MINING TOPIC : THE EARTH -NATURE'S STOREHOUSE

 DIG A LITTLE DEEPER

1. What does the word concentrate mean? Why is it important to have mineral concentrated in one place rather than scattered all around? What process help in concentrating mineral resources?

In mining, concentrate is partially purified ore. It is produced by mixing ground ore with water and blowing air bubbles through the water. These carry mineral particles to the surface. This is the final purely mechanical step in the process, and is the output of mining as such. As such, concentrate production is a measure of the output of a mine (or mines). The concentrate is then smelted to produce pure metal. Smelting is a thermal (the molten metal separates from the solids and gases that result) and chemical process (thermal decomposition f metal compounds, oxidisation of carbon, etc.). why is it important? Because In order to effectively mine/gather various minerals (elements) it’s very important that they are concentrated. We know there is gold in every gallon of sea water, but it’s so little that it’s not possible to extract gold from water and make it profitable. On the other hand during the goldrush people could find many oz of gold in rivers and make a good coin (keep in mind only a very small fraction actually made enough gold though). This is just as true with Iron, Silicon, Aluminium, Uranium and rare earth metals. What we can conclude is that there are natural forces that causing minerals to concentrate. Gold tend to ‘clump’ together and being transported with quarts through cracks in rock to solidify as the mixture cools down, without this there would not have been any real gold resources on the planet. Other metals like Nickel is believed to be concentrated due to impact of large meteorites. Iron got concentrated when microorganisms started to produce oxygen, causing iron to rust (Fe2O3) to settle at the bottom of the sea for them to be part of the sediment layers. I think the conclusion is that various mechanisms cause different minerals to concentrate in different ways and different places in high enough concentration where mining is financially sane. The distribution is very heavily dependent on tectonic activities, and where you find gold today might be gone in 100,000,000 years and other areas will see new minerals being concentrated.a.    

          2. Name at least 3 important natural resources that can be found in your state. Why are these important ? 

   The most important minerals found and produced in Indonesia are tin, bauxite, nickel, gold and copper.Contribution of the mining industry to the gross domestic product (GDP) of Indonesia. 4.98%Proven gas reserves in Indonesia at the end of 2019. 1.4tr cubic meter.Estimated production volume of nickel in Indonesia. Indonesia is a globally leading exporetr of tin and thermal coal. 

     3. Pick out your favorite clothes. Look at the tags sewn inside and learn if they are made from natural fibers, synthetic fiber or both. List the fibers used to make your clothes. How did minerals play a part in the making of your clothes?

      Most items such as clothes, bags, shoes, jacket, etc are made from synthetic fiber. Nylon is synthesized from coal, water, and air. The fiber consists of minerals silica mixed with oxides of alumunium, calcium, boron, and magnesium. The importance of alum as a natural mordant in textile dyeing is explained. The history of alum mineral processing was reviewed to emphasise on the heritage knowledge inherited by current trends in fashion technology and textile engineering. The review will also demonstrate the conservative environmental preservation nature of alum mineral as mordant. The need for modern evaluation of natural dyes and mordants will be highlighted Alum was known as one of the most imperative components of textile industry before the introduction of chemical dyes in the 1850s. Its significance could be explored when studying thealum quarrying and trade in several geographical areas . In literature, interesting notes on alum as a mordant for textile dyeing of yarn, cloth and leather in North America, China, Libya, Russia and Turkey could be found. In England, for instance alum was imported mainly from Papal and Spanish mines during the 16th.

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