There are many resources offered by planet Earth, both renewable resources and non -renewable resources. Some of them are water, wood, biofuels, solar energy, wind energy and fossil fuels, among others. This article will focus on mineral resources, resources considered as non -renewable of great importance for the economic development of the human being, since they serve for countless industrial processes. Not all mineral resources have the same value, for example, graphite and silver have different properties and are used for different products. One of the uses of silver is the manufacture of jewels, and a use of graphite, among many others, is to manufacture the tip of the pencils.
If you want to know what mineral resources are and what they are for, among other details, continue reading this interesting ecology article where it will be explained in detail What are mineral resources, their classification, examples and importance.
What are mineral resources
Most mineral resources are non -renewable, that is, mineral reserves are exhaustiblesince the planet Earth contains fixed amounts of them, so the exploitation of the deposits where they are limited are limited. These are extracted from the superficial areas of the Earth: cortex, hydrosphere, atmosphere, representing only 0.4% of the total land mass. Once these are extracted as raw material in different industrial processes. The extraction of these is done through different Types of Miningdepending on the type of mineral that is being extracted. In addition, both the mantle and the nucleus of the earth, for now, are inaccessible to existing technologies, so it is not possible to consider its mining potential.
Here you can inform yourself better about the extraction of minerals. In addition, we encourage you to learn about the difference between mineral, rock and glass.
Classification of mineral resources
In the classification of mineral resources Metal and non -metallic mineral resources can be found, as well as mineral and energy resources and minerals and industrial rocks:
- Metal: These contain metal elements whether they are associated or constituting their nucleus. Thanks to this association with metal, they have characteristic properties, such as electrical conduction, magnetism or brightness. Metal natural resources are among the most abundant on the planet, but their slow natural production, make them non -renewable. They are extracted at a rate greater than their production naturally.
- Non -metallic: The composition of these resources are non -metallic chemical elements are characterized by different properties to metallic, so they are not good electricity conductors, they do not respond to magnetism and have no brightness.
- Mineral and energy resources: They are those mineral resources that can be produced and consumed, some of them are natural gas, oil, coal, sulfur, radioactive minerals, among others.
We also recommend knowing the types of igneous rocks, their characteristics and classification and the types of sedimentary rocks and their classification.
Mineral resources examples
Has already been mentioned How mining resources are classifiedthen, some examples of them will be given:
Metal
- The magnetite: Its composition is formed by iron and other elements, it has been its ferromagnetic properties that have allowed the human being to know magnetism.
- The bauxite: Its main component is aluminum, it is a soft and very abundant rock.
- Native Gold: It has great commercial value, since Jewels is mainly used in manufacturing.
Non -metallic
- The pyrite: It is a mineral whose composition is formed by iron and sulfur, and is apparently similar to gold. It is characterized by being insoluble in water and combines non -metallic properties with metallic, depending on the iron concentration.
- The graphite: It is a black carbon mineral, good electric and fatty duct to the touch. Graphite is the ore par excellence to make pencils.
Mineral and energy resources
- Oil: Oil is a mixture of hydrocarbons that the Earth produces either in the form of gas, solid or liquid.
- Coal: Coal is caused by the decomposition of leaves, wood, terrestrial vegetables, spores and cortes that have been accumulated in lagoon, swampy or marinas of shallow areas.
Importance of mineral resources
Today, it could be said that most of the products we use are composed of mining resources. They are used metals and minerals in metallurgy, ceramic and technological industries, among other similar ones. In addition, they are part of most energy resources, thus allowing energy production and consumption. That is why the extraction of the different Types of mining resourcesit continues to be a fundamental work activity in our days.
However, although it is of great importance for the economic sector, it is true that from the environmental point of view it can be a dangerous activity, since mining activities without good management and restoration often create strong ecological damage and a negative impact on air, soil, water and the health of people and species that inhabit the area. Here we tell you more about how mineral extraction affects the environment.
If you want to read more articles similar to Mineral resources: what are, classification, examples and importancewe recommend that you enter our category of other environment.
