There are many resources that planet Earth offers us, 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 human beings, since they are used for innumerable 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 for silver is to make jewelry, and one use for graphite, among many others, is to make the point of pencils.
If you want to know what mineral resources are and what they are for, among other details, continue reading this interesting article by Ecologist Verde where it will be explained in detail what are mineral resources, their classification, examples and importance.
Most mineral resources are non-renewable, that is, the mineral reserves are exhaustibleSince planet Earth contains fixed amounts of them, so the exploitation of the deposits where they are found is limited. These are extracted from the surface areas of the Earth: crust, hydrosphere, atmosphere, representing only 0.4% of the total land mass. Once these are extracted, they are used as raw material in different industrial processes. The extraction of these is carried out by different types of mining, depending on the type of mineral that is being extracted. In addition, both the mantle and the core of the Earth, for now, are inaccessible to existing technologies, so it is not possible to consider their mining potential.
Here you can learn more about Mineral Extraction. Also, we encourage you to learn about the Difference between mineral, rock and crystal.
In the classification of mineral resources You can find metallic and non-metallic mineral resources, as well as mineral and energy resources and industrial minerals and rocks:
We also recommend you to know the Types of igneous rocks, their characteristics and classification and the Types of sedimentary rocks and their classification.
Already mentioned how mineral resources are classifiedHere are some examples of them:
Today, it could be said that most of the products we use are made from mineral resources. Are used metals and minerals in metallurgy, ceramics and technology industries, among other similar ones. In addition, they are part of the majority of energy resources, thus allowing the production and consumption of energy. That is why the extraction of the different types of mining resources, continues to be a fundamental work activity today.
However, although it is of great importance for the economic sector, it is true that from an environmental point of view it can be a dangerous activity, since mining activities without good management and restoration tend to create strong ecological damage and a negative impact on the environment. air, soil, water and on 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 they, classification, examples and importance, we recommend that you enter our category of Other environment.