A mineral deposit that contains enough minerals to be mined for profit is called an ore. Ores are rocks that contain concentrations of valuable minerals. The bauxite shown in the Figure 3.21 is a rock that contains minerals that are used to make aluminum. Ores have high concentrations of valuable minerals. Certain places on Earth are more likely to have certain ores. Geologists search for the places that might have ore deposits. Some of the valuable deposits may be hidden underground. To find an ore deposit, geologists will go to a likely spot. They then test the physical and chemical properties of soil and rocks. Ore deposits contain valuable minerals. They may also contain other chemical elements that indicate an ore deposit is nearby. After a mineral deposit is found, geologists determine how big it is. They outline the deposit and the surrounding geology on a map. The miners calculate the amount of valuable minerals they think they will get from the deposit. The minerals will only be mined if it is profitable. If it is profitable, they must then decide on the way it should be mined. The two main methods of mining are surface mining and underground mining. Placers are a type of surface deposit. Surface mining is used to obtain mineral ores that are near the surface. Blasting breaks up the soil and rocks that contain the ore. Enormous trucks haul the broken rocks to locations where the ores can be removed. Surface mining includes open-pit mining, quarrying, and strip mining. As the name suggests, open-pit mining creates a big pit from which the ore is mined. Figure 3.22 shows an open-pit diamond mine in Russia. The size of the pit grows as long as the miners can make a profit. Strip mines are similar to open-pit mines, but the ore is removed in large strips. A quarry is a type of open-pit mine that produces rocks and minerals that are used to make buildings and roads. Placer minerals collect in stream gravels. They can be found in modern rivers or ancient riverbeds. California was nicknamed the Golden State. This can be traced back to the discovery of placer gold in 1848. The amount of placer gold brought in miners from around the world. The gold formed in rocks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The rocks also contained other valuable minerals. The gold weathered out of the hard rock. It washed downstream and then settled in gravel deposits along the river. Currently, California has active gold and silver mines. California also has mines for non-metal minerals. For example, sand and gravel are mined for construction. If an ore is deep below Earths surface it may be too expensive to remove all the rock above it. These deposits are taken by underground mining. Underground mines can be very deep. The deepest gold mine in South Africa is more than 3,700 m deep (that is more than 2 miles)! There are various methods of underground mining. Underground mining is more expensive than surface mining. Tunnels must be blasted into the rock so that miners and equipment can get to the ore. Underground mining is dangerous work. Fresh air and lights must be brought in to the tunnels for the miners. The miners breathe in lots of particles and dust while they are underground. The ore is drilled, blasted, or cut away from the surrounding rock and taken out of the tunnels. Sometimes there are explosions as ore is being drilled or blasted. This can lead to a mine collapse. Miners may be hurt or killed in a mining accident. Most minerals are a combination of metal and other elements. The rocks that are taken from a mine are full of valuable minerals plus rock that isnt valuable. This is called waste rock. The valuable minerals must be separated from the waste rock. One way to do this is with a chemical reaction. Chemicals are added to the ores at very high temperatures. For example, getting aluminum from waste rock uses a lot of energy. This is because temperatures greater than 900o C are needed to separate out the aluminum. It also takes a huge amount of electricity. If you recycle just 40 aluminum cans,
Output: any rock that contains a concentration of valuable minerals