Nonrenewable Resources: Metals and Nonmetals

Minerals and Ores

Minerals and Ores All metallic elements and many

important nonmetallic elements can be obtained from minerals

Some of the elements are attached to other elements, but are easily separated

Usually, the metal or nonmetal is combined with another substance and needs to be chemically separated

If the rock has enough of the element to make the separation profitable, the rock is called an ore Eg. Iron ore, copper ore

The valuable mineral is the ore mineral, the rest of the rock is the gangue

Iron ore

Copper Ore

Mineral Availability It is difficult to make reliable estimates of

the availability of a particular resource Reserves are resources that have been

found and can be extracted at a profit with current technology

Important Nonmetals Most nonmetallic minerals resources are used in

the form in which they come out of the ground Examples are: sand, gravel, building stone, rock

salt, talc, and graphite A quarry is a small open-pit mine where sand,

gravel, and crushed stone come from Soil fertilizers are also nonmetals that are mined:

phosphate rock, potash, and nitrates Salt, gypsum, sulfur, and graphite are other

important nonmetals that are minedGypsum Graphite Sulfur