Earth Science Ore Minerals: How they are Found, Mined, and Processed for Human Use= &) What’s In Directions: Look at the illustration below. List down at least 5 importance of minerals shown in the illustration. Write your answer on the space provided below. 1Directions: Read the situation below and answer the guide questions. Minerals have been extracted from the earth since prehistoric times and the history of civilization and industrial advancement has been linked with man’s ability to harness and use the minerals available. Once a mineral deposit has been found it has to be extracted from the ground to access the valuable minerals it contains. Use the idea of this bow! as layers of rocks. In these layers of rocks are mineral deposits. Guide questions: 1. Since we cannot see what underlies beneath, what can you suggest on how minerals can be found? 2. What do you think are the mineral deposit present in these layers of rocks? 3. How will you separate each mineral component?were Ore Minerals: How They 6 Are Found, Mined, and Processed for Human Use Mining is the process of mineral extraction from a rock seam or ore -a natural rock or sediment containing one or more valuable mineral. The minerals can range from precious metals and iron to gemstones and quartz. Modern mining technology uses geophysical techniques that involve measuring the magnetic, gravity and sonic responses of rocks above and around a prospective mineral are body.There are two methods of mining: a. Surface Mining - is used to extract ore minerals near the surface of the earth. The soil and rocks that covered the ores are removed through blasting. Blasting is a controlled use of explosives and gas exposure to break rocks. Some examples of surface mining are: 1. Open-pit mining - This is the most common type of surface mining. Open pit means a big hole (or pit) in the ground. The pit in mine is created by blasting with explosives and drilling. It is used to mine gravel and sand and even rock.2. Strip mining - This mining type involves the removal of a thin strip of overburden (earth or soil) above a desired deposit, dumping the removed overburden behind the deposit, extracting the desired deposit, creating a second, parallel strip in the same manner, and depositing the waste materials from that second (new) strip onto the first strip. This mining method is used for coal, phosphates, clays, and tar mining.3. Dredging ~ This is the process of mining materials from the bottom of a body of water, including rivers, lakes, and oceans.b. Underground mining - is used to extract the rocks, minerals and other precious stories that can be found beneath the earth’s surface. In underground mining, miners need to create a tunnel so they can reach the ore minerals. This kind of mining is more expensive and dangerous as compared to surface mining because miners need to use explosive devices to remove the minerals from the rocks that cover them. = *. =s “= - - - = . roMineral processing is the process of extracting minerals from the ore, refining them, and preparing these minerals for use. The primary steps involved in processing minerals include: 1, Sampling - is the removal of a portion which represents a whole needed for the analysis of this material. 2. Analysis - is important to evaluate the valuable component in an ore. This includes chemical, mineral and particle size analysis. 3. Comminution - is the process where the valuable components of the ore are separated through crushing and grinding. This process begins by crushing the ores to a particular size and finishes it by grinding the ores into a powder form. 4. Concentration — involves the separation of the valuable minerals from the raw materials 5. Dewatering - uses the concentration to convert it to usable minerals. This involve filtration and sedimentation of the suspension and drying of the solid materials harvested from this suspension.