
 Salt – Bulacan, Pangasinan, Occidental Mindoro, and Cavite
 Limestone – Guimaras Island
c) Energy
 Coal – Malangas, Zamboanga, Sibugay, Caluya Antique
Uses of Minerals
 The roads we ride or drive on and the buildings we live learn and work in all
contain minerals.
 Because of its high and standard return value, it has been used as currency for
centuries.
 Used for flavoring and for preserving food.
 The most significant uses of coal are in electricity generation, steel production,
cement manufacturing and as a liquid fuel.

Where are Mineral Resources found?

The Philippines is situated along a well-defined belt of volcanoes called the Circum-
Pacific Rim of Fire where the process of volcanism and plate convergence resulted in
the formation of abundant and important metallic mineral deposits of gold, copper, iron,
chromite, nickel, cobalt and platinum.

Minerals important to the society

 Aluminum
 Coal
 Copper
 Iron
 Lead
 Salt
 Tin

How minerals are found, mined, and processed for human use

Modern mining processes involve prospecting for ore bodies, analysis of the profit
potential of a proposed mine, extraction of the desired materials, and final reclamation
of the land after the mine is closed.

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.

Surface mining allows extraction of ores that are close to Earth’s surface. Overlying rock
is blasted and the rock that contains the valuable minerals is placed in a truck and taken
to a refinery. Examples are open-pit mining, mountaintop removal, strip mining, placer
mining, and dredging.
Underground mining is used to recover ores that are deeper into Earth’s surface. Miners
blast and tunnel into rock to gain access to the ores. How underground mining is
approached — from above, below, or sideways — depends on the placement of the ore
body, its depth, the concentration of ore, and the strength of the surrounding rock. It is
very expensive and dangerous. Fresh air and lights must also be brought into the
tunnels for the miners, and accidents are far too common.
Ore Extraction
The ore’s journey to becoming a useable material is only just beginning when the ore
leaves the mine. Rocks are crushed so that the valuable minerals can be separated
from the waste rock. Then the minerals are separated out of the ore. A few methods for
extracting ore are:
 heap leaching: the addition of chemicals, such as cyanide or acid, to remove ore.
 flotation: the addition of a compound that attaches to the valuable mineral and
floats.
 smelting: roasting rock, causing it to segregate into layers so the mineral can be
extracted.
To extract the metal from the ore, the rock is melted at a temperature greater than
900oC, which requires a lot of energy. Extracting metal from rock is so energy-intensive
that if you recycle just 40 aluminum cans, you will save the energy equivalent of one
gallon of gasoline.

Mining - the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the
Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. These
deposits form a mineralized package that is economic interest to the miner.
- required to obtain any material that cannot be grown through agricultural
processes, or feasibly created artificially in a laboratory or factory.

Steps on Mining:
1) Discovery of the ore body, which is carried out through prospecting or exploration
to find and then define the extent, location, and value of the ore body.
2) Analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine
3) Drilling and blasting – getting ore out of the ground
4) Crushing and milling – getting the mineral out of the ore
5) Separation – separating the mineral from the waste rock
6) Refining – cleaning the mineral or metal
7) Distribution – distributing the minerals and metals to where they are needed
8) Reclamation of the land after the mine is closed

Environmental impact of mining

- can occur at local, regional, and global scales through direct and indirect mining
practices.
a) Erosion
Hillsides, mine dumps, tailing dams and resultant siltation of drainages, creeks, and
rivers. Destruction and disturbance of ecosystems and habitats, and in areas of farming
it may disturb or destroy productive grazing and croplands.
b) Sinkhole
-at or near mine site is typically caused from the failure of mine roof from the extraction
of resources, weak overburden or geological discontinues.
c) Subsidence
d) Water pollution

Ways to prevent or lessen the environmental impact that result from the
exploitation, extraction and use of mineral resources
1.    Stricter
regulations or policies in controlling mining.
2.    Mandatory
tree-planting and other environmental-friendly conditions to be imposed on
large and small-scale mining firms.
3.    Penalize
and detain violating miners, either large or small-scale miners, for doing the
smallest violations.
 UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM
Morong, Rizal
College of Education – Senior High School Department

Quiz No. 3 in Earth Science

Name: Score:
Section: Date:

I. Identification. Identify the following and write your answer on the space provided.
_____________1. Is naturally occurring materials in the earth’s crust that can be
extracted and made into useful products in processes that provide economic benefits
and jobs. _____________2. A rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high
economic value.
_____________3.It is used to produce electricity, fuel for transportation, heating for
homes and offices and in the manufacture of plastics. Coal, oil and natural gas are the
basic fossil fuel.
____________4. The extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from
the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. These
deposits form a mineralized package that is economic interest to the miner.
____________5. It is a way of mining that is used to recover ores that are deeper into
Earth’s surface
____________6. It is one of the types of Mineral Resources that contains one or more
metallic elements.
____________7. It is one of the types of Metallic Minerals that do not contain iron and
are not magnetic
____________8. It is a way of mining that allows extraction of ores that are close to
Earth’s surface.
____________9. It is one of the types of Mineral Resources that described as the
minerals that do not comprise of metals.
____________10. It is mostly contains iron and have small amounts of other metals or
elements added, to give the required properties

II. Enumeration. Enumerate the following.

1-3. Types of Mineral Resources

4-6. Types of Metallic Minerals
7-10 Example of Metallic Minerals
11-14 Example of Non Metallic Minerals
15-17 Example of Energy/Fuel Minerals
18-20 Ways to prevent or lessen the environmental impact that result from the
exploitation, extraction and use of mineral resources
21-22 Environmental impact of mining
23-30 Steps on Mining
Answers:

I. Identification.
1. Mineral Resources
2. Precious
3. Energy
4. Mining
5. Underground mining
6. Metallic
7. Non-Ferrous
8. Surface Mining
9. Non-metallic
10. Ferrous

II. Enumeration
1. Metallic
2. Non- Metallic
3. Energy/Fuel
4. Ferrous
5. Non-Ferrous
6. Precious
7. Iron, Cobalt, Nickel
8. Copper, Lead, Tin, Bauxite, Aluminum, Brass, Stainless steel
9. Gold
10. Platinum, Silver
11. Gypsum, Phosphate
12. Limestone,
13. Manganese, Dolomite
14. Mica, Salt
15. Coal
16. Oil
17. Natural Gas
18. Stricter
19. Mandatory
20. Penalize
21. Erosion, Sinkhole
22. Subsidence, Water Pollution
23. Discovery of the ore body
24. Analysis of the profit potential of a proposed mine
25. Drilling and blasting
26. Crushing and milling
27. Separation
28. Refining
29. Distribution
30. Reclamation of the land after the mine is closed